#Don't Blame Me|| Dixon

[theinconveniencing]

I wanna kill your boyfriend!

[optimist-pine]

Bodyguard

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Warnings: people are naked, but it's barely even borderline suggestive

Summary: You need a bath, but there's no way you're going alone

Era: Season 1, the Quarry

Your skin practically crawls from the buildup of dirt, sweat, and who knows what else that's managed to accumulate over the past three days. You still haven't quite adjusted to the reality of not having on-demand access to a hot shower and your scalp is all oily, and itchy, and eugh - gross. A little shiver runs down your spine at the thought - well, maybe that's just more sweat...

The bold shades of the sunset are beginning to fade as you make your way to the Dixon brothers' camp. Currently they're the closest thing you have to neighbors, your tent being between theirs and the rest of the group. You're dying for a quick dip and rinse in the pond, but you don't actually want to die for a bath, and you know it's a dumb idea to go alone. Everyone else seems busy though and you've come to the conclusion that Daryl seems to be your only option.

Most of the others actively avoid the brothers, and you can't say you blame them. Merle's constantly stirring up trouble and being a general annoyance, and Daryl's quick to jump to his defense. But, on the rare occasion when Daryl isn't being held under Merle's thumb, you catch glimpses of a very different person than what he usually puts out.

He's sitting in an old lawn chair by the side of a fire when you approach, poking a stick around in the coals. Little sparks shoot off where the fresh evening air hits them, and the smell of woodsmoke fills your lungs.

"Hey." You greet. A spot of doubt begins to arise within you, but you quickly stamp it out. With recent events you were beginning to discover that there wasn't much room left for second guessing or overthinking anymore.

"Need somethin'?" He asks, eyes flicking up to you for a moment before returning to the flames.

You hang your thumbs in your belt loops, fingers tapping against your hips. "If you're not busy, I was hoping maybe you could go down to the water with me? I'd ask someone else but they all seem rather occupied at the moment... and I don't think Shane'd let me go alone." You say.

He looks up, jaw set awfully close to a scowl. "I ain't gonna be yer damn bodyguard." He huffs.

"No- I don't want you to watch me or anything like that- I guess I'm just asking for companionship?" You reply. "You could do whatever you're gonna do here, but just do it down there?" You hike your thumb over your shoulder in the direction of the pond.

He stays silent, but a sudden chorus of laughter flows out from the direction of the rest of the group. You study the way the firelight smooths out his rough edges, and you can't help but wonder if the look in his eyes is just boredom or if it's really loneliness.

"Unless you prefer Merle's company, then by all means I'll leave ya to it." You continue, trying your best to ignore Merle sawing logs in the tent, and erase the image of his hand too close to his crotch from your mind.

He jams the stick into the dirt hard enough that it remains standing when he lets go. "A'ight. Lemme get 'mah stuff."

"Awesome, I'll be over at my tent when you're ready." You smile, pleased and a little surprised that you'd managed to get him to say yes. Admittedly, Merle wasn't so bad when he was passed out, but it was reassuring to know that you were at least preferred company over an unconscious jerk.

---

Dirt and gravel crunch under your boots as the two of you walk, your knapsack bouncing steadily against your back with each step. "Thanks for coming with me. I'm not necessarily afraid of the dark or anything, but there's a lot worse things in the woods now than just coyotes." You explain. "And it's just nice not to be alone."

He simply grunts in response.

Good thing you didn't ask him along for his conversational skills.

When you reach the edge of the water you find a rock close to the shore to set out clean clothes and a towel. You see Daryl settle down, back propped against a boulder as he starts rummaging around in his own bag. "Whatcha gonna work on?" You ask.

He pulls out a whetstone and a couple large hunting knives. "Cleanin' mah tools." He replies.

You begin to undress, but a feeling of uncertainty causes you to pause. "Man, I wish I didn't feel like he's sitting up there right now with those binoculars..."

"Who? Shane?" He asks sounding surprised.

"Yeah." You shudder. "Guy gives me the creeps."

You hear scrape of the knife grinding against the sharpener. "Well, hurry up an'ere won' be anythin' ta see." He says.

"Yeah..." You keep your eye on Daryl while you finish, but he doesn't lift his gaze even once beyond sharpening his knife. "I won't be long." You assure him as the cool water rises around you.

As soon as you're far enough in you dive forward, the rush of water instantly reviving and refreshing your whole body as it flows past. You rise upwards as giddiness fills you and you break the surface with a laugh. "This is heavenly!" You gasp. You continue diving and twirling, every sore muscle and painful bruise easing away.

You pause to catch your breath and a small splash has you immediately alert. You left your knife up on the shore with Daryl, but you hadn't heard any sounds of alarm from him so surely it's not a walker. But when you look to the shore the sight has you almost equally as shocked. Daryl is chest deep in the water - bare chested that is - ripples being sent out across the still expanse as he sinks further in.

"Hey!" You yell. "I asked you out here because I thought you weren't some sorta pervert!" You hope it's dark enough that nothing in the water is visible because he's only getting closer.

The moon is full and bright, and the way it reflects off the water makes him look almost ethereal. "Can't protect ya if I'm up'ere an' yer alla'way out 'ere." He reasons.

"I don't need protecting." You roll your eyes. "And all the weapons are up there, Dixon!" You send a splash of water directly into his face.

He returns the splash. "Looked like I was missin' out on alla fun." He shrugs. "'Sides, ya never know when somethin' might jus'-" he disappears under the surface of the water and barely a second later something wraps around your ankle, tugging you under the surface.

When you're released you bob back up to the top wanting to be stern, but you're too busy giggling and swallowing mouthfuls of water to do so. When he surfaces behind you, you turn and splash him again sputtering, "Daryl you- that's not- I can't-" and end up full on belly laughing while trying to stay afloat.

You think you catch the shadow of a smile on his lips before he turns and floats away, like he's done nothing worthy of retaliation. 'Oho boy is he gonna get it.' As quietly as possible you lower yourself in the water, and using shadows from the moonlight, you swim under his head. Reaching up with both hands you use all your strength to grab his shoulders and pull yourself above the surface while pushing him down as hard as you can. Then you make a break for it.

You hear him gasp for air, coughing and sputtering as you swim as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

"Get back 'ere, woman!" He shouts, his tone highly amused. "Yer gonna hafta pay 'fer that!"

You don't realize how loudly you're laughing until the beam of a flashlight is suddenly shining directly in your face.

"Everything alright here?" Shane questions, standing on the shore not far from your and Daryl's discarded clothes. A few of the others are with him; Dale, Andrea, T-Dog, and Morales.

Even in the chilly water you can feel your skin begin to flush all the way down your neck. "Yes! All good!" You squeak out, squinting in the harsh brightness.

"We heard yelling." Andrea chimes in.

You're confident that in all your life you've never been more embarrassed. "That was laughing, guys. I wanted a bath and I asked Daryl to be my bodyguard. We were just, uh, blowing off some steam and I guess we got a little loud... Sorry if we worried anyone." You glance at Daryl who appears to be doing his best impression of the invisible man.

You can make out Dale's hat exceptionally well even in the darkness. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Their hesitation to leave sparks frustration within you - do they really think so lowly of Daryl? Is that what this is all about? Sure, nobody really knows him all that well, but you're all practically strangers and he's done alright by you. The desire to defend him takes over and you snap at the group, "Ah, what're y'all, the fun police? Go ruin somebody else's night and leave us be."

You don't take a good breath until they're all headed back to camp, and it's once again quiet and dark. You sigh, tilting your head back to watch the stars so high above as you float. "Dead people walking around eatin' living people - ya think they'd have bigger problems to deal with than a couple'a skinny dippers." You remark.

A quick exhale of a laugh, not quite a snort, echoes across the pond. "People're always jealous of'a good time if they ain't havin' one." He says quietly.

You pull your fingers through the water, feeling the tension push against them. "So... are ya feeling jealous, or did ya have a good time?" You ask.

"S'pose it wasn't too bad." He says. "But I ain't yer damn bodyguard."

And you grin.

---

Yeah, maybe it's a little awkward getting dried off, getting dressed, and walking back to camp but you sleep more soundly than you have since you arrived. And maybe you're a little annoyed with the way everyone seems to have nothing better to do than gossip, but that new gleam in Daryl's eye when he looks at you wipes it all from your mind. And maybe a lot of things suck, but at the end of the day there's someone who actually likes you, and maybe that's enough.

[dixons-sunshine]

A/n: It's my birthday today, so I wrote this as a little gift to myself. I hope y'all like it!

Soft prodding. That's what you felt when you were stirred from your slumber. Groggily, you opened your eyes and blinked to clear the fog from your mind. You groaned softly and wiped the sleep away from your eyes, caught off guard when you heard a deep, throaty chuckle from behind you. More soft prodding followed soon after, and after your mind started to catch up with you, you could clearly tell what it was—kisses. Somebody was pressing soft kisses to your bare skin. You smiled fondly and turned around in the bed, locking eyes with none other than your gorgeous partner—Daryl Dixon.

Daryl sent you a small, lopsided smile before placing a final soft kiss to your cheek. One of his hands came up to cup your cheek in his big hand, his calloused thumb gently caressing your soft skin. “Happy birthday, Darlin'.”

You groaned again, eliciting another chuckle from the archer. “God, that's today?” you asked with a laugh. “Thanks for reminding me. I'm getting so old. My wrinkles will start showing soon. My sexy days are coming to an end.”

Daryl chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, that's not possible.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead for added emphasis. “Yer sexy days are jus' beginnnin'. Bet yer gon' look real good when the gray hairs start comin' in.”

You groaned again and playfully whacked his chest. “Don't jinx it! I wanna keep the gray hairs away as long as possible,” you laughed.

Daryl shrugged. “Either way, it don' matter to me. Yer hot as fuck regardless.” Reaching over to his bedside table, he picked up a small box—a box that hadn't been there the night before when the two of you went to bed—and turned back to you, his hands nervously fiddling with the box. “I know ya said that ya don' want nothin' for yer birthday, but I, uh...” He cleared his throat before continuing. “I got ya somethin'.”

Bringing yourself up into a seated position, you gingerly took the small box from him. You sent him a small, fond smile, before opening the box. When you saw what item awaited you inside, you gasped and looked up at your partner with a surprised smile. “It's beautiful,” you whispered. It truly was—it was a necklace, but not just any necklace. On the chain, one of Daryl's bike's wheel nuts hung loosely, but inside the small object was something else. A small jasper stone was planted in the middle, making for a truly beautiful necklace. It was perfect.

Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, bashfully rubbing the back of his neck. “It ain't much, but I hope ya like it. I took one'a my bike's wheel nuts and that jasper stone ya found a few months ago and had the blacksmith up at Hilltop merge it together. Figured it would make for a good enough present. If ya don' like it, I won't blame ya. Like I said, it ain't much, but—”

You effectively cut him off by pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Pulling back, you sent him a smile. “I love it. Almost as much as I love you.”

Daryl scoffed but a smile tugged at his lips. “I love ya more, Sunshine.” He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. “Happy birthday, Peach.”

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

[hidtired]

Unfortunate Timing [Part 3]

(Daryl Dixon x Reader) Masterlist

Description: You found out your pregnant early into your relationship with Daryl Dixon. To make matters worse? The apocalypse happens a few days later! (not fully canon)

5.4k words

Warnings (Pregnancy, gore, sexually themes, violence, fluff, walking dead stuff, ect.)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 etc.

It was clear Daryl was near a breaking point. With the unsafe camp and your near death experience mixed with his missing brother you couldn't blame him. You knew he didn't have a healthy way of processing emotions. So he was on a war path this morning. You knew the only way he dealt with big emotions was through angry. He of course never directed it at you. In fact while you had laid next to him in the morning he was proud that you handled yourself. He was contemplating most of the time staring off to the top of the tent. You thought he was still stressing himself in that already anxious head of his. But after he told you he was proud you saw that maybe he was just enjoying the fact you were in his arms and not dead.

It was when you all decided to go to the CDC and you were sitting in Daryl's truck that you said something that made him feel the true weight of his responsibility. "I'll follow you." He looked over to you before turning his attention to the caravan in front of him. He was confused but you went on, "Any choice and decision. I'll stand with you unquestioned, my life and are child's is under your protection." His heart slowly dropped into the pit of his stomach.

Worry and a sense of responsibility he's never had before felt crushing. But another feeling he didn't expect sat within him. To be wanted and trusted in such a way burned his heart into a fire. He was determined. He was already willing to give his life for you and his... his kid. It was something he didn't question. You inhaled deeply before speaking again,

"Don't you dare think that gives you permission to go and die on me... I can't do this without you."

He slowly slid one of his hands off the wheel and into your own. He brushed his thumb back and forth, "As long as m' still breathin' so will you." You smiled at the implication, moving your other hand to rest on the hand he had on you. He wants to stay alive to make sure you'll both be ok. You nodded in thought, "Then you agree that your life also rests under my protection?" He turned to you with a lifted brow, his face giving a 'really' expression. He didn't like the thought of you risking your life for him but, he guess he understands you don't like the fact he would do the same. Being cared for was something he never got, until you. He watched as your hand move to rest on your stomach. Now that is something both of you would protect together. He bites his lip knowing you started this conversation to make him realize this wasn’t all on him. His eyes move to the road watching the RV roll to a stop.

The honking sound telling them the RV must have died just like Dale said it would. It had but also Jim just couldn’t take it anymore. You’ve never been around someone who’s been bitten before. So to see how it was killing him was gut wrenching. He seemed at peace with it. Sitting in the wind under a tree. You and quickly stated a ‘rest as well’ before excusing your way back to Daryl’s truck. You were bound to get emotional over it and didn’t want to be a wreck in front of everyone. You had reached the door of the truck, tears streaming down your face. Something felt like this would be something that often happened… losing people.

You manage to pull yourself together before Daryl got back to the truck. The ride on the road made you drift asleep. You were in a weird position crumpled into the door with an arm thrown over your head. Daryl found it funny but not before questioning how you could possibly find it comfortable. He knows you are always tired nowadays and he worry's its due to a lack of nutrition. But he lets you sleep only waking you a few miles away from the CDC. You stretch from your odd position. A crack releasing from your neck with a sigh of relief. You rub your eyes looking around. Daryl almost spoke quietly close to a whisper, “We are close, wanted ta’ make sure you were fully awake in case we have to run.”

You hum still stretching a hand moving to your breast. They have been irritating you recently. One of the many wonders of pregnancy. Daryl had caught you with a displeased look on your face. He gave you a questioning look with a smirk, “They look bigger…” You look to him with shock and then back down. He childishly snickered as you swatted at him. You tilt your head while still looking down, “Are they really?” He gave a mischievous smirk causing you to roll your eyes. You had not thought that maybe you would have to get a bigger bra. Not that you could just go buy one anymore. The playful mood in the car would soon turn sour at the arrival of the CDC. Empty, bodys lay scattered and not a soul to be seen.

Standing at the closed doors hoping for the safety it once thought it provided. It almost seemed fleeting until Rick noticed a camera move. Daryl was hearing none of it. He was mad at the decision made and him going alone with it. Your safety now compromised because he didn’t make the right call. Even just after your admission to trusting him he felt like a dumbass. He pulled you to him and felt one of your arms pull around him. The grip you held onto him telling him of your fear. Just before he could try and pull you away to safety, back to the truck, a bright light came pouring out of the newly open door.

One lone man sat in the whole building. You thought it was strange and somewhat eerie. But he did offer assistance so he couldn’t be that bad. A few of the group ran back to collect some things. Daryl gave you that look of, ‘please don’t’ so you understood he would get your things. The price of entry was a blood test. This doctor wanting to make sure none were infected. Which was fair but god did you not like getting blood drawn. Shots you are fine with but having your blood taking from your body disgusted you for some odd reason. Blood itself was not the issue. The thought of having your blood taken still rolled into your mind, a thing that made your heart race. You went after Daryl but he stood next to you waiting for you to finish. The man you now know as Dr Jenner started the process. You caught his eyes flick to your stomach.

He seemed to maybe suspect something but you were at that stage in pregnancy where someone might not speak on it, just in case you weren’t pregnant they didn’t want to call you fat. When he placed the needle in your arm you quickly moved your eyes anywhere else. Heart racing with discomfort. Your eyes focusing on Daryl which he didn’t like the plain fear he could see on your face. You seemed to ease out after it was over, but trying to stand your vision spin. Daryl managed to keep your balance for you. It wasn’t until Jacqui almost collapsed that the doctor learned that you all were a little undernourished. So now here you all are going down an elevator at the promise of food.

It was cramped going down farther than you thought. Daryl getting you out of your thoughts by pressing you back into him. I’m sure he saw your body rigid. But he didn’t really, he moved you into him subconsciously. Eyein the new person trying to determine whether he was a threat or not. The gun slung around him not really helping in his case, “Doctors always packing heat like that?” His awkward response eased him no less. You however at the mention of spaghetti threw caution to the wind. Following the group in a small hallway Daryl right behind you. He saw your happy bouncing at the promise of a carb filled meal. Most of your complaints to him in your pregnancy was the cravings driving you mad. Saying something along the lines of ‘when undead situation is handled your getting me any food I ask for no matter the time!’ Another thing to get you excited was the doctor mention a hot shower.

You smiled at him giddily practically dragging him off to a room. He dropped both of there bags by the door and just watched you be happy. You popped in the bathroom while struggling to kick off your pants in a hurry. Daryl chuckled, ‘Slow down would ya, thought you wanted to eat.’ He could hear you ruffle with your clothes still. Your voice echoed in the bathroom out to where he sat himself down, “There still time while their making it!” He leaned back smiling to himself at your antics. The light through the door got dimmer causing him to look up. You stood in your underwear and bra, hands behind your back trying to unclip it. You gave him a look he hasn’t seen for a while, “Well you just going to sit there or join me?”

