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bruhimaunicorn · 5 years ago

Text

From a Grimes to a Dixon

Paring : DarylxReader

Summary : Daryl falls for Ricks daughter and this follows their story all the way to Alexandria.

Warnings : Fluff. Death ( It’s TWD so).Cursing.implied smut. Violence.

A/N : I do give the reader a certain look since she is supposed to be Ricks daughter. Such as eye color and hair type, but besides that this is still a reader insert!

He doesn’t know how you did it. How you managed to break down every piece of him so easy. Because as far as Daryl knows, he’s the complete opposite of easy and he tried to push you away,but you didn’t let him. Every time he tried, you gave him that look. That deep world altering look. The one that told him you aren’t leaving. You were the first person to make him believe it. Hell, he can’t believe that Lori’s daughter would be the very one to hold him close at night, but you were completely different from her. He knew it from the moment he met you. It’s still so clear in his mind.

It was the first night at camp. Everyone was so tired and scared, but not you. You we’re standing guard on top of Dale’s RV with your dad’s pistol with that same look. It was like you were daring one of those things to come for you or your family. You’d end them. Just like you’re dad taught you. And Daryl didn’t understand why you weren’t cowering with your mother, or hell cowering with Shane. But you didn’t need a man. You were just fine without one. And you had this black cap on, like someone who didn’t want to be seen. Another thing he didn’t understand. You were breath taking. Something Merle did not forget to let you know as soon as he met you. You had your fathers long brown curls, his clear blue eyes, and a body that should have a warning label on it. But you aren’t broadcasting it.

“ Y/N Grimes, Nice to meet Ya’ “ You responded with a grin when Merle had hit on you, holding your hand out for his. Merle shared a look with his brother as if he was going to get lucky with you and eagerly shook your hand, but what neither of the two expected is that you would almost break his hand. You twist his arm out to the side and force him to his knees, coming close to his face “ Talk that way to me again and you’re goin’ to find out real quick what it’s like to sip soup through a straw”. Daryl wanted to stop you, to demand you to take your hands off of his only family, but he didn’t because Merle deserved what you gave him. “ Do we have an understanding? “ You turn your head to the side, something Daryl would find that you learned from your father. That turn of the head? It meant you really, really screwed up.

Merle nodded slowly, the only time Daryl has ever seen him give up a fight, and you release him quickly after you are satisfied. “ I hope you’re not as delightful as this one? “ You ask, Daryl now with a wipe of your hands. Seeing as how you just made a little girl out of his brother, Daryl decides to answer you correctly “ Nah’ “. He watches you search his person as if you aren’t sure about him, but you say nothing about it. “ Y/N ! Come on! “ Shane then calls for you — his watch over you concerning Daryl. Don’t get him wrong, he didn’t know who you are or who Shane is to you or your family, but he didn’t trust it. “ Damn … What a broad “ Merle laughs in his brothers ear as you walk back to your family. Shane meets you with a smile—like you’re his whole world—and Daryl waits for you to return it, but you don’t.

And that made him curious.

—

A few weeks passed by after the altercation with Merle, but Daryl never stopped watching you. You are like drugs to him at this point. Everything you do is just .. strange. You’re a good sister—a great one even with the age gap between you and Carl. He learned Lori had you at 19 and Carl at 28, making you twenty yourself, but you still played with him. He wasn’t the annoying nine year old that Merle saw Daryl as. He’s your best friend. You make him your equal. And you pull your own weight. You hunt, fish, do laundry, and take most of the night shifts without complaint. Most women around camp gripe about everything, but no not you. He wants to know why.

You’re currently talking to, Shane about something he can tell Shane doesn’t like, but you don’t bat a eye at his argument with you. Daryl continue to skin at his squirrel from his recent hunt, but listens carefully to your conversation. “ I don’t remember asking for you to watch after me like I’m some fuckin’ kid! “ You growl at a man twice your size, but Shane doesn’t budge at your anger. “ Yeah—you didn’t ask me! But guess who did? Your dad! “ He points out and Daryl watches your face fall at the mention of your dad. Your lips twitch downward like you want to cry just at the mention of the former deputy, but instead you collect yourself and throw a glare up “ One day that line won’t work for you “. Shane falters slightly from your intensity, but stands his ground “ Yeah—well todays not that day huh? The rules stay the same. No one goes out by themselves “.

If looks could kill, he’d be ten feet under. You don’t continue the argument and Daryl figures you’ll go back to watch, but instead you stalk over towards him. He raises a eyebrow at the sight, but you’re the first to speak “ Will you come hunting with me? Apparently, I can’t go by myself anymore “. Daryl can’t hide his shock, are you actually asking him to come with you? You take his hesitation as a no, but you aren’t accepting it “ Look—I know you like to go alone and I do too,but officer do good over there won’t let me leave the premises without a man “. Tucking the squirrel away, Daryl nods “ Alrigh’. We can go now. Gettin’ real low on meat anyways”. He watches the anger fall off of your face and a small smile appear in its place. You aren’t stupid. Daryl has a whole bag of different rodents that could easily last a week. But he knows you need to get away from Shane. Or maybe everyone.

“ Thanks. I’ll owe you one “ You promise, turning on your heels to retrieve your weapons.

—

The hunting trip was quiet, but you didn’t seem to mind. You didn’t push him to make small talk like every other girl would. The quiet was nice to you. And you didn’t need him to kill for you, if you saw a squirrel you shot it. If there was a rabbit, you trapped it. It was getting close to dark when you both decide it’s probably best to head back, but you don’t seem to want to. You’re walking slower than before as if this was your death march, causing Daryl to turn back and give you a look “ You comin’ ? “. You purse your lips as if it’s a actual question “ Yeah,yeah “. You catch back up to his side , but he can still sense your reluctance. Somethings bothering you. He isn’t going to ask though—that would be weird. But you don’t need him to ask, you just come out with it “ Can I ask you something ?”.

Daryl avoids eye contact, but nods in response. “ Do you ever think about leavin? “. This stalls Daryl in his steps. He never thought you were the type to ditch your whole family. And you aren’t . He knows that. But the question still concerns him “ Why?”. You sigh through your nose as if this subject is tiresome for you “ Don’t get me wrong, I’d never leave my family behind. I’d die first. But—I— I don’t know . Forget I asked ok? “ . You begin to walk again and Daryl doesn’t push you on the subject. He just follows beside you. But he has a feeling it has to do with Shane. The whole situation rubs him wrong. Your dads best friend saves his family from geeks and says it’s what your dad would want, but then looks at you and your family the way he does… And you wanted out.

Just as you both approach the quarry and the group can be seen through the branches of the trees, Daryl stops you “ If Ya’ ever need to hunt again, come find me “.

And you smile at him again with that look, and it draws him in even deeper.

——

He got to know you a lot better with each hunt. He learned about your dad, your first dog who’s name was robber because he use to take your food, how you were going through the academy when everything fell apart to follow in your dads footsteps, and how you are one hundred percent sure big foot is real. “ Big foot? Really? “ Daryl had smirked at you, but you just rolled your eyes at him “ Alright , chupacabra don’t start something you can’t finish “. That was the first time you truly heard him laugh. He wasn’t offended and you weren’t scared to joke with him like everyone else was. He was a person when he’s with you. And it took everything in him to keep that in mind when you’re father came back.

He missed your joyful reunion—off hunting since Shane ironically put you on day shift, and he was happy for you at first. He knew how much you missed him and you were stuck to his hip at every waking moment once he was back in your life. Which caused you to start missing your hunts with Daryl, but he understood. But when he found out about Merle and that your dad had a part in it—he had to dig down deep to not hit your father in his throat. And he managed, but it was agreed that you all would help him find his brother.

And oh what a trip that was.

——

Then the CDC came, and so did the alcohol. You were all smiles at the dinner table as Daryl challenged Glenn to keep drinking, but not partaking yourself as well—your dad use to be a cop. But you knew how to have fun without it. And once you were out of the shower, Daryl found you with the kids and you proved it to him. You’re currently counting to ten as the kids squeal and try to hide whilst Daryl smiles and leans against the door frame. Once at ten, you peel your hands off your face to find him pointing to the closet where undoubtedly Sophia is hiding. You roll your eyes at him and mouth ‘ cheater’ before slowly approaching the closet “ I wonder where Sophia is? She’s so good at all this… I wonder if I should go tell everyone she’s missing! “. Giggles flood from the closet and you rip the door open, causing her to squeal.

You scoop her up and tickle her sides “ I found you! “. The girl in your arms is laughing so hard she’s crying and maybe it was the alcohol talking—but this suited you. You had a way with them. “ Now we’ve got to find Carl! “ You smile down at the girl, allowing her to climb on your shoulders. “ Be my look out Sophia! He’s a sneaky one , my brother! “. She giggles once more and you begin to search the room for your sibling. Daryl once again points out the hiding spot and sure enough Carl’s foot is sticking out from beneath the couch. This time you just wink at him , causing Daryls heart to skip for just a moment and you drop down to grab his little ankle “ Aha! There you are! “.

Your brother screams and tries to kick you out of his grip, but he’s not match for you as you gently drag him out from underneath the couch. “ And now you have to face my rath! “ You scream dramatically, and then tickle his sides as well. He laughs so loud that it attracts the attention of their mothers, who mirror Daryls actions. Your mother smiles at this brief moment of happiness between her children before he kicks at you again and you try to bite his arm “ Y/N Grimes you are a adult! Do not bite your brother! “. Daryl watches your mother go to break up your play fight as Carol follows to collect her child for bed. He wonders what you looked like as a kid. Same doe eyes most likely, but you seemed like the type that caused a whole lot of trouble.

He watches you mess up your brothers hair before giving him a goodnight hug and you then let your mom still kiss your cheek—not ashamed of the affection. Lori now marches a tired Carl out of the room, but makes sure to give Daryl a look of her own. It was the ‘ don’t hurt her’ look and he’s truly never gotten it before. It was strange. He just nods , not comfortable with the fact that they are catching on to how much he’s beginning to care for their daughter, but let’s your smile wipe away all of the doubt “ Did you come to sneak me some? “. He smirks at the second wink you give him and offers you the bottle of whiskey. You take a swig, letting it burn down your throat, before handing it back to him “ My hero “.

You’re joking, but Daryl liked the sound of it. He wouldn’t ever let you know that though. You then sit down on the couch with a content hum before motioning for him to join you. He sits as far as he can from you, but you ignore his awkwardness by putting your bare feet in his lap. He scoffs at you with a buzzed smile, but doesn’t push you away. You were comfortable with him. And he knows that’s not true for everyone around you, so he’d let you do whatever you wanted. He just wanted you near.

Rick would be the one to find you both asleep on the couch, separate, but his hand around your leg protectively. It catches him off guard at first—and he wants to rip you from his grip, but then it hits him. How he always finds you next to him, how you seem to be the only one to calm the hot head down, and how Daryl always watches over you. This wasn’t someone preying on his only daughter, it was love. Even if it was unspoken.

—-

After the cdc, there was Sophia getting lost in the woods. And that was a bad time for you. You cared for the little girl as if she were your own. You were the first one to fling yourself, unarmed, into the woods after her as the two walkers chased after her and when you couldn’t find her—you blamed yourself. This put a weight on you that wouldn’t be resolved until you found her. So, Daryl took on the task with you. But then, Carl got shot and he watched you go pale. The woman on the horse claimed she was just trying to help, but Daryl didn’t want to let you go. He didn’t know it was safe. He couldn’t protect you if he wasn’t there. “ It’s my brother,Daryl! “ You had yelled at him when he tried to stop you, yanking your arm away from him as you climb up on the horse.

You could see he was scared for you, but your brother needed you. Even with Daryl looking at you with sad eyes. This is what’s right. You rode off with the stranger, causing Daryl to curse and kick the dead walker that attacked Andrea “ So fuckin’ stubborn! “. And that’s when everyone started to realize there was something going on with you two.

Even if he didn’t want to admit it.

——

The next morning, after Carl survived the surgery, you waited for Daryl to arrive at the farm. You hope he understands why you had to go—just like he did when it came to Merle. That you can’t live with loosing your brother. “ Boy troubles? “ Maggie asks you, bringing you out of your anxiety filled thoughts. You want to deny the woman and tell her to mind her business, but she did let you all in her house so you decided to just shrug your shoulders. She smiles softly and watches you watch the dirt path anxiously “ I know that look, Y/N”. You still won’t give her the satisfaction of telling her your love life or whatever this is with Daryl, but don’t drop your eyes from the road. Kindly, she sits and waits with you since you’re not up for talking right now. That’s what made you realize that she’s good people.

Once you hear the familiar loud motor, you just about jump out of your skin. He was here. He’s followed by the rest of the group that was still at the highway and you don’t hesitate to go to him. You probably look like a stupid school girl, but you don’t care. “ Hey “ You smile at him as he gets off his bike, but he doesn’t smile back. He just gives you a stare “ Now Ya’ wanna talk? “. Your stomach twists uncomfortably, Daryls never been mad at you before. “ He made it through, he’s going to be ok “ You offer him news, but he turns that down as well. “ That’s great, Y/N . Real great . How ‘bout you go tell Shane all about it “ He spits at you. Your eyebrows knit together at the mention of Shane “ Wha- what are you talking about ? “.

He rolls his eyes like it’s obvious and turns to stalk off in another direction, but you grab his elbow as he tries “ Daryl wait- “. He then yanks his elbow from you and the look in his eyes intimidates you. He doesn’t have to say anything as him harshly removing himself from your touch says it all. He wanted to hurt you. Like watching you leave hurt him. He then continues to storm off and you blink away the tears in your eyes. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to you as everyone was just concerned about Carl. Except for Shane, he was watching the whole situation and took the chance to swoop in. He figures if he can suck up to you, you won’t mind when he figures out a way to win your mom over.

“ You alright? “ He asks, hat in hand like he could make everything better. You just shake your head and give out a cough “ I’m fine- just worried about Carl is all”. Shane knows you’re lying, but let’s you. “ He’s going to be fine. I made sure of that “ He then tells you, playing on your feelings for your brother . You want someone who understands your situation and he was going to be just that. You offer him a smile even though you’re crumbling on the inside “ Thank you”. He points to his cheek like he use to when you were a little girl and you roll your eyes “ I’m not a little girl anymore, Shane “. He just continues to smile “ I don’t care how old you get girl, I still get my kiss on the cheek”. You give him the harmless kiss as you always have and walk off to get some space , but Shane took it as progress and let you wonder off.

Leaving him to plots concerning your father.

—-

The following week, Daryl doesn’t talk to you. He ignores your existence entirely. And you begin to wonder if you imagined all of this. You thought this was going somewhere. That he understood you, but maybe you were wrong. Maybe you were wrong about all of this. And Shane was trying to hang around you more and more, only adding to your agitation. Sure, he was a family friend, but the way he looked at you and your whole family was beginning to creep you out. So, you began to look for Sophia by yourself. Even if you’re dad didn’t like it. You want to be alone. At least when you’re alone, you can hear yourself think. Even if it’s about Daryl…

You hadn’t found much on her whereabouts yet, but you aren’t giving up. Even if it kills you. And that’s what you set out to do, from sun up to sun down that’s where you are and it causes concern within the group. You hear their whispers as you pass by them at dinner, but you don’t care. You can take care of yourself and it’s better than just sitting on your ass like their doing or playing tough guy like Andrea is. The thought of the woman makes you roll your eyes, but she hadn’t hurt anyone so far. So you let it go.

And then the next day the sun rises and begins to set before she does, and it all happens so fast. First, she spots the so called walker and you demand she doesn’t fire as does your dad, but she keeps her aim set. You ignore her though, writing her off as she’s not the biggest concern right now, and you run towards the supposed walker. You’re closest, so you reach the figure before anyone else and you raise your gun on it. “ You gonna shoot me now? “ Daryl rasps at you, causing you to lower your weapon as the guys catch up to you. “ Daryl?!” You now rush to his side as he’s barely standing in front of you, and hold him up. “ How bad are you hurt ?! “ You ask him, your dad coming to help you hold him. “ Why do you c- “ He’s about to be snappy with you before a gunshot rings out, and Daryl suddenly goes limp in your arms.

Your eyes go wide “ DARYL?! “. Your dad is already yelling for help as you have no choice ,but to start moving him as fast as you can. “ Did she get him?! “ You panic at your dad, but he shakes his head no to your relief. “ Just grazed him “. Your shaking as you help drag him to Hershel, who takes it over from there. You have his blood on your hands and just from the look of it, it sends a shiver down your spine. Yes, you know he’s going to be ok, but this scared the absolute shit out of you. He could’ve easily.. This could’ve been a whole different situation if she was two inches to the left in her aim. Andrea now runs in as if she can hear your thoughts, causing a ugly side of you to boil over.

She’s pulling at her hair and holding her chest as if she’s scared. As if this could’ve hurt her. And never in your life have you felt this anger for another person. Dale walks her out of the room as Hershel needs less bodies in the room and you watch as Dale comforts her. As if she’s the one who needs comforting. Andrea finally feels your eyes on her, but it’s too late. You’re already half way to her , arm cocked back ready to punch that scared expression of her face . And you do, you get one really good punch into her mouth before your dad grabs you by your arms and she’s screaming bloody murder. “ What the fuck, Y/N?! “ She’s holding her mouth as blood begins to drip from it.

You thrash against your dads arms as he moves you all outside as inside hershels home was not the place for this to happen. “ Oh— I’M FUCKING SORRY DID YOU FORGET THAT YOU DERSERVED THAT?! THAT HE COULDVE DIED?! “ You scream, the thickness in your voice let’s her know that if you get out of your dads arms she better run. “ SOME FUCKING TOUGH GUY YOU ARE! CANT EVEN TAKE A PUCH! “ You’re yelling at her like a lunatic and your dad has to shove his hand over your mouth to keep everyone from hearing. You want everyone to see her for what she is right now.

But in reality they see you for what you are, a girl in love.

——-

The next days are spent at Daryls bedside, even if he’s still mad at you, and you even sleep at his side in the most uncomfortable chair. Which is what you’re currently doing as ,Carol brings in his dinner. His eyes dart over to the woman and he motions for her to keep quiet. Even if he was upset with you, he didn’t want anyone to wake you. You looked so tired. Carol smiles at your sleeping figure. You deserved it. Besides Daryl, you are the only one that hasn’t truly lost hope in finding her daughter. “ She’s a good one “ Carol whispers to Daryl, setting his food on the table beside him. Daryl just nods, but carol decides to push the subject further “ You know, she punched Andrea that day you got shot“. Daryl gives the older woman a confused look. When did you do this? And why hadn’t you mentioned it to him?

“ Yeah, she was so mad that Andrea shot you. She went ballistic on the poor girl “ Carol confirms, shrugging as if it’s not big deal. No one blames you for punching her. She broke the rules Hershel set and almost killed a valued member of your group. It was justified. “ Can’t imagine her doin’ that “ Daryl mumbles, looking over at you as if he’s trying to. Carol laughs slightly “ You’ve seen the way she takes down walkers, this isn’t too far fetched “. Daryl doesn’t argue with the woman and she realizes she should probably give the two of you some time to rest. But she stops just before closing the door “ You know, the two of you have done more for my little girl, than her father has her whole life “.

And with that she shuts the door, leaving Daryl alone to be with his thoughts of you. He watches you stir slightly in your sleep , moving uncomfortably in the chair, and he realizes how you deserve this bed more than he does.

You did punch someone for him.

——

The next day, you help Daryl move back into his tent. He’s currently poking holes in the net while you tidy everything up for him, but you can feel him staring at you. “ Well I’m going to get out of your hair now. Yell if you need me “ You sigh, getting back on your feet. “ Aye “ He stops you just as your about to leave and you turn to see him still staring at the holes he’s made. “ You’re talking to me now? “ You ask, hand planted on your hip. You watch him nervously toy with the holes before he takes a deep breath “ M’sorry”. You can tell this makes him uncomfortable so you let your anger slip away. He wasn’t good at this and you don’t want to push him into anything.

“ I-it’s fine, Daryl. I get it “ You tell him, your voice showing him just how tired you are. He looks up from the tent to examine your face. There’s bags under your eyes, undoubtedly from sleeping in that chair, and your cheeks are sunken in like you haven’t eaten in a couple of days. “ C’mere “ He pats the spot next to him. You shake your head “ I can’t I’ve got- “. He stops you from rambling your list of duties “ They’ll be fine for an hour. Now c’mon “. You give him a half sigh, knowing how much your needed right now, but give in and lay beside him. He moves his pillow so that you can be comfortable and you smile up at him. He narrows his eyes down at you “ Why are you smilin’”. You just shrug and let your eyes close, his scent filling your nose as you snuggle into the pillow “ Nothing “. You can hear him mumble to himself that that’s bullshit, causing your smile to stretch.

But once he believes you’re asleep, you can feel him pull his blanket over you and brush your hair out of your eyes.

——

From that point on, Daryl made it a point to be near you again. He felt bad how he treated you. You didn’t deserve that. Not for wanting to be with your brother. He was just scared to loose you. But he didn’t have to say anything, you understood him without words. When he would bring food to you at night, or when he would check you for scratches after a search for Sophia it meant I’m here. That he’s not going to let anyone hurt you. And when his hand would graze the small of your back when you looked stressed or when his hand grazed yours when you were close to him, it meant he was checking on you. And you never question him about it, you let him do as he pleases. This is how he shows his love.

But the day did come where it was known that there’s walkers in the barn. And then the day that that Sophia walked out of said barn as one of them, came as well. And you couldn’t believe your eyes. There was the little girl that you had been chasing now for weeks. The little girl who you put on your shoulders just a month ago at the CDC. Your breath caught in your throat as her dead eyes glance your way and it kills you to see her like this. She was just a kid.

The only thing that tears your attention away from the little girl, is her moms cries as Daryl holds her back. You couldn’t even imagine. Your heart breaks for the woman who had already lost so much. This wasn’t what the world was supposed to be like. That little girl was supposed to out live you all. Not this—whatever cruel joke this was.And once Sophia’s second life is sent to an end, Carol runs off in the other direction. And in that moment, you expect Daryl to walk away. That this would surely send him over the edge, but he doesn’t. Instead, he walks over to you and places his hand on your back. Instead he checks on you.

But he would push everyone else away, just not you. He’d bite everyone else’s head off, just not yours. He just made room for you. He let you sleep next to him , even if he wasn’t ready to hold you.

——-

And then the farm fell, and he couldn’t find you. And he’s never been so scared in his life. Not even when his dad use to beat him. This was you. All he could do was yell for you, kill walkers, and repeat. But you were gone. Everyone was gone. His heart is beating a thousand miles an hour, but he can’t accept it. You had to be ok. You’re a fighter. You wouldn’t give up—you wouldn’t leave him. And as fate would have it, he would find Carol who convinced him to go back to the highway. Sure enough, they you were. You were on your knees, holding Carl’s hands as if you were trying to tell him something he wouldn’t like,but as soon as you heard his bike you got off of your knees and ran straight to him.

He barely has time to get off the bike before you’re throwing your arms around him “ Oh god—I thought..I didn’t see you! “. And even though you both hadn’t said anything yet, hadn’t made anything official, he grabbed you as tight as he could. “ I know” he whispers into your hair as he can still feel your body shake against him. “ If anything would’ve happened to you- “. “ Shh”. You press your face into his chest and he smoothes your hair back from your face, catching your fathers gaze. Rick looks over the two of you, but says nothing. He only gives Daryl a nod and let’s the man comfort you.

