warnings: sexual harassment, creepy guys being creepy (don’t worry—Daryl to the rescue)r

warnings: sexual harassment, creepy guys being creepy (don’t worry—Daryl to the rescue)
reader pronouns: she/her

You were completely drenched in sweat and probably dusted with soil nearly from head to toe as you made your way back up to the prison. You were looking forward to taking a cold shower and cooling off in your bunk after a long afternoon working in the garden with Rick and Hershel. You caught sight of Daryl standing with Carol in the outdoor cooking area and immediately felt a flush of heat to your face which didn’t have to do with the scorching afternoon sun.

You were lost in your thoughts for a moment, distracted by his broad shoulders and strong arms, the tapering of his back toward his hips, when someone called your name. Two of the guys about your age who had come in from Woodbury were waving and they were already trotting over to you. Your gait stalled and you waited to see what they wanted. 

“Hey. How’s it going?” the first one asked you, looking you up and down not subtly at all. You did your best to ignore it.

“Fine. Hot,” you said, wiping your forehead with your forearm in a fast sweeping motion.

“You don’t say,” the second guy laughed, also eyeing you in a way that made you uncomfortable. It wasn’t flattering. It was disconcerting. It made you feel like an object he was assessing.

“What’s up?” you asked, eager to take care of whatever they needed so you could get the hell out of there.

“Settle a bet for us,” one of them said, a wide smirk on his face. “We, uhh—we were talking about positions.”

You still didn’t catch on and simply furrowed your brow at him, waiting for him to continue. “I think you look like the doggy style type but he thinks you’re more of a reverse cowgirl. Which is it?” 

You were so taken aback at his bluntness that for a moment you just stