#vec & georgie

[dixons-sunshine]

Scud: Subs are so fun to play with. All ya have to do is hint at what you might do, back ‘em back into a corner with a look, or grab their wrist in a certain way and they’re a wide-eyed mess.

Daryl, eyes widened: The fuck kinda Subway did ya go to before the world went to shit?

Georgie, shaking her head with a deep sigh: Substitute teachers dealt with so much shit.

Vec, trying to hold back her laughter: Guys...

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf

[dixonsdarkelf]

QOTU: A Little Friendly Competition Part 1

Summary: Going on dates wasn’t always a guaranteed good time. Vec has had her fair share of shitty dates, but the nerves she had for this particular one were for a different reason. She truly liked this one, and she wanted it to go well. Thankfully, Scud shared the same sentiment, and it made for one of the best nights of their lives.

Third installment is finally here! Apologies that this one took longer than I anticipated. We get to see Vec & Scud's first date. I've been so excited to post this one, it's kinda stupid. I hope this pleases the council ('the council' is what we have dubbed our QOTU readers).

PS the shirt he's wearing is the one from the movie where he's talking to Whistler about his scars, just FYI. He just looks so good in it I had to use it. And massive thank you to @dixons-sunshine for help with the summary 🖤

Era: Pre-apocalypse, a bit over a year before the outbreak

Word count: 8.1k (this is my longest one-shot to date and it's only part 1 lmao I'm so sorry)

CW for swearing, some suggestive commentary. You are responsible for your own consumption.

We're also cross-posting on AO3 if you prefer to read it there!

My AO3 Krys' AO3

Upon hearing the vibration against the wood, Vec took her phone off her dresser, a small smile gracing her lips when she realized it was a message from him. Running a hand through her hair and brushing her bangs from her eyes, she opened the message, blood flowing to her cheeks and turning them from their normal pale to baby pink.

Josh ☺️: I can’t wait to see you later. It’s been too long 😉

They’d been talking for weeks, texting on and off throughout each day and even having a few phone calls in the evenings. During one of those phone calls was the first time he called her “Vee,” which quickly became his special nickname for her. Immediately following that conversation, she ran to Georgie, standing in her bedroom doorway and blinking repeatedly before whispering “he has a nickname for me” in the most lovesick tone possible.

She’d hardly stopped talking about this ‘cutie with the bandana’ in recent weeks. Now, it was time to make their first date a reality.

“What kind of makeup are you thinking?” Georgie asked. She began rifling through a stack of eyeshadow palettes Vec kept on her dresser, opening each to examine the colors before setting them down. “I know you usually like to keep it lighter on first dates.”

“Nah, I’m wearing that full-coverage shit,” Vec commented, pulling a small glass bottle of foundation from the drawer, “I’m not about to be looking like a tomato all night long.”

She spent hours curling her hair, having to take a break halfway through and recruiting her best friend to help finish the job when her arms got tired.

“Gin, can you help me?” Vec practically begged as she stepped out into the living room, half of her head in curls while the other remained pin straight.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask,” Georgie chuckled, setting her stack of papers on the glass coffee table to join her in the bathroom. Every time Vec curled her hair, she insisted she could do it all herself, and every time, she requested Georgie’s help somewhere between halfway and three-quarters of the way done.

As a surgeon, she typically wasn’t allowed to have her nails painted. However, since she was off for a couple of weeks taking some much-needed and well-deserved PTO, she decided to treat herself, opting for some black acrylics. electing to keep them short as long nails could make date night plans more difficult.

She also recruited Georgie’s help in picking an outfit, the pile of different dresses, skirts, and more on her bed becoming too much to sort through on her own. Walking back into the living room, she simply grabbed Georgie’s hand without saying a word, taking her back into her room for her to get an eyeful of the mountain of clothes occupying her place of rest, and Georgie knew just what that meant. Vec hated to pull Georgie from her work, but she also knew if she didn’t, one, she would never hear the end of it, and two, she would never be able to garner up the courage to leave the house.

“You didn’t already have your outfit picked out?” Georgie teased, grabbing different tops off of hangers and adding them to the pile, “what, are you gonna go in your scrubs?”

Vec chuckled, the sweet sound of amusement rising from the depths of her chest sounding like music to Georgie’s ears. “I mean, he has already seen me in them, and he still seemed to be into—“ she paused and used her hands to gesture up and down her body “—all of this.”

The pair eventually settled on something simple, pairing a long-sleeved black sweater with a black skirt and a pair of fishnets. Taking extra precaution, she slipped a pair of shorts on under her skirt, the shorts long enough to just cover the tattoos on the back on her thighs.

Grabbing her favorite fragrance off her dresser, she gave her neck, décolletage, and wrists a few spritzes, rubbing her wrists together to ensure the scent settled. The little bottle of vanilla-scented spray was a gift from her mom for her high-school graduation, and it had been dubbed her “lucky perfume” after many an instance of it coming clutch. She only wore it for the most special of occasions—her white coat ceremony, Match Day, her birthday—and this, a first date with a man she was already falling head over heels for, was a very, very special occasion.

Taking one last deep breath and draping her hair over her shoulders, she gave herself one final look-over in her mirror and flattened her sweater. She did one small twirl, watching her skirt flow around her thighs and her curls bounce as they settled back into place.

Making her way back into the living room, she stood in front of her best friend, who’d been spending her evening grading papers when she wasn’t helping her prepare for her date. She anxiously cracked her fingers before repeatedly wiggling them in some pathetic attempt to rid herself of all the nervous energy cooped up inside her body. “What do you think?”

Looking up from her work, a massive smile spread across Georgie’s face as she took in the sight of her bestie before her, all dolled up and dressed to impress. “You look hot.” Giving her a slow up-down with her eyes, something caught her attention. “You’re not wearing the push-up this time?”

Vec was a smaller gal, some curves but nothing crazy, and her chest was by far her biggest insecurity. She always wore the only push-up bra she owned on dates, attempting to boost her confidence by making her small chest not look so small. This time was different. “No. I’m, uh, going for…authenticity this time.”

“Wow. You must really like this one,” Georgie commented, setting her red pen down on the table and rising to her feet. She could only think of one other occasion where her Dia hadn’t worn that illustrious push-up, and that was back in undergrad.

“Yeah,” Vec replied in a sickly, tooth-rotting tone, her cheeks becoming flushed under her full-coverage face. She twirled away from Georgie long enough to slip on and zip up her combat boots.

“Well, he’s a lucky man, getting to take you out.”

Pacing the living room of their shared apartment, she kept her eyes glued to the floor as she began gently scratching at the side of her left thumb with her index finger, the primary telltale sign of her anxiety. “Gin, I feel like I wanna throw up and die.”

“Throw up, sure, yeah. That makes sense. And I’ll certainly hold your hair back if you do,” Georgie assured, crossing over from the couch and standing off to the side of Vec as she continued to pace. She followed her with her eyes back and forth from the entryway to the TV stand and back again. “But die? That feels a bit overdramatic, even for you, Dia.”

“Not helping.” Her tone was unintentionally stern, and she was immediately kicking herself. “I didn’t mean to snap, I’m just so worked up, and not in the fun way.”

Georgie couldn’t help but snicker in response. Even when she was “worked up, and not in the fun way,” her best friend was still cracking jokes and being her overdramatic, unhinged self. “Just try to take a deep breath, okay? Think of this as a day out with one of your friends, just a casual get-together. Less pressure that way.”

“Right…just a hangout…” Vec whispered between deep breaths, “…until one of us is flirting every two fucking seconds.”

“And if anything goes wrong on this ‘hangout’, I’m only a phone call away, remember? I’ll drop everything and come to you if I need to.”

“I know. I’m just super worked up right now. I mean, what if he thinks I’m too bold?”

She snickered again, this time a little louder and with a hint of surprise in her tone. Never had Vec been concerned about being “too bold,” especially for a man. For her to be worrying about something like that meant this ‘cutie with the bandana’ must’ve been special. “It sounds like you were pretty bold back at the auto shop, and he seemed into it. I think if he thought you were “too bold” then you wouldn’t be here now,” Georgie assured, “and if he does decide you’re “too bold,” then it’s his loss.”

Slowing down before coming to a stop, Vec finally ceased her pacing, turning to Georgie as she adjusted her glasses on her nose. “You’re right. I’ve already been pretty bold. I’m just stuck in my own head.”

“Well, let’s get you out of there then.” Georgie stepped closer to her and began brushing hair out of her eyes, adjusting her curls, and looking her outfit over to ensure there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight. “Tell me what the plan is again.”

“Umm, I’m meeting him at the bowling alley, and I’m not sure after that,” Vec explained, resting the urge to bite at her bottom lip as to not get lipstick on her teeth, “we might go get food or something, I don’t know. I feel too sick to eat right now.”

“Babe, can you take a deep breath for me?” Georgie asked. Vec nodded, and she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Georgie placed her hands on her shoulders before meeting her gaze. “You’re going to be fine. I’m sure once you get there, all of your nerves will just melt away. You’re Lydia Rae Vector, the best way this man could be spending his Friday night.”

Vec would’ve been lying if she said the mini pep-talk from her Ginny didn’t do a number in terms of boosting her ego. “Well, I don’t know about the best way, but definitely a good one.” She took her phone out long enough to look at the time before sliding it back into her bag. “I should get going. I’m supposed to be there in twenty minutes. And you know me, gotta get there early.”

“Don’t forget to—“

“I know, I know. Text you every time I change locations and call with the code phrase if things get sketchy.” Every time one of them was headed out on a date or a hookup, they always reminded the other of their golden rule, as if they hadn’t been doing it their entire friendship.

As she headed out the front door, Georgie called out to her one last time. “Stay safe, have fun, and use protection! Not necessarily in that order, but you know what I mean.”

Vec rolled her eyes and scoffed as she poked her head back in the doorframe just long enough to respond. “Thanks, Gin.”

The bowling alley was only about a 5 minute drive from her place, but given the Friday night Atlanta traffic, it took her almost the whole 20 minute window to get there. After speed-walking through the ever-growing-dark parking lot, she leaned against the first counter she came across, which happened to be empty. She sent a quick text to let him know she was there and where in the building to find her. She also send a message to Georgie, letting her know she’d made it safely.

Vec: Made it. Just waiting for him.

Vec: I still wanna throw up and ✨die✨

Ginny 🌻: You’re gonna be fine. And if you don’t feel fine, I’ll be there before you know it 💛

The next message that made its way through to her was from none other than her date, and given that it was their agreed meet-up time, she figured he had to be close.

Josh ☺️: What are you wearing?

Josh: ☺️: Y’know, so I can spot you 😉

Vec: You’ll see 😉

A few minutes later, she was greeted from behind by a pair of hands over her eyes, hovering just over her glasses. In a normal situation, she would’ve whipped around before the person had a chance to say a word and clocked them in the nose. This situation was out of the ordinary in the best way.

“Guess who?” the familiar voice behind her greeted, chuckling softly.

“Gee, I wonder.” Her tone was sarcastic, amused, and flirty all at the same time, a combination that sent the mechanic’s heart plummeting into his stomach and joining the butterflies already making a home there.

“I’d offer a hint, but that would give it away,” he teased. He hoped that, even though he didn’t give the hint, she’d still catch on to what it was going to be. And catch on she did.

The fucking bandana, she thought. She didn’t say anything, but the giggly scoff that met his ears told him everything he needed to know.

Finally removing his hands from her eyes, he tapped on her shoulder to get her to spin around. Her curls bounced on her shoulders as she turned, her skirt flowing around her thighs catching his attention. At the mere sight of her, his stomach was doing backflips, and when their eyes locked, he knew he was in for one of the best nights of his life.

“Hi!” she greeted. The tone of her voice had changed to one of sheer delight, and there was almost a sparkle to it. She roped him in for a hug, her arms sliding around his neck and his instinctively traveling to her waist. He was elated about her desire for physical contact. It was a short hug, but it was just long enough for him to get a whiff of the sweet vanilla perfume on her neck.

“Damn,” she laughed, bringing her head back up and gently brushing a few stray hairs from his eyes, “no bandana this time, huh?”

He kept his hands on her waist as she worked, moving strands from one side to the other of the natural parting on his scalp. It wasn’t intentional the way his hands stayed planted there and subconsciously pulled her closer. He was simply too enraptured with the sight before him to do anything about it. “Figured I’d let the hair down for a change. But look at you. You clean up good, doc.”

“Clean up good” was an understatement, he thought. She looked beautiful, damn near ethereal, the shimmer on her cheekbone catching the fluorescent light above them. Even curled, her long hair still reached down past her chest, and the shade of dark purple lipstick she’d picked out made her cerulean eyes pop. It took everything in him to not plant one on her right then and there.

After fixing his flyaways to her satisfaction, she folded her arms over her chest and took a moment to admire him. His jeans looked damn near brand new, if she had to guess, and hit button-up was open just enough to expose his collarbone. He was wearing the same choker she’d seen on him back at the auto shop, the same choker she fantasized about curling her finger around and pulling him in for a kiss by. He was a work of art as far as she was concerned. “So do you, mechanic man,” she replied. She was well aware of his hands still on her waist and too wrapped up in the moment to care. They could’ve stayed just like that, talking all night, and she would be happy.

“You smell nice.”

“Thank you. It’s my, uh, lucky perfume.”

“What makes it so lucky?” he inquired, the usage of the L word piquing his interest.

“I only wear it for…special occasions.” She was already starting to blush under all her makeup, but thankfully, her full-coverage foundation kept the blood rushing to her cheeks a secret from her date. “And usually, said occasions work out in my favor.”

“Honored to know I’m such a ‘special occasion.’” It was in that moment, when her gaze dropped to the floor for just a second and he was pulled from his trance, that he became overwhelmingly aware of his hands on her waist that had been very slowly creeping towards her hips.

“Shit, sorry.” He didn’t pull away abruptly, but rather let his hands naturally pull away, and now, it was his turn to get a little pink. “Guess I got distracted.”

Her mind echoed Georgie’s words from earlier in the evening. Think of this as a day out with one of your friends, just a casual get-together. Yeah, that’s certainly going well so far, she thought, a smile breaking out on her face from her thoughts and the compliment from him.

“You don’t need to apologize. Does it look like I was bothered at all?” she laughed, “believe me, if I’m bothered by something, you’ll know.”

Her laugh in response provided him some relief and gave him the confidence to take her hand, running his fingers over hers and looking at his reflection in the glossy black acrylics that adorned her nails. “These look cool. Bet you don’t get to do this too often, given your job.”

“Uh, no…no, I don’t, really.” She had to fight to keep herself from sliding her fingers in between his, resisting the pull she was feeling to lock their hands together.

“You should’ve told me. I would’ve painted mine to match,” he smirked. Now, it was her turn to have the butterflies in her stomach working overtime.

Had he painted his nails before? Yes, on more than one occasion. Did he currently own a bottle of black nail polish for himself? Not at all. If she indeed had let him know what she was doing, would he have went out and bought one just to match her? Absolutely.

“I love a man who breaks gender norms,” she gushed. Her fingers trailed up to the base of his-rolled up sleeve, goosebumps forming on his skin as she worked upwards. She tugged on it gently, and her lashes fluttered as she brought her gaze from his bicep back to his eyes. “I like this shirt, by the way. It looks great on you.”

“This old thing? I don’t really pull this one out much. Glad you like it.”

“You should pull it out more often.”

That sentence in another context would go crazy, she thought, doing her best to stifle the laugh trying to creep its way out of her chest. But she was a woman who wore her thoughts all over her face, and the smile she was fighting to make smaller told him that her mind had taken the statement in a more nefarious direction.

He couldn’t help but laugh at her attempt to keep hers contained, an amused smirk crossing his lips as he did. “C’mon, I already got us set up. Just gotta get shoes.”

As she turned to round the corner, his hand trailed to her upper back, taking the end of some of her curls between his fingers, though he was careful not to dishevel them. “Guess I didn’t realize how much hair you really got. It’s still so long. How you get it all to fit in that cap you gotta wear?”

“A very tight braid and lots of practice,” she explained. His hand moved under her curls to rest on her back, migrating down to her waist. They’d only been in each other’s presence for maybe five minutes. Already, he was hardly able to keep his hands off her, and Vec was eating that shit up.

“What made you wanna grow it out?” he inquired as they approached the shoe counter.

“I like to go to renaissance festivals and dress up for them. The long hair makes for some cool styles.” An idea struck her, and she was already reaching for her bag before she could get her next sentence out. “I have some pictures. If you wanna see, I mean.”

“Hell yeah, of course I do.”

Opening to her photos, she selected the album titled ‘ren fest(ivies)’ and clicked on the first picture. “My best friend likes to sew, so she helps me make them.” She handed her phone over to him before turning to the shoe counter, their fingers lightly grazing each other as they did. Just like that fateful day back at the auto shop, the sparks that generated between them could’ve lit the entire city of Atlanta. “You can just scroll through to the end.”

As he scrolled through, he got to feast his eyes on different pictures of her posed in medieval skirts and corsets with weapons that would make any fantasy nerd proud. Like she’d said, the long hair did in fact make for some sick hairstyles, and as he continued, he found himself having to swallow a couple of times to keep himself from drooling. He could vaguely hear her comment her shoe size to the man behind the counter. Eight, maybe? He couldn’t be sure. All of his senses were focused on the pictures of the goddess in front of him.

“Wow.” It came out more matter-of-fact than he anticipated. He was enamored, and it was more than evident based on his boyish grin and the way his eyes closed ever so slightly, like he was high. “You look…” his voice momentarily trailed off before he found it again “…beautiful, badass, all of it. Your confidence is top-notch.”

She looked up from the spot she’d taken on a nearby chair as she finished tying the laces of her bowling shoes. The way he called her ‘beautiful’ had her stomach doing backflips. “Thank you. I’m already planning my outfit for the next one.”

After he put on his shoes, they headed off to their lane. His hand found her waist again as they walked, and he kept it there, like he was guiding her through a large crowd despite not a single person being in their way. She didn’t mind one bit. In fact, quite the opposite. She’d began making mental notes about what she could do to further encourage the behavior.

“I put our names in already,” he said, nodding in the general direction of the small kiosk at their lane. Peering over the frame of her glasses, she chuckled as she scanned over their names on the screen above them. Hers read ‘Vee,’ but that wasn’t the funny part.

“‘Scudster’? Really?” she laughed, that sweet giggle trailing off her tongue to meet his ears again. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard him refer to himself as that, but it was still entertaining nonetheless. “You’re so unserious, you know that?”

“I like to think my “unserious” vibes are part of the charm.” As the pins came down at the end of the lane, he took a bowling ball in his hand, gently spinning it around as to not drop it. This time, it was his turn to be struck by a positively brilliant idea. “Hey Vee, what do you say we turn this into…a little friendly competition?”

The doctor cocked an eyebrow at him, her curiosity quickly piquing, which was evident by the look in her eyes. “What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s say…if I win, I get a kiss.” Immediately fearing he’d been too forward, he waited with bated breath for her to respond or do anything that would indicate she was comfortable with the situation. When her contagious smile appeared again, her pearly whites on full display, his shoulders relaxed, and that little Machiavellian smirk of his crept onto his face.

“Aah, I see.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she racked her brain for what she could say in return. What did she want from him? Just about anything. What did she want to know about him? Everything. “Then if I win…you gotta tell me your deepest, darkest secret. And it better be a good one.”

“Lucky for me, I’m good at bowling.” Judging by his tone and resting smirk, he was feeling rather confident. “Prepare to get shredded.”

He’d put her name in first, so he kindly grabbed one of the balls and held it out to her. “Ladies first,” Scud said, giving her a friendly smile.

Vec wasn’t a complete rookie when it came to bowling. She’d been before, although it had been a while, and given the little skills she had back then, she was certain they’d since faded away. She was almost positive she was going to get “shredded,” but she didn’t dare let it show, lest he already start to think he had the upper hand.

Taking the blue bowling ball in her hands, she stepped up to the lane, rolling it back and forth in her hands and staring down the pins at the end. It’s my favorite color, she thought, that has to mean something, right?

“So how did you get into dressing up for ren fests?” His question rang in her ears as she took her first shot, his voice catching her by surprise and making her stumble. She missed her center shot, the balling rolling off to the side and into the gutter, not hitting a single pin as it traveled into the darkness at the end of the lane.

“Wow,” he teased as he approached her, “should we have put the guards up?”

“That’s not fair,” she jokingly whined, her smirk turning into a playful pout, “you distracted me.”

“Fear not m’lady, you got one more shot,” he assured, stepping away only long enough to bring the bowling ball back to her.

“So to answer your question, I’m big into fantasy shit.” She lined herself up again, taking a deep breath to help her focus. “You know Disney movies at all?”

This time, he waited until after she took her turn to respond. While the ball didn’t roll into the gutter this time, it was no strike, just barely knocking a couple of the pins over on one side. “Sure do. My favorite’s The Fox and the Hound.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” Scud looked over his shoulder long enough to give her a cheeky grin before lining up his first shot. Though he was determined to win their little friendly competition, he was far more interested in listening to what she had to say. “My favorite growing up was Sleeping Beauty. It was my ‘gateway drug’ into the world of fantasy. Got me into the Lord of the Rings, going to ren fests, and eventually dressing up for them.”

He rolled nearly dead center, knocking every pin over with a single strike. He turned back to her, that same cheeky grin on his face. “Oh you’re just showing off now,” she groaned, that playful joking pout making a second appearance for him. And oh, how he was loving it.

As he’d told her during their initial meeting, he’d been on the market for a while. He needed someone that could joke around with him, be able to laugh at themselves, was unapologetically authentic and genuine to their core. So far, she was checking all of those boxes and then some.

“Told you I was good.” Stepping back to her, Scud brushed some stray hairs out of her eyes, tucking them over the side of her glasses. There was hardly any, not enough to have bothered her at all, but it was enough for him to do something about it. He was looking for damn near any excuse to touch her in any capacity. And the little smile that crept up every time he did? He’d do anything to see that.

“Anyway,” she commented in an attempt to bring the conversation back, “I used to watch it so much that I’d constantly be singing the song from it around the house when I was little. My brothers used to make fun of me for it. All in good fun, of course, but they’ll still sometimes bring it up just to get under my skin. Y’know, the way siblings do.”

“You close with ‘em?” He was already lining up for his second shot of that turn, her standing over his shoulder, but far enough back to not get hit by his arm when he swung.

“Oh yeah. I have a few, we’re all really close. They’re all older. Joined the military right out of high school. Became Navy SEALs. They’re some of my best friends.”

He wouldn’t admit it to anyone—hell, he was hardly able to admit it to himself—but the mention of multiple military big-brothers did put him a bit on edge. In his mind, all it would take was one wrong move for them to come knocking on his door. He didn’t know much about the different branches of the military, but one thing he did know is that Navy SEALs were not to be fucked with.

“Don’t got any myself.” He took his second shot, once again landing another strike. Vec was beginning to wonder if he’d chosen bowling for a first date on purpose as a way to show off a little. “Had a lot of cousins growin’ up. Having kids my own age around was nice. That’s dope that you’re so close with yours.”

“I definitely got lucky. I certainly never taken them for granted.”

They continued chatting as they took turns, Scud occasionally doing a tiny fist pump when he made a strike. It wasn’t perfect, he didn’t land every single one, but it was damn near close, and Vec knew she had no chance. Still, she did her best to maintain her confidence and give the illusion that she believed she could actually win.

Every chance he got, he was grabbing her bowling ball for her, ensuring their fingers touched each time he handed it over. Even though she wasn’t nearly as skilled as he was, he hyped her up any time she knocked over even one pin. He was a jokester, and their playful, teasing banter had the butterflies in his stomach working overtime, but he also wanted her to have fun and feel good about her abilities.

“Now the big-ticket question I’ve been wanting to ask—what made you wanna become a doctor?”

“It’s kind of a silly story,” she sighed as he returned the bowling ball to her. She’d become accustomed to receiving rather snide comments when answering that question, and her evening was going too well to have it ruined over her response to a classic first-date question.

He picked up on her hesitation, the regret settling in as he worried he possibly struck a nerve or unintentionally brought up a touchy subject. He hoped a sprinkle of humor would provide some encouragement. “This is the Scudster you’re dealin’ with. Silly is my middle name.”

‘Scudster’ made her giggle and eased her nerves, so she decided she’d tell her story, hoping to whatever might be out there that he wouldn’t think it was stupid. “When I was three, one of my brothers got into an accident, landed himself in the hospital. One of the surgeons was this beautiful woman with long auburn hair, and she was wearing a floral dress and a white coat. Me, being three, saw any woman with long hair and a pretty dress and thought she was a princess, as most little girls do.”

“So I asked her. Toddled right up to her as she was talking to my mom and asked her if she was a princess. And she crouched down to my level with the biggest, brightest smile on her face and said “of course I am!” Then I turned to my mom and said “Mommy, I wanna be a princess when I grow up!” Princess, in that moment, meaning someone who wears pretty dresses and a white coat and saves lives like the way the pretty lady in front of me was saving my brother’s. Of course, as I got older, I learned what a doctor was, but I never wavered from that decision. Not even once.”

She waited with bated breath for him to say something, anything. The first thing he did was laugh, but not in a mocking way or a ‘wow, that’s stupid’ kind of way. It was the laugh of someone who’d just heard a baby giggle or watched a puppy chase their own tail. “That’s probably the most adorable thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

“You sure it’s not silly, not even a little bit? Most people think it is.” He gave her an empathetic sigh as his hand found her shoulder, and he subconsciously drew small circles with his fingers, hoping it would offer some solace. How could anyone find such a wholesome and precious story silly or stupid?

“You’re a smart woman, Vee. I’m sure you’ve gathered that I’m not “most people.” It’s super cute. I may be “unserious,” but I’m no liar.”

“Well thank you,” she replied, batting her lashes as she briefly dropped her gaze to the floor. They reveled in that pocket of time for a few moments, his hand still drawing small circles on her shoulder, and she brought her baby blues back to meet his. Blue was her favorite color, and the specific shade of his irises was quickly becoming her favorite one. “What about you, bandana boy? What got you into being an auto mechanic?”

“I used to work as an inventor. That’s just more of a hobby now.” He stepped away long enough to take the red bowling ball he’d been using for his next turn. “My dad taught me stuff about cars when I was younger, so that and the inventor skills carried over nicely into being a mechanic.”

Vec’s ears perked up at the mention of the word ‘inventor.’ Given how fascinating he already was, she didn’t think it was possible, but he’d just gotten a lot more interesting. “An inventor, huh? That’s so cool! What kind of stuff do you make?”

He took his turn before responding to her inquiry. “Used to make weapons for this guy. One might say he was kind of a sketchy character, but he was a nice guy. Never gave me any trouble unless he was up my ass about not getting something done fast enough.”

“You’re cute, funny, and you have cool hobbies? It’s like I won the jackpot or something.” She blinked a few times and shook her head gently, like she was shaking herself from a trance, before stifling a breathy chuckle and locking eyes with him. “I’m doing the thing again, aren’t I?”

She’d been bold from the moment they met—hell, even before that, given the initial bandana comment she’d made about him to his boss—but he found it cute that there were moments that she thought she was being ‘too much.’ He’d never once thought she was too much. There weren’t any words in the English language that captured how much he loved how forward, brazen, and shameless she was.

“Told you I liked how bold you are,” he assured, giving her a delicate pat on the small of her back, “I’ll be right back. Gotta hit up the little boy’s room. Try not to have too much fun without me.”

As he sauntered off, she took the opportunity to check in with her best friend. Leaning back against the kiosk, she took her phone from her bag and saw that she had a new message from Georgie.

Ginny 🌻: How’s it going? ☺️ Are you having fun? 💛

Vec: I don’t think it could be going any more perfectly. I can’t wait to tell you about it 💙

Vec: He’s kicking my ass though

Ginny 🌻: Can’t have that, now can we?

Vec: Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if he won ☺️

Ginny 🌻: Oh???

Vec: Maybe he’ll get a little 💋

Ginny 🌻: OH 👀

Chuckling softly to herself, she slipped her phone back into her bag, returning it to its home on the kiosk. She tapped her foot on the floor, taking a deep breath and focusing on the clicking of the bowling shoe on the wood. It was a small attempt, but she hoped it would be enough to rid herself of the anxious energy creeping through every inch of her body. When he was around, it was like all of nerves channeled themselves into her flirting, but the moment she was alone with her thoughts, she was spiraling.

“Didn’t have too much fun without me, did you?” His voice startled her, but not enough to make her jump.

“Of course not,” she replied, giving him a gentle nudge to the shoulder with hers, her voice laced with sarcasm. He scanned his baby blues over her face, stopping briefly on her lips before meeting hers again, and for a moment, she thought he might plant one on her.

He wanted to, though. He badly wanted to. But his own nerves, and the thought in the back of his mind of her military brothers kicking his ass if he made a wrong move, were getting in his way.

“The glitter looks cool,” he complimented, haphazardly gesturing to his own cheek.

Despite the gesturing, she cocked an eyebrow, confused. “What glitter?”

“Tilt your head up,” he instructed, but before she could do it on her own accord, he had his fingers under her chin, gently tipping her head back and adjusting the position until her cheekbone caught the light, “to the side, a little more, there you go.” He tapped gently on her cheekbone, careful not to ruin or smudge her hard work. “Right there.”

Vec was clenching her teeth to keep herself grounded in reality. If she didn’t, she was certain she would fold on the spot. Every time he touched her, she was ready to melt like putty in his hands, and she just hoped he couldn’t feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks from her blushing.

“Oh, that’s highlighter,” she explained, “it’s a shimmery powder you put on areas you want to…well, highlight, make stand out.” She shook her head softly to allow the highlight on her nose to catch the light. “Got it here too.”

Everything she said, he looked at her like it was the most damn interesting thing in the world, regardless of how ‘unimportant��� it seemed. Even something as simple as the shimmer on her cheekbones intrigued him, and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“You’re gonna have to show to me how you do that. It looks great.”

“I’m not a professional by any means, but thank you.” She tore her eyes from his long enough to look up at the screen and see that it was their last turn for this round.

“I’d love to be able to make a strike, even just once,” she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I could help. Get you set up perfectly and all that,” he offered. He didn’t even bother trying to hold back how eager he was. “If you want, that is.”

“Yeah.” Her smile softened as she met his gaze again. “I’d like that.” The look in her eyes and the way she said “I’d like that” had his heart pounding against the inside of his ribcage.

He grabbed the infamous blue bowling ball and met her at the lane, standing behind her after handing it over. “So you gotta line it up just right.” His hands found her hips, keeping his touch light as he coaxed her to shift to the center. “This good?”

“It’s great,” she replied, her voice cracking as she fought to control her anxiety. She’d hoped that the nosies of other families surrounding them would mask the crack in her voice, but his breath tickling her ear as he chuckled told her otherwise. Despite her boldness, Scud had noticed her getting flustered all evening, and to him, it was nothing short of adorable.

“You wanna aim just off of dead center to account for it curving.” Now, it was her turn to have her heart hammering against the inside of her ribcage as he adjusted her arms and straightened her shoulders, all while keeping his spot right behind her.

Taking a deep breath to calm down—both from the mounting pressure she was placing on herself to make a strike and having a handsome man who couldn’t keep his hands off her mere inches from her back—she followed his directions to a T, rolling just off of dead center and allowing the ball to curve as it traveled down the lane.

Boom. Strike.

“Oh my God, I did it!” Vec cried, twirling in circles a few times before launching into Scud’s arms. She threw her arms around his neck, practically squealing with delight, the excitement coursing through her body rapidly bubbling over. His chuckling in her ear was one of the sweetest sounds she’d ever heard. However, when his arms snaked around her waist, it occurred to her she might’ve gotten a little carried away. “Shit, sorry, I got excited.” She went to pull away, but he kept her in place, wrapping his arms around her further until her chest was flush with his. He wanted to stay in that little pocket of time forever.

“Don’t apologize.” He was reveling in the moment, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be feeling sorry for it. “You crushed it, Buttercup.”

She picked her head up to look at him, her curls tickling his cheek. Despite only a subtle cock of her eyebrows, the confusion on her face was obvious. “What did you call me?”

“Buttercup. Like the Powerpuff girl. Seems fitting for you.”

“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”

“You should, ‘cause it was certainly meant to be one. She’s always been my favorite.” She looked beautiful with her face done, but he loved seeing her blush with every compliment he gave. He could only hope she was turning red under her makeup. And she certainly was.

“Hair got all messy,” he teased, looking over the strands that had fallen in her face and flipped around her part, “guess it’s my turn to fix yours.”

He did the same as she had before, taking different chunks and moving them back to their place so her part was nice and straight again. It didn’t take long, but during those few seconds, her knees went weak, and if she hadn’t been so focused on holding herself up with her arms around his neck, she would’ve collapsed. He thought about putting his hands in her hair to fluff it before calling it quits, but he opted against it, the thought of her military big-brothers creeping back to the front of his mind. They were going to be the death of him.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a round to win.” His mischievous joke elicited an eye roll and a giggly scoff from her.

The moment he made his final strike, he did one last fist pump, turning back to her and playfully sticking his tongue like a child. “Told you you were gonna get shredded.”

She was blushing so hard this time, she was positive her cheeks were glowing & the heat radiating off her face would melt her foundation right off. She loved piercings, tattoos, any sort of body modification. Upon seeing his, her mind immediately went in the most nefarious direction imaginable.

“Whoa, you have a tongue piercing? That had to have hurt like a bitch,” she exclaimed, doing her best to mask how flustered she was despite the crack in her voice and the double take she did.

“It did, but it looks dope, so it was worth it. You like it?” She more than just liked it.

She’s definitely thinking what I think she is, he thought as a little smirk broke through, but he didn’t mind at all. He was flattered that her mind was going in that direction, and he would’ve been lying if he said his wasn’t doing the same.

“Yeah, it’s awesome. I love piercings. I’ve only got my ears done, but I don’t even get to wear earrings often because of my job. Can’t have a stud falling into somebody’s intestines or something.” She pretended to clear her throat to prevent her voice from breaking further. “Anyway, that was only round one. We’ve got two more. I still have a chance to beat you.”

Those next two rounds were much the same, consisting of them chatting and getting to know each other throughout their turns with plenty of flirtatious touching to accompany it. Despite some assistance from him, he crushed her in every single round. As it was a Friday night, it was rather noisy and busy in the bowling alley, but it was like they were the only two people in the room. They were in their own little bubble, as far as they were concerned, a bubble they could’ve stayed in eternally if they were allowed to.

“I’m a doctor, not an athlete.” she joked, balancing herself on the counter to finish putting her boots back on.

“You still did good,” he commended. When she finished with her boots, he propped his arm in her direction, indicating to her to take it if she wanted. “Guess we’ll just have to come back so I can teach you.”

Gracing him with her soft smile, she took his arm, delighted with the clear enthusiasm he had about what some might call ‘showing her off.’ It had been a long time since she’d been on a date with a man so comfortable with PDA, especially on a first date. It was refreshing, and it had her swooning big time. Scud wasn’t like any man she’d met before, and that was precisely the type of man she needed. “I guess we will.”

She clung to his arm as they stepped out into the parking lot. It was dark now, the automatic lamps in the lot having flipped on and the streets flooding with people heading out for their Friday night, end-of-the-work-week antics. She used her free hand to brush her hair out of her face, and she could feel his gorgeous ocean eyes on her, studying every microscopic move she made. Even the mundane act of her brushing some hair out of her eyes brought a smile to his face. He was falling hard, fast, and he knew it and had no problems with it.

“I don’t know about you Vee, but I’m not ready for this night to be over. You hungry at all?”

“I ate a little before I came, so I’m not ravenous, but I’m not ready to be done either.”

“There’s a nice bar up the street. What do you say I buy you a drink? I’d love to keep talking.” There was a teeny tiny sparkle in his eye at the declaration of wanting to continue their evening over drinks, and Vec couldn’t help but let her small smile warp into one that stretched from ear-to-ear.

“I’d like that.” She slipped her arm out from his, and she could’ve sworn the sparkle in his eye faded to sadness for a brief moment as she pulled away and reached for her bag, taking out her phone. “I just have to text my best friend first. It’s nothing personal, I promise. Part of girl code is keeping each other informed of our locations on dates.”

Vec: We’re walking to this nearby bar. I think it’s called Whistler’s? He didn’t say, but it’s the only one I can think of up the street.

“Nah, you got someone lookin’ out for you. That’s good,” he commented. Based on the inflection in his voice, he’d clearly taken no offense, but even if he had, it wouldn’t have mattered to her. She was simply doing what she needed to keep herself safe.

She slipped her phone back into her bag and adjusted it on her arm. Looking past his shoulder down the street, she nodded in the general direction. “You thinking we walk?”

“I was hopin’ we would.” Grazing his fingers against the back of her hand, he kept his touch light as he trailed them around and slipped them between hers. Vec had never been more thankful for the dark, and for full-coverage foundation, than she was in that moment. As she locked eyes with him, her small smile contorted into a giant grin, her delight turning his smirk into a smile. “It’s dark. Wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

Vec belongs to me

Georgie belongs to @dixons-sunshine

QOTU taglist: @ripleyswife @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract

General taglist: @raddydaddydude @lovenormandixon @angeldemoncrowley @negansbestie

Want to become a head of the council? Hit up either myself or Krys to be added to the taglist :)

Banner, divider, and © below were also made by Krys

[dixons-sunshine]

And I’m staring right back at Vec 👀💜

Being obsessed with your own ocs is so so good for you i seriously can't recommend it enough

[antisociallilbrat]

imagine the losers club facing off vecna

it could go two ways

either they're doomed because vecna's coming for the regret and fears they have (i have a feeling bill and richie is going to be vecna's favorite victims in the group)

OR

they're going to decimate him because they already fought pennywise, the eater of worlds, and won TWICE. (well, kind of.) and the losers club is going to be vecna's worst nightmare

yes this was inspired by your poll

- kori -

Kori I have been thinking about your question all day and I've never been so excited to answer something because I kept thinking, could they defeat Vecna? You probably weren't expecting this long of an answer but my brain went wild. Edit: my God this got so long I had to put a break in.

Before proceeding: Tw for mentioned s*icidal thoughts

Okay so first of all we have to establish how It antagonized the Losers and how they were able to defeat It (though there is speculation they didn't fully kill It but that's another story)

It used their fear against them while Vecna uses guilt. Fear and Guilt are two sides of the same coin and with the Losers there's many examples of this. Richie's fear of someone finding out his secret vs the guilt of being that way in the first place, Mike fearing what happened to his parent's vs the guilt of being the one to survive, Bill's fear over not finding Georgie/what happened to Georgie happening to other kids vs the guilt over not being there for Georgie when It got him. And to defeat It, conquering their fears, played a major part in allowing them to do so. And they all successfully did as adults, except for Stan. We're going to come back to him a minute though.

Anyways how It had to terrorize Bill as an adult is a little different. While the other Losers had yet to get pass their fear, as they would in the final battle, Bill was kinda already over his fear as an adult from the start, he knew Georgie was dead, and all that was left was his guilt. Which we see It use against him and adult Bill had to forgive himself in order to fight It.

Now on to Vecna. Vecna who uses his victim's guilt against them before killing them.

There was this very popular post that said something like: Richie Tozier could fight a demogorgon but Mike Wheeler could not fight Pennywise. So let's just say that the Loser's have fought and successfully killed a demogorgon in this universe. Vecna is no demogorgon so when he shows up it's a different story.

And while I agree with you that Vecna would torture Richie, I actually think he would go after Stan first. Stan who we know doesn't handle fear well. Stan would have had the same reaction if they had just killed a demogorgon and found out there was an eviler being coming for them. Like how he did when he learned that they may have to come back to Derry if It wasn't dead. In the book he makes as joke about cutting not just their hands, you know what I'm talking about, and while this is a joke we know there was truth to it for him. Because even as a child Stan feared having to go through that again that he would rather just end it. Now there is a theory that it was It that made Stan take his life and I do believe that to an extent but those thoughts were still Stan's own.

I know I've been talking about Stan's fear, but remember, guilt is the other side of the coin. Now we could reason that Stan would've felt guilty over wanting to just abandon his friends for them to fight for themselves. To 'take the easy way out' (I hate that term) Vecna would've eat that shit up and I hate thinking about how Vecna would've tortured Stan. I do fully believe that Stan would still die first if the Losers were fighting Vecna. He was the weakest link. (Stan bb I love you so much and you are brave but it's true.)

After Stan Vecna would target Richie, Eddie, or Bev. Not so much Bill because Bill's fear/guilt was over Georgie and asking if Georgie is dead in this universe is a whole nother thing.

The thing to consider to is that when fighting Vecna, the Losers didn't have years of research on how to defeat him. Also they don't have powers like El and possibly Will. (Season 5 I'm looking at you) Point is, there are different powers at play when the Party fights Vecna vs if the Losers were to.

But the Losers have Mike Hanlon who is so great. Mike who did the research on how to fight It. Mike would be the one to piece together about Henry Creel and he was probably the one who learned that fire was what was needed to kill a demogorgon in the first place. And based on what happened to Stan, I believe he would be the one to figure out the signs of Vecna's next victim. I don't know if he would figure out the music thing in time though but I would like to think he would. Mike Hanlon is a badass if you haven't noticed.

With Mike's research and Stan's death uniting them together (parallels to It) I think the Losers would have more of a chance.

But what defeated It was the Losers beating theirs fears (in Bill's case his guilt) and uniting together in love and friendship. The power of friendship ain't going to do shit against Vecna, I'm sorry.

So honestly to sum this all up, I simply don't know if they could defeat Vecna. They definitely would not be easy to take down, especially after Stan's death fueling them, but I don't know if they could beat him. There's also the fact we haven't seen how Vecna could be defeated.

Ya'll know I go feral for fandom discussion and if you read all of this, thank you. And a huge thank you to Kori for feeding my brainworms, do you regret it yet?

Now ask me if I think the Party could defeat It, I dare you.

[dixons-sunshine]

Crushes Are For School Girls | Quarters Of The Undead

Summary: Crushes—the innocent little glances. The blushing. The butterflies. We all get them. For Georgianna, it was much more than that. The crush in question had those same butterflies, though, stealing the same innocent glances. And everyone seemed to notice…except for her.

Era: Quarry.

Warnings: Swearing, allusions to sex, one sexual comment (from Merle).

Word count: 4k.

Pairings: Georgie x Daryl (unestablished); Vec x Scud (established)

A/N: Thank you, @thevegandarkelf, for helping me with the summary. You’re amazing. Anyways, I hope y’all like this!

“Why am I like this?”

“You have a crush, Ginny. It’s natural to feel this way.”

“Yeah, well crushes suck. Crushes are for school girls, not for women of my grown ass age.”

Vec chuckled as she gingerly rubbed Georgianna’s back, the woman in question being face planted into her pillow on her sleeping bag. “There, there, Gin. It’s okay. You’ll survive this.”

Despite the reassurance, Georgianna still groaned into the pillow, feeling utterly stupid about the turmoil of emotions whirring around in her being. However, the most prominent feeling was the one in her stomach, one which could only be described as butterflies. Butterflies because of something so simple. Butterflies because her hair got tucked behind her ear. Butterflies because of the man that wielded a crossbow and had become the starring attraction in her nightly dreams.

A man named Daryl Dixon.

Georgianna did not even fully understand how she had started spending time with the archer in the first place. Her tent—that she shared with both her best friend, Vec, and Vec’s boyfriend, Scud—had been set up on the outskirts of the camp, right next to those of the Dixon brothers’, so it was only natural that they would have had to converse with one another.

However, the friendship that had bloomed—and surprisingly, rather quickly, too—between Georgianna and Daryl was something completely unexpected. And the crush that Georgianna harboured on the man was also, completely, one hundred percent unexpected—to her more than anyone.

And now Vec—and sometimes Scud—had to put up with her yammering on about Daryl, and she felt rather guilty about it, because she was talking about him a lot.

The sound of the tent flap opening caught both Georgianna and Vec’s attention. Vec stood up from the ground and Georgianna rolled over and sat back up, Georgianna sent a nod in Scud’s direction, which instantly confused the man.

“Woah, what’s up with you?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Where’s the eye roll? The scoff? The ‘oh great, it’s you’? Where’s the Marianne I know and don’t love?”

Vec laughed lightly at that, before shaking her head. “She’s too lovesick to insult you today.”

Georgianna sent a glare in Vec’s direction. “Traitor,” she mouthed to her, only earning a falsely innocent smile in return.

“Ooh, okay,” Scud replied to Vec’s statement, his lips contorting up into a smirk. “So what is it about this time? His arms? His shoulders? His hands? His as—”

“Okay!” Georgianna cut him off, rolling her eyes at the laughter that tumbled out of his mouth, before shifting her attention back to Vec. “I don’t talk about him that much, do I?”

Vec hummed and shook her head. “No. Nope, not really. You pretty much talk about him the same amount I did back when I first started dating Josh.”

“Jesus, I’m that bad?” Georgianna whispered to herself, mildly horrified at that admission. “Fucking hell, I need to be put down.”

“You talked about me a lot?” Scud mused in a sickeningly lovestruck tone of voice, coming up to stand next to Vec, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

Vec rolled her eyes and lightly shoved him, not enough to do any damage. “Don’t let it go to your head,” she told him, trying to calm the heat that formed in her cheeks.

“Never,” Scud chuckled. He wrapped his arm around Vec’s shoulders and pulled her into him, before pressing a kiss to her temple. “You’re so cute when you blush, y’know that?”

“Yeah? Well—”

“If you two wanna get down and dirty tonight, just let me know so that I can move my sleeping bag to someone else’s tent,” Georgianna chimed in, drawing the couple’s attention back to reality.

Scud rolled his eyes, but made no effort to remove his arm from its position around Vec. “Who would you even stay with? I thought Vec was your only friend.”

“Very funny,” Georgianna replied in a monotone voice.

“I know who would willingly offer to let her stay with them,” Vec voiced, a small, teasing smirk on her face. “I’ll give you a tip. Their name rhymes with ‘Meryl’.”

“Wow, you’re super subtle about that,” Georgianna scoffed, pushing herself up from her sleeping bag. She grabbed her pencil and sketchbook from her bag, before sending Vec a small smile. “I can offer up an hour of me being away from the tent. I’m gonna be out by the main campfire. Just stay away from my sleeping bag. I would highly prefer not to sleep next to Scud’s jizz stains tonight, thank you very much.”

The blush that coated Vec’s cheeks was bright enough to make tomatoes jealous. However, she simply nodded at her. “Thanks.”

Whether something would happen between her and Scud in that one hour, she did not know. What she did know, however, was that the younger Dixon brother was fixing up his crossbow by the campfire, with nobody else around for the time being, meaning that Georgianna and Daryl would be completely alone… It was the perfect set up.

Closing the tent flap behind her, Georgianna let out a small sigh, before making good on her words and trudging forward towards the campfire. The Hawkins woman was surprised by the lack of chatter that night. Usually, most of the adults in the camp would talk away until they absolutely had to go back to their tents. Those late night talks was something unofficially instituted to attempt to regain some semblance of normalcy in a crazy world run by the undead. However, that night, there was absolutely nobody around. It seemed like everyone had decided to turn in early that night. Well, everyone except a certain blue-eyed archer.

Georgianna did not even notice Daryl until she was standing a mere few feet away from him. Admittedly, she was so deep in thought that, had he not cleared his throat, she probably would have gone and sat right on his lap, completely unaware that the seat was otherwise occupied.

Georgianna’s eyes widened in surprise, before she schooled her expression to one of nonchalance, a friendly smile on her face. “Daryl, hi.”

The archer nudged his nose up in a half nod. “Hey, Georgie.”

The way he said her name, the gruffness that laced his tone, but mixed with a softness that was reserved purely for her—at least, if she chose to believe what Vec told her—had her weak in the knees. However, she forced herself to remain upright, refusing to make a complete fool of herself in front of the man she so desperately wished she did not have a crush on.

“Uh, mind if I sit?” she asked softly, motioning over to the chair next to him.

Daryl shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Georgianna nodded and sat down in the seat. Although this was not the first time that she had spent time with the archer, this time around, it just felt… different. She could not fully explain it.

Daryl shifted his attention back to his crossbow, fiddling with the strings as Georgianna opted to occupy her mind with her drawing. Free time became a luxury, and she truly treasured just being able to sit down and draw. She used to be able to sketch whenever, but with the world in shambles, she found herself lucky if she were able to even glance at her sketchbook once a week.

As she went about drawing, her legs curled up beneath her on the chair, Daryl took the opportunity to steal glances at her. In his mind, she truly looked ethereal in that moment. Her hair was tied up into a loose ponytail, but a few stray pieces of hair fell in wispy, curly strands in her face, acting as a curtain between her and the real world. Her brown, chocolate eyes were lightened by the glow of the campfire, giving them a more amber-like tone, and her cheeks were slightly pink, a colour that Daryl thought suited her.

God, she is gorgeous, Daryl thought to himself.

Daryl did not know exactly when he started developing feelings for the woman next to him, but he did know that his feelings were completely justified. She was damn near perfect in his eyes. She was so kind, so nice, and so goddamn considerate. She could be such a chatterbox, but whenever it came to him, she did not talk his ear off. It was like she could read his cues like the back of her hand, and she knew exactly when to back off and give him his space.

She was such a genuine person, and he could not help but feel drawn to her. Despite many attempts to put some distance between them, to withdraw himself from her until she got the hint, he just could not help it. He kept going back. She made him feel like less of a piece of garbage. She actually treated him like a human being, which is more than could be said for ninety nine percent of the other members of the group.

Realizing that he was staring at her for a beat too long, he ducked his head, instead focusing back on his crossbow. He just thanked whatever god was out there that she was too occupied with her drawing to realize his slip up.

“So,” Daryl began, surprisingly being the first one to strike up a conversation, “how long have ya been doin’ that? Drawin’, I mean.”

Georgianna looked up at him, a bright smile on her face, one that had his stomach doing somersaults. “Not long, actually. I didn’t pick up the hobby until I was twenty-five. One of my students told me once that they bet I couldn’t recreate the Mona Lisa, and I proved them wrong.”

“I bet it looked great,” Daryl replied, placing his crossbow down on the ground next to him.

“Oh, no. It looked like dog shit,” Georgianna laughed, glancing between her drawing and the man next to her. “But it was a fun challenge. It made me realize that I wanted to be able to do that, you know? Create pictures from my mind alone. So I bought myself a bunch of supplies and every nigh, before bed, I’d draw anything and everything just to get some practice in. My TV, my coffee mug, my stuffed rabbit—”

“You had a stuffed rabbit? At twenty-five?” Daryl mused, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. That little piece of information was actually rather adorable.

Georgianna rolled her eyes with a smile. “Yes, I did. It was a gift from my dad when I turned nine. He…” she trailed off, her smile dimming at the thought of that awful time in her life. “He bought it for me as a way to help me cope with what happened with my—my mother.”

Daryl frowned slightly at the clear shift in the mood. The small, curious part of him wanted to ask what she was talking about, about what had happened with her mother, but the other, more logical side of him told him not to. She never pressed him for answers on anything he revealed of his life before, so he would respect that kindness she had showed him by reciprocating the sentiment.

“Yeah, I get that. The thing holds sentimental value or some bullshit like that, right?” Daryl said, attempting to lighten the mood.

Georgianna smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Some bullshit like that.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing her sketchbook and letting it rest on her lap. “I wish I could have grabbed it before we left the city. It’s the one thing that can’t be replaced for me.”

Daryl hummed in acknowledgement. Not really knowing how to go about the situation, and clearly sensing that Georgianna needed a pick-me-up, he opted to change the topic. “What were ya drawin’?”

“The landscape,” Georgianna replied, motioning over to the treeline just beyond the array of tents. “The scenery is beautiful. I could get into what exactly I find beautiful, but something tells me that you’re not really into the whole “nature is a wonder” thing.”

“You’d be right ‘bout that,” Daryl chuckled. He looked back over to Georgianna, right in time to see her pull up the sleeves of her shirt, revealing something he had somehow never noticed until that point. “You have a tattoo?”

“Oh! Yes, I do,” she confirmed, twisting her body slightly to extend her arm and show him the picture permanently ingrained in her skin. “It’s a bunny tattoo.”

“From what ya told me jus’ a few moments ago, it seems pretty fittin’,” Daryl told her, leaning back in his chair. “When did ya get that?”

“About two years ago,” Georgianna replied after a moment of thinking. “I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo of an animal, and what better one to get than the one that holds the most sentimental value to me, right?”

“Right,” Daryl agreed with a light hum. “Ya really seem to like rabbits. So how much do ya cry when I bring dead ones back from my hunts?”

That made Georgianna laugh. The sound was like music to the archer’s ears, and Daryl felt a sense of pride knowing that he was the one that had caused it. It made him feel good about himself.

“Yes, I like rabbits, but I don’t cry when you bring dead ones back. I know that it’s vital for our survival. Their meat feeds us, but most importantly, they feed the kids. Carl, Sophia… The rabbits’ meat ensure that the kiddos don’t go to bed hungry. To me, that means that their sacrifices don’t go in vain.”

“That’s a nice way’a thinkin’ ‘bout it,” Daryl told her.

“Yeah.” She leaned back in her own chair, her chocolate eyes sparkling with amusement as she gazed at Daryl. “I guess rabbits just really mean a lot to me. As a kid, my dad would take me and my brother out camping, and he’d always take us to this place in the woods where the rabbits were just about everywhere. They did not fear humans at all. I even woke up and found a baby bunny sleeping on my legs once. It was the cutest thing ever.”

“So ya really like rabbits.” It was more of a statement than a question, but he got an answer anyway.

“I do. They bring a sense of joy to me. They remind me of some of the happiest times in my life. I know, it’s weird.”

Daryl shook his head. “Nah, ain’t nothin’ weird ‘bout that. It brings ya comfort. Nothin’ wrong with that.”

Georgianna smiled at him, a soft, genuine one. “Thank you,” she thanked him softly.

“’Course.”

The silence that fell between them was not one of discomfort. That was one thing that Daryl appreciated about the woman; the ability to sit with her in complete silence, and not have it be awkward. She knew exactly when to initiate a conversation with him, she knew exactly when Daryl preferred to sit in relative silence, and she knew exactly when he wanted to be left alone. That alone had been one of the many things that had drawn him to the woman in the first place, and he deeply appreciated her ability to read his social cues—or, well, lack thereof.

However, the silence did not last long at all. It got interrupted, and if looks could kill, Merle Dixon would be six feet under due to the glare Daryl was throwing his way.

“Holy shit, would ya look at this?” Merle laughed loudly, stumbling almost drunkenly towards the pair.

Georgianna instantly felt uncomfortable. She was a people person, but there were a select few people that she just could not bring herself to like, no matter how hard she tried; Shane Walsh, Ed Peletier, and Merle Dixon. And now the latter was ruining the serene moment that Daryl and Georgianna was having.

Wonderful, Georgianna thought to herself, pursing her lips together.

“Fuck off, Merle,” Daryl grumbled, shooting his brother a furious look. “M’not in the mood for your bullshit.”

“Now s’that any way to address me in front of this hot piece’a ass, boy? Don’ embarrass me like that, lil’ brother. Not unless you want me to kick your teeth in.”

Georgianna inhaled deeply, held her breath for four seconds, before exhaling again. She was trying really hard not to lash out at the man and his vulgar comments. Despite everything, Georgianna knew how important Merle was to Daryl, and she did not want to risk losing his friendship because she had a fight with his brother, even if said brother was a complete jackass.

“I think I’m gonna call it a night,” Georgianna declared. She picked up her sketchbook and pencil, before getting up. “Good night, guys. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She gently gripped Daryl’s shoulder in greeting, sending him one last smile, before she began stalking back towards her tent. Whether or not Vec and Scud were done doing the devil’s tango, she did not care. She wanted to faceplant into her pillow and throw the towel in for the day.

Daryl watched Georgianna’s retreating figure, his hand gingerly touching where her’s had gripped his shoulder not even ten seconds ago. Unwillingly, a small smile played on his lips, and his heart was galloping in his chest. Her touch felt so nice. Her hand was so soft, so warm. He definitely wanted to feel that again. That thought alone was rather terrifying.

Daryl got snapped from his thoughts by the sound of Merle’s loud, obnoxious voice, and he seriously wanted to punch his brother in that moment. “Jus’ shut up, Merle,” he mumbled, getting up from the chair, picking up his crossbow, and making his way over to his tent.

When Georgianna got back to the tent, she was surprised to find the tent flap already open. When she stepped into the material shelter, she was even more surprised to see Vec sitting upright in her sleeping bag, Scud laying on his back next to her, both pairs of eyes looking at her expectantly.

“So, how’d it go?” Vec asked in a sing-song voice, pushing her glasses up her nose when they slipped off a bit.

Georgianna, choosing to play dumb, frowned at her. “How’d what go?”

Vec scoffed at her. “Babe, please. We’ve been friends since before we could even talk. I know that look. Now spill.”

Georgianna rolled her eyes and sighed over dramatically. “Fine, fine.” She dropped her sketchbook and pencil onto her bag on the floor, kicked her shoes off and dropped down onto her sleeping bag, before sitting up and facing her best friend. “Before you ask, no. Nothing romantic happened. We just talked.”

“You hear that, Vee? They just talked,” Scud chimed in. He pushed himself to sit upright so that he could properly see Georgianna, a smirk on his face. “We,” he began, motioning between him and Vec, “started off just talking, too. Look at us today.”

“Well, Joshua, I’m not Vec, and Daryl most certainly isn’t you, thank god.”

Scud scoffed at that. “Yeah, thank god. Wouldn’t want two completely awesome me’s runnin’ around.”

“Then the camp would descend into complete and utter chaos. Then Deputy Dick would really hate us,” Georgianna quipped, before sighing. “Nothing happened between us, guys. I swear, we just talked. He asked me about my drawing, and then we talked about my love of rabbits. That’s all. Merle cut us off after that.”

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” Vec exclaimed, a groan leaving her. “Fucking idiot. Just had to go and ruin the build up to the first kiss. God, I hate him.”

“Woah, woah, woah. You just skipped a million chapters ahead. Even if he didn’t interrupt, there most definitely would not have been a first kiss.” Georgianna looked down at her hands, a frown tugging at her eyebrows. “I doubt there ever will be a first kiss. I doubt Daryl even likes me like that.”

That made Vec spring into motion. She got up from her sleeping bag—after a bit of protest from Scud, but she quickly shushed him—and plopped herself down next to her best friend. She took Georgianna’s face into her hands and gently forced her chocolate brown eyes to meet her ocean-coloured ones, a serious, no nonsense look in their depths.

“Georgianna Marianne Hawkins, I’m gonna need you to listen to me very closely. I know you didn’t say it outright, but I know what’s whirring around in that pretty head of yours. There is absolutely, positively, one hundred percent, fuck all wrong with you. You’re an ethereal, amazing, goddamn goddess, and he would be lucky to have you. Anyone would be lucky to have you. In fact, I would be surprised if he didn’t want you. I wish you could see what I do. Daryl Dixon is down bad for you.”

“She’s right, y’know,” Scud chipped in. “His eyes follow you when you’re not looking. He thinks he’s being discreet, but the Scudster is amazin’ at pickin’ up stuff like that. That’s a look of enamour if I ever saw one.”

“See?” Vec asked. “He likes likes you, Babe. I promise.”

Georgianna really wanted to believe them. She really did. However, she just couldn’t. The friendship, albeit a relatively new one—barely over two months—she shared with Daryl was just too precious to risk. The crossbow-wielding archer was not particularly known for his openess towards befriending people in the camp. Georgianna had been the only outlier, and if she decided to make a move and it ended up being something he did not want, the friendship could potentially be ruined.

No, she did not want to risk that.

She gingerly removed Vec’s hands from her face, a rather sad smile gracing her features. “Maybe y’all are right. I’ll… I’ll think about it, okay?”

That answer seemed to satisfy Scud, the man in question laying back down, but Vec knew better. She frowned at Georgianna, and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“That didn’t make you feel better, did it?”

Georgianna glanced at Scud, before looking back at Vec. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Give you the whole run down on my emotions and shit.”

Vec slowly nodded. “I’m keeping you to that.”

Vec lightly ruffled Georgianna’s hair, laughing lightly when the woman swatted her hand away, before crawling back over to her sleeping bag a few feet away from her best friend’s.

The three inhabitants of the dark blue tent started settling in for the night. Vec cuddled up next to Scud after exchanging one last kiss with him for the night, before taking her glasses off and setting them down on the makeshift table. Scud’s eyes were already closed by the time Vec was completely settled down.

Despite the little fire in the lamp that illuminated the tent being turned off, sleep did not come instantly for Georgianna. Her thoughts were running free in her head. Georgianna hated crushes. On the rare occasions that she got them, she always got them hard. She wished that she had the ability to keep her feelings under control. She wished that she was not so insecure about relationships. She wished that she felt confident enough to make a move and see where everything went from there. And above all else, she wished that she could suppress her growing feelings towards the younger Dixon brother.

As she slowly drifted off into the welcoming depths of slumber, those thoughts drifted from her mind, instead being replaced by a dream her brain had carefully crafted to bring her some release from her inner turmoil. As sleep finally overcame her, Georgianna laid completely still, blissfully unaware of the fact that in the tent closest to theirs, Daryl Dixon was still wide awake, fighting a losing battle against his own steadily growing feelings, his mind being plagued by images of the woman he cared for more than he had wanted to.

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf.

Quarters Of The Undead Taglist: @holdmytesseract @weirdoneattheparty @ripleyswife @gothic-pumpkin

You can reach out to me or Taylor to be added/removed from the taglist. We’ll let the other one know about it so that both taglists stay one in the same.

[dixons-sunshine]

The Hawkins woman could barely breathe. There, in front of her, lay the lifeless, mutilated body of Abraham Ford. Her friend. Her family. And trapezing around his body, Negan laughed about it like it was some joke. Like taking the life of a man was comparable to laughing with his buddies over a beer and a football game. He was taunting Rosita about killing the man she cared for deeply, like he’d merely just pulled some elaborate prank and she was overreacting. How could anyone be so cruel? So ruthless?

Her chocolate-like eyes slowly and hesitantly trailed over to her left, meeting those beautiful blue ones of her partner. Through the tears, she could see this look of pure anger, of pure hatred. It’s a look she’d only ever seen once before. And some part of her knew something was going to happen. She had that feeling deep in her gut.

She just wished she had acted on that feeling. She could have attempted to stop the next series of events from happening.

But it was too late.

Georgie belongs to me. Although not mentioned here, Vec belongs to @dixonsdarkelf.

Council members (aka QOTU readers): @kat-herine00 @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract @negansbestie @ffsjustletmesleep @imadisneyprincessiswear

You can hit up either me or Taylor to be added to/removed from the taglist, or to let us know you just want to be tagged in actual fics!

“Sneak peak” banner made by Taylor, © banner and divider made by me.

Krys Rambles: So we have decided to write little snippets of upcoming chapters and ideas and share them with you all! I hope y’all liked this 💜

[dixons-sunshine]

Georgie: (In a room in a house the group is staying in, visibly shaken up from a close encounter with a walker.)

Scud: (Throwing a ball against the wall, catching it, and repeating.)

Georgie: I am calm. I am relaxed. I am a happy tree...

Scud: (Continues throwing the ball against the wall.)

Georgie: You are making it VERY HARD to be a happy tree!

Georgie belongs to me.

Although not mentioned in this, Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf.

QOTU taglist: @ripleyswife @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract (Comment/inbox/DM me or Taylor to be added/removed!)

[dixons-sunshine]

Vec and Georgie: cuddles up on the couch, Vec’s head resting on Georgie’s chest, their legs intertwined as Georgie’s fingers thread through Vec’s hair.

Scud: looks at Daryl.

Daryl: looks at Scud.

Daryl: ...

Scud: Fuckin’ lesbians.

Georgie: (unbothered) Don’t pretend like I haven’t found you ogling Rick’s arms before, Joshua.

Scud: I complimented his arms ONE TI—

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf

Taglist for this AU is open! Just comment/DM/inbox me to be added.

©dixons-sunshine and thevegandarkelf 2024. We do not give permission for our works to be copied, modified, adapted or translated to any other site or platform without evidence of our given consent.

[dixons-sunshine]

More Than Meets The Eye | Quarters Of The Undead

(GIF isn’t mine)

Summary: After Shane demands mushrooms be included in the evening’s dinner, Georgie is sent to go searching for some, her first time ever drifting that far from the camp. But she soon discovers that there’s more than just mushrooms out in the woods.

Era: The Quarry

Part of the Quarters Of The Undead AU.

Warnings: Swearing, arguing, I think that’s it.

Word count: 4.7k

Pairings: Georgianna Hawkins x Daryl Dixon (unestablished/“platonic”); Lydia Vector x Scud Frohmeyer (established/romantic)

A/N: This took me forever to finish but here it is! I hope y’all like it. And massive thanks to @dixonsdarkelf for help with the summary.

Life as she knew it was over. Gone were the days of staying up late to work on grading assignments. Gone were the days of lounging around in the living room with Scud while waiting for Vec to come home from work. Gone were the days where deadlines and failed dates were Georgie’s biggest worries. Instead, now she had to worry about survival. She had to worry about food, safe drinking water. She had to worry about whether or not she would live to see the next day. Despite living in a camp that seemed safe, she knew that everything could change in a blink of an eye. She had seen it happen when the dead first started walking.

Georgie sighed as she worked on fixing a hole in Shane Walsh’s shirt. Or ‘Deputy Dick’, as she had so affectionately named him. A title Vec and Scud had picked up on and used more than even she did. She sat by the unlit campfire as she worked, dreading the nearly full laundry basket of clothes that all had tears or holes that needed fixing. Yes, she loved sewing, but her hand was beginning to cramp up. She needed a break, but she did not want Deputy Dick breathing down her neck for it.

“What the fuck does he do that makes new holes appear in his clothes every single day?” Georgie muttered under her breath, her brows furrowed together in frustration.

From beside her, her best friend, Vec, simply chuckled. “Roll around on the ground, probably,” she mused, leaning back in her chair. “At least then he would be doing something except sit on his ass and “guard the camp” all day.”

Georgie laughed at that and nodded in agreement. “So true.” Her laughter got replaced by a small hiss of pain when she accidentally pricked her finger with the needle. “Shit!”

“You alright, babe?” Vec asked in concern, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just pricked my finger,” she replied with a sigh, closing her eyes to will the stinging sensation away.

“You sure? If you think you need stitches, let me know. I’ll go get the kit right now.”

Georgie laughed at her best friend. She appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood. “I’m sure I’ll survive.” She finished closing the hole in the shirt and tossed it into the laundry basket, before getting up and stretching to get rid of the kinks that had formed in her back. “I think I need a break, though.”

Before Vec could speak up, a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders. “Hey, Vee,” Scud greeted her, having to lean down to press a kiss to the top of her head due to Vec being seated on the chair.

“Yup, now I definitely need a break,” Georgie joked, sending Scud a pointed look.

Scud rolled his eyes and flipped her off. “You’re just jealous.”

“Of you? Definitely not.” Georgie pretended to gag, before laughing and looking back to Vec. “I’ll be right back. I just wanna go get something from the tent.”

“Okay,” Vec replied, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun as she peered at Georgie. “You think you could bring my notebook with you?”

“Of course.”

With that, she stalked off towards the tent she shared with Scud and Vec. It was set up near the outskirts, close enough to be a part of the camp, but far enough away that they still had some semblance of privacy. Well, some privacy. Another tent was set up not too far away from theirs. A gray, medium-sized tent that belonged to the Dixon brothers.

Georgie did not know how she felt about the Dixon brothers. When her and Vec had been brought back by Shane, they had already been there. Merle Dixon had wasted no time in being crude to her and Vec. Sexual comments, rude gestures, everything. Georgie had met quite a few guys that needed a reality check in her life, but none of them had been quite as bad as the oldest Dixon brother. And Daryl…

Truth be told, Georgie did not know what to make of the younger Dixon brother. All she knew about him was that he could be quite the sass mouth when he wanted to be. However, he tended to keep more to himself, slinking away into the woods more often than not, sometimes only returning days later with squirrels or other game. From what she could gather, he was a bit of a hothead at times, but he seemed to be nothing like his brother. At least, as far as Georgie could tell.

Georgie heard them before she saw them. Looking up from the ground, she stopped in her tracks and had to witness the same men she had been thinking about only moments prior argue for what seemed like the millionth time. She tended to ignore them when they got into their debacles, but she would not be able to now. For some reason, the two brothers had decided that the front of her tent would be the perfect spot for their battleground.

“What the fuck were you thinkin’?! We could’a used that, Merle!” Daryl exclaimed, angrily motioning towards the tent, towards something that Georgie couldn’t see.

Merle simply scoffed and rolled his eyes, absentmindedly wiping at his nose. “Well boohoo. If ya ask me, you oughta shut your mouth before I break your teeth, Darylina.”

Georgie could see that Daryl was getting angrier by the second. He was practically seething at that point. If someone didn’t intervene, the front of her tent would definitely turn into a war ground, and not only metaphorically. She knew she would not be able to stop them, but if they truly were about to start throwing punches, she wanted to at least get what she had came for before they began.

Forcing herself to brave the situation, she walked on and brushed past them, turning their attention to her. She suddenly felt small under their gazes, but she attempted to remain calm.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. You two can go on in a moment,” she mumbled, ducking into her tent. Working at lightning speed, she grabbed Vec’s notebook and pen from beside her sleeping bag, as well as her own sketchbook and pencil. Shane Walsh’s clothes be damned, she wanted to unwind. While doing so, she was rather shocked that she didn’t hear anymore arguing. Seems like her interruption had managed to prevent the fight from escalating, she figured.

Making her way out of the tent in record time—it had to have been less than a minute—she was surprised to see Daryl still standing right where she had last seen him. Merle had already walked off, her prior interruption having stopped their argument long enough for him to have been the one to get the final say before disappearing. Daryl, however, was still rooted in his spot, for reasons even he himself was unaware.

His piercing cerulean-coloured eyes bored down into her chocolate-coloured ones. He was silent, unmoving, his eyebrows furrowed together in a thoughtful look. His gaze made Georgie shift her weight from one foot to the other, feeling a touch unsettled by it.

“Do you need something?” she asked after a few more beats of silence. Merle was gone, so what could Daryl still be doing in front of her tent? She did not know what to expect. She had never even spoken to him before. She had to learn his name from Scud, so she was unsure what he was about to do. Apologize? Yell at her for butting into their argument? She did not know.

After a few moments of contemplation, Daryl simply turned around and walked off. No apology, no yelling, nothing. Just silence as he disappeared into his own tent. Georgie raised her eyebrows as she watched him close the tent flap, not knowing how to feel about what had just happened.

“Okay, then,” she mused aloud to herself. She shook her head and made her way back to the campsite, back to the unlit campfire where Vec and Scud were.

When Vec saw Georgie, she nudged her head in the direction of their tent. “What was that all about?”

Georgie collapsed into the chair, reaching over to hand Vec her notebook and pen. “You saw that?”

“I heard it.” She opened her notebook, before adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Georgie sighed and shook her head. “I don’t even know. Daryl was pissed at Merle for something. Said “they could have used it”,” Georgie repeated what she had heard. “I wanted to get our things, though, so I pushed past them. That seemed to end their argument.”

“Wait, seriously?” Scud voiced, a little bit impressed. “You usually hate butting into people’s arguments.”

“I do, but they were in front of our tent. I wanted to get our things,” Georgie shrugged nonchalantly. Truth be told, even she was surprised by how bold she had been. Despite not having said much or told them to go argue somewhere else, that was still something new for her. Usually, she would have shrunk away, let them be and hoped that they would go away soon enough. It seemed like the apocalypse was beginning to strengthen her resolve, little by little.

”Damn, Gin. I’m so proud right now,” Vec spoke up, playfully wiping away a nonexistent tear. “I knew you had it in you.”

Georgie chuckled and threw her pencil at Vec, which only elicited a laugh from her. “I hate you both.”

Vec’s laughter died down, and she leaned back in her seat. “Those brothers really are something.”

“Yes, they are.”

Georgie couldn’t seem to get that look Daryl had given her out of her mind. Despite it not being friendly, it had not been hostile, either. For a moment, it had looked like he had been… intrigued?

No, she thought to herself, opening her sketchbook and gratefully accepting the pencil from Vec. She was overthinking it. She needed to forget about it.

However, that was easier said than done.

Georgie sighed as she walked up to Dale. She glanced back towards the cliff, in the direction where the most of the women in the camp had disappeared down to wash the laundry. The Hawkins woman would have followed behind them like usual, but she had been stopped by the Horvath man. For what reason, she was unaware.

“Georgianna,” Dale said in greeting, sending her a friendly smile as he moved to meet her halfway, a small bag in his grasp.

Georgie smiled at him. “How many times do I have to say that just ‘Georgie’ is fine?” she asked him light-heartedly.

“Well, I think Georgianna is a beautiful name and it should be said more often,” Dale countered playfully.

Georgie simply shook her head. “What can I do for you, Dale?”

“How much do you know about mushrooms?”

That took her off guard. “Oh,” she began, frowning slightly. “Enough to know what the poisonous ones look like, but I’m not super confident in my skills. You’d probably have better luck asking Lori.”

Dale pursed his lips. “I would, but I have no idea where she is.” He adjusted the strap of his shotgun over his shoulder. “Shane wants there to be mushrooms with tonight’s dinner.”

Georgie scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course he does,” she muttered under her breath. “So you want me to go look for some?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble,” he confirmed, holding the bag he had in his hands out towards her.

She smiled at him reassuringly. “It’s not.” Georgie took the bag from him and stepped back. “Believe me, this is a blessing. I’ve been waiting for a reason to explore the woods a bit.” She stopped for a moment and frowned a little. “Am I gonna be alone?”

Dale thought for a moment. “Yes and no? I think Daryl is out hunting, so you might run into him. But you can take someone else with you if you’d like.”

“No, it’s okay,” Georgie said. “I got it.”

Dale smiled at her. “Don’t go too far, though. Stay within shouting distance,” he repeated what he always told anyone that went into the woods. He moved towards the ladder that lead up to the roof of the RV. “And be back before sundown.”

“Could you maybe tell Vec where I’m going if she asks?”

“Of course.”

With that, Dale made his way up the ladder, leaving Georgie alone with her thoughts. She smiled to herself and walked off, stopping only for a brief moment to pick up one of the knives that laid on the chair next to the campfire. It wasn’t exactly the type of knife a person would use when hunting or defending themselves, but it would do. She would not go into the woods without some way to defend herself.

With one final glance at the campsite, she disappeared into the trees, making sure to keep her senses on high alert as she stalked further and further away from the safety of the camp. Despite nothing having happened thus far, she did not feel like testing her luck. She definitely did not feel like getting eaten alive.

“Mushrooms,” Georgie muttered to herself as she looked down at the forest floor, slowing her pace down. “Look for mushrooms.” She bent down and picked up what she thought was a mushroom, quickly discovered it wasn’t, and threw it to the side. “Much easier said than done, but it’s fine. At least I don’t have to do laundry for a change.”

Georgie didn’t know how long she was in the woods, scouring the ground for mushrooms and cutting her hands on a twig once or twice. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. She had a tendency to have no grasp on time or reality when she busied her mind with a task. However, she quickly got brought back to reality when she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around and gripped the knife in her hand, fully prepared to see a walker stumbling towards her. However, she was surprised to be met with a crossbow raised towards her, piercing blue eyes peering at her over the weapon. The same blue eyes of the man she had spoken to at her tent a few days before.

The air was thick, the silence palpable. For what felt like forever, Georgie and the crossbow-wielding archer just stared at each other, their respective weapons still raised in front of them. However, surprisingly, the younger Dixon was the one to back off first.

Daryl lowered his crossbow and simply looked at Georgie for another few seconds, before speaking up. “The hell’re you doin’ out here?”

Georgie’s eyebrows raised in surprise. She lowered the knife in her hand and simply raised the bag she held in her other one. “Scouring for mushrooms.”

The huntsman hummed in acknowledgement. However, he still looked tense. “Y’shouldn’t be out here,” he replied curtly, his tone cold and lacking any friendliness. “S’too dangerous.”

The Hawkins woman let out a scoff and rolled her eyes. “Typical,” she mumbled, shaking her head, before raising her voice again. “I’m fine.” With that, she turned around and walked on, continuing her search for the damned mushrooms.

Georgie barely got a few feet away before Daryl’s voice rung through the air once more. “S’gettin’ dark. Pretty sure s’hard to find things when ya can’t even see.”

She couldn’t figure out if he was being condescending or not. His tone didn’t waver, nor did his stance, Georgie noted when she turned back around. He was rooted in the same spot, a few squirrels strung over his shoulder and his face betrayed nothing. He managed to upkeep his stoic stature.

Glancing up, Georgie realized that he was right. The sun was beginning to disappear from the sky, its rays painting the sky in hues of orange and yellow. Time had flown by. How long had she been in the woods?

Daryl shifted his weight from one foot to the other, silently observing her. He waited for her to say something, to tell him to get lost or to leave her alone. He expected it, honestly, and after what she had witnessed between him and Merle, he couldn’t blame her. He would tell himself to go away after that.

“Jesus,” Georgie began after a few moments, turning back to him. “How long have I been out here?” She knew it was futile to ask him. Unless he had been following her since she left the camp, she seriously doubted he would be able to answer her question.

Daryl shrugged and cleared his throat. “The hell’re ya askin’ me for?”

“Sorry.” Georgie raised her hands in mock-surrender. “It was a rhetorical question. No need to bite my head off.”

He simply hummed again, his eyes flickering over her face for a few moments, before looking behind her at something. “Behind ya.”

Georgie spun around, her heart pounding against her ribcage, fully prepared to find someone—or something—but she was met with nothing except trees. Was he doing this for laughs? Did he do that as some sort of payback for interrupting him and Merle the other day?

“Why the fuck would you do that, Daryl?” she asked in exasperation, turning back to him. “You want me to have a heart attack?”

Daryl said nothing. He merely looked at her for a second, before stalking over to her. Or, well, behind her. He bent down, picked something up and extended it towards her. A mushroom.

Georgie felt rather stupid in that moment. She’d snapped at him for nothing. He was just helping her out. However, he definitely could have pointed it out in a better way, she thought to herself as she accepted it from his grasp.

“Thanks.”

Daryl stood up and adjusted his hold on his beloved crossbow, slightly towering over her. He wasn’t that much taller than her—only about four inches, if she had to guess—but it was enough to make her have to look up at him. The sun caught in his hair, giving it a golden hue, and upon closer inspection, Georgie could see little specks of green in his eyes. And the—

“Don’t mention it.”

That snapped Georgie back to reality. She frowned at herself and took a step back from the archer. What was that about?

Daryl glanced up at the sky. “I’d head back if I were you. It ain’t safe out here.”

“Why do you care?” She knew she was being harsh. She knew it was uncalled for. She instantly felt bad about it. “Sorry. I’m sorry, that was rude. I don’t know why I said that.”

“Ain’t nothin’. Heard worse.” Daryl wiped his hand off on his jeans. “Jus’ don’t feel like havin’ your death on my conscience if somethin’ happens.”

Georgie nodded and slung the bag over her shoulder. Choosing to be civil as long as he was, she sheathed the knife through the space between her belt and her jeans and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s fair,” she replied. “Lead the way, I guess.”

Daryl’s eyebrows raised in mild surprise, but he made no comment on her compliance. Instead, he nodded and began walking, making his way back. Georgie followed behind him silently, knowing that there was a time and place to be stubborn, and that was neither the or place. With a quick glance around as she moved, she realized that she had no idea where she was anyway, so Daryl choosing to be somewhat persistent about her following him back was a blessing.

Maybe he knew she was lost. He seemed like an observant guy, so she wouldn’t put it past him.

The minutes ticked by in relative silence. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of leaves crunching under their shoes, the distant sounds of birds’ chirps being replaced by those of crickets, and the whooshing of the late afternoon breeze. It was calm, peaceful, serene. It reminded her of the camping trips her dad used to take her on as a kid.

“Sorry.”

Daryl’s voice rang through the air, taking Georgie by surprise. “What?”

“Sorry,” he repeated himself, keeping his eyes trained in front of him. “For the other day, I mean. The argument. It was ugly and ya didn’t deserve to see it.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned on her. She was shocked to hear him apologize for that. She definitely didn’t expect it. “It’s fine. Shit happens.”

“Mhm.” He glanced at Georgie, finding himself slightly admiring her, even against his better judgement. He wasn’t blind. From the moment he had laid eyes on her, he thought she was beautiful. A few days of observing her from afar showed him that she was a good person. And now their earlier encounter showed him that she had a fire in her, too. So how could he not be a little blown away by her?

After a few more seconds of silence, Georgie found herself speaking up again. “So how hard is it to handle that thing anyway?” She knew her attempt at conversation could have been futile. However, if she had to walk in that tense silence a minute longer, she would lose her mind.

Daryl raised his eyebrows in question. “This?” he inquired, raising his crossbow and continuing when she nodded. “Ain’t that hard if ya know what you’re doin’.”

“It can’t be that hard if you’re asking me,” Georgie scoffed, continuing the conversation now that she knew the archer wouldn’t bite her head off for talking.

“Good thing I ain’t askin’ you, then,” he retorted, stepping over a fallen log. “Think you could do it?”

“I mean, I probably could. I can use a compound bow.”

It was Daryl’s turn to scoff. “S’two very different weapons.”

“Still can’t be that difficult. I think I could use it,” Georgie joked, a smile spreading across her face. “In fact, I’m confident that I can.”

To his surprise, Daryl felt his lips quirk up into a small smile. However, he quickly wiped it from his face. “Whatever ya say. M’willin’a bet that you can’t.”

“Okay,” she mused, nodding her head. “Challenge accepted, Robin Hood.”

The archer snorted at that, but he quickly covered it up with a fake cough. To his shock, he found himself enjoying her company. He couldn’t say that about a lot of people, especially not most of the people at the camp, but there he was. He didn’t know how to feel about that fact. He was conflicted.

“Guess we’ll see—”

The sounds of groans reached his ears. Daryl signalled for Georgie to stop, slowly raising his crossbow in front of him as he stalked forward, his footsteps much quieter than they were only seconds before. Georgie followed behind him, her hand hovering close to the knife that rested against her hip. It took her a little bit longer to hear what he did, but when she did, she realized why he was acting so on edge.

“Is it a walker?” she whispered softly, staying close behind him.

Daryl shushed her. “Be quiet, woman,” he warned her.

Georgie nodded. He was the hunter, after all. If there was anyone that knew about the dangers in these woods, it would be him. He practically lived there, anyway. Despite not knowing him well at all, Georgie knew that she had to trust his judgement. So she shut her mouth and observed as he pulled a few leaf-covered branches back to see what danger lurked there.

Of everything that the two of them could have stumbled across, nothing could have prepared them for that. Just as quickly as Daryl lifted the branches, he just as quickly dropped them, too. His face scrunched up in disgust as he practically jumped back, that visual forever ingrained into his mind.

The visual of Shane and Lori going at it in the middle of the forest floor.

Georgie shared his sentiment. Her eyes were widened in horror, her stomach churning as she fought against the urge to throw up. She definitely could have gone her whole life without seeing that. She never wanted to see that.

“Jesus,” she muttered. “I didn’t want to see that.”

Daryl agreed with that statement. “Yeah.”

“Could have gone my whole life without seeing that and I would have been happy.”

“Mhm.”

The Hawkins woman groaned as she walked as far away from the scene of the crime as she could, reassured she was going the right way when Daryl followed behind her instead of correcting her. “At least now I know why Shane keeps getting holes in his shirt. And Lori…”

“Best if ya try not to think about it,” he advised her, although he knew it would be easier said than done.

“Yeah,” Georgie mumbled. She’d had her suspicions about Shane and Lori—they weren’t as subtle as they thought they were—but she never thought she’d confirm them by seeing them in the act.

The rest of the trek was spent in silence, the previous unexpected camaraderie nowhere to be found. The campsite came into view after about another five minutes of walking, and Georgie could see people gathering around the fire pit. Nobody had spotted them yet, but she was sure they would soon. It’s not like Georgie and Daryl were exactly friends, so them coming back together would probably raise some suspicions.

“Thanks,” she began, turning back to Daryl. “For bringing me back. I know I was a bit of a bitch earlier. You could have left me.”

Daryl shrugged. “Nah. Like I said, don’t need your death on my conscience.”

“Well, thanks anyway,” she said, turning away. However, before she could walk off, his voice reached her ears once more.

“What’s your name?”

Georgie turned back to him. “What?”

Daryl hesitated for a moment. Even he was surprised by the fact that he had asked that. He could easily have let her walk off and be done with her. That would have been easy. He didn’t need friends. But despite that, he found himself repeating the question, the same question he had wanted an answer to for longer than he wanted to admit.

“What’s your name?” he asked again. “I mean, y’know mine. You said it earlier. Now I wanna know yours. Ain’t it considered the good mannered thing to do when exchangin’ names with a stranger?”

Georgie’s lips quirked up into a small smile. “You could always just ask my best friend what my name is. Or Scud or Glenn or somebody,” she replied.

Daryl scoffed. “Yeah, but I don’t wanna do that. I wanna hear it from you.”

The Hawkins woman nodded and sent him a small smile. “Georgianna,” she told him after a few beats of silence. “But just about everyone calls me Georgie. It’s your pick, really. I respond to either.” With that, Georgie turned back around and finally left to head back into the campsite, leaving Daryl alone with his own racing thoughts, ones that confused him immensely, ones that he didn’t understand. Ones he needed to figure out. And Georgie left with the thought that there was definitely more to the archer than meets the eye.

After stopping to drop off the bag with the mushrooms, and telling Dale to sort through them just to be sure none of them are poisonous, Georgie stalked over to her tent at record speed, having piping hot tea to spill to her best friend. Outside, Vec was already waiting with her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her face as she peered at Georgie.

“D—”

“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show her face again,” Vec cut her off, the smirk on her face not wavering, even just for a second. “Don’t worry, by the way. It looks like you’ve got all your clothes on the right side out.”

Georgie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What?”

“I’m a little surprised. A few days ago you weren’t even speaking to each other, and now you’re already getting down and dirty? Even Josh and I didn’t move that fast.”

Realization dawned on her. “Dia, no, we—”

The doctor cut her off again, her excitement getting the better of her. “Tell me everything. How was it?”

“I—”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“He—”

“Did he actually make you finish?”

“No, listen—”

“How many times?”

“Wait—”

“You gonna do it again?”

“Lydia!”

That finally seemed to get Vec’s attention. “What?”

Georgie rubbed a hand over her face and laughed. “First of all, nothing happened between us, but we’ll get to that after.”

Vec cocked an eyebrow questioningly. “After what?”

Georgie lowered her voice to a knowing whisper. “You’ll never believe what I saw.”

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @dixonsdarkelf.

Taglist: @kat-herine00 @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract @negansbestie @ffsjustletmesleep @imadisneyprincessiswear

You can reach out to either of us to be added/removed from the taglist.

[dixonsdarkelf]

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!”

Vec’s legs moved at their own will, carrying her down the hall at a speed she would never be able to achieve on her own. The sound of her boots pounding the pavement echoed off the walls of West Georgia Correctional as she navigated her way toward Cell Block C, frantically trying to find the woman she called “Gin.” And as luck would have it, all she needed to do was round one more corner.

Georgie was returning to her cell, likely from the bathroom, given the towel in her hand. Vec didn’t know, and quite frankly, she didn’t care. This was no time to be asking questions.

The Hawkins woman picked her head up at the sound, half-expecting to see a group running in her direction with how loud it was. As her gaze met her best friend’s, her smile quickly faded, the look on her face conveying that whatever she was rushing to Georgie for was urgent. She wouldn’t have to wonder for long; though, as Vec’s words were flying off her tongue before Georgie could think to open her mouth.

“Gin, you need to come with me right now,” she demanded, panting through her words as she brought herself to a stop outside the cell. At the speed she’d been traveling, even Vec was surprised at her ability to slow herself to a stop without crashing.

Georgie nodded, already beginning to make her way inside her cell. “Of course. Give me just a minute to—“

Before she could finish with “put this towel down,” she was cut off, both by Vec grabbing her arm, ready to drag her away, and by her words. “Oh that’s funny. You think this can wait.” She began to pull Georgie behind her, the towel that was previously in her arms falling to the dirty concrete floor with a soft thud. “C’mon.”

She knew she was being more persistent than usual, but the circumstances called for it. There was no time to waste.

“Dia, slow down. What is going on?” Georgie pleaded, her bestie dragging her down hallway after hallway.

“We have a problem,” Vec explained. Her tone was desperate, almost panicked. Maybe cusping on the edge of frightened, but Georgie couldn’t be sure. The sound of their feet nearly drowned out their conversation.

“I figured as much,” Georgie replied, “what kind of problem?”

She ended their conversation with two simple words. “You’ll see.”

Pulling the teacher out into the afternoon Georgia heat, Vec directed her attention toward the front gate. They’d barely gotten outside before she started rattling off instructions. “Look.”

She took a moment to gain her footing as Vec released her, balancing against the railing in front of them. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Georgie peered out into the field before them. From their spot against the building, she saw Rick returning from his afternoon run. And he wasn’t alone. “Okay…so Rick’s got—“

“No, Gin,” the doctor interjected, crossing her arms over her chest, “I need you to really look.”

With a sigh, she squinted in an attempt to get a better look at them. After a few seconds, their familiar features became more clear, sending Georgie’s heart plummeting into her already-churning stomach. Now, she understood why this was so urgent. Why her best friend was moving faster than an Olympic sprinter through the prison to find her.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

We’re trying something new where we post little snippets of future fics while we’re between chapters. If you only want to be tagged in fics, please let us know.

Vec belongs to me, Georgie belongs to @dixons-sunshine

General taglist: @raddydaddydude @lovenormandixon @angeldemoncrowley @negansbestie @holdmytesseract

QOTU taglist (aka The Council): @kat-herine00 @gothic-pumpkin @ffsjustletmesleep @weirdoneattheparty @imadisneyprincessiswear

You can hit up either myself or Krys to be added to or removed from the taglist 🖤

Banner was made by me, divider and ©️ message below were made by Krys

[dixons-sunshine]

Scars To Your Beautiful | Quarters Of The Undead AU

Summary: When Vec’s called in for an emergency surgery, Scud’s left to his own devices in the apartment that the two best friends share, much to Georgie’s “dismay”. What starts as an evening of sibling bickering becomes a bonding moment, and it turns out the two of them have a lot more in common that they originally thought.

Era: Pre-apocalypse.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of blood, scars, talks about stab wounds, talks about animal attacks.

Word count: 3.8k.

Pairings: Georgie x Scud (Platonic with a capital P); Vec x Scud (Romantic, established).

A/N: No notes, except that I hope y’all like this! And also, Taylor and I have dubbed our readers for this AU “The Council”, so I sincerely hope that the council enjoys this.

“Oh, shit!”

At her best friend’s sudden and unexpected exclamation from another room, Georgie looked up from the assignments she was busy grading, her brow creasing in worry. She quickly got up from the desk chair in her bedroom and made haste out of the door, rushing towards the living room.

“Dia?” Georgie called, her voice slightly laced with panic. She only vaguely saw Vec’s boyfriend, Scud, in her peripheral vision, but she paid him little mind at that moment. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Vec was running around the living room like a headless chicken, scrambling to gather her things. “There was a mass shooting. A bunch of people got heavily injured. I’m needed at the hospital right now. Multiple surgeries.”

“Oh, shit,” Georgie said with a grimace, echoing the exclamation that had prompted her out of her room in the first place. “Jesus, yeah, okay. Go. They need you.”

“Okay,” Vec nodded. She placed a quick kiss on Scud’s cheek, before looking back at Georgie. “I told Josh he could stay. I hope that’s alright?”

“Do I have a choice?” Georgie asked rhetorically, her tone laced with an underlying playfulness. “And do I have to play nice?”

Scud scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Didn’t realize the word ‘nice’ existed in your vocabulary.”

It was Georgie’s turn to roll her eyes. However, she chose not to comment on it. She instead sent Vec a smile that she hoped was reassuring. “Go. We’ll be fine. I guess I can tolerate him for a few hours.”

“Thank you! You’re amazing and I love you,” Vec replied almost breathlessly. She gave Georgie a quick hug before rushing towards the apartment door. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home!”

“Okay!”

That one singular word tumbled out of not only Georgie’s mouth, but Scud’s, too. Georgie narrowed her eyes at her best friend’s boyfriend, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m pretty sure she was talking to me,” she stated matter-of-factly, moving over to make herself comfortable in the armchair.

Scud scoffed and shook his head. “Nah, pretty sure she was talkin’ to me. I’m her boyfriend, after all.”

“Yeah, and I’m her best friend. And roommate, who she shares this apartment with. Unless she moved in with you without telling me, I’m pretty sure this apartment is the home she’s coming back to, and since my name is on the lease, it would make sense for her to text me when she’s on her way home.”

Georgie had no idea if her explanation had made a lick of sense. Truthfully, she was exhausted and spouting things that came to mind without even properly thinking it over first. However, she refused to lose this particular ‘argument’, no matter how much nonsense she would have to spew to win it.

Scud simply sighed and raised his hands in mock-surrender. “Okay, okay. Fine, you win this one.” He yawned and lazily leaned back against the couch, his eyes trailing over to the television. “So I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that you want the remote?”

“Obviously,” Georgie confirmed with a slight scoff, reaching over to grab the remote and mumbling a thanks when she took it from his grasp. She turned her attention back to the television, before laughing lightly to herself at what appeared on-screen.

Scud’s eyebrows raised in question at her unexpected laughter. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I just…” she trailed off, vaguely motioning over to the screen. “I keep forgetting that you like watching the Powerpuff Girls.”

“Okay, you don’t have room to judge, lil’ miss ‘I go out of my way to watch Scooby-Doo after watching a horror movie’.”

Georgie let out a mockingly offended gasp. “Scooby is a national treasure, and if you dare insult him in my presence, I will drag you out of this apartment by your hair.”

“Jesus, keep your kinky bullshit for your boyfriend. I’m spoken for,” he grumbled halfheartedly, rolling his eyes at her dramatics. “Just change the channel already.”

Georgie shook her head and bit her tongue, but did what he asked and began flicking through the channels. The first two minutes was spent with the two bickering over which movie to watch, neither of them being able to decide on one, until Georgie stopped on a channel that was playing Top Gun. Thankfully, that seemed to settle the debate.

The two sat watching the movie in relative silence for a few minutes. However, Scud began feeling fidgety, the need to strike up a conversation strong. After another moment’s hesitation, he sighed, successfully capturing Georgie’s attention.

“So, Vee tells me that you’re a teacher,” he began, continuing when she hummed in confirmation. “What do you teach? And how long have you been a teacher?”

“I teach English. And I’ve been a teacher for about six years now, give or take.” Georgie looked over at him, surprised to see him genuinely interested in what she had to say. With that, she felt confident enough to continue on with the conversation. “What about you? How long have you been an auto mechanic?”

“A couple of years. I didn’t always work with cars, though.” Scud fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt in an attempt to busy his hands. “I used to work for this guy named Blade. I used to design weapons for him. He was cool. A bit sketchy at times, but he was alright.” He stopped for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as he leaned forward to tell Georgie a ‘secret’. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I think he might have been a vamp.”

Georgie’s eyebrows raised at that. She had to refrain the urge to comment on it, wanting to keep the rather pleasant chatter going. “A vampire?” she repeated, her tone laced with amusement.

“Yup,” he confirmed. It was not lost on him that she did not fully believe his tale, but he appreciated the fact that she did not make fun of him for it. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure, though, but I definitely think that he was.” He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of those thoughts. “Anyways, enough about that. I’d rather not think about it.”

“Fair enough,” Georgie said with a shrug. If there was one thing that she wholeheartedly believed in, it’s that if someone didn’t want to talk about something, it was best not to pry. “What do you wanna talk about?”

“Hmm. Anything at all,” Scud replied, leaning back against the couch. “Vee also told me that the two of you work together at the hospital sometimes. I’d love to hear more about that.”

“Oh! Yeah, I volunteer at Atlanta General,” Georgie began, her posture straightening as she eagerly began answering his question. “I started volunteering a few years ago. I do it whenever I have the chance.”

“What do ya do? When you volunteer, I mean.”

“Anything I’m allowed to do. Talking to patients, helping them get from place to place, bringing them their meals, things like that. I even help nurses on their rounds sometimes. I’m obviously not allowed to give the patients meds and stuff like that, but I can help them feel more comfortable when they have to get poked and prodded with needles.”

“That sounds awesome,” Scud voiced, his eyebrows raised as he took in everything she said, surprisingly—to Georgie, at least—paying attention to every word that slipped past her lips. “So you just get to hang around the hospital and help people out. That’s cool as shit. Where do I sign up?”

A laugh unwillingly slipped past Georgie’s lips. She shook her head and shrugged. “It’s not that easy. There’s a lot of things that needs to happen before you can start volunteering.”

“Like what?” he inquired.

“Well, for one, background checks. If your history is even slightly sketchy, I don’t think you would be able to do what I’m allowed to do. And you have to be able to withstand the obscenities that comes with stubborn and deranged patients. The healthcare industry isn’t for everyone. Hell, I only volunteer and I have had some shitty days at the hospital. Vec is a surgeon. She has had her fair share of shitty days.”

“You don’t hear me arguin’ about that,” he told her, nodding his head in agreement. “Vee has told me about some of them. I would never be able to do what she does.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I could, either,” Georgie agreed, mindlessly picking at the peeling nail polish on her nails. “She’s remarkably strong. She deals with so much stuff on a daily basis, and she willingly keeps going through it because she loves what she does, bad days or not. I think that’s amazing.”

Scud hummed in agreement, his eyes growing wistful at the mere thought of his girlfriend. “Yeah. She’s amazin’...” he trailed off, a dopey smile spreading across his face as he thought about Vec.

Georgie chuckled. “Do you need a moment? You gotta rub out a quick one while you wait for her? I can go back to my room. Pop in my earbuds while you do it. I wouldn’t judge you at all.”

Scud snapped out of his thoughts and sent a small, albeit playful, glare at Georgie. “You know, for someone who claims to be awkward, you sure do make a lot of inappropriate jokes.”

“Only around the people I’m comfortable with, so you should feel special, Joshua.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m feeling real special right now, Marianne.” He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, hoping that his cheeks weren’t showing how much that joke of hers had made him embarrassed. “Moving on now. You said that you’ve had some shitty days at the hospital while volunteerin’. Is it okay if I ask about that?”

Georgie hesitated for a moment, before nodding slightly. “What do you wanna hear about first? A PG story or a juicy one?”

“Juicy one, always,” he said, picking up the glass of water next to him and taking a sip from it.

“I got stabbed by a patient once.”

That took Scud off guard. He nearly choked on his water, the man having to hit himself on the chest a couple of times to help ease his coughing. When he managed to calm himself down, he turned his attention back to Georgie, the woman having an apologetic look on her face.

“Sorry. I probably should have warned you. Are you okay?”

Scud nodded, letting out one last cough. “Yeah, I’m fine, but Jesus Christ. Of everythin’ I thought you were gonna say, “I got stabbed” certainly wasn’t on that list. I thought you were gonna say that you got thrown up on or somethin’.”

“Oh, I have been thrown up on before. Believe me, that’s not fun at all,” Georgie told him.

“I can believe that.” A few beats of silence passed, before Scud spoke up again. “So… you got stabbed…”

“Yeah…”

“Is it okay if I ask how that happened?” he asked tentatively, because he wasn’t sure how touchy she was about that particular subject.

Georgie nodded slowly. She sighed, sank down into the armchair, before beginning her tale. “That happened almost two years ago. I was helping this nurse named Sarah with her rounds. She was swamped that day. When things were winding down, and I was getting ready to call it a day and go buy some takeout for the movie night Vec and I were gonna have, I heard Sarah yelling for help from a patient’s room. I rushed to see what was happening, and this guy had ripped the tubes and stuff from his arms. I don’t know where he got it from, but he had a knife. He was very frantic, yelling about the faceless monsters in the room that were trying to hurt him. In his mind, Sarah was one of those faceless monsters.”

Georgie stopped for a moment to catch her breath, her heart pounding at the mere thought of what had happened that day, before ultimately continuing. “Everything that happened after that was a blur. I remember calling out down the hallway for help, before moving to help Sarah get the guy sedated. However, before I could, I saw the guy try to grab her, and I jumped between them to try and push him back. My mistake was that I didn’t realize that he was gonna push the knife into my abdomen.”

Scud’s eyes widened at that. “Oh, fuck.”

“All I remember before falling to the floor in a pool of my own blood was this excruciating pain, and the look of pure, unadulterated horror on Sarah’s face as the security guards and other doctors rushed in. I also remember feeling so scared. I mean, just moments before, I was getting ready to go get takeout and come back to pick up my best friend for a movie night, and now I was gonna die. That’s all I could think about as I was being tended to and lifted onto a stretcher.”

The sound of the song that played as the movie credits rolled on the screen was all that could be heard for a moment as Georgie gathered her thoughts. “I don’t remember much after that. I think I must have passed out. When I woke up again, though, it was in a hospital bed. Doctors told me that I was lucky that I was still alive. Apparently, I almost bled out on the table. It was touch and go during most of the surgery.”

“Holy shit.” Those were the only words that left Scud’s mouth. He was stunned at what he heard. He truly did not know what to say to that.

Georgie chuckled bitterly and shrugged. “Yeah. It was bad. I even got a scar out of the whole deal. It’s… it’s not exactly pretty…”

Scud nodded and huffed a breath of disbelief. “Believe me, I know all about scars that ain’t exactly pretty.”

That got Georgie’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t wanna take away from your moment. Are you sure I can talk about this?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay…” Scud trailed off, pushing himself up from the couch to stand in front of Georgie. “Promise not to get grossed out?”

What could he mean by that? However, Georgie nodded. “I promise,” she said sincerely.

Scud inhaled deeply, held it for four seconds, before exhaling again. “Alright. Feast your eyes.”

Georgie could not help the way her eyes widened. As the fabric of Scud’s shirt got tugged upwards, more and more jagged pink lines got revealed, a stark contrast against his otherwise pale skin.

“Oh…” she voiced softly, her eyebrows furrowing together as her chocolate eyes raised to meet the ocean-coloured ones of her best friend’s boyfriend. “Is—is it okay if I ask—”

“How I got them?” he finished for her, a small, albeit strained, chuckle leaving his chest. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He lowered his shirt and sat back down on the plush cushions of the couch, absentmindedly fiddling with his fingers. “It was an animal attack. I was out hiking in the woods with one of my buddies one day a few years ago when I got attacked from behind. I fell and hit my head against a rock, and everything went blurry. I managed to crawl forward and turn myself around onto my back, but I couldn’t really see anything because my vision was dipping.”

Scud went silent for a split second, the memory of that day still hard to think about. “I did see claws, though. Long, sharp claws that dug into my flesh and tore chunks from my stomach. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was an agonizing pain. A pain I haven’t felt before or since then. I woke up in the hospital almost two days later.”

“Jesus,” Georgie grimaced, her eyebrows raised in shock. “God, that sounds awful.”

“Yup,” Scud sighed and shook his head. “It was really bad. The doctors said that I almost didn’t survive the surgery, either. The internal bleeding was hard to get under control. And yet, I lived. Despite all the odds being stacked against me, I flipped death the bird and said ‘not today’. And I have these—” He motioned to his covered stomach. “—to show that I survived something that medical professionals said should have killed me. I think that fact alone—that I survived a wild animal attack—gives me a solid reason to feel like a badass. You said the doctors had a hard time keeping you alive on that table when you got stabbed?”

“Yeah. The knife punctured my spleen or something. To be completely honest, I don’t really know. I’ve been trying to forget what happened that day. I don’t wanna know the details. I survived, and I wanna leave it at that.”

“Exactly. You survived, and now you’re livin’. You’re not lettin’ what happened that day shape your everyday life. And your scar doesn’t make you any less awesome. It shows that you overcame what happened to you that day, and that makes you a certified badass.”

Georgie could not help the small smile that spread across her face. Now she understood more than ever why Vec was so head over heels for Scud. Sure, he could be an unserious guy with smart ass comments, but when the situation called for it, he knew exactly how to be a source of comfort. The man’s words made her feel so much better about what happened two years prior. He understood how she felt in a way that most other people in her life could not.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly. And she truly meant those words.

Scud shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m only statin’ facts. No need to get all mushy about it. You’re gonna make my snacks taste weird.”

Georgie rolled her eyes, but a laugh escaped her nonetheless. “God, you’re an asshole.”

Scud grinned. “So I’ve been told.” A few beats of silence passed before he spoke up again. “Seriously, though. No thanks needed. I’m only telling you what I needed to hear back then, but I had nobody to tell me that. You don’t have to be ashamed of it.”

“Do you wanna see it? You showed me yours. I think it’s only fair you see mine.”

The question came as a surprise to Scud, but he agreed nonetheless. “Of course. Unless it requires you to remove your shirt or your pants, then no. No offense, but I don’t wanna see that.”

The Hawkins woman rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small smile. “No, don’t worry. A good chunk of my scar can be seen without getting naked, don’t worry.”

“Thank god,” Scud breathed in relief. “Alright, then. Don’t leave me in suspense.”

Georgie stood up from the armchair and slightly lifted her shirt, just enough for Scud to see her scar. It trailed down from the side of her waist, right below her ribcage, and disappeared down her sweatpants. It was definitely not something Georgie was particularly fond of, but she hoped that, with time, she could come to see it the way Scud saw his scars. It was a really good way to look at it, and she was going to try her hardest to adapt that mentality.

“Wow,” Scud muttered, his eyebrows nearly flying into his hairline. “That’s a big one. Why? I mean, a knife can’t be that big, can it?”

“No.” Georgie lowered her shirt and sat back down in her seat. “That’s how far they had to cut me open for some reason. You can ask Vec why when she comes back. I don’t know why. I didn’t do my own surgery.”

“Vee did your surgery?” Scud inquired.

Georgie shook her head. “No,” she began. “She wanted to, but they wouldn’t let her. It was a conflict of interest, us being best friends and all. And according to the nurses, she was way too emotional to do it even if she was allowed to. She wasn’t even allowed to sit in that room above the OR and watch the surgery. She had to wait in the waiting room.”

“Oh, shit.” Scud’s heart broke for both Georgie and Vec. Georgie, because she had to go through all of that, and Vec, because he just knows she would have been an emotional wreck. Not knowing whether or not her best friend would make it off of the surgery table, and not being able to help, must have been hard.

“Yup.” Georgie shook her head and smiled at him. “But I’m good now! I’m alive and well. Only thing that’s killing me now is my workload.”

Scud chuckled at that. “It’s that bad, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Georgie said with a heavy sigh. “I have over thirty assignments I need to have graded by tomorrow waiting on my desk. I’m kinda procrastinating at the moment. I really need to get back to them, though.”

“Go. Don’t let me stop you,” he told her, nodding his head towards the hallway that lead to her room. “I’ll be fine. I promise I won’t burn the place down.”

“People who won’t cause trouble like that usually don’t feel the need to say it.”

“Just go,” Scud replied with an eye roll.

Georgie laughed and stood up. “Okay.” Before she turned around and left, Georgie sent Scud a genuine smile, one that spoke volumes of her appreciation for his reassurance earlier. “Thank you for earlier. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Now go. Those assignments won’t grade themselves. Go give some kid you don’t like a failing grade just because you can.”

Choosing not to comment on that, Georgie shook her head and disappeared down the hallway, effectively leaving Scud alone to his own devices. He sighed and stood up from the couch, walking towards the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. As the glass got filled, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he saw that it was a text from Vec, which made him smile.

Vee <3: On my way home right now. Ended up only being needed for one surgery.

Josh: That’s awesome! Can’t wait to see you again.

Georgie—who sat at her desk in her room—read the same text that had been sent to her by Vec. She smiled at the message and sent her best friend a reply.

Georgie: That’s great! I’m glad everything worked out.

Georgie: We have a bunch to talk about when you get home.

Dia🌙: Should I be worried?

Georgie: Not at all. But you’re gonna be super proud of your boyfriend, that’s for sure, and I’m not being sarcastic right now.

Dia🌙: Oh? Colour me very intrigued.

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf.

Heads of the council: @ripleyswife @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract @negansbestie

Want to become a head of the council? Hit us up to be added to the taglist!

[dixons-sunshine]

Scud: (looking around the camp) I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter “s”.

Vec: (looks over at Daryl and Georgie) Is it “sexual tension”?

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf.

Council members: @kat-herine00 @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract @negansbestie @ffsjustletmesleep @imadisneyprincessiswear

Want to become a head of the council? Hit either one of us up to be added to the taglist!

[dixons-sunshine]

Made this :) Georgie’s photo album for the Quarters Of The Undead AU by me and @thevegandarkelf. It’s not perfect, but it was fun to make. Inspired by this post by @bambidixon 💜

[dixons-sunshine]

The Boyfriend Assessment | Quarters Of The Undead AU

Summary: Meeting your best friend’s boyfriend for the first time was never easy. In Georgianna’s case, meeting Vec’s boyfriend felt like a life or death situation—until it didn’t.

Warnings: I can’t think of anything.

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: First official fic for this AU on my part! Aahhhh I’m so excited! I hope I captured Vec accurately, @thevegandarkelf. If not, I’d be more than happy to change a few things. Also, I know there’s no Daryl in this, but I wanted to get a head start on Georgie and Scud’s sibling rivalry. My next fic should probably include Daryl!

“How do I look?”

At the sound of her voice, Georgianna looked up from the tests she was busy grading and up at Lydia Rae Vector—or, well, Dia for her personally due to best friend reasons, and Vec for others—her roommate and absolute bestest friend in the whole world. The woman in question stood in front of Georgianna, sporting a casual yet outgoing look, all in an attempt to impress the guy that worked at the auto repair shop near Atlanta General, the same guy that was coming over for dinner so that Georgianna could finally meet the man that held her best friend’s heart as of late. The cutie with the bandana, as she had come to know him as from their extensive talks about the man.

Georgianna clicked her red pen closed and leaned back on the couch. She hummed and scanned Vec’s attire, a faux look of contemplation on her face. It was all for show, really. Vec was one of the most fashionable people she knew. If one were to give her a trash bag, she would find a way to style it. But Georgianna knew that Vec loved her reassurance nonetheless, so she always made sure to let her best friend know her honest thoughts.

“You look great, Dia,” Georgianna spoke up after a few beats of silence, her tone laced with honesty and sincerity. “Now calm down and take a few deep breaths, okay?”

Vec took her advice and followed the breathing patterns Georgianna was demonstrating. Once she was certain she was not going to freak out, Vec sighed. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Georgianna stood up from the couch and made her way over to Vec, closely inspecting her rather nervous stature, something that was rather uncommon for the usually confident, straightforward woman. “What’s up, babe? What’s got you so worried? I’m the one that should be nervous.”

“I don’t even really know,” Vec admitted with a small groan. “I mean, when it’s just me and him, everything is so natural. He matches my freak, y’know? And obviously, when it’s just you and me, we can talk about anything and nothing all at once. But—”

“You’re nervous about how we’ll feel about each other,” Georgianna finished for her, instantly understanding where her worry was coming from.

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Dia, you don’t have to worry about what we think of each other, okay? Even if we end up despising each other, I won’t let it affect you. I’ll learn to tolerate him. But I’m sure that won’t even be necessary. I’m sure I’m gonna love him. Well, not like that, of course. He’s your man. I would never betray your trust like that. I—”

“I get what you meant,” Vec interrupted her with a light laugh, knowing well that if she did not, Georgianna would go on a rant in an attempt to explain something she did not have to in the first place. Georgianna had a tendency to overthink, and Vec was the anchor that helped her in those types of situations.

Georgianna sighed and shrugged. “Besides, if this guy—”

“Josh.”

“—Josh is as great as you say he is, then I’m sure we’re gonna get along great.” When Vec nodded, Georgianna continued. “Now calm down, okay? Tonight’s gonna go just fine.”

“You’re right,” Vec agreed. “It will be fine.”

The doorbell to the two women’s shared apartment rung, making them both look over at it. Georgianna frowned and looked up at the clock on the wall, before looking back at her best friend. “It’s only five thirty. I thought he was gonna be here at seven.”

Vec shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean, I told him to be here any time after five if he wanted. I didn’t think he was actually gonna be so early.” Her earlier nerves being replaced with an idea she deemed positively brilliant, Vec smiled. “It gives the two of you the time to get to know each other while I make dinner!”

“You’re kidding,” Georgianna exclaimed in a hushed whisper. “Dia, you can’t leave me alone with him! The living room is a mess! And you know what—”

“What a flibbertigibbet you can be when you’re nervous. Yes, I know, but I also know that he wouldn’t mind that.” Vec gripped Georgianna’s shoulder in—what she hoped was—reassurance. “Believe me, he doesn’t mind messes at all. And besides, I seriously doubt five test papers can qualify as a mess. You’ll be fine, Ginny. I promise. Think of this as a parent-teacher conference.”

Georgianna hesitantly nodded. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

“Perfect, because you don’t really have a choice.”

Before Georgianna could say anything, Vec backed away from the woman and stalked towards the door. She opened the wooden barrier between her and her boyfriend, and smiled brightly at the man on the other end. Georgianna forced herself to relax, trying to remind herself that this was not a big deal. She loved meeting new people. She strived for social interactions. She was a complete social butterfly. She could do this.

“Josh, hey!” Vec greeted the man enthusiastically.

If it was not for the fact that she had seen it with her own eyes, Georgianna would never have thought she was nervous at all. Vec truly was a master at changing her emotions in a matter of seconds. Georgianna often joked that her best friend should have gone into the acting business instead of surgery due to that little fact alone.

“Heya, Vee.”

Vec leaned forward and gave the man a quick peck on the lips, before beckoning him inside. “C’mon, you gotta meet Georgie.”

Got to was a bit of an overstatement, Georgianna thought to herself. However, she forced herself to calm down and plastered a smile onto her face. This meeting meant a lot to Vec, and by god, Georgianna was going to ensure that it went as smoothly as humanly possible.

The moment Georgianna’s eyes landed on the man she had heard so much about, the woman had to resist the urge to comment on his choice of clothing. He wore a shirt that had some science joke on it, with a pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days, a big puffer jacket and a pair of sneakers that had a bunch of small doodles on the side. He even wore a bandana, but from the various conversations she had with Vec regarding the cutie with the bandana, Georgianna had expected that last part.

The couple walked into the living room and came to a stop a few feet away from Georgianna. She exchanged a look with Vec, before turning back to the man—Josh—and extended her hand.

“Hi. I’m Georgianna,” she greeted in a tone of voice that closely resembled the one she used when greeting the parents of the kids she taught. “Georgianna Marianne Hawkins.” She had no idea why she had felt the need to give her full government name, but there was no going back now.

The man smiled and gripped her hand in his and shook it once. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He removed his hand from hers and motioned towards himself. “I’m Joshua Frohmeyer, but you can call me Scud. Just about everybody does.”

Georgianna nodded and looked at Scud with a scrutinising gaze. It got quiet for a few moments, before Scud chuckled awkwardly and cleared his throat. “Okay, then. Where’s the bathroom?”

“Down the hall, first door to the right,” Vec explained, smiling at him as he kissed her on the cheek and disappeared down the hall. When she heard the door close, she turned back to Georgianna. “What was that about?”

“What do you mean?” Georgianna inquired with a confused frown.

“You know, that look you gave him. Like you’re a dad trying to figure out his intentions with your daughter.”

“You trying to insinuate you see me as your mom?” When Vec simply sent her a pointed look, Georgianna laughed and shook her head. “Okay, okay. I just… I guess I just don’t really understand something.”

That got Vec’s attention. “What do you mean?”

“You kept going on about the cutie with the bandana, and I just don’t get it. I mean, I can clearly see that he’s wearing a bandana, but I’m struggling to see how the word ‘cutie’ comes into play here.”

The clearing of someone’s throat slightly startled both Vec and Georgianna. Whipping around, she came face-to-face with none other than the man she had been talking about a few moments prior. Georgianna would have felt embarrassed, but for some reason unbeknownst to her, she did not.

Scud went and stood next to Vec once more, his blue eyes studying Georgianna’s face intently. “Well, then it’s a good thing it’s only her opinion that matters.” For added emphasis, he motioned towards Vec.

Georgianna crossed her arms over her chest and met Scud’s gaze head-on. She did not know where this sudden surge of confidence came from, but there was just something about the man in front of her that made her feel weirdly at ease, like she could speak her mind without having to fear looking like an absolute fool. She could not explain the odd feeling.

“Well,” she began matter-of-factly, “considering the fact that Vec came to me for the initial “yes or nah” evaluation of you, I personally think that my opinion holds a ton of value.”

Scud simply stared at her with a deadpan look. “Not in this case, it doesn’t. In fact, any opinions ya have of me will be taken with a grain of salt.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, I think—”

“Okay!” Vec interrupted. Maybe leaving them alone to talk wouldn’t be such a brilliant idea after all, Vec thought to herself. In an attempt to ease what she thought was an uncomfortable tension, she turned to Scud. “How about you help me in the kitchen while Georgie finishes up with her work?”

Scud shrugged and nodded. “Sounds good to me.” He turned to Georgianna with a smirk on his face. “That okay with you, Marianne? Considering your opinion holds so much value?”

Georgianna rolled her eyes at his comment, and the unnecessary emphasis of her middle name. She knew exactly why he did that. Vec must have told him how much she hated being addressed by her middle name. It was the perfect way to take a jab at her without outright insulting her.

“Yes, it’s completely fine with me, Joshua. Just don’t burn my kitchen down while you’re at it,” Georgianna replied, emphasizing his name as well and smirking slightly at the way he cringed at that. Vec had told Georgianna how much Scud hated being addressed by his full first name, so now that once unimportant piece of information had turned way more vital for the Hawkins woman.

“Guys,” Vec chimed in, her eyes darting between her best friend and her boyfriend, “please don’t.”

Georgianna and Vec shared a look, before the former moved over towards the couch and sat back down in front of the test that had laid momentarily forgotten. “Whatever you make, remember—”

“No onions or tomatoes. Yes, I know.”

With that, Vec ushered Scud into the kitchen, leaving Georgianna alone in the living room. With one last look towards where the couple had stood only moments prior, she picked up her pen and resumed with her task of grading the paper, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Yeah, Georgianna had a feeling that her and Scud were going to get along just fine.

“Thanks for coming over, Josh.”

“Of course. This was great.” Scud leaned down and pressed a soft, tender peck to Vec’s lips. He shrugged his jacket on and sent Vec a charming, heartfelt smile.

Georgianna—who stood off to the side—simply observed the couple with a small, fond smile on her face. The two truly did make a terrific pair. They complimented each other’s personalities beautifully. All throughout dinner, Georgianna had noticed how Scud’s eyes barely strayed away from her best friend, even when Vec was not looking. They were perfect for one another, and Georgianna was beyond happy that her best friend had finally found the person that was meant for her.

Georgianna liked Scud. She could see that he was a great guy. Despite only officially knowing him for a few hours, Georgianna felt like she had known him her whole life. Her usual very slight awkwardness when meeting new people failed to make an appearance with Scud, and that little fact spoke volumes. All throughout dinner, Scud and Georgianna made jokes and took playful jabs at one another, like they were siblings just catching up at a family dinner instead of being complete strangers to the other.

Scud’s eyes shifted over to Georgianna, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “Good night, Marianne.”

“Night, Joshua,” Georgianna greeted with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

With one last kiss to Vec’s cheek, Scud disappeared out of the front door. Closing the door behind her, Vec locked it, made her way over to the couch and collapsed onto it. With a heavy sigh, she looked up at Georgianna, her blue eyes sparkling in the dim light of the living room.

“So,” she began, her eyes following Georgianna as the aforementioned woman went about tidying up the living room, “I have a feeling that you don’t particularly like him.”

“Who, Scud?” Georgianna asked rhetorically, though she still received a nod from Vec. “Oh, no, he’s great. I like him. I can totally see why you fell for him. He’s not my type, but he’s yours and I can see myself becoming great friends with him.”

That confused Vec. Her eyebrows furrowed behind her glasses as she gazed up at the brown-haired woman. “I—what? Huh?”

“What’s wrong?” Georgianna inquired, completely taken aback by her friend’s strange behaviour. “You sound like you’re having a stroke.”

“The two of you didn’t stop taking jabs at each other all night!” Vec exclaimed, her tone evidently laced with confusion. “It sounded like you hated him.”

“I don’t hate him. He’s actually really cool, and I could tell that he didn’t mean what he was saying. You know I’m good at reading people, Dia. He’s a good guy and he clearly makes you happy.” Georgianna sat down on the armchair, a sigh leaving her chest. “Besides, his “insults” were kinda weak. I’ve had way worse things said to me before.”

Vec smiled at her. “So he has your stamp of approval?”

Georgianna nodded. “He does.”

“Then it definitely makes me feel better about giving him your number.”

“You gave him my number?” Georgianna asked, although she was just curious, not angry. “Why?”

“I gave it to him a while ago,” Vec replied with a shrug. “It was just in case there happened to be an emergency and I couldn’t call you with my phone. I completely forgot to tell you that I did. I’m sorry.”

Georgianna nodded slowly. “Okay, yeah. That makes sense. And it’s fine.” Vec was just about to say something else, but a yawn cut her off, making Georgianna chuckle. “Go to bed, Dia. I’ll clean up.”

“You sure?” When Georgianna nodded, Vec got up from the couch. “You’re the best, Ginny. I love you.”

“Love you too, Dia. Now go to bed. You have an early shift tomorrow.”

Vec nodded, and with that, she disappeared down the hall and into her bedroom. A few seconds after the door was shut, Georgianna’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She took her phone out, opened it and read the text that had come through.

Unknown: hiya, Marianne. It’s Scud. Thought I’d shoot ya a text to thank you for having me over. It was fun.

Unknown: By the way, I hope you didn’t take my “insults” to heart. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just playful banter.

Georgianna shook her head at the texts. She quickly saved the number to her phone, before replying to him.

Georgie: Don’t worry, I know. Same here. I didn’t mean anything by it.

Joshua: Good to know.

Joshua: Anyways, I gotta go. Nightly call with my bae. She’s way better company than you. Sorry about that.

The moment Georgianna read that text, she heard the muffled sound of Vec’s ringtone, before it got silenced by the enthusiastic “hey, babe! You home yet?” from the aforementioned woman. Georgianna smiled at the clear-as-day happiness her best friend exuded. She put her phone down on the table and made her way to the kitchen, humming to herself as she went about cleaning up the mess.

Scud made Vec beyond happy, and that was enough for Georgianna to decide that her and Scud would get along just fine.

Georgie belongs to me.

Vec belongs to @thevegandarkelf.

Comment/DM/inbox me to be added to the taglist for this AU!

[dixonsdarkelf]

Vec: Josh, you just have the prettiest face I’ve ever seen.

Scud, smiling: Thanks baby.

Vec: We should frame it…

Georgie, a smile on her face: *giggles because she knows where this is going*

Daryl, whispering to Georgie, confused: What is she—

Vec: With my legs

Scud, smirking: I think that can be arranged.

Vec: *blushes, bites bottom lip, smiles*

Georgie, turning to Daryl: There’s your answer.

Daryl: Shoulda known she was gon’ say somethin’ freaky.

Vec belongs to me

Georgie belongs to @dixons-sunshine

QOTU taglist: @ripleyswife @gothic-pumpkin @weirdoneattheparty @holdmytesseract

General taglist: @raddydaddydude @lovenormandixon @angeldemoncrowley @negansbestie

You can reach out to either myself or Krys to be added to/removed from the taglist :)

QOTU divider and © below were made by Krys

[dixons-sunshine]

⋆✮⋆ I’ll keep on adding as I write.

Fluff—❤️ | Angst—💔 | Suggestive—👀 | Smut—🔥 | Platonic—💜 | Pre-apocalypse—💁🏼‍♀️ | Apocalypse—🧟

This is an ongoing collaborative AU between me and Taylor, aka, @thevegandarkelf. You can reach out to either one of us to be added to the taglist for this AU! We will inform the other so that the taglists can stay consistent.

You can find this story over on AO3, too.

My AO3. Taylor’s AO3.

About Georgianna Marianne Hawkins

About Lydia Rae Vector

The Boyfriend Assessment ❤️💁🏼‍♀️

Crushes Are For School Girls ❤️🧟

Scars To Your Beautiful ❤️💔💁🏼‍♀️

More Than Meets The Eye ❤️🧟

Something Good ❤️💁🏼‍♀️

The Debrief ❤️💜💁🏼‍♀️

A Little Friendly Competition (Part One) ❤️💁🏼‍♀️

A Little Friendly Competition (Part Two) ❤️💁🏼‍♀️

Sub, Subway, Substitute

Apples & Oranges

Fuckin’ Lesbians

Good For Them

Happy Tree

We Should Frame It

Tension

Why Do Men?