#remembrance arc

[darius-1]

We could've had it all!

I found the storyboard sketches of what could've been adapted into the series instead of an OVA. I'd say we DID get the Jinchu Arc animated in another timeline, where what could've been is a reality! Studio DEEN had the nerve to scrap it at the last minute!

[cursed-evie]

Comment ça-va???

Ella. I asked you on your blog, but this might be more efficient. Is this a timeline where we found Flare?

[dai-is-dead-inside]

i cried on valentines day

i miss her so fucking much.

mei (it took me way too long to remember your name btw) if you ever see this

i love you.

i love you so much

i wish you were here with me.

oshi misses you, too.

shes been here for so long

i wish i could just go back to the 2000s where everything was peaceful

id kill just to have my normal life back.

[cursed-evie]

Sorry, I got caught up in seeing you again. I am Evie’s consciousness from a timeline where… you’ve been gone for six years. I’m only here to see if I can learn anything useful for finding you. Still… it’s euphoric to be able to see you again, even here.

Firelight. Firelight. Firelight. It is so, so, so wonderful to see you again. Even if it’s a different timeline, I miss you so, so much. I never want to let you go. May I hug you?

(@cursed-evie)

.....different timeline...? What do you...?

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Do you think Sarah ever genuinely loved Isabella?

I personally don't since the Sarah we're most familiar with is always cast in shadow, completely consumed by ambition and avarice to serve as a cautionary tale that you can do everything in accordance with its rigid confines to elevate yourself above your peers and enjoy a few more material comforts and illusory prestige, only to be discarded the moment you're deemed useless.

(Chapter 170 | Chapter 165)

Isabella's breaking away from that is meant to be part of what separates her from the woman who raised her and leads her on the path to redemption (how well this is handled and concluded being a separate discussion) as well as providing foundations for love in the subsequent generation to allow them to truly flourish (imparting Emma with all the tools at her disposal to do everything she couldn't as her foil).

But the penultimate thought Isabella has in her story from the second light novel is how Sarah must have went through the same journey of betrayal, anger, and grief that she did upon learning the truth about Grace Field and becoming a mom.

(TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9)

So if you believe Isabella could genuinely love the children in her care within such a system, then Sarah might have loved them as much as she could too.

[yingdu-lover]

I relate to Lu Guang a bit too personally. And whether that's for better or for worse I don't really know.

For me, timeloop and timelines are metaphors for how we cope with PTSD. Lu guang's character flower is forget-me-not. It's about remembrance. Even though the object of melancholy is cheng xiaoshi, I think it's more about lu guang's perception of his personal grief that's being portrayed here.

Talking from my experience and the meagre knowledge I have about subjective perception of time, reconstructive memory is the most significant tool to negotiate with one's trauma. While coping with PTSD, we

1. Continually revisit the same traumatic memory again and again even though it's traumatic enough to immobilize us to the point of causing physical agony

2. We dissociate. Even though fundamentally our cognitive system functions in such a way that constantly blur the division between reality and imagination (meaning that none of us in any state can have a concrete sense of absolute, objective and non-fragmented reality, our sense of reality is a version of reality which we subconsciously create, hence our subjective biases are mixed with the version of reality we create), post traumatic encounters with this cognitive function feels jarring.

The multiple timelines we have seen so far may really have been the overlapping of different lines/stages of reconstructive memories Lu Guang has created so far for himself. Two poles of the spectrum of extreme grief are the death of the person grieving or the person finally being successful to manage to overcome the loop of trauma.

With some amount of needed sobriety, I can say...Cheng Xiaoshi really died. And his death is really unchangeable. Up until Yingdu episode 3, this is my most honest theory. I hate to say this but...it is a doomed love story that was doomed even before the narrative began. Or probably it was never about love at all, but about grief and reconciling with our grief? Omg Given vibes.

If the storytelling shifts in a way where I will feel : wait, the timeloop is actually happening and it's beyond lu guang's mindscape and memories and it is really fantasy and supernatural so I should change my spectacles and DIVE IN...then it's a different story (which I personally yearn for)

what should I say? Lu Guang reminds me of a phase of me I have already left behind and grown out of it for good. It will be realistic to make it a story of grief and reconciliation but...well that's just too sad. There is no other justification, it's just sad. I know good literature/art is not escape from real problems but rather poses a mirror to it but...it's just...sad...

...

was it my fault that I came here expecting an epic Achillean love story? maybe. And that will be... *sigh*. I'll think twice before choosing any media which is not 'canonically' a love story.

I came to watch link click with those expectations. Like mdzs? there are impossible perils and inhuman agony of separation but somehow...they get their deserved happy ending at the end.

The rhetoric of "probably...in the next life, we will meet each other again" is well good and fantastic but the problem is I will not be the same person in my next life writing this Tumblr meta. I am a fragile human, I only live for once. (I also dream that in my next life I will overthrow capitalism but ykw that's saved for the next life and I can't really have full authority over what my next meal will be)

Vulnerability and acknowledgement of vulnerability is central to link click and honestly it gives it the most power. Fragility of human existence, mundane or grand, is portrayed in a very poignant way. And love is just an emotion that somehow persists in remembering our deceased loved ones ...*me getting all cranky when love is not a metaphor for revolution that defies the rules of the universe*

well, honestly, ugh, I don't have much hope for Shiguang sailing. So much focus on Lu Guang's grief makes my chest heavy and tired to some extent (I am NOT criticising link click and calling it bad, NO). Love is so central to link click that if I have to reconcile with myself at the end saying : it's ok, it's a good show, great show, everything is good just don't ever think about shiguang...but HOW THE FUCK AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO THINK ABOUT SHIGUANG. Why did you make them obviously gay and so hamlet-horatio coded in love. tragic chinese time traveller boyfriends?

[jesncin]

dc pride announcements making me so hype,,,, to finish my own dc pride fancomics hah

[universestreasures]

I tried to hide but something broke I tried to sing, couldn't hit the notes The words kept catching in my throat I tried to smile, I was suffocating though But here with you, I can finally breathe You say you're no good, but you're good for me I've been hoping to change, now I know we can change But I won't if you're not by my side

Why does it feel right every time I let you in? Why does it feel like I can tell you anything? All the secrets that keep me in chains and All the damage that might make me dangerous You got a dark side, guess you're not the only one What if we both tried fighting what we're running from? We can't fix it if we never face it What if we find a way to escape it?

Ooh, time goes by, and I lose perspective Yeah, hope only hurts, so I just forget it But you're breaking through all the dark in me When I thought that nobody could And you're waking up all these parts of me That I thought were buried for good

Between imposter and this monster I been lost inside my head Ain't no choice when all these voices Keep me pointing towards no end It's just easy when I'm with you No one sees me the way you do I don't trust it, but I want to

@voiderequiem

[johndunwin]

Joan of Arc in Rouen — A Reflection

Rouen, Normandy — May 2025 In the heart of Place du Vieux-Marché in Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431, stands a memorial that speaks less of death and more of enduring presence. “Ô Jeanne, sans sépulcre et sans portrait,toi qui savais que le tombeau des hérosest le cœur des vivants.” “O Joan, without a tomb and without a portrait,you who knew that the tomb of heroesis…

[xianzhoualliance]

do people know its ok for chrysos heirs to be 4*s and the real reason ur mad that ppl want that is bc 4* have shit kit which means u should really be mad at Hoyo for being lazy and greedy…. and not everyone else in the community thats irritated at the amount of 5 stars theyre pumping out

[cursed-evie]

Checked her blog. She’s asleep now.

…Might as well stick around until she wakes up. She might know the locations of the labs we haven’t found yet.

…I will find you, Firelight.

[dai-is-dead-inside]

Hi Dai

Here's my question:

What do u think of Yukihito(the dead Manager of Fancy Island) and Pieyama God？:0

uhhhhhhhhhh,,

i don't really have any thoughts on yukihito other than i kinda feel bad for the guy based on what i've heard from like-

every visitor that got relatively far before dying ever-

bro prolly just wanted to open a silly goofy amusement park and some sorta incident involving a disease or some shit fucked him over.

ngl the entire disease thing sounds very,,familiar when it was described to me,,

and the pieyama god needs to learn how to not look like a damn clown emoji- also i just generally don't like him lmao (i mean bro hes practically my boss and the reason that this place is dangerous as fuck how in the heck could i even respect him lol)

[axoltheartist]

woah is that tumblr user axoltheartist oc posting ? surely not…

good heavens!!!! it is!!!!

[sunseed-fandump]

I’ve been wondering on how the bad batch would meet Moonlight cookie and Stardust Cookie and their options on them?

(I would also like to know moonlight and stardust cookie options on the bad batch as well)

In canon, Gingerbrave, Strawberry Cookie, and Wizard Cookie go to the City of Wizards to recruit Moonlight Cookie against the forces of Dark Enchantress Cookie.

In the Bad Batch AU, I imagine a different set of cookies are sent by PV to speak with Moonlight Cookie. (Most likely Black Raisin and Strawberry Crepe.) Meanwhile, the kids go there to try to plunder the magical secrets the city holds. The location of the City had been revealed to Wizard Cookie in a dream and he is VERY excited to see the legendary city for himself.

I imagine this arc would be very Wizard focused, specifically addressing his almost compulsive need to gain more power due to the staff. In a way, he’s following a similar path to the Wizards who built the city: their ambition seems to have been their downfall. Wizard Cookie, however, is still on that climb BEFORE the fall. There’s still time to save him from being entirely consumed by the power he fervently seeks.

Wizard would probably get into a heavy debate/argument with Blueberry Pie Cookie over this issue.

Dreams are funny things. The rules of the real world don’t apply if one doesn’t wish them to. And since the children reside in a dream controlled by Moonlight Cookie, she can very simply change some rules, even in her dormant state. Like, for example, the need for a certain cookie to remain holding a certain staff. And she wouldn’t even need to lift a finger in order to, just as a hypothetical, subconsciously twist the dream in such a way that same cookie gets separated from the staff and his group.

This wouldn’t be done with malicious intent; in fact, it would be the opposite.

During their journey through the City, the kids would come across the Labyrinth of Remembrance. It wouldn’t be a big piece of the arc, considering Sugar Glass Cookie is no longer here. But it is within the Labyrinth where Wizard gets separated from Wild Strawberry and Gingerbrave, kickstarting them having to wake Moonlight up in order to get him back. HOWEVER, this trip inside the Labyrinth will have an unintended side-effect that will come back later to haunt them:

Some of the kids’ memories get imprinted on the sugar glass. Memories that are discovered by one of the cookies sent by PV. This bit won’t come into play until much much later, but it’s something that will have consequences, nonetheless.

Meanwhile with Wizard, it is revealed the dream that told him the location of the City was Moonlight Cookie’s doing, though it was subconsciously. When the Slumbering Moon silently wished to see a “real wizard” again due to her heartache and fear of a terrible calamity, her Dream had rushed to fulfill her desire, though not entirely how she intended.

While she had not originally intended to invite Wizard and his friends here, she is still glad he came.

Another funny thing about dreams, despite how nonsensical they are, they’re also terribly honest. They lay a person’s rawest emotions and desires out plainly, as one’s subconsciousness pushes itself to the forefront in a desperate bid to be acknowledged. Wizard cannot hide anything from her because of this. She pries away the hard shell forged of hurt and bitterness that Wizard has constructed to protect himself and sees the boy for what he truly is: Afraid. A lost and scared little boy who just wants to be free. A little boy who has been taken advantage of by an evil spirit and told that only being powerful and ruthless will get him what he wants. Beyond the hurt, she sees a child who is bright and brilliant, whose zeal for magic reminds her so much of the Wizards of the distant past. It’s almost as if her dear friends were in front of her once again, in the form of this small child.