He was stunned for a second. He leaned forward looking dumbfounded for some reason. You tilted your head to the side slowly turning back to start the shower. He was stood now hesitating for a second before slowly approaching, maybe it was the fact you both haven’t done anything for a while, mostly due to lack of privacy and him always off around the camp. Perhaps the stress still swarming around him from this place. Despite that he wasn't going to give up this opportunity so he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself. He saw you finally manage to get free of all your clothes. He started to unbutton his shirt when he saw you looking in the mirror at your belly. The first you are probably seeing it in a reflection. Your eyes swirling with thought but soon landed on him with a smile.

You then elected yourself to help him with getting his closes off because he was to slow. You replaced his hands with yours and started undoing the remaining buttons. He smiled down at you, "I don't know, last time we showered together we broke your curtain." He got you to laugh at the memory and you gave your own snarky remark, "Well, if you slip this time try not to take me down with you again." He cringed remembering how he landed with you on top of him. Merle had made a comment about the huge bruise he had on is back, how 'you must have gotten your ass kicked!’ He just ignored him not wanting to say he fell while having shower sex. Releasing the thought he then realized you said 'again'. As be pushed his shirt off while you started on his jeans he gave you a smirk you yourself hadn't seen in a while, "Again huh?"

You smile bashfully back to him, "I'm a hormonal mess, and I can't say that you having been looking extra hot as of late." He scoffed thinking you were kidding. But then you looked up at him seriously causing him to mumble and small... "oh." He smiled raising his hand to move your hair off your shoulder. He pushed it away from your face while you undid the clasp to his jeans. Your hair was noticeably longer since the beginning of this shit show. Finally freeing him of his clothes you bounced back over to the shower. He rolls his eyes and follows you knowing you ran to be under the water before him.

He watched as water ran down you and it sparked a sudden calm from him. To see you doing something that used to be so normal felt crushing. He walks up behind you wrapping his arm around your waist. He knows he hasn’t been exactly himself lately but here he is holding the soon to be mother of his child. He just hopes that you know that even if he has never said it out loud, he loves you. You knew it perfectly well while enjoying the warm water of the shower and him leaning into you. You had thought maybe you both would take this chance to clean yourselves in a shower for the first time in months but his hands were telling you something else.

He was leant forward kissing you down your neck. Causing you to sigh and lean back tilting your head to the side. His hands moving across your body causing you to giggle. You turned around looping your arms around his neck and seeing him smirking down at you. Months of not having a proper shower only to not use the time for one to actually clean yourself. Instead it was spent with a man seemingly remembering how much he wanted to touch you. Back at the camp he was unwilling to throw you around to teach you self defense. It wasn’t until you were pushed back to the wall of the shower in a flurry of harsh kisses did he seem to freeze. He was a gentle lover but could have times where he got excited and went a little rougher then normal. Which you never had any complaints with but in this moment of pause he was a little unwilling to do what he would have. For example again, your shower curtain. Ya not really a great thing for when your prego.

He was pleased with himself by the end of there shower. Like all the bruting was because he was sexually frustrated. Maybe you should have made an effort sooner if you knew he would be walking away with such a pep in his step. Granted you remember why you haven’t done much because if you thought you were tired before, then you were sure to look like you were in a daze. Maybe that look another factor to Daryl walking around so prideful. You would be lying if you haven’t been wanting to jump him for the last month. So maybe you were a little sedated. You wrap your hair up into a towel after getting everything but pants on. You sat there thinking while just holding them about to go on. Lost in space at something Daryl grunted into your ear a few moments ago. The thought sparking a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

‘M’ baby is the one you got in yeah. M’ girl with my baby~’

Daryl watched you sit there with one pant leg in while you stared at a spot in the carpet with your mouth slightly open. Thoughts clear as day, “You done drooling over there? Or you want’n to see if foods done?” Your mouth snapped closed as you took a moment to process what he had just said. Then you proceeded to jump into your pants while jumping to the door. To think he had made you forget about the food inflated his ego he got going. He followed you taking the towel out of your hair and opening the door while you shuffled forward looking down to clasp your pant button.

This was not only a big meal but big morale boost. Stepping into the kitchen to take a seat at the table you waste no time digging into the spaghetti before you. A blessing for a craving you’ve had. One point alcohol was being passed around the doctor took clear notice of you not drinking any or being offered any. You were too busy trying to convince Daryl to just drink already. All those times at the bar he always used the excuse of having to drive home. So you’ve never seen him drunk because and I quote, “I’m a mean drunk… don’t wanna do that to ya.” But you incurred him to let loose because this was probably the only time he would be able to for a long time,

“Come on hun! Drink because I can’t!”

He had definitely eased since the shower so he finally caved and excepted this opportunity. He still didn’t want to get to drunk but he wouldn’t mind being a little tipsy. The fun antics going on in the room was swiftly crushed by Shane. You sat uncomfortably as Shane pushed Dr. Jenner for answers, “So when are you gonna tell us what the Hell happened here, Doc?” His random aggressive outburst caused the room to fill with awkward silence. Rick cutting in saying what everyone else thought, “Come on man, not now.” Shane snapped to Rick, “It’s why we’re here right! This was your call. I want to know why we came here to just one man, why?” Shane’s words to Rick sending red flags in your mind. Then the depressing story of what happened at the CDC dragged the once happy mood back to reality. Felt by all if Glenn stating, “Your such a mood killer dude.’ to Shane didn’t say it all.

It was eased back into a happier state with a pouting Shane in his corner of shame. You payed no mind to it anymore. Daryl was acting more like himself while getting himself and Glenn drunk. Daryl was having to much fun getting Glenn to drink that he himself had way more then he was wanting. It was fun to watch him stumble while he tried to stand. Your laughing getting his attention causing him to point a finger at you, “I don’t wanna hear it from you “miss tipsy”.” The nickname making you giggle. After a while he leaned over the back of your chair as you talked to Dale. He didn’t even put his arms around you just laid them out over your shoulders. He wanted to go, a nonverbal action you have learned he did. So you excused yourself wishing everyone a goodnight. Daryl had an arm over your shoulder while you walked down the hall. “You drunk off your ass?” He sighed leaning into you more, “More than I would have liked to be.” He sure walked like he was.

“Let’s get ready for bed then.”

The room you had claimed had a small couch and cot. Daryl had already started to wrestle with his shirt before you had the door open. Now shirtless he sat down and leaned back slumped. You snicker to yourself while going to take your damp hair up out of your face. He sat there watching you before saying, “Your so pretty.” He was still slumped with his head tilted to the side looking at you. You walked over to him and he held is hands out for you to come sit on his lap. But you grabbed his hands and looked down at him, “Come lay down with me.” You pulled at his arms before he got up and trapped you against him. He shuffled back until flopping on the bed with you. You were lying on your side with him behind you. His hands moving under your shirt onto your baby belly. He curled into you from behind tucking his head down into your neck. You heard him mumbling but couldn’t understand him. But you caught a bit of it to put in context.

“-lucky. I made my pretty girl a mama.”

You smile at his drunk rambling. Reaching to his hands to your stomach and lightly drifting your nails up and down his arms. So much for being a ‘mean drunk’. Then he started on another tangent but this time lifting his face for you to hear him “An I only thought love was something that you would either kill for or die for. But for you? I’d live for. You’re something to live for.” His hands move across your stomach and he whispered, “You both.” Your heart raced at this, you would classify that as a confession. He has never said verbally ‘I love you’ but this in so many words was just that. He damn near was about to make you cry. But instead you shuffled back into him feeling that he was so relaxed he might have fallen asleep already in your silence. That didn’t stop you from whispering back to him.

“I’ll live for you too.”

That morning started with a hungover and grumpy Daryl. You were also grumpy. Daryl had thrown up earlier that morning and that got you to throw up. Now your stomach felt like a loop of acid reflux. You elected to stay in bed because you also were experiencing vertigo, so maybe Daryl wasn’t the only reason you threw up. You may have gone to make sure he was ok but the spinning feeling and noises he was making set you off. Daryl was off to the kitchen to get you a plate of breakfast. When he came back to the room he laughed telling you how fucked up Glenn looked, “He is swearing off alcohol, so may have over did it with him.” You smile at him while you sit in bed eating the food he brought back.

He then paused before he started biting his nails, “Hope I didn’t cause you trouble while drunk…” You chuckle shaking your head still chewing. Swallowing you looked up to where he now leaned on the wall, “Oh please, ‘mean drunk’ my ass! You were just being a sweetie!” Now you were teasing him about it, “After all I’m so pretty remember?” He looked relieved but also grunted before move for the door, “Doc gonna show us something. I’ll tell you about it when I get back.” You hummed in agreement going back to eating. Sitting up you felt like you were on a boat, so dealing with whatever Jenner was going to nerd out about wasn’t worth getting up for. Before Daryl went out the door he called out from behind him, “Be right back, ‘pretty girl’.”

Now even 20 minutes later did Daryl walk back in with a broken look. He sat down on the bed near you and stared at the wall. You would wait for him to gather his thoughts. Something bad happened, or he learned something he didn’t want to either way it didn’t look good. He moved to sit with you on the bed against the wall. He slowly put a hand on your stomach, “Everything’s gone.” You link your fingers with his and lean onto his shoulder. He went on, “It’s lookin like these dead assholes aren’t going anywhere.” You clench your teeth at the thought. You understood what he was saying. If the world was to ever be fixed, it wouldn’t happen in a long time. So your fantasy of a hospital could be kissed goodbye. You had a foolish hope that eased the fear for your child… and yourself. Childbirth before technology had a high fatality rate, for mom and baby.

So your brain was on overdrive after the rug was pulled out from you. Daryl had leant his head on top of yours which got a small sniff out of you. His arm now going to pull you into his side. You struggled with not bursting into tears while asking him something, “We’ll be ok, right?” He turned to you wiping away a tear that slipped out, “We got this.” He explained to you more what he found out. Like the scan of how the infection killed the host then took over the body. Relieving a fear that these people were conscious while doing this. They weren’t people so that made it easier to justify killing them. You both sat there talking until the air flow seemed to still. Daryl perked up feeling uneasy. Then people started to gather into the halls also noticing the lack of air flow.

Daryl had stood behind you in the door way but when Dr. Jenner walked by ignoring peoples questions, Daryl pushed past you slinging words his way in worry now. You followed behind the growing group of worried people. Stepping into a very open panel room with a red clock on the wall. The group stood in the middle when Jenner finally started to explain, “The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It’s designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule.” You look over to the clock that was counting down.

A wave of uneasiness fell over you. You move closer to Daryl while he started yelling to the Doctor, “Air seems pretty ‘essential’ to me!” He took notice of your closer proximity and how you looked around cautiously. Jenner pauses at the steps that lead up to the work stations in the big room. Everyone has followed and is grouped around. Everyone turned to Jenner for answers. "It was the French." Andrea clicked her tounge at him, "What?" Jenner sighed sitting down in a chair at a computer, "They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution." Jacqui now voicing her confusion, "What happened?" Jenner turned to her, "The same thing that’s happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel.  I mean, how stupid is that?" Shane was about to start but was cut off by Rick, "To Hell with it, Shane. I don’t even care. Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We’re getting out of here now!" But before anyone could move a alarm started. Carl said with a nervous tone, "What is that?" A voice spoke through the speakers,

‘30 minutes to decontamination.’

You were now grabbing Daryl's arm in fear causing Daryl to speak up, "Doc what's going on here!" Jenner scans his badge and enters code into a security pad. Rick yelled turning to everyone, "Get your stuff and lets go! Go!" Then the doors all started to closed. Glenn yelled in anger, "No. Did he just lock us in!? He locked us in!" The kids started to cry in panic to there moms. Daryl makes a run at Jenner, "You son of a bitch!" Rick grab Daryl while yelling for Shane to help him. You sat there in shock with a hand over your mouth. Daryl continued to yell while being restrained, "You locked us in here!" T-Dog now joining in to stop Daryl, "No, stop! Don’t!" When Daryl was pushed back he made his was back to you and pulled you into him at the sight of your eyes becoming glassy. Rick now spoke to Jenner, "Open the doors." Jenner sat there calm, "There’s no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Dale now taking the chance to speak, "Then just open the damn things." Jenner just shook his head.

You saw Rick stare at the clock that was now 28 minutes. You watched as he slowly turned to Jenner, "What happens after 28 minutes...?" Jenner sat up straighter, “In the event of a catastrophic power failure... in a terrorist attack, for example... H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out.” Rick shuffled from foot to foot in concern, “H.I.T.s?” Jenner sighed putting his hands on his hips, “Vi define.” A robotic voice of a women filled the room through speakers, “H.I.T.s - high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consists of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired.”

Everyone was stunned. Jenner speaking immediately after Vi, “It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief... Regret. Everything.” He said it like this somehow made everything better?! You felt Daryl squeeze you and you held him back. This crazy prick was going to kill you all! You felt the deep vibration in Daryl's chest as he roughly spoke, "Open the door." T-dog used the axe he had to start hitting the door, Daryl went to try and open the door to. Jenner just look defeated, "You should’ve left well enough alone it would have been so much easier." Lori now spoke up while holding her panicked son, "Easier for who." You felt that sinking feeling again. Jenner's voice fading out in the back at you felt blood rush your ears. 'All of you. You know what’s out there. A short brutal life and an agonizing death.' Memories of your aunt killed, being near the edge of the water and almost getting killed by two walkers. You moved your hand to your stomach. You had just talked to Daryl about the future. Asking if now in the changed world could you be enough for this child. Sound of Daryl's voice bring you back from thought, "BUT YOUR HEAD ANI'T!"

He was pulled back before being able to hit Dr. Jenner with the axe in his hand. Jenner once again not fazed and he turned to you, "What do you not get by everything is GONE! There is no world for that baby of yours." Daryl again tried to get to him but was held back by four people. You looked down with tears in your eyes, but also anger burned in you. Taking two steps closer to him you quickly punched him in the face. Everyone gasped in surprise but you continued by grabbing him by his lab coat collar. "That is not your choice to make for me!" Rick had gently grabbed you by the shoulder pushing you back. Rick now with hands on his hips spoke calmly to Jenner, "She's right. You’re lying about no hope. If that were true, you’d have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn’t. You chose the hard path. Why?" He huffed, "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?"

Jenner looked down in thought, "Not because I wanted to. I made a promise." He looks back up and points to the screen, "To her. My wife." Lori glanced to the screen, "Test subject 19 was your wife?" Jenner slowly nods, "She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" Something felt like it was shifting. The clock was now ticking closer to its end. You had pushed everyone off Daryl while Rick spoke. You replaced everyone's hands on him by wrapping your arms around his middle, leaning into his chest. "I told you topside’s locked down. I can’t open those." Jenner walks back to the security pad and unlocks the door. Daryl went straight to action grabbing your hand and pushing you to the exit, "Move it! Move it!" You heard others feet behind you. Making your way down the hall you swiftly grabbed all your bags. In the lobby there was another problem of getting out again. T-dog and Daryl tried breaking the window with axes but it was bullet proof. Some how Carol had a grenade she found off Rick. Taking cover the window exploded, finally freeing you of this ticking time bomb.

Everyone rushed out killing the walkers who took interest in the noise. You made it to Daryl's truck with Daryl opening the door for you while jumping in himself. He leaned over you seconds later a wave of heat rushed over you. The explosion was loud and shook the truck. Once Daryl rose off you, you looked up to the now demolished building. You and Daryl then looking back to each other, tears filled your eyes while staring into his. You sobbed in relief, adrenalin slowly leaving your body causing you to shake. Daryl moved to hold you while breathing a sigh of relief himself, "See? We're ok." You sniffle while Daryl start moving to drive away from this walker magnet of a building.

This was now officially the end of the world.

Part 4

Feedback welcome and requests open! (Next chapter is so much angst mahaha)

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[royboyfanpage]

Do it. Ramble. I adore when people go in depth in the tags. It’s my absolute favorite thing and I read them all happily 💕💕💕💕💕

Ah fuck lads I've been perceived

Right okay no Roy and Connor's 90s dynamic is one of my favourite things ever (currently writing a brothers fic about that exact period) and it's so underdeveloped but there's SO MUCH potential for it. Both of them have this need to be Ollie's son in a way that neither of them can be. Roy's the most vocal about his feelings especially in the scene you posted, and there are so many instances in other comics where you can see his need to be Ollie's son, or his need for the approval of a dead man. When Roy was a kid, before he ever met Ollie, he used to imagine Ollie was his real dad, and his greatest desire is Ollie offering him his legacy, even if he knew he'd turn it down. And to Roy, Connor's everything Roy wants to be. Ollie IS his "real" dad, and Connor DID get Ollie's legacy after Ollie died, but what's so interesting is that Connor doesn't feel the satisfaction Roy thinks he should. Obviously Roy cuts him off so we don't get to actually hear his thoughts, but it's clear that biology doesn't mean anything to Connor. In his eyes, Roy is Ollie's "real" son, Roy got everything Connor wanted- a father who was actually present in his life. Connor only knew Ollie for a very short while before his death, and most of that Ollie wasn't even aware that Connor was his son. I don't know if you've read the issue where Ollie confronts Connor about not telling him he's his son, I believe it's Green Arrow (1988) #97, but needless to say he did NOT react well. (Which I am blaming Chuck Dixon for more than Ollie himself, but I digress, it's still what happened.) And in the Arsenal #3 Roy points out that Connor's a better martial artist than he is an archer which is SO important to me in relation to this, because unlike Roy Connor didn't grow up around Ollie, he wasn't really trained by Ollie, so his fighting style is different but he's still aiming for that Ollieness because he feels like he needs to in order to continue the legacy of a father he never knew and. Good god. Have I ever mentioned I love these brothers? Okay I'm done now

[ashtheketchum]

Helluva Boss Striker X fem.Reader

A/N: This is a little thank you for the 200 followers! It means alot to me, that you like my stories especially the Daryl Dixon Stories👀 (Tbh I just started Helluva Boss, because of Strikers voice-)

Summary: Striker is a new worker from Joe and Lin (Millies parents). He overheard your conversation with Sallie May, about your thoughts, and now he wants to make your thoughts come true.