He’s glad you have someone who will take care of you if he’s not around.

——-

The next seven months aren’t the easiest. Your mom is due any day now and you can’t find a place for longer than an hour before the dead are running you off to the highway again. Food is low, water is low, and game is scarce as it seems the walkers found out that deers taste good. You scoff to yourself as you think back to that time back at the quarry, but do nothing as your stomach rumbles. Your standing guard over your mother as everyone is trying to plot where to go next and she grabs your arm “ You ok? “. She offers you a small smile and return it. Your father and brother haven’t been the nicest to her lately after Shane. Turns out she was having a whole fling with him before your dad got back. And it just put them at odds.

And while you couldn’t understand how she could even touch another man with your dad so recently gone, you didn’t judge. She needed someone in her corner and you’d give her that. “ I’m fine mom don’t worry about me”. She rubs your arm softly “ I’ll always worry about you. That’s what moms do you know? “. You place your hand on hers and try to comfort her the best you can before Daryl waves you over. “ I’ll be back “ You promise her , giving her a small squeeze before joining him. “ Gonna go hunting with your dad. Wanna come? “ He asks, collecting his stuff. Giving him a nod, you look around to keep track of everyone. “ C‘mon” He tugs on your wrist, ripping you from your worry.

You follow him off into the woods , where your dad has already gotten a head start. Both of you are quiet, the world around you the same, and you wonder if there’s any actual game out here. Usually you’d at least hear a frog, but right now ? Nothing. It was odd. Daryl seems to notice the same thing and protectively walks before you, but finds nothing wrong as you catch up to your dad. He’s got a hard expression on his face, as always, and you let him talk with Daryl as it’s obvious that’s what he wants. You don’t mind though.You just walk infront of the two and try to pin point any game whilst they talk about the true next steps.

You can only hear a little of what their saying, but it doesn’t matter as you look to your right and spot a prison. And you knew that this is why it was so quiet. Your dads in mid speech about something when you turn and point to the building. Daryl follows your gaze, but is quick to dismiss it “ Ain’t that a shame “. Yes, you can see the walkers—and there is a lot of them—but you can also see the potential. There’s gates, guard towers, undoubtedly a commissary which meant food, and hopefully a safe place to welcome your little sibling into the world. Rick is already thinking the same as you and the look on his face gives you hope. He hasn’t looked so relieved in such a long time.

——

And it would be a home. Four an entire two days before a ex inmate let the walkers into your walls. And ended up not only killing, T-dog, Possibly Carol, but your mom. As soon as you heard the baby’s cries… There was no doubt. She was gone. Daryl watches your face go pale and his stomach twists as you fall to your knees, mouth gaped open as if you’re trying to find the words. Carl runs to you instinctively and all you can do now is hold your brother tight. You have to be his rock now more than ever. Especially as your dad looses all of his will right before the both of you. Tears poor down your face, but you don’t let Carl see them. He needs you to be strong. Something your dad can’t be right now.

You watch as he runs into the prison, undoubtedly to find your mother’s body for himself and it’s like your life is on auto pilot. That everyone’s moving around you and talking, but you’re not controlling any of it. There’s a gaping hole in your chest the size of Texas- and everyone can see it - but it didn’t matter. “ Hey - hey “ You pull your brothers face up from your chest, his tears pooling from his blue eyes. “ We’re ok. We’re going to be ok “ You promise him. His lip quivers, but you just shake your head at him “ We need to take care of our little sibling now, ok? It needs us to be strong for it ok? “. He’s shaking like he’s ready to stuff his face back into your neck, but you force him to look at you “ We have to do this for mom “.

He nods slightly, but it’s clear he’d be crying himself to sleep tonight. “ We’re going to need formula—fuck do we even have clothes for it ? “ You’re brainstorming your list out loud, looking over your shoulder at Daryl. “ We’ll get sum’. There’s a daycare up the road. Bout’ twenty miles out “ He confirms, his eyes glued on you. You nod and turn back to your brother “ I’m going to have to go- “. “- No! Don’t leave! “ Carl interrupts you, his eyes as wide as the sea. You place both of your hands on his cheeks, wondering just how to get him through this, but you find the words “ I will never leave you, Carl. But this baby won’t make it without food . It won’t even survive the night “. He’s shaking like a leaf , but let’s you go. He trusts you.

You feel like you’re going to vomit, but push past it and force yourself over to Maggie. She’s holding your little brother or sister with a terrified gaze, but you just scoop her from Maggie to let her grieve. Someone should get to. You adjust the squirming baby into the proper position “ H-hi there “. It calms at your voice as if it was waiting for you and you grab it’s little hand, tears forcing their way out of your eyes. “ She’s a girl “ Maggie informs you, as it’s obvious you’re trying to find out by picking at a thin cloth someone gave her. A girl. “ I see “ you force a smile down at your sister “ So you’re here to steal my spot, huh?”. Carl’s now at your side and your comment cheers him slightly “ Y-yeah, she is “. You’re both smiling now, but Daryl can tell it’s all an act. That you’re falling apart on the inside.

And the moment you two reach the daycare, he finds out just how right he is. You’re the first to get off his bike, but as soon as you do you’re chest is heaving like you’re going to be sick. “ Y/N - “ Daryl tries to calm you, but you just rush over to the nearest bush and empty you’re stomach. Daryl runs after you and holds your hair back for you, the only thing he can truly do for you at the moment. He can feel you shake,but it’s short lived as you didn’t have enough on your stomach for it to last long. “ Fuck me “ You groan and give a wipe to your mouth, before turning back to Daryl. Your eyes are now strained,but he doesn’t expect any different. “ I can do this “ He offers, his hands coming to your hips in support. “ N-no. I can do this. She needs me “.

There’s fresh tears covering your red cheeks that say other wise and Daryl has no idea how to make you ok again. You’ve been the one putting him back together again all this time and he’s never even seen you cry. Not once. You’re grabbing at the roots of your hair now, looking to the sky for answers “ How- What do I do now, Daryl ? “. Again, he doesn’t know. His minds screaming for him to help you, but he doesn’t move. What could he possibly do? A sob finally escapes your lips “ Oh God- she’s really gone isn’t she ? What the fuck do I do?! “. And without any idea, Daryl just grabs your face so you’ll look at him. You’re eyes meet his quickly as you have no other choice. He’s inches from your face and you feel his heart beat against your chest. He wants to tell you that’s it’s going to be ok, but that’s not going to be enough. You were smarter than that.

So, he just kisses you instead. Even though you just threw up and your lips are covered with tears, he doesn’t care. He just wants to hold you together. Just like you always do. And he’s never kissed you before—not even with sleeping next to each other every night,but you take it. You let his lips move with yours for as long as he’s willing. And he knows Nothing has ever felt so right. He only pulls away to catch his breath,but let’s his forehead rest on yours. Oh, how you take his breath away so easily. “ I-I don’t know, Y/N. But we’ll figure it out “ Daryl finally gives you an answer.

You trust his words and hope to God this will all work out.

——

Months go by as obstical after obstacle presents its self, but Daryl was right. Together, you both figured out how to make it ok. Through the governor, through the fear, through Andrea and Merles deaths, and even through welcoming all of the governors people into the prison. You made a way. And now the prison is thriving. There’s running water now and plenty of food. A place for baby Judith to grow and for Carl to remember how to be a kid again. He even has a friend. Your days are full as you have plenty of people to care for now, which put you as a prime member on the council. But all of the responsibility does keep you and Daryl separate for most of the day.

You aren’t a big fan of that, but it made the nights something to look forward to. You’d always get back to your cell last, since you try to squeeze in a kiss for Judith at night, but Daryl always waits up for you. Tonight’s no different as you quietly open the curtain to your shared cell, giving him a small smile “ Hey stranger”. He looks up from a book with a smirk of his own “ S’that what I am now? “. He moves to the edge of the bed, motioning for you to come his way. “ Let me check Ya’ “. You let him do as he pleases and smile as he checks you for scratches. He knows you haven’t been outside the gates in over a week. Once you’re in the clear, you turn to face him and he raises an eyebrow at your shirt. Completely forgetting that Judith spit up on you, you laugh down at your shirt “ I’m so tired I completely forgot”.

He smiles— How precious you are sitting there with puke on you. You smile back and move to change your shirt, revealing your back to his gaze. He traces your back , his hands gripping the bottom of the bed, and you pay him no mind. This is one of the ways you show him how comfortable you are with him. And no, he’s not good at all of this. But he does notice all the little signs you give him to reassure him. Like how you’re fine undressing infront of him. And he’s never touched you in that way, but you let him know with these little actions that when he’s ready he can. “ Oh- shoot” You gasp, when you’re dragging your jeans off of your legs. Daryl automatically locks his eyes on your leg where a large bruise is forming and he’s quick to help you.

“ It’s ok , I’ve got it Dare “ You insist, hopping slightly as you try to pull the clothing off of you. He ignores you, moving forward with his instinct to take care of you and helps you tug them off “ Stop bein’ so stubborn”. You grab his shoulder for support “ You’re the one to talk “. He grumbles something at you, causing you to smirk, before he tosses your jeans to the side. His eyes drop back down to yours once he does, and you wait for him to come back at you with your usual playful banter, but it doesn’t come. And then it hits you, that even though there’s only light by candle, you can see how un-easy he is. And not because he doesn’t enjoy his view— He loves it actually. But having you this close? Without clothes?

You offer him a smile, this didn’t have to turn into that. “ Hey, lets go to bed “ You offer, completely content with having him next to you tonight. You pull a shirt over your frame and lead him to your bed, but you can tell he’s upset with himself. You can always tell when he’s upset because he won’t hold you. Sighing, you sit up on the mattress “ Daryl, it’s fine.Really “. You can practically feel him roll his eyes at you. “ Not fuckin’ fine “ He groans, turning on his side and leaving you alone for the rest of the night.

———

The next morning, you wake up alone. Which isn’t surprising since this is how it always happens, but it feels different after the small argument— or whatever that was last night. Mentally, you groan at the situation, but get up and begin your day anyways. Just cause you had a fight with your boyfriend doesn’t mean the walkers will stop for you. Tossing clothes on, you shove your M9 into your waist band and exit the cell to find Carol holding Judith. You smile at the sight of your sister and it’s clear she sees you as she squeals for you. “ Every time “ Carol laughs, offering you the girl. You accept her into your arms and Judith places her hand on your mouth. She does this every time now knowing you’ll make pig noises and bite her hand, just like your mom did with you. You grant her wishes and she giggles at you.

These little moments you cherish more than anything, but you have to give her back as you have to get to your list of many things to do. “ You ok? “ She asks once you are free of the baby. Nodding, you move towards the perch to leave, but stop as you wonder why she’s asking. She tilts her head slightly, like she was a caring mom “ Daryl was in one rare mood this morning is all. Wanted to make sure you two are good “. You just shrug at the woman you consider family “ We’re all good, Carol. Thanks for asking though “. You can feel her gaze on your back as you exit the cell block. He must be in some mood for Carol to warn you like that. You brace yourself for it as you walk towards Beth who is currently cooking something Daryl killed yesterday. Her boyfriend is there with her and you offer them both a smile as you approach “ Morning “.

Beth smiles in return, but obviously has the same thoughts as carol did. You choose to ignore it and pick at the deer meat that’s already cooked “ You coming on the run today? “. Zach nods eagerly, trying to sneak his own piece like you just did “ Yes mam “. You smirk at his choice of words and leave the couple to begin picking off the walkers at the wall. They’re starting to look overwhelmed so this would be task number one of the day. Maggie is already picking some off as you join her, but it doesn’t take long for you to notice she’s wearing a frown.You know she’s scared that she might be pregnant. She hasn’t told you, afraid of your reaction because of what happened to your mom, but you could tell. There’s just a certain look. “ Anything you want me to pick up for you on the run? “ You ask hoping she will confide in you, shoving your knife into a walkers head. You pull your arm back and continue the same action two more times before , Maggie looks at you.

You can feel her looking you up and down, before she groans “ How do you know?”. Smirking, you continue to assault the walkers “ You know I grew up with cops right? For god sakes, my dad was the sheriffs deputy. I got pretty good at reading people “. She’s glad you aren’t mad at her, but grabs your arm to stop you so she can have your full attention “ After your mom- “. You stop her by holding her hand that she grabbed you with “ Maggie it’s fine. I’m fine “. She’s searching your eyes for any sign you’re not fine, but you squeeze her hand for effect “ You and Glenn are married. I expect you to have my nieces and nephews “. She laughs as you clearly want cute little Glenn’s running around and that she’s definitely your family. It seems to relive her of her stress and you go back to picking the line. She follows your lead and shrugs to herself “ Maybe you and Daryl can give them someone to play with? “.The idea makes your heart feel warm, but you don’t respond to her.

After last night, you don’t know if that’s something he’d want for the two of you.

——-

When it came time for the run, you gave your dad and Carl a hug before finally coming face to face with Daryl. He’s currently filling up the bike with gas, but you know he can sense that your near. He just doesn’t want to face you. You believe he’s mad at you, but truly he’s just embarrassed about the whole situation. He doesn’t understand how he could have you infront of him like that, but not act the way he wants to. You fold your arms over your chest and you debate asking Zach for a ride, but it would just make this all too obvious. Daryl then drops the cap to the gas and you reach to help him, but he’s quick to make sure you can’t. You furrow your eyebrows at him. Is he really being childish ? Your lips purse and leave him to his assholeness.

Your half way to Bob and Tyreese before he’s finished with his task and calling for you “ Aye “. You turn to find him giving you a questionable look. You never rode without him. “ What? You obviously don’t want me around “. This catches Bob’s attention, but he thankfully gives y’all privacy. He narrows his eyes at Bob before you, and then rolls his eyes for you to see “ Fine! “. He swings his legs over the bike and starts it up, obviously telling you to ride with them instead and you can feel your stomach twist uncomfortably. You can feel your face drop as well, but Bob comes to your side to try and defuse the situation “ Hey, you can sit with me! We’re playing the alphabet game “. As much as you appreciate Bob’s easy going ness , right now you can’t imagine spending the next thirty minutes listening to the stupid game.

But you would. And the run wouldn’t put you in a better mood either. Usually, you love getting out of the prison even if it was just for a little bit. But that was mostly because of getting alone with Daryl. Yet, you do your job and search the stocked store. You’re in the hygiene aisle tossing soap and other necessities in your bag, but stop when your eyes land on the pregnancy tests. You debate on grabbing one for Maggie, but as you grasp one in your hands you can feel eyes on you. You know exactly who they belong to and roll your eyes mentally, deciding to just shove it in your bag and move on.

You move onto dry goods and grab a couple of jars of baby food before you hear Bob yelling for help. Your eyes widen at the sound and you rush towards it to find him pinned under a shelve.There’s a walker under it as well and you quickly try to pull the shelf off of him, groaning as you need help “ Anybody!! “. There’s loud foot steps heading your way, but they aren’t fast enough as Bob screams in fear. Daryl finally reaches you and the two of you attempt to free the man, but then you start to hear the groans. And light is starting to appear from holes in the roof. “ Daryl! “ You point out, causing him to try and lift even harder. Finally, you feel as it’s moving, but then a walker falls through the roof and the whole store descends into chaos. Daryl has to rip you away from your task as a walker gets too close to you and you slam into a near by shelf. Daryl quickly sends a bolt into its head and you have no time to catch your breath before another one staggers towards you. You push off of the shelf and shove your blade as hard as you can into the top of its head, kicking it back as soon as it’s life less.

Daryls quick to grab you again and push you towards the middle of the store, but there’s too many and you’d both have to kill at least six of them before being able to go any further. Thankfully, you can see Zach and Tyreese helping bob so this is your prime objective. You stand back to back with Daryl and begin your assault, coating yourself and the floor in various fluids. And as is if this wasn’t bad enough, you can now see a helicopter trying to fall through the roof. Daryl obviously notices too, but the two of you are getting backed up into the exact spot it’s going to fall. “ Daryl! Y/N! “ Glenn yells, clearing a path for you . You rush to take it and Daryl is right behind you.

And then you see it, Zach gets bit and there’s nothing any of you can do but run.

——

That night you waited on Daryl to come to bed. He wanted to be the one to tell Beth about Zach, so you granted his wish and gave him the space to do so, but what you didn’t count on was him getting stopped by your brother on his way back to you. Daryl was just leaving Beths cell, a distant expression on his face, and Carl knew it all to well. Daryl begins to head back to you, not realizing your brother is watching him, but stops as Carl stands infront of the perch “ I need to talk to you “. Daryl nods up to your cell “ In the mornin’. Need to talk to Y/N “. Carl puts his hand on Daryls shoulder “ It’s about her “. Daryl raises a eyebrow at the kid, but follows his lead to just outside the cell block. Carl paces slightly before announcing his reasons for stopping the hunter.

“ I wanted to say thank you for bringing Y/N back safely.. I heard it was really bad “. Daryl gives your brother a nod, but waits as there’s obviously another reason he pulled him aside. “ And- I saw what was in Y/N’s bag and I need you to know that if she is.. if she’s pregnant that it’s going to be ok. I think she’ll be a great mom “. Daryl looks your brother up and down as if he has two heads, but remembers you stashing a test in your bag. Obviously you aren’t pregnant, but looking at the hope in his eyes made Daryl wish it was true. “ She’s not. T’s for someone else “ He explains, the kid infront of him slumping slightly at the news. At this moment he looks just like you. “ Well, that’s cool too I guess “ Carl accepts. His lips are pursed slightly, but he lets the idea go. Carl begins to leave Daryl to go back to his task, but stops just to tell him something Daryl needs to hear “ You make her happy you know? And I think you’d make a cool brother in law. Even if she’s not pregnant “.

The kid smirks at the taller man and leaves the hall way to probably go hug you goodnight. You two have a nightly ritual after all. Even with Carl getting older, he never misses it. Most nights, Daryl would listen from the hallway as you let him lay on your shoulder. You’d tell him that you’re proud off him and that it’s ok to miss mom too. And that you’ll never leave him. But Daryl wonders would he make a great brother to Carl? The whole conversation leaves Daryl second guessing everything. He eventually climbs the stairs to over hear your nightly ritual. “ I told Daryl that he’d make a cool brother in law “ Carl confesses as you rub his back, just like mom use to do. You smirk down at him “ Oh yeah? You want him to be your brother now? “. He can hear Carl laugh softly, but not at any harm to Daryl.

“ Dad said you’re happy with him. That Daryl is a good man. I just wanted him to know that it’d be kinda cool to have him be one of us “ Carl explains to you and you can feel your heart swell at his words. Never before has Carl liked any of your boyfriends. Ever. “ He is one of us “ You agree, but Carl seems to have a different opinion. “ He has to propose first, stupid “. You send a fist into his shoulder “ First off, I will and can beat your ass Carl. And second, it doesn’t really work that way anymore. Family isn’t defined by a ring or a piece of paper. Especially since I’m pretty sure the aliens dropped you off on our door step and we were just too kind to leave you there “ . Carl laughs at your threat and punches you back, but doesn’t miss the fact that you consider Daryl family already.

“ So you don’t want a ring? Just dating is fine with you? “ He asks after the two of you call a cease fire. You shrug slightly, not ever really giving the idea any thought “ I don’t know. I feel like Daryl and I are good. He can give me a ring if he wants and if he doesn’t I’ll be ok. I know where we stand and that’s enough for me “. Carl seems to be confused on all of this, but is glad you know what you’re doing. “ Relationships are really weird “. Hugging him goodnight, you give a kiss to his head“ You’re not wrong,Grimes. You’re not wrong “. He leaves you to find his bed and you begin to lay down, only to sit right back up when Daryl enters the cell. He looks so tired, eyes straining to stay awake, but you resist the urge to hug him. There’s still a weird feeling in the air.

He looks your frame over before setting his things down , not really giving you a idea of what is going through his mind. “ How’d it go with, Beth? “ You ask quietly, not really knowing what else to say. His shoulders roll “ Went fine “. Mentally you want to skip to the part where everything’s good and that all this in between won’t matter. He looks over his shoulder at you, noticing that you let your hair down and that you’re scrubbed clean, and remembers the girl he met that day at the quarry. The girl who never treated him like anything other than good. It makes him sigh. God, he hated disappointing you. Those doe eyes of yours search his for any sign of a white flag, he notices. You didn’t want to fight. You just wanted him. But it’s hard for him to accept. His doubts are miles long, but you seem to always make it through them.

Shyly, you creep off of the bed and hug his back tightly to prove this point. No matter the argument he tried to put up earlier, you know his heart. Your hands smooth over his chest and he can feel you place a kiss to his back , ever so careful in your movements. His eyes close tightly in response. Always so careful with him like he’s something special. All the demons in his mind scream otherwise, but feeling your head rest on his back seems to melt them down somehow. “ I know this is all new for you, but I want you to remember that all I’ll ever need is you. You can be mad at me for the rest of my life— god willing it’s a long one— but you’re going to have to accept that. You’re my family”. Your kisses continue “ I’m never going to let you go, even when you push me away “. Your words promise a future to him. And for the first time he can feel how bad you want him to be apart of it. That you’re going to be with him and only him.

“ Just tell me that’s all you want. That you’re in this forever with me “ You ask of him. And this is the first time you’ve ever asked him to confirm his feelings for you. And fuck, he never realized how this must be for you.That he’s never asked you to be with him. That you’re just supposed to love him without any confirmation given. He slowly grabs your hands and holds them close, hoping his touch feels just as right as yours does “ Yeah, I want that “. You smile against his back, content in this alone, showing him that you have no ulterior motives. That you’ll have him in every way and never leave. “ Can we go to bed ? “ You ask , but don’t leave his grasp. He can hear a small yawn escape, but he doesn’t give you what you want.

Instead, he turns around and smoothes your hair out of your face resulting in you grinning at him like you’re just eating up any affection he’s willing to give you. And it feels good to have someone look at him like that and mean it. He places his hand on your side, slightly grabbing it so you’ll come closer, and you gladly take his hint. You take the opportunity to kiss him and he can smell the vanilla wafting off your skin, drawing him into your lips even more than before. This smell always makes him feel like he’s at home. But, you pull away all too soon reminding him of your wish to sleep. And he can’t explain what you did to him by pulling away from him, but he quickly pulls you back to him. You raise your eyebrow at him, but don’t have a chance to question his actions as his hands find your hips and he’s quick to grasp at the skin that lays beneath your shirt.

Your eyes fall to his hands as the trace their way up your ribs and you notice his eyes asking for permission to remove the shirt that stops him from continuing. You remove the item without hesitation— as far as your concerned you’re his. And no, you didn’t have a ring or some piece of paper, but you would only be his for the rest of your life.You let the item fall without care and in the candle light, he counts all the little freckles he’s never noticed before. He traces them with his finger and this night would end with him finding every one of them.

—-

Every night after would be similar, until the prison fell and once again he’d loose you. You’d be know where to be seen, but he’d have to abandon the prison without you. Luckily, you got out with Michonne, but neither of you knew about each others where about. And it scared you. Days would pass by before you even caught up with your dad and brother, and while that was a joyous reunion, they could see the sadness in your eyes. You didn’t bother to talk a lot, only when needed, and it felt like you were dying inside. It was the unknown that killed you. Daryl wasn’t any better as he tried to provide , Beth with safety, but it wasn’t a life she wanted.

She hated sitting in the middle of the Forrest, eating snakes and she was quick to let Daryl know that, but he wasn’t much of a chatter box either. She wants to push him to admit he misses you and that he’s upset about the way things happened, because he’s just acting like none of it happened. And she eventually does, hitting him like a curse word with your name “ Y/N would hate to see you like this! She would be right in your face telling you to suck it up! But you don’t care right?! You don’t care that she’s gone! That Maggie’s gone! “. “ Don’t say her name! “ He would yell at her, but Beth wouldn’t let up. He needed to believe that you’re alive again. That this wasn’t all truly over. “ Why not, Daryl?! Huh? She’s out there and we’re sitting in the Forrest like bait! “.

Luckily, your family wasn’t pushing you the same way. They gave you your space and you still gave Carl the attention he needed, but you are just going along with whatever they choose. And eventually it would be terminus that they set their sights on, after your dad had to kill that man in the house you were holding up in. You don’t know what to feel about terminus, but they seemed to think it’s where everyone else would’ve headed.

Daryl would see the sign too, but it would be without Beth as she had been taken already. He was with a new group now, but it wouldn’t last. He was just surviving at this point and hoping Beth was right. That you were out there and waiting for him. And as fate would have it, he’d find you that very night. Just not in the best of situations. You were sitting around the small fire with your dad and michonne, listening to their small talk when a man would come behind you all and aim weapons at your heads. You thought this was it. That this was how you were going to die. And all you could do was look to Carl as he was pinned to the ground beneath an older man. Rick would look to you and his son in fear, but it’s Daryl that stops the scene playing out to escalate.

“ Wait— wait! “ He pleads, revealing himself from the woods causing your eyes to go wide. He briefly makes eye contact with you as the man behind you grins and grips your neck tightly. The leader of this little group would hear him out for a moment before proceeding to call him a liar and sick his men on him, causing you to scream for them to stop. You jerk in the man’s grip, but it was of no use. He grazes the knife across your skin like it pleased him and your dad was sickened at the sight, but you don’t let out any signs of fear. You needed to be strong. If you were all going to die, Carl’s last picture of you shouldn’t be crying and begging for your life. His knife would trail down your shirt as he makes it obvious he would do more than just kill you and it’s then that, Rick bites a huge chunk out of the leaders neck.

You take the opportunity to send your head back into the mans face and it sends him stumbling behind you , before picking up a large rock that was next to your foot. He looks from the rock to you “ And what do you think you’re going to do with that? “. He doesn’t think much of you, but his night would be sent to an end as you bashed his brains in with it. You let the rock drop as you finish your task, his blood covering your hands, but you don’t let it faze you as you turn to find Carl still in the grips of one of them. You’re ready to attack him, but your dad holds out a hand. He wasn’t able to kill your captive, but he would make sure to kill Carl’s. Michonne comes to your side as she holds you protectively, but you quickly rush to Carl when he’s free.

He runs to you on instinct and you accept him gladly as he’s trembling “ I’ve got you. You’re ok “. You can only rub his back and shield his face as your dad finishes off the man , the terror of the night truly at its peak. Michonne is quick to join you as you notice Daryls slumped form against your vehicle and Carl gives you the ok to go to him. You run to him and once you get to him, you’re searching him all over. Your hands come to his face, finding a forming black eye and a busted lip, but he doesn’t let you fret over it “ M’ ok”. Instead, he worries for you “ Did he hurt you ? “. He attempts to check you, but you just push his hands away and hug him to your frame.

He thinks briefly back to the time at the highway, but this was different. Men had tried to kill you. To take you away from him. You’re holding him like he’s a security blanket this time. He tries to hold you in return and give you the affection you need, but he couldn’t give you his all at the moment. “ I thought you were gone “ You whisper for only him to hear. You’re shaking against him and he realizes you must be crying, truly showing your love for him. And it’s in that moment he realizes he’s never told you he loves you. That you could’ve died without hearing those three words. “ Hey “ He whispers, bringing your teary eyes out from his shoulder. “ M’here now. S’ok “ He promises, but your lip is still trembling.

“ Don’t leave me again. Promise me. Promise me I’ll never have to live without you again “ You demand even if you sound like a child. He nods at you as he’s never seen you so panicked. “ Say it “ You demand again. He can’t believe how bad your shaking and he’d tell you anything to make you feel ok again. The fact that you were held by that man and were faced with a fear bigger than death, but you only cared to hear him promise you he’d never leave is all he needs to finally tell you. “ I’ll never leave you again” he promises grabbing your cheek so you’ll calm down “ I love you “. He expects you to be surprised as you always are when he shows you this type of love, but you just nod your head at him and lean your forehead against his “ I love you too “. There was no hesitation in you and it made this all worth it.

You don’t leave his side that night and eventually fall asleep on his chest, causing your dad to smile from Daryl’s side. Daryl looks him up and down for an answer, but Rick just shrugs “ Haven’t seen her sleep in days “. Daryl doesn’t respond to his friend, only rubs your back instead. “ She’s good with you, you know? I trust you with her life “ Rick continues making sure to acknowledge his approval. “ I almost got her killed “ Daryl objects, referring to the group of men he had been traveling with. Rick scoffs as if it’s complete lunacy “ Would you have been with them if you knew this was the outcome? Would you willingly put her or us in danger if you knew ?”. Daryl shakes his head no “ I didn’t know they were looking for you. They talked about some guy who killed one of theirs and I was just with them until.. “.

Rick throws his hand up as if this proves his point “ Exactly. Daryl I know you. She knows you. You’re not them “. Daryl has a hard time believing his words, but Rick grabs his shoulder to emphasize it “ You’re my brother, Daryl. I know you”. Daryl nods in return, agreeing with him. He then tosses his water bottle to Rick for him to clean the blood off of his face. “ We should save it “ He begins to disagree, but Daryl nods back to the car where Carl sleeps. “ They don’t need to see you like this “. Rick then splashes his face and tries to rid of the substance before you wake up and see him. After, he looks back to Daryl and bluntly asks “ You going to marry her ? “.

Daryl isn’t caught off guard by this question as he already felt that way with you, but it’s obvious Rick wanted him to make it official. “ If that’s what she wants “ He responds. Rick grabs his shoulder again “ I want to walk her down an aisle. She deserves that “.

—-

Terminus would then come and once again, you’d have to face being ripped from Daryl , but this time you fought. You fought hard. Now being reunited with your family and even some new faces, you slaughtered your way through the madness of the place. It would be a hard day, but you’d all make it through. And once outside the fences, you held Daryls hand proudly. Sure, now you had no plan and no where to go, but you had him. And that was enough. Carol eventually revealed herself to be your savior and everyone took her in a happy hug, but she would have a even bigger surprise for you.

She led you all to a small shed where Tyreese would reveal himself, holding little Judith. You couldn’t even believe your eyes. Carl and your dad told you she was gone— that walkers had gotten to her, but there she was. You rushed after her as did your dad and brother, but you were the first to hold her. She grins at you and automatically puts her hand on your mouth, but you don’t grant her wish as you have tears pouring down your face. Carl is right at your side as he grabs her foot, but you pass the baby to your dad as he truly needs to hold her at the moment. You couldn’t even imagine the pain of thinking you lost a child. You and Carl both happily cry over the baby as your dad extends his arm for the both of you. And this made the following days bearable.

You’d then find a priest in need of help , who’d invite you to his church and give you a safe place to rest your heads for the night. Everyone found their own places to rest as the sun began to set, but you sat outside where you could take a moment to catch your breath. Carl soon joined you, but he just leans on your shoulder instead of trying to make small talk. He seemed to always know when to talk and when to just sit in silence with you. Just like when you were younger. And whilst you thought he just wanted your company, really he was just keeping you busy whilst Daryl and Rick took advantage of the fact that there is a real live priest in their finger tips. And no, Daryl isn’t planning on some big event in the middle of a apocalypse, but he wanted to give you the chance to have your father walk you down the aisle.

It doesn’t take much persuading to get Gabriel to officiate the wedding, seeing as he was just about itching to redeem himself for reasons unknown to you all yet. Now all you had to do was say yes. Daryl began to walk to ask you the very question, but Rick stopped him by sliding something in his hand. Daryl looks to his hand where a small silver band is and he questions it. “ It was her moms, should fit her “ Rick explains, his eyes far away at the moment. Daryl just nods and continues to exit the church, but stops as your still sitting on the steps. You’re sitting with your brother, a tired expression on your face, but you seemed to have a small smile even with the fact that there’s barely any food or water.

Carl looks up as he notices, Daryl and gives him a nod before leaving your side. You watch your brother leave and don’t think too much of it as , Daryl takes his place. “ I was thinking we should go on a run “ You tell him. His eyes graze your neck where there’s small bruises from where that man had held you and you can tell he doesn’t like the idea. “ I’m not asking you for permission “ You smirk, pushing his shoulder slightly. He catches your hand and holds it in his own, smirking slightly his self “ Later “. You let him make that decision, but question it “ Got a hot date or something? We can go now before we loose the light “. Your choice of words is ironic. “ Mhmm “ Is all he replies with, making you narrow your eyes at him. He’s being vague and he knows your about to give him that look, but he just nods to the left “ C’mon “.

You follow him out to the empty field beside the church, holding his hand as he leads you to a non specific spot. You shiver as the wind blows for a moment, but look to Daryl as he’s obviously brought you out here for a reason. And his eyes are far away at the moment as if he’s thinking back to a different time , but he snaps back to reality “ I’ve got sum’ to give you “. He digs into his pocket , bringing the item out before placing it in your hand. Your eyebrows raise as you open your palm to find the silver band, noticing it’s your— was your mom’s. You can tell by the date initialed inside. And you can’t help, but think of all the times she’d play wedding with you and let you wear it as your dad would be your groom. He watches you blink away the tears and you look away from him “ Why are you giving me this? How did you find it? “.

You’re trying to fight the urge to cry as this band means more to you than your own life. “ I want you ta’ wear it “ He answers, so calm and steady in his words. You snap your head back to him , wanting to make sure you heard him right “ Wear it ? “. He nods, wiping the tears from your face “ Marry me “. You examine his face, your hair blowing in the breeze and those blue eyes questioning his actions “ You don’t have to do this. I told you , you’re all I need “. And that’s why he wanted to do this. You never asked him to be more than who he is or demand he change for you. His hands grab your shoulders “ I want this “. You close your palm on the ring and look up to his eyes “ Are you sure? “. He makes a humming noise to assure you before placing the ring on your finger his self.

Finally, a smile cracks on your face as you examine it on your ring finger. He doesn’t know how much having this ring means to you and for him to give it to you? It heals your heart a little more. It made you feel close to her. “ Then— yes, I’ll marry you “ you agree. And while you believe this all he has up his sleeve, you happily kiss him until your lungs demand air. You don’t miss the happy smile on his face, but you don’t have time to appreciate it as your dad and Carl make they’re presence known, little Judith already squealing for you. You turn , Daryl’s hands never leaving you, and you wonder how they seem to know what just happened. They have big smiles on their faces and you think they were watching, but when your dad hugs you and asks you “ You ready? “ you realize there’s been a whole lot of plotting behind this proposal.

“ Ready for what? “ You ask him, before turning back to Daryl who doesn’t give you the slightest hint.

——-

And that day, would be the best day you’ve had in years. Rick would walk you down the aisle and tell you how happy your mother would be right now, Carl would grin at you from Daryls side and mouth to you ‘ Loser ‘ , Judith would throw fake flowers that Gabriel had found, And Daryl would gladly say ‘ I do ‘ even though you can tell he gave Gabriel a weird look when he asked him to. The guy just rubs him the wrong way. But it was perfect. That night you’d both go out, finally taking the time to go on that run, but as soon as you two were out there and alone, you’d gladly push him against a car you found. “ I believe you owe your wife a wedding night, right? “ you’d whisper to him, already yanking his vest down his arms.

“ I believe I do “ he’d agree and kiss you hungrily. And you’d both laugh— finding the back seat of the car as good of a place as any . You felt like a teenager sneaking around again, but this time you were with the one you loved. He’d kiss you and leave marks down your chest with an “ I love you “. And you both spend the next hour showing each other how much. You’d tell him the same once it was over, smiling as you lay on his chest. His lips find your head and you’re enjoying him playing with your hair when you hear it. Daryl sits up automatically , looking out the window as a car drives by without a single thought of the two of you. And you’re relieved, but Daryl seems to recognize it. “ That’s the people who took, Beth ! “ He explains, shoving on his clothes. You do the same and climb to the passenger seat.

And if he knew how this would end, he wouldn’t have chased the car…

—-

The two of you ended back up in the streets of Atlanta, fighting not only walkers, but some guy who steals from you and then later needs you to save him. Daryl doesn’t want to save the kid after all he’s done, but you ignore his attitude and attempt to help the guy out from underneath the shelf. Though you’re not strong enough, and the walker gets through the door to end the poor guy, but Daryl finally steps in and sends a bolt into its decaying head. Once he’s safe, he reveals his name and at the sound of a car outside it’s found out that he knows where Beth is.

It turns out they were both being held in some hospital, and that would be your next destination, but first you’d all have to escape the building without them seeing you first. Your first to exit the building, seeing as Daryl needs to keep watch on Noah, and all too suddenly your hit with said car that you all were trying to escape. Daryl’s eyes go wide as you bounce off of the car and hit the pavement, your eyes shutting as soon as your head lands on the concrete. Instinctively, Daryl tries to run out to you, but Noah stops him. He’d explain that the hospital has a doctor and that this would be your only chance to survive something like that, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around watching you being taken.

Noah realizes who you must be to him and tries to walk Daryl through the next steps to save your life.

And this would include getting your father involved.

——

“ Tell me something, Y/N “ Your mom smiles at you as you help her peel the potatoes in hershels kitchen. You don’t look up from your task, but hum in response so she knows your listening. “ Do you remember, Jake ? “ She asks, causing your peeling to stop. “ Jake? The kid from around the corner “ You question, vaguely remembering the kid that use to pick on, Carl. She nods, popping a slice of cucumber in her mouth “ I’m surprised that’s all you remember about him. Seeing as you beat the poor guy so bad he had to get ten stitches in his head “. You grin to yourself as you think back to that day. You were walking down the street to retrieve the boy from his friends house, but it’s when you heard his cry that you began to run.

You’d find him surrounded by some of the neighborhood kids as they watched your brother getting kicked in the side repeatedly. Your eyes went wide and you pushed by the kids his age, only to push the teenager off of him. “ Y/N ! “ Carl yelled as you would proceed to climb on top of the guy, and lay punches into his smug face. Luckily, your dad would be pulling down the street in his patrol car and stop you before you could break his nose, but he’d end up with ten stitches anyways. Shane would grab Carl as your dad tried to make sense of the whole situation. Why would his sixteen year old daughter beat a guy only two years younger than her ? “ Next time I catch you around my brother, I will make you wish for sunlight you little shit! “ You’d scream from your fathers arms, the guy holding his head with a scowl on his face.

“ Watch your mouth! “ He’d hiss down at you, but you’d just glare up at him. “ Where were you ?! Both of you ?! “ You’d yell at both of the officers, as your brother has blood dripping from his nose.

You grab a slice of cucumber yourself and wonder why she’s bringing it up “ I felt like I had to be his protector , you know? That morning he’d heard the two of you arguing. Just like you had the past weeks and I felt like seeing him getting hurt more— I wanted to stop it “. Lori nods at you, the statement causing guilt to cover her face, but she goes back to the reason she’s bringing it all up “ Daryl looks at you the same way. Like he’s your protector “. Your lips purse and you find yourself thinking back to the hunter, but your mom continues “ You’re different around him “. You’re about to slam her with an argument as you believe she’s criticizing you, but she holds her finger up at you “ Don’t you look at me like that. You look just like your dad “.

You let the urge drop as told, but would defend Daryl if she dared to say anything bad. “ I didn’t mean anything bad by it— I think you’re happy with him. And I like that he takes care of you. One day, I won’t be able to and it gives me peace that you’ll be ok”. What was she talking about? “ Don’t say things like that “ You mumble, not liking the turn this conversation has taken, but she suddenly grabs your hand so you grasp the reality of her words.

“ Fact is, Y/N. One day, I’ll be gone. Your dad will be gone. And in this world that can happen so quickly. I know you’ll take care of your brother, but I need to know someone will take care of you. So, be good to him. Don’t ever doubt him— not even when all the odds are stacked against it “ She advises you, her face full of regret like she had failed her own advice.

Beth watches you stir in your sleep and holds your hand, hoping you can feel her near you. You looked so different from the last time she saw you , hair longer and bruises littering your skin now, but it makes her smile to see the wedding band on your finger. Daryl must’ve found you. She had been right. “ I don’t know if you can hear me, Y/N, but I just want you to know I’m not going to let them hurt you. And that I’m here “ She tells you, just in time for Dawn’s footsteps to echo in the hallway. Beth would then scurry to the floor and pretend to have no interest in you, but Dawn always seemed to see right through her.

“ You knew her, didn’t you? “ She asked, sitting next to you on your bed. Beth kept a straight face, not to let anything slip, but it seemed to answer her question. “ She looks strong, we can use her. What was she good at ? “. The question reminds her of the fact that you had once told her that you were going through the academy before all of this, but there was no way she’d give that information to Dawn. Your fate would be sealed. Luckily, for both of you the next day would bring your salvation. And you’d never forget that moment. Beth would push you in the wheelchair towards your family, causing relief to show on their faces, and you’d grip her hand to warn her to be careful. You couldn’t protect her in your state and you could feel the anger radiating off of the girl.

She squeezes back, but your attention then falls on Daryl. He’s watching your movements like a hawk as , Rick and Dawn discuss how this will go down. This could end very badly and he knows you can’t even get up to defend yourself, but you try and smile for him. “ One of mine, for one of yours “ Is declared, and it’s decided you’d go first. Beth rolls you as far as she can before it’s taken over by someone you don’t know the name of, but it’s short lived before your lifted from the chair by your dad. He gives you a relived look before passing you to, Daryl and you have to lean on him to keep from falling.

And just as it’s Beth turn, Dawn announces she wants Noah too, causing Beth to shove a pair of surgical scissors into her chest.

And on reflex, Dawn sends a bullet into the girls brain.

——

After Beth’s death, it seemed like all you could do was loose. Starting with Bob, then Beth, and then Tyreese. It was killing the group slowly and it didn’t help that there was no food or water in sight. But you’d all push through, you had no other choice. You’d been through too much to die now. And when you all stash away in the first barn you see, the message couldn’t be more clear. You take the time to sit in the hay and shut your eyes for just a moment only to have your small moment interrupted by Maggie. She plops beside you and you offer her a squeeze to her shoulder, telling her in no certain words that you’re here for her. She tries to give you a smile, but you know it’s hard for her right now. “ You look awful “ You joke, eyeing the dirt on her face. You seem to always know what to say to her and she retorts “ Oh yeah? Have you looked in the mirror lately ? “.

You don’t have to look to know you look weeks past a shower “ I know, it’s hard to be this hot “. This earns a genuine laugh from Maggie and you catch Glenn’s thankful nod from the corner of your eyes. You return the gesture as Glenn talks to your husband. “ So hows married life treating you? “ Maggie tried to keep the conversation going seeing as it’s better than thinking about how empty her stomach is. You eye your wedding ring and let a tired smile stretch across your lips “ Well, I spent my ‘ honeymoon’ getting hit by a car and I’m pretty sure I have a permanent bruise on my ass, but between you and me ? I wouldn’t change a thing “. As if Daryl knows you’re talking about him, he looks over his shoulder to check on you. He watches you chat with Maggie and attempt to keep her in a good mood even though you’re fighting to keep your eyes open. He admires your strength, especially in the coming days.

You’d limp your ass from that point on with a smile and still find the strength to tote Judith, but even you have your limits. And thankfully, just as your about to pass out from borderline exhaustion, Aaron reveals himself to the group with promises of salvation. And god help Daryl when he saw the way you held Judith when you felt the urge to protect her from the strange man. To a strangers eye, you looked like a mom protecting her small child. And in a sense you are Judiths mom. But, Alexandria proved to be true and little by little he saw you begin to relax. Daryl didn’t really feel the same way, but didn’t turn you down when you suggested he shower with you. You took his hand and lead him through the house everyone was hold up in still, earning a grin from michonne. “ I think everyone is asleep by now “ You tell him, locking the bathroom door behind you. You can tell he’s still on edge about this whole place and you don’t blame him, but you just wanted time to be with him without any of the outside world on his mind.

“ Hey “ You smile and place your hands on his waist. He offers a small smile back “ Hey”. There’s a small moment where you two just enjoy looking at each other while the water heats up and in the silence you could see a life for the two of you here. One where Judith could grow up, where Carl could sleep with both eyes closed, and where death wasn’t something you all had to be afraid of. And of course that was a life Daryl wanted to give you, but he couldn’t be sure this was where it was going to happen. “ Come on, join your wife in the shower and lets pretend my dads not in the other room “ You let out a smirk, ridding yourself of your clothes. He follows in suit before he watches you bask in the hot water with a peaceful smile. He wonders how you’re just so sure about this place, but joins you instead of asking. You hum in content as he wraps a arm around your frame and his eyes trace down the wet curls that cling to your back “ This place is going to be good for us “. Daryls eyes narrow at the back of your head “ Whys tha’ ? “.

“ It Just has to be “ You simply put. His free hand moves your hair to the side of your neck and he softly rubs your shoulder “ If it’s not? “. And like the grimes you are you reply “ I’ll make it “. You’re dead set on this being a home for those kids, but he doesn’t realize that it’s for you too. You lean your head back onto his chest and reveal those blue eyes of yours “ I know you’re skeptical and I don’t blame you, but I want this to work. I need this to work “. Just by the look on your face, Daryl knew he had to make sure this worked. Your face then twists the way it does when you’re thinking about something too hard and Daryls beginning to question the real reason you need this to place to work. “ I have to tell you something “ You sigh, turning in his arms so that you’re facing him. Whatever you have to tell him doesn’t seem to upset you much which gives Daryl a sense of relief, but when you cup his face in your hand he knows you’re trying to soften the blow.

He knows you well enough to know your tactics. “ Spit it out “ He urges you, causing you to smile softly. “ Ok.. ok, but just promise me you won’t freak out “. He gives you no such promise, but you expect as much “ You remember about six weeks ago when we got stuck in that wine cellar ? “. His eyebrows knit in confusion, of course he remembers. He can’t exactly forget the sight of you on top of him with a wine bottle in your hands. “ Yeah ? “ He questions you, trying to figure out what you’re trying to spell out for him. There’s flashes in his memory of your laughter and moans, but what did that have to do with anything? “ Well— uhm “ You didn’t know exactly how to tell him. You’ve never had to do this before, but this is what you get for thinking just one time without protection wouldn’t catch up with you. “ Y/N “ He gives you a impatient look. “ You’re going to be a dad “.

Everything clicks together in the hunters mind and he realizes why you’ve been trying so hard to stay positive. His eyes search your face before dropping to your stomach and then back to your face again “ Are you sure? “. He watches you nod “ Took three tests. I’m sure “. He tries to think when you disappeared to take a test, but it’s not what he needs to be concerned about at the moment. He watches you drawl your bottom lip between your teeth and it’s a rare sight to see you nervous. He vaguely thinks back to the prison when Carl thought you were pregnant and could only imagine how happy the kid would be now to be a uncle. “ Daryl? “ You bring from his thoughts, obviously wanting some type of reaction.

But he can’t find the words just yet. All he can see is that girl you were on top of the RV. The one who drew him in and could have any guy she wanted, but choose to love him. He doesn’t know how he got lucky enough to marry you let alone be the father of your children. “ You want this right? “ He finally asks. You’re now the confused one “ Of course I do. Loving you is the best thing I’ve ever done and this baby is a result of that. How could I not? “. There’s no mistaking the small smile that appears on his lips after hearing those words and you let a relieved smile of your own come through as he leans his head down on yours “ I love you “.

“ I love you “ You repeat before your lips reach his and the next moments are spent blissfully in the same fashion that created your child.

—-

You waited some time before announcing the news to your family, but after everyone adjusted to this new life you decided it was time. It’s not like people weren’t guessing it by now since Daryl pulled out a whole other level of protection on you. If you moved, he moved. And when Spencer had the nerve to hit on you, it took all of two seconds before Daryl put him on his ass. Alerting everyone that something had to be up. So, you gathered your loved ones around after dinner one night and held Judith happily on one hip “ I’ve actually got some news for you all “. This catches everyone’s attention and you smile back at Daryl who has a hand on your hip “ We actually have some news “. Your dad looks you up and down before setting his glass down, a curious smile on his face.

You have the feeling he already knows just from that look, but you say it aloud anyways “ We’re having a baby “. Smiles spread through the room, but it’s Carl who speaks first “ Really?!”. You nod at your little brother who wasn’t that little anymore and he excitedly rushes to hug you. He’s almost eye level with you, but you can still sit your head on his own “ It’s about time! “. This earns a laugh from your husband and your loved ones line up to congratulate you both. Your dad is next to hug you and you can see the tears in his eyes “ Oh dad “. He gives you a sappy smile before pulling you into his larger frame “ I wish your mom could see this “. You cling to his shirt as it brings tears to your own eyes, but you hold them in. This was supposed to be a happy moment.

“ You’re going to be a grand pa “ You laugh lightly into his shirt at the sound. Grandpaw Rick sounds so silly. Especially since you saw him bite some guys neck out. He reluctantly pulls away to laugh at the name, his eyes flickering to Daryl’s “ You two are making me feel old “. He then proceeds to hug Daryl as well and you couldn’t deny how right this all felt. Michonne is the next one to hold you and place a hand on your stomach even though there’s no bump there yet “ I was wondering when you were going to say something “. Maggie joins at your side and the three of you begin to talk about baby names as the guys seem to congratulate the father. But all Daryl could do is nod as they did, his actual attention on you as he watched you bounce Judith on your hip whilst you seem to glow at the idea of baby names. He never thought this would be his life. A girl like you was never supposed to fall for him and give him a family.

No one ever stayed long enough to show him he deserved a night like this. Only you did. You pushed past all of his walls and all of his defenses to bring him to this very moment. And Daryl was never one to believe in fate or soulmates, but as you stood there and managed to feel his eyes on you and give him a smile, he knew that he was wrong. It was typical of you to prove him wrong though so he shouldn’t be surprised. It was the Grimes in you.

But if he thought you were special and the most hard headed grimes he ever met, he had another thing coming when you’re daughter was born…

#DarylDixon #TWD #Y/N #Reader #Daryldixonfanfiction #fan fiction #the walking dead #zombies #love #daryl dixon imagine #daryl x oc #daryl x you #daryl x y/n #norman reedus #oc #imagines

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kickin-with-dixon · 5 years ago

Text

Mouthing Off

Daryl x Reader

Prompts List 5 #95 “Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?”

Requested by @twdeadfanfic

Word Count: 1500

Warnings: Language like seriously LANGUAGE, fighting, mentions of typical TWD violence, anger, sadness

A/N: Excited to be back! I haven’t written for TWD in like literally forever! Please please feel free to reach out and obsess over all things TWD and SPN with me. REQUESTS are currently CLOSED. They will open back up after I get a couple more fics posted :)

Masterlist | Tag Lists | Ask Me Anything | What’s Coming?

The beat of your feet echoes off the trees as they will you closer to the man responsible for all this, “RICK!” His bloody bandaged hand rises beside his head, waving you off. He can’t even be bothered to turn around and look at you, or say anything. Your blood boils red hot under skin covered in blood, sweat, and tears. “RICK!”

Finally, he speaks up, “Not here.”

Not here, my ass. One last push, and your legs allow you to catch him, your hand harshly yanking at his arm forcing his body to turn towards yours, “NO! Right here. Right now!”

Rick shakes his head sending beads of sweat to his shoulders and the ground around him, “Y/N, don’t do this. Don’t-”

“Don’t what?” Your finger pushes harder into his chest as you step closer and get up in his face, “Don’t call you on your bullshit? Don’t let everyone know that all of this could have been avoided?”

Michonne steps forward and lays a hand on your shoulder, “Y/N-”

Your arm flies back, shaking her hand off with ease, “Get your hands off of me.” Rick holds his hand up to her, nodding to let her know to back off. “Go ahead, Rick. Why don’t you fill everyone in on what really happened.” Stepping back and gesturing to the rest of the group, “tell ‘em why we’re really out here, huh.”

His blue eyes looked around the group, and briefly to the ground. “What I did is what had to be done, Y/N. We had to come for them before they ca-”

Your hands connect roughly with his chest in a swift shove, “Stop with the bureaucratic bullshit Rick! This was all your ego. You had to make sure that you pissed on everyone else and assert your dominance. They were never coming for us .”

Rick’s nostrils flared as his lip curled, “I don’t have to explain it again. I don’t have to justify my actions any further. It’s my job to keep this group safe!”

Fury flashed behind your Y/E/C eyes, “Keep this group safe?!? Are you fucking kidding me, right now?!” Before you know it your fist collides squarely with his jaw, knocking him back a step. “Take a look around, asshole. Do these people look safe?” Your fist connects again, this time in his abdomen, “How about the people we lost? Are they safe? Oh, no, they were just collateral damage, right?”

Michonne yanks you back, “Enough!”

Still fuming, you begin to pace, and what starts as a faint chuckle grows into an actual laugh. Rick raises his hand to wipe the crimson leaking from his lip, “You know, you got a lot of nerve attacking me for what I did. I mean, Ya know after everything that happened to your little group.”

“You dick!” You charge past Michonne, headed straight for him, “Are you fucking kidding me, you arogant bastard! You don’t get to ever say shit about them! You don’t know shit about any of it! Get you head out of your ass long enough to realize that.”

Glenn and Michonne try to grab you, “Y/N, Y/N enough!”

“Get the hell off of me!” You snarl yanking your body free of their grasps. “Can’t you see what a self centered, PSYCHOTIC, fucker he really is, or all of you really just that fucking blind?”

Just as the words leave your mouth, Daryl appears from the words, rejoining the group after trailing off for a while. His features contort as he takes in the scene before him. What the hell? “Y/N, com’ on”, he gestures with his hand to walk away. All that you offer is a cold glare, and return your eyes to Rick, “Dammit, Y/N, com’ on. You said your peace, now let’s go.”

“ I ain’t giving up that fucking easy. I’m not gonna just roll over and obey every fucking command out of this asshole’s mouth without a goddamn good reason!” Suddenly, someone grabs you, throwing you over their shoulder. “Dammit Daryl, put me the hell down!”

“I got her,” he says to the group, “Meet y’all back at home.” Rick nods, throwing his hand up in a circular motion, rounding everyone back up and on their way.

Your fists slam down against Daryl’s back, doing little against the solid muscle, “Jesus Christ, put me down.” You keep squirming, kicking and hitting making him know that he’s gonna damn sure be sore if he was gonna keep this shit up. ‘Daryl, I swear to God. Put me the fuck down right now!

“Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?” He grunts, and keeps walking off deeper into the woods.

“Fuck you!” You punctuate your statement with a hard jab of your elbow to his back.

His gruff breathing, the swishing of the leaves, and the occasional snap of a twig floods your senses. You’d never admit it, but you’re losing some steam. The fight earlier took a lot out of you, and this tantrum wasn’t helping anything. “Bout time ya settled down,” he says. To which you roll your eyes, and grunt back. Maybe he needs to hear it in his own language.

Finally, the sound of a running creek falls on your ears, the movement of water offering a slight cool down in the air. He sets you down by the water, and immediately you back up, shoulders squared, “Alright fine, you got me here. Now what?”

He shrugs. “Do what you gotta. But ya better damn sure get it out here . That shit,” he points back to the road where you had been earlier, “that ain’t gonna fly. Ya need to stop that.”

Your arms cross against your chest, “You can’t seriously agree with that asshole!”

“It ain’t about whether I agree with him. We don’t know that they wouldn’t have come for-“

“Exactly! We didn’t know. I thought you of all people would understand that.” You begin to pace. “We lost people. Good people, for something that wasn’t even a threat.” The anger has begun to bleed into grief. “I..dammit…” you turn your back, not wanting the tears falling down your cheeks to be seen. “I… I can’t lose anybody else.”

“Y/N…” Daryl’s voice was softer now. His footsteps light and slow as he approached. “Y/N…” HIs hand reaches out to your shoulder causing a sob that you’re fighting so hard to keep in to escape your lips. It’s all over then, the floodgates swing wide open. Every repressed emotion, every memory like a tidal wave crashing into you. You feel arms around your waist, catching you as your knees give way. “I gotcha. I gotcha.”

His body sinks to the ground with yours, holding you tightly as you shake with the weight of everything. You stay like that for what seems like an eternity. He doesn’t say anything, just sits there, your back resting against his chest until you’re ready. Your voice was barely a whisper, “..I’m sorry…”

His chest rumbles against your back as he speaks, “What?”

“I’m sorry…” You raise your head, and wipe your face, “ I shouldn-“

“Hey. Stop that.” His breath fans against your neck, “What ya went through…. It’s terrible. Ya lost a lot of people. Ya seen things no one should have to see, but that don’t mean that everythin’ around ya is gonna fall apart. It don’t mean that everythin’’ is gonna break you.” Sobs rip from your throat as he continues to speak. “Ya got a choice to make, Y/N. Ya can let it keep eatin ya until there’s nothin’ left,”

“Or?” You sniffle.

“Or ya can remember ‘em. Ya remember why ya fight. Ya honor ‘em by living.” He releases a ragged breath, and you can tell he was on the verge of letting his own tears fall, “I was angry for a long time. I damn near got myself killed. Hell, I wanted to die. I picked fights, did stupid shit, but then I realized I have a lot left to fight for. Even though I don’t understand why, I got a lot of people left who care about me. So do you.” He rests his head on your shoulder, “You ain’t alone. S’bout time ya stop actin’ like ya are.”

Your fingers lightly trace a mindless on the back of his hand, “How…?”

He stands up, and offers his hand, “For starters, don’t start shit in the middle of the road in front of everybody.” You take his hand, and wipe a final tear from your cheek as you get to your feet. “Not everyone’s against ya, ya hear me.”

Nodding your head in agreement, you square your shoulders again to regain composure. “Thank you, Daryl.”

He offers a nod in return, “yea.” His hand reaches for yours, and starts back toward the road, “Now com’ on, let’s get back before it gets dark. Ya gotta make it right.”

“I know.”

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I love y’all so so much!!! Til next time <3

Tag lists:

If you’re in bold, tumblr won’t let me tag you :)

Daryl Dixon

@jodiereedus22 , @queenlouisa2001 , @milariskanavasi ,@zzeacat , @rhyatt-deauxtreve

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being-worthy · 3 years ago

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Sunday Home Cinema: Army of the Dead!!

I haven't done one of these reviews in a long time (thanks to Covid-19 ¬¬) but I'm glad this film was the one to get me back in doing these reviews.

Honestly, I found out about the film about two weeks ago when I clicked on it on YouTube out of curiosity. It looked good and I'm an all big fan of zombie films and series and every zombie-themed film/series, even if it's extremely bad made (e.g. Z Nation but it's so funny to watch).

Sorry for any mistakes or things that make not much sense but I'm writing this at 2.30am and I just wanted to write this down while it's still fresh (I might review it later on if I feel like it).

> SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!! <

Apparently, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead (here's the trailer), which can be watched on Netflix, is the prequel of Dawn of the Dead from 2004 also directed by him, which was a remake of the George A. Romero classic. I've got a hard time seeing this due to the zombies being so different but well, let's just roll with it.

Scott Ward (played by Dave Bautista) is offered/hired for $50 million by Bly Tanaka (villain/businessman played by Hiroyuki Sanada) to break into a walled Las Vegas after it was overrun by a zombie outbreak starting at the outskirts of the city with patient zero aka alpha zombie Zeus (more to the different zombie types later on) to "apparently" retrieve $200 million that is stashed in a safe at the casino's basement. Basically, it's like Ocean's Eleven but with zombies giving the film a nice touch.

I knew from the moment Tanaka offered Scott this job that there was going to be more to it. Why else would a stinking rich guy like Tanaka need to have a group to retrieve some money when: a. the insurance paid him some of that money back. I know he mentions he can't use it but come on, people like him know how to find either a way around whatever rule there might be or even wash it. And b. he looks like a guy who understands how business works and is well off, so you're telling me he wants to send a group there just for $200 million? B*tch please, I'm sure that's just petty cash to him, and there's surely more to it, especially after one of his goons (Martin) "invites" himself to tag along with the group to "make sure" they get the job done.

If I was offered that kind of money to go to a completely sealed city ruled by zombies, I wouldn't accept it no matter how bad my situation might be. The probability that something might go sideways is too high not to mention the risk that the virus spreads out to the rest of the world, I wouldn’t be able to live with that on my conscience.

In order to pull off this heist Scott assembles a team for the mission:

Vanderohe, the tank and chainsaw man. There'll be a little paragraph for him since his fate doesn't make entirely sense to me.

Marianne Peters, the pilot.

Maria Cruz, the mechanic.

Kate Ward, a volunteer in the quarantine zone. She's Scott's daughter and the only (human) survivor in the film.

Geeta, the mother. She ventures into the zombie-infested Vegas to find money in order to pay for safe passage out of the quarantine zone for herself and her children. I believe she dies in the helicopter crash but we don't see her body, so she might be alive somewhat?

Ludwig Dieter, the thief/safe expert, and I love how he questions everything lol!

Lilly "The Coyote", "the one who knows her stuff" aka zombie expert. Somehow interesting that she's got a conscience/good heart.

Martin, the inside man, and Bly Tanaka's right hand and got the death he deserved by kitten Valentine.

Mikey Guzman, the Sharpshooter and a YouTuber.

Chambers, the muscles and Guzman's sidekick (sort of). Her death was very predictable and her own fault! Girl, why the hell would you tell Martin that you don't trust him directly to his face?! That's such a rookie mistake!!

Burt Cummings, also the muscle for like 5 minutes before turning into the bait/bargain chip for a "deal" with the zombies in order to pass their territory. Overall, he's just a big jerk.

We see the first five people are survivors of the outbreak when Vegas was "freshly" being overrun by zombies and barely made it out of the city before it was completely sealed off. The rest of them are new characters. Almost none of them have any deep character story/feeling/development, most of them are quite plain and you don't care whether they survive or not. I've got also a hard time seeing any father-daughter relationship between Scott and Kate. I get that they haven't talked to each other since Scott had to put down Kate's mother after she got turned into a zombie but if I hadn’t seen the beginning I'd say they're just two strangers who met during the outbreak and he saved her at some point.

I very much like the fact that they introduce different types of zombies! On one hand, we've got the standard zombies aka shamblers who move slowly and are dead if you blow their brains out and if they bite you you become a shambler too. Then, there are the alphas who are fast (so fast that they can dodge bullets), they can also think, take orders, and are very organised. If you're bitten by one you become an alpha too but they also die if they're shot in the head which is easier said than done! We've also got a zombie horse, that's more bone than anything else, and a big tiger kitten called Valentine who used to be part of Siegfried & Roy's show (which also throws in the question, during which year is this movie set? They've both already passed away and they haven’t been retired from the entertainment world for a while before they passed away, and we see Tanaka carrying a modern mobile, so it must be during the past 2-3 our years.)

Their leader is patient zero aka Zeus who we see at the beginning being transported by a convoy of soldiers from Area 51 to somewhere else but never makes it there because he breaks free due to part of the convoy crashing into a car of a recent married (while the guy gets a blowjob and doesn’t watch the road!). He also takes the Bride as his queen (later on she's beheaded and her head still alive), who we see to be pregnant!! HOLY COW!! This throws in sooo many questions! For instance, how do zombies reproduce? The same way as we humans? What will the baby look like? Full zombie? A hybrid, half-human half-zombie? What power would they have? Do I even want to know or see this? Probably. Probably not. How many times did I wish they'd have introduced something like this in TWD (before I stopped watching it). At some point the virus that makes people zombies is supposed to mutate, every virus mutates at some point. We did already see a zombie baby in Dawn of the Dead but that was different since the woman was already in the late stages of pregnancy when she got bit. This one was one that was produced from zombie sex. I’ve got a feeling that their sex must be quite violent to say the least. Also, they way how the care for each other, especially Zeus for his Bride and child and seeks vengeance for both their deaths showing they’re capable of feeling and caring for their people. Maybe, just maybe want to find a way to survive without having to turn people but I think they’ll still need humans as a source of food. I don’t think they’re capable to live from eating normal food.

I've to make a special mention about Vanderohe. Besides, the fact that he's very attractive, there are a few things that don't make entirely sense to me.

He survives the nuclear blast of Las Vegas since he was looked inside the safe, which I can see being possible but (a little more possible than Indiana Jones seeking shelter in an old-fashioned fridge from a nuclear blast in Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull)... the whole city was nuked! And I mean big smoke of mushroom nuke! So, shouldn't the place, I don't know, be radioactive or something like that? And shouldn’t he find the nearest decontamination shower? Furthermore, it doesn't make sense that he gets infected, i.e. bitten. He gets into a fight with Zeus while they're in front of the safe and I watched that part several times and in slow motion too and we don't see Zeus bit him. There's one time where Zeus almost bites him but his teeth don't end up sinking into the flesh. He has Van in his hold, dislocates his right shoulder, and almost bites him there but only almost! In that same moment, Dieter hits Zeus in the head and pulls Van into the safe closing the door behind him (and most likely gets killed/turned by Zeus). I repeat there's no "visible" scene of Van being bitten by Zeus or any other zombie in another scene. So, where the f*ck did he get the bite and from who? I've also read that there's a theory of Van being immune because he's not turning as quick as the soldiers at the beginning of the movie when Zeus escapes the convoy (he still might be able to infect others though). He starts to feel lightheaded/dizzy and his body feels cold to the touch on the plane, and around the bite we see the veins turning black but that's it.

As much as I love the concept of the movie, it's very predictable as well as easy to figure out who makes it out alive and who makes it out the other kind of "alive" and it also reminded me a bit of Resident Evil (the first film was good and the rest just a waste). Tanaka wanting a fresh sample of an Alpha to make a virus that enables him to create an army of zombies he can control and take over the world. He could be Wesker's twin and his company the equivalent of the Umbrella Corporation. It's worth to watch but it doesn't compare to other zombie films such as 28 Days Later or even Dawn of the Dead (the classic and newer version), and many others.

#army of the dead #zack snyder #netflix #netflix original #sunday home cinema #honest review #film night #movie night #the ending makes no sense

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bunnylouisegrimes · 4 years ago

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Episode 8 Review

The usual spoilers

Alright, this episode was pretty good in the beginning with some stuff here and there I didn’t like, but that ending... that ending leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Normally I start with the bad first, then the good, but I feel I should do chronological order for this one since most of the good is before the bad.

For starters, I enjoyed the very beginning with Chris at his dad’s funeral. For once, seeing an aspect of Vic’s childhood was interesting. You feel pretty bad for Chris because of the rough childhood he had, and you feel bad because he became his father. It’s good that he’s definitely changed tho. He pissed me off (and I’m sure everyone else off) last season, and to see him get emotional all those years before is definitely something. Seeing him grow now is rewarding.

I do really like how both of Vic’s parents see her bridge and are amazed by it. Idk why, but I always find it incredibly satisfying in a story when all the characters understand something/everything. I’m sure we all do, but clarification in a story has always brought me a satisfaction comparable to that of watching those satisfying video complications on YouTube.

How Bing is alive still... I have no idea. Maybe because he was sitting and that helped slow down the blood flow? Honestly, I really wanted them to get information out of him, then have him die. Look, there is a part of me that feels bad for him and sorry for him, but his actions are way less forgivable than Charlie’s. If you ask me, despite him talking with Vic (and hell, maybe at this point he does feel bad for what he did, although that is hard to believe because he did genuinely enjoy raping people, and rape is one of those actions it’s very hard to find really any redemption in once you commit it), I don’t see anyone forgiving his ass, and they shouldn’t. I also think Bing has always been a ticking time bomb. Who knows, if Charlie hadn’t come into their lives, he could’ve hurt Vic if she came off as “too nice” to him. We see what he did to his mom, despite her loving him and being the only good person in his life. He interprets love as something darker, and while it’s horrible that he thinks that way, and I understand what his childhood did to his mind, he has the knowledge that it’s wrong to do it (I mean, he has to subdue people with the gas, and he clearly sees his victims are unwilling) and he should stop it, yet he doesn’t. Charlie actually believes that what he’s doing is right, and there is a part of you that can see that in some regards, he is right, keeping kids away from harmful parents. What good comes out of rape? The only good that comes out of it is the benefit to himself for getting his sick pleasures. He does it all because he can and likes it, no other purpose. He could’ve gotten help, he could’ve tried to keep that all in and express it in a safe environment, he could’ve restrained himself from doing these things... yet he didn’t. If he had just killed the parents and strictly did nothing of a particularly cruel nature, you could understand Bing more and respect his character. But since he didn’t... it makes things harder. Is it respectable that he admitted he’s wrong? Yes. Should he be forgiven? Well... not really, at least imo. If Bing has any redeeming qualities, there are very few. Since he is kept alive, I hope he’s either rotting in prison or kept in a place where he can maybe get help that he needs. I think most importantly, I’m more than a little annoyed at this whole, “Yeah, we’ll write the rapist more sympathetically before we do the main antagonist, who’s actions are questionable and one could understand his intent. He doesn’t rape anybody and finds the act repulsive and kills rapists... but he’s less sympathetic just because he’s the main bad guy 😀.” Yeah, okay writers...

Moving on from the only truly bad thing in the episode before the ending, everything else seemed to be fine. I’m concerned with Maggie and Tabitha’s relationship, I really hope they’ll be okay. Tabitha was badass getting the respect and recognition she deserves for the work she does. Even though she made the stupid decision of going into that church by herself and possibly getting killed, I do love the balls she has, I just hope she doesn’t get herself killed by being stupid. Her and Maggie are a great couple and I love them. I feel bad for Vic and I hate that she feels so low about herself. I did like her talking with her dad. The confrontation with Millie was interesting, and I’m curious to see what’s in store with that. Based on the “next time” preview at the end of the episode, we finally make it to Christmasland, and I’m very interested (but also a little anxious) about what’s gonna happen next.