And she feels pity for him.

“Come rest. Know peace.” She gently beckons, and pulls Wizard into a soft embrace, holding him in a way nobody ever has before. “I will protect your dreams, for as long as you are here.”

Wizard is not afraid of her. Rationally, he should be, yet he can’t help but feel completely safe here. He still asks, “Why…?”

He’s rotten. He’s no good. He’s corrupted and fowl and everything he touches burns and burns and burns until all that’s left is ashes. He’s hurt others just as much as others have hurt him. He’s a vile child who is going to grow up to be a complete monster. He knows this to be true, because it’s been told to him over and over again by others. There is no going back. No hope for him. Yet here is this Goddess of Dreams welcoming him into her warm embrace despite just having met.

Why?

“Do I need a reason to comfort someone who is hurting?” she asks. “Does kindness need to be conditional?”

If this were the waking world, Wizard would hiss and curse. He’d tell her he didn’t need her pity. He’d shove her away and recoil even deeper into his shell, untrusting and hateful.

But this was a dream, a realm where one’s truest self is laid bare, so the boy cries and sinks deeper into her embrace, wanting nothing more than to be held and soothed in the way he has seen other children comforted. And Moonlight Cookie cries with him, for she sees the wicked thorns the Azure Flame Staff’s curse has buried into his soul and she knows there is nothing she can do to help him at this moment. Not without risking great damage to him, that is. And they cry together, just the two of them, in this peaceful quiet dream.

“Come rest. Know peace.” Moonlight Cookie cradles the boy close, running a hand through his hair and wiping tears from his eyes. “I will protect your dreams, for as long as you need me to.”

He lets it all spill out from him. His pain, his fear, his rage. His emotions feel raw, like reopening an infected scarred-over wound and letting the rot spill out. He tells her all the awful truths he’s learned; how the real world is a terrible place and the only way to survive is to be just as terrible. How tired he is, but how he doesn’t feel like he can stop, lest he disappoint his friends and their dream of a world where they can finally be happy crumbles apart.

In return, she whispers stories to him of when the city was alive. Of the lessons the Wizards imparted on her, and of the lessons she learned through their loss. She tells him how she regrets not being able to prevent the events that necessitated the city's mass evacuation. She warns him that those who are strong must also be gentle, and those who are powerful must remember to be kind. That is the secret to a truly happy world; the world he wishes for.

They both rest soundly until Gingerbrave and Wild Strawberry activate the Clocktower, probably with the help of the Union Emissaries. Right on time too, because Stardust Cookie arrives not too long after the kids reunite.

Wizard won’t tell the others what he talked with Moonlight Cookie about (was it even really talking if its just thoughts and memories bleeding into each other in a dreamlike haze?), but seeing the city she loves so much being destroyed…

Well, much to Gingerbrave’s and Wild Strawberry’s surprise, Wizard Cookie tells them he wants to go out of his way to save the City. Usually, they don’t try to rescue places they initially plan to wreak havoc in, but… Wizard seems really worked up about this. He seems to actually care and, well, who are they to say no?

So they help Moonlight fight off Stardust Cookie, however Wizard’s staff starts acting up. Why? Because it wants to consume Stardust’s lifeforce. It tries to compel Wizard to kill him. Imagine the power he would gain from killing such a being. All of it, just for him, all he has to do is take one cheap shot while Moonlight has Stardust distracted... But Wizard, for the very first time since obtaining the staff, does not comply.

“No.” He grips the Azure Flame Staff firmly. “Not this one.” Because he can see hope in Moonlight’s eyes. He can hear her fondness for one she considers a brother. He can’t take that away from her. Not after the kindness she had shown to him.

At first the spirit within the staff is confused, but then that quickly shifts to anger. Its own compulsive need to satiate its gluttonous appetite makes its calm mask slip. Wizard feels a tug, but he yanks it back.