Warnings: +18 CONTENT, FEM.Reader, against a wall

Words: 0.9k

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PoV (Y/N):

I've been living on my farm for a long time, I look after the animals, help Joe and Lin at the festivals and I stay away from romantic relationships. For my parents and for Joe and Lin, I'm always the innocent demon child and their opinion probably won't change. But a lot has changed for me. Then one day everything changed. Joe and Lin have found a new helper to help out and compete at the Moon Festival, his name is Striker. Sallie May told me a little about him.

She told me he has a hell horse and is a good fighter. She also told me that he is incredibly strong and charming, and apart from his looks he seems to be a real cowboy. In fact, I have spoken to him many times, he is really charming, he likes to help me and teases me from time to time, but he is a good change in my day. Striker doesn't see me as an innocent demon child, he sees me as a strong woman. And that is exactly the image I want to continue to show him. But now I am in this situation and to be honest, I don't even know how I got into this situation.

"What a good girl you are~" His deep, raspy voice whispers softly in my ear as his thrusts get faster and harder. The festival is about to start, Sallie May's sister, Millie, would be arriving soon and here I am, with my neighbor's helper and his big cock inside my pussy. We are behind my parents' barn, my back is pressed against the wall and Striker's chest is pressed tightly against my chest. He has one of my legs wrapped around his waist so he can pound into me in a better angle. His tip hits my magic spot over and over again, my eyes roll back as Striker rams his lips onto mine. "Striker…! A-ah~!" I do my best to keep my voice calm so no one hears, but it's hard. God this cowboy really knows how to make a woman feel good. The good feeling overwhelms me, my legs start to shake violently and it becomes more and more difficult to hold back my voice.

I feel his demon tail gently wrap around my waist to pull me closer to him, which really shouldn't be possible anymore. "You feel so good~… not as innocent as you pretended to be~…" His deep chuckle gives me a pleasant shiver and I straighten my back more. Striker nibbles on my neck, his deep growl now even closer to my ear. "How do you think your parents will react when they find out about your dirty sex thoughts~?" A loud whimper escapes me as I slightly remember how I got into this situation.

I was sitting next to a tree with Sallie May and we had a little chat. However we came up with our sex thoughts, I may have said a little too much. "What do you think about Striker?" Sallie May suddenly asked me with a big grin. When I thought about Striker, my cheeks turned a little red, which only made her laugh. Annoyed, I nudged her shoulder, which only made her laugh even more. "He's hot, right?" "Stop it, Sallie May…" "What? I'm right, am I?" Her question made me blush even more. I mean... Striker really is attractive, Satan okay he's hot. But could anyone blame me? "Well… I guess…" I murmured quietly. Sallie May raised an eyebrow, which somehow urged me to say more. "Okayyy, he's kinda hot…"

Sallie May giggled quietly, my whole face was red and I looked at the floor. "Come on, girl… be honest… I won't tell anyone…" Sallie May promised me. And I could really trust her, Sallie May always kept everything to herself, no matter what it was. She would make no exceptions for my thoughts. "Okay… maybe I wish that he would just…" I made strange movements with my hands. "… push me against a wall and… that he would fuck me hard against that wall…" My voice got quieter the closer I got to the end of the sentence. Sallie May just grinned mischievously at me, her eyebrows kept raising and lowering, which only made me growl in annoyance. Sighing, I stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes. "I'll get to work… and you should too." I just said before I left.

At that point, I never would have guessed that he was behind the tree, listening to me. But this cowboy was really talented when it came to being quiet.

"You're about to cum~?" I can hear in his voice that he is a little amused, but the constant twitch of his cock tells me that he will come soon too. So I nod quickly, my claws digging into his shoulders, which are covered by his jacket. "Yeah, me too~…!" Striker's movements are getting faster and faster, but also more erratic. My voice was stuck in my throat, I couldn't make a sound. Before I reached my orgasm, I pulled him towards me so that my lips were pressed against his. I moaned loudly against his lips, he responded to my moan with a loud growl. Inside me I felt him squirting his cum into me. Trembling, I moved my lips rhythmically against his, Striker's hips moving slower and slower against mine so that we could both recover from the orgasm.

As soon as he had squirted all of his cum into me, he pulled out of me and looked down at us. His entire shaft was full of my arousal, while his cum was flowing out of my pussy. Breathing heavily, I slowly slide to the ground, but before my ass can touch the ground, Striker wraps his arms around me and lifts me slightly. My body is pressed firmly against his. "You were so good…~ maybe you should tell me your thoughts often more~" He teases me quietly. Growling, I look up at him, which only makes him grin. When we've both calmed down, he helps me pull my pants back up, but they immediately absorb our juice. With bright red cheeks, I look between my legs, there's a wet spot between them. "You should… change your pants, baby." "Yeah, yeah… just… go and help Joe…" I'm incredibly embarrassed, so I quickly left. Or hobbled away, to be more precise. But behind me I can still hear Striker giggling quietly.

[xoxo-sarah]

ugh daryl or rick x reader but the reader is reading shy and they yell at the reader and the reader cries 😣😣 but comfort and stuff

Bunny

↝a/n: not really sure if this lives up to your expectations, but this is the first time I've written for TWD openly.

↝pairing: platonic!Daryl Dixon x reader

↝ Warning: reader getting yelled at, mention of Carl's death, reader's nickname is Bunny (platonically!), not proofread

↝⎙ 4.30.23

You were walking behind Daryl, talking his ear off about the comic you had found in an old, broken down store. You hadn't really realized how much you were talking and who you were talking to. Carl used to listen to you ramble on and on about the comics, but he saw where you came from. Daryl had never been one for them. A squirrel crawling up a tree caught his attention. He brought his bow up, aiming until you went through one of your fits, your voice going up an octave as you got excited. The squirrel scurried off.

Daryl had swung around, glaring at you through his eyelids. "Do ya ever shut up? There just went our dinner because you can't be quiet about a stupid comic book!" He had never raised his voice at you. Sure, you've seen him angry, but it was never directed towards you. He saw you as his own, never wanting to hurt you.

"Bunny,"

"Fuck you." Any trace of a tear was gone, replaced by a straight face. You walked right past him, in the direction that the squirrel had gone off to.

He went after you, kicking himself. He knew you hated getting yelled at. It was like an off switch for you. All excitement had been drained from your eyes.

He waited, giving you space, where you weren't in his line of sight, but he could track where you went, seeing your footprints in the dirt.

As he was walking, he stared at the ground until your shoes were in front of his. He looked up, seeing you holding the dead squirrel by its back legs. "Here's dinner, asshole." He caught the squirrel as you threw it.

Daryl watched your face as you looked deep into the flames of the small campfire he had made to cook the meat of the squirrel and keep you warm in the Autumn night air.

"Bunny, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at ya. I just hadn't found any food for ya and when I did, it ran away."

Daryl has never been one to apologize, but always been one to grumble and mumble back. But he couldn't just let you off thinking he wasn't sorry. He wouldn't be able to live if something were to happen to you and you ended up thinking he wasn't sorry. He'd blame himself for yet another death.

"Whatever."

"Don't do that." It's the teen angst, he had to remind himself. Carl went through it, he knew. "Don't 'whatever' me, damnit." There wasn't any fire behind the curse, he almost sounded desperate for you to know he didn't mean it. He felt it was his fatherly duty to keep you alive, feed you.

"It's okay, Daryl, really. I get it." Your facade disappeared, along with your posture. Your body folded in on itself, knees to your chest. "I just don't have anyone to talk to about them, anymore, ya know."

After Carl died, it was as if your world crumbled. He was like a big brother to you, and now he is gone.

You felt arms around you, bringing you into a hug. The warmth around you was comforting but it was new. He had never hugged you before. It was a fatherly hug, one he wished would take all the negative thoughts away; one to fix everything that has ever gone wrong. "Well this is a first."

He pulled back slightly, halfheartedly glaring at you as he grumbled. "Not a word to anybody, got it?"

•2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

•My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [!I don't give permission!]

[daenysx]

my first daryl shot and i really wanna know what you think, please share your opinions with me!! this takes place in the CDC. hope you like it, requests are open!!

my masterlist

blame the alcohol

daryl dixon tries not to fall for you but you are there to wreck his plans with an empty wine glass in your hand.

he wants to save the image in front of him and stare at it for hours.

you are standing there, unaware of his presence. you are only wearing a shirt which is extra big for you and a pair of socks reaching your knees. your slightly wet hair frames your pretty face and you are holding a book in your hand, there is a wine glass on the table next to you.

daryl dixon loves watching you.

he is standing by the doorframe with a bottle in his hand. he is supposed to be resting but it feels impossible. there are things that keep his mind alive and the alcohol he consumes is not enough to shut it off.

here you are, looking clean and relaxed. you use the same shampoo and soaps with everyone, your little survival team that finally makes it to CDC, but he thinks you smell different. your scent is different and he is not dreaming about it, right? he wants to take a deep breath to fill his senses with you and it's perfectly real.

you are reading a book, he doesn't know if you like it. he is sure even if you don't like the context you like the act of reading. you told him that in his tent, the days feel like ages now but truly it wasn't that long ago. you have a passion for reading. you'd read anything you find, that he's sure about.

your wine glass is empty. he should approach you and offer you more wine, right? that's what he wants but he isn't sure if you want his company. actually there isn't a reason for him to think otherwise, he knows you enjoy spending time with him but he can't help his thoughts. this life isn't made for love stories and a man like daryl dixon can't afford to let himself fall for you.

then you turn to his side, finally noticing him as if you've felt his desperation. there is that smile again. your eyes sparkle and he can see it perfectly clear on your clean face. he doesn't even want to admit it to himself but he loves seeing you smile. it's like watching the sunrise, shiny and mesmerising.

"why are you standing there, dixon? come closer."

why does his last name sound so beautiful when it comes out of your lips? he comes closer to you with slow steps.

"are you drunk already? unbelievable, you surprise me."

he smiles. "nah, i ain't drunk."

you leave the book back to its place, take your empty glass and go to the couch across the wall. you point the bottle in his hand, "can i have some of that?"

he nods quickly, fills your glass, and sits next to you on the couch. you two share a few minutes of silence, sipping your drinks and staring at the wall. he wants to hear your voice, anything you tell him even if you think they are stupid, he wants to hear it. there are little moments between you and him. when it gets too much in his head, he finds a release with them.

"c'mon, tell me somethin'."

you raise an eyebrow. "like what?"

he shrugs, takes a sip of wine. "anythin'."

you curve your lips slightly, think of an answer. it feels like the right time for a deep conversation with the opportunity to blame it on alcohol if you say something you regret later. not to deep but you feel like you need to be the brave one.

"this apocalypse...sometimes i feel like-like i'm happy it happened you know? not happy, happy is not the right word to say but- just glad. for one reason."

he has a look on his face, questioning and curious. you have to explain what you mean. you have to start somewhere.

"we'd never know each other if it weren't for the apocalypse."

he doesn't know what to say. after he lost merle, he planned to be alone and alive in this new life and now you are here, wrecking all his plans with your sweet confessions and smiles. he shouldn't get attached for his own sake but then you look at him with big, teary eyes and he is gone.

"you ain't gonna cry for this sunshine."

you try to smile. "i'm not crying but- the possibility of never knowing you is terrible and- i feel like an awful person for saying that i'm grateful for the zombies somehow."

he chuckles softly. then he puts the bottle on the ground and brings his hand to your face. his movements aren't the most confident ones, he is hesitant but that doesn't stop him from brushing that one teardrop away from your face.

"ya can't ever be an awful person. i know what ya mean, okay? you're right. ya shouldn't ever cry for- fucks sake ya shouldn't cry for anythin'. you're too pretty for that."

he never fails to put a smile on your face. he smiles too, when he sees the little wrinkles on the corners of your mouth. he doesn't regret saying too much, if it's necessary to talk too much to make you smile for him, daryl dixon would turn into a fucking chatterbox.

"thank you, daryl. for everything. i know i'm not really suited for this kind of life but i'm trying...i really do."

his eyes are about to turn into little hearts with sparkles. fuck it. you can't possibly be that sweet, he thinks. he can't even believe himself for using the word sweet for someone but there you are, his sweet girl.

"you're a fast learner. you're fine and 'm with you."

you press a soft kiss to his cheek and put your head on his shoulder. he wishes to keep that promise until the end of everything. he doesn't even know if he'll be alive tomorrow but he can blame the alcohol for the bravery and your beautiful face for the romantic feelings, right? right.

[zombiigrll]

ok ok, hear me out...

Enid Rhee x Dixon!Reader??

Prompt: "...Why are you quiet?" "That's probably the most I've ever heard you talk."

So basically, where reader (either fem or gn, whatever you want) is Daryl's kid (biological or adoptive) and they're super quiet, similar to their father. Like, only speaks if spoken to. Reader and Enid are close friends and maybe after a dangerous encounter, or something angsty, reader can't keep their feelings to themselves anymore and confesses.

AAAGH i'm gonna leave it at that and give you whatever creativities you want. I literally love all your fics and your style of writing, so I hope you like this request and take it cause I would personally be thrilled to see what you come up with.

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FATHERS DAUGHTER. ⋆｡°✩ enid rhee x fem!dixon!reader .ᐟ WORD COUNT .ᐟ ⭑ 1.2K ꩜ .ᐟ WARNINGS ⭑ angst + fluff + friends to lovers (mostly fluff IDK WHAT TO CALL IT theres so many fanfic terms my ass is not caught up on!), reader is daryls daughter (you can interpret if its adoptive or not ), reader is quiet/monotoned, near-death situation? kissing, mostly just cute stuff with a tiny bit of angst! .ᐟ SUMMARY .ᐟ ⭑ you admit your feelings out of fear. ꩜ .ᐟ A/N .ᐟ ⭑ okay i LOVE THIS REQUEST ANON!! thank you so much!! enid is so fun to write for and this was just so fun to write AHH!! and thank you so much im so glad you like my writing, hope i did your request justice <3

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you had been staying up all night reading some book you had found on a run.

it was clear to everyone that you were a night owl. you could stay up days without being super effected by it, but that could also just be what happens after being in an apocalypse for a few years.

or, it could be that you were exactly like your father.

you were as quiet as him, had the same sleep schedule as him, everything.

anywho, you stayed up and saw the sun started rising, and thats when you remembered you and enid had a quick run together a little ways away from alexandria.

you decided to start getting ready a bit early, just to kill some time. you placed your bookmark in the gutter of the book before closing it and standing up.

the only thing differently you did from your father was that you kept all of your clothes as clean as possible. you even did his laundry sometimes. you didn't blame him though, he was a busy man. you were glad you could help in some way.

you picked a blue flannel, rib-knit tank top, and jeans.

just as you finished changing your clothes, you heard a knock at your door.

"come in." you replied monotonously.

enid opened the door, raising her eyebrow with a slight chuckle as she looked at you. "you're already ready?"

"mhm."

"did you even sleep last night?" she walked over to your bed and sat to your side.

"no. i was reading." you looked at her. your expression and voice was always quite flat, but enid never cared. she knew it was just who you are, and she'd never change a thing about you.

"of course." she nodded in response, looking at the book that laid behind the two of you. "you are your fathers daughter."

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"oh, nothing bad." she nudged you in the shoulder. "you're just quiet and a night owl. just like daryl."

"yeah." you put a hand up to your shoulder, acting like it hurt with a slight smile.

"well, are you ready to head out?" enid jumped off the bed and picked her bag back up.

you nodded, standing up with her.

...

you've been driving for a little while now. like i said, the place your guys' run was located was a little ways away from alexandria.

but, you guys made it.

you parked on the side of the road and stepped out, grabbing your bag as well as holstering your gun.

you looked over to your side at enid as she stepped out of the car. you walked a bit further forward, scoping out the area.

"does it look clear so far?" enid sneaks up behind you, her iconic smile still plastered on her face.

"so far. i don't hear anything right now, but we still have quite a bit of area to look over."

she nods, stepping directly to your side. "i'm sure this run will be easy. we've never had much trouble over here." enid continues, her voice almost sounding as if she's trying to comfort you?

you shrug. "mhm."

the two of you walked throughout the forest, no signs of any walkers.

"why'd they have us go out here if theres nothing?" enid looked around, her knife in hand despite her firmly believing she wouldn't need to use it today.

"you're jinxing us."

"you believe in jinxes?" she chuckled, her mouth slightly curving up.

you look away, a bit embarrassed. you shrug your shoulders again in response.

as you step forward, you hear a crack from the woods that you guys had yet to check.

"yes, i do."

you pull your gun out and begin stepping into the woods with enid following behind you.

there was a hill at the edge of the woods with a couple of trees surrounding it. you could barely see where it ended.

you turned around at the sound of groans, and spotted quite a bit of walkers in the distance heading right your way.

but before you could think, the edge of the hill cracked beneath your feet.

"oh shit!" you screamed as you fell. enid instinctively reaches out and grabs your hand. you hit your nose on the hill as you swing down, causing it to bleed.

it was at least a 20 foot drop. you looked down as enid struggled to try and get you up.

"oh f- hold on! it'll be okay." enid tried to comfort despite her freaking out along with you. she moves her other hand to try and pull you up.

"fuck, fuck!" you panicked, the taste of iron entering your mouth as you tried reaching your other arm up to help. you helped her pull yourself up and you fell onto the ground.

"come on! we have to go!"

enid holds your hand, intertwining it with hers, to lift you up. you both begin running through the forest and past the walkers that were starting to surround the two of you, adrenaline rushing throughout both your veins.

you guys arrive back at the car, throwing yourselves into the seats and catching your breath.

without thinking, you start speaking through your breaths.

"oh man, i thought.. i thought i was going to die... i thought i was going to die, and i didn't even tell you how i love you, enid. i really love you, i-i'm sorry."

enids eyes widen, her hands still placed on her chest catching her breath as she stares at you with a reddened face.

after a moment of silence, you speak up again.

"...why are you quiet?"

"that's probably the most i've ever heard you talk."

enids expression changed into a large grin. she leans forward and pulls a rag out of her backpack. "and you didn't even care about the fact that your nose is still bleeding."

you stay sitting there as she cups your cheek, putting the rag up to your face.

she didn't respond to what you said.

did she feel the same? or did you just make a fool out of yourself?

as your nose stops bleeding, she sets it down and looks at you with a smile.

"i love you too, by the way."

before you could react, she leans forward and kisses you.

your body froze as you processed what was happening, but you finally got the courage and moved your hands up to her cheeks as you returned the kiss.

you could feel her smile under the kiss the moment your hands touched her face.

you were sure she could tell how anxious you were. that she could tell that there were butterflies in your stomach and a knot in your chest, despite the kiss being soft and delicate.

she pulled away, her mouth still curved into a smile.

you looked back at her in shock, taking in all of her features before she broke the silence.

"you're extremely red."

you choked on air as her words snapped you back to reality. "oh, shut up."

"i'm serious! you look like a cherry." she giggled, moving your hair behind your ear.

you rolled your eyes, unsuccessfully pushing away a smile. "come on..."

"wanna do it again?" she tilted her head, her hands moving down to your shoulders.

despite what seemed like a protest previously, you nodded vigorously.

she laughed and leaned in once again.

─────────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────────────────

[darylsdelts]

That one part in “BLUE” by Billie Eilish is about Daryl Dixon.

Look.

“You were born bluer than a butterfly

Beautiful and so deprived of oxygen

Colder than your father's eyes

He never learned to sympathize with anyone

I don't blame you

But I can't change you

Don't hate you

But we can't save you

You were born reaching for your mother's hands

Victim of your father's plans to rule the world”

You can’t tell me otherwise

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 37 ~ Welcome Back

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 3

✧ Word Count : 6.2k

In this chapter ~ Even after Daryl was reunited with the group alongside his brother, Glenn and Rose continued to stay at each other's throats after all the built up anger from recent events. The group continued to stew over what the plan would be to fix the mess the Governor left behind, not even knowing if there was a solution. Rose's skepticism led to her having an interesting conversation with Merle, along with an unexpected guest arriving through their broken gates.

"If you stayed on that watchtower, you could've warned Hershel to get out of there faster!" Glenn screamed at me.

"If you had never left, you would've been able to help us take down those assholes who tore through our fucking gates!" I screamed back at him.

He scoffed, "So, you're saying this is my fault?"

"You saying it's mine?" I retorted.

"If you had actually been responsible for once, you would've-"

"Hey!" Daryl quickly cut him off, "I ain't gonna let ya talk to her like that, she was actually here helpin out!" he stepped in, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Glenn was practically unphased by his volume, turning to look at him as he only scoffed to himself, "Oh yeah? And where were you?" he asked.

I knocked his shoulder back harshly upon hearing that, "Oh you do not want to go there." I said coldly.

"Enough!" Rick yelled as he stepped in between us.

My breathing was heavy as I felt like my heart was going to explode. I don't think I've been this worked up in a very long time, and it surprised me immensely that Glenn was the cause of it. It seemed like the second we made it into the cellblock and he realized I wasn't keeping watch, he turned into this raging asshole, pointing fingers left and right about who was to blame. The others had just been silently watching our little fighting match with wide eyes, it was like their free entertainment. And I could tell Merle was getting a kick out of it from just outside of the gated door he was locked behind.

I shoved past Rick's arm, completely ignoring him as if he hadn't said anything at all, "At least I stayed put while you were out chasing The Govenor who was here the whole goddamn time!"

"I wanted to end this!" he yelled.

"We all want to end this, Glenn! Just because you were the one who got beat up by that jackass over there, doesn't mean you get to take control of whatever you want!"

"Hey." Merle said defensively.

Glenn looked like his head was going to explode, "Oh you are such a b-" he began to say, stopping himself suddenly.

"Say it! Oh, please say it! I'm a bitch? You can't own up to anything, biting people's heads off left and right, but I'm the fucking bitch?"

"I said enough!" Rick yelled again as he shoved us apart. He glanced back and forth between the two of us in slight disbelief, turning back towards me to speak lower than before, "Do I have to lock you out of here?"

My eyes narrowed at him in slight offense, "I'm not the problem."

"Then prove it." he snapped.

My eyes narrowed but I raised my hands in surrender, leaning up further against the wall to see where it would go from here. What genius plan Rick would somehow come up with to save all of our asses that we hadn't already ruled out. But by the looks of it, no one knew what to do now. They practically trapped us in here now with how many walkers were now filling the fields.

After Rick followed my movements, making sure I wasn't going to snap again, he turned towards everyone else, "We're not leaving."

"We can't stay here." Hershel argued.

"What if there's another sniper, a wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds."

Beth stepped up, "We can't even go outside."

"If Rick says we aren't running, we aren't running." Glenn said matter-of-factly.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head involuntary as Merle knocked his metal hand on the door separating the common room and the cellblock, grabbing all of our attention, "No, better to live like rats. Just here to apparently give y'all the reality check you need."

"You got a better idea?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, we should've slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window now didn't we. I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now." he said bluntly.

Daryl scoffed from next to me, "We ain't scared of that prick."

"Y'all should be," Merle replied, "That truck through the fence thing, that was just him ringin the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shit he could just starve us out if he wanted to."

Maggie's anxiety grew upon hearing that, tapping her crossed arms nervously as she snapped, "Let's put him in the other cellblock."

"No, he's gotta point." Daryl defended.

She shook her head vigorously, "This is all you! You started this!" she yelled at the older Dixon.

"What's the difference whose fault it is? What matters is what we do next, so what do we do?" Beth asked.

"I said we should leave, now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here." Hershel stated.

Rick shook his head slowly and started to walk away wordlessly as if the conversation was anywhere near done, running away the second he was hearing things he didn't want to hear. But he needed to hear them, process them, and move on because that's just how it was. It was already too late to prevent the attack that already happened, we just needed a solid plan on what to do next, one that he apparently wasn't ready to discuss.

Though the second he made it towards the door, getting out his keys to unlock it, Hershel seemed to be just as fed up as I was. He stood up swiftly from his spot on the stairs, crutches under his arms as he yelled, "Get back here!"

The man stopped completely in his tracks upon hearing his scream echo, hearing him now moving over to him to speak more gently, "You're slipping Rick. We've all seen it, and we understand why. But now is not the time, you once said this isn't a democracy and now you have to own up to that...I put my family's life in your hands. So, get your head clear, and do something."

Only silence followed. And after that, he left. He left us all in the most awkward silence you could imagine as he couldn't seem to process the sudden reality. But I wasted no time heading up into my cell to cool off after watching him just give up for the day. Everyone was on edge and then pushing each other more and more, and I was too tired to keep arguing back and forth like we always seemed to do lately.

I fell back onto the mattress dramatically with a breath, hearing hushed voices from outside but not bringing myself to care enough to pay attention. Leaning back further against the wall, I shut my eyes for a few moments to try and clear my head, to try and wipe the conversation clean from my mind. It was all so frustrating that I couldn't bring myself to think about it anymore, even if I was alone.

The voices from outside eventually dwindled down and stopped completely, leading me to assume that they had all left the cellblock to busy themselves with something else. But I still wasn't completely alone in the space. Footsteps seemed to echo down past each room on the second floor, slowing down before stopping directly in front of mine, hearing them then make their way inside.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Daryl walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed, reaching back to brush his fingers across my legs gently. He then caught my gaze after a moment or two, neither one of us saying a word as I slowly sat up to face him better. But he didn't seem to hesitate once I had moved, leaning forward a bit to gently grasp my chin, pulling me closer until our lips touched.

I exhaled deeply through my nose as I pulled him closer, feeling him again was something that I never thought would happen. But yet here he was. I almost still couldn't get over the fact that he had come back, leaving my utterly speechless when I saw a glimpse of his face again. His face to which I only thought I would have to look back on in memories and dreams, not being able to actually see him looking right back at me. But yet...here he was.

He was the first to break away, but not without coming back a few more times to place light pecks on my lips as if he couldn't get enough, "...I missed ya so much." he whispered.

I felt myself smirk, "Oh yeah? How much?" I teased.

He rolled his eyes, "A lot. I couldn't stop thinkin about ya."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you either," I muttered while tracing my thumb lightly over his cheekbone, "I love you so much."

His cheeks bloomed a shade of red, "I love you." he replied instantly, pulling me in again to kiss me deeply.

He seemed to lift me with ease without breaking away, getting me to straddle his hips as I seemed to crave him even more, pulling him in closer by the collar on his shirt, desperate to feel him. My hands roamed around his arms and neck, trying to memorize every dip and curve that he had so I would never forget. He then broke away again after a few seconds of bliss, placing kisses all over my face just to get me to laugh, like he always did, and it always worked.

"God, I missed that sound," he whispered after I let out a light laugh, "And I missed yer pretty face."

A smile stretched across my lips at his sweet words, only causing me to laugh again as I let my mind wander, "What?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing," I shook my head, "You're just a big softie, that's all." I teased, moving his growing hair away from his forehead.

He scoffed as he gently pinched my sides, "Shut up." he muttered.

I laughed as I pushed his hands away to stop tickling me, but my amusement seemed to falter the smallest bit as a question popped up in my head. One I didn't even know if I wanted the answer to. "So...you want to tell me what happened out there?" I finally asked.

His smile fell slightly but he nodded his head as he leaned further to trace patterns on my thighs that were planted on either side of him, beginning to tell me everything.

He told me about his first night back in the woods and everything that Merle said to him, about how he claimed I didn't really love him. My face dropped a little upon hearing that, but he reassured me he didn't let it bother him in the slightest, pushing the thought out of his mind completely. I ran my fingers gently through his hair as I only quietly listened, hearing him talk about the group that he saved the very next day and his fight with Merle. And the worst part, the fight with him seemed to get a little out of hand as he managed to see the scars all over his back.

"I was wondering why your shirt was ripped." I spoke softly.

I watched as he nodded, "Yeah..." he breathed, "It's the first time he's even seen em."

My brows furrowed slightly as I thought, "Really?"

He scoffed, tilting his head back to look at me better, "Ya really see me confidin to my awesome brother bout somethin like that?" he asked sarcastically.

"No." I said with a shake of my head, "It's just...why-"

But I didn't even need to finish my question, like he knew exactly what I was going to say and had his answer already planned out. "Cause yer my girl Rosie, I trust ya. Trust ya more than anyone...especially bout things like this."

My heart swelled at his words. Even though we had been together for quite some time, it's still nice to hear how important you are to someone. And in these past few minutes alone, Daryl had shown me just how important I was to him, how much he had missed me, and how much he trusted me.

I didn't say anything else, mostly because I didn't need to. My actions were speaking much louder as I pulled him back into me, crashing my lips against his own. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we were together again, in each other's arms and soaking up every second that we could.

At this moment in time, I didn't care about the threats from The Governor, or my fight with Glenn, or anything else. All I cared about was him as we slowly got lost in each other's touch.

My breathing was still slowing down, my skin slightly sticky with sweat, feeling myself slowly dozing off as I listened to Daryl's steady breathing from behind me, tickling the back of my neck. A smirk traced my lips as I felt him instinctively pull me closer, hugging my waist tightly and only bringing it more towards his chest. Though somehow, he noticed how I was just on the brink of falling asleep, raising his head to whisper in my ear.

"Don't fall asleep." his voice vibrated through his chest, enough to send shivers down my spine.

I smiled to myself as I shook my head, "I'm just resting my eyes."

He hummed in response before starting to leave light kisses on my shoulder, making his was back down towards my neck, nipping and sucking softly.

I sighed in content, "You really did miss me, huh?"

He chuckled, "Woman, you have no idea." he muttered before his lips busied themselves again.

A sudden burst of energy coursed through me the second he hit a certain spot below my ear, causing me to flip around and straddle his waist. I leaned down to capture his lips in a deep kiss, hearing him let out a sound of surprise before he was smiling against my mouth. He only pulled me up closer, gripping my hips with his big, calloused hands as I could subtly feel him get excited all over again beneath me.

But I stopped my movements completely when I heard voices coming back in the cellblock, loudly bouncing off the walls. I broke the kiss and looked over my shoulder towards the door, hearing him let out a low groan at the loss contact while his hands moved up and down my waist absentmindedly.

I turned back once I realized they weren't leaving anytime soon, pecking his lips before leaning down towards his ear to whisper, "Don't worry, we'll finish this later." leaving another lingering kiss on his jawline before getting up to gather my clothes.

I moved up and off the squeaky mattress to pick up my clothes off the ground, slipping my underwear back on, knowing he hadn't made any effort to move yet from just behind me. Just simply laying there with his eyes glued to my frame, I didn't even have to turn around as I could practically feel his gaze. Though as I finally got my pants back on, struggling to clasp my bra, I turned around to face him again, seeing the huge grin he had on his face and I couldn't help but smile back.

"What?" I asked playfully as I finally got it hooked.

He shrugged, "Yer just so beautiful."

My cheeks flushed slightly, "Thank you." I muttered a bit bashfully before throwing my shirt on over my head.

He stood up then after watching me for as long as he could, moving around quickly to get dressed now so we could head out and see what was happening downstairs. All of their voices seemed loud and rushed, like they were formulating some kind of plan for the time being that we surely needed to be a part of. Once he was finally finished, he kissed my forehead lightly before I started to walk towards the doorway to leave, but stopping in my tracks once I felt a light pinch on my ass.

I whipped around to look at him in mock surprise, seeing him with a lopsided grin as he held his hands up in surrender, trying his best to look innocent or something. I rolled my eyes, reaching around to push him in front of me so he would be walking down first instead so I would be safe for any other sneak attacks he had in mind.

We walked down the steps to see Rick telling Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, and Hershel what he saw when he took watch outside, describing in detail how much work would have to be put in when rebuilding the fence. He told Maggie to take the next shift, and then made his way over to the rest of us.

"Field's filled with walkers, didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie on watch..." Rick informed briefly before pausing suddenly, "Where the hell have you two been?" he asked, pointing at us.

I saw Daryl's face get beet red, but I was quick to answer, "Checking the tunnels again for walkers that might've slipped in, we just got back." I was surprised how easily the lie slipped off my tongue.

He didn't question anything and just nodded his head silently, Daryl awkwardly clearing his throat, "I'll uh...get up in the guard tower, take out half them walkers and give these guys a chance to fix the fence."

"Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place." Michonne suggested.

Hershel sighed, "We can't access the field without burning through our bullets."

"So, we're trapped in here," Glenn piped in not looking in my direction, "There's barely any food or ammo." he spoke angerly.

"Been here before, we'll be alright." Daryl reassured him.

"That's when it was just us, before there was a snake in the nest." Glenn snapped.

I sighed and felt the headache start to form as I knew what was about to go down. But seeing my actions got his attention and he just rolled his eyes at me at the fact that I apparently breathed wrong around him.

Daryl stepped closer to him, "Man, we gonna go through this again? Look Merle's stayin here, he's with us now. Get used to it, all y'all."

He didn't yell at Glenn, but I could tell his comment about Merle got to him as there was honest hurt in his voice. After he spoke, he headed out of the cellblock, storming past the things in his way while we all watched him leave, seeing he needed a minute to himself.

Though Glenn was quick to turn back to Rick, spitting out his opinion like he always seemed to do, "Seriously Rick, I don't think Merle living here is going to fly." he snapped.

"It's not your decision." I fired back.

His head spun towards me, "You're not a part of this discussion."

I scoffed, "Why the hell not?"

"Because you're clearly biased on the situation." he spat.

I was taken aback by his comment, and he could tell, he looked guilty as soon as he said it, "You think just because I'm with Daryl I can't think for myself and have my own opinion about this?" I asked angrily, "What the hell would you like us to do, Glenn? Throw him out there, let him fed for himself out in that field, he wouldn't last two seconds."

He shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant."

"He's stuck here with the rest of us." I said as I ignored his comment, "Whether your prideful ass attitude likes it or not." I snapped before storming out of the cellblock as well, needing to get far away from him before I said something I would truly regret.

I went straight through the main area, shoving my way past a door that led to a back room without even thinking twice about it. Slamming the door behind me, I just leaned my back up against it and sighed to myself with my hands over my face, trying to collect my thoughts.

But then a loud cackle suddenly erupted from the back corner of the room, making me jump out of my skin to only see Merle making himself comfortable on a nearby bench.

"Oh, didn't mean to scare ya there sweetheart." he chuckled again.

I rolled my eyes at the man and didn't say anything to him as I folded my arms around my middle, trying not to make eye contact with him as I had apparently dug myself into a hole here. I stayed completely silent as the air grew awkward and almost tense. But apparently, he was uncomfortable with the silence as he kept talking.