Now, the ending... this damn ending...

First of all, when Maggie was confronting Wayne, why didn’t she grab his ornament? Maggie is not a stupid character. Did she get hit by the car last season and not make smarter decisions on how to avoid it (ex, maybe getting in between two other cars)? Sure, but we’ll cut her slack, it was a very in the moment thing. This? I mean... they were anticipating this. You mean to tell me she couldn’t have thought of trying to get that ornament out of his hand and taking it away from him? She tricked the Hourglass for Christ’s sakes. It looks like from the preview she’s collecting their ornaments, but still, especially in that moment, she would’ve grabbed his. It might’ve made Wayne have a strength over his old self... what’s weird is in the book, he’s holding onto both sides of himself throughout his entire journey, in this they’re making it seem as though he has no control anymore. Which leads me to my next point...

Where is Craig in all of this? What, so his efforts didn’t do dick? What was the point in having him the last two episodes? I believe in the book, Wayne’s grandma (aka Linda McQueen), is helping him in a spirit form, and also by him “thinking backwards.” Craig was helping him by reminding him of Vic and staying by him. It would’ve made so much more sense for Craig to be by his side still (or hell, in the car if he can’t leave it and telling Wayne to “remember the plan”), Wayne “puts” the ornament on the tree (or Maggie takes it off after he puts it on), and Craig stays by him. Nope, let’s make his character useless. Who knows if he’ll return next episode, I’m hoping he will, but even if he does, it’s still annoying that his character has done little to nothing at this point when there was so much potential, and it seems to be almost too late. I’m glad Wayne didn’t eat Maggie or Lou like I feared (Lou did get a nip I suppose, which was a little unneeded if you ask me). I was hoping for more potential from Craig, guess we’ll have to see if there will be...

Another point: WHY THE HELL IS THIS CAR TOO OVERPOWERED? Seriously, it makes no sense. You can make Charlie’s abilities as op as you want so long as it’s not ridiculous, I could see that. But the car? That’s his total weakness. It can be stronger than the average car, but if lighting it on fire deals with it, explosions would. That is beyond lazy writing.

Now, the worst part: Chris’s death. Of course, let’s kill a character when he just seemed to redeem himself (but the character that rapes people and can’t really be redeemed, we’re gonna keep him alive, maybe he’ll get a redemption arch 🙂). Once again, writers, why are you making the most stupid choices? While his death wasn’t as stupid as his death in the book where officers shoot him down when he’s trying to protect Vic from one (this is all under Tabitha’s command, let’s just say she’s not that great of a cop in the book or with Maggie, I enjoy her character changes for the show), his death, the way I see it, is still insulting and pointless. Realistically, they could’ve kept him alive, what is the point of not? Also, I know that bike is heavy, but why wouldn’t Vic get up and kick some ass? Of course, her bike would act up just as the Wraith is coming towards her (what is the point of that too?). I really think Chris’s death was just for shock value and filler, and to make Charlie look like an even worse villain (because they reeeeally want to drill this point home, if the way his backstory is presented in the show wasn’t proof enough, which is stupid because we UNDERSTAND WRITERS. It’s you guys that don’t understand that Charlie is established as the villain through being the antagonist and his conflicting actions). While I’m glad they didn’t kill an even more important character (ex, Maggie or Lou or Vic), it’s still stupid to waste all that character development on Chris just for him to go out anyways, all for shock value filler and to make Charlie worse. Again, not saying he’s a saint, not saying it’s out of the realm of possibility for him to want to get revenge on Vic this way, but still, isn’t he already getting revenge on her through Wayne (plus, to him it’s poetic justice that he’s “saving” him from her). There’s really no point to Chris’s death. This reminded me heavily of TWD when they would pull that shock value filler crap with killing characters, and making a villain look worse than needed (an example is what they did with Negan in the show by writing him as even more evil and less redeemable than he is in the comics). I genuinely hope they don’t pull more of this.

All in all, this episode had it’s good moments I enjoyed, but there was definitely some stupidity and bad moments I despised. Let’s hope these last two episodes where shit gets more serious will be better. I’m hoping this show does not turn to crap through a series of stupid decisions, much like TWD did. I will be sorely disappointed at AMC...

#nos4a2 #nos4a2 vic #nos4a2 maggie #nos4a2 charlie #charlie manx #vic mcqueen #maggie leigh

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the-walking-daryl · 5 years ago

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The Walking Winchester Chapter 9

Summary: After being kidnapped Daryl feels like it’s best to take you on a hunt, just the two of you.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x reader

Warnings: talk of child maltreatment, feeling unwanted, violence

AN: I know that the timeline doesn’t actually match up to the show’s timeline, at this point I am trying to more the story along because I feel like it has been stuck in the same spot for too long if that makes sense.

It had been some time since Maggie, Carol, and yourself had been captured and you were still shook up over the whole thing. Sure you have been captured before, but you never felt remorse for killing them. These were actual people, you could still remember all the blood each and every time you close your eyes. That’s why Daryl decided that you needed a little time away from the rest of the group and dragged you out into the woods to hunt with him.

You weren’t complaining since you got to spend alone time with him, you just knew that at some point he was probably going to make you talk about how you feel. And you had an odd feeling that that point was going to be coming soon due to that fact that the sun was beginning to set and the two of you were comfortably seated on a log.

“You good?” he asks gruffly after a few minutes of the two of you just sitting there in silence.

“Yeah, this is just nothing like being a hunter,” you reply lost in thought about what was waiting for you in your world, “give me a demon, a vampire, anything out of a lore book and I can probably kill it without much of a fight. But other people, that’s unfamiliar territory.”

“How long have you been doing it for?” Daryl asks you in a curious tone.

“I don’t even remember how old I was when called my dad and begged him to come get me. He never wanted this life for me, my mom was just some chick he got pregnant while he was in that town for a hunt. He never really loved her, but he still took care of me nonetheless. He would come by once a year while his boys were at their uncle’s and spend time with me.

It was the only happiness I had when I was with my mother. She never wanted kids, so when she ended up with me she made sure that I knew she wasn’t a willing participant in my life.. I mean my dad wasn’t a willing party either, but he never made it as known as she did,the worst thing he did was leave me with her three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year. After awhile I couldn’t take the way she treated me anymore and begged my father to take me with him. I barely knew what he did, all I knew was any life was better than the one I was already living.”

A heavy silence settled between you both for a couple of minutes until Daryl decided to speak again, “was it hard once your dad took you?”

“It was hard yeah and my dad was ten more strict than he was before. I knew why though and I understood. My father wasn’t raised into the hunter life, his wife Mary was, but she gave it up for him and her family. It worked too, until a yellow eyed demon killed her one night. After that my father trained there two sons to hunt as best as he could, then some time later he did the same with me. It is long nights and a lot of rules but it’s all for our own safety, I mean if we die then there is no one to kill the monsters.”

“Wow,” the quiet man beside you mumbles some time later.

“It’s a lot, I know,” you say quietly before adding with a laugh, “don’t even get me on how my brothers are the vessels of two archangels who were destined to start an apocalypse.”

“What?!”

“You heard me.”

“Is your dad still around with you guys now?”

“No,” you reply sadly with a shake of your head, “he sold his soul and was dragged to hell a long time ago to save Dean’s life after a really bad accident years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“There is nothing anyone can do to bring him back, I’d know since I tried. No demon or angel would help me, no matter how much I bargained. I went to every crossroads the had in the country while my brothers were throwing themselves into case after case. I prayed to every angel from the lowest cherub to god himself but never once did anyone answer my calls. And all I wanted to do was bring my father back because I knew my brothers needed him a whole lot more than they would ever need me.”

“Im sure your brothers need you Y/N,” Daryl tries to argue but you shoot him down with a firm shake of the head.

“They accepted me for my father’s sake but they never truly wanted a sister. And the especially didn’t want someone who agreed with every rule set in place no matter how much it felt like our father acted more like a general than our dad most times.”

Just as Daryl was about to argue with your statement three men came out of the shadows and closed in on you both causing the two of you to tense and instantly draw your knives.

“Now, there is no need for those,” the man in the middle with long blonde hair and half a scarred face announces with a chuckle,” the boss just wants to have a little chat with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” you state definitely while never lowering your weapon.

As I finish speaking Daryl voices his own opinions, “what are you doing here Dwight?”

Before the man in the middle, who you are assuming is Dwight, had a chance to answer the man to his left step forward to smack you. He however doesn’t get the chance to because you block the hit before slicing his arm with your blade. As the man releases a yell in pain distracting everyone you attempt to use it in hopes of gaining the upper hand.

You decide to lunge for Dwight since he was the closest one two you in hopes of somehow injuring him as well. The plan backfires since he was expecting your attack and instantly gains ahold of you. While you are attempting to fight him off Daryl is busy trying to break free from the other two men as well. Knowing that for the moment you were trapped you stopped fighting and saved your energy in hopes of the men taking you far enough away that they would get tired and give you both a chance to escape.

Eventually you decided that you had been walking enough for the man to be losing energy and decide now is as good a chance as any to make your escape. Dropping all your weight as fast and hard as you can to the ground you bring the man with you before tucking in on his arm so he flips over your back. While him and the other two men are in shock you swipe out one of the mens legs on your way up causing him to release Daryl. With only one man holding him it was now easier for Daryl to fight back against the other man and before you knew it the two of you were making your way towards a clearing that you hoped would bring safety.

TWD Forever Tags

@mrstellerwinston @phasma-trash @moonchild1507 @just-afann @babypink224221 @his-paradox @strangewhovian-blog @sexyvixen7 @oncemorewithfeelingg

Daryl Dixon

@nikki082489 @fuzzy-panda @hells-mistress @leather-mommy @apocalypse-haven @melancolizando-o @kathieycarrerarosshley @dovies666 @raven-black102 @marjoriey @jodiereedus22 @xxboesefrauxx @hp-hogwartsexpress @characterobsessed @sourwolf-sterek32 @dietothemusic @hurricane-abigail @adventurous-blob

The Walking Winchester

@namelesslosers @sexyvixen7 @nikki082489 @hana-song137 @sourwolf-sterek32 @scarletpines @fuzzy-panda @charlottie2998 @Noots4Jesus @nsggmc @raven-black102 @futuristicallygeneralballoon @darylandhiscrossbow @anomiatartle @pockerfacechick @darxetta18 @seninjakitey @adventurous-blob

#daryl dixon #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl x reader #twd daryl x reader

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baseballbitch116 · 5 years ago

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On Watch

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x reader

Request: “Can I request one for Daryl? Maybe og Atlanta setting, reader always takes lookout on Dale’s RV as an excuse to check out Daryl and he catches her watching him and idk a confession happens were one tells the other they like them and fluff generally. Thanks, and I really really love your writing🥰”

Word Count: 1122

Warnings: None?

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The one place that you can be found the most, is the RV. Something about it felt like the closest thing to a home since you lost your’s. You would take turns with Andrea, Dale and Glenn being on watch, or you’d hangout inside it. You’d read a book, clean the weapons, attempt to sew clothes for the group, things of that sort. You weren’t very close to everyone in the group, only having been with them for two months or so.

You have opened up a little more since Rick joined and sort of replaced Shane as leader. Back when Merle was still around, he used to hit on you a lot, probably the most consistent talking you did with anyone in the group. Here and there you would speak to Amy or Andrea, Glenn or Dale, sometimes Lori or Carol - but definitely not Daryl.

It wasn’t like you didn’t WANT to talk to him - no, you wanted to more than anyone else here. But he was pretty damn intimidating. You’ve noticed that he seems to be becoming a little less... standoffish, as time goes on - but not enough that you feel starting up a conversation with him.

So, for the most part, you just admire him from afar. You don’t even mean to, but you often catch yourself staring at him as he talks to Rick or Shane. You really wish he was just a little more approachable, just so you could try to build some sort of friendship, or ANYTHING.

Today was like most other days - you sat on a fold-up chair on the roof of the RV, sweating under the intense Atlanta sun, pretty damn bored. You are attempting to fan yourself with a magazine, but it is doing little to nothing. All you can see are trees and open field, absolutely nothing, like usual. You hear some men talking and your gaze turns to the left, spotting Rick talking with Daryl and Glenn. You can’t quite make out what they’re saying, and you try to listen in from where you sit, curious about if they’re going out looking for Sophia again, but it’s no use.

You see Daryl and Rick turn your direction and quickly move your head to the right, trying to play off the fact that you were just staring, but you can tell you’ve been caught. You resist looking back, instead adjusting yourself in your seat and crossing your legs, grossing restless.

After a few moments you hear someone approaching and look down to see none other than Daryl himself heading into the RV. You don’t say anything, and neither does he, like normal. After a minute or so, he comes back out with three weapons. You figure that he will keep walking like he always does and not say anything to you, but he catches you off guard, hollering up, “Ya know you’re supposed to be lookin’ out for walkers, not us.” He says, squinting up at you, a tiny smirk playing at his lips.

Your jaw drops a bit by his random straight-forwardness, and you try to think of a quick response, but he flustered you. He begins walking away, but not before you holler “There’s nothing else to see!” He just shakes his head as he walks away, leaving you sitting up there, a bit embarrassed but mostly shocked that he finally spoke to you.

The next morning you were up bright and early, heading back up to relieve Dale from watch. “Ya know, Glenn could take a shift too.” Dale says as he stands, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He hands you the sniper and you shrug. “I’ve got nothin better to do.” You respond, taking his seat in the uncomfortable chair with a sigh.

After about a half an hour, you spot Daryl coming toward the house from his tent away from the group. You watch him walk for a moment, his muscles prominent under the early morning sun, but then you remember him catching you looking yesterday and turn your gaze away from him.

“I saw ya.” He hollers up, startling you, as he walks by. He doesn’t look at you, but you see that small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth again.

“I glanced, you look like a walker from afar with all that dirt on ya.” You respond, teasing him for not even attempting to clean up. He scoffs and shrugs as he continues past the RV.

The rest of the morning is uneventful. You spend a little time sewing a pair of Rick’s pants and one of Carol’s shirts as you sit up there, bored as hell. Andrea came by and you spoke to her for a few minutes before she went on her way, and Dale returned to bring you some breakfast and a half bottle of water. You saw Daryl head out with Rick not long after you spoke to him, and they returned just as you were being relieved by Glenn from watch.

You climbed down from the RV, pulling your tank top up a bit to wipe your face of the sweat. You see the two of them walking over here and quickly turn your eyes back up to Glenn, responding to what he had just said. You certainly don’t want it to seem like you’re always staring at Daryl, as he already assumes.

“Mornin, Y/N.” Rick greets with a nod as he steps into the RV. You nod back at him and shift your weight. You avoid looking at Daryl, whom stands a few feet in front of you, waiting for Rick. When you do finally look his direction, he is already looking at you.

He gives you a sideways look that practically says “again” and you roll your eyes at him. “What, so I can’t look at you for a split second?” You ask, crossing your arms, shocking yourself by your sudden bravery. He looks at you for a moment, his face unreadable, his gaze making you grow nervous.

Finally, he shrugs, gruffly saying “Can do whateva ya want.” You bite your lip nervously for a second, then grab your bottle of water and begin walking away, but not before hollering over your shoulder “I’ll keep that in mind,” And with your back turned to him, you don’t see him watching you walk away, taken aback by your suggestive comment. He glances up and sees Glenn smirking at him - now it was his turn to get caught watching you. He rolls his eyes and scoffs, heading into the RV to see what was taking Rick so long, but not before one last glance in your direction, which you catch, smirking at him over your shoulder.

---

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jaeminlore · 6 years ago

Text

Worlds Apart | Ten

summary: we don't have a choice, the curtains have closed. i’m making a point, but you'll never know.

words: 7.8k+

category: fluff, angst, twd au

warnings: death, guns, knives, blood, violence?, the works, not that detailed so it’s p chill

a/n: i am, and i cannot stress this enough, so sorry

The barn is nearly empty. It used to be full of cows. Same with the chicken coop out front. Ten can see the farmhouse through his binoculars — knows that people live there. Humans too, not whatever undead creatures have been popping up everywhere. He wonders briefly if the farmers are even trying to ration their food. After all, their chickens are disappearing at an alarming rate. And, really, he can't see how two old people can eat so much. Sometimes he thinks of sneaking over to the house while the old farmers are on one of their weekly runs. But then again, he steals a lot of apples from their orchard already, and he's pretty sure they know. And he wouldn't even know how to prepare a chicken, so there.

He really hates the taste of apples.

There's an entire basket of the fruit hiding under his bed. He would almost rather starve then force himself to eat another apple. He glances out the window of his R.V. and sighs again. Where are those old farmers anyway? By this time, they're usually home, patching up that chain link fence they installed behind their already-sturdy picket fence. Ten knows its good to be prepared but sheesh, he's been hunkered down in this R.V. for months and he hasn't had a problem.

Seriously though, the convenience store is only three miles away. They almost always leave at dawn. Ten knows their pattern like the back of his hand. They are always home before sundown. That's when it's safest. There has to be a reason they aren't back yet. Something happened. Something bad.

Ten groans and sets his binoculars down. The old red cap that hangs above his sink is snatched up and set over his already-matted hair. He slips on a coat and grabs the only weapon he has: a pocket knife.

He sets for the farmhouse, just as the sun begins to go down.

"Hello?" He knocks three times on the screen door. Cupping his hand around his eyes he peers in, trying to figure out why they kept the front door open and the screen door locked. Not the best call, in his opinion. "My name is Ten! I live in the woods, just outside of your back paddock! I wanted to make sure you guys are safe! Hello!"

He knocks again. Nothing.

There's no activity inside. It's a big house, he knows, but it's also old, and any movement from inside would certainly let off a string of creaks and groans from the old foundation. Plus, these people aren't afraid of anything. He knows that. They're careful sure, but they aren't stupid. They know who Ten is, and they wouldn't leave him out here like this.

Ten makes a split decision and breaks the lock.

"Hello?" He calls again. Sweat forms at the back of his neck as he begins to look through all the rooms. The house is eerily normal. Every bedroom is clean, every bed is made. He reaches the kitchen and finds it strange that the table is set. His eyes drift over to the open dishwasher. The dishes inside are clean, which can only mean one thing.

Ten grabs the faucet handle and turns. When water pours out, he finds himself cheering aloud. This house must have a private well or something, if the farmers are still using a dishwasher.

"Hello?" He calls upstairs. They creak as he climbs up, and paranoia fills his chest as he realizes that no one is home.

No one is coming home.

"Welp, the gas station was completely empty." You drop the empty gasoline can at Taeyong's feet. "This is the third one this week."

Taeyong ignores your whining, but you can't help but let your frustrations out. The three of you — Mark is out — have been traveling for days, hoping to make it to the shore, and yet you keep running out of gas. And yeah, you're thankful that you guys broke down near a baseball field, so you aren't completely vulnerable, but you feel so trapped.

This entire situation is just one big disaster after the next. You need a break. Taeyong needs a break. The poor boy has been trying to start a fire all day. You sit beside him and sigh. "Where's Mark?"

"Scavenging," Taeyong grunts, angrily lighting another match. "There's s rec center near here. There's no way it didn't turn into a safe place. There should be blankets, food—"

"—Walkers," you finish. "There's a higher risk at places like that."

"I know, but he insisted. ' Feels like he isn't doing enough or whatever."

"He's doing plenty," you say. You scratch the dried clay off of your boot and try to blink away the tears. "What if he doesn't come back? What if he's like Yu—"

"Don't," Taeyong whispers. "It's just us now. The others are gone. We can't dwell on the past."

There's a long silence for a moment until... "Guys! You'll never guess what I found!"

"Was it a way to call every walker within the mile to our hideout?" You quip, quickly unlatching the gate to let a flustered Mark in.

He has a duffle bag on his back, and it's filled with stuff, so you let him talk. "Theres a farmhouse, a few miles away. There was a whole list of historical landmarks at the rec center. Apparently, the farmhouse was the first house built in this town. Maybe the people who own it will let us stay."

"Or maybe they'll be gone and we won't have to ask," you mutter, unzipping his bag and extracting a stained blanket. "We should go. First thing in the morning. You remember the directions?"

"Yeah." Mark begins to help Taeyong with the fire, a small expression of pride on his face.

You hope the farmhouse isn't a dead end. For Mark's sake.

Ten doesn't get any sleep. He stays up all night, waiting for the couple to return. Hoping, more like. Once dawn hits the farm, he begins to move his stuff from the R.V. to the house.

Now it's nearly nighttime again, and while he wants to sleep, he can't help but feel unnerved at the thought of being alone in such a big house. He's barricaded all of his things into one room on the second floor. He bides his time by checking the pantry's inventory. There's tons of food here: fruit preserves and frozen meat that Ten realizes the farmer's had prepared early, just in case.

He's hungry, but he can't bear to eat any of their food, so he grabs an apple and sits in the living room, waiting for a couple who won't return.

Except they do. And it's not a couple, it's three people he's never seen before. He notices them when the reach the chain link fence and begin to climb, so he knows they aren't undead. Sometimes that can be worse, though.

He scrambles to his feet and makes way for the front parlor, where he saw a gun cabinet coming in. He grabs the first one he sees — a pistol — and heads outside, a shaky bravado in his voice. "State your names and your business!"

There are three of them. The tallest one raises both his arms, and the others follow in suit. "I'm Taeyong. This is Y/n and Mark. We're looking for solace."

"Obviously," Ten mutters under his breath. Then he raises his voice. "How can I trust any of you?"

"We don't have guns," Y/n speaks up. She passes Ten a wary glance. "Just blankets and food. We were on our way to the shore when our vehicle broke down. The gas stations are empty and we have nowhere to go."

Ten eyes the three of them and notices that they all look a little malnourished. Dark circles are noticeable under their eyes and someone's stomach is definitely

growling. "The couple who live here haven't returned. I'm waiting it out. You're welcome to wait it out with me. But—" he eyes the bag, "—you have to give me some food. All I have — that's mine — are apples."

"I've got strawberry wafers from the convenience store we looted on our way here. Two old walkers were guarding a whole stash of snacks," Taeyong says, hands still in the air.

Ten lowers his gun, gaze softening under the brim of his hat. He recalls seeing a lot of wafers in the pantry. Maybe that snack was a favorite. "I think you met the owners,"he says. He turns his back on them and makes his way up the steps. "Come inside. We can all wash up and eat something."

Mark is the first to follow him in, and Ten figures he must be the youngest, all eager and lively. Taeyong is next, and Y/n stays in the front yard, surveying the ground.

"What is she doing?" Ten questions, setting the gun back in the cabinet. "The entire yard is fenced in. And there are paddocks surrounding it. We're safe, really."

"Y/n is just making sure," Taeyong says. "Last time we didn't secure the borders, we lost people. I think it's compulsory now."

Ten feels a pang in his chest. He's been on his own for so long that he can't remember the last time he lost someone who actually meant something to him. "How long ago?"

"A month." Taeyong whispers as he eyes the front room. "It's only been a month."

The four grab whatever food they think will comfort them the most and eat in the room Ten filled with his stuff. It's obvious that no one really wants to be out of each other's sight. Ten is blatantly outnumbered, but he doesn't feel threatened. Not when Mark begins telling him a funny story, as if they're old friends.

