#so he gets to look worse than Glenn does

[nick-close]

Also see: Teen brothers au Glenn and Jodie <3 please ask me about them <3 I’m so regular about them <3

[Please don’t tag my art as babygirl, skrunkly, or blorbo!]

[daryltwdixon]

Kinktober #3 Playing House

that’s it, that’s the title

Warning: smuuuuuuuuuuuuuutty wheewwy! 🥵🌶️

You and Daryl are out scavenging on a run, going through a row of houses to find canned goods to stock up for winter before the cold front hits. No one knows what winter will bring-will walkers be more docile?

Surely the cold has to slow them down like it does for people, right? But no one is sure.

When Daryl offers to make the run, you're surprised when he calls your name to join him. It's not that you're afraid-you go on runs all the time. Just... not usually with Daryl. He's intimidating and aloof, and usually you head out with Glenn and sometimes Rick. You're quick, good at getting in and out, even it there are a couple of walkers around. You can get what's needed and leave.

So when Daryl asks you to join him today, you only hesitate because you ve never been alone with the man before. But you agree, feeling like you kind of miss the adrenaline of not knowing how the day will go since you all moved to the prison. You're happy life feels safe-of course, you are-but at heart, you might be called an adrenaline junkie.

You walk a few paces behind Daryl in the woods behind the row of houses, your eyes drawn to the way his muscles move beneath his shirt as he navigates the path ahead. Every time he pauses to check the trail, you take the opportunity to watch him longer than you should. His broad shoulders, the way his fingers expertly grip his crossbow… if only it were warmer and he wasn’t wearing that damn long-sleeve, you could see the gorgeous valleys of his arms. You catch yourself staring once or twice when he turns suddenly, his eyes meeting yours. Your breath hitches, and you look away quickly, a blush rushing to your cheeks. You swear one time you catch the ghost of a smirk on his lips.

It only gets worse when you stumble on a root sticking high out of the ground, feeling the earth rushing toward your face. Daryl’s strong grip catches you before you hit the dirt, pulling you up effortlessly. He holds you there longer than necessary, his eyes scanning your face as he brings you back to stand.

“Thought you were supposed to be good at bein’ quiet,” he murmurs. The rasp of his voice sends a tingling sensation through your skin. Why did you allow yourself to be alone with this man?

“Usually I am,” you grumble. You pull away, but the feeling of his hands lingers longer than it should.

There are a few more times where you know you stare too long at his arms as he holds up the crossbow, or brush up against him when you pass by to stake a lookout to the street before crossing into the suburban neighborhood.

Finally, you reach one of the houses. You quietly open the front door, wincing as it creaks so loud it might as well paint a big target on your back for any nearby walkers. You stop just as it’s wide enough to slip through, hyper-aware of Daryl’s body close behind you, his closeness throwing you off your game. You need space to breathe. You take off into the rooms, sweeping through with your knife held high as you check around. You’re at the top landing of the stairs when you feel a hand on your leg. You nearly jump out of your skin, turning quickly to see Daryl reaching through the banister, the heat of his skin searing through the fabric of your pants. For a second, you forget how to breathe.

“We ain’t got time to mess around,” he grunts up at you. “Don’t be long.” Your eyes flicker down to his hand, and he follows your gaze, quickly removing his hand as if it’s burned him.

After checking the rooms, trying to shake off the goosebumps from his touch, you make your way downstairs to the kitchen. Your nerves are still buzzing, but you realize Daryl is nowhere to be found. You trust he’s around somewhere. You reach up on your tiptoes to quietly sift through the top cabinets above the counters, your fingers coming into contact with a cool metal can. As you pull it down, you read the label—Baked Beans. You’re about to set it on the counter when you feel a hand wrap around your waist, fingers firm on your side. Your breath catches as another hand covers your mouth before you can make a sound.

The grip is firm, possessive, and for a split second, your body tenses in shock, adrenaline spiking in your bloodstream. But then you hear the familiar rasp of Daryl’s voice in your ear.

“Easy,” he growls quietly, his breath hot against your skin. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”

Your heart races in your chest, but not from fear. The roughness of his palm against your waist sends a shiver down your spine, and though his grip softens, he doesn’t pull away.

He’s close, too close, his body pressing against yours in a way that makes your knees weak.

The smell of leather and sweat clings to him, his warmth radiating into you as his hips press you forward, pinning you against the cold surface of the counter. You suck in a breath, goosebumps rising as his voice rumbles low in your ear.

“Wanna play house?” The words are playful, teasing, but there’s an edge of something darker, something that makes your pulse quicken. His lips brush against the shell of your ear as he speaks, sending a jolt of heat straight through you. He pulls his hand from your mouth now that you’ve settled from the initial shock of his appearance.

There's a moment of heavy silence, the tension between you thick. You can feel his heartbeat through his chest, the weight of him pressing into you as if he's been waiting for this, as if the world has finally stopped long enough to give him this moment.

After a beat, his voice comes, low and gravelly. "Ain't like I just thought 'bout this today," he mutters, his lips brushing against the side of your neck. "Been thinkin' about it... for a while."

You swallow hard, your pulse racing, utter disbelief clouding your thoughts. "You have?"

His grip tightens on your waist, fingers digging in just enough to make you feel every inch of his strength. "Yeah," he admits, his voice rough but certain. "Tried to stay outta your way, but.." He pauses, his breath catching for a second. "Every time I look at ya, it's like... I can't stay away."

He shifts behind you, his mouth hovering dangerously close to your ear again, his words thick with something between need and frustration. "Ain't good at sayin' shit like this, but... you gotta know, I been wantin' this... you." His voice drops even lower, almost a growl, "Wanted ya since the first time I saw you."

You feel the truth of it in the way his hands won't let you go, the raw edge to his words, the way he's so close, yet still holding back just enough for you to make the next move.

"Daryl..." you start, your voice soft, but you don't know what else to say.

His lips brush your skin, rough, like he's fighting not to lose control. "This what you want too?" His voice cracks slightly, a vulnerability hidden behind his usual gruffness. "Cause if it ain't... you gotta tell me now. Ain't gonna stop once I start."

“I—I—“ you stutter, trying to calm your rapidly beating heart.

Suddenly he’s spinning you around, his hands coming up under your thighs. You squeak at the sudden movement, your arms flying to grip his neck as he hoists you up onto the counter, your legs around his waist. He keeps your hands firmly on your hips as he says, “been wondering what you’d feel like,” he whispers, rubbing up your thighs, “your skin,” his hands move up to your face, eyes flickering down to your mouth, bringing his thumb up to trace it, “these lips,”

"Tell me," he rasps, his thumb brushing along your jaw now, rough and slow, "you want this." His lips hover, so close, yet still not touching.

The air between you is electric, and you're frozen, caught in the space between wanting more and the shock of him finally saying it.

Finally acting on it.

"I want this." It's barely a whisper, but it's all he needs.

In an instant, his lips crash into yours, rough, urgent, and desperate. The kiss is nothing like you expected-it's not soft, not tentative.

It's raw, almost hungry, like he's been holding back for so long and now he can't stop. His hand on your jaw slides up to your hair, fingers tangling as he deepens the kiss, pulling you even closer.

His other hand grips on your waist to hold you steady, keeping you tight against him, his body solid and warm.

His kiss is demanding, lips moving over yours like he's trying to memorize every inch of you, every breath. You open your mouth for him, his tongue plunging into you, discovering your taste, your tongue, everything.

His lips leave yours for just a second, barely giving you time to breathe before he's kissing down the side of your neck, his breath hot against your skin. "Shoulda done this sooner," he mutters against your neck, his voice thick with frustration and something darker.

"Daryl..." you gasp, your fingers slipping under his shirt, feeling the rough edges of his skin, the scars, the heat radiating from him.

He groans at your touch, his hands bringing you flush against, pressing harder into you.

"I ain't stoppin' now," he growls, his mouth returning to yours, the kiss even deeper, more desperate this time. His teeth graze your lower lip, and you shudder, feeling him smile against your mouth, a rare moment of triumph as he finally lets go of the control he's always kept so tightly wound.

His hands are everywhere now-one gripping your waist, the other cradling the back of your head as if he's afraid to let go, afraid this moment will disappear if he does. He's rough, but there's a tenderness hidden beneath the urgency, a need to show you exactly how long he's wanted this, how much he's held back.

You’re pulling at his shirt, feeling the heat of his skin radiating off of him as he pulls away for a split second to remove it, his fingers expertly finding the hem of yours a moment later, ripping the fabric off of you. His kiss is ravenous as he pulls you in again, its teeth and tongues and fire as you explore the heat of his body against your bare skin, your body feeling electric under his touch. Soon his hands leave you, and for a moment you’re left feeling only the cold counter under you until you hear the clatter of a belt coming off, and pants being pushed down. He has his fingers hooked into the waste and of your pants soon after, pulling them off in a haste. The counter is freezing under your bare body and the contrast of the heat of him on you only raises more goosebumps along your skin.

His lips hungrily trace down your neck, nipping your shoulder and skin of your chest as his lips find your nipple and his tongue flattened against it, teeth grazing just right until he’s moving to the other. You lean your head back and moan quietly. His head comes up quickly, hand in your hair pulling him into you.

“As much as I want to hear you sing for me, sunshine, you’re gonna have to be quiet out here,” he growls into your lips, pulling you in for a desperate kiss before continuing his torturous teasing of your skin. You whimper at the sight of him lowering down in front of you, his blue eyes flicking up to yours as he pulls you forward, so the apex of your thighs sits at the edge of the counter.

“Beautiful,” he whispers, his breath fanning the slick heat of your center. You bring your own hand up to your mouth, biting your finger to keep quiet as he dives for you, his tongue expertly finding every crevice of you, lapping and drinking you in. He’s moaning against your wet cunt as he continues his greedy attack, and you feel the pressure of an orgasm building in your abdomen. Daryl’s eyes are on you as you whine and whimper, and he brings a finger up to tease your center. Your eyes roll back, your hand coming down from your mouth to cling to his hair. He gently pushes in a finger, quickly followed by a second, and you’re spasming under his touch when he hits the top of your g spot, making you gush around him. He hums his devotion and rapture at your pleasure.

As he pulls away from you, his fingers dive into his mouth, his tongue cleaning up every last drop of you as you grab for him. Pulling his face to you, you kiss and slide your tongue along his, the sweet tangy taste of you still on him. He’s growling into the kiss, pulling you off the counter to stand. Your knees nearly collapse at the sudden need to have to support yourself, but his hands hold you, the rough calluses sturdy against you. He spins you around, pushing you flat against the counter. The cool touch of the countertop makes your nipples harden as they press against it, your cheek laying gently down as Daryl kisses along your back.

“You have no idea what you do to me, do ya?” His voice is gravely against your skin as he kisses down your spine, his hands traveling up and down the sides of you and landing on your hips as he stands.

“Can ya feel what you do to me?” He asks you, his thick, hot cock pressed up against the center of you. You gasp at the contact, never knowing how thick he really was. You’re not sure you’ll be able to take it, and maybe he can feel the tension in your body as your hands come up to your sides, bracing yourself.

“Shhh, shh.. say the word and I’ll stop right here, right now, baby,” he says, hands gentle on your sides, thumbs rubbing circles where they lay against you. You let out a shaky breath, leaning up against him. Your hand snakes up and around his head, holding his hair while the other goes behind you to touch his side. He smiles, kissing your shoulder, bringing his hands to your front and kneading your breasts and your breath steadies.

“Just… be gentle, at first, please,” you whisper, “I don’t think I’ve had anyone— not that big,” you let out a breathy, nervous laugh.

He breaths against your neck, and you can feel the smile against the column of your throat, “I promise,”

You tentatively lay your hands back on the counter, laying yourself back down. He brings his hand to his cock then, stroking it himself before bringing it to your wet lips, readying himself for you. You hear him spit, and look behind you to see him lubing himself up with his own juices, and something about how absolutely carnal he is makes you shiver in fervent anticipation.

He holds you hip with one hand and gently guides himself into you inch by inch. You gasp at the feeling of nearly being split in half, and hear his deep, animalistic growl at the feeling of your walls constricting around him.

“Fuck,” he grunts out, barely above a whisper. He pauses as he bottoms out into you, his entire length buried so deep you swear you can feel him in your womb. After a long moment letting you adjust, you’re shaking with need. The list coursing through your body causes your mind to go blank with absolute desperation for this man, for friction, for movement.

“Daryl, please— move,” you beg, pushing yourself against him. He leans down suddenly and bites onto your shoulder.

“Say no more, darlin,” as he snaps his hips back and into you with hungry speed. You jolt forward, your body never feeling as full as it does now. He stays leaning over you as he grips your waist even harder in your hands, his hips unrelenting in their thrusts. His cock feels like it’s splitting you in half and filling you to the brim as he continues ruthlessly fucking you against the counter. You’re trying with all the caution left in you to not scream his name, only letting whimpers and small moans out, his name on repeat from your mouth.

“Drive me crazy, that’s wha’ ya do to me,” he says breathlessly between kissing your back as he moves in and out of you, “couldn’t stop thinking about you— about this. How you’d feel taking my cock, how you’d look with it buried in ya, fuck, baby,” his thrusts are becoming irregular, and he snakes one hand between your legs and your eyes widen at the overstimulation as he pulls back the hood of your clit, pressing the calloused pad of his finger perfectly on the nub, causing your legs to shake.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you whisper into the counter, unable to stop your body from convulsing under his touch.

“C’mon, baby, cum for me, cum on my cock. Love seeing you so desperate for me, so cock drunk for me,” you barely can hear his words as your cumming again, biting your lip so hard to stop yourself from screaming and you taste the metallic hint of blood on your tongue. The feeling of your walls squeezing him like that has him toppling over the edge too, a long, carnal grunt escaping from him.

Both of you are gulping down breaths as you come down from your highs, his arms now tight around your waist. You both finally stand and you turn to face him again, your hands coming up around his neck.

“If I knew this is what you had in mind, Dixon, I would’ve gone on a run with you a long time ago,” you tease, a smile tugging at your lips. He mirrors it, his rough exterior softening for a brief moment as he pulls you into another kiss.

But then, a distant snarling fills your ears, snapping both of you back to reality. You whip your heads toward the kitchen window, eyes narrowing at the sight of walkers accumulating by the woods where you came from. The urgency crashes over you—it’s time to go, and you have to move now.

“Time to show me how quick you really are on your feet, sunshine,” he says, scooping the discarded clothes into his arms before holding yours out to you.

[itsgrimeytime]

Maneater (Part One) || Rick Grimes (TWD)

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Dialogue Prompts: "Don’t play friendly with me." + "Try me."

Summary: You and Rick Grimes had a backstory, one no one knew except you and him. It's one you refused to share, you never really wanted to get into it. All anyone needed to know was you hated the man. When you're in a rough spot, and you could use the shelter the question is... does he hate you?

TWS: Blood, gore, mentions of death, gun violence (just violence in general), swearing, angst, a touch of abandonment, grudges, and all things typical of TWD.

[[A/N: y'all ever heard of TENSION?? Or enemies to lovers??? Because I'll tell you what, I have :))) Lowkey, you have a good reason to hate Rick, but like... you'll see. also I am living in delusion for what Rick looked like in the Alexandria timeline, so just know I picture the gif, okay? Thx <3 ]]

Before you go thinking this is another long series, this is just a two/maybe three-parter. There was more to this idea than what I felt I could naturally convey in one one-shot. So, let me know if you want to be tagged for the continuation.

"Shit."

This really, truly, was never supposed to happen. This was the worst-case scenario, the kind of thing that plagued your dreams with things that were so not probable they shouldn't be scary. And yet here you were, in nightmare territory.

"Y/N? Really, is that- is that you?" the familiar face spoke -Glenn, you realized now.

God, it had been so long, you'd thought for sure at least half of that group had vanished.

Well, maybe they had. You weren't exactly sure, but Glenn hadn't really looked worse for wear. He suited the lifestyle well, actually, which you were a little impressed by -the pizza delivery guy had come a long way.

"We thought you..." he faltered off, still a bit in disbelief.

"Died? Nope," you finished, bitter, sure, but you'd never really had the chance to get over it, "-despite your wonderful leader's best efforts, I remain unscathed."

Glenn frowned.

The joy from moments before dissipated in the now fairly tense air between the two of you -others you recognized weren't there, but you imagined they were wherever he came from. Which you were currently trying to keep in the very back of your mind -you'd never follow him to them, you just couldn't.

"I should've..." he began, words seeming to come to a stop, "-Any of us should've stuck up for you. It wasn't right."

There was a bit of pleasure hearing that, somewhere deep in your chest, you appreciated it. But while the idea was good, it was very much too late. The resentment that had developed in your chest, had only solidified there -unbreakable and set in stone. You hadn't trusted a soul since, not fully anyway.

This world was filled with broken hearts, and yours was one of them.

And that was something Rick and his group had to live with, whoever they were now because that... was their fault.