"So, do I officially get to meet the girl my baby brother's so smitten for?" he asked with a cocky tone.

Sighing to myself, I did the slow walk of shame the rest of the way over to him as I stuck out my hand, "Rose." I introduced.

"Merle." he said with a grin while taking my hand and giving it a firm shake.

He let go after a moment and I took a seat further away from him as we sat in silence for a few minutes. I could feel his eyes on me, like he was trying to pick me apart, but I knew with the bored expression I had on my face that he wouldn't find anything. I didn't even know what he was trying to accomplish.

He suddenly took in a breath, "So...what brings ya in here? I wouldn't think you would come venture out just to talk to little ole me."

I laughed sarcastically, "Right...I just came in here for some peace and quiet for a second."

"You have a cellblock for that." he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes, "Well, the issue happens to be in the cellblock so..."

He nodded his head, "Glenn?"

There were a few beats of silence as I didn't exactly answer him, but he already knew. "Ya know, it's good that he's angry. Not at you...but in general. It's gonna come in handy when The Governor comes back."

My brows furrowed a little, "What do you mean?"

He scooted a bit closer, "Maybe if he used that anger on The Governor's men, y'all will have a fighting chance. Maybe some of y'all might actually stay alive."

"I appreciate your confidence in us, thank you." I muttered sarcastically while looking away from him.

He hesitated and stopped for a moment, almost as if trying to piece together what he wanted to say, before he finally spit it out. "The Governor will kill me first when he comes back," he started, "Michonne, my brother, then Hershel and his girls, Glenn, Carl, that baby...then you."

I chill went down my spine as he listed in order how the mad man would kill us all, and yet he continued, "He'll save Rick for last, so he can watch his family and friends die painfully. That's who you're dealing with."

I wanted to say something, maybe even argue with him that he was wrong and that we were going to win this whole thing. But I knew he was right, considering he knew The Governor the best out of all of us. I didn't want him to see how scared I truly was of this man. Shit I didn't want anyone to see that. But I was. And it made me feel weak.

As if reading my mind, he spoke again, "I can tell you're scared. I can see it in your eyes, and all I'm saying is you should be. I'm not trying to scare ya. I'm trying to warn ya. Maybe shine a light on how sick he really is, because I don't think you people get it."

We sat there looking at each other for a few minutes as I let myself think. I didn't want him to be right, but I also didn't want to have false hope. For a split second I thought Merle was just trying to get in my head like he did with Daryl a few days ago. But something in my gut told me he wasn't, and he was just telling the truth. Warning me in a way that would get through my head.

I stood up suddenly, finding I had nothing to say, and turning to head outside and maybe take watch for a few hours and make myself useful, but his voice stopped me. "You're not listening. I'm ain't gonna tell ya what ya want to hear girl."

My hand fell on the door handle as I stopped to turn and face him one last time, "Oh believe me, I'm listening." I said calmly before turning to head out of the space, leaving him alone once more.

I made my way through the common room and out the heavy door towards where I knew Maggie was sitting and taking watch right now. Walking past Carl, I waved towards him before I headed over to where Maggie was placed up close near the fence, walking louder so I wouldn't scare her.

"Want some company?" I asked while grabbing the spare gun and taking a seat.

She slightly glanced over her shoulder at me with a small nod, "Sure."

My smile dropped suddenly and I could tell something was off about her almost instantly, and I had a feeling it was about how Glenn and I fought earlier. We were practically about to claw each other's eyes out if Rick didn't step in between us.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"No. No...I'm not mad at you." she said while still not looking at me.

I sighed, "If this is about Glenn-"

"It's not," she cut me off calmly, "I mean it is, but it isn't. I'm just...I'm tired of seein all of us yelling at each other all the time now. Constantly at each other's throats."

I nodded in agreement as I looked out to the field, "Yeah well, that asshat of a Governor has been making it easier and easier to flip out on each other."

"You got that right." she muttered, "But that's what he wants."

"I know...I just hope we can make it through this." I said a bit quieter than before.

Her head turned toward me quickly as she heard my hesitance about this whole thing, her face dropping in concern, "What makes you think we can't?"

I gestured around us, "This. This is just the tip of the iceberg." I said as I scanned around, really getting a good look at all the damage he did.

Her eyes narrowed, "There's more." she pushed.

I sighed heavily, "...I talked to Merle."

"Oh God, why would you put yourself through that?"

I let out a laugh, "I don't know. I didn't necessarily seek him out...it's just, he knows The Governor better than anyone else here. It's hard not to believe him, you know?"

"Alright, I get that." she agreed, "But you gotta have a little more faith than that. Because Merle may know The Governor well, but he doesn't know us. He doesn't know what we can do, what we're capable of."

I smiled lightly, "Yeah, I guess that's true."

She smiled back as we both silently turned to look out and see the walkers that now surrounded us. It brought my mood down seeing all of the walking corpses that now filled our field, one that we tried so hard to keep secure. But it only seemed to motivate the rest of us more seeing the things that he destroyed. The things he so easily took away.

But I suddenly raised the scope of my gun up to my eye when I caught sight of something in the distance, movement coming up the gravel road. My eyes widened a little as a gasp left my lips once it all registered in my mind. It was Andrea, holding onto a walker and trying to make her way through up to the prison. Maggie followed my line of sight when she noticed my movements, and once she saw what I was looking at, her gaze whipped back towards me with concern behind her eyes.

She looked back to Carl and waved him back towards the prison, "It's Andrea, go get Rick!" she yelled, and we watched as he nodded before quickly running off.

A few seconds barely passed before Rick, Daryl, Merle, and Michonne came out of the prison with their weapons drawn. Merle ran a little ways ahead of him and once I heard him say "clear" I ran up with them as they rushed closer towards the gate. I had the gun still in my hands and now aimed it around the area, double checking to make sure she was just by herself, and this wasn't a trap. None of us could take that chance right now.

"Are you alone?" Rick yelled.

"Open the gate." she said breathlessly.

"Are you alone?!" he asked again, his eyes scanning over everything behind her head.

She had a shocked look on her face as more walkers started to notice her, "Rick!" she yelled pleadingly.

He sighed and tossed his keys to Daryl who was the closest to the gate, so he could quickly unlock it for her. They pulled the gate open and she threw the walker she was using as a shield off to her left and quickly jogged inside. I could tell Rick was pissed and wasn't having it at all, and honestly the thought crossed my mind that he was going to leave her out there. But then again another part of him seemed curious as to why she was back, and he clearly wanted to know why.

"Hands up, turn around!" he yelled and pushed her up against the fence.

I could hear the confusion in her voice as she questioned them, but I didn't pay too much attention. My eyes just scanned the trees around us, making sure no other surprises would pop out just as they did last time. Though once I was sure there was no one else around, I turned back to face them, seeing Andrea was now on her knees as Rick continued to search her.

She then suddenly caught my eye, gesturing over to the man, "You're really going to let him do this to me?" she asked.

I shrugged, "I don't really care." I said bluntly.

Her mouth fell open slightly as I tore her bag off of her and threw it a good distance away in case she tried anything. I didn't trust her anymore after what Merle briefly told us. Hell, I hardly really trusted her even when she was a part of our group.

After Rick was done searching her, he pulled her up roughly to her feet, "Welcome back." he muttered in the most unwelcoming tone I've ever heard.

We then all made our way back inside the prison to go into the common room, to see what she wanted. I watched as she immediately hugged Carol the moment she caught sight of her, and they stayed wrapped around each other for a little bit while the rest of us piled in. I leaned up against the wall, with the gun still in my hands, waiting patiently for her to start talking.

"Where'd ya go?" I heard a voice ask from beside me.

I looked to over see Daryl coming up next to me with a small smile on his face, "I just had to get away from Glenn...I ended up talking with your brother for a minute before going outside to keep watch with Maggie."

"You talked to Merle?" he asked in confusion.

I scoffed, "Yeah, kind of on accident. I tried to just get away to have some quiet, and he was in the room I walked in."

He hummed in response and nodded his head, though I saw he went to say something else, but that's when Andrea started speaking. Her eyes moved over everyone in the room in almost astonishment, acting as if she didn't know we were here the whole goddamn time. She knew ever since we took back our people from Woodbury, she just didn't seem to care enough until now.

"I can't believe this," she breathed as she glanced around, almost spinning in a circle as she took everything in. "Where's Shane?"

I rolled my eyes at the fact that he was the first person she noticed was missing from the bunch, leaving Daryl coughing trying to cover up a laugh as he saw my facial expression.

Nobody answered her question however, everyone remained still at the mere mention of him it seemed like. "Lori?" she asked again.

Rick couldn't meet her eyes as he stayed completely silent, Hershel having to answer for him. "She had a girl...Lori didn't survive."

"Neither did T-Dog." Maggie said.

"Oh...I'm so sorry," she whispered as her face grew sympathetic, "Carl-" she tried to speak, but couldn't find the words. "Rick I-" she tired again but he still wouldn't look at her, stopping herself when she saw the clear pain behind his eyes, that alone signaling her to stop.

She looked around at everyone again until her eyes landed right on Daryl and I. I knew we were standing close together, but I didn't think she would actually put the pieces together in her head. But with the growing smirk on her face, I knew she figured it out.

"So, you two finally got together?" she asked smugly.

Neither of us said anything, but Merle quickly started to laugh in amusement, "Ain't they cute? Daryl wouldn't shut up about her ever since I saw him again, and she's always makin goo goo eyes at him."

We both glared at him, "Shut up." we voiced at the same time.

That only caused him to laugh harder, yet for once he kept his mouth shut as he refrained from saying anything else. The room was then filled with tense silence after that, leaving everyone visibly upset by her presence, and she damn well knew it too.

"You all live here?" she then asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Here, in the cellblock." Glenn told her, nodding back towards the room with a stone-cold expression.

She looked toward it, "There? Well, can I go in?"

"I won't allow that." Rick said.

She huffed, "I'm not the enemy Rick." she defended herself and I felt I had to hold back a scoff. If you're fucking the enemy then you are the enemy, I don't make the rules.

Rick glared at her, "We had that field and the courtyard, until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shout us up."

"He said you fired first." she said with widened eyes.

"Well, he's lying." I stepped in.

She glanced over at me but then Hershel spoke, "He killed an inmate who survived in here."

"We liked him...he was one of us." Daryl said.

"I didn't know anything about that." she reassured us, "As soon as I found out, I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shootout."

"That was days ago." Glenn said.

"I told you I came as soon as I could." she repeated, her frustration building as we weren't giving her the light of day.

She then looked around the room and saw Michonne standing near the door, narrowing her eyes at her in suspicion, "What have you told them?" she asked with annoyance lacing her voice.

"Nothing." Michonne simply said with a shrug.

The woman began to grow irritated at all the targeted eyes, "I don't get it, I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?" she asked, annoyed.

This time I couldn't help but scoff, "You're sleeping with the guy who wants to kill us, I think that's why you're the odd man out." I said.

She looked over at me and couldn't find the words, Glenn only adding onto what I just said, "He almost killed Michonne, and he would've killed us."

"With his finger on the trigger." she said as she pointed to Merle, "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you?" she asked him harshly before stopping herself and taking a small breath. "Look...I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done, but I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."

I made a face at that. Philip? That was his name?

"There's nothing to work out, we're gonna kill him," Rick spoke, causing me to glance up at Merle and seeing his eyes were already on me with a knowing glance, the conversation we shared playing over and over again in my mind.

"I don't know how or when, but we will." he finished coldly.

"We can settle this." she tried, "There is room at Woodbury for all of you."

I made a clicking sound with my tongue, "Yeah, I think we're gonna pass on that. Might make things awkward if we're suddenly being ordered around by a man we almost went to war with."

"What makes you think that this man wants to negotiate? Did he say that?" Hershel asked.

"...No." she replied with her head down.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" I snapped.

Her head snapped over to me in seriousness, "Because he's gearing up for war. The people are terrified, they see you as killers."

"Good." I shrugged.

"Tell you what, next time ya see Philip, you tell him m' gonna take his other eye." Daryl threatened lowly.

"We've taken too much shit for too long. He wants a war? He's got one." Glenn said.

She looked at us all in disbelief and turned towards Rick, "If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's going to happen. He has a whole town," she stated before scanning the room again, "Look at you! You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

"You can make this right...get us inside." Rick offered.

"No." she said instantly.

"Then we got nothing else to talk about." he said bitterly before turning to walk away.

"There are innocent people!" she yelled after him.

But he didn't say anything, he didn't even glance back. All we heard was the door to the cellblock slam shut behind him.

~ Thanks for reading!

[holdmytesseract]

Found

Daryl Dixon x fem!Reader

Summary: After the fight with Daryl, you ran away. The archer feels guilty and decides to look for you. The problem? You can't be found... Neither in Alexandria, nor in the Kingdom - what leaves him in utter worry...

Warnings: the usual TWD stuff, angst, injuries, Leah being a pain in the ass, lots of fluff and Daryl being protective!

Set in Season 9 - not 10, lol...

Word Count: 4k - whoops...

a/n: Part 2 to 'Lost' is finally here! 😁 Thanks for being so hyped about this! ☺️ I had a lot of fun writing part 2 and I mean... I clearly couldn't just leave it like that, right? Daryl needs to get his girl back, right? 😁 I really hope y'all like it!

Tagging: @in-this-minute @thefemininemystiquee @hotgirlsshareaccounts @azanoni @lokisgoodgirl @goobysgoobers @fuseburner @bymailin @hr-nm-grnd-zr

If you want to be added to my Daryl taglist, let me know!

MASTERLIST

He heard the blood rush into his ears, felt the pain in his chest, as he watched her ride away. Out of his sight - out of his life. Daryl wanted to run after her and find the right words to make it all alright again, but his feet were like glued to the ground. He couldn't move. All he could do, was stare after the woman he loved and blame himself for being such a stupid idiot.

"Who is that?" The familiar voice of Leah urged suddenly to his ears. Only now did he recognise, that she had walked over to him and was standing now directly beside him. "Daryl, who is that?" Leah repeated her question. The archer sighed, felt the stinging tears in his eyes. "Y-Y/N." "No." He heard her say, as she stepped in front of him with crossed arms, blocking his view. "Who is she?" Of course knew Daryl what she meant, but the last thing he wanted was to discuss that with her now. "My friend." Leah shook her head. "Oh come on... You can't fool me. She wasn't just a friend. You said you love her. Do you say that to every friend?" Daryl shook his head, "I don't wanna talk 'bout that with ya." and tried to walk past Leah. He had to find you. But she didn't let him. She stood in his way, stopping him. "No, you're not just walking out of this!" Daryl tried it again, but once more Leah stopped him and placed both her hands on his chest in an attempt to push him back - what barely worked. "Tell me! Who is that woman?! Is she your girlfriend?!" The collision was inevitable now. The man was aware of that. "Yes, she is." Leah scoffed, looking at him incredulously - almost offended at his words. "Your girlfriend?" Slowly, but surely, Daryl began to lose his temper at the petulant behaviour of Leah. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?" Another scoff. "Isn't that obvious, Daryl?! Yes, yes, I do have a problem with that?!" "Why?!" "Because I thought you and I were a thing?!" His brows furrowed in disbelief. "What?! No! We ain't somethin'!" The woman's jaw dropped. "You call this nothing, but what you have with that poor excuse of a woman is something?! Are you shitting me?!" The archer shook his head, offended by his so-called friend's words. "Nah. That 'poor excuse of a woman' means everything ta me. I love 'er and I certainly ain't goin' to lose 'er, 'cause of you!" With those words he quickly grabbed his crossbow, slung it over his shoulder and passed the angered woman by. He had to find you. That was all that mattered now. "Fine! Fuck off! Just know that I won't give up without a fight!" Daryl ignored her. He didn't give a shit about that now. He had way more important things to do...

First off, he got his bike. Pulling away all the branches, leaves and undergrowth he had disguised it with, to free the vehicle from its hiding spot. He quickly checked on it, made sure that everything was working, before he swung himself on it and quickly followed your traces. Unfortunately, he lost them after a while. There were just too many hoof prints. He was a very good tracker, but keeping different hoof prints apart was even for him a difficult task. Cursing under his breath, he decided to go to Alexandria first; search there. It was your home, after all, so the chances were high that you possibly went there. Turning his bike around on the slightly muddy path, he drove to Alexandria.

It had been a while, since he lastly set foot behind those high steel walls. Weeks. Months. Nevertheless, he felt immediately welcomed by its people - despite the long time he's been away. Daryl passed by a lot of familiar face, who greeted him and gave him a smile. Rosita, Aaron, Siddiq, Gabriel - yes, even Eugene. But the happiest greeting he received, came from a whole different person... "Daryl!" He had been just on the way to your house, when a soft, delicate voice called out his name. Of course, he knew exactly to whom the voice belong to, so he stopped in his tracks and turned around. Despite all the troubled feelings coursing through his system, he couldn't help but to smile softly, when a little girl with a hat came running his way. "Daryl!" She exclaimed happily once again, and before he could even blink, she was wrapped up in his arms for a hug. "Hey kid." He said, in a low gruff voice. "Ya alright?" The little girl nodded, before she stepped back from the hug, still smiling brightly. "You too?" He just gave her a nod, even though he was everything but alright. "You're back!" Another nod. "Only for now. 'M lookin' for Y/N. Do ya know where she is? She here?" Just as Judith wanted to answer, another voice cut through the air. "She isn't here. She left three days ago, headed for the Kingdom to help them." Michonne. Daryl looked up, straight in the face of his friend, who now began to smile. "Hey. Great to see you." The archer straightened up, "Yeah, likewise..." and gave her a nod as well. "Y/N ain't 'ere?" Michonne shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. If you want to see her, you have to go to the Kingdom." "Alright, thanks." Daryl turned on his heels and wanted to leave, when his friend stopped him. "Why don't you stay a while? Get some rest and food." "Nah, ain't stayin'. I can't." He just said and walked away, before Michonne or even Judith were able to say something again. Swinging himself back on his bike, he left Alexandria and headed as fast as his motorcycle could go to the Kingdom.