You wake up feeling grosser than you did when you fell asleep. You're not tired anymore, so that's good, but your clothes are caked in a layer of sweat and dirt. You make for the bathroom and locks yourself in, hoping to get at least one shower out of this experience before disaster strikes.

Somehow you fell asleep around the stranger. Your only assurance was that he left the gun in the cabinet and didn't make any threatening moves at all. And Mark seems to trust him. Mark has the seventh sense of a dog, and can always tell when someone is untrustworthy, so you find no real fault in becoming vulnerable for an hour or so.

You find all kinds of hygiene products and refresh yourself liberally. You wash, rinse, and repeat enough times to make conservationists mad, but Ten mentioned a well system, so the water isn't going to run out any time soon. Besides, you don't plan on taking a shower every day, so this is a luxury you think you deserve.

Once every nook and cranny is free of blood, dirt, and sweat, and replaced with the warm scent of vanilla body wash and dandruff-free shampoo, you step out of the shower and wrap yourself in a cotton robe hanging on the back of the door.

You wrap it around yourself and tie two knots before you feel secure enough to approach the small, yet rambunctious group in the kitchen.

Taeyong has found eggs and a pan, and that's obviously enough for him to revive his love for cooking. Three omelets are already stacked onto Mark's plate, while Ten in tucking into what looks like his last one. "Have you eaten yet, Taeyong?"

"No," he answers. There's a warm grin on his face like he couldn't be more content if he tried. "There were like, two dozen eggs in the fridge, and Ten collected a dozen more from the coop."

"That's wonderful." You ruffle Mark's hair and laugh as he shoves your hand away, whining about being treated like a baby.

Ten looks up from his food and chuckles. "There are clean clothes upstairs if you, uh, don't want to walk around in a robe all day."

You stick your tongue out at him, finding it easier to banter now that you don't feel so gross. "If you want a turn with the robe, just ask."

Ten rolls his eyes and returns to his omelet. "Smart-ass."

"That's me!" You holler, already halfway up the stairs. The farmhouse is huge, so there are certainly enough rooms for each of you. You find the one with the least amount of windows and decide to claim it as your own. After a small search, you find underwear, shorts, and a t-shirt to cover you.

You bound downstairs to see that Taeyong is now sitting at the table, a couple of omelets ready for the both of you. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Ten leans chin on his palm. "Everyone takes a shower, I guess. To be honest, we can fill the upstairs bathtub with water and use it to wash clothes. We can use it a few times before the water gets too dirty, and it'll save more water than the washing machine."

"And no more using the dishwasher," Taeyong notes. "We can wash them by hand, too."

"I can take inventory," Mark says, swallowing a mouthful of eggs. "See what we need to go on runs for."

"I'll help," you take a sip of your water. "We could go out before sunset and load up."

"I know the land," Ten says. "I should go, too."

Taeyong purses his lips. "So Ten and Y/n go on a run. Mark and I will wash clothes and make sure the animals are fed."

You clean the dishes while Mark makes a list of supplies. Most of it is paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, and pads. A few things are added on, like socks, soap, and sponges. Chicken feed if you can find it.

With the list tucked into your back pocket and a machete clipped to your belt, you follow Ten's lead into town. Ten has a gun holster in his belt, but you're pretty sure he has no idea how to use it. His posture is nervous: shoulders tense and steps quick. "So... come here often?"

Ten snorts. "Not really. I used to steal food from the orchard — we should go picking soon, by the way, before the fruit gets rotten — and I'd go a few miles north for paper products."

You pause. "So, why aren't we going north?"

"I cleaned that place out. There's a general store just a mile up that I want to try. No one ever really went there, so it's possible not many people thought about it during all the panicking."

"Alright," you try to match his steps. "But what if there isn't any there?"

Ten shrugs. "There are a few burger joints around. Supply closets have to have something."

You're about to reply when a growl cuts you off. Ten spreads out his arms and pushes you back. "It's coming from the woods."

"And I have the melee weapon," you say, grabbing his forearm and moving it out of your way. "Watch my back."

The walker joins you both on the road, and you grimace at the way its jaw seems unhinged from its skull. "Disgusting," you mutter, bounding forward and stabbing its head in one quick sweep. "I hate doing that."

Ten holds his hand out and eyes the machete. "I can do it, if you don't want to."

You glare at Ten. "I don't need you to do things for me."

Your outburst quiets Ten. The entire trip to the general store is spent in silence, save for when you kill two more walkers, and Ten kills three with his pocket knife. There's now blood on your crisp white t-shirt. Ten has a few splatters on his jacket, but he wipes his knife on his clothed thigh and keeps walking.

The road is quiet and long. It's so poorly paved that you can't help but wonder just how small this town actually used to be. Without actual people around, it's hard to tell where the town starts and ends. The other fact is that the place seems to be free of walkers. Or at least herds. The random straggler is welcomed, compared to how many herds you've had to fight to get here.

You wonder if it'll last.

"We're here," Ten stops in his tracks and points to an old wooden cabin hidden by the overgrown branches of the roadside forest.

You follow him in. It's more of a gift shop than anything. Maybe a welcome center — the type of place people stop in to pick up a map and nothing else. It's filled with little knickknacks and frivolous clothing items like thin fashion scarves and gloves. The entire place seems heavy with the farm theme, and there are a lot of souvenirs that suggest a historical museum somewhere near here. "I wonder why people didn't come back here," you say.

Ten grabs a hanging keychain with Mark's name on it and pockets it. "No one liked this town before. It's the kind of place everyone dreams of leaving. Lots of old people retire here, but obviously they didn't make it that long."

The two of you pocket whatever seems useful. Luckily, the place has a lot of locally curated goat soap and other hygiene products of that nature. This is a farming town, you think as you find a spare jar of harvested honey.

There are paper products in the supply closet, so the two of you load up as much as you can. "We should check the bathroom, too," you say. "Sometimes they have cabinets of stuff."

Ten finishes filling his bag while you head to the bathroom. It's a one-person bathroom with the door closed, and you aren't stupid, so you grab your machete. You wiggle the knob. Locked. Someone is — or was — in there. You bang your machete hilt against the door and hastily press your ear to the splintered wood, hoping to hear some kind of growling. Something that'll tell you what you're up against.

Instead, you hear what sounds like a whimper.

"Ten," you hiss. "Ten, c'mere."

He hurries over, leaving his bag on the ground and extracting his knife. "What's wrong? What's in there?"

"Ten, I think it's a kid," you hiss. "Like, a human kid."

Ten purses his lips and raps his knuckles against the door. "Is anyone in there? We can help. You have to open the door."

They start crying. It's definitely a child.

You glare at Ten. "You scared them!" You turn to the door and press your palm flat against it. "We aren't here to hurt you. There are two of us. My name is Y/n. My friend's name is Ten. We came to find some supplies and return to our house. We have a house, if you'd like to come..." You trail off as the crying continues. There's really no way to go about this situation. You'd like to open the door and talk to them face to face, but you can't. And breaking down the door doesn't sound like a good way to gain a child's trust. You look to Ten for help.

Ten sits down and leans his head back against the door. "My name is Ten," he starts. "I have a farmhouse down the road a bit. It has cows and chickens, and I think there's a cat that hangs around in the barn sometimes. Do you like cats?"

Silence hangs in the air. Then: "... I like orange ones."

Ten grins at you, a break of relief on his face at the sound of a little girl's voice. "Me too! They're my favorites. What's your name?"

"...Scarlett."

"That's a pretty name," Ten compliments. He eyes a walker as it strides past the windows, and you think about getting back before dark. "Scarlett, would you like to visit the farmhouse? We can find the cat, and my friend Taeyong makes the best omelettes ever."

Scarlett's voice suddenly appears closer to the door, as if she's trying to look through the keyhole. "Does he make cakes?"

"I bet if you come with us, the two of you can bake a cake together!"

The lock clicks. You and Ten scramble away from the door just in time for a little girl to step out.

It's clear that she's been trapped in there for awhile. The bathroom smells like waste, and it's littered with empty cans and wrappers. Scarlett herself is severely malnourished. Her purple overalls hang off of her body. Her short brown hair is matted, and there's dirt and grime on the lens of her turtle shell glasses. She can't be older than seven years old, and her state makes her seem even younger.

Ten is on his knees in an instant, eye-level to the child in an effort to seem comforting. "Are you alright, Scarlett?"

She nods, blinking at the two of you. "I'm hungry."

"Right," Ten grabs his bag and slings it over his shoulder before offering his hand to Scarlett. "Then let's hurry. I bet you and Taeyong can bake that cake tonight."

The entire house smells like vanilla. The generator-operated oven was put into overdrive as soon as Taeyong met Scarlett. Together they baked a cake, and while it cooked, Scarlett took a bath and was given clean clothes. You had to hem a pair of underwear to get it to fit, but you found that a grown man's t-shirt worked just fine for a nightgown.

Taeyong found an old copy of The Princess Bride to read to her, and you can still hear Scarlett and Mark's laughter as they listen to Taeyong's exaggerated princess voice.

You sit at the kitchen table, alone with a slice of cake and a mug of lukewarm water. The cake tastes like too much vanilla and even more love. You wonder where Scarlett's parents are, and if they would ever return to that bathroom for their daughter. You wonder if they were the ones who told her to hide in the first place. The day flashes through your mind and you feel regret pool in your stomach. It's uncomfortable as it settles, and you're unsure how to process everything.

Footsteps sound from upstairs, and Ten comes down. He sits across from you and steals your plate.

You let him.

He takes a bite of the treat and stares at you for a moment, perhaps studying your expression and the way you won't look up from your water. "What's wrong."

You shrug, but it's unconvincing even to you. "I just... Why didn't Scarlett answer me? I didn't sound scary, did I?"

Ten cards his fingers through his dark hair and gives you a smile. It looks full of pity. "I don't think it was personal. I think she just liked talking about the cat."

"How do you think she got in there?"

"Could be anything. If I had a guess, I'd say her parents told her to stay there until they came back. And then they didn't."

You frown. "How are we gonna raise a kid?"

"I dunno," Ten shrugs. "Two days ago, I was living alone in an R.V. Anything can happen."

"I guess that's true. And I think Taeyong is happy," you mutter. "Maybe Scarlett can be happy here, too."

As if on cue, a happy giggle is heard from the living room, followed by Taeyong's loud laugh.

Ten grins at you, and his eyes seem to sparkle in the candlelight. "I think she will be."

As it turns out, you and Ten make a really great team when it comes to scavenging. Ten is quick and good at sneaking around, and you have a knack for finding uselful things that seem to hide it plain sight. There are no problems with the two of you, other than the occasional argument.

You load a pistol and stick it in your belt. "Okay, so medicine."

Scarlett comes down with a fever, and Taeyong is nervous about letting it run through without any medication. Ten mentions a pharmacy a short drive away, and the two of you head out.

Ten's hair has grown out in the past weeks. You've reminded him that the farmhouse has clippers, but he seems to like the way his hair curls under his ears.

Secretly, you like it to. You study him as he focuses on driving. He's wearing his usual red cap, letting it come down over his eyes so that it looks almost as if he can't see. Lately, he's taken to tucking his t-shirts into his jeans, and you aren't sure why he does it, but it looks nice on him. It makes him look even more handsome.

As winter is approaching, you've taken to wearing whatever coats and sweaters you could find. Right now you're wearing an old university sweatshirt you found a few scavenging trips back. It's loose on you, but it's warm, and you feel somehow safer with your arms covered.

The pharmacy — with it's clear doors and windows — seems fairly empty, save for a stray or two. The streets: empty as well. It feels wrong, like there's some looming threat around that neither you nor Ten can see.

He parks on the curb, and, list in hand, the two of you climb out of the car.

You glance around and notice a large white church just across the street. "That's weird. Why is it in the middle of town?"

Ten looks up at the steeple. He shrugs. "It's a small town."

You check the release of your pistol for what feels like the hundredth time since you've been given the damn thing. You hate guns. You hate what they do to people, and you hate that you need one to survive. It doesn't help that you barely know how to use the thing. You're clumsy at best, and that's not good enough here. The amount of times Ten has covered your ass because you're not good with firearms is too many to count.

You holster it and grab your machete instead, more comfortable with hand-to-hand combat.

Ten follows your lead and takes out his knife. "Okay. Ready? Stay close to me."

It's something he says before every raid, and you find it more reassuring than anything. "Got it."

The two of you open the pharmacy door together and begin your walk, back to back through the store. Your first concern is clearing it, so when the first walker comes at you, growling and snapping it's jaw menacingly, you nail him between the eyes. Ten gets the only other one you can see, and then it's a dive through the empty aisles for some medication.

"This whole place looks empty," you mutter under your breath. Indeed, white metal shelves are bare, save for a few random items here and there. You watch Ten inspect a few and tuck them away, into his bag.

He picks up a bag of cough drops. "I mean, some of it is useful. Not against a fever, though."

You sigh and make your way towards the back of the store. "Shouldn't there be a place where all the storage is? Like shipment boxes and stuff?"

Ten follows your lead towards the door with an "employees only" sign.

"It's our best shot."

It's the same ritual: Ten covers your back and you cover his. The two of you luckily don't find any walkers, but it's not exactly a room of shipping containments. It's a storage closet, it seems. It's equipped with cleaning supplies, but nothing extraordinary.

"Wait," you say, reaching for a white tin box that hangs just above the light switch. "It's a first aid kit. Look! Aspirin — that's something, right?"

Ten yanks the entire kit off of the wall and shoves it into his back. "Better than nothing," he grunts.

"Let's take this back. We'll try somewhere else tomorrow."

He swings the storage room door open, only to yelp in surprise at the sight of walkers, all crowding the store. They catch sight of him and turn, all headed for the two of you.

Ten pulls the door closed and locks it just in time to hear the banging and growling of walkers. He curses. "We're trapped. What do we do, we're trapped..."

"Ten," you sputter, fear creeping into your chest. "Ten."

He looks at you, eyes wide, mirroring your own fear. He lunges forward suddenly and wraps his arms around you. "It's okay. It's okay. The longest we'll be trapped is a day, right? Taeyong and Mark will notice. They'll drive out."

"They don't have a car," you cry. Your arms circle his waist and you hide your face in his chest. Your body is shaking from fear, fully aware of how loud it it outside of the door. "Where did they come from? How did they sneak up on us?" Panic sneaks up your throat like pile and you squeeze Ten even tighter. "What if they bust the door down?"

Ten lets out a shaky breath. "They won't. They won't. It'll be okay, we just have to think." He lets go of you and paces around the small space.

You reach out for him and his eyes focus on your wrist.

He grabs your wrist. "Your watch. Does it work?"

"It does," you say, hesitantly. "I don't think it matters what time it is, Ten."

"We left the house at nine." He says. "That means it should be noon soon, right?"

"I guess? Ten, what are you saying?"

"The church," he says, "I completely forgot until I saw your watch, but it has a timer that rings out at noon. If we wait, we can make a brake for it."

"How long?" you ask. You whimper at a particularly scary bang heard outside.

Ten glances at your watch. "Any minute now..."

As if on cue, church bells begin to ring from far away. The growls begin to grow quieter, more distant. "Okay, on my cue we go. Stay close to me, and we'll make a break for the car."

"Got it," you whisper, holding your machete in front of your chest. "On your cue."

"Okay, three, two, one..."

The aspirin helps take the fever down, and Scarlett falls asleep in Taeyong's arms that night.

You have a bit more trouble falling asleep. You don't want to feel weak, but it's hard to forget how close you were to death just hours ago. You feel embarrassed at how frightened you got, and wonder if Ten thinks of you as a weak link.

It bothers you so much that you find yourself at the entry to his bedroom. "Hey, Ten?"

He's sitting at the foot of his bed in only pajama bottoms, reading some book he found. But at your voice, he dog-ears the page he's on and sets it aside before looking at you with a gentle smile. "What's up?"

"What happened earlier... At the pharmacy... You don't— You don't think I'm weak, do you?"

Ten furrows his brows before standing up. He shakes his head in disbelief as he walks over to you. "Y/n, I was terrified. You were terrified. That doesn't make us weak, okay? It makes us human, and since that's the only think separating us from the walkers, I think it's a pretty good trait, alright?" He brushes your hair back from your face in a brief moment of reassurance.

You lean into his touch. "Yeah. Alright."

Mark finds a board game in the attic, and he spends the entire afternoon trying to teach it to the rest of you. Scarlett is invested, ignorant to the present events. Taeyong is playing half-heartedly in an effort to keep Scarlett invested.

You're too busy staring out of the window to care about the game. "He's not back yet. He said he's be back." You couch into your hand and groan. Your head is pounding and your throat burns with every cough, but you're too worried about Ten to care. "Mark should've gone with him."

"He wanted to go alone," Mark says.

"He shouldn't get the choice," you snap. You cough into your elbow again and grimace. "We're a team. We can't be separated like this. He has no one to cover him."

Taeyong helps Scarlett move her game piece. While she's distracted, he stands up and makes his way to your perch on the window seat. "You know Ten's fine, right? He worked alone for a long time before we met him."

"I know," you say, "which is why he shouldn't ever have to do it again. Last time we went on a medicine run, we got trapped. It was a stroke of luck that alarm still worked. What if he's trapped now and he needs our help?"

"He's quick. Smart. He'll make it back. Now please go and rest. Your fever isn't going to reduce if you're on your feet, worrying yourself to death." Taeyong doesn't give you a choice, though, as he wraps his arms around you and helps you towards your bedroom. "You'll want to be awake when Ten comes back, right?"

"Right..." You climb into your bed and allow Taeyong to tuck you in (not that you would've had the strength to fight him, anyway.)

"I'll keep a look out," Taeyong reassures you. "If he isn't back in two hours, Mark and I will head out."

"Thank you," you mumble sleepily, already falling into a deep slumber.

When you awake, it's nighttime, and Ten is looking over you with an amused grin. "Miss me?"

"Never," you answer with a cough.

Ten hands you your medicine and you take it, watching the way he worries over your figure. "I'm sorry I left alone. I didn't mean to worry you."

You close your eyes when he rest his cool hand against your forehead. "Just don't leave again, M'kay? Not without me."

Ten smiles softly, and when he speaks, it's a gentle and sincere promise. "I won't."

Winter comes, and you find yourself wishing you were up north, where the walkers would be slowed down by the snow. In the south, winter is chilly at most, and it's nothing a coat can't fix. Walkers keep their same pace.

You, Ten, and Mark find any blind spots in the fences and patch them up. Luckily, the farmers who owned the house beforehand were prepared for this sort of issue, and stored a lot of supplies in the barn.

The barn is now empty. None of you knew how to prepare a cow for eating, you used it as bait to draw a particularly troublesome herd of walkers away from the farm. That wasn't easy either, but at least it was in your range of skill.

The chickens are still lively, and Scarlett does a good job of collecting eggs every morning for Taeyong to cook up. Ten and Mark secured a coop closer to the house, though. Just in case.

You and Ten keep up with your frequent runs, especially now for blankets and other supplies to keep warm in a house without heat. The wells are checked every day by Mark, while Taeyong takes care of the animals and Scarlett.

Any shops near the farmhouse have been cleaned out by the two of you well before winter, so you both decided to go a few towns over and check there. It's a small town with barely any stores, but it has a few rich neighborhoods that Ten wants to loot.

He parks on the curb of the cul-de-sac and laughs at your awed expression. "They're nice, right?"

"Who lived here? Millionaires?"

"Yeah, actually," Ten giggles. "Each of these houses are three stories high. We'll spend the day looting each one, and then we can spend the night in our favorite before heading back."

"Let's hit the one with the in-ground pool first." You push the door open and give Ten an over-the-shoulder smirk. "First one to the door wins."

Ten grabs his knife and bag and follows you across the street, struggling to keep his laughter quiet, lest the two of you draw any walkers in.

When night falls, the trunk of the car is filled with enough supplies to last the farmhouse for a long time. Neither you nor Ten can contain your excitement over the find, so Ten sneaks some wine and glasses into one of the master bedrooms.

You jump on the unscathed bed while Ten locks the door and pushes an armoire in front of it. "Can you believe we found a handheld console? Do you think Taeyong will let us keep it?"

Ten laughs and grabs your hands, pulling you into a sitting position. "Calm down, dummy. And yeah, I'm sure Taeyong will let us take some batteries. Although he might make us give it to Scarlett."

You pull a face. "Why should she have all the fun?"

"We could hide it," Ten whispers, leaning closer to you with a wicked smile painted on his face. "No one has to know."

Tens face is too close to yours. He does this all the time, mostly when he's excited about something. His natural response is to lean into you while he speaks, but right now it's too much.

You're both high off of adrenaline, his nose is brushing against yours, and if you lean in just an inch or two you could kiss his lips. Just one kiss would hurt, right? At least, that's all that can run through your mind at times like these. Then again, it's sort of the end of the world, and maybe you're just lonely.

Or maybe you like Ten a lot, and this is the time to let him know.

You press your lips against his for a split second and move away, afraid of his rejection. Afraid he'll think you're weird.

"Y/n," Ten whispers. His lips are close to yours, and his eyelashes are fluttering against his cheekbones as he struggles to keep his eyes open. "Please don't stop."

He holds your chin between his thumb and pointer, and lifts your face. His lips meet yours once again and they're soft, softer than you think they should be.

You think he shouldn't be this skilled at kissing. Not when the two of you aren't even drunk yet. He nips at your bottom lip; you sigh and grab onto his hair, twirling the ends with your fingers.

Ten gently pushes you until you're on your back, and the plush mattress welcomes your weight. You tug at his hair, eliciting a soft moan from the back of his throat. He grabs at your hips and lifts your shirt, circling the skin with his thumbs.

You sigh against his mouth, and soon he's moving his lips; pressing kisses against your jaw and neck and collarbones. "T-Ten..."

"Yeah?" He whispers, lips still against your neck as he does.

You shiver at the feeling, but try to calm yourself down anyway. "We should... I mean, not that I don't want to, but we should wait."

Ten laughs against your skin and turns his face away, clearing his throat. When he looks at you, there's a smile on his face, now accompanied by a soft blush creeping up his neck. "Want some wine before we tuck in?"

So the moment is forgotten — put on hold — and the two of you let yourselves get drunk off of expensive wine, if just for one night.

And you fall asleep, side by side, content.

You're jerked awake to the sound of someone busting down the front door. You ignore the pounding in your head and sit up, slapping a hand over Ten's mouth. "Ten, someone's in the house."

He sits up; grabs his knife off of the nightstand. "Walkers?"

"Humans," you hiss. You slip out of bed and peak through the blinds of the window. "There's one guy outside — looking through our car, the bastard. I heard at least one in the house."

Ten stands up and winces. He probably has a hangover too, but neither of you can afford the luxury of resting right now. This has to be dealt with. "Do we kill them?"

You look at the man outside. "I don't know. This one seems malnourished. They're probably on their own. No one would come looking for revenge. But also, I don't want to kill a human. Not if I don't have to."

"They make one wrong move," Ten says, gesturing to his weapon, "They're out. No info about where we live or who we're with, either. We tell them that's our car, we take it and leave."

"What if they put up a fight?"

Ten pulls the armoire away from the door. "We fight back."

"We're almost home," you say, trying to hide the shake in your voice. "Stay awake for me, Ten. Please stay awake."

Ten rests his bloodied hand atop yours. There's a stab wound in his side, and you're reaching over to try and apply pressure to the wound as you drive back.