“Stop!” He commands and the staff merely laughs; the sound echoes in the boy’s head, making him feel dizzy. Wizard Cookie thinks he’s in charge here? That’s cute.

Wizard feels something snaking up his arms, through his torso, clawing his throat and shooting directly into his head. And then suddenly he’s asleep again, but it’s not nearly as peaceful or comforting as it had been with Moonlight.

Much to his friends’ horror, the Staff begins to puppet Wizard’s body with the intent to kill Stardust. Gingerbrave, enraged by this, tackles the possessed Wizard Cookie and gets into a full-blown brawl with him. The minute he disarms Wizard, the possession stops and the boy’s body goes limp.

In the end, Moonlight and Stardust will reconcile. Moonlight Cookie will be asked to help the Cookie Union stand against Dark Enchantress, to which she will agree. Then she will turn to the Bad Batch. Gingerbrave is holding Wizard’s unconscious body, meanwhile Wild Strawberry has taken the Staff and is beating it against the nearest wall. Not hard enough to break it, but just hard enough to get her point across. Both children bristle when the Goddess approaches, unsure of what she plans to do. They weren’t expecting her to kneel down in order to gently brush Wizard’s hair from his sleeping face. She looks… sad.

“I can tell he means a lot to you both,” she says. “He feels the same about you…” She looks up to meet Gingerbrave’s wide eyes. “I wish there was more I could do for him. Alas, my hands are tied unless he makes the choice himself…”

Nobody is quite sure what she means, but it seems to weigh on her.

“Take good care of him.” She smiles, but there’s still so much sorrow in her eyes. Gingerbrave nods without hesitation.

And with a wave of her hand, all the mortal cookies awaken outside the City.

Even months after these events, Wizard Cookie doesn’t share what happened while he was with Moonlight Cookie. He lies and says he can’t remember after he woke up. He won’t even let the Staff pick at those memories, and much to the Staff’s frustration, there’s something protecting that part of the boy’s mind.

Wizard Cookie is still bitter toward the world. He’s still all-in on their plan to steal the Soul Jam. He’s still loyal to his friends and willing to continue his research into the dark arts.

But some nights, when the moon seems especially beautiful and the dark seems especially peaceful, as Wizard Cookie drifts off to sleep… Sometimes he feels a familiar warm embrace.

“I will protect your dreams, for as long as you need me to.”

[universestreasures]

If by 'beloved friend and comrade' you mean the love of his life and soulmate, then yes.

[dixons-sunshine]

Risky Business | Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Summary: During an evening party organized by Carol, you and Daryl couldn’t help but get a little worked up, your hands constantly finding each other amongst the crowd. So you slipped off, the two of you discreetly finding your way to the bathroom to have your fun—even at the risk of getting caught.

Genre: Smut.

Era: Alexandria, pre Saviour arc.

Warnings: Swearing, porn with the tiniest bit of plot towards the end, quickie, semi public sex? (they do it in someone’s bathroom), risk of getting caught (they don’t), unprotected p in v (wrap it up, guys), creampie, aftercare because of course, mentions of pregnancy.

Word count: 1.7k.

A/N: I’m just gonna leave this here and disappear lol. I really don’t know what possessed me when I got this idea, but I hope it’s enjoyable. Also, massive thanks to @thevegandarkelf for encouraging me to write this (and for help with the summary) 💜.

Laughter and chatter could be heard from the living room. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to be enjoying the small get-together that Carol had planned. The party was in full swing, with no sign of anyone returning to their respective homes anytime soon. It was nice to have an escape from the horrors of a world run by the undead.

However, the pleasantries downstairs were only a vague remembrance in your mind. No offense to Carol’s efforts to make the party fun, but you found what you and Daryl were up to way more enjoyable.

“Hmm,” Daryl hummed against your lips, his mouth moving against yours desperately as his hands gripped at your hips. He pushed you against the sink in the bathroom, your back making contact with the cold marble.