You hadn't meant to hate Rick Grimes specifically, above everyone else, but the words came out of his mouth.

'Get out of here, we can't... we can't have a group this divided.'

You could still see him now in your head, clean-shaven and dressed in his uniform, taking the world by storm despite not knowing what the fuck he was doing. You were different then, scared but ready to do what you needed -hell, the first time you'd ever even held a gun was against a walker. It was with that group, they'd taught you.

You swallowed down the bile in your throat, and pushed through the rubble -your feet ached from being on the move for so long. You couldn't remember the last time you slept, or even sat down.

You couldn't not in this world, it was all about motion, about survival, about getting through the next few hours at a time.

"Look, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be," Glenn began -following you close behind, "-but we have a place... It's safe, you could sleep. You could eat. There are houses, hot water-"

You froze in place, the idea spreading a sort of warmth in your chest, something you'd forgotten somewhere along the path. Hope. Yet, there was still a sting there -deep under your skin, "Glenn-"

"It doesn't have to be forever," he added, and now that you looked at him, he did seem clean -his clothes washed and the desperation that dusted your skin was so distant you could hardly see it, "-just for a few days."

Feet frozen to the spot, you exhaled -the breath shaking you to the root, it had been so long, but how could you trust him? How could you trust any of them?

You remembered Glenn had looked hesitant, that day, his own suspicion drawn in his eyebrows but it hadn't gone farther than that. He hadn't said a word. No one had. But now, he was here offering solace, safety. And you knew it wasn't just out of pity.

The world had enough of that on its own. You had enough of that on your own, your story spilling to listening ears -they'd all been the same. Still, you could use a break.

And as much as you didn't trust the group, whatever it had become, you knew that if anyone had survived this long -they'd been skilled. Skilled enough for you to breathe, for you to close your eyes and sleep.

You sighed, wiping the sleep from your eyes, or rather the lack of, "Just a few days?"

"As long as you need," Glenn reiterated, somehow conveying that you never had to leave, it was a small thing. But comforting.

"I get to decide when to leave?"

Glenn frowned, his own body almost shrinking in on itself, disappointment. You'd never thought you'd see this, someone from so long ago -the regret, the remorse, "Yeah, of course."

And you were thinking about it. As your joints ached and your throat burned for water, the breeze felt cold against your bones, and you truly couldn't imagine it getting any warmer. The sun setting only meant it could get colder, and you were currently without a roof.

"Okay," you quietly agreed, despite the churning in your stomach saying otherwise.

That was when one of the others, neither of which you knew, spoke, "But, didn't Rick say-"

"Shut it," Glenn exhaled, tone icy and you suddenly realized maybe they were new to him too.

The walk was long, not grueling since Glenn had known exactly where he was going -he'd always had that sense of direction though. You remembered the early days when he'd been the one to volunteer to go back to the city, he'd known so much. Maybe he was just made that way? Or it was some sort of thing they'd invented. It had been a long time.

"There's a few of us that'll be happy to see you," Glenn spoke, casually walking beside you as the other two paired off behind you.

You swallowed the tensing of your shoulders, the last time you'd been in a group it hadn't ended well, and every time before that too actually. You didn't meld well with groups, let's just say that.

"I don't think so," you hummed, remembering so far back in your brain that day -the eyes all set on you, strong and decisive. You couldn't imagine who else survived other than Rick Grimes himself. Because this world wasn't what you expected, you shouldn't have survived more that a week... but here you were.

Glenn didn't say anything else, you assumed he noticed your more pressed tone -as the opposite of an invitation to keep talking. It stung a bit, watching the man's face solemn considerably, but there was also a sick part of your brain that had been waiting for this day.

As you approached the new community, Glenn spread out his hands -with a voice close to an announcer, "Welcome to Alexandria!"

Alexandria was big, bigger than you thought really. When you pictured the homes, there was bordered up windows and broken glass -blood stained into the wood. But these?

They were almost pristine.

Your head spun as you made your way through the gate, Glenn casually guiding you through the space without much forethought. It seemed he'd known this daze, he'd experienced it himself, maybe?

You knew how this world was, Alexandria seemed to be a new wave of something fresh.

Actually, you'd seen signs once or twice but never pursued it. Things like that didn't quite work in this world, you were scared of what it may truly have been. But Glenn had brought you hear with the promise of a bed to sleep in, so you assumed whatever kinks were there had already been worked out.

Or maybe you hoped they would.

In your haze, you hadn't noticed the two other members bump ahead -headed straight for a particular place, you assumed. Nor did you really notice Glenn kind of easily navigating in front of you.

Until, you heard the voice you'd vowed to never hear until the day you died.

"Glenn?" the drawl was deeper now, older and a touch more dangerous, "-The others told me you brought someone back, I thought we talked about-"

"Rick," Glenn interrupted, voice steady and calm -he had been prepared for this, "-it's Y/N."

There was silence there, as you trailed your fingers along the trim of the house ever-so-gently -the dirt stained into your fingertips didn't need to smudge there. It would've ruined it.

"What?" His voice was low, and despite how much you wished you could understand the tone, you couldn't -you didn't know him.

He could be angry, in disbelief, in shock. You had no clue, instead focusing on the ivy running up the sides of some of the houses -rubbing the leaves with your thumb, muttering, "Wow."

"Y/N?"

You blinked out of your haze, stilling at the direct contact with you -it felt odd, hearing your name out of his mouth. So familiar yet, so so far off. Yet, the sting still burned deep under your skin -it would probably never go away.

Without turning around, you acknowledged him simply -direct and without much other force, "Rick."

Then the space grew even quieter, the tension laying thick into the air -you could feel it set the prickling of goosebumps on your skin.

With a heavy breath, you turned around -equipped to set your eyes on his skin.

He looked... different. His hair was much longer, curled at the nape of his neck, and he had a beard -now littered with grey. It suited him, he'd been too uptight back then, now though, he'd seemed more adjusted.

"Y/N, I-" he began, and you could hear it -the pity, the 'I'm sorry'. You couldn't take it, not from him. Not now.

It was too late, it made you want to rip your hair out. And thrash and cry and scream. Scream for all you'd lost, scream for the fear you felt that day, pushed into the woods -separated.

You spoke, pushing back the bite in your tone as much as you could, "Don't play friendly with me. I'm here for a few days, at most."

Rick's mouth snapped shut, jaw setting. He seemed frustrated, but that was hardly your problem, the whole thing was his really. He could die with that regret, aching to give an apology for his wrongdoings... and you would let him.

The area, which you now realized was slowly filtering people in, eyes all beginning to focus on you and Rick. Questioning, mostly, but you figured any pushback on Rick and you'd end up dead. So, you pushed back -the strength of your tone settling and the brush of the cold warming.

You didn't need to make enemies.

And then you heard it, a familiar voice, older than you'd expected, you'd known that voice younger... what was-

"Y/N?"

Your breath stuttered, as you spun on your feet and there he was, taller and older, "Carl? Oh my god-"

You hadn't even thought about it, that where Rick was Carl would follow. You had less than high hopes that he'd even survive this far, and yet, here he was right in front of you.

You'd known Carl early on in the group, he had been so young. Lori needed help sometimes, and she'd grown close to you, so, pretty quickly, she'd trusted you with him. In the early days, he was stuck to your side -playing games with the sticks and rocks you could find nearby, giving him comfort when his Mom seemed too far to touch -she was often like that. Her eyes were far, and her mind farther.

Without much less of an introduction, he ran to you with ease, despite the filth you must've been covered in. Especially compared to him, who seemed to be as perfectly clean as the rest of them. He ran into you, arms wrapping tight around your figure -and god, he was so much taller. You bit back a sob, how much had you missed?

"I thought you were dead," he spoke, muttering into your shoulder and his hands gripping desperately at your shirt.

You remembered the tiny version of him kicking and screaming, 'Why do they have to leave, Dad?!' He had been crying so hard his body was shaking, they practically had to tear him off you. You'd told them you'd leave in the night when he was sleeping, so it wouldn't be so hard on him. He couldn't put up as much of a fight if he wasn't there.

"You've gotten so tall," you laughed, pulling back and wiping at your eyes -gesturing to his stature.

Carl laughed too, wiping away his own tears.

You forgot for a second where you were, and how long it had been. Only reuniting with someone you cared tremendously about. The moment was bittersweet with the eyes of many sliding across your figure, the scar detailed across your arm, or maybe the bandage wrapped around your head. You'd had some run-ins, but you'd taken care of them with what you could.

The next few days were a bit stuffy, the doctor (who you didn't bother to learn the name of) had been keeping a close eye on you -consistently telling you to rest and sticking the one and only sheriff on you when you resisted.

Apparently, she thought that it was the best idea.

The single thread that didn't have you running out of this place wore a sheriff's hat and seemed to relish in your arrival. Carl had been by your side frequently, introducing you to practically everyone (including Glenn's wife, Maggie, what-) -which you had originally been strictly against, but the kid was your soft spot.

You'd felt more at ease after a run-in with two familiar faces, Daryl and Carol. They both did similarly to Carl, and you couldn't seem to fault them too much. Not at that moment anyway. It was midday and Carl had run off with some people his own age, which you refused to separate him from that. It was important, he needed it.

And you needed something too.

The space felt cramped, with someone constantly looking over your shoulder and someone else always in your area. It was a far cry from your previous loner life where your days fell to silence and the slice of whatever your blade was echoed through it. Before Glenn, you hadn't spoken out loud in months.

So, with new energy from the hot water and regular meals, you'd found yourself roaming the streets towards the fence. Just for a sense of normalcy, you needed to taste the adrenaline, feel the blade in your hands, and the urgency in your movements. Dancing with death.

Trying to watch your back, you kept your eyes behind you -ducking behind some of the unused houses that you'd scouted out earlier in the day. It wasn't like you were leaving forever, just a few hours that's all you needed.

"And where are you going?"

You jumped, turning to the sound in front of you, and because god simply hated you it happened to belong to one Rick Grimes. His eyes leveled with you, standing confidently in your way like he'd expected you. And shit, maybe he had.

Stammering, you regained your composure, "Where's Carl?"

"Asleep," he responded with ease.

"Look, I'm not-" you groaned, "-Why are you keeping me here like a prisoner?"

"Doctor told me to keep an eye on ya," he answered, once again too prepared, it infuriated you to no bounds, "-you don't think I'd notice you scopin' out an exit?"

"That's not-" you straightened your posture, pressing your lips into a thin line, "I don't have to explain myself to you. So, kindly, if you would get out of my way, I'll be back in an hour."

Rick chuckled, not in a really joyful way either, neither of you was quite joking, "Yeah, not happenin'."

"Rick," you echoed, tone ice and hand tightening on where your blade rested on your hip -a handmade hilt someone had made you a long time ago, "-move, or I'll make you."

He paused, licking a line across his teeth, and slowly making his way into your space. Your breath caught in your throat, but you stayed strong in your place -eyes set on his and shoulders set in place. He didn't speak until his face was right in yours, a breath away, and his expression remained unchanged -his eyes only betraying the heaviness of his words, "Try me."

Rick didn't reach for his gun, which sat with was at his hip -inches from his hands. You knew he wouldn't pull it on you, it wasn't in his character, but there was a chill in his tone -something new.

What happened to him?

You washed out the worry that settled under your skin for a second, that didn't need to be there. He'd abandoned you -they all had.

Setting your jaw, you exhaled -pulling back and letting your hand fall to your side, "Look, I just need an hour."

Rick stared at you, you couldn't read him -years of age, and most likely tragedy by the missing faces, gracing features you once knew. And even then, he was new -you hadn't known him.

"This place is-" you faltered off, looking back to the houses, where most lights were switched off in the dark -except for just a few spare ones, "-suffocating. I've been on my own for so long, I feel like I'm having an out-of-body fucking experience here. This isn't... I need something familiar."

He still hadn't said a word.

"So," you began, strong, before deflating, "-just let me kill some of the dead, yeah?"

Rick pursed his lips, before sighing deep and heavily, "Okay."

You opened your mouth to rebuttal, before the words set in, "Okay?"

"Just let me tell Michonne and Daryl I won't be around for a bit," he continued, seeming to waltz on past you, and then those words hit you.

"Rick, I don't need a babysitter," you answered, that lick of bitterness slinking through your skin again -your mouth opened before you could stop it, "-you weren't worried years ago, were you? Why now?"

He stopped in his motion, frozen solid by your words. A part of you felt vindicated, he deserved it -it may have been years for him, but that was the way your way in this world had started.

You hadn't expected him to speak, but he did.

"You can't do that."

A flash of frustration hummed under your skin -burning hot and bright -who was he to say anything to you, "I can't do that? Do what? Talk about what you did to me? The day you kicked me to the curb at the beginning of the fucking apocalypse...?"

"I've been tryin' to apologize since you got here-" he started, tone angry in the way of hands shaking not voice raising, "-you won't let me."

Something in you snapped.

"So what?" you started, tone shaky and you'd say it was for rage but you could feel the tears burning behind your eyes, "You think I want an apology from you?"

Rick looked lost then, and something in you begged to keep going. The dam was cracked now, and the water could flood out -who better than the man who hit the nail in the coffin, "What...?"

"You, you don't get the resolution that would get you. You don't get to sleep well at night because you said sorry, no."

He didn't speak.

You laughed, the tears were free now, years of being locked behind something as thick as the shell you wore after that day -your breaths were ragged and you felt like maybe your heart would be out of your chest, "I never wanted to live through this."

"Y/N-"

And there was something there in those words, heavy and gravelly against the cool night air. But you couldn't dwell on it. You had too much to say to him, to all of them really, but just him would do.

"No," you exhaled, taking a deep shaky breath in, "-Rick, I just need to know one thing."

He opened his mouth, assumedly to answer your question, but you still couldn't let him speak. Your brain was going so fast, you had to keep up.

"Did you ever ask them why?"

Rick spoke then, slowly, "Who?"

"Shane," you spoke, the air seemed to get heavier, "-and Lori. Did it never seem odd to you that it came out at the same time? That they'd both seen me that exact same day?"

Rick stilled, and his jaw seemed to set.

That was what had gotten you kicked out, Shane and Lori had alleged you'd taken more supplies for yourself -stolen from everyone. You weren't sure of the specifics, whether it be an extra graham cracker or a tissue to wipe your busted lip, as you didn't let them get too far into it. They'd been egging him on, Shane on some sort of masculine level and Lori using their love as a pawn -you'd seen it clear as day. Rick hadn't.

"I was going to tell you," you spoke quietly, barely a brush over the wind of the chillier nights.

He didn't have to ask what. He knew you assumed he had known pretty much immediately after you noticed their absences. Something had happened, maybe not long after you'd left. You could only assume so much.

"I didn't know," he echoed out, his voice strained in a way you'd never heard from him -pained, regretful.

Without much else, you turned back the way you came -voice steady and strong across the space between you two, "I know."

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Great teen talk overall, but honestly I was particularly interested in what Matt had to say about where Lincoln is at right now (and that we might get a better glimpse into this next episode? Which has me both nervous and excited but I'm trying not to think about it *too* much cause I'm already super nervous about how things are gonna pan out for the twins next episode).

It all tracks- Lincoln's increasingly nihilistic view of the world impeding on his ability to feel much of anything but nevertheless caring about how *his friends* are feeling and what they want. Being too deep in a dissociative state to process his own grief (and everything else) but caring that *Normal* is sad and doing what he can to help him.

I think Lincoln is a funny and incredibly fascinating character because if you look at his words, honestly no one can deliver a blow like Lincoln- a trademark of his brutal honesty, and in most stark contrast to Normal's "toxic positivity", neither being inherently better or worse than the other just inverted, and reflective of different values (something something cheerkicks is doomed by the narrative they should kiss etc. etc. not what the post is about). Conversely, if you look at Lincoln's actions (and Lincoln is, at his heart, an action-oriented character), truly nobody is putting their ass on the line for the people around them quite like Linc is. I've stated on several occasions that I believe Lincoln is the most selfless of the teens, and I stand by this, but this is a virtue as much as it as a flaw. It's heroic, to put yourself in a line of fire to save your friend's dad, or impale your leg on a candy cane twice to get an anchor, or hug your friend to show them you care even if it literally winds up killing you- but it also reflects self-preservation instincts that somehow manage to be even weaker than those of the guy who tried to throw himself out of a building thinking that a parachute would save him (god I love Taylor).