You have no belt for a tourniquet, no bandages in your car. Of all the things the two of you found, you couldn't find any damn bandages. You squeeze your eyes shut as hot tears trail down your cheeks. You didn't know the stranger had a knife. He pulled it out of nowhere.

"We're almost there, Ten. We're almost there."

He pats your hand and lets out a strangled giggle. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine..."

You pull into the yard, outside the secure gate and shout for help. Taeyong and Mark run out, and you notice Scarlett peaking through the window. "Please, I don't know what to do!"

Taeyong opens the gate. "Drive up to the porch. Mark, set up the couch and bring me bandages and antiseptic. Bring me a needle and thread, too."

"Stitches?" you whisper, pained.

"Just drive him up!"

As Ten is placed on the couch, he passes out. From shock, Taeyong says, although you really don't care about the reason. You brush Ten's bangs up, away from his eyes as Taeyong applies the medicine and tries to stitch up the wound as best as he can.

"What if he doesn't make it, Taeyong?" You lean in to press your forehead against Ten's. "What do I do without him?"

Taeyong winces as he pierces through Ten's skin. "He lost a lot of blood, and I don't know how to do a transfusion. Hopefully he didn't lose enough to kill him. But that's all we have right now, okay? Hope."

You grab Ten's hand and press your lips to his palm. "I'm not leaving him."

Taeyong presses his lips together. "I'll get a rope, then."

"What?"

"Y/n... If he... If Ten doesn't make it, and he turns, it'll put us all in danger, okay?"

You can feel the tears again. Just the thought of Ten dying makes you want to burst into tears. Still, you nod. "Okay." You kiss Ten's forehead. "Okay."

Ten wakes up feeling like he just bathed in a bucket of sweat. And his side is burning. And his nose itches.

He reaches down to scratch it, but his hands are tied up behind his head. He grunts and tugs on the restraints. His eyelids are heavy, and he doesn't want to open them for lack of strength, but at the same time he really wishes someone would release him from whatever is holding him.

"...Ten?"

He hums at the sound of a new voice. It sounds like you, and it makes him want to open his eyes. Makes him want to reach out and touch you, assure you that he's okay, but he just doesn't have the strength. So he hums again.

"Ten... Ten, please tell me you're alive."

Ten groans again. Tugs at his restraints. He yanks hard, and hisses at the pain in his wrists.

"Ten, please..." you begin sobbing. It hurts Ten's chest. It hurts him so badly because all he wants to do is reach out and touch you; hold you, but he can't. He can't reach out with these stupid restraints on.

He tries to call out your name, but it comes out as a strangled moan. He can't manage anything other than meaningless noise, but he's trying. He's trying to tell you that he's alive, he's just struggling to wake up fully. That's all, that's all, that's all.

He yanks on the restraints again. His wrists ache. His side aches. His heart aches as your crying grows louder and he wishes he had more strength than he does.

He hears a gun safety click. Wait...

No, no, no, he's not dead. He's not dead and he hasn't turned, he's just weak, for goodness sake.

He yanks on his restraints. He tries to open his eyes. He's not dead. He isn't. He isn't. He isn't.

"Ten, I'm sorry..." you sob. He feels your fingers brush through his hair and then there's a cold barrel placed against his temple.

He struggles and tries to scream, but it comes out as a frustrated growl which only scares you more. He can't comfort you. He can't even comfort himself because he's comprehending that this is the end. This is the end of his life if he can't wake up, and you're going to be his murderer. You're going to put a bullet through the future you two could have together and there's nothing he can do.

"Ten, I love you," you whisper, hand splayed over his chest. "I love you so much."

He groans again. It's all he can do. He feels weak... so weak and he's starting to think that maybe you're doing him a favor. Maybe he's already dead. Maybe he actually is a walker, and this is just his subconscious, still living on.

Maybe he's just trying to justify his death.

Your crying gets louder, and Ten can hear other voices around you. They don't matter as much as you, though. He needs you to know that you're the only one he cares about. Before he goes, he needs you to know that.

He wants to say it back. He never said it out loud and now he's gonna die without you having ever heard him. You're never going to know how much he loves you and there's nothing he can do about it.

He thinks of your lips on his, and the way wine tastes on your tongue. He thinks of the warmth of your embrace and the bravery in your actions. He thinks about the softness of your hands and how cute you look with your hair up. He thinks of your heart in his hands and nothing else.

I love — he thinks to you, and then his mind is blank.

And he is gone.

#twd!nct #ten scenario #ten fluff #ten angst #ten au #nct au #nct scenario #nct fluff #nct angst #destwrites

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storytime-hoe · 5 years ago

Text

Tough Love Ch.3

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x O/C

Summary: Story picks up during season three as the group goes into Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie from the Governor. However, they pick up another prisoner of Woodbury, Emma (O/C). She is a thief who fears friendships after her hard losses. She stays on the move, studying communities from afar and then robbing them blind. She has stayed alive this way for a while until the Governor catches her in the act. Now she finds herself with the group from the prison in a mission to kill the Governor for what he has done to her. She plans on stealing supplies from the prison group after the Governor is killed, but she might be growing a little too close to the groups members, especially one man in particular: Daryl Dixon.

Warnings: Slow burn, language, usual twd violence, mentions of abuse/rape

Authors Note: Things are finally getting good in this chapter if I do say so myself. I hope you all like it! I get sick of the female interest always seeming weak and like they need a protector all the time so I am trying to make a badass character here but like not too bitchy and annoying. It’s a fine line and I struggle sometimes but like oh well. Enjoy!

Previously: Ch.1 Ch.2

Merle Dixon was running his mouth like usual. Spit flung from his mouth as he yelled at Maggie about coming back to the prison with us all. Glenn and Maggie obviously did not want him around them or their family after what he did to them. I didn't blame them a bit. He had done some cruel things to me too, but I never held it against him too much, nothing compared to what the Governor did.

"Well I'll be damned," Merle said, ignoring Maggie and letting his sights land on me from over Rick's shoulder. "You're alive."

I clenched my jaw and prepared for the usual taunting that was always present in conversation with Merle. I stumbled forward to get a better look at him, my legs gaining strength with every step. "Don't sound so disappointed," I snarled at him.

I noticed Daryl shift on his feet and groan at Merle in warning. Daryl wanted his brother to be able to come back to the prison with us, but by the looks of it that wasn't going to work out. And Daryl knew that messing with me right now wasn't going to help his case. I was a high strung pissed off motherfucker after getting my ass kicked by the Governor all to save a couple of Dixons. No one should've been messing with me right now.

"You let her in the group and we are still questioning me?" Merle looked at Rick and threw his hands in my direction. "That right there is some fucked up bullshit."

"We were bringing her because she knew Woodbury," Daryl supplied, trying his best to keep Merle at bay, with no luck.

"She got us to you two. She's proving to be helpful," Rick supported, but I noted that he still looked skeptical of me.

Merle whistled and huffed out a strangled laugh that came from deep in his throat. "That's one poisonous snake you let into your nest, Sheriff." Merle smirked as he looked me up and down. I guess it had been a while since he got to do that and he was taking his time with soaking me in.

"You even know her that well, Merle?" Daryl glanced at me a few times, looking somewhat uneasy since he himself didn't really know me.

"Governor made me look after her."

My eyes widened at his words. "Look after me? He made you beat the shit out of me," I said, pushing by Rick so I was face to face with Merle. That was probably a bad move judging by Merle's playful smile. I shook against the urge to slap it right off of his fucking face.

"All that was just business. Trust me, I've done worse, sweetheart." He leaned back against a tree and rolled his eyes at my unhappy demeanor.

"Keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there."

Merle snickered, pleased with the reactions he was getting from me.

"You're a coward," I breathed out.

"Maybe. But it all worked out in the end. Found my brother."

I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest. The blood pounded in my ears. "The Governor found him. You didn't find shit. I knew you would never go look for him on your own. You were too happy with the Governor in his perfect little shit-hole to risk looking for him." I pointed my finger at Daryl and kept my eyes on Merle's snarl. "If you had cared about him you would've gone to look for him long before the Governor tossed you together in an arena. He just turned you into a monster too," I yelled out, my voice raising with every word.

"I did what I had to do!" He pushed away from the tree and shouted in my face. His breath snaked its way into my nostrils, making me grimace.

"This is a bunch of bullshit," Daryl stepped in between us, trying to get us to stand down. "Me and my brother are none of your God damn business."

"Then why did he feel the need to tell me all about you two?" He looked a little startled at that. "Tell me, Daryl, how many times has Merle abandoned you before? Huh?"

Daryl was smoldering down at me. He knew Merle must have told me about all the times he left his brother alone back before the world went to shit. I figured Merle told me just about everything about the two of them. His look was dangerous as he tried to shut me up with his squinted glare. His breath blew back the loose strands of hair that hung in my face. I felt my cheeks flush, but I didn't waver from his look until Merle opened his fucking mouth again.

"And where the hell is your brother?" Merle shouted from behind Daryl. He knew what he was doing by saying this. I told him about my younger sibling back when he was pitying himself over his own. My brother was a touchy subject and Merle knew that.

Everyone around us must've sensed the mistake Merle made and the tension that was being added to the area by the second. Glenn and Maggie had stopped putting in their two cents over top of our yelling and for a brief time everyone was silent.

Daryl noticed my fists clench at my sides and my twitch forward towards Merle to knock his lights out. He was too fast to let me by him, though. He immediately squared his shoulders around to block me from Merle completely. Rick had moved to Merle's side in a second to keep him under control if need be. Everyone else stood at attention, waiting for the calm before the storm to end.

"Take it back," I warned Merle through clenched teeth.

Merle laughed harshly from behind Daryl's shoulder before saying, "Or else what? What are you gonna do to me? Huh? You gonna leave me for dead just like you left your little bro?"

My vision was nothing but a sheet of red. My blood boiled over with the rage I felt, something that I thought the Governor had beat out of me. But my spirit and temper were there still, like they had never left.

I wanted nothing more than to rip Merle apart for using something like this against me. I lunged upward and towards Merle in an attempt to reach him from over Daryl. It was a lame attempt I realized after I was caught around the waist by his muscular arm. It's a shame I didn't even get to put a scratch on Merle before he started hauling me away.

The others exploded into chaos that was set off by my lash out. Maggie had her gun out and was shouting at us to keep it down. Michonne stood by with her sword out, the only silent member of the party, and Rick was yelling as he helped Glenn push back Merle who was shouting at me and taking slow forceful steps in my direction, which only made me go even crazier.

Daryl held me off the ground still as I continued to thrash around in his hold in a hopeless effort to get free. "Calm the fuck down," Daryl growled at me over the other shouts and tossed me roughly on my ass.

I ignored the pain that shot through my already damaged body as I hit the dirt hard. But I shot straight back up on my feet, getting right in his face, even though he looked down at me in an intimidating way. "He doesn't give a fuck about you, you know." I used one hand to shove his chest, which didn't affect him at all, while I was trying to ignore Merle's continuous cursing. "He was comfortable in a position at Woodbury where he was living the fucking life. He knew what kind of man the Governor was and yet he listened to everything he was told to do. Merle killed innocent people for that man instead of going out to be with his sibling. Would you have done that?"

"Why don't you shut the hell up?" His voice roared over me in a raspy yell.

My vision blurred with my anger and the beginning of tears that I prayed wouldn't come. "I would've gone to the ends of the earth to find family. But your shitty brother didn't even care enough to look for you for more than a day when you got separated. He found a better offer at Woodbury and his loyalty to the Governor became more important than you."

"You couldn't save your brother, sweetheart!" Merle called out from where Glenn and Rick still restrained him, but my eyes didn't waver from Daryl's cold blue ones. His eyes bore into mine and I could feel the heat from his body washing over me in a wave of frustration. "I saved my little brother. You can't say the same for yours," Merle continued on like this for a while. His continuing taunts only riled me up more, but still I stayed silent. Only the deep breathing of Daryl echoed in my ears as we both tried not to attack each other, the tension in the small space that was between us was holding still.

Merle ruthlessly yelled about my brother and his death over and over again. My heart sunk with each beat. He was right about me. I was not able to save my brother. I couldn't protect him when he needed me. The Walkers took him right from my hands...

I felt like I was at a breaking point when Daryl finally broke his eyes from mine and spun around on Merle. I was shocked beyond belief when he started to yell at him instead of me. "Merle, shut the fuck up! Stop being an asshole for two seconds. You know you haven't any room to judge someone for failing their sibling."

Something dark passed in Merle's eyes. "You think I've failed you? You defending her now, little brother?"

"I ain't defending nobody. I'm trying to vouch for you to stay with us and you're making it real fucking hard."

"Everyone calm down! Now!" Rick glowered at us all and his simple command put a stop to the upheaval.

"He's not coming with us," Glenn insisted more calmly this time, thankfully bringing the argument back around to Merle's fate and no longer on my brother.

I rocked back on my heels, catching my breath after my screaming match with the eldest Dixon. My heart still hammered in my chest as I looked over at Daryl who was taking small strides back and forth, his accusing stare on Merle.

"You let the samari go but not me?" Merle pointed out, motioning to Michonne, who held herself higher and pointed her sword out at him.

I watched Rick yanked the sword from her hands for the second time as they exchanged vicious looks. "She is not in a state to be on her own. We patch her up then she is gone," Rick finalized. His gaze was cold. "She," he said pointing at me, "will be here until we don't need her to fight the Governor anymore."

Merle rolled his eyes. "I know more than that bitch can tell you. I've got the training to fight too."

"Why don't ya shut up?" Daryl yelled in Merle's face again.

This time Merle squared around towards Daryl, ready to put his younger brother in his place. "Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you –"

He was cut off by the crack of Rick's gun against his head, knocking him out cold.

Everyone looked down at Merle's limp body in silence. I wasn't going to be the one to say it, but thank-fucking-God Rick shut him up.

Daryl took a few more dangerous heavy breaths as he looked from Rick to Merle again and again. I could tell he wanted to side with his brother, but he was grateful for Rick's timing too.

After everyone had calmed down the group migrated towards the road. Rick, Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn stood off to the side to discuss what was to be done with Merle. Michonne and I were left to stand by the car while Merle was gaining conscience back in the woods still.

I watched the group as they discussed Merle. I only picked up a few things here and there. "Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now," Daryl said, holding the strap of his crossbow across his shoulder. "Merle knows how he thinks, and we could use the muscle."

Rick must have told him how I knew the Governor well enough too because Daryl glared at me, but I pretended not to notice. I might not have been the Governor's go to guy like Merle, but I saw enough of him. Not to mention everything I had learned about Woodbury prior to my capture. I had the place mentally mapped out with the faces of every resident memorized.

Michonne grunted as she leaned up against the side of the car. The deep gash in her leg was looking worse by the minute, not to mention her other bruises and sores. I knew she went after the Governor back during the rescue mission for Maggie and Glenn. When I first saw her I knew she had a thirst for the Governor's blood, just like me.

"You look like shit," I observed aloud, hoping to stir her up.

She took her time studying me before she answered. "You should see the other guy," she responded with a slight hint of a smile playing at her lips.

I let out a small laugh, something I never thought I would've been able to do again. I sat back on the hood of the car and angled my head towards her. "I think I did see the other guy." I remembered the Governor in the arena waiting for Merle to kill Daryl. The Governor had an eyepatch on that was definitely not there the last time I saw him. "You take his eye out?" I asked for confirmation.

Her face was back to its normal vacant look. "Yeah," she answered, staring at the group still deep in discussion.

I watched them too, infuriatingly unable to make out anything important in their conversation. "Good. That son of a bitch needed a good ass-whooping."

I felt her gaze fall back onto me, but I didn't return it this time. Rick was following Daryl back towards the car.

"We'll fend for ourselves," Daryl yelled back over his shoulder at the others that trailed after him. "It was always Merle and I before this."

Rick put a hand on Daryl's shoulder to stop him momentarily. "You don't have to do this."

Daryl shook his head. "Don't ask me to leave him. I already did that once."

I had heard that story from Merle enough. He always told me how his brother left with the group of people that had abandoned him. Left him chained to the roof in the middle of the city, he always said. Daryl had ditched him.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, watching Daryl pack up a bag to take with him. I felt a twinge of sadness to see him go, even if he did hate my guts. I tried my best to forget the look he gave me when he first found me in Woodbury. There was something about him that intrigued me. When he looked at me I felt like he was reading every thought in my mind. Sure he was a Dixon, but still, my heart sank to see the man who understood me go away. It sank even more when I watched him leave with his snarling asshole of an older brother, arm in arm with each other.

Tags:

@daryldixonandfrogs

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twdmusicboxmystery · 4 years ago

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TWD Holiday Special Clues

Hey Everyone! I watched the holiday special last night. I know not everyone can. At least not yet. (Not sure if they’ll air it eventually.) So I’ll report what jumped out at me from it.

The first thing is that I definitely noticed a “return vibe” running through it. But first thing’s first.

They mentioned “reuniting the Greene sisters” at least twice. Maybe three times. Chris said it in the intro. I’m paraphrasing but something like “Emily Kinney and Lauren Cohan are here. We’re gonna reunite the Greene sisters!” And then he repeated that again during the episode. So yeah. Side-eying that.

Then Emily sang her song, Up on the Housetop, pretty early. I wasn’t sure about this at first, but it did occur to me that they chose to have her sing a song about Santa returning stealthily in the night. And yes, I know that’s pretty weak on its own. I mean, it’s a Christmas special. Any song they sing is either going to be about Santa or the Christ child. But even so. It wasn’t Jingle Bells or anything more generic. They picked the song about Santa returning stealthily (he does that every year, after all) when and where no one was looking for him to be. I’ll talk about this more at the end.

youtube

(Just recorded this oon my phone, so not the best quality. ;D)

There were a lot of small things that MIGHT be clues, but also might not be. Things that we COULD read into but we really might be reaching. Things the actor (such as Josh McDermitt) said while telling stories about childhood Christmases, for example. I’ll skip those, for the most part, as they aren’t all that compelling on their own.

So then there were two 10-season things they did. They had the actors who play Ezekiel, Yumiko, Jerry, and Lydia sing a rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, except it was the 10 seasons of TWD. It was fun, and I want to read into some of the lines, but it’s hard to read into all of them. They basically picked one thing from each season, and they were all pretty random. They skipped over Beth entirely, and I’ll admit that IS kind of suspicious (I’ll tell you why in a minute) but at the same time they skipped over a LOT of important things, so I’m not sure we can call it a pattern.

So, for example, the season 2 line was “Hershel at his Farm.” That makes total sense because it encapsulates the gist of S2. So, if they’d stayed with that theme, you ‘d think s3’s line would have been about the prison or the Governor or Woodbury, right? They went with “baby Judith’s birth.” And obviously that was a big deal but it doesn’t exactly bring across everything that happened in S3, you know? So, kind of random. For S4, you’d think they would talk about the downfall of the prison, but they went with “look at the flowers.”

So, they didn’t mention Beth or Grady at all for S5, and I find that suspicious bc Coda was definitely the biggest thing that happened in S5 with the biggest fan reaction. But again, they weren’t exactly breaking pattern here. For S5, they went with “Morgan Jones returns.” S6 was “Scary Saviors arriving” or something along those lines. (Understand I’m paraphrasing most of these because I didn’t write down exact words.) S7 was “Abe and Glenn in heaven.” S8 was Carl getting bitten. Sufficiently a big deal, of course, but there was also that burning Phoenix. Must not have been very memorable, lol. S9 was “Rick in a copter” and S10 was “Negan killing Alpha.” I think.

Not until they’d sung several more verses did the part about Morgan returning start to jump out at me. I mean, in terms of S5, that literally happens the last two minutes of the season. And yes, it was a big deal to the fandom, but it hardly represents all of S5, right? But using him as the “5th day of Christmas” part of the song automatically puts emphasis on it. If you think of the song, it slows down considerably and emphasizes “5 golden rings.” And for this it was “Morgan Jones return.” So it felt like there was a heavy emphasis on that.

So, an emphasis on the return of a character who hadn’t been on in a while before that. And of course there are all those DC al Coda parallels between Beth and Morgan. Just saying. Later in the special, they do another “return thing.”

Then they did an “In Memoriam” that covered 10 seasons of walker kills. This one was much more suspicious in a TD way to me. Like the song, they basically chose one iconic, epic walker kill to represent each season. And there are a lot more of these I think we can read into as Beth symbols. So, for S1, it was Teddy Bear Girl. For S2, Well walker. (Water.) For S3, that walker they killed when cleaning out the prison yard whose face slides off. The thing about this walker is that it’s wearing black riot gear. A lot like what the CRM soldiers wear. For S4, it was the Big Spot walker that falls through the roof. That one made me happy. For S5, that walker Daryl killed at Terminus with the crow bar. You know, the famous one whose face he caved in against the brick wall?

For s6, it was the sewer walkers Maggie and Aaron ran into under Alexandria. Definitely side-eyeing that. For s7, they showed Winslow. And what was great about that is that it specifically showed the part where one of Winslow’s spikes when through Rick’s hands. (Stigmata, making him a Christ figure.) For S8, it was where Daryl was riding around on his bike shoot boxes with his gun that then blew up. He blew up one of the walkers that way. For 9, it was the walker that came up out of the river while Daryl was fishing (long hair after Rick left). And for S10 it was the walker horde hitting the electric fence before the Hilltop battle.

So yeah. We can definitely read into some of those as Beth parallels.

The end of the special had some weirdnesses in it, and my favorite TD reference.

First, Chris asked everyone to say what their character would bring to a holiday party. Lauren said Maggie would bring the turkey. Kaylee said Judith would bring the games. But we didn’t hear Emily or IRonE’s answers. I just thought it was weird because it cut very abruptly and we didn’t get to hear what their characters would have brought. I mean, it’s obvious they edit these, because they often jump suddenly to the next question and you don’t hear the segue. I don’t judge them for editing. They have to do this in a certain time frame, and there can lots of white noise when conducting zoom calls. But still, I have to wonder what, exactly, they’re cutting out.

So then Chris asks, again, as though he’s going to ask each person, with the show ending, who they think will be the “last person standing.” He didn’t say man, I don’t think, but the echo of Beth’s line was painfully obvious. And he asked Emily first. And who did she say? She said Norman, or Norman and Melissa.

So, she didn’t actually say Daryl, and the “Norman and Melissa” thing is pretty obvious given the spinoff. But we literally had them asking who the last “person” standing would be, and she said Norman/Daryl. Just saying.

Then Lauren did this mock, I-can’t-believe-you-didn’t-pick-your-sister thing and they all started laughing and Emily said something like, “just kidding. If I were writing the script, they’d kill all the walkers and Maggie would be queen.” I think IRonE answered the question as well, but I think what he said got lost in all the goofing around.

But yeah. Obvious Bethyl reference and they indirectly tied it to the spinoff. Just saying.

So, before I get to the final one, they they took Emily and IronE away and brought on Angela and Gimple. That part was kind of meh. Just nothing that really jumped out at me. Chris asked Gimple to give us some tidbits about the Rick movies. And Gimple did his usual, “we’re working on it but can’t say much” thing. So then Chris asked AK to talk about the bonus episodes. She talked a lot more than Gimple and Chris gave Gimple crap about that. But honestly, she pretty much just repeated what we already know from the episode synopses that were released: A Daryl/Carol episode, a Negan episode, with Hillary Burton, more on Eugene’s group, etc. So yeah. Nothing knew or exciting there.