The gates of the Kingdom got opened for him as well, of course. It may have been a long time since he was in Alexandria, but it was an even longer time since he had lastly visited the Kingdom. He got greeted warmly nevertheless. Word spread at lightning speed that the archer was here, so it was no wonder when he was soon face to face with his best friend. "Oh, hello stranger." Carol greeted him with a smile, arms crossed over her chest. "What are you doing here, huh?" Daryl got off of his bike. "Searchin' for Y/N... She here?" The woman with white-grey hair frowned, "Y/N? No." and shook her head. "She's not with you? She wanted to go to you; left the Kingdom this morning." Fuck. Daryl groaned in frustration and cursed himself now even more for letting you just ride away. Now you were lost - and it was his fault. His mind started to spin wildly. What if something happened to you? What if you were hurt? Got attacked? Or God forbid... Bitten by a walker? Worry took over his mind - something what Carol seemed to notice straight away. "Okay, what happened?" Daryl chewed on his bottom lip, shaking his head. "Was an idiot... Messed everythin' up." Carol looked at her best friend critically, quirking her eyebrows, while crossing her arms over her chest once again. "You messed up?" The archer swallowed, nodding. "Big time." "What did you do, Daryl?" "Remember when I told ya about that woman? Leah?" "Your friend?" Once more he shook his head. "She ain't a friend. Wouldn't call 'er that. More like acquaintances." Carol thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, right. I can remember her. What about her?" "Well..." Daryl started, fumbling nervously with his hands. "Y/N saw me 'n her together, sittin' at the river, talkin'... Leah, uh, kissed ma cheek 'n now Y/N's thinkin' I cheated on her - which I never would. Ya know me!" The archer huffed out frustrated, lowering his head, which caused some brown strands of shaggy hair to fall in his face. "I tried to explain 'er, that Leah and I are jus' friends, but... She ain't listened ta me." Carol shook her head. "I told you to be careful with that woman. Why did you let her get this close to you? Didn't you see that she is more than just in a friendly way interested in you?" Now it was Daryl's turn to shake his head and helplessly shrug his shoulders. "No, I... I thought she jus' wanted some company, 'cause she's alone too..." His best friend sighed. "You really are an idiot sometimes... And blind..." "Tell me somethin' new..." He said in a sad tone, lifting his head once again, before he turned to walk away. "Gotta go, keep on lookin' for 'er." Carol nodded and reached for her bow and arrows. "I'll come with you." "No. Stay here. In case Y/N comes back." The woman sighed, but agreed. "Alright. Take care, yes?" Daryl nodded and swung himself on his bike. "Always do." "I know, but you are not in your right mind at the moment." Daryl just looked at his best friend for a moment, before he started the vehicle and quickly drove passed the steel doors, leaving the Kingdom behind himself.

The archer had no other choice now, than to somehow try to track you down and search every nook and cranny of the area. He just had to find you - even if you probably didn't want to be found by him. Just to make sure that you were safe. It was his top priority. Keeping you safe and making sure you were alright - and now he realised, that he didn't make sure of that all those past months and years. He trusted the safety of Alexandria's walls, instead of doing it himself. He should've taken you with him. On this way he would've never needed to fear for your life right now. He would've never lost you. If something happened to you know, it was going to be his fault - and he would need to live with this for the rest of his life. Something he clearly never could. Yes, he had to find you - as fast as somehow possible.

With the clock ticking; minutes turning into hours, Daryl got more and more worried. He followed a trace already a few times, always thinking it could be yours, but it always led him to something different, or it came to nothing and was just a dead end. Well... The wood was big and the possibilities almost endless. You could be everywhere and nowhere.

Another hour - maybe even hours (Daryl couldn't tell.) passed. The archer had got rid of his bike a long time ago, hiding it in the thicket and kept on searching on foot. He thought that this was probably the better option.

The sun hung low in the sky by now, telling the man that it would get dark soon. There was only an hour, probably two left he could search in daylight. He was still looking up in the cloudy sky, when a noise suddenly caught his attention. A noise, which sounded like the neigh of a horse. Looking around and checking his surroundings, Daryl quickly followed the sounds - and indeed found a stray horse... A saddled stray horse. Your horse - but you weren't with the majestic animal... The horse was in a complete tizzy; clearly afraid and in panic. Daryl could tell. He approached the animal slowly, hands raised as if to signal the stallion, that he wasn't a threat. "Hey... I ain't gonna hurt ya, okay?" He made another few steps, getting closer. "I promise..." When Daryl had reached the troubled horse, he touched the ridge of his nose, in order to calm the frightened animal down. The stallion's nostrils flared. Daryl could feel his warm, ragged breath against his arm - but minutes later after speaking quietly to him and petting him gently, your horse seemed to calm down. "Yeah, that's it. Good boy." The archer moved his hand, petted his neck. "Where's Y/N, huh?" He was very worried by now. You wouldn't just send your horse away. That was very unlike you. His mind raced a mile per hour; dozens of possibilities running through his head what could've happened to you. Maybe the stallion was afraid of something and unseated you? In that case you were more than likely injured - and with that, easy prey for the walkers. Daryl shook quickly his head. No... He couldn't think about this now. All that mattered now, was to find you. Not the what ifs. "Come on, boy. Let's go find Y/N." He took the reins of your stallion in his hand and continued his search. He hoped, that he was close to finding you finally. Finding your horse was at least a good start. Daryl tried to track you now with the help of the horse's hoof prints, leading the animal back to where it came from - and he was successful...

The traces led him to a slim, but long riverbed, which was surrounded by trees and hills. Unfortunately, the traces stopped straight at the cliff. Daryl looked down, scanned his surroundings. Nothing. So, he decided to just follow the riverbed, upstream; in the hopes of finding you - and he did. About ten minutes later, he stopped in his tracks once again and looked around, eyes especially focused on the riverbed beneath him. His gaze came to an abrupt halt, when he saw something rather big laying in the shallow water. Squinting his eyes, he noticed it was a body. It could be a walker - or you. Of course, he decided to check on it, so he marched quickly forward, taking the horse with him. "Come on."

The closer he got, the bigger became his steps. Reaching the point, where he had spotted the body, the archer stopped. His eyes focused again on the body - widening mere seconds later in shock. It was indeed your body, laying motionless in the shallow water. Daryl felt how his heartbeat quickened. Hopefully you were just hurt and unconscious and not dead. "Stay." He told the horse, which would hopefully stay and made his way as fast as possible down the hill. Being focused on his path ahead, Daryl didn't notice the lonely walker trudging through the water - straight into your direction...

A few minutes later, he had finally made it down to the riverbed. Getting to you, was the only thing on his mind right now. Barely after he had lifted his head, the next shock rippled through his body. A lone walker, getting on its rotten knees beside you, ready to take a bite. Oh no, he thought. "Nah, you ain't takin' her away from me, you filthy piece of shit." At lightning speed, he loaded his crossbow and shot. The arrow hit its target perfectly, piercing the walker's skull and causing it to fall limp and lifeless on the ground beside you. There was no holding back now. Daryl quickly ran towards you, falling on his knees beside you, making the water splash around him. "Y/N?! Y/N?!" He took your head gently in his hands, checking your pulse and trying to wake you up. When he felt your beating carotid beneath his fingertips, a relieved breath left his lips. Thank god, he thought. You were still alive. "Y/N?" Daryl called out your name again and gently shook your shoulder. Your body twitched the slightest bit, before your eyes fluttered open. Y/E/C orbs looked up at his face, mustering it. "D-Daryl?" You whispered, clearly only halfway conscious. "I'm here, Y/N, I'm here." A shallow smile slipped on your face. "Daryl." He nodded, thumb grazing your cheek softly. "I got ya, sunshine. I got ya. Always do. Always will." You smiled again, before you slipped into the dark depths of unconsciousness once again, while Daryl checked on you. He immediately noticed the big wound on the side of your head. Moving further down your body, he saw a few scratches on your hands and a big gash on your left shin as well. He fumbled for his rug and wrapped it around your leg, in order to staunch. He checked his surroundings for any walkers, but the coast was clear. "Alright. We gotta go. It's gettin' dark." So, he lifted you up as careful as possible and carried you over to the hill. Of course, he couldn't get you up there, so he had to lead the horse down the luckily not too steep cliff and somehow managed to get you on the horse, before he climbed on the stallion's back as well behind you. Daryl caged you in between his arms to keep you from falling and steadied your head against his chest. He couldn't care less about the fact that he was getting himself wet, due to the fact that your clothes were literally soaked. All Daryl wanted was to get you as fast as possible back to the Kingdom and a doctor to check on your injuries.

It was pitch black outside, when Daryl finally reached the Kingdom. The steel doors got opened immediately, of course and a doctor was as well within minutes at your side. Although you didn't notice anything of what was going on around you. Not how they stitched up your wounds and administered you some medicine, neither how worried Daryl was or how he sat by your bedside, holding your hand, until you finally regained consciousness again.

Your eyes fluttered open once again, meeting an almost entirely dark room. The only source of light came from somewhere beside you. The first thing you noticed was the dull pain in your head and leg, causing you to hiss softly. The second thing you noticed, was the big, warm hand enveloping yours. Tilting your head slightly down, you saw nobody else than Daryl sitting on a chair beside you, looking utterly worried, tired and worn out. You tried to speak, but your throat was completely dry. All that left your lips were some strange sounds - something the archer noticed immediately. His eyes snapped up to meet yours. "Y/N! Yer awake!" You tried to speak again, but nothing. So, you gestured to your throat. Daryl understood, of course and reached for the glass of water on your bedside table, before his free hand disappeared underneath your head, lifting it gently, in order to help you drink. "T-Thank you." "’Course." You blinked a few times and looked around. "W-Where am I and w-what happened?" Daryl took a deep breath. "I was searchin' for ya the whole day... Found yer horse and followed the traces, which led me to that riverbed, where I found you. Injured and seconds away from gettin' bitten. I brought ya back to the Kingdom. Was closer than Alexandria." You swallowed hard and nodded. "What happened to ya?" Daryl asked carefully, voice still laced with worry. "Can you... remember?" You nodded once more. "Y-Yeah... After our fight, all I wanted was to run away, so I just rode through the woods, not caring about where my horse would lead me. At some point I was on top of those cliffs and then everything happened kind of fast. Something scared him - I don't know what. It definitely wasn't a walker. That much I can tell. It... came out of nowhere, so he unseated me. I hit the ground and hit my head, I guess." You explained and reached for the glass of water once more. Daryl was again quick to help you drink. "When the horse unseated ya on top of that cliff... How did ya got in the riverbed?" "Well..." You started, your demeanour suddenly shifted, turning bitter and sad. "Your new girlfriend got me there." Daryl's heart almost stopped at your words and he grimaced at the term you used. "L-Leah got you there?!" "Yeah. When I reopened my eyes, I saw a figure hovering above me and felt the ground move underneath me. She dragged me towards the cliff and helped me stand up, before she pushed me over the edge, causing me to fall over, of course. On my way down, I hit a stone and well, something must've cut my shin, too. If I didn't just hit my head real bad a few minutes ago and if my vision would've been clear and straight, I would've fought that bitch and tried to stop her, but I couldn't." The archer just stared at you, speechless. He couldn't believe that a kind woman like he thought Leah was, would do something like that, but then he remembered her words... Just know that I won't give up without a fight! It only proved to him once more, that he was deceived in her. He felt how anger bubbled up in his system. Leah almost caused him to lose the woman he loved. Maybe that was her plan after all. "You don't believe me, do you?" Your words ripped Daryl out of his thoughts. He quickly pushed his anger aside. Now wasn't the time for this. He needed to get things right between you and him.

"Nah, of course I do. There ain't a reason to not believe ya." He shook his head. "'M so sorry, Y/N. For everythin'. You didn't deserve this. All of it. I was an idiot." You crossed your arms over your chest. "Yes, you pretty much are. It hurts, Daryl." "I-I know, but please, let me explain now." You sighed, but nodded. "Go on." "Leah's not ma girlfriend. I met - or well, rather found 'er a few months ago. She was alone, so was I, so we just became companions. There was never more than that, I swear." You frowned. "But... She touched you, kissed you on the cheek... Daryl, that's not nothing." "I know, but it was her, not me. Guess she had a thing fer me or somethin', but I didn't know! I didn't see through her intentions, 'cause..." He tried feverishly to explain. Daryl had been never good with words, but he needed to be good right now. "Because?" "'Cause all I ever thought about was you. I love ya, Y/N. Always did, always will. That ain't goin' to change. I never saw it clearer than I do now. Gods, I felt like dyin' when I watched ya leave - and don't get me started when you were missin'. I was worried sick, almost shit my pants." His words went straight to your heart, pulling at your heartstrings. You knew you should be pissed at him. You knew you shouldn't just forgive him, but... What he said and how he was looking at you now - like a lost and beaten puppy... You couldn't. After all, that man was the love of your life - and oh how much you still loved him. And besides, if he wouldn't go out there to search for you, you would be more than likely dead now. "Oh Daryl..." You lifted your hand to cup his beardy cheek, causing his eyes to meet yours. "You really are an idiot..." You started to smile. "But you're my idiot." He blinked. "Does that... Does that mean yer comin' back ta me?" A soft giggle left your lips. "I was never gone, my love. Just... off track." The corners of Daryl's mouth lifted slightly as well. "You're forgivin' me?" "I do, but you gotta make it up to me." The archer nodded quickly. "'Course, sure. I'll do anythin' for ya, sunshine. Whatever ya want." "Then stay with me." You said, taking his hand in yours. "Just be here. I never want to miss you again." Daryl gave your hand a squeeze, smiling. "Promise." That was all you wanted and needed to hear. You reached for the lapels of his shirt with your free hand and pulled him down to you. Daryl understood your intentions and locked his lips on yours.

But as quick as the kiss started, as quick was it over again, when Carol entered the room. "The trouble in paradise is cleared, like I see." Her words caused you both to split apart, startled by her sudden appearance. She just smiled down at you two, arms crossed over her chest.

[necrotic-nephilim]

Give me your most controversial dc opinions!!!

HA YES GLADLY I WOULD LOVE TO (added a read more because i had a lot of words oopsie)

The Titans Tower Incident was in character for Jason Todd. at worst, it's a *bit* over-dramatic and a little cringey, but if you consider his actions, his motivations, and what he *actually* does, i honestly don't think it's OOC for him. he's just kind of a dramatic asshole in that era and i stand by that comic. the issue isn't the comic itself, it's how people interpret it.

i think the DC fandom, specifically the Batfamily fandom, really likes to claim to be progressive for brownie points, but then will have the one token woman that everyone decides is acceptable to hate. like, it's one thing if you dislike Carrie Kelley, i get it. Frank Miller isn't a great writer of women and she can be a lack of a character in the original Dark Knight Returns. but if you go out of your way making constant edits and posts shitting on her, it's *weird*. especially when most of the people shitting on her haven't even consumed her source, and their reasons for disliking her can apply to any other Robin, especially Tim. but as long as you put say, Steph or Cass on a pedestal, you can talk on and on about how you want to kill Carrie for the crime of existing. it feels like acceptable misogyny. i also think this extends to writers. if you put say, Gail Simone on a pedestal, you're free to blame everything under the sun on Devin Grayson. (to be clear i think you can and should hate Devin Grayson for a lot of things, but most rumors about her are untrue and if you look at every badly written comic and go "sounds like something Devin Grayson would write" that's really weird bc everything she's done, men like Chuck Dixon, Tom King, Tom Taylor, Marv Wolfman, etc have done in tenfold.) like, misogyny = bad unless it's That One Woman We've All Agreed To Hate. it's weird and i keep noticing it. and no one seems to unpack it. (i mostly see this on TikTok, not Tumblr tbf)

i don't care if you ship BruDick or not, but it's not weird for canon content to imply or state Dick had a crush on Bruce when he was first taken in. even in canon where Dick sees Bruce as a "father figure" in the most generous sense, that bond took years to build and when Dick was freshly orphaned, he *had* the memory of loving parents and didn't want Bruce to fill that role. you don't have to ship BruDick, you don't even have to like batcest, but if you're vitriolic toward just the idea that "hey maybe a young kid on the cusp of puberty might have some weird feelings to work out about the canonically very attractive mysterious playboy who took him in before seeing him as family because that bond took years to build" is nasty and terrible and wrong to you, you don't like the Batfamily, you just like the nuclear "neat" version of it in your head

the Batfamily characters are *all* too hypercompetent. like all of them are just *too* good at what they do that in order to write them in interesting arcs together, you have to willingly make some of them OOC in order to not immediately have the Problem wrapped up. i get it, Bruce is the greatest detective, Tim is wicked smart, Jason's a heavy hitting brawler, but we've reached a point where all of these characters have so many buffs they're not *fun* anymore. especially not in a group setting where you need to justify them needing each other's help. and even worse-so when they interact outside of the Gotham, you end up making every non-Batfam character seem useless just to make the Batfamily look cool. it's exhausting. i want to see these characters lose fights, look stupid, and not be the best for once. they're all getting so good they're just kind of. boring. which is the worst sin for a character, IMO.

i think we should go like. a good year of all Justice League-related teams not having a single Bat on the roster. just as a cleanse so *someone else* can shine. i get why non-Batfam DC fans are sick of the Batfamily bc jesus. it's oversaturation of the market.

power scaling "who would win" fights are fucking boring and i don't care. that's the least interesting thing about the fandom. you're missing the point of all of these characters if you only care about who could win a brawl. also it's just a stupid debate because the answer will *always* be: whoever the author of the comic wants to win.

the Batfamily is too damn big. i love every single one of them do not get me wrong. i'd die for the little niche characters who are likely never going to be relevant again like Julia Pennyworth or Kate Spencer. but it's too fucking big at this point. it's insisted to us that these characters are family but like. half of them have barely existed on the same page together more than once. it's ridiculous and it cannot sustain itself. none of these characters are allowed proper shine because they'll just get dropped for the next new shiny character. i think Maps Mizoguchi is a cool lil lady, but i know in my soul in like. three years she will fade into comics limbo and we'll have a new shiny character to fawn over. it's a brutal cycle bc DC doesn't know how to give any of these characters follow through, just wants to wave around cool new concepts.

both Under The Red Hood and Death In The Family are mediocre adaptations and strip the most important emotional elements of Jason's story from the plot. you can't properly adapt Jason's death if you leave his mother out of it. like they're phenomenal movies as their own pieces of media, but they lack the necessary emotional weight for Jason.

on the note of adaptations: the Young Justice cartoon is i think the best case study of "how do you react to a piece of media that's amazing on it's own, but is a fucking horrible adaptation?" because like, i can't discredit it. it's a good show. but it's a bad adaptation and i think people using it as an entry point for DC can make their views of certain characters and teams *very* warped. the Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey movie falls into a similar vein for me. if that movie was it's own thing with original characters, it'd likely be a top five movie for me. but because it's *such a fucking bad adaptation* i can't help but hate it for brutalizing the characters and the general concept of the BoP. it should've been a Gotham Sirens movie, and Young Justice should've been a Teen Titans show. and sure, adaptations don't owe us accuracy, but they have negative effects on the comics when they gain popularity. so i struggle to like Young Justice bc of how badly it's affected certain characters.

also on the note of adaptations: the best adaptation of how comic media operates is the Sandman tv show. adapting comics to tv shows or movies is difficult bc comic arcs don't operate the way show/movie arcs do, but the Sandman show proves it's absolutely doable to adapt the storytelling style while still making the typical adjustments you need for an adaptation.