Lincoln cares immensely about his friends (despite his growing numbness to the world around him), but dangerously little about himself and what becomes of his own life. As a less dire example, "Apollo Four Teens" acts as a great demonstration of how Lincoln will stretch himself thin for everyone around him until there's nothing left, but forgets in the process to stop and register his own emotions and tend to his own needs. Combine this with Lincoln's perpetual "keep calm and roll with the punches" attitude towards the nonstop bullshit the teens have gone through over the course of the season, including an extensive list of unresolved issues related to Grant (which by now I've outlined fairly thoroughly), and you have a serious recipe for disaster. Characters like Normal and Scary are, relatively speaking, pretty obvious and emotive with respect to their pain, even when they are trying not to be. This is good, since it makes it easier for other characters to recognize that they need help in the first place and try to look out for them (they may not always know how to do so correctly, but the intent is there). Lincoln, in contrast, shuts down and becomes less emotive in response to his own pain (in a manner that is somewhat similar to Darryl, more similar to Glenn, and of course most similar to Grant, but ultimately different from all of them), silently building his walls up higher and higher but being no safer for it. It is partially for this reason that other characters very rarely think to check in on Linc and see how he's doing (Taylor to his credit tried after the titanic episode, but that got interrupted, and Grant does also try but- much like his own dad with him- fails to meet his son halfway in being honest and vulnerable and hence fails to make any progress), leaving him to mostly suffer in silence perhaps without even truly realizing it himself.

I guess the gist of what I'm saying is, Lincoln is in deep water, all of this has been a long time coming, and if nobody does anything about it soon... (Metaphorically-speaking of course-) that boy is going to drown.

[frenziedslashers]

I Love You, And I Don't Say It Enough:

Pt. 2; Baby, It's Okay

Pairing: Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead) x Reader

Warnings: she/her pronouns used, possible ooc Daryl idk, PinV sex, unprotected sex (wrap that shit 👹), rough to soft sex, canon typical violence, mentions of character death. Not proofread.

About: This is set after Season 7 (meaning if you do not know who died Season 7 Episode 1, please do not read if you do not want spoilers.) This is a little fic about Daryl returning to Alexandria after escaping from Negan. I may have gotten some of the details wrong, but this was mostly for my own enjoyment. If you have a request you want to send in for him or another character, feel free. I will be making a master list for TWD and include the characters I write for here in the next few days!

REQUESTING INFO || TWD MASTERLIST

The past few weeks had been some of the toughest of your life. Not only did you witness two of your good friends die, but you knew that more blood would be shed along the way after theirs. You just didn't think it would be Daryl. He wasn't dead, not from what you knew, at least. They just took him from you. A man who's helped you survive since the beginning. A man who you grew very fond of, and he grew just as fond of you in return. You thought Alexandria brought hope to the future the both of you could share. You were wrong. At least in this moment you were so very wrong.

You screamed for them not to take him from you. It only made them laugh. Negan made a comment about wanting to take you, too. Make you his wife and Daryl have to watch him treat you like his. "I'll be back for ya, don't cry," was the last thing Daryl had said to you. It didn't stop your tears, if anything it only made them worse. What if that was the last time he would ever speak with you? The last time you'd ever see his face. What if he ended up like Glenn and Abraham... Or worse?

It felt like months had passed without him, but in reality. It was only about three, maybe four days. Living without him was lonely. Sure as hell a lot colder at night than having his furnace of a body cooped up next to you. When you saw him get off the truck, you nearly collapsed. His eyes looked tired, but they still searched for you. They still widened and looked at you with the same love and adoration as before. Negan was quick to stop the interaction when Daryl blurted your name and the both of you attempted to run for one another.

"Well," his smile, god. You'd give nothing more than to shoot it off his face. "Isn't this just adorable? Don't you think, Lucille?" He chuckled, walking up to you with a curious gaze. "We've got little miss Jane over here, and her man of a Tarzan over there." He spoke with a sigh. "Gross." He snickered, looking back at Daryl while circling around you. Placing his hands on your hips. Watching you flinch and Daryl fight with the people holding him back. "Don't touch 'er!" "Hey now, what did I say? None of that, or else I'll shut," He held his bat up close to your face. "That shit down." He spoke, voice getting lower and more stern with each word. Daryl understood, even if he didn't want to. Looking at you with a gaze that told you everything was going to be all right.

Negan chuckled again, leaning in close to press his nose against the side of your hair. Inhaling deeply, and then sighing. "Damn! Does your woman smell nice. Bet she tastes just as good, if yunno what I mean." He told Daryl with a sly grin. "Don't talk about 'er-" "Do you wanna see her brains on the pavement? Because I sure as hell don't! I've seen too many super hot wives die. No use wasting such a pretty face when she could maybe be yours again." Daryl glared, Negan looking back at you with a sigh and pursed lips. "You should really tame your dog. He's gonna bite someone someday."

After that, you had a sliver of hope. That maybe since they were letting him go on runs with them. That maybe Daryl could figure something out and get away. Maybe you'd wake up one night to Daryl climbing into bed with you. Pulling you close to one another and not saying a word. Just holding each other in silence.

Each passing day grew harder and harder. Each day without him felt like shit. Like it was a reminder that you would be alone. You came into this apocalypse alone. Everyone you ever knew and loved, dead. Then you would die alone. Everyone that you ever knew and loved being just as dead.

But then, it happened.

Everyone else saw him before you had. Hugging and reuniting with their friend. Their family. He didn't linger with anyone too long, though. His main priority was you. It was always you, and would always be. He had to make sure that you were safe. That he knew you were safe. "She's in the house. Up in your room. I think she's reading." Tara told him, and he nodded. Giving a soft thanks before racing off in order to find you. To hold you and never let go.

He crept up the stairs. His body trembling along with his breath. Doing his best to not be too fast and startle you, but the closer he got. The more he couldn't help himself. Finally reaching the door to your guys' room. Reaching out to touch the handle but to his surprise. It turned for him. Watching with cautious and wide eyes as the door opened and he was met with you. His girl. His woman. His wife. Though the two of you weren't official, nor did either of you talk about marriage. He considered you to be his spouse. May as well be since his eyes were only ever on you since they first saw you.

"Daryl," You didn't have time to say anything else. Cut off by Daryl pulling you in for a desperate kiss. He was never good with words, anyways.

The hunter was quick to get his point across too. About how much he missed you. How he wasn't about to let you go anytime soon, either. It didn't take long for him to push you onto the bed once the door was shut, and to have your clothes on the floor along with his own.

"Daryl," you called his name out, over and over like a soft prayer. Hands roaming one another's bodies with desperation. Pulling each other as close as you both could. Hungry mouths worked at either kissing anywhere they could reach or muttering soft nothings to one another.

Daryl was fairly rough with everything at first too. Like he was trying to tell you both that this was real. That he was here and so were you. His hips were fast. Each thrust within you deep and desperate. trying to chase what you both wanted. It was rough and fast, until it wasn't.

A slight worry set within you when his thrusts slowed, finally coming to a hault. His face buried in the crook of your neck. You were about to ask if you did something wrong until you heard the rigid and quiet sob that came from your lover. Frowning while your arms reached out to hold him. One hand on the back of his head, while the other rested on his back. Rubbing with soft motions while shushing him. Peppering the side of his head with kisses.

"Dar', honey, look at me. I'm here, you're back. Please, don't cry," you lulled, your eyes watering at the sound of his cries in your ear. You hated to hear or even see him cry, but you were glad that he did every so often. He was so good at bottling everything up. It scared you a lot of the time.

"Dar', sweetheart, please, look at me. Let me see you," He listened this time. Pulling away from your neck to look down at you. His blue eyes bloodshot. He had a black eye and a busted lip, which only made you frown more. Fingers tracing his face with your eyes. "Oh baby, what'd they do to you." He grunted, turning his face to get you to stop. "I thought I lost you," he muttered, a tear rolling down both of your faces this time. Your own lip quivering at his words. Everything finally setting in with both of you. "I thought I lost you too, Dixon." He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against your own.

"Did they touch you?" You shook your head, hands still holding the sides of his face. "No, think ya scared them too much," Daryl chuckled lightly at that. Opening his eyes to look at you again. "Yeah, maybe."

It was silent again. The both of you holding onto one another while staring back at each other. "I love you," you couldn't help but smile at his words. Running your fingers through his hair. Watching his eyes flutter shut and reluctantly open once more. You could easily put him to sleep by just playing with his hair. "I know you do, you have a way of telling me with your actions, always have. I love you too, mountain man." He rolled his eyes at the nickname and you chuckled. "I don't tell ya it enough, I love you. Really do. That's all I thought 'bout, too. That I don't tell ya it enough." He muttered, and you sighed. Resting your hands on his shoulders, rubbing them slightly. "Daryl, I told you. You say it without saying it. I know you do." He sighed with a nod, smiling faintly as you leant up to kiss the side of his mouth. Wanting to continue what the both of you started moments prior, but he wasn't done with his tangent. You wouldn't stop him though, you'd let him open up anytime he wanted to.

"All I could think about in there was you. If I'd see ya again. Hear ya," he spoke. "I was scared he'd.." He paused, breathing a bit heavily for a second as he thought. "Scared he'd take ya from me." "Dar', I'd go out fighting before I let him do anything to me." He chuckled, reaching up to brush some hair from your forehead. "That's what I was worried 'bout. If I lost you," "but you didn't, and I'm here. You're here. We're safe." "For now." You didn't say anything more after that. Only wrapping an arm around the back of his neck while staring up at him.

"I love you," he muttered again, and you nodded, leaning up to brush your lips against his. "I love you too, Daryl." He closed the gap between the both of you rather quick. Humming lowly into the kiss while rolling his hips against yours. Still nestled inside you.

It wasn't long before he was rolling his hips. Rolls turning into thrusts. He didn't move fast and rough like before, though. He took his time. Letting you know how much he loved and cared about you with his actions, again. His hand coming between the both of you to run his fingers between your folds. Your soft noises you released into his mouth were enough for him to continue. Lips traveling down to your neck. Leaving soft kisses and then love marks and bites. All while his fingers rubbed over your clit. Smirking softly as your hips bucked and rolled in order to chase your high, but Daryl didn't let you. No, not at first. He was dragging this out as long as he could.

"Wanna cum with ya," he muttered, kissing your collar bone with a groan. "Then do it," a growl left his throat at your words. Hips finally picking up to the speed the both of you were wanting. His finger rubbing a bit rougher on your bud. Not too harsh, but just enough it had your back arching off the bed. Hands grasping at him to ground yourself. One hand Tangling in his hair while the other clawed at his back. His lips came crashing on yours. Muffling the noises the both of you made as your bodies met their high.

You were the first to go, Daryl following right after. He came inside of you, but you didn't care. Not right now, at least. That was a problem to deal with later. Right now it was all about you and him. Holding each other after your highs became lows and you were both back on earth.

He pulled out, slowly. Doing his best not to hurt you, or himself in the overstimulated discomfort you were both in. "Wow," he looked at you with a brow raised as he used a Kleenex to wipe you both up. "I don't think we've fucked that hard in a while," you chuckled, and he chuckled back. Tossing the napkin into the bin before crawling back over you. A hand cupping the side of your face with a hum. "Ya tellin' me I only fuck good when one's of us nearly dies?" He asked, pressing a kiss to your lips. You shook your head, rubbing at his chest. "No, 'course not, we've just been..." "Busy?" You nodded, kissing him again. "Yeah," he sighed.

He finally laid next to you after tugging his shirt back on. Letting you pull your own and your underwear back on as well. Daryl kept the shirt on so no one would see his scars beside you. You were mostly dressed so if anything happened no one would see you nude. A precaution to keep both your and Daryl's minds easy.

Daryl pulled your body close to his own. Strong arms wrapped safely around your waist. "How 'bout we blame it on Rick." he muttered, and your brows furrowed, an amused smile on your lips. "What? Our sad sex life before today?" He chuckled, pressing another kiss to your lips. "Yeah. He's always got us doin' stuff. No time for me to fuck ya." You snorted, rolling your eyes while swatting at his chest. "Shut up and go to sleep, Dixon." He smiled, pulling your closer while resting his chin atop your head. "Love you," you smiled, kissing his throat with a tired sigh. "I love you, too. I'm glad you're safe and home." "Me too, darlin'."

[cultofdixon]

It Takes a Village

Daryl Dixon [HINTS] / Rick Grimes [PLATONIC] • She/Her Pronouns • Everyone upon meeting you has seen you as “the little sister” even if you’re only blood related to the Rick Grimes. No one hates you, you do your part and even go beyond. So when this new change in your life started to grow…everyone was going to pitch in • ANGST/SFW/NSFW • TW: Pregnancy & Birth / One-Night Stand / Anxiety Attacks / Illness / PTSD / Canon Violence Mentioned • Re-Writing Canon [literally ignoring 90% of the Savior arc deaths]

Requested by: Anon

NEXT

The walk of shame feels even worse during the apocalypse Y/N thought as she tried to be quiet when walking through the courtyard of the Kingdom.

“Maybe yea shouldn’t have drank so much tonight”

The familiar voice caused Y/N to freeze in her tracks before turning toward the sound finding Carol in her new spot at the kingdom, holding herself a glass of whiskey that Abraham gifted her as she was comfortable in her spot.

“I barely drank tonight…I’m just. Leaving the scene before the guy gets the wrong idea…”

“Not a long term gal? Isn’t your brother thinking of marrying Michonne?”

“Oh god. Rick…Don’t bring this up to Rick” Y/N begged Carol as she approaches the woman who scooted to the side on her bench. Letting the younger Grimes sibling sit beside her.

“I won’t. But if this guy does try anythin’ yea don’t like…you let me know.”

“It was just a one-time thing. I think he got that idea loud and clear” Y/N leans back into the bench looking up at the starry night. “But I will…I’ll let you know”

“You go back tomorrow?” Carol asks watching Y/N nod. She was only visiting the Kingdom to deliver some seeds for them to rebuild their gardens and to bring medicine back to Alexandria. “You know I could use company here”

“What do you mean? Your boyfriend is company”

“Yeah yeah. But I’m taking someone I could go hunting with. Or sneak off with just for a breather.” Carol sighs. “I’m not a relationship person either, but I’m bending”

“Ezekiel is a lucky guy, and everyone knows he’ll treat you right” Y/N shot her a smile while tightening the laces on her boots. “Part of me wants that one day…but I don’t know if I even want that”

“That’s normal, hun” Carol pats her thigh when she leaned back in a reassuring way. “Wanna stay with us tonight or stick in the theater like you usually do?”

“Can I stay with you?”

“Can I stay with you—-Bitch, I wouldn’t have asked” Carol laughs rising to her feet and holding her hand out for Y/N who instantly took it, letting her lead the way.

A few weeks went by and Y/N suddenly stopped going on runs, visiting her family scattered in other communities, and the worse of all…being too tired to spend time with her niece and nephew…

“Yea think it’s what Glenn had back at the prison?” Daryl frowns watching Rick shrug for the most part. “We have the medicine now unlike when we were stuck in the prison”

“But she ain’t coughing, or coughing up anything really. She’s throwing up and is extremely tired, that’s about it” Michonne chimes in helping Judith down after she finished her breakfast at the kitchen island. “If Siddiq was back home then he could check—-“

“Which I brought back the second Carl radio’d Hilltop” Glenn interrupts the group by entering the Grimes’ residence with the Alexandria doc that Carl saved during the “down period” of the Savior War.

Both Rick and Michonne have Carl a confused look as he came downstairs after giving Y/N another glass of water. He noticed Siddiq’s return and knew that’s what they were staring at him about.

“I lost my mom, I’m not about to lose my aunt too” And that triggered all kinds of thoughts to everyone in the room.

“Lead the way, Carl” Siddiq states in an instant not waiting another moment as the Grimes kid lead the way to where Y/N was staying in their home. They live in one of the town houses on the other side of Alexandria, but the second she got sick, Rick didn’t want her too far from him.

“Could be worse than the prison”

“Or a savior poisoned her”

“I knew we shouldn’t have trusted those fucks. Just cuz they killed one of their own that night, doesn’t make it alright to just jail the son of a bitch and let fear course through everybody”

“We get your stance on that. But let’s not to side tracked.” Glenn interrupts once again. “I know we moved a lot of the equipment from the Sanctuary into each of the communities because of what they have taken. But with that knowledge we could look more into it. We don’t have to work blindly”

“I agree with Glenn. Ain’t taking any chances” Rick states only for Carl to sprint down the steps and out the house, on a mission for Siddiq. But the action caused the archer to chase after the damn kid.

Sometimes the Grimes can be dramatic

As Carl rummages through the infirmary with the mental list fresh in his mind, Daryl storms in and grabbed his shoulder so that he could look at him.

“What did Siddiq find?”

“She’s dehydrated? That’s about it” even if he is almost 18, he will never learn how to lie. Especially to Daryl.

“I’ll yell at yea if you don’t tell—-“

“Daryl what even is your relationship with my aunt?!” He snaps back. “Whatever. Siddiq thinks she’s pregnant and since I told yea that. You gotta tell me—-“

“I ain’t sleeping with your aunt” Daryl snaps back and at least the two had their possible answer. But the pressing question in both of their minds…who the fuck is the mystery father if she is? “What does Siddiq need”

“I can’t find the makeshift IV bag. I’ve got a few tests but they all read different things…” Carl shows the boxes to Daryl as he took two away from him tossing them back since they weren’t pregnancy tests but the rest were. Then he reached into the cabinet to get the IV line and the bag along with it.

The two came back and when Carl headed back upstairs, Daryl grabbed his crossbow and headed back out with an even more confused Rick following behind.