They showed a very short clip of the table read from the episode where Daryl and Carol go their separate ways. I thought it was interesting that they used that particular moment. But I suppose they’re doing it to hype the spinoff.

Finally, they ended with Chris reading a TWD rendition of Twas the Night Before Christmas. Most of it was cute little rhymes about the various characters, but one part REALLY jumped out at me.

“And that’s when they saw it high up on a shelf:

A new walking talkie. Was it left by an elf?

They heard static and crackling but nothing made sense

The room became quiet, so SERIOUS, so tense.

Together they gathered, a closer look they did take

When a helicopter overhead made the entire house shake.

And then a voice on the walkie was heard so clear and so bright

It was Rick grimes wishing “Peace unto all and to all a good night.”

Now, there were other passages I found suspicious as well. Stuff about Daryl and Dog, and Connie and Kelly receiving tons of cats for Christmas. You’ll have to tell me what part stands out most to you.

But here, we have a voice on a walkie, Rick in a helicopter, and a serious mention. Of course they were never going to put Beth’s name in here. It would be too obvious, but given the parallels between her and Rick, I know I don’t have to explain why this makes me happy. AND in the story, it’s happening on Christmas Eve. The return of a character they think is dead.

So I think it also works with the Up on the Housetop theme I mentioned at the beginning. As I said, I wasn’t sure about that at first, but after hearing their poem, it made me think I was barking up the right tree there.

So, because there was such a heavy “return” emphasis here, it got me thinking of the weirdness of having a holiday special at all. I hadn’t really questioned it before now. Just something fun to tide people over. Because Covid, you know?

But now it feels like a clue that THIS is the Christmas after which she’ll return. They’re doing it this year, where they haven’t in years past, because THIS is the year Daryl will get something from Santa Clause.

Also, about a week ago (before the special aired) @wdway sent me an article about it. It was obvious this was filmed early, not live, because the article actually talked about some of what would happen in the holiday special. And the part they talked about was where Emily said Norman would be the last man standing.

So what we found suspicious about that (apart from what I’ve already talked about here; the blatant echo of a famous Bethyl moment) is that the article ONLY talked about Emily and that question. It mentioned who else would be on and such, but the entire emphasis of the article was Emily and her answer to that question.

So it felt like the special was entirely geared toward featuring Emily.

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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twdeadfanfic · 6 years ago

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A not-so-quiet life Pt.12

Summary: You could say your life at the Greene’s farm after they took you in was a quiet one… as quiet as it could be considering corpses were walking around as flesh-eating monsters. At least, until a group of survivors in need take shelter in the farm.

Inspired by the request: The reader used to have an emotionally and physically abusive ex and the group runs into her ex and his group and shit hits the fan and the reader gets hurt.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Tags/Warnings: Violence and language typical twd style. Mentions of abuse and quite a lot of self-deprecating thoughts…and in the midst of all that, quite a lot of fluff too and also slow burn.

Chapter: 12/13

Masterlist

I don’t need to remind you what happened in last chapter right? Let’s see how the reader is doing in the aftermath...

You’d fallen asleep on Maggie after exhausting yourself crying and when you woke up you realized the group had spent most of the night driving. It was still dark outside but you could see how the sky was beginning to clear.

A new day.

You surveyed your state. Your head was killing you, your wounds itched and your ankle shot waves of pain through your leg when you moved it, but you could be much worse.

Beth had fallen asleep too, head on your lap as she curled up on the other seat, and both of you had poor Maggie squished against the window.

“Morning,” Maggie said quietly. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah,” you said, not wanting her to worry too much, but truth be told you didn’t know how you were feeling. “Where’re are we?”

“In the middle of nowhere. Big surprise, right?” Maggie chuckled softly. “We’re just stopping for a bit so we can rest.”

“Alright.”

You looked around and saw Glenn was asleep on the driver’s seat. Through the window, you could see Rick and Hershel at one side, talking. Daryl was at the other side, fumbling with some arrows. You couldn’t see anyone else and you guessed they were on the cars, sleeping.

“I think I’m going to get some air.” You told Maggie, wanting to go see Daryl.

“Okay, I’m gonna try to sleep a couple hours. Go see my father, he wanted to check on you.”

Carefully, you tried to lift Beth’s head off your lap without waking her up, but didn’t manage it and the girl blinked as she looked around drowsily, mumbling some nonsense. As soon as you clumsily changed seats with Maggie, Beth curled up to her sister and fell asleep again.

Limping slowly, you made your way to Daryl. When he noticed you he got up and approached you so you’d stop trying to walk, but his eyes didn’t quite meet you.

“You should be resting.”

“I’ve rested.” You replied, shrugging. “Are you okay?”

Daryl looked at you at that for a second before he dropped his gaze down again, scoffing.

“I should be the one asking you that.”

“I’m okay…I will be.” You had to say yourself that, and after everything that had happened, you didn’t want to worry anyone more.

Daryl just nodded at that, eyes still trained on the ground.

“I’m gonna go hunting.” He muttered. “Go see Hershel.”

With that, he turned around and went to the woods. You watched him go, noticing something was off with him but you didn’t really know what. You guessed it was normal, after everything you all had gone through just yesterday.

If you were honest, when you’d approached him you’d wished he’d have held you close or something like that but being realistic you knew you’d have to wait until the night for something like that. Still, you hadn’t expected him to be so…you didn’t know what, distant maybe.

With a sigh, you decided to let it go and stop overthinking it, sure that your brain would play tricks on you. Hershel and Rick were walking towards you and so you limped to them.

“You should be sitting down, Y/N.” Hershel told you and you almost rolled your eyes at him telling you to rest just like Daryl, but you smiled fondly, thankful for their concern.

“I’m okay.” You assured. “It doesn’t hurt too bad, I can handle it.”

“I have to check you anyway, I don’t like how that wound on your forehead looks and you might have a concussion. Not to mention that ankle.”

“In a minute,” you said before turning to Rick. “Hey…I’m really sorry that place didn’t work out…I know how much you want us to have a place to settle down, I want it too…”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Rick reached out to squeeze your shoulder. “I…em…I’m sorry this happened to you…all this…” He seemed a bit loss of words, as if he weren’t sure of what to say, but you got the sentiment. You knew he worried.

“That wasn’t your fault, either.”

“Then maybe we should stop taking blame for things that aren’t our fault.” Hershel intervened. “Now, come on, Y/N.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going!” You chuckled softly, taking the arm Hershel was offering you.

“Are you sure you are okay?” Rick asked before you left.

“I’m going to be.” You replied with as much confidence as you could muster.

Hershel deemed your ankle sprained but on the mend. He wasn’t sure about you having a concussion or not but you seemed to be okay enough and the wound on your forehead wasn’t as bad as he had thought at first, but you needed to keep it and the cut in your lip as clean as possible so they wouldn’t infect. Luckily, you still had your first aid kit with you.

While everyone did things, pacing around the perimeter, inspecting the area to try and find a place to stay, you could do nothing more than sat down on the ground looking at everyone coming and going, your ankle and everyone’s concern about it preventing you from helping them.

Lori was sat down too, reading inside one of the cars. You had tried to read for a bit but your mind had started to wander and you couldn’t even focus long enough to look at the pictures of the magazine you had on your lap.

“T-Dog, hey!” You called when he walked by. “Will you pass me that thing to sharpen knives?”

T-Dog looked at you weird but nodded, and soon you were trying to sharpen your machete. You had never done it, though, probably you should ask Daryl or Maggie to teach you. Somehow, your eyes landed on your wedding band…you had forgotten about it again.

You swallowed hard and rubbed at your eyes furiously when you felt tears on them. No. You weren’t going to cry over him, he wasn’t going to make you cry ever again. You yanked the ring off your finger and threw it away towards the woods as hard as you could.

It didn’t fall far, though, just a few meters away, it didn’t even give you the satisfaction of disappearing into the woods. You contemplated going to take it and throw it away further, but you decided against it…you didn’t want to give it any more thought, you just wanted to forget it.

“Did you know that you're really sad at throwing?” Carol said, stopping in front of you.

“Shut it…” You couldn’t help but snort at her words.

Carol smiled and sat down next to you.

“How’re you? Truly.”

“I…I don’t know. I feel okay and then I don’t. I’m just…” You shrugged helplessly. “I think that I’m doing okay and suddenly everything comes back to me and I see him, and I can’t breathe, and I feel like throwing up and I feel like I’m going to faint, and…” Just venting like that was making you feel light headed and you began to pant.

“Hey, hey, Y/N…” Carol shushed you gently. “Stop it. Breathe.”

You tried, taking deep breaths until you managed to calm down.

“I can’t stop seeing him, his body, after I…” You tailed off, swallowing hard. “I killed him…I killed my own husband. And I killed another man. I just killed them.”

“They had it coming, you know it, you know how they were. They would have killed us. Look at what he did to you. You had to do it…stop beating yourself about it”

You nodded at Carol words, but they couldn’t really make you feel better, not yet. Carol seemed to notice. She let out a sigh and leaned over to plant a kiss on your forehead. You smiled gratefully and rubbed at your wet eyes.

“Have you talked with Daryl?” You asked her after a moment of silence, when you started feeling better. “I feel there’s something off with him.”

“He’s…he’s being Daryl.” Carol answered, which didn’t really tell you that much. “Give him a bit of time, we all went through something yesterday. You the most.”

You said nothing to that. You felt partially guilty about what had happened, since your husband had been one of the men involved, if someone’d been hurt you couldn’t forgive yourself. You knew it didn’t make much sense, the men would have done that to you whether you were there or not, probably your family hadn’t been the first they had hunted. But you couldn’t help yourself.

Rick and Glenn had gone scouting through the woods and came back bringing news about a cabin they had found further into the woods. There had been some walkers around but they had cleared them, though they thought there probably were more inside, but it was worth a shot, see if you could clear it and finally have a place to stay. You have to wait for Daryl to come back before leaving, though.

Daryl didn’t come back until a bit later, bringing a few squirrels with him, but what caught your eye was the amount of blood, walker’s blood you guessed, that had splashed over his clothes, his face, his hands…

You gasped aloud and jumped onto your feet, ready to run to him but groaning and stumbling when you put weight onto your sprained ankle, and Carol rushed to help you stay up.

“What happened?” Rick asked Daryl, eyeing him with concern.

“Found some walkers out there,” Daryl said as nothing. “Put them down. We should leave, though, saw some more coming.”

“We found a cabin, not too far,” Rick informed, still looking at Daryl weird but not asking anything else. “Cleared the surroundings but we need to clear the interior. We should get going.”

“Ain’t safe, told you, there’s still walkers around,” Daryl said and Rick’s face fell even more. “Maybe we could stay for the night…” He added as if noticing how down Rick was feeling. “But we have to leave tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay…one night, that’s enough, we’ll find something else tomorrow. Let’s go before we lose the light.”

You had to admire Rick’s efforts to not give up, to keep you all going.

You all drove your vehicles as close as possible to the cabin until the trees didn’t let you go closer. You stayed in the car with Lori, Beth, Hershel, and a grumpy Carl while the others went to clear the walkers from inside the cabin.

Once they were done and you saw them getting ride of the walkers, you thought those had been probably people who had taken refuge inside the cabin, as you wanted to, but had ended up dying there somehow. You didn’t want to think much about it, though.

When that was taken care of, they came back to take all the stuff you might need from the cars. You got out of the car, wondering if you’d be able to carry your backpack, but before you could take it Daryl did.

“Thanks.” You said quietly, still feeling like something was off.

Daryl didn’t say anything but wrapped his arm around you to help you walk. First he went to his bike, taking his bag and the string of squirrels, and then he began slowly walking you both to the cabin.

“You brought us dinner once again.” You said, you hadn’t felt that awkward at trying to talk with Daryl in a long while.

“It ain’t like those squirrels are gonna feed us much.” He grumbled.

“Hey, it’s more than nothing.” You reminded him, looking at him, his face still splashed in walkers’ blood. The idea of him going recklessly against a bunch of them scared you, but you knew better than to say anything, at least not with him this closed off. “You look like such a mess.” You just teased softly.

Once you reached the cabin he let go of you but you hated to feel this distant with him. You knew he wasn’t doing okay, though you weren’t sure of what was really in his mind, but you couldn’t find words to ask. Instead, you leaned towards him to kiss his cheek.

Daryl didn’t let you, pulling back, and you looked down, trying to hide how it hurt you. He noticed, though.

“I’m all covered in that shit, you said it, you have these open wounds, you gotta be more careful so they don’t infect.”

He reminded you, you hadn’t even thought about it. He was right, but that didn’t mean you didn’t feel something was off, like he was holding himself away from you, no matter he had just helped you walk to the cabin. Maybe it didn’t make sense, but you felt like that.

“Yeah, let’s clean you up then.” You said, giving him a weak smile,rummaging into your bag and getting out a rag and your bottle of water.

“No, Y/N, you don’t have to,” Daryl grumbled but you ignored him.

Pouring some water into the rag, you began to thoroughly wash the blood off Daryl’s face. That shirt was probably another lost cause, though. Daryl looked at you with sad eyes and your heart clenched, making you push away any shyness in order to try to find out what was in his head.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.” You asked quietly but Daryl looked down and shook his head imperceptibly. “Are you…are you mad at me?” Maybe he did think that what happened with those men and your husband had been your fault…

“Why would I?” His eyes had snapped up at you at that, a confused frown on his face and you just shrugged, looking down. “I ain’t. Nothing was your fault, nothing of this...I…I’m gonna get those squirrels ready…you should be sitting down…”

He tailed off and you nodded, looking up when you felt his hand squeezing your arm ever so slightly, but he was already turning away.

You woke up panting and shaking, tears in your eyes, looking around wildly until you realized you had had a nightmare.

Your husband was there, dead on the ground, along with the man you had also killed but also all the other men and you knew you had killed them all, bloodied knife still on your hand. They had woken up but not quite like walkers, they were looking at you, talking to you, blaming you, walking to you, reminding you of what you had done…and then your husband grabbed you by the throat, squeezing and he smiled…

You bit your lip, trying not to sob aloud. You should have known you were going to have nightmares. It had taken you a long while to fall asleep, after Daryl had told you to try. You had been sat down next to him for a while, none of you saying anything, until he told you to go to sleep and you hadn’t fight it. You had hoped he’d hold you through the night, you needed it, but he still seemed distant and you didn’t know what to do.

Looking around in the dark you didn’t see him and you wondered if maybe he was still outside, maybe you hadn’t been asleep for that long. If he was then you would join him, you didn’t care if it was just to sit down by him in silence for the whole night.

Daryl was still on the stairs of the cabin, you could make his silhouette on the dark, and so you went to sit down next to him.

“Told you to go to sleep.” He said when he notice you limping to him.

“I tried to…” You said weakly, sitting down.

Daryl looked at you, noticing your tear-stained face and the way in which you were shivering.

“What’s wrong?” He reached out for you, fingers barely brushing your cheek, eyes full of worry.

“Just a nightmare.”

Slowly, you laced your fingers with the ones that were whipping your tears, holding his hand carefully and gently, in case he didn’t want you to. Daryl chewed on his lower lip as he looked at your hands but he didn’t pull away and his thumb began to stroke over your knuckles ever so softly.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked, sounding unsure.

“Just…my husband, the man I killed…and all the other men, they were all there, dead, because I killed them, but they woke up…” You shivered again, you didn’t want to think about it again. “I know those men were going to kill us but I can’t help it, I…” You tailed off and took a deep breath, feeling like you were going to cry again.

“I’m sorry…” Daryl said quietly.”’bout everything…that you had to do that…that you killed your husband…”

“The thing is…I don’t really think I’m sorry…”

That made you feel more guilty, but the idea of having let your husband and those men hurt your family, kill them…that was too much, and so you had done what you needed to stop the men. If you went back, you wouldn’t change what you did, no matter guilt was eating you, no matter you felt like an evil murderer, no matter it might haunt you forever. You had kept your family safe, just like they had kept you safe all these months, and so it had been worthy.

“I couldn’t let them hurt you, I couldn’t, you all are my family...” You couldn’t stop your voice from breaking. “And I wasn’t going to do nothing and let Dan shot you. I did what I had to…to stop them…”

“I’m sorry…” Daryl said quietly.

“It’s okay…I’m going to be okay.” You assured both him and yourself.

“Ain’t okay.” Daryl shook his head, sounding almost angry. “You shouldn’t have had to do that…you shouldn’t have had to kill him, it shouldn’t have been you…I’m sorry.”

You had felt a bit anxious as his angry tone, wondering if maybe he was actually upset with you, but now he just sounded sad and guilty and you hated it.

“Why’d you talk like that? Like it was your fault? It wasn’t… Maggie and Carol, they say those men had it coming…my husband too…” You swallowed hard, still coming to terms with that. “I know I had to do it…”

“To help us…to help me.” Daryl said, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah.” You nodded, that was the only thing that made you feel even just a little bit better about what you had done, knowing that doing so you had helped your family. Yet, Daryl was saying it as if it was something wrong. “Told you, you’re my family, I wasn’t going to let them do anything to you. I’m not letting anyone hurt my family if I can help it, I’m not letting anyone hurt you.”

You didn’t think you’d ever wore your heart in your sleeve like that before, without being afraid of someone breaking it or making fun of it, you didn’t think you had ever let yourself talk so freely about your feelings. But it felt good, letting it all out, especially since it was something good, nothing to be embarrassed about, you had to remember yourself that.

“I’m sorry they hurt you…I’m sorry I let them hurt you.” Daryl swallowed hard, eyes still trained on the ground.

“Hey.” You squeezed his hand ever so slightly. “Don’t talk like that, you didn’t let them hurt me.” You weren’t sure if Daryl was actually listening to your words or not, but you kept talking. “You know if any of you’d have done something they’d have killed us all. I had to go with him, so-”

“So he’d hurt you instead of us.” Daryl cut you off.

“Stop it.” You said gently.

“You shouldn’t have had to kill your own husband,” Daryl said, finally looking at you after a moment of silence.

“My husband…he was not a good man.” You knew it, you had known it for a long while, but what had happened had forced you to acknowledge it. “He’d have killed me, I know he would.”

It hurt, but it was true, you had seen it. Dan wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you if he thought he needed to…and no matter it hurt to think that way, you knew that if he’d gotten too mad at you one day, he’d have killed you.

“So I stopped him before he did, I guess...” Before he could kill you, or Daryl, or anyone you loved.

Despite knowing all that, you couldn’t help the way in which your voice broke and the tears that began falling down your eyes again. Daryl looked at you seeming helpless as if he didn’t know what to do or say. You scooted closer, curling up to him, wanting nothing more than to cuddle with him, but he didn’t move.

“Carol was right, you won’t catch a hint.” You whispered, letting out a soft chuckle.

“What?” Daryl frowned at you, seeming so confused that you couldn’t help but chuckle again.

You took his hand again to carefully wrap his arm around you, looking at him to make sure you weren’t pushing him. As soon as he realized what you wanted, though, Daryl pulled you to him, wrapping his arms tightly around you, and you snuggled against his chest, resting your head on the crook of his shoulder.

“I wish I could say Dan wasn’t always like that, that this new world changed him…” You began talking again. With Daryl’s arms around you, you felt comforted and safe enough to talk about your husband, to keep letting out your feelings. “And maybe it did…but he wasn’t a good man before either, was him?”

Daryl was silent, letting you speak.

“It wasn’t the first time he hurt me, you know it. I can’t even remember all the times he did…he’d get angry at me because I had done something wrong, or because I was clumsy or stupid…”

“You ain’t that, don’t say that,” Daryl said sharply, seeming unable to stop himself.

“Well…He used to say I was, so…”

So you’d thought you were stupid and everything else he called you, you had thought it for so long…you still thought like that sometimes, couldn’t help yourself, but during all these months you’d gotten better, you had started to see that most of what your husband had said wasn’t true. It was a slow process, though, and you still had a long journey ahead of you.

“So he’d get angry and most times he’d end up hurting me…and then he’d say how it wasn’t his fault, how I made him lose his temper, being the way I was. And I believed it, made myself believe it, so I could live with it because that was the life I had chosen, back when I married him.”

Probably you were being too hard on yourself, considering how young you had been back then, but that was the way you’d always thought, no matter now part of you also saw how he had always manipulated you, back since you both met.

“ And I know everyone says I should have left him, and probably I should…but I didn’t know how, was scared of what he’d do…and I didn’t know what could I do without him, I felt like I was alone in the world…He was my husband, I had to love him, didn’t I? I don’t know, he was my husband, it felt like the only thing I had in my life.”

You didn’t realize you had begun crying again until Daryl pulled back so he could whip your tears, trying to gently shush you and calm you. He kissed your tears-stained cheek softly and then your forehead before pulling you to him again, holding you tight.

“You didn’t deserve any of that. Anything.” He whispered into your hair. “I ain’t letting anyone hurt you again. Promise.”

Warmth spread through you and you pulled back to smile weakly to him, kissing his cheek before nestling against his chest again.

“I’ve been thinking…I thought he must love me, cos he was my husband, right?” You kept talking now that you were calmer. “But I don’t think he did, not even at the beginning…I don’t think what he felt was love, not really.” You weren’t sure about it, but it was something that had been on your mind for a while now. “And funny thing is…I’m not sure if I’m sad about it or happy…relieved it or not…” It was confusing, not knowing how you felt, but it was true.

“And you?” Daryl asked.

“What?” You weren’t sure of what was he asking.

“Did you love him?”

“Yeah…I guess I did…inflautated at the very least.” You let out a sad sigh. That was a better word than love, probably. “I mean, I was head over heels when I met him, gotta be to marry someone when you’re eighteen after just a few months. But as years passed…I don’t know…But I always told myself that I had to love him, cos he was my husband, you know?” Daryl let out an noncommital hum. “But I guess I hadn’t loved him in a long while…not really.” It had taken you a while to come to terms with it, but you did now.

“I thought…” Daryl began but he stopped.

“Yeah?”

“When he said he was your husband…I thought maybe you were happy he was alive and you found him. I knew he hurt you, I didn’t want you to go with him…But I thought you maybe wanted to…dunno…” You felt him shrug. “But I looked at you and I saw how scared you were…”

“I didn’t realize how terrified of him I was until then.” You had always been scared of making him angry, though. You shuddered and Daryl held you a bit tighter. “I didn’t want to go with him.” Even if he hadn’t hurt you, even if you weren’t scared of him, you wouldn’t have wanted to leave your family and Daryl.

“I shouldn’t have let you.”

“You couldn’t have stopped me. It was the only way I could think of keeping you all safe, of having a safe place…but it was for nothing.” It had been a trap anyway.

“You came to tell us so we could be ready,” Daryl replied. “You ended up like this doing that, he did this to you…”

“It was worthy.” You said without any doubt.

“I wish I could have kept you safe,” Daryl whispered. “I’m gonna keep you safe.”

You had no doubt believing it, you had never felt safer than curled up with him, wrapped in his arms.

---

I know this is not the most action packed chapter, we are back to the slow fic, but we have some Daryl being Daryl, some conversations, some drama, and some cuddles and fluff...did you like it? What did you thought? Please, leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Next week this fic comes to an end!

As always, English is not my first language so sorry if there are mistaques.

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