DC needs more Deaf representation. in most areas, DC either matches Marvel or outperforms Marvel with representation of marginalized identities, but it's fucking tragic we have no deal Deaf rep in DC whereas Marvel has quite a few to pick from. this one is personal bc i'm Deaf but it does fuck me up the only option we have is a side character from Tim Drake: Robin who doesn't appear anywhere else and isn't a great character overall. DC i'm in your walls.

on the note of representation, if i see one more person say Titans had "perfect casting" while in the same breath admitting Dick was whitewashed, you are weird and i dislike you. it's really fucking weird that whitewashing is permissable to this fandom if the actor cast/fancast is hot. Dick should've been a Roma actor. Damian should not be fancast as a white actor. it's the bare minimum.

i have so many more but i will end with this especially controversial one: Dan Mora's art is overhyped. that man has the worst same face syndrome i've ever seen and i will not lie half the time i can't tell which Robin he's drawing. his art is technically gorgeous and it's so pretty to look at, but begging for every comic series to be drawn by him is boring and terrible. the art style of a comic reflects it's genre. wanting all comic art to look like Dan Mora's art is sucking the style out of comics. i miss art styles like Todd Nauck's that clearly reflected the genre of the comic.

i lied i have one more i'm REALLY passionate about: Tim's vigilante name after Red Robin should not be bird-themed. naming him Sparrow or Cardinal is *just* as bad as naming him Red Robin longterm. they're *just* as derivative and they *sound* cool but don't hold any real unique identity for Tim outside of Robin. like it baffles me we all agree he needs to move on from Robin and then decided "let's name him Robin Lite". if he has a bird name, it should be Jackdaw so at the very least, he's not red anymore. and Jackdaw could be a fun callback to Drake, in that it uses part of Tim's real name (his middle name, Jackson) while standing out a bit. but if i really had creative control i'd give him a completely unique name. if it has to be Batfamily related, Gray Ghost. but in my head, his name should be Conspiracy. i could write a lengthy meta on why and tbh it is based in my love for the Question and wanting Tim to have a similar detective noir-esque gritty solo, but i genuinely don't think he should be Cardinal or Sparrow. those names only continue his identity issues of being trapped as either Robin or a Robin knockoff.

[dixons-sunshine]

I Never Lived For The Applause | Daryl Dixon x Former!Celebrity!Fem!Reader

Summary: Before the world quite literally ended, you were a famously known singer. However, your celebrity status didn't do you much good in the apocalypse, despite most people in your group giving you privileges that you didn't want. Thankfully, a certain redneck archer treated you like a normal person, unwillingly becoming the guy who caught your attention.

Genre: Angst, fluff.

Era: The quarry; the farm; the prison.

Warnings: Swearing, usual TWD warnings, suggestive themes.

Word count: 3.9k.

A/n: Okay but the former!celebrity!reader x Daryl was such a unique idea that an anon requested! I never would've thought about that on my own. I thought that this idea would be great combined with a few other requests, and this was born. There's a few time jumps and this is honestly not the best. I scrapped over 1500 words and this is all over the place, and it was supposed to be smut, and I don't really like this, but I hope you like it nonetheless.

➳༻❀✿❀༺➳

Before the apocalypse came to be, you were a famous singer and songwriter. You had multiple hit singles that made the charts and your concerts always sold out. It seemed like wherever you would turn, there would be someone there who would want an autograph or a picture. It seemed like you could never escape the spotlight.

Not even now, when the dead started rising and the world came to an end.

“Amy, I told you, I'm fine. I don't want your food. You need it more than I do.”

Amy shook her head defiantly, practically shoving the paper plate into your hands. “I insist. You're my idol, and I'll be damned if I let my idol go hungry when I have food I can give her.”

You sighed and reluctantly accepted the plate. “This is unnecessary. I already had my share, sweetheart. You don't have to give me yours when you also have to eat.”

“I'm fine. Rather me than you.”

Before you could protest, Andrea called Amy's name. Amy gave you an apologetic smile and bid you farewell, walking over to her sister and leaving you alone with your thoughts. You sighed and turned around, heading over to the tent you shared with your daughter. You opened the flap and stepped inside, seeing your twelve year old daughter, Nicolette, busy sketching in her sketchbook.

She looked up when she heard you step inside, sending you a smile. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hey, Nic,” you greeted her, sitting down on your cot opposite hers. “Why aren't you outside with the other kids?”

Nicolette shook her head, closing her sketchbook and sitting up in her cot. “Most of them treat me funny. They keep asking me if I can sing or if I can write songs, and if I got free stuff because you were famous. Only Carl and Sophia treat me like I'm a normal kid, but they're with their mom's right now.”

You sighed, guilt gnawing at you from the inside. Never once did you regret having your daughter, but sometimes you regretted having to raise her while you were in the spotlight. The paparazzi were relentless, and your daughter more often than not had to pay the price for that. It was unfair, and you wished that you could've just faded from the spotlight to raise your daughter in peace.

“I'm sorry, baby. If I knew back then what my fame could do to you, I never would have signed on with that record label. I wish I could take it back.”

Nicolette shook her head. She got up from her cot and sat down next to you, leaning her head on your shoulder. You wrapped your arms around her, placing a tender kiss on her head.

“It's not your fault, Mom. I don't blame you. You shouldn't, either.”

You shook your head. “That's easier said than done,” you replied, before adopting a more lighthearted tone. “But let's not talk about that. I've got some more food for you if you're hungry.”

Nicolette smiled at you and nodded eagerly. “I'm starving. Thanks, Mom.”

You smiled at her. However, before you could respond, a ruckus could be heard outside your tent. Both yours and your daughter's heads snapped in the direction of the two voices, instantly going quiet to hear what was happening.

“M'tellin ya, man. S'a fuckin' waste of time. We should jus' cut our losses here and scram. Take a few guns and food fer the road.”

“Merle, fer the last fuckin' time, we can't leave righ' now. It's too dangerous. We should wait 'til the heat dies down 'fore we go.”

“Wha' m'hearin' s'tha' yer a pussy. Wha's the matter, Darylina? Scared the geeks will get ya? 'Cause yer too incompetent to handle 'em?”

“Fuck off, Merle! It ain't like tha'. I jus' dun' wanna risk our lives if we dun' need to.”

“Whatever, man. M'goin' back to the tent.”

The man who's name you had learnt to be Merle left, his retreating footsteps growing fainter until you couldn't hear them anymore. However, you could clearly see the silhouette of the other man still outside your tent. You could hear him quietly muttering to himself.

Turning to Nicolette, you gently placed the plate with the food—cooked squirrel with some beans—onto her lap and stood up. You turned to her and leaned down to place a sweet kiss to her forehead.

“Eat up and get ready for bed. I'll be right back and then we'll continue reading that book.”

Nicolette nodded, and with that, you exited your tent. The man stood with his back to you, but a simple slight twitch of his head in your direction showed that he had heard you. His body stiffened visibly, and you frowned at that.

“Hey. You're Daryl, right?” you asked him, prompting the man to turn around.

However, he didn't meet your gaze, finding great interest in the ground below. He simply grunted his acknowledgement, a slight upwards nudge of his nose confirming your question.

“I'm Y/n. It's nice to officially meet you,” you introduced yourself, extending your hand to his for a handshake. Daryl made no move to shake it, however, making you awkwardly retract your hand. “I, uh, just wanted to say that you were right.”

“Wha'?” Daryl asked in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing. He hadn't meant for the question to slip from his lips, trying to just remain quiet until you got the message that he was in no mood to socialise, but he failed.

“That argument you had with your brother. You were right. It's way too dangerous to wander off on your own right now. Personally I feel like you shouldn't be wanting to go at all because it's safer with a group, but that's not my call to make. Just thought I'd let you know that your instincts are right. Don't listen to your brother.”

Daryl was confused by your niceness. He was even more confused by the fact that you agreed with him. He was so used to women taking Merle's side instead of his all the time, so this was something entirely new for him.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” he replied awkwardly, nervously chewing on his lower lip.

You smiled at him before nodding. “Okay, well, just wanted to tell you that. Oh, and to ask you not to argue in front of my tent again. I have a twelve year old in there who doesn't need to hear all of that.”

Daryl ducked his head, an embarrassed blush flushing over his face. “Sorry.”

“I guess I can let it slide this time,” you said with a smile. “And thanks for the squirrel. Thanks to you, my daughter doesn't have to go to bed hungry tonight. Never thought we'd have to resort to eating squirrel, but it's not that bad. It's actually kinda delicious. It's way better than—” Realising that you were busy rambling, you shook your head and gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Just, thank you.”

Daryl didn't know why, but he felt an unexplainable pull to you. Maybe it was the way you showed him kindness without even knowing him, or maybe it was the fact that you were the only one who seemed to actually appreciate the food he brought back from his hunts, even if it was squirrels. Despite their hunger, everyone else mostly refused to eat anything he brought back if it wasn't deer. Yet there you were, thanking him for bringing back something as mediocre as squirrel.

And it certainly didn't help that he found you absolutely radiant.

“S'nothin',” he finally responded. “M'jus' glad yer lil' girl can eat tonigh'.”

“You're the one who brought back the squirrels?”

At the sound of a small voice, both you and Daryl turned around to face your daughter. Nicolette walked up to your side and beamed brightly up at Daryl, catching him off guard. The other kids in the camp were terrified of him and wouldn't even glance in his direction, yet this kid was not only looking at him, but willingly talking to him.

“Yes, he is,” you confirmed, smiling fondly down at your daughter.

Nicolette looked up at Daryl, realisation dawning on her. “You're the man with the crossbow! And the vest with the angel wings! You're so cool, sir. Do you think I could maybe shoot your crossbow one time? It's okay if you say no, but can I maybe see how you shoot it so that when I get my own crossbow one day, I know how to use it? Or—”

Daryl's lips subconsciously twitched up into a smile. Her rambling was so similar to yours. Like mother, like daughter, he thought to himself as he looked between the two of you. There were over a dozen similarities between you and Nicolette. She looked just like you.

You placed a hand on Nicolette's shoulder, halting her rambling. You turned to Daryl, giving him a smile. “We should probably get ready for bed. Goodnight, Daryl.”

“Night, Daryl!” Nicolette greeted him enthusiastically, following you into the tent.

“Night,” he whispered.

“Oh, and by the way, don't be a stranger. I'd love to see more of you.”

Daryl blushed and ducked his head. He hummed, not trusting his voice at that moment in time.

You smiled and finally entered the tent, zipping the tent closed behind you. He stood there for a couple of moments before turning and walking back to his own shared tent with Merle.

Daryl couldn't explain it, but for some reason, in that short conversation, he felt drawn to you. It was unnerving, but felt nice at the same time. And your daughter was downright an angel, your exact copy.

“Wha' were ya doin', sniffin' 'round tha' popstar?” Merle asked when Daryl entered the tent, catching him off guard. Daryl had assumed that Merle would've been passed out by now, high off of whatever drug he was using that night.

“Popstar? Wha' the hell are ya talkin' 'bout?” Daryl questioned, plopping himself down on his cot.

“Tha' woman ya were talkin' to, she was a singer 'fore all this. Real famous, too. Used to see her on TV and in magazine's all the time.”

Daryl's mind swarmed with questions. You were a famous singer? How the hell did you end up there, with a bunch of nobodies? And why had you thanked him for bringing back something as simple as a squirrel? If you were famous, you had probably eaten banquets of the richest, most delicious food out there, yet you enjoyed squirrel? And to top it off, why would you willingly want to hang out with him of all people?

➳༻❀✿❀༺➳

“Daryl, oh my god.”

At the sound of your panicked voice, Daryl slowly sat upright in the bed in the guest bedroom. He looked up and locked eyes with you, seeing the worry written all over your face. You hurriedly sat down on the edge of the bed next to him and gingerly reached out to touch the bandage around his side, careful not to add too much pressure and hurt him.

“M'fine, sunshine. Dun' have to worry 'bout me,” he replied, waving off your concern and gently grabbing your hand to push it away from the bandage.

You scoffed in disbelief and shook your head. “You're my friend, Daryl. Of course I'm going to worry about you. I care about you, and you expect me to not worry?” you asked, bringing your hand up to gently caress his cheek.

Friend. That word reminded Daryl of how you viewed him. It had been two months since your first interaction at the quarry and his affection and attraction to you had only grown stronger. However, it seemed to him like his feelings weren't reciprocated, so he settled on being your friend.

Little did he know that you felt the exact same way. You just didn't know it yet.

“Heard ya punched Andrea fer shootin' me. Any truth to those rumours?” Daryl asked, diverting the attention away from his now pounding heart as your fingers gently pushed his hair back.

You smiled sheepishly. “My hand slipped?” you tried, shrugging your shoulders.

Daryl smirked slightly and shook his head. “Sure. Whatever ya say, sunshine.”

You let out a sigh, reluctantly drawing your hand back from his hair. “She had it coming. We told her not to shoot and she didn't listen, trying to boost her own ego instead. She almost killed you, Daryl. That's not something she should be allowed to get away with, but Rick and Shane aren't gonna do anything, so I took matters into my own hands.”

Daryl smiled softly. “Not bad fer a popstar.”

You giggled. “Hey, I got into a couple of fights before my career took off. I know my stuff. I know how to shoot a gun, too, but that's a discussion for another day.”

Daryl chuckled and nodded. He shifted back against the headboard and gazed at you, simply admiring your beauty for a moment. It amazed him that a beautiful, kind, caring, smart woman like you would ever wanna be associated with the likes of him. You were perfect and he was, well, him. It didn't make sense, but he dared not to question it.

“Can I ask ya somethin' personal?” he blurted out before he could think about it.

You nodded at him. “Sure.”

“When ya talk 'bout yer career, it sounds like ya hated it. Why'd ya become a singer if ya hated it so much?”

You remained silent for a minute. Daryl feared that he had asked the wrong thing and was about to apologise, but you spoke up.

“I was nineteen when I signed with my first record label. I didn't want to be in the spotlight because singing was more of a hobby to me, but my parents forced me to. Growing up, there wasn't ever really any money around and my parents made it out like it was my fault. They made me feel like I owed them for everything they did for me, and they forced me to sign with that record label. My parents were my managers and all the money I earned for the songs I wrote and sang basically went to them. That went on for a couple of years until I met Nic's father. He was a bass player in a band I was collaborating with. I fell in love way too quickly, jumped into bed with him when he made an advancement and ended up pregnant. The guy didn't want kids and bolted, leaving me a single mom. My parents hated that and basically disowned me.”

“M'sorry to hear tha',” Daryl replied sympathetically. He didn't really know how to respond; he never knew that about you. You chose to keep your life before you had Nicolette private, and he respected that. He had his own demons he preferred to keep quiet.

“It's okay,” you reassured him, shaking your head. “He was an asshole. And I was better off without my parents. I managed to sign with a decent enough record label and the rest was history. I got a ton of backlash from haters for being a single mom. There were even rumours that I had cheated and that's why the guy left me, but that wasn't true. But none of that matters anymore. My reputation doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is keeping my daughter safe and keeping the people I care about alive. People like you.”

“Ya shouldn't care 'bout me. S'a bad idea.”

“Well, bad idea or not, I care about you. And so does Nic.”

As if being summoned, Nicolette knocked on the door and hesitantly stepped inside. Daryl adjusted the covers over his body and sent her a tight-lipped smile. Nicolette gave him a small smile back but he could clearly tell it was strained. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying.

“Are you okay?” Nicolette asked, crossing her arms over her chest as if to make herself appear smaller.

“M'fine, kiddo. Dun' worry 'bout me,” he reassured her. “Hershel fixed me righ' up. I'll be outta here in no time.”

Nicolette looked to you for confirmation, and you nodded. “He's right. He'll be fine. Some antibiotics and he'll be up and at it in three days. You'll see.”

“Okay,” she nodded, her eyes flickering between you and Daryl. “I'm glad you're not dead, Daryl.”

Daryl chuckled at the girls forwardness. “M'glad m'not dead, too.”

You smiled at the small interaction between Daryl and Nicolette, your heart swelling with fondness. You stood up from the bed and motioned for Nicolette to follow you.

“C'mon, baby. Let's leave Daryl to get some rest, okay?”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could maybe stay?” she asked timidly, nervously fiddling with her hands. “It's just... I wanna stay.”

You looked at Daryl, and he shrugged nonchalantly. Despite his nonchalance, Daryl's heart swelled with fondness. This little girl, who owed him nothing, wanted to stay with him. He couldn't believe it.

“Okay, you can stay for a while. I'll be back later, okay?” you relented.

She nodded and sat down on the chair. You gave Daryl's hand one last squeeze before heading out, sparing one last look at the two. Nicolette was starting to retell some of the events of what her and Carl had gotten up to that day, and Daryl hummed in acknowledgement before looking up and locking eyes with you.

With one last parting smile, you headed out and made your way back to the tents. On your way there, a startling realisation hit you like a ton of bricks, one that would change the way you saw Daryl forever. Despite the fact that he could be snappy at times, and that he was known for being grumpy, he treated you with respect. He didn't care about who you were before the end of the world. He didn't care about your mistakes, about if you were famous or not. That didn't matter to him. He only saw you, the person behind the old tabloids, and he had become close with your daughter. He even took the time out of his day to teach her how to use his crossbow, even if she was a slow learner. And in that moment, you realised something:

You had feelings for him.

➳༻❀✿❀༺➳

“Y'know, m'glad Nic didn't have to meet her father. She's better off.”

You turned your head to Daryl, a look of confusion spreading across your features. “I agree with you, but why do you say that? You didn't know the man.”

Daryl shrugged, taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing the smoke away from you. “Ya said back at Hershel's tha' he never wanted kids. If he had stuck 'round, god knows wha' he would've done to her.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, turning your attention back to the darkness ahead of you. “She is better off.”

The night was relatively quiet, save for the distant sound of walkers groaning outside the prison's fences.  Daryl was on watch that night in the guard tower, and you had taken the initiative to join the archer that night. Everyone else had retreated into the prison for the night, leaving only you and Daryl awake.

“So are we gon' tell Nic 'bout us or not?” Daryl broke the silence, taking the last drag from his cigarette before putting it out next to him. “S'been over a month now. She deserves to know.”

Unbidden, flashes of that night a month ago arose in your mind. The feeling of his lips on yours, his hands exploring your body and the way he felt pressed against you. The feeling of your bodies becoming one was one that you wouldn't forget anytime soon, but the one memory you'd hold with you forever was the confession from the man next to you. After the heated, pleasurable moment you'd spent together, feelings were revealed, and you and the archer had unofficially started your relationship. You had both agreed to keep it a secret, but Nicolette was starting to get suspicious about the two of you.

“I'm okay with telling her tomorrow. She deserves to finally have confirmation on her suspicions,” you told him, leaning your head against his shoulder. “She already sees you as her dad, anyways.”

Daryl couldn't argue with that. Flashes of his own arose in his mind. A couple of days ago, he had returned from a run, battered and bruised. He could barely walk and both you and Nicolette were distraught. However, after he was patched up and resting in his cell and you were up in the guard tower for your shift, Nicolette had come to him in tears. He had hugged her tightly to his chest, acutely aware that she was transported back to that day on the farm when he had been shot. That night was the night Nicolette had confirmed that she saw Daryl as a father figure.

“Please don't leave. My mom needs you. I need you. We both need you in our lives. Please, Daryl.”

In that moment, even though she didn't know yet that you and Daryl were together, he knew that he wouldn't be able to live without either of you. You both were his entire world. Nicolette was his little girl. You were his partner, and there was no way he was letting either of you go.

“Dun' worry, Nic. I ain't goin' nowhere. I promise ya tha'.”

Shaken from his thoughts by your lips on his exposed shoulder, he turned his head to you, coming face to face with a mischievous smirk. He instantly knew what that smirk meant, and he helped you climb onto his lap.

“But,” you began, pulling his attention back to your previous discussion. “Let's worry about that tomorrow. Tonight, it's just me and you.”

Daryl smirked and attached his lips to yours. You may have been a popstar before the apocalypse, a celebrity living in a mansion, but in that moment, you were simply you. The woman Daryl cared for deeply, the woman Daryl was never gonna let go of.

Because in that moment, you were nothing but his.

[solitaryearthperson]

I have a readiest for Daryl Dixon if your doing it and feel comfortable writing it.

I need a Daryl Dixon fic with daughter reader except she's black (no shade to any other races I just have a specific idea with this one). She'd met the group in the first season and she's related to t-dog or Jaquie and she's suffering with their death she's like shut down and angry because they were the last person she had left but Daryl (despite how he grew up) took her in and became like a father/brother figure to her.

Because in all honesty I feel like Daryl is not at all racist even in early season 2

If you don't feel comfortable writing that's fine just let me know so I can ask another creator. If you do then thank you so so much 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

(Ps. I did copy and paste this ask from when I asked another creator and so if you see it again it is me but the creator didn’t write for it because they didn’t know how to go about it)

Help

Summary: After being silent and not leaving your cell, Daryl decides to talk to you.

(The reader is gender-neutral and their relationship with Daryl is platonic. The ethnicity/race is preferably black.)

"Fuck off!"

Daryl had just entered the prison when he heard the yell and instantly ran to your cell having a sneaking suspicion about who it was that you were yelling at.

Dropping off his catch on a nearby table, his footsteps were quick and surprisingly quiet as he ran up the stairs and passed numerous cells til he finally stopped outside yours and saw who he hoped was not on the receiving end.

At the sound of his steps stopping outside, Carol had turned to see Daryl, and he tried to control the anger at seeing the tears welling up in the poor woman's face. Similar to Carol's predicament, after the tragic death of T-Dog, you and Daryl had become close. He knew what it was like to lose family and how in a world like this, it was hard to take the time to fully process and mourn their death. He wasn't that close with the man, but he had helped and survived enough with him to have enough respect for him and you, his child.

"Hey," he said softly, placing his crossbow down against the wall, nodding to Carol.

She didn't verbally say it back, only nodded her head.

"How are they," he asked, already knowing the answer wouldn't be good.

Stepping closer to him and away from the cell's entrance, she spoke lowly to him. "They're finally talking a little bit. Although it's mostly telling me to leave." She knew you were still processing his death, and didn't blame you for being mad at her. His death was horrible and everyday, she felt terrible that he had died saving her.

"Have they ate," he asked her. It had been almost two weeks since T-Dog's death, and ever since it happened, you had become mute, staying mostly in your cell, and rarely ever eating anything. You allowed him and some of the others to come in sometimes, but you constantly fought them on eating and talking.

"They've drunk some water and ate a little bit of leftovers from last night, but it wasn't much."

Letting out a sigh, he stepped around Carol and entered your cell, letting his eyes run over it. The top bunk where you used to sleep was not touched since T-Dog's death, and instead you had moved down to his bunk, where you were currently wrapped in a sheet, hugging your knees, with dark rings forming under your eyes. Although he had seen and visited you plenty of times in your cell, he wasn't sure how much sleep you had actually been getting.

"(Y/N)," he said your name, and you looked up at him with eyes that he wished he could make happy again. "You know Carol wants to help you, right?"

You didn't say anything and instead lowered your head until your forehead was touching your knees.

"You shouldn't have yelled at her," he told you. "I know you miss him, we both know it, but..." Like with Carol, he struggled to find the right words to comfort you. He knew how it felt to lose a parent, but you and T-Dog's relationship was completely different from him and his father's.

"She wanted to apologize to me," you finally spoke, your voice soft and slightly scratchy from not having spoken that much in a while. "She wanted to talk about him, tell me that she's sorry for what happened, and..." you tried to control it, but it was too late. Tears began to run down your cheeks and you looked up at Daryl to see he was looking just as sorrowful as you. "I can't, Daryl...I miss him. I wish he was here. I can't talk about him."

With that he knew what you were doing. He had suspected it for a while, but wasn't sure until now. After getting separated from Merle, he had gone through the same phase of trying to not think or talk about him too much or else he would break down. He knew that's what you needed. To finally break down and talk.

Exhaling softly, he sat down next to you and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you to lay your head on his chest, and he could feel your body begin to shake as you let out a sob. He knew this position would make you break as it was similar to how T-Dog used to hug you into his side before you both said goodnight to each other and go to your respective bunks.

Too busy crying, you didn't hear the slow footsteps outside your cell and entering it until you looked up to see Carol looking nervously down at you, her face, like Daryl's, full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry, (Y/N)," she said, kneeling down to the floor to see your face. "I know you miss him. If you ever want to talk about him, we're here. Okay?"

Silently nodding your head, you found yourself enjoying the feel of Daryl's hand comfortingly rubbing your back. You still didn't feel comfortable at the thought of talking about your father just yet, and looking down at your face, Daryl could see it as well.

"I'll talk to you 'bout Merle and you talk to me 'bout T-Dog. How 'bout that?" He had read somewhere that after losing a parent, a person needed a support system. At the time, he didn't know what it meant by 'support system,' but now, after watching the happy, smiling person he once knew become this sad, quiet shell, he realized he, Carol, and the others were what you needed right now.

"Okay," you told him, lifting your head to wipe your face.

"Good." He lifted his arm from your shoulder and stood up with Carol doing the same. "You ready to eat now, kid? I caught some rabbits. You need to eat."

Feeling your stomach twist with hunger, you nodded your head, before standing up from the bed, and letting the bed sheet fall from your shoulders. You knew he was right, and that more than likely if you said no, he and the others would have probably tried to force you to eat again.

"Are rabbits good," you asked him, following him and Carol out the cell, your steps slow and tentative.

"Yeah. Trust me, you'll like it." He walked back to you and wrapped his arm around you again, making sure to help you as much as he could.

[royboyfanpage]

Hi, I love your page! What are your thoughts on Roy and Connor's relationship?

Hi! Thank you so much, I'm glad you like my posts :) and thank you sososo much for this ask, I love Roy and Connor's relationship and I'm glad I have an opportunity to talk about them. Sorry it's taken me all day to answer, but here you go :)

Short answer? That's his little brother.

Long answer?

I know that "fanon Batfam is canon Arrowfam" is tired and overused, but I really do think that, especially with Roy and Connor, there is some truth to it. While they haven't had too many interactions in canon, there's still a clear arc their relationship takes which I really like.

I don't like Chuck Dixon's Green Arrow run, obviously he's a shitty person but also his writing just isn't for me, but one of the few parts of it I did enjoy was Connor's first meeting with Roy in Green Arrow (1988) #97, prior to Ollie's death. It first establishes one of the most present themes in their relationship, which is the differences in relation to Ollie, and the contrasting experiences of being their father's sons. Roy's the son who grew up with Ollie, he knows him personally, the good and the bad, but his status as Ollie's son is still constantly in question, you can see it back in Longbow Hunters, Ollie calls Roy his son but still denies that that word has meaning ("Roy's a hell of a kid, but he's not mine. Not really.") Whereas Connor, there's never been any doubt that he's Ollie's son, he's his flesh and blood, but he never knew Ollie until he was already in adulthood. He knows Oliver Queen through magazines, but not personally. That's why when Ollie storms off after finding out he's Connor's dad Connor's shocked, but Roy isn't surprised when he hears that from Connor. He knows Ollie, and he knows how his fears of commitment would make him act. While this is only a minor theme of those specific issues where they first met, Roy helping Connor understand what it means to be Oliver Queen's son is one of my favourite parts of their later interaction.

After Ollie's death, there is some tension between Roy and Connor, particularly around Connor joining the JLA in Ollie's place and becoming the new Green Arrow, first mentioned in Teen Titans (1996) #12-

-which is later expanded on in Arsenal #2.

This is really the first time we see Roy and Connor have a heart to heart, and it shows Roy's inferiority complex. Due to tumblr photo limit I can't show more pages for this, but I think the one I chose is the most poignant because, at least in my eyes, it shows the insecurities both of them have in terms of their relation to Ollie, and how each of them address that. Roy's loud, he'll openly speak his mind and say what he feels, and that's why it's primarily about him (that and that it's his mini and Connor's a guest). Roy openly admits feeling inferior to Connor in his position as Ollie's son, even after Ollie's death. Connor, he's quieter about it, and gets spoken over by Roy before he can actually talk about his feelings (which is a pretty consistent problem Connor faces where people expect him to listen but not talk). But you can still see it in his body language, the shadow over his face looking downwards, and while he isn't allowed to finish his sentence you can still tell what he's about to say, that Roy's more of Ollie's son than he is. They both know that the other hasn't actually done anything, but they're not to blame for each feeling their own individual emotions.

They also address the topic of legacy in relation to Ollie in #3, and how there's this unspoken standard to live up to that neither of them ever really can. Roy's Ollie's mentee, his protege, he should be Ollie's legacy, and yet he's not Green Arrow, he's not in the JLA, and he's still coming in second place. Whereas Connor, he is Green Arrow, he's Ollie's legacy, he's in the JLA, but he's a better martial artist than archer.

I wish they'd gotten more opportunities to interact while Ollie was dead because there was SO much potential for them during that period, but alas.

And now, I get to talk about one of my top five comics ever: Boys' Night Out, Green Arrow (2001) #32. Yeah, sure, the whole issue only happened because Ollie wanted Connor out of the house, but it's also the first comic to really explore the brotherly relationship between them, particularly in terms of Roy being older. Roy takes Connor bookshopping despite his own boredom-

-And then takes him to a strip club, where they have another heart to heart.

This page specifically is so important to me, because it's one of the few instances where Connor's actually being heard. Particularly in the 2000s but also in the 90s, a lot of Connor's character was defined by him being the voice of reason, the one who'll talk people down and listen to their problems, which ignores the fact that he's actually a pretty young guy, usually younger than the people he's helping (I suck with ages, I'm pretty sure he was 18 when he was first introduced which, by rough estimate using the Lian Method, would make him around 20-22 in the 2000s). I'm not saying that diminishes his emotional intelligence, he's clearly very emotionally intelligent, but it is a lot of pressure to put on someone that young to constantly be the one holding his family together. That's why I think this whole issue is so important for Connor, it's his chance to actually just be, and Roy's the best person for that. Despite what some fanon and canon characterisations suggest, Roy is absolutely not emotionally immature. Hell, you could make a pretty solid argument that part of the reason he took Connor to a strip club in the first place was to bring up the issue of Connor's sexuality. While asexuality wasn't as popularised as a term back then as it is today, the idea of Connor being queer was very present during Green Arrow (2001), albeit often used as a punchline, and while they're there Connor even gets referred to as a "friend of Madonna" by one of the workers. And while in Roy's head Connor was either gay or just had a low libido at that time, his "you're you and Ollie loves you" speech could very easily be interpreted as acceptance of his sexuality, even before Connor himself had figured it out. It acknowledges that, while Connor's good at helping other people work through their own problems, he's still a young person struggling with his identity, not understanding why he's so different to those around him, even his father. And Roy picks up on that, and tells him that it doesn't matter who or what he is, that what matters most is he's Connor, and him being Connor is enough to warrant love and support.

But Roy also doesn't treat Connor any differently to how he'd treat anyone else. When Connor says something Roy disagrees with, he calls him out

And I think Roy's treatment of Connor as an equal is very important. He doesn't depend on him or treat him like he's this pinnacle of wisdom, but he also doesn't coddle him and treat him like a baby. He calls his ass out, when he needs to! Roy's still a very loud and outspoken person, and he's not gonna change that because he and Connor had a heart to heart. I feel like a big problem with a lot of characters who enter into a family dynamic is that sometimes their writers change who they are at their core in order to have them fit into a specific role in the nuclear family, and while yeah, Roy's absolutely playing the role of an older brother in this issue, he's still Roy Harper, which I think is crucial. And conversely, Connor also calls Roy out when he does something he doesn't like!

I'm running low on the photo limit so apologies for the quality of this collage, and I couldn't fit it in frame but for context Roy just knocked out a robber who Connor was trying to talk down. Connor explains to Roy his reasonings, and Roy apologises! I think this also highlights the differences in terms of their characters. They're both very protective of their families, but Roy tends to act first whereas Connor thinks things through. Roy saw Connor with a gun pointed at him and immediately took action, which contrasts Connor's reaction when Roy gets shot in Outsiders #6

Connor's more of a rational thinker in times of crisis, and he tends to try and think things through and avoid rash decisions, whereas Roy's very much an immediate responder if his family's at stake.

And then it ends with them actually acknowledging each other as brothers!

The ending of Boys' Night Out is so important to me, honestly, and it demonstrates one of the most important features of their relationship- trying to figure out what brotherhood means. There's not a big hug at the end, there doesn't need to be. Just an acknowledgement that they're in each others lives, that they're brothers, and it doesn't matter what that means. It's cool. I adore this issue so much, I had to make like half the post about it because it's so good and it's such a good example of why filler issues are needed. Sure, Williamson's run has it's sweet moments, but an issue like this where two characters just get to interact in a low stake scenario will always be so much more impactful than one hug in a big event.

So, yeah, I think my short answer sums it up pretty well. They're the brothers ever.