You gently nipped at his lower lip, smiling when he groaned and pressed his body against yours, his growing erection pressing against your thigh. “This is wrong,” you mumbled against his mouth, your hands working at his belt buckle, and then at the buttons of his jeans.

“So wrong,” Daryl agreed, his chapped lips moving down your jaw, trailing hungry, open-mouthed kisses against the skin of your neck, before finally stopping to gently scrape his teeth against the pulse point beneath your ear.

You gasped, leaning your head back to allow him better access to your neck. You pushed his jeans down, just enough to reveal his hard-on that was still covered by the fabric of his boxers. “They’re waiting for us. If they come looking, they might find us like this.”

“They could,” Daryl agreed again, his own hands working to push your pants down as well. “This s’risky. We could get caught.”

Despite the both of you agreeing that what you were doing was, indeed, very risky, neither of you made any effort to stop the other. In fact, as Daryl pushed your underwear down and you stepped out of both your pants and panties, and you helped Daryl push his boxers down to bundle up with his jeans at his knees, sharing looks full of lust, you realized that you would not be able to find it in yourself to stop him.

Daryl’s mouth collided against yours again, his tongue delving deep into your mouth and groaning at the taste. He tapped the side of your leg, signalling for you to jump. You did just that, wrapping your arms around his neck. Daryl caught you, walking—albeit awkwardly, due to his jeans being bundled up by his knees—you away from the sink in favour of holding you up against the wall.

You pulled your lips from his, your mouths being connected by a string of saliva. Daryl’s usual stunning cerulean-coloured eyes were barely visible behind his blown pupils, showing just how desperate he was for you in that moment. He needed you, just like you needed him.

“What are you waiting for?” you asked through panting breaths. “We have maybe ten minutes before someone comes looking. Let’s get to it.”

“Ya sure? We dun’ gotta rush—”

“Daryl, I love you, but please hurry up.”

Daryl chuckled gruffly at your eagerness, but nodded nonetheless. “Yes, ma’am.”

You watched in anticipation as Daryl lined himself up with your entrance, your heart pounding against your ribcage. The archer kept eye contact with you the entire time, not wanting to miss even a second of the beautiful expressions that graced your features as he slowly pushed his cock into you.

The breath got knocked from your lungs as he fully bottomed out. A high-pitched moan escaped your chest at the pleasurable stretch, your nails digging into his leather-covered shoulders. Even after all that time of regularly doing the devil’s tango, you still had to take a moment to get used to the slight sting that accompanied him when he had his dick stuffed all the way inside of you.

Daryl inhaled sharply, his lust-filled eyes meeting yours. “Y’alright?” he questioned. Despite the situation, the archer was more than willing to stop everything if you wanted him to. He would never do anything like this without your go-ahead first.

You took a few seconds to adjust. Once the little bit of pain subsided, you nodded eagerly. “Yeah. Just… Please move,” you begged him, not knowing how long you would be able to be patient with him being immobile.

Daryl took a few deep breaths. “Okay.” Then, he pulled back until only his tip was inside of you, before plunging right back in.

The rhythm started off slow and steady, but Daryl quickly picked up the pace. The two of you were running against the clock. He wanted to ensure that you got off as well, and to do that, he could not waste any time.

“Daryl,” you moaned quietly, right next to his ear, which you knew would always drive him insane. It seemed to work in your favour. Daryl’s hips snapped against yours, the tip of his cock hitting just the right spot. “Oh, fuck!” you gasped out in pleasure, your fingers disappearing into his hair and lightly tugging on his wavy brown roots.

Daryl groaned at the sensation. He smashed his lips against yours, both in an attempt to drown out the beautiful noises you made—which were for his ears only—and the noises you were pulling from him.

“Fuck,” he muttered against your mouth. “You ain’t got—” Thrust. “—no idea—” Thrust. “—how fuckin’—” Another thrust. “—good ya feel.”