“What are yea doing?”

“Going to Carol”

“You can’t—-“

“I ain’t sayin’ shit to her. I gotta ask her something” Daryl didn’t wait for him to say anything more as he went to get on his bike and head out right away.

The second he reached the Kingdom he went looking for Carol to ask about the party they held a few weeks ago. It was one of those parties that Deanna used to hold for new people since the Kingdom took in new folk from the Sanctuary that wanted to get away from that place. He knew Y/N was at it but couldn’t be there himself because he was asked to watch the Sanctuary, which felt more like a punishment.

“Daryl! What are you doing here?!” Ezekiel cheers in his usual excitement but given the archer’s serious expression that he always bears, he knew to tone it down instantly. “You looking for someone?”

“Carol have yea—-“

“She’s in the gardens. Or at least that’s the last I saw her. She could also be with Henry who started teaching some of the younger kids how to fight in what he calls “Morgan’s way” it’s really sweet—-“

“Thanks”

Ezekiel watched him leave and was left even more confused on why he was there. At least Daryl didn’t have to go searching for their kid and found Carol in the first place he told him.

“This is a surprise. How are you pookie?”

“Did yea see who Y/N went to the party with a few weeks back?”

“Where the fuck is this coming from?” Carol set the sharpening block beside her along with her knife to give her best friend her whole attention. “I didn’t even go to the party”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like those kind of things. You know this”

“You were supposed to watch her. We agreed—-“

“Daryl. Everyone agreed on that. For everyone. Not just Y/N. What’s gotten into you?” Carol frowns gesturing for Daryl to sit but instead he started pacing to try and calm himself down.

“I need to know who she left the goddamn party with. Who took her away—“

“No one took her. She wanted it just as much as the guy did. I don’t know who the guy is but she did tell me about the much needed stress relief”

“Yeah well that son of a fucking bitch didn’t wear protection and I need to bash his goddamn teeth in”

The words sunk in almost immediately as Carol rises from where she sat and quickly took Daryl’s arm heading back toward his bike.

“You’re taking me to her, now”

What Daryl didn’t know was the conversation between her and Y/N. And how much more personal it got to be

________

“You look like there’s more on your mind” Carol frowns for a moment as the two were walking to her place in the Kingdom.

“What if the unthinkable happens?”

“I’m sorry?”

Y/N didn’t know how to put the words together as she stops walking only for Carol to grab her shoulders.

“What did he do?”

“He didn’t do anything. But what if it happens? I don’t fucking know the guy, and honestly it was just stress relief. I could do perfectly fine without him in my life but the fuck am I supposed to do…if I’m pregnant…”

“Y/N. Didn’t he wear protection?”

“He swore he did! But when does anybody believe a man when they say that?”

“I mean. Ezekiel is—-“

“The most perfect man. But this isn’t about him! You and I both saw what happened when a baby came into this world…I lost my sister in law who was my best friend before my family grew in the new world. But I’m de-railing…what if—-“

“No” Carol shushed her immediately. “If shit happens and you do end up pregnant, we’ll do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. And you don’t need a partner to raise a baby. You have a family. A village or whatever the cheesy saying is. But it’s true. You have a village and you’ll never be alone. And I know for sure that everyone who loves you, would reassure you every day if they have to”

________

Well. It was positive and Daryl wasn’t the only one angry at the guy about it.

“You motherfucker—-“

“Daryl. Stop it” Y/N shoves the archer back as the man cowered a bit behind her. “This isn’t going to erase what happened”

“Yeah man. Besides it was just uh. A one time deal. She’s the one keeping the damn thing” He shrugs.

“Oh so yea blaming her?” Daryl snaps almost pushing Y/N over as she stumbles which made him quick to change his attention. He caught her and before anymore could be exchanged between those two, Rick cut in shoving Daryl away along with Y/N.

“Listen. She doesn’t need yea. Won’t ever need yea” Rick directs the guy away from his family. “But if I ever hear rumors…that are offensive toward my sister?” He suddenly grabs the man’s collar forcing him to look directly in his eyes. “There’s plenty of us that’ll put yea six feet under”

As Rick stepped away and Daryl gave one last glare before following his brother, Y/N gave the man a what the fuck just happened sort of look before quickly following the two out of the kingdom.

The pregnancy was smooth. Felt like it went by so fast because Y/N was taken care of. Granted there were moments where she snapped at her brother for getting too close after returning from a run involving taking out a few walkers. Same went for Daryl but his was more, he had to shower the second he came back to Alexandria after doing who knows what. Carol visited her every other week and that time gave her some space to come to the decision of marrying Ezekiel which she knew would make Y/N cry the second she told her. The start and finish of the bridge happened around her second trimester and during that time it gave her the excuse to step out of Alexandria to spend time with an overly excited Maggie who would stay with her the entire time they were at the makeshift camp for the communities. Giving her some tips about newborns given she wakes up the most compared to Glenn when it comes to Hershel Jr. Which unintentionally brought the anxiety back of being a single mother and the fear of doing this all alone.

But she was never alone. After getting everything settled in the Sanctuary and Carol taking over for sometime, Daryl moved into the basement living of her place. Carl also found himself spending the night at his aunts during the nights he’d find Y/N taking midnight walks. At least when he’s at Alexandria and not visiting Enid in Hilltop. Other times Rosita and Sasha would spend time with Y/N gossiping about Rosita’s relationship with Siddiq and how Abraham keeps testing Sasha’s patience with their watchtower shifts.

When the date got closer that was when everyone in Alexandria hovered whenever they saw her. Especially the rest of the Grimes family. The only hero was Michonne. She would shoo Rick out whenever his questions toward how Y/N’s feeling got a bit too extreme. He was just worried given what happened to Lori and what else could happen without the help of a fully stocked hospital.

All was fine, when Shepherd Grimes came into this crazy world perfectly fine.

Causing his own kind of chaos.

As the little light comes through to the basement apartment, Daryl didn’t wake to it at first given it was his day off. But Dog wasn’t the one either…the soft tug on his blanket alerted him and the sniffing of his Mal came after. He sat up in his bed seeing the two year old boy smiling up at him.

“Shep. It’s early”

“I’m thirsty Uncle Daryl…” Shepherd rubs his eyes as Dog investigated his action by sniffing, making the little one tiredly giggle.

Daryl sighs tossing the blanket off of him before moving to the edge of the bed to get up. Next picking up Shepherd like it was nothing and making his way to his small kitchen.

“Mama sleepin’?”

“Yeah”

“Why didn’t yea get yer mom?”

“She sleepin’ and Jude says you don’t sleep” The stupid goofy smile the kid had when saying that, Daryl couldn’t get mad at that assumption as he had a few sippy cups down in his kitchen since this isn’t the first time Shepherd came down there. He went on a run with Glenn and Rick to get a lot of baby/kid items from abandoned neighborhoods and stores for not only Shepherd, Hershel, Judith, and Gracie but also the newest addition RJ. Rick Jr. Grimes, son of Rick and Michonne.

“Mama is scary when yea wake her too early anyway” Daryl finishes getting the cap on and handing the cup filled with water to the little one in his arm. “But she’ll scream like a banshee if yea ain’t upstairs”

“What’s a…ba…ban…bunsha”

“Close enough, just a screamin’ creature” Daryl made his way upstairs with the mini Y/N Grimes as he gripped onto his sweater to keep him steady enough to take a sip from his cup. “Yea tired?” He asks the child watching him shake his head which lead to him being set down on the couch in the main house before sitting beside him. “I’ll stick with yea until Y/N wakes up”

Daryl couldn’t help the warm feeling in his chest when the small child scooted over to sit beside him and lay against him while drinking his water.

When it got about an hour or two later making it still an early morning but enough for Y/N to wake. She came down from her bedroom still in her pajamas finding both Daryl and Shepherd asleep on the couch. Y/N quietly went to grab her Polaroid camera from her pack and took a quick picture of the two. The flash woke Daryl slightly but he didn’t fully stir until Y/N carefully picked up the sleeping child.

“Go back to sleep” Y/N mouths to the archer before smiling and carrying Shepherd upstairs.

As the day continued on, Rick found himself with his baby strapped to his chest and carrying Shepherd by the back of his overalls. Like luggage if you will. He agreed to watch his nephew while Y/N went to visit Maggie for Hershel hand-me-downs and to go hunting with Carol.

“Uncle Rick?”

“Yeah?”

“Will mama be home before bedtime?”

“Yeah, she reassured me that she would” Rick smiles to the child setting him down on the steps of his place only to be greeted by Michonne.

“Hey buddy” Michonne smiles kneeling down to Shepherd’s level seeing that smile of Y/N reflect in her son’s. “Carl is about to leave to take Enid on a trip and made sandwiches. And I know he made an extra one just for you” she smiles poking his stomach to get a giggle out of him. “How about you go see him?”

The small child ran inside leaving the adults for a moment as Rick couldn’t help but watch his nephew and think about his sister.

“She was just as energetic. Hopefully he doesn’t get her attitude but, he’s perfect”

“She made a perfect child just like we did” Michonne smiles rubbing the small back of the baby that Rick held bounded to him.

•

“How’s Shepherd? I can’t wait to see him when Ezekiel, Henry, and I come over next week” Carol smiles walking beside her best friend.

“I think he prefers waking Daryl up over me. Found them on the couch again” Y/N knelt at their spot watching a rabbit approach one of the snares, making their conversation turn down its volume. “If he had nightmares he’d come to me…but he gets Daryl every other time”

“Your son knows you’re scary to wake up already” Carol couldn’t help the laugh but thankfully the trap caught its catch. “But that boy loves his uncles. Uncle Daryl especially.”

“Very true” Y/N says softly as she got up heading toward the trap to take out the rabbit only to turn around to a mischievous look on Carol’s face. “What?”

“I know he’s 2 and can’t remember where he put his shoes but has he ever asked about his biological father? Big words to him but you get my point”

“No, one of his books has a set of parents in it and he believes he was created with magic inside of me. I’ll take that over a one night stand any day” Y/N uses her foot to open the trap again and quickly retracted to avoid triggering it. “But I can see where this is going…He knows Rick and I are siblings…but uh”

Carol stepped closing with a go on look on her face watching Y/N’s complexion get redder. “Yeah?”

“He probably sees Daryl as a father figure…just doesn’t call him dad. And we…yeah. We. No…”

“Y/N. I know the first few months of having a baby there were emotions flying. But he’s two now and those hormone influenced feelings have simmered a little…but…”

“I don’t want to ruin what’s perfect” Y/N instantly knew what to say and Carol has always been right about Y/N’s feelings toward Daryl, that it makes it complicated in her mind not to tell Daryl given she knows how he feels.

But for the sake of the child, Carol wasn’t going to make things complicated and let Y/N do things her way.

Even if every fiber of her wanted to say something to Daryl about how she felt. But sitting on the picnic bench in the secluded corner of Alexandria watching Daryl play with her son and niece as careful as he could be. Those moments were enough.

[amymbona]

1950s Patrick is cool, but imagine how tragic the story of 1940s Patrick is...

The war started and he is taken into the army, you cry and are afraid of losing your wonderful beloved husband. You can never be sure whether he will live or not, but can only believe and hope that at least he will remain alive, not to mention the injuries both physical and psychological, since war does not spare anyone. You spend your last night of love with him, whispering to him how much you love him and that you won't let him die. Maybe the conversation will even get to the baby, about how they want a baby and what you would name the baby after him. Patrick or Patricia :)) When a tear runs down cheek, he comforts you, says that he loves you, that he will never die and leave you alone. You end up falling asleep hugging him, and you look at him for the last time, knowing that tomorrow he will leave. In the morning you see him off, constantly kissing and hugging him the whole way, 'cause you understand that this is the only chance to be satiated with his love and adoration. You wave your handkerchief at him, shedding a tear, and here he is, leaving. All that remains is to believe that his service will be easier than others and that he will return to their home with the same wonderful smile and bright, shining eyes that you fell in love with.

Every time I realize that I'm a damn director, not a screenwriter. Give me my lovely screenwriter!!!

I haven't written to you for a long time, girlie. Amy, how are you?! What's up? 🤗🤗

- 🐦‍⬛

I'm gonna give you a blow job for this one, little bird. How am I doing? After reading this? Absolutely fucking wonderful.

One thing people must know about me is that I love angst and THIS..... 🫦🫦🫦 SO SO SO GOOD!

Imagine Patrick somewhere in the trench, the sun is falling down and he's shivering, purple bruises on his cheeks, his hair a complete mess. Unwashed, starving, the lack of sleep and warmth is very much evident in the way he's shivering but by some miracle, he hasn't gone crazy yet.

Perhaps it's the image of your beautiful face that he keeps in his pocket, a little photograph he has torn out of your family memory book that you keep in the living room, just to have you with himself at all times. All the men in his troop know about you, know your name and age and what flowers you like, that you love to dance to Glenn Miller's songs and wear the prettiest dresses. Patrick keeps talking about you nonstop.

And currently, he's writing a letter to you, one that he's been writing for the past there weeks and he honestly has no idea if his writings are ever gonna be seen by your eyes. Patrick is desperate to remain in contact with you, but he knows that even if all the letters would remain stuffed in his pocket, you'll know damn well what messages he is attempting to send you.

Luckily, through some begging and mutual contacts, he manages to give the letter to some guy. Patrick kisses it a thousand of times, hoping you'll get a whiff of his scent, even though he smells like dirt and piss.

My darling,

I miss you dearly and I miss you every day. Remember how I told you Remarque was a stupid fool? How I couldn't believe a single word from his book? This place is worse than All quiet on the western front, it's worse than hell itself.

Every day I thank myself for taking that little picture of your beautiful face to look at. It keeps me sane, I think, and I look at it more than I used to look at your real face. Forgive me it I've ever made you cry, my love. I cry every night.

Don't waste your words asking me how I'm doing, write about your days instead. Are you doing all alright? Are you keeping the place clean and that stray dog that keeps sneaking into our garden well fed? Has your mother's flu been treated and is she feeling better?

Please, darling, spray your perfume on the paper when you write me a response. Use the whole bottle it you feel like it's not enough. I just need to feel you somehow. If you can and find away, send me some food. Anything. In cans, preferably. Me and the boys are starving. They want to meet you when we're all back home. I talk about you and our memories every night.

I will be missing you until my heart stops beating.

Yours, Patrick

[lanadeldixon]

It’s a Fine Line

Daryl x Fem reader

(Enemies to lovers)

Word count- 1.7k

Warnings- foreplay, nudity, swearing, slight angst, wishing death on someone?

Summary- Y/N and Daryl hate each other and everyone knows it but as they say it’s a fine line between love and hate…

Setting- early Alexandria days, around s5-s6

“Ugh you don’t get it, I hate him. Like I just hate him so so much” I stated head still reeling over his stupid comment.

“No you don’t” Rosita said with a smirk.

“I mean me, stupid, as if! I’m actually like super smart”

I remarked ignoring her comment.

“Ugh”

“Ohh, so you’re talking about Daryl?” Maggie said with a giggle, her hand laced in Glenn’s.

It was nice to see her smile, it had been a while since she’d finally been able to be happy again.

“Don’t get her started” Rosita let out with a sigh.

I shot her a sharp look, “Rosita! I thought we were friends!” I said in a jokey tone.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back her smile.

“So you still haven’t made up with him?” Glenn asked.

Before I could respond Maggie scoffed,

“Them make up? I love you Y/N but you’re so stubborn!” I opened my mouth to argue, “I know he’s very stubborn too! But one day you may need eachother, it’s best to make amends or at least try to understand eachother.” She said with a more stern, but still understanding look on her face.

I pursed my lips together in annoyance, thinking over what she said.

It is true, if one day I’m in danger and I need to rely on him can I truly trust him to help me? He hates me but even though I hate him too I would still fight for him if he needed me.

I blushed slightly at the thought of saving someone I felt such anger for, it was kinda hot…

“Earth to Y/N, you still with us?” Rosita mocked waving her hand over my face.

“Yes, sorry I was lost in thought.” I muttered avoiding her eyes, ashamed of my thoughts.

“I wonder who you possibly could’ve been thinking about?” Rosita continued sarcastically, smirk reappearing.

“Oh, are you dating someone Y/N?” Glenn questioned as the girls giggled.

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head in embarrassment.

“Fine I’ll go talk to the stupid, greasy archer.” I said in a childish tone.

I walked through the town quickly, head down, mind reeling.

I had just made it through the doorway when I heard him.

“Oi ya even listening to me dumbass?”

My head shot up in anger.

“For the last time I’m not dumb, if you even listened to me for once you’d find that I’m rather intelligent, besides at least I don’t look like I haven’t showered in 10 years.”

He snarled.

“Now I know ya stupid”

“Why? What are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna call me stupid some more?!”

He angrily stomped towards me.

“Fuck ya!”

He said with a throw of his hand as he began to turn around.

“Fuck you? That’s it? Nothing else genius?” I said mockingly.

“What else should I say?? Yar a fucking bitch. I shoulda let ya ass get bit a long ass time ago.”

I paused for a second, I always knew he hated me but, I never knew he hated me that much, too the point where he wouldn’t even want me around anymore. I knew I egged him on but I guess I just wanted to hear something, anything, different…

I looked at him hurt, before averting my gaze.

It’s just us. We’ll always be like this. It shouldn’t hurt, but why does it?

“Fuck you too.” I said not being able to bring myself to look in his eyes.

I began to walk towards the closest exit, desperate to escape this anger?

No it feels worse than that.

I want to escape this pain…

I reached for the handle, before I could grasp it I felt a hand wrap around my arm.

“Don’t” the biker said in a gruff voice.

“Why do you care?” I said gaze fixed on the bottom of the door.

His silence was deafening.

“Let me go Daryl.”

I felt his hand falter slightly before it tightened.

“I can’t…”

“Why not? I thought you wanted me dead…”

I managed to release, struggling against the lump forming in the back of my throat. I could feel my eyes well up and I knew my hurt had surfaced enough to be seen.

If it was this painful then maybe Rosita was right…

“I didn’t mean tha’” he choked out.

“Then what did you mean Daryl? Why would you say it if you didn’t mean it?!” My voice quickened with my heart as I instinctively raised my voice.

“WHY DO YOU THINK Y/N?! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU THINK?!” He practically screamed at me.

The shake of his hand radiated through my entire body.

Finally I worked up the courage to turn around. I was scared of what might happen next however at the same time it excited me.

Our eyes met.

“Tell me…” I let out in a whisper.

His gaze shifted uncomfortably.

“Please…” I muttered.

“I hate you…” he slurred in a hushed tone, his eyes shifting to my lips.

I stayed silent.

“But God why da ya have to be so damn hot?”

“Fuck you…”

“Ya can’t even lemme finish, fuck, ya so damn annoyin’ but I just, I can’t not think about ya.”

My eyes widened and my whole body began to heat up.

“Ya face it’s like engraved in ma mind, I can’t not think about ya, day and night. Where ever I am. Ya all that’s on ma mind. I hate ya... I wanna hate ya so so bad but…”

He paused looking deeply into my eyes, I felt naked under his close watch.

“I don’t think it’s hate anymore Y/N, I don’t know if it ever has been. It’s a fine line ya know?” He looked away in shame as he said it and I gulped loudly.

“I know.” I said sternly.

We were mere inches apart. I couldn’t tell whether we were about to argue or…

He leaned forward in one quick motion, stopping just shy of my lips.

He had a raw almost animalistic look in his eyes.

I would’ve been scared if I wasn’t desperate to know what his next move would be.

He breathed heavily before sighing and leaning his arm above me, his head nuzzled in the crook of my neck.

“Do ya have any idea what ya doin to me dumbass,”

I just looked at him with widened eyes and a parted mouth. I must’ve looked like a deer in headlights.

I lifted my hands carefully and placed them on his back.

Much to my dismay he moved his head from its resting place.

But when his eyes met mine I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed for much longer.

I moved my head slightly forward and he followed my movements. As if in sync we mirrored one another’s actions until our lips were practically touching.

I could feel his warm breath hit my lips, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

My breath hitched as he searched my eyes, before his lips collided into mine.

His motions were rushed but clearly planned. The way his tongue explored my mouth, it couldn’t have been accidental.

His hands gripped onto my lower waist, tugging firmly at my trousers.

“Mhm” I pulled away for a second, and undid the buckle he was so clearly struggling with. When our eyes met again he had a look of gratitude mixed with hunger.

A grin overcame his face, “god I can’t wait to taste ya”

With that I met his lips, with a firm, meaningful kiss.

God he’s a good kisser.

He pulled off his waistcoat and began to lift his shirt so I followed. Throwing off my jacket and lifting my vest over my face before tossing it to the side.

His lips began to explore, making their way down to my neck.

And slowly to my chest he reached for the clasp of my bra but his efforts were futile.

“Fuck sake is this glued shut or somethin’?” He mumbled angrily.

A giggle escaped me as I grabbed his hand, guiding it.

He stood back for a second admiring his accomplishment.

With a nod he let out a soft hum, before gently kissing my breasts.

He held my waist tighter and pulled his head back,

“Ya ready for this princess,”

He said as me laid me down, looking at my body splayed on the floor in nothing but my panties.

I nodded and he smiled.

I began to admire his chest properly as he kneeled in-front of me and gripped his hands around my thighs before placing them on his shoulders and licking his lips.

He gently nipped at my thighs whilst his hand played with the hem of my lacy underwear.

“BAM!” The sound of the door slamming echoed through the house.

We unentangled ourselves and shot up startled.

We knew we were fucked.

“Carol’s going to love this, she’s been cooking like crazy lately,” I heard a familiar voice state.

Me and Daryl’s eyes met, it was obvious we were both struggling to think of a way to explain this.

The footsteps began to grow closer as we scrambled to grab our clothes.

He went to open the door but remembered the state we were in and instead decided against it.

“Fuck” he muttered.

My eyes shifted around the room until it landed on the closet.

I grabbed his wrist and rushed towards the door, managing to reach it just before the footsteps reached the kitchen.

“You’re joking!” I peered through a slit, noticing my suspicions were correct, Maggie and Rosita stood chatting in the kitchen.

“There’s no way, I mean they argue like cats and dogs!” Maggie exclaimed shocked.

My heart rate quickened realising whom they could be discussing…

“I’m telling you, she wants him bad!”

“No way, she was just saying earlier how much she hates him.”

My face met Daryl’s, he was already watching me, lust bubbling to the surface, daring to break through at any second.

My stance and gaze shifted as I realised just how uncomfortable this was, but to my surprise he lifted his hand and gently guided my face until once again our eyes were meeting.

“Oh come on, you’ve got be joking, it’s so obvious! I mean he wants her too, they just act like a couple of kids teasing each other because they have a crush.”

“I mean I guess, but I don’t know, it seems a lot like hatred to me.”

“That’s just because you’re not a part of it, trust me they’ll be ripping each others clothes in no time.”

Maggie laughed slightly before noticing something on the floor.

Her face scrunched up in confusion.

“Why is Daryl’s vest on the floor?…”

[theonlymadmanonmars]

Random Dndads Headcanons for all the main characters and as many side characters as I can think of!

Ron: Ron does not know what a Kiss is and thinks people are talking about the little chocolates. (Just like hugs he has been kissed he just doesn't know what tits called)

Dayrl: Daryl wears those "Free dad hugs" Shirts when he goes to pride with Grant. He always gets hugged multiple times and is just happy he looks approachable.

Henry: Henry gave Lark and Sparrow little Bear plushies to hold if they missed Him after the forgotten realms.

Glenn: Flirts with literally everyone but when he's around people he's interested in turns into a stuttering mess (IE Morgan)

Jodie: Has WILDLY inaccurate memories of his roll and the police force in general because none of the omega dads actually knew how the police force worked and couldn't be bothered to research it.

Walter: He does wheelies in his wheelchair to make Paden laugh.

Samantha: She adores amusement parks and always Drags Ron and Terry to them. They both just watch and eat Cotton Candy because they don't like the rides. This was incredibly awkward Before the forgotten realms but after became incredibly sweet bonding time for the family.

Carol: She once paid over four hundred dollars to an Internet scam Promising to get her signed posters from the cast of primer. What arrived in the mail was a picture of Scam likely doing a peace sign That was signed "Signed posters from the cast of Primer" with a little heart.

Mercedes: She does commissions for paintings and has drawn worse than the most freaky stuff you can imagine. This singlehandedly bought the house they live in.

Morgan: She has Tattoos of skulls and various bones (Teeth, Jagged broken bones, Ect) On her collar bone because she thought it was funny. Jodie wasn't a huge fan but Glenn LOVES them.

Erin O'Neil: She really liked all of the kids even if she didn't show it. Sparrow and Grant where he favorites. Also she likes metal music Glenn introduced her to it.

Scam Likely: Post season 1 he helped out with some doodler stuff and Continuously randomly Blasts clown music while the dads are fighting. He also called Jodie his boyfriend long before they started dating.

Mark Likely: The most flirty cunty bitch you'll ever meet. I have no proof I just know. She likes parties and her and Glenn get along so so well.

Autumn Oak: Does not like knitting. She just desperately needed to stab something and that's not super possible in Oakvale. She takes up Taekwondo in the human realm and loves it.

Paden: Regularly got into Brawls with Lark and Sparrow when left alone with them. Always lost.

Terry Jr (S1): The most Goth kid to ever goth. Another parallel to Scary and he was great at eyeliner.

Grant (S1): Was the only kid nervous to come out to His parents. Was incredibly surprised when both of them immediately and loudly supported him.

Lark (S1): Hates birds. He has a very one sided rivalry with Birds Especially Larks because there can only be one.

Sparrow (S1): Henry taught them acoustic guitar from a young age and they are really good at it.

Nick Close (S1): Started playing guitar hero To impress Glenn. It became one of their favorite games to play together.

Nicholas Foster (S1): Buys hard into copaganda. His favorite show growing up is Brooklyn 99.

Willy Stampler: His hatred of cats carries over into adulthood. Hes killed a few druids because they were wild shaped into cats.

Barry Oak: He loves to be physically above other people. he sits on Large flowers above people's heads so they have to look up at him.

Bill Close: When he's sober (rare) he really hates Barry and Willy. Because of this Barry does everything in his power to keep him drugged up and manipulatable.

______________________________________

Scary: She and Link share clothes. She likes her Garfield T-shirts and sweatpants, Link likes Her Skirts and Old Sundresses. This is aided by Scary's magic because Neither of them fit each other's clothes.

Link: She has a Garfield Pillow that's twice her size. Scary is slightly jealous of it.

Normal: He made all of his friends matching teeny the teen figurines. Except Customized for the individuals. Scary's is Goth, Hermie's is Joker themed, Taylor's is in anime figure style, and Link's is a soccer player.

Taylor: Cosplayer! He cosplays! He cosplays any gender from any anime. He spends an ungodly amount of Cassandra's money on it but she's more than happy to accommodate.

Hermie: Can and Will perform every part of Holy Musical Batm@n! Normal is enthralled every time.

Terry Jr (S2): Does all the accounting and analytical stuff for daddies because he like reading and numbers.

Grant (S2): Firmly believes that he's not good enough for Marco and Link. So Marco texts him and calls him all the time with pictures of him and Link saying how much they love him.

Lark (S2): Has gotten scared by his own shadow multiple times and shoots it every time.

Sparrow (S2): Says I love you at the end of phone calls no matter who they're talking to. This has lead to many awkward conversations.

Nicky (S2): Has a cut here tattoo on his missing arm That Glenn did the day after it healed. It was the first thing to make Nicky smile after his arm got cut off.

Mae Hales: She doesn't actually do anything at the office but get coffee. Ron was the one that hired her and he called her Doug for years she never corrected him.

Veronica: She was goth at Scariest age. Her and Terry met at a concert.

Marco: He is the sweetest guy you'll ever meet. He's also an amazing cook. Which makes up for Grant being an awful cook.

Rebecca: She is a little delulu. She believes her family is perfectly healthy and they all get along and love each other.

Cassandra: A bad bitch with horrible taste in men. She has dated three other men after Nicky and before Willy. None of them ever met Taylor. He would've hurt them to the best of his ability.

______________________________________

Trudy: Can obviously read and write but pretends not to be able to at home for her husband's sake.

Kelsey: Had an Italian student once and her teacher heart was very conflicted. Also she's really bad at baking but loves pie and spends way too much money on it.

Tony: Sells dating advice at his dealership for the teenagers. His advice is only ever vaguely sexual innuendos as he is the world's worst flirt.

Francis: Has the highest grades in his school despite being held back. He is an incredibly book smart kid and has the street smarts of a toddler.

BB: Her parents died in an alleyway like batman. Her one true goal as a detective is to find her parents killer. This is why they're never on screen and no one mentioned them when she got kidnapped.

Tyrus: He has a crush on Tony. Them threatening each other is a very poor attempt at flirting. Also in my mind He's a Blasian business owner in the fifties so like good for him.

Timmy: This child is trans. He's a trans dark academia kid in the 50's. None of these things are supported by his parents.

Kamonwan: She is very into Studying the World Wars. Especially the mass atrocities committed in America against Japanese citizens.

Sticky Rick: He is into show tunes. His all time favorite is Damn Yankees because it makes him feel like he's into sports. Which he is not.

Carly: When she has to double straw malts she pretends to be a walrus it's incredibly dorky and Francis loves it.

That's it because this post is way too long. Hope you enjoyed <3 (I couldn't tag everyone lol)

[peachycrime]

Locorro, with crumbs of SLK

@spicymiilk @be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie

I think Spiders been in love for a long time, but made a vow to himself to never say anything, he’d rather die than jeopardize everything over his ‘stupid’ feelings

Lo’ak fell in love with Spiders smile, the one he makes when he’s surrounded by the things he loves, the sweet and kind one he passes to Kiri and Tuk, the one full of pride he flashes at Neteyam and the one full of groundbreaking love he sends towards Lo’ak, the one he thinks Lo’ak hasn’t noticed

Spider fell in love with Lo’ak’s eyes, cuz man does that boy have pretty eyes. He fell in love with their sage green color, the way the glowed like jewels in the dark, the way he stares and gives his undivided attention, the way he looks at him, eyes half-lidded full of love, the kind that he ignores out of feelings of self hatred

They’re little nerds together, very protective of each other too, you think you can talk down on the other in each others presence? have you lost it?

They go hunting together, ALL the time, it’s something they’re both good at and they love to brag back to the others about their latest catch

I imagine Spider scaring the shit out of Lo’ak and Kiri with his wiggly front tooth on some random morning. All of Kiri’s Tsakarem training kicked in she was ready to extract that thing. Spider and Lo’ak starting screaming and panic while she tried to get him to sit still. Admits the chaos Lo’ak head-butted Spider dead in the mouth and the tooth fell out.

It took a full hour for Spider to convince them that it was natural and that he was completely fine

Our boys definitely have a secret spot behind a waterfall, it’s a small bioluminescent cave and they have a bunch of stuff stashed there

They don’t really talk about each others insecurities to each other, Lo’ak feels like Spider has it worse and thinks his problems aren’t important. Spider just thinks he himself is unimportant and doesn’t wanna burden Lo’ak

I think that this is something they move past as they get older, they’re both so emotionally sensitive to eachother that they kind of have to learn to communicate.

They pull pranks together, all. the. time. The only people they don’t prank are the elders(mo’at) and Neytiri. Everyone else?? free game. They usually do it to get revenge on bullies or just to poke fun at others

Lo’ak is an amazing story teller, since Spider wasn’t generally allowed to be around during family nights and other such events, he’d make sure pay special attention on story nights so he could later on, retell them to Spider on nights whn Jake and Neytiri went on dates

I just imagine a little Spider, missing one of his front teeth, looking at Lo’ak with stars in his eyes while Lo’ak tells him about his dad meeting Neytiri for the first time

One time, the kids got in trouble and Spider wasn’t allowed to the village for a week, a week where there happened to be a festival celebrating the new season and the kids felt bad because Spider couldn’t come. What do they do? They steal some food, juice and costumes and make a plan. A plan to reenact the festival but with just them (Nete, Lo’ak, Kiri, Tuk and Spider) as a surprise

So imagine the kids in their own corner of the forest, Tuk and Kiri dancing around in their best outfits and costumes on. Neteyam hitting those drums while Spider and Lo’ak just goofing around while singing their favorite clan songs in a mini choir. Core memory.

They make eachothers hair accessories. idc i don’t make the rules🤷🏿‍♀️

Kiri braids both of their hair (no dreads/locs for spider in this one)

They have a secret meeting spot behind a waterfall, they have a bunch of stuff in there actually, extra masks, hunting tools, 2 sleeping mats, a flash light and lots of paints/pigments. They’ve been painting the inside of the cave since they were 10, they add a little something each time they go. It’s a promise to eachother that even when the other is gone, one of them will have something to go back to. And when they’ve both left Eywa’eveng? Then that cave will be a way to immortalize their memories together, and their ever lasting connection.

Lo’ak told Payakan about Spider

In a fit of anger after finding out that Spider saved Quaritch, he told him that he should’ve never came back for him. That’s one of the two things Lo’ak regrets ever saying. The other one was telling Neteyam that he wasn’t his brother.

Spider was hysterical, like genuinely sobbing for Lo’ak to stop and listen to him, he needs to make sure that Lo’ak understands that it wasn’t betrayal. That he would pick them over that monster over and over again, and the he did choose them over him.

Lo’ak comes around, it doesn’t take as much as you would expect but he’s just so tired? He’s exhausted, all the running, losing Neteyam, the weight of everything is just too much. He needs his Spider by his side, but he doesn’t know what to do. So he goes to our beloved Kiri.

Kiri, that sweet sweet girl, she was the first one to know of course, after all, he’s her monkey boy. She’d already heard everything from Spider so she isn’t shocked when Lo’ak comes to her, she understands how he feels and just offers her twin the comfort he needs. She also puts things into perspective and tells her about the ‘son for a son’ moment

They reconcile, they’re weak, but the love is strong, after all, freaks stick together?

I’m all out

[howlingday]

Howdy I just wanted to say that I hope you’re having an awesome day today.

And to ask for if raven was Jaune’s mom part 2

But seriously hope you’re having a wonderful day today you deserve it everyday

You know what, I appreciate that. Thus far, my day has been alright, and I hope it's better for you. As for your initial ask...

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Chapter 1

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"What the hell are you doing here, Raven?!"

Jaune stood next to his newly-discovered sister as she glared at their mother like she wanted her dead. Knowing Yang as he did, she probably does. Mom, on the other hand, kept her cool as she kept her eyes on her estranged daughter.

"Wait, Raven?" Ruby asked. "Like, Yang's mom, Raven? Like, ran out on Dad and left Yang with him, Raven?"

"Yeah..." Nick scratched his head. "Now'd be a good time to explain."

"...Hello, Yang." Raven said as she approached the group.

"Twelve years." Yang shook her head. "We don't see each other for twelve years, and THIS is how you greet me?"

"...Six months."

"Excuse me?"

"We last saw each other six months ago." Raven corrected. "Or, at least, I saw you six months ago. You were likely falling unconscious."

"Wh-What do you..?"

"Mountain Glenn. You and your team were on an expedition with Bart, then stumbled onto a White Fang plot."

"Wait, you were there?" Jaune asked.

"It was before the train crashed." Raven admitted.

"But why, though?" Yang repeated for Jaune. "You knew I was in trouble then, but not any other time, so why?"

"My semblance," Raven swallowed, "It's... it's somehow connected to your aura. The aura of everyone I bond with. And when that aura gets low enough, I get this feeling, and I-"

"That's not what I asked." Yang swiftly closed the gap and grabbed her mother by her shirt collar. "Why did you only come back during Mountain Glenn," tears filled Yang's eyes, "but not for any other time I needed a mother?!"

Raven was silent. She didn't answer. Could she give an answer? Regardless, it was Yang who responded to whatever Raven would have said.

Eyes glowing red, water filling around them as golden hair blinded everyone to Yang's fist colliding with Raven's cheek. The woman taking the blow didn't fight it, choosing to fall instead with the blow. Yang watched her roll into the dirt, Jaune and his father following close.

Suddenly, a horde of blonde girls came rushing out of the home, surrounding the dark-haired matriarch. They were protecting her. They were all protecting the woman who left Yang alone for all those years.

Everyone stared at her. Raven with defeated eyes, eyes so unlike the woman she vaguely remembered and heard so much about in her absence. Nick glancing concerned eyes to his wife and to his eighth daughter, though the latter was tinged by anger. And there was a myriad of emotions in the eyes of Jaune's, and technically Yang's, sisters, ranging from violent anger to bewildered fear. The looks from hers and Jaune's teams could do little worse than the sister's, though Ruby's was empowered by her delicate hands covering her mouth.

Jaune's reaction was the most shocking of all, though. Her newly learned of brother, Jaune, approached her swiftly and took hold of her. He mumbled something, then took her into him. With a few pats and rubs, his words became clearer.

"Are you okay?"

[mushrubes]

Underneath

Masterlist | The walking dead Masterlist

Part one | Part three

Requested : No

Song : The Beach - The Neighbourhood

Pairing : Daryl Dixon x reader (No use of Y/n)

Pronouns : you/yours

Type : fluff + angst

Contents : mutual pinning, slightly canon divergent, best friends :)

Word count : 1.5k

Have a great day / night !!

—---

If I meet you in the middle maybe we could agree

"Na." Daryl shrugged, turning away from you and giving Rick his attention. "Oh, come on! Really, Daryl?" you scoffed, face plaming at his words. "Look, we need as many people as we can get." Rick tried to reason, sending you an apologetic look about Drayl's reaction. The hunter was silent, turning away and continuing to clean his arrows. "Daryl, he needs more people." you repeated, siding with Rick. To be honest, you had been dying to get out of the town, wanting to do at least something.

"Not yer." he continued, turning to now face you, lifting his gaze up to meet yours. Although he had his usual stern and tough expression, you could see the mix of fear and concern both in the way he was looking at you and his reaction to Rick's news. You reached out, hand pressing softly to his bicep. He stayed still for a few seconds before moving his arm, grunting.

It was evident he was still uncertain about letting you help the group out on the run. "C'mon brother, meet me halfway." Rick pleaded, his hands on his hips as you tried to think of a possible solution. "Meet us halfway, Dixon. I'll come with you instead of Glenn's group, and help you." you suggested, seeing him immediately get less tense.

"Fine."

You make me feel little how you're looking at me

"What was yer thinkin'?" Daryl raised his voice, pacing back and forth as you sat in the chair. While you had been on the run, there happened to be more walkers than the four of you had anticipated, resulting in all of you having to rush out as Abraham came up with a quick resolution. When getting out of the building, you had been too concentrated on surviving and didn't realise the long, deep gash on your shin, the sprained ankle making it harder for you to walk. His leather jacket was currently tied across your leg in a makeshift bandage, as best as he could, trying to stop the bleeding even the smallest bit.

"Stop looking at me like that." you mumbled, his intense stare putting you off. You stared at the ground, legs dangling off the seat. He didn't mean this rant harshly - you knew that. He was concerned about you getting hurt, but the looks he gave you when this stuff happened, it made you feel small and weak. The fact you relied on him made you feel guilty, but this, on top of everything made it worse. "This is why I don't want yer out." he grumbled, missing the broken look on your face. "I can't jus' babysit yer every time!" he lectured, biting his tongue as he saw your eyes gloss slightly.

The door opened, footsteps getting closer before the person appeared. Carol walked in, tentatively looking between the pair of you as she could sense the tension. "Everything okay?" she cautiously questioned, walking over and sitting in the chair next to you. You hummed, the floor yet again being more interesting. She looked up at Daryl, giving him a look that read 'We'll talk about this later'. "Daryl was just leaving." you said simply, not giving him a glance. He didn't respond, opening his mouth but then closing it. He walked over, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head and sparing you a glance before walking out.

He was so complicated.

And you can throw me shade, all it does is just cool me off

"Okay, what happened?" Carol asked, putting the tray into the oven as Daryl took a seat on the barstool opposite begrudgingly. "Had a go at 'em. It was a stupid thing to do." he shrugged, acting as if it were no big deal. She turned to face him, leaning against the side with her arms folded in her chest as she sighed at him. "Daryl." she warned, trying to help him calm down. She walked around, pulling the stool next to him out and sitting down. "You can't fool me." she whispered, brushing the hair out of his eyes and frowning as she saw his eyes get glossy.

"I was there." he groaned, holding his head in his hands as Carol's hand rested on his back, rubbing up and down comfortingly. "It wasn't your fault." she assured him, but he didn't believe it. He never did. No matter what happened or who it was, if something happened to anyone that he was with on a run or anything, he immediately felt guilty, like he had failed at protecting them. It hit even harder with you, swearing to himself to always keep you out of harm's way even if that meant putting himself at risk. Carol stood up, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"They'll pull through." she assured, getting up and leaving him with his thoughts.

First it just threw me off, now I'm just moving on

Sitting down in the chair, he placed the flowers Carol had asked him to bring on the bedside table. His knee bounced anxiously, taking in your peaceful figure. Luckily, the damage hadn't been too horrid. You had a few stitches on your leg and your ankle should be okay in a day or so. Eventually, you moved about, fidgeting in the bed and stretching which broke Daryl out of his stance. "Mornin'" he spoke, nervously waiting for your response. You froze for a second, soon smiling as you realised he was there. "Hey." you smiled weakly, turning to face him.

Silence swept over the room for a few minutes, the pair of you debating over what to say or do. Your hands had intertwined at some point, Daryl's grip slightly hard as if you were going to fade away otherwise. Your thumb rubbed up and down comfortingly as he snapped out of his thoughts again. "'m sorry." he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly as you chuckled. He was normally very stubborn, reluctant to apologise but by the way he was acting and the evident proof of the lack of rest he had gotten, you knew he felt bad.

"It's fine, Daryl. You were just looking out for me." you spoke, seeing him perk up slightly as he realised you knew how he felt despite him not having to say anything. "Did you get any rest last night?" you asked, frowning as your hand cupped his cheek, heating up slightly. "Na. Was worrin' bout yer. I should've got yer out." he grumbled, still accusing himself for the state you were in.

"Hey, it could've been worse." you lightly joked, moving over and tapping the side of the bed to signal for him to lay next to you. He didn't argue for once, complying with you and carefully lying down, not wanting to knock your leg. "It wasn't your fault." you whispered, caressing his cheek as he pressed a kiss to the palm of your hand. "Jus' want yer safe." he huffed, his eyes full of adoration.

"I'm always safe with you."

Fallin' again,  I need a pick-me-up

"Be safe." you pleaded, handing him his crossbow after he pulled his vest on. "Don' worry bout me. I'll be back later." he assured, kissing your temple before walking over to the other group, making you chuckle as he turned into his usual 'tough' self, threatening one of the other's as he made a comment about him. "What's going on with you two?" Rick asked, holding Judith in his arms as she played with some of his hair. You turned towards him, raising an eyebrow. "What?" you questioned, feeling yourself get flustered.

"Oh c'mon, everyone can see it." he huffed, smirking at you as Michonne walked out, humming in agreement. "Not wrong." she grinned before heading down the steps, greeting another person. "What about you two?" you huffed, trying to change the topic but he stopped you. "I asked first." he chuckled, handing Judith to Carl who walked back inside with her, probably going to feed her. "Nothing." you sighed, turning to where the group was, watching Daryl get onto his bike.

"That's a lie. I've known you forever and you've never looked at anyone like that." he argued, making you sigh as you knew he was right, not able to argue. "He doesn't feel the same Rick. Leave it." you grumbled, not wanting to dwell on the subject any more than you already did. The hope building inside of you, the head or cheek kisses Daryl gave you before he left you alone, the hugs and moments shared between you - it was platonic. There was no way he would feel the same as you did, you were so sure of it. "He doesn't treat us like he treats you. Not even Carol." he tried to assure, knowing it wouldn't be much help.

You were in love with your best friend, but there was no way he'd ever know it.

----

Part one | Part three

[tobyyobyy]

carl grimes headcannons because we lack of anything for him and i can (most, if not all, are just non-apocalypse headcannons):

- autistic (we are starting off strong here)

- vocally stims vines sometimes (“road work ahead? uh yeah i sure hope it does”, “look at all those chickens”, “i wanna be a cowboy baby”) (he does that last one in front of rick a lot and rick never understands it’s from vine)

- judith: “daddy?”

- carl: “DO I LOOK LIKE-?”

- glenn taught him a lot of stupid jokes like “ligma” and “joe mama” (the usual college kid jokes)

- would use the “joe mama” joke on judith a lot

- judith would retaliate with ligma jokes (“we have the same mom idiot”)

- no one knows where she learnt that one

- loved science as a kid

- switched between wanting to become a cop like rick or an astronomer

- thought about being a palaeontologist but couldn’t see himself doing it for the rest of his life

- didn’t have a lot of friends but was still liked by other kids anyways (doesn’t mean he’s popular, people are just neutral about him)

- is on a swim team

- just likes swimming in general

- MOMMA’S BOY!!!!!

- then lori died so he made that transition over to his dad…yeah

- keeps his hair long and went through that teenage grunge phase

- listens to bands like oasis, los campensinos, nirvana, foo fighters, etc etc

- his parents music taste would sneak in sometimes tho like fleetwood mac, abba (lori) bob dylan, johnny cash (rick), any 80’s songs and old country (below the 70’s)

- because of that grunge phase he’d 100% play the electric guitar

- his grandpa taught him a bit of acoustic whenever they’d visit

- he plays the acoustic sometimes for judith, or anyone in his family who asks, but mainly judith

- plays more chill songs like something you’d find in the ‘life is strange’ soundtrack (bright eyes, angus and julia stone, iron & wine) (most of those are from enid’s music taste)

- rick and michonne let him use the garage but it still drives them up the walls when he jams out with friends

- doesn’t understand the superbowl but because his dad likes it he makes an effort to watch it with him because no one else will

- jump scares any unsuspecting victim when they turn the corner of a wall

- to calm down whenever he’s stressed/overwhelmed/overstimulated he’ll either go swimming or ask his grandparents to come over (they own a farm) to ride some horses

- allergic to peanuts (not pecans because they had to eat some when they met Gabriel so)

- hates anything deep fried except for fish

- terrible in any form of skating

- roller skating? keeps slamming into the wall

- ice skating? uses those kid-balance-crutches-thingys

- he just has terrible coordination

- obviously gets worse when he looses his eye

- he’s good at bowling tho

- even tho he’s a moody teenager he’s EXTREMELY kind

- switches from sciences to arts and english in high school

- started making little family portraits drawings

- can actually understand old english/shakespeare

- makes blanket forts with judith 24/7

- actually does have a southern accent it’s just more like loris (less noticeable than ricks)

- would 100% watch minecraft youtubers

- bisexual little shit (duh)

- when he was a kid he didn’t have a fear of needles but as he grew up he just DESPISED them like shaking screaming crying and throwing up type deal

- hums a lot to judith, usually the song “baby mine”

- snapchat user

- embarrassingly so. especially when he uses the filters

- has a diary and calls it a diary not a journal

- drops trauma like it’s nothing, like a silly joke (this is basically canon but i’ll still include it in)

- headphones on 24/7 might as well be glued to his head (his ears are too small for earphones and he likes soundproof headphones anyways)

- an entire shelf in his closet is just for comics (and some comics are thin so you can imagine how many he has)

- likes reading other things too instead of just comics

- refuses to wear elastics/tie his hair up even if it gets in his way a lot

- let’s judith put silly hairclips in it

- sometimes forgets to take them out when he gets to school but he doesn’t care much

- would watch: the office, brooklyn nine-nine, the breakfast club & moral orel

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if Jacob did kill Esme in A Leech in the Rain?

Leech in the Rain by me and @therealvinelle

Interesting question.

Let's dive in.

The Immediate Aftermath

We'll say Jacob hasn't been grievously injured by Esme in the struggle. He's able to burn Esme's body and does his best to double back and cover the scent trail such that Edward won't notice Jacob and Esme having gone off alone together and only Jacob coming back.

This is likely... poorly done but Edward's a bad tracker so he might be bad enough that it works.

Edward returns and Esme's not there, Bella notes that neither she nor Jacob have seen her all day, they think she went out to hunt.

Edward accepts but becomes increasingly agitated by her absence. She could have been kidnapped by the Volturi as Charlie was. She might even have been murdered by them. They have no way of knowing where she is when she didn't take her phone.

Bella hints that Esme may have run off to them of her own free will as she's been acting mighty suspicious recently. That freaks Edward out and he goes on his search, what Bella didn't account for was that his search radius would be enough to find the remains of the pyre.

It's possible it was another vampire, but doubtful given the Cullens and their recruits are the only ones in the area. Odd though is that Edward isn't catching familiar scents. Something has been sprayed everywhere to try to cover the scents so he can't make out any of the Volturi or even Esme's scent very well.

Bella tells him this must have been the Volturi method but even Edward is confused as to why Aro wouldn't take credit. He's in such a state of grief, though, he doesn't think to question it.

Now his family is that much closer to breaking, Esme is gone and Carlisle will return to nothing. The Cullens can't be the Cullens again when one of their number is dead.

Edward enters a deep depression.

The Army Buildup

Now, Vlad and Stefan get a little more time than they did in the fic and things are going relatively well. In the fic, Esme's flight to Volterra immediately gave the information of where Vlad and Stefan were, the army they'd raised (which mostly being new vampires, Demetri couldn't track at the time), and Caius immediately launched an assault and wiped them out to a man (Vlad and Stefan barely escaping, and Bella, Edward, and Renee escaping for Jacob's funeral).

In fact, if they're careful, they can do quite well. They can avoid spies if they refuse to accept any more vampires/don't let them near the troops and purposefully keep themselves out of the way. This is somewhat easy as they're out of the recruiting phase and can have some of the vampires they created patrol the territory to catch anyone attempting to spy.

However, Aro will look at the uptick in violent death in any given area, and even as Vlad and Stefan have the troops spread out they won't be able to send them far enough safely enough (might run into another vampire) to spread the nubmers enough that Aro wouldn't notice.

Likely, what they do, is in order to distract Aro and make sure at least some of his power houess are out of Volterra in time they set Renee loose in some city. "You go buy your body lotion, Glenn Coco!"

They do this with several newborn vampires in several major cities across the United States.

While it blows their cover, as Aro will know they intend to move, Aro will either have to sacrifice a city and his secret or else divide his forces.

What they don't count on, of course, is Bella.