“Yeah?” you asked rhetorically, a whine slipping past your lips and being swallowed up by Daryl’s. Your back was moving up and down against the cold tiles of the wall with each of his thrusts.

“Yeah,” Daryl confirmed with a choked off moan. “You feel like heaven.” He carefully moved one of his arms to your front, ensuring you did not fall, before pressing his calloused thumb against your sensitive bundle of nerves and moving it in time with the pace of his hips.

“Shit! Oh, shit! Daryl, fuck!” You were trying really hard to keep quiet, but Daryl was making it damn near impossible. You lowered your head and pressed your face into his shoulder, muffling your moans with the leather of his vest. You could feel the knot in your stomach start to tighten, and some far-off piece of your mind was impressed by it. Never before had you been close so fast before. Daryl truly was the best partner you ever had.

“Close.” That’s all you managed to get out. Any other words would fall short.

Daryl could feel himself getting close as well. In fact, he was tapering on the edge of bliss. He grit his teeth together and upped his game. He was determined to make you finish first. His thumb pressed against your clit the tiniest bit harder, and his thrusts became more precise, more firm, hitting that one delicious spot inside you each time.

Before you could even fully process what was happening, you could feel the knot in your stomach snap. You came undone with a shout, that was drowned out by Daryl’s mouth against yours, waves and waves of pleasure washing through your body.

The clenching of your walls around his dick sent Daryl toppling over the edge. His hips stuttered and his pace wavered immensely as he spilled his seed deep inside of you, barely registering that he had intended to pull out like he always did. He leaned his forehead against yours, sweat dribbling down his temples.

The two of you said and did nothing for a good thirty seconds. You both simply stayed there in each other’s embrace, each catching your breaths as the intensity of the moment washed away, instead being replaced by reality.

Daryl was the first to move away. He pulled his cock out of you and pulled his boxers and jeans back up, before leaning over to grab a washcloth. He wet it and crouched down, gently cleaning you of both your juices and his.

And his.

“Fuck, m’so sorry!” Daryl apologized, his eyes widening at the realization of what line he had crossed.

His apology took you off guard. “What? Why are you sorry? What’s wrong?”

Daryl looked down and continued his task of cleaning you up, his cheeks burning in embarrassment of the admission he was about to make. “I, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t pull out.”

Oh, you thought to yourself, relieved that it wasn’t something more serious. Despite his heartfelt apology, you could not help the small laugh that escaped your chest, finding him rather adorable in that moment for reasons even you could not put names on.

Daryl frowned at that, standing up from his crouched position. “What’s so funny?”

You shook your head as you smiled at him. “Nothing.” You reached down and reached for your discarded clothes, getting re-dressed into your panties and trousers. “You don’t have to be sorry, Daryl. I’m not mad.”

Daryl visibly relaxed at that. “You ain’t?”

You shook your head and looped your arms around his neck. “Not at all. It was bound to happen eventually. Besides, “worst” case scenario is that we have a little you running around in nine months. I don’t hate the sound of that.”

Daryl felt his heart speed up. You wouldn’t mind giving him a child? Starting a family with him? That made him happier than he would like to admit.

His hands came to rest on your hips. “Pretty sure the baby ain’t gon’ be able to run when they’re jus’ born, Sweetheart. Ain’t gon’ be able to do no runnin’ in nine months.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed. “You know I didn’t mean it literally.”

“Yeah, I—”

“Has anyone seen Daryl?”

The sound of Rick’s voice from somewhere in the home cut the archer off. You chuckled and withdrew from his hold, instead offering your hand to him.

“Come on. They noticed you are gone. It’s only a matter of time before they realize I’m gone, too.”

“And what if they question us comin’ back to the party together?” Daryl inquired, but took your hand in his nonetheless and allowed you to lead him from the bathroom.

You shrugged nonchalantly. “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Daryl huffed a small laugh. “You’re somethin’ else, y’know that?”

“I am choosing to see that as a compliment.”