Bella Fucks Up Vlad and Stefan's Groove

The Renee plan is great, except it is Bella's mother, and while for a while it looks like Bella would be glad to be rid of the woman and is scheming to do it herself, then Vlad and Stefan send her off, bon voyage, and Bella freaks out.

They've sent her mother to be murdered by the Volturi.

"You'll save your daughter though," Vlad and Stefan point out, not realizing this makes it worse as Bella's turned on her daughter completely and it's Jacob that wants Renesmee back.

Bella refuses to go to Volterra until they save her mother and Vlad and Stefan (as in the fic) do not know if Bella can use her gift unconsciously (e.g. if they cut off her head and tote around her body, does she still work).

They end up having to kidnap Edward to get Bella to accompany them, as they're certain Bella will at least choose Edward (which she will) but what they don't count on is Bella's unbelievable ability to flip sides when convenient to her.

Bella goes along with it right up until they're at the gates (Bella having to be there as her radius doesn't extend quite far enough, at least she claims, to not be in the battle herself) at which point she drops the shield and offers her services as the enemy has kidnapped Edward and torn off his head. They uh can keep Renesmee and Carlisle, Bella hates them both.

Unfortunately for Bella, Aro doesn't trust her and has her executed.

The army is subsequently wiped out, Vlad and Stefan fleeing for their lives once again, and murdering Edward in a fit of rage in the aftermath.

[devnmon]

The Return to Atlanta.

Chapter Seven: Written in My Stars

gif by @userpascals

Summary: Daryl and the guys chase Merle's trail around Atlanta, running into some not-so-friendly faces. All they want to do is get the bag of guns, and find Merle. How can they do that if one of their friends is taken?

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Series Masterlist | Playlist

Chapter Warnings: a bit of violence, mentions of blood, Daryl and his snarky comments.

wc: 4.6k

Still staring down at the handcuffs and severed hand on the ground, Daryl's anger brought him to aim his bow at T-dog. The rage brewing inside of him couldn't help but put his thoughts to actions. Before he can make another move, the barrel of Rick's gun is aimed at his head.

"I won't hesitate, I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

Daryl blinks, hard, knowing he only has one way out of this. with a sigh, he lowers the bow. Still looking at T-dog, he asks if he’s got something he can pick his brother’s hand up in. Glenn's face breaks out in disgust as Daryl places the now wrapped hand into his backpack, explaining that Merle used a tourniquet on his wound, since the trail of blood he picked up on was minimal.

Without thinking, Daryl calls out into the building for Merle, not concerned about whatever could be attracted to the sound of his voice.

The four men descend a couple flights of stairs, following the archer as they venture through the building, and down a hallway until they spot the bodies of two geeks lying on the floor in another room, lifeless.

Clearly taken out by Merle, because who else could have done it?

The sight surprises Daryl, but he knows his brother better than anyone else does. So, he also expects it from him.

"Had enough in him to take out these sumbitches, one handed. Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother… Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is."

Though Rick was technically right, Daryl’s method to his brothers madness was etched into his brain.

He follows the trail of blood drops down another hallway, before he's calling out again, this time getting a reaction out of Rick.

"Merle!"

"We're not alone here, remember?" Rick responds in a lower voice than the man beside him.

Daryl decided screw that, because his damn brother could be bleeding out somewhere nearby, only reiterating what Rick said so himself. He follows Daryl as he continues searching for the man throughout the building.

Crouched down low, Daryl spots the flames of a stove turned on high, filling the air with gas.

Sure enough, there was the tourniquet Merle used, his belt wrapped like it would be around his wrist, where his hand had been cut.

"What's that burned stuff?" Glenn asks, not sure if he was going to regret asking or not.

"Skin. He cauterized the stump." Watching as Rick picked up the iron, pieces of flesh burned to a crisp on it. Daryl only observes as both Glenn and Rick's faces contort and refuse to look back at it, and Glenn regrets his questioning the second he hears Rick's response.

Before the broken window gave away the fact that Merle left the building, the group discussed that his out there weren't as high as they'd like them to be, with the amount of blood he'd lost.

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks."

The looks of guilt on both T-dog and Glenn's faces was enough to make Daryl feel twice as bad about his brother being stranded and his disappearance.

They were both lucky Daryl hadn't seen it on their faces.

Daryl’s face reddens in his stressed state, the inability to stand still making him pace around the room again as they try to figure out where to look next.

"You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard.."

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?"

Daryl and Rick had been arguing over nothing at this point, getting pissed off by what the other one retorted and so on and so forth.

That is, until Rick explained to Daryl how he understood Merle was family and what he was going through, since he had just gone through hell to find his. Though he's pissed off, Daryl respects Rick a little more after he offers to check around a few blocks in the area, but only if done so with a level head. he agrees, and T-dog butts in.

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?" T-dog speaks up, the safety of his group in mind.

They all agree finally, gathering in a different part of the room while Glenn draws out the plan. Daryl and Rick retort with their concern for his safety, since Glenn's plan strives on him going into the street alone for the bag of guns. He places some random small office supplies on the floor to demonstrate his plan as clear as possible.

Daryl's curiosity on how Glenn knows this much about the city streets and how to get around quickly defeats him.

"Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?"

"Delivered pizzas. Why?"

Before Daryl knew it, he was climbing down the side of a building into an alley with the baseball cap-wearing man, crossbow out as they headed to crouch behind a dumpster. Glenn's feet move quickly as he races out of the gate, leaving Daryl to wait for him there.

The plan quickly goes awry as Daryl is approached by a young kid, yelling for help in a language he didn't know, getting ambushed by two guys. Daryl's helpless as he's being pushed to the ground and beaten up, until Glenn runs back to the alley to see the scene.

Some guy calls glenn a vato as Daryl gets up in time to shoot one of the guys in the ass with an arrow. One of the other men backs up with glenn in a chokehold, completely powerless over him as he yells out. Before Daryl knows it, a car is pulling up behind them, as he watches both guys get into it and drive off.

Rick and T-dog are finally close enough to the two of them so Rick can restrain Daryl from punching the kid out. Daryl didn't realize that he was just a scared kid that was doing whatever it took for his group.

The next thing Daryl knows, he's lunging towards him without control, yelling out of blatant anger at how their plan got turned sideways on itself. Of course, Rick restrains him, pushing him back every time Daryl lunges forward at the kid again.

He's yelling, straining his voice, the walkers on the fence growling louder than Daryl is able to think.

"Get to the ladder, go!"

With that, the group retreats since being cut off by geeks, running back to the same ladder they'd come down from. The last thing Daryl sees is Rick grabbing the bag of guns and his hat before he starts running ahead without him.

"What the hell happened back there?"

"Told you, this little turd and his douchebag friends came outta nowhere an' jumped me."

Anxious as ever, Daryl paced. His gaze on the kid, Miguel, never faltered as they argued.

"Man, you're the one who jumped me, puto. Screaming about trying to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

Then Daryl explains to rick that his people took Glenn, which he thinks means they could've done the same to Merle.

"Merle? What kinda hick name is that? I wouldn't name my dog Merle."

Miguel pushes Daryl an inch further, sticking his foot out to kick him before he was getting restrained by Rick, again.

Daryl decides to bluff a little and scare the kid, grabbing his brother's severed hand from Glenn's pack and unwrapping it.

"Wanna see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?"

Dropping the body part in the boy's lap, Miguel yelled out as he stood, the severed body part dropping onto the ground. Daryl threatens him again, until Rick pushes him away and explains to him that all they want to do is talk, to see if they can't work something out with the group.

After the boy gives up the location of where his group, the Vatos, are holed up, they find it's time to go meet Guillermo. Daryl and men crouch outside of the entrance now, their guns (and crossbow) loaded and cocked as they push the boy forward, watching the door open.

The first man that walks out is Guillermo, the man Miguel had mentioned before.

"You okay, little man?"

"They're gonna cut off my feet, carnal."

G looks to Rick, asking him, "Cops do that?", in which Miguel responds.

"Not him. This redneck puto here. Cut off some dude's hand, man. He showed it to me!"

"Shut up." Daryl retorts, crossbow aimed at the men before him.

Before G can continue, two other men emerge from the doorway, both holding guns pointed towards the men opposite them.

"Hey, that' that vato right there, homes. He shot me in the ass with an arrow, man. What's up, homes, huh?!" Guillermo insists the man put his gun down, and once he does, he continues talking to Rick.

"Chill, ese. Chill, chill. This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick man."

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion."

"That hillbilly jumps Felipe's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass, and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides." Rick pushes so desperately for this conversation to remain civil, and Daryl can tell.

"Who's that dude to you anyway? You don't look related."

"He's one of our group, more or less. I'm sure you have a few like him.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl speaks up, wanting this conversation to move along to what he really wants to talk about: finding Merle.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of white boys. But I got asian, you interested?"

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine. Sounds like an even trade." Rick begins to bargain, but it's just not enough for G.

Guillermo then insists that the bag of guns was his, and demands that he and his people be given compensation for all their pain and suffering.

Rick is baffled at how the man insists on the aspect of playing finders keepers, even in the apocalypse.

A few other men raise their guns at the group, until Rick looks to T-dog who was sat on a high ledge with a sniper rifle. With that, G yells out, and Glenn appears on top of the roof, held back by another man, with duct tape over his mouth.

Guillermo insists that they come back with the guns, serving their best and worst options to them before retreating back inside with his men.

Back in the building they were loitering around in earlier, Rick starts going through all the guns in his bag, reloading them and making sure there's bullets in each chamber.

"You think that vato across the way is just gonna hand Glenn over?" T-dog asks, before Daryl gets overtaken with frustration at the aspect of their situation.

"You calling G a liar?"

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?"

"No, question is, what are you willing to bet on it? Could be more than them guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?"

Rick holstered his python, then looked to Daryl and spoke, the concerned look on his face showing more than what he said.

"What life I have, I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could've walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."

"So you're gonna hand the guns over?"

"I didn't say that."

"There's nothing keeping you here. You should get out, head back to camp." Either Rick wanted to do this alone, or didn't appreciate the conflict or amount of opinions at the moment.

"And tell your family what?" The look on T-dog's face says it all, that they weren't going to leave him alone out here to deal with something that he might need their backup for.

Rick looks to each of the men again, and hands each of them a shotgun, loading them with shells as they head out again.

In the vato's territory again, they make their way into the building, Miguel first as they walk in, guns loaded.

"I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag." Guillermo begins.

"That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that." Rick's looking down the barrel of a shotgun, as he begins to retort the same things he's said earlier.

Felipe steps up to Guillermo from behind him, anger in his voice prominent as he begins to speak, "Let's just shoot these fold right now, ese. Alright? Unload on their asses, ese."

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation."

"No, I'm pretty clear," Rick states before putting his gun down, then cutting Miguel's restraints around his wrists free, "You have your man, I want mine."

Guillermo hesitates for a moment, then decides to make another threat.

"I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked 'em up from Satan at a yard sale."

The look he shares with Rick is calling his bluff, before G makes another threat.

"I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?"

"My hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded," Rick's shotgun cocking only triggers Daryl to do the same, him and T-dog raising their weapons as the rest of the room does as well, "Okay then, we're here."

Tension is thick in the air, Daryl staring down the barrel of his shotgun while Rick's is pointed directly at Guillermo. He thinks the next thing he's going to hear are multiple gunshots at one time, but a different sound comes instead.

"Felipe, Felipe!"

"Abuela, go back with the others- now."

"Get that old lady outta the line of fire!" Daryl yells, stiffness in his shoulders growing as he continues to hold the gun to eye level. G finally turns away from the receiving end of the gun, to speak to the older woman.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now."

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff."

Her voice almost pulls each of the men from their violent tendencies, the tone of her voice threatening to break in concern for the man she was talking about. G brushes Felipe off to go handle the situation with his Abuela, and before he can get out of the room with her, she looks at Rick and the other men out of curiosity.

"Who are those men?" Stepping forward, the three men lower their guns almost instantaneously. "Don't you take him, Felipe's a good boy."

"Ma'am? I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then, what do you want him for?"

"He's.. helping us find a missing person. Fella named Glenn." Rick speaks, in the calmest way possible despite the threats made just moments ago.

"The asian boy? He's with Mr. Gibert. Come, Come, I show you."

"Let him pass."

The woman led the four men to a different part of the buildings, where there were even more elderly people. Daryl's eyes dart around in disbelief, the men's situation much different than they had let on.

Rick and the others approach a group of elderly people, surrounding the man who must be Mr. Gilbert. Among the group, Glenn stands near the others.

"What the hell is this?"

"An asthma attack Couldn't get his breath all of the sudden." The look on Glenn's face shows that he hadn't been beaten or tortured, much like Rick and Daryl had thought he was being.

"We thought you were being eaten by dogs, man!" Glenn's face turns to the three tiny chihuahuas behind him, sitting in a bed together.

"Can I have a word? You're the dumbest son of a bitch I've ever met." was the last thing Daryl heard as he watched Rick pull G to the side. "We walked in there ready to kill every last one of you."

Now with a lighter look on his face, G responds, "Well I'm glad it didn't go down that way."

"If it had, that blood would've been on my hands."

Guillermo explains to Rick how all the staff picked up and left when everything happened, that the workers left them there to die.

After a while, Rick leads the group out of the structure, giving some guns and ammunition to the group for protection. The walk back to their truck was tiring for the whole group, Daryl's feet aching.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat." Glenn spoke to Rick about the cowboy sheriff hat that adorned the top of his head.

"Don't tell anybody."

"You've given away half our guns and ammo.." Daryl retorted, not understanding how Glenn could be making jokes after they could have walked away with the same amount of guns they'd entered the city to find.

"Not nearly half."

"For what? A bunch of old farts who are gonna die momentarily anyhow? Aeriously, how long do you think they've got?"

"How long do any of us?"

The four men expected for their truck to be in the same place they'd left it, but when their eyes trailed over to where it had been parked, they only saw the empty space where it had once been.

"Oh my god."

"Where the hell's our van?"

"We left it right there. Who would take it?"

"Merle."

"He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp.." Daryl looked down, the thought of his brother all amped up after a day and night of being exposed to the elements, and whatever else is out in the world now.

As the realization washed over all four guys, they stood in silence until Rick began walking forward.

"Where the hell you goin'?" Daryl called after Rick, already making distance from the other three men from where they stood.

"We've gotta get back to camp somehow. Come on." He called back at the group. With a groan, Glenn began walking to catch up with Rick, T-dog following, and eventually, Daryl too.

The group didn't make it to camp until way after dark, coming upon it as the herd's attack had been imminent.

They'd darted back into the camp, watching people run for their lives and screaming at the sight of horror that plagued their camp.

Daryl looked over at Andrea, crouched on the ground next to a body, one he figured out was Amy after he stepped closer.

"What the hell happened?" Rick's voice calls out, gaining the attention of Dale and Shane, whose clothes were covered in blood.

"Walkers came outta thin air. We were sitting around the campfire for dinner, and then..." Dale gestured to the blonde woman crouched next to her sister's corpse.

"My god.." was the last thing Rick said before jumping in to help take down the remaining walkers.

As sunlight started to shine, Daryl realized that he'd been up for two days without sleep; he beelined to his tent, wiping his hands off with his red rag again, as he sat down on his cot.

It was too comfortable in the moment, he thinks, because the sleep deprivation began to worsen. Daryl sat up straight and shook his head to wake himself up again before grabbing his journal.

Day seven

So... shit went down. Went back to the city for Merle who they all said was handcuffed to the top of a building. When we got there, he wasn't. But his hand was, and a trail of blood too. We followed it, but it didn't lead to nothin' except a dead end and broken window. He left the building 'fore we could get to him. Wherever he is out there, I hope he's alive. I'm tryin' to think about the future, like goin' from day to day and not thinkin' about the past. Then when we got back to camp, shit had already hit the fan here. Last night the group lost Amy, and Ed. Didn't know either of them all that well, but they ain't deserve to die like that. I'm gonna try an' sleep, so I got a clear head later on.

Daryl figures, by the time he finished with the journal, that he could probably get away with sleep while it was still dark out.

The sun had barely risen yet, and with that, he kicked off the boots on his feet, wrapping himself with a blanket, satisfaction and comfort washing over him the second his head hits the pillow.

Daryl soaks in his four hours of sleep, shaking awake at the sounds that filled the camp. He takes a sharp inhale, consciousness overtaking him as he woke from slumber. Raking his hair down again, Daryl stretches his arms out and sits up, blanket falling off his body.

As he stands, placing his feet on the floor, he stretches again, including his back, neck and legs this time. He was a bit more awake now, as he sat down again to pull his boots on. Once he changes his shirt, Daryl steps out of his tent, the bright sun blinding his sight for a moment.

He shakes his head free of the ache and heads up to the main camp, spotting you before he even makes it there.

You're standing on the outskirts of the campsite, watching timidly from afar. eyes fixed on Andrea and the sweet girl she had lost hours ago, you don't notice Daryl coming up behind you until you hear a gruff voice.

"Hey."

Your head whips around at the sound, recognizing the voice but only startled a little bit.

"Hey, Daryl. How was the city?"

"We ain't find Merle, if that's what you're askin'."

Daryl knew you didn't get along with Merle, and he knew how you really felt about his brother. But your words are different than what he thought they would be.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is he, um.." You pause, before a partial realization washed over you. Merle could be-

"Dead? Nah. My brother's tough as nails. He was just gone, when we got there. But from what it looked like, he survived that rooftop, which means he can survive out there with what he's done before. Ain't nothin' that can stop him."

You beamed inside at Daryl's hopefulness about his brother and where he might be. He had such hope for merle's survival. Nodding to Daryl, you glance over at Andrea again. She and Amy were like sisters to you, so to see her still over there pricked an unsettling feeling in your stomach.

Looking back to Daryl, you didn't even know if he knew what happened last night.

"Last night... do you know what happened?"

Daryl only shook his head, but looked at you with sympathy now, since you had probably witnessed all of it.

You turned to him, eyebrows pulling down in concentration to remember the chain of events clearly.

"It all happened so fast, you know..." You said, slight chuckle in your voice, though it was only to cover up how terrified you were in the moment. "One minute, we're sitting around the campfire, and the next, Amy's getting chewed into-"

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't wanna."

"N-No, you should know what happened. I wanna tell you, it's just hard to put into words."

Daryl only nodded, gesturing for you to continue. You took a deep breath before continuing to tell him what happened.

"Earlier in the day, Andrea, Carol and Jacqui and I were washing clothes down by the water. We'd been cracking jokes, having a genuinely nice time... and then Ed came walking over, too upset over the fact that we were having a good moment, just to come and ruin it. Started with some bigoted remarks and then- Then he just- he hit Carol.. and Shane stepped in and.. ended up beating the hell out of him."

"Holy shit.." daryl muttered under his breath, glancing to the ground and then back up at you.

"Yeah. I mean, it wasn't like he didn't deserve it. But that.. that was the last thing he ever did. He was laid up in his tent all day and night, his face bruised and bloody, thanks to Shane. Next thing you know, he's the first one to get gnawed on when the herd came out of the woods. Guess that's karma for you."

"They called it a herd? How big?" Daryl's brows were drawn together now, eye contact with you growing stronger as he leaned in.

"Probably 10 or 11 of them, all out of nowhere. First it was Ed, we didn't hear his screams.. But I glanced to the left and Amy's just-"

Your breath shudders, a chill running up your spine as you twist your head in unpleasantness. You take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as you try and shake the thought of last night from your mind.

"You alright?" Daryl drawled lowly, concern for you growing every minute his eyes had been on you. He'd been watching you go on about the events of the night before.

Watching you relay the tragic events of last night made Daryl grow more fond of you in a way, knowing how difficult it must have been, to be as strong as you were in trusting him enough to tell him in the first place.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Despite it all... I think I really am. All the people i care about are alright and alive. So, I can cope with the walker thing. I've just never seen that many together. It was kind of disturbing, but I think i'm just desensitized to all the bad shit.."

What you didn't mention was that Daryl was one of the people you cared about, one who was alive after last night.

"And now Andrea's over there hovering over her sister's corpse as it rots, and she could turn any minute now-"

You turned to Daryl, his deep blues focused on your figure. He could've sworn time stopped when you looked at him in the eyes, as a sign of trust between you two grew stronger with just that exchange of words.

"Other than everything that happened here, are you alright, Daryl?"

Caught off guard at your question, he glanced to the floor, chewing on the inside of his cheek before turning his head towards you and nodding. Daryl had never been asked that in a genuine way before. not by someone he's actually trusted before, either.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Just gotta get through the day now. Then we can handle everything and move on."

"We will be alright. Listen, Daryl, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here, as your friend."

The corner of Daryl's mouth nudged up the slightest bit as your words hit his ears, fingers pressing to your lips in the moment. He nodded at you, not feeling his smile widen until you had one on your face as well.

"Thanks, I'd do the same for you. As your friend." That last part was choked out on Daryl's end, hoping you didn't notice it. He was about to speak when he heard someone call his name from up in camp.

"Daryl! you out here? We need help with the bodies, you comin'?"

Daryl cleared his throat, and called back out to the voice.

"Give me a damn minute." His drawl came out rougher, like he was frustrated he had an actual job to do, rather than sitting around talking to you all day.

"Guess they need you over there, Mister Dixon. Better hurry before Dhane comes over here."

"Yeah, I'll see you around, y/n."

You laughed, pushing Daryl away playfully, sending a small smile his way, as he turned his back to you.

"See you, Daryl."

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[frenziedslashers]

It's me (again) with another request for Ricky.

How would rick react to reader going on a run with someone he doesnt really trust yet? And they're gone longer than expected. How does he cope with the anxiety? How does he react when reader comes back with some injuries bc the other person was shitty and almost left them behind???

Safe and Sound;;

A/N: WOO, FINALLY HAVE AN EXCUSE TO USE THIS GIF LMAO hope you enjoy this homie!!

Pairing: Rick Grimes x Male!Reader

Warnings: Canon typical violence, Rick is a little unhinged, cursing, reader uses he/him pronouns

Rick couldn't believe it when Deanna told him.

"You did what?" He snapped, and the woman flinched. "They are all capable of making their own decisions, Rick. They asked for a job, and I sent them on a supply run that they all agreed to."

Rick was fuming. He couldn't believe that she had done this without going over it with the rest of the group. Glenn, Tara, Eugene, and Noah were all out there. Most importantly, you were with them. He cared for all his people, but everyone in the group knew he cared for you almost as much as he did his kids.

"You don't get to make that call for my people!" He snapped, pushing past the woman towards the gate. He was sick of listening to her and her bullshit. Claiming that her son and his friend would protect you all out there. How would they protect you when they hardly knew what was happening outside those walls? It was all one joke after another if you asked him.

He wasn't going to be doing his job for the rest of that day, either. Not until you were all back safe and sound. Truthfully, this decision made him want to get you all out of here fast. Who was to say they didn't send his people out because they were disposable? They were strangers after all. That very well could have been their plan when Eric and Aaron drug them here.

Hours went by and Rick was still anxiously pacing the streets. Michonne, Sasha, and even Maggie tried to talk to him. Get him to go and rest inside. Or at least drink some damn water, but he wasn't having it.

"He's out there alone," Rick snapped, and Maggie frowned. "Glenn is with him, Rick. So is Noah, Tara, and Eugene. They will keep him safe, and you know that." The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry," Maggie shook her head at her friends' apology. "I don't like this any more than you do, Rick. You just gotta trust them. They're our family, we know they can handle themselves." He nodded again, looking at Maggie with a smile. "Thank you," she nodded, handing the bottle of water to Rick before departing.

Another hour went by before you were home. The crew pretty beat up, and everyone was doing their best to hide that from Rick as he came stomping up to the door.

"Get out of my way," He sneered, and everyone did. These last few months had been harsh on him. It had been harsh on all of you, but he seemed to take it the worse. The longer out there in those woods, running camp to camp. The colder and meaner he got. You hardly even recognized him half the time.

"Rick," you called out, limping over to the man as he pushed through the crowd toward you. He embraced you in a hug that both of you needed. His grip was tight around you. One hand on your back, the other cradling the back of your head. Ricks eyes fell shut while he burried his face into the side of your head. Taking in your scent.

"Are you okay?" He asked when he felt you tremble in his grasp. He couldn't handle it when you cried, and hearing you just sniffle so close to his ear had him glaring at Deanna. His eyes narrowed, brows casting a shadow over his irises that made them dark as night.

His hand rubbed slowly at your back as he waited for you to calm down. He noticed that Tara and Noah weren't in the group. Aiden wasn't there, either. He hated to admit it, but he hoped that if he lost people. Then Deanna and the others at least lost one of their own. Even if it was her own son.

"Noah's gone," you muttered, and Rick kissed your temple. "If it weren't for Glenn and Eugene," you shuddered, "Nicholas would have left me back," you told him and noticed how every muscle in his body seemed to tense. You wanted to stop the man from raging out, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. Why should you stop him when Nicholas was just going to leave you to die back there? If anything, maybe this would teach Nicholas a lesson.

Rick nodded, looking down at you with such soft eyes. Such a contrast to how he looked at Deanna and the others that he considered strangers. He planted a kiss on your forehead while he muttered a soft "I'm glad you're safe," before pulling back away from you.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Nicholas backed up the closer Rick got to him. Deanna went to interfere but Glenn pulled her away. A wise thing to do with the look Rick had in his eyes. He didn't care who got in his way, he was on a war path.

Nicholas shook his head while Rick continued to get closer. "He- He's lying!" He snapped, and Rick snarled. The older male shoved the younger one against the wall. "You wanna repeat that to me, asshole?" He barked, and Nicholas cowered. "I wasn't, I was going to go back, I swear! They left Aiden behind!" Rick could hear a sob rip from Deanna, but he didn't give a damn. This was on them, not you guys.

"Glenn," Rick snapped, and Glenn cleared his throat. "Aiden shot a walker that had a grenade on its belt. It blew up, Aiden got impaled, and Tara is in the infirmary with a bag gash to her head. She's unconscious. Nicholas didn't listen and..." Glenn looked down at his feet. His heart was in his throat, tears brimming his eyes before he reached up to wipe his face with a sigh. "Noah is dead too, we lost one of our own, not just Aiden." He spoke, and Rick nodded. That was all he needed to know.

The former sheriff seemed to calm down. His expression softened and Nic thought he was free of whatever the hell Rick was thinking of doing to him. His grip loosened on his jacket, too. Maybe he was being let out free of harm? That was the understatement of the year, though.

His calm demeanor was simply the calm before the storm. His grip was quick to tighten again with one hand. The other arm winded back before his fist collided with the side of the blonde's face.

"You idiot!" Rick shouted, punch after punch to the man's face. It wasn't until someone pulled him off that he stopped, but he wasn't done there. His elbow threw back. Spencer took a blow to the jaw from the Sheriff. Nicholas took this as a chance to land a few blows on Rick. Blood smearing over your lover's face.

You stepped in, finally. You let him give Nicholas what he deserved, but you knew if you didn't stop him he would kill the man and maybe even Spencer. No matter how much you and Glenn wanted him dead, you each knew that wasn't the right thing to do.

Glenn pushed Spencer and Nicholas back with Michonne who had run over to the scene. You grabbed Rick by the shoulders while pushing him back.

"Rick, look at me, you need to stop this," you started, but Rick was still out of it. All he saw was red and he wasn't about to let you stop him. "He got our people killed," he exclaimed, and you nodded in understanding. "I know, but killing him won't bring Noah back or fix Tara," you spoke sternly, and he huffed.

"You could have died," his voice was a lot frailer than before. It sounded like what you imagined a flickering candle flame would sound like. Fragile, small, one simple blow and it would disintegrate into the night air with a string of smoke following behind.

"Rick, I'm right here," you told him, holding the sides of his face. Forcing the man to look you in your eyes, which he did. "I can't lose you," he muttered with wild and worried eyes. He looked so torn and broken. He was so tired, he couldn't rest. Not even behind these walls did he feel safe. He felt like he had to be up every waking hour to watch you, Carl, Judith, and the others. Who's to say they don't end up like Terminus? Or that they aren't worse than those freaks? No one was safe to trust anymore. Not even these people.

"I'm not going anywhere, not right now." You told him, giving his lips a quick kiss. Which he tried with desperation to deepen. He needed you close. He needed to be sure that you were here, but you'd save that for later. Right now you all still had an issue to deal with, and of course, Deanna and the others had to go and ruin your moods again.

"Oh, so your little friend there is your only worry, but my son died and you don't care?" Deanna snapped, and Rick tried to peer over your shoulder to shoot a glare at the woman, but you were quick to redirect his gaze to you.

"We lost people too," Glenn snapped back, but that only seemed to feed the flames of the fire. "If you weren't such a dick maybe you could have gone with them instead of Aiden and me," Nicholas scoffed, and Rick let out a dry laugh. The man ripped from your grasp to look at the other. Your whole group was beginning to wonder if Nicholas had a death wish.

"Me?" Rick asked while pointing to himself and fluttering his lashes. He was approaching the man again, caked in his own blood along with some of Nicholas and Spencers. He looked absolutely insane. Your eyes went wide when you noticed him reach for the pistol stuffed into the back of his belt under his jacket. "Rick," you called out, but he didn't listen.

"You mean... Me?" He asked, waving the gun around, and everyone took a step back. "I would have preferred I went out there rather than you good for nothing sons-a-bitches," Rick started in. "I don't think any of ya really know what goes on outside those goddamn walls. You all think it's all flowers and friends and sunshine, well it ain't!" He yelled, and Nicholas was looking around at everyone for help.

"You all think we're the crazy ones, but we ain't. You guys are the ones living behind a lie! A lie that everything will go back to the way it was!" He screamed with a laugh that followed, and before he could say anything more, Michonne hit him over the head and you were there to catch him.

Everyone fell silent.

You looked up at Michonne and nodded, silently thanking her for stopping Rick. You all knew he was right, but he was getting stupid. None of you wanted to deal with the retaliation of his stupidity, either. Not tonight, anyways.

"I'll get him back to the house. Michonne?" You told everyone, then looked over to your friend. Non-directly asking her to help drag your unconscious boyfriend back to the house.

"Hope I didn't give him a concussion," she spoke under her breath as you both hauled him off. You chuckled, shrugging your shoulders. "He shouldn't have pulled a gun out." You stated, the both of you falling silent once more.

---

When Rick did finally wake up he was alone in your shared bed. His eyes fluttered open while he tried to regain focus. The last thing he remembered was pointing the pistol at Nicholas, and then everything went dark.

"Carl, Jude," He called out, rushing into a sitting position on the bed. Scurrying out of the sheets as he remembered everything that happened. "Darlin'?" He called out when he heard hurried footsteps making their way down the hall to the bedroom door.

When the door opened his hands raced for the lamp on the nightstand. He only stopped his reach when he saw your figure in the door frame. Rick let out a breath he hadn't even noticed he was holding in.

"Sorry 'bout all that," he murmured, reaching up to run the back of his head. The man winced a little when he felt a particular sore spot. "Did someone...?" He went to speak, but you interrupted him as you came to sit next to him on the bed. Shutting the door behind you with a soft 'click.'

"Michonne hit you, you were being stupid," you sighed. He didn't say anything. He only nodded his head softly while dropping his hands to his lap. "I was gettin' a li'l dumb out there," he admitted with a soft chuckle. "Yeah, but we all understand why. We just wish you hadn't pulled that gun, Rick. You should have kept it hidden." You responded, and he had to admit. He was a little surprised. He expected you to tell him that he shouldn't have had the gun in the first place.

"I don' trust 'em." He told you, but you already knew that. Everyone knew that. Even the people of Alexandria knew that. "We know that, Rick. Known that since the barn, handsome," he leaned into your touch and your words when you reached up to run a hand through his hair. Kissing his shoulder before he leaned completely against you. He always felt like he was safe and sound with you. Like he was in another place, free from walkers, and bad people. With just you, the kids, and the rest of your little family.

"I was so scared I'd never see ya again," he murmured, and you shushed him. The both of you crawled onto the bed. Rick lying on top of you with a sigh. "Thought I'd never hear ya call me a dumbass again," he smiled and you rolled your eyes with a laugh. "I don't just call you a dumbass, I've called you smart, handsome, honey," you cooed, giving him a sweet kiss that he ate up like candy. He could never get enough of you, his smile wide.

"I know, I know, y'er sweeter to me than ya should be," he hummed before giving you another deep kiss. The man climbed further onto you, but you pushed his shoulders back. "Rick," you sighed, and he stared down at you with his concerned gaze. A soft and reassuring smile on your face while you reached up to stroke his cheek. "You smell."

Rick couldn't believe you, sneering while rolling his eyes. He couldn't hide the grin that broke onto his face, either. "Well, guess we better shower then," he hummed, leaning back in to press a chaste kiss to your lips.

"We?" You questioned, but he didn't give an answer. He only rolled off of you before grabbing your hand to drag you off the bed. "Rick!" You shouted, and he laughed. "Come on, Michonne hit me pretty hard, I shouldn' be standin' in that shower alone," he told you with a coy smile. His eyes danced with a mix of mischief and innocence. You couldn't say no to him, not now. Not ever.

"Fine, but just a shower. We have a meeting with Deanna," you told him, and he snickered. The man pulled you into the bathroom while shutting the door. Pressing you up against the sink with another kiss. "That's no fun, though," you shook your head, "Rick," you warned, but he could tell by your smile that he could get you to agree to a little more than a shower.

"Please?" He asked with a lip jutted out and those eyes that you just couldn't ever say no to. A sigh left your nostrils before you kissed his chin. "You're a pain in my ass, Rick Grimes." He knew he was, a soft litter of laughs leaving his and your own throat while you both got undressed. "Only yours, honey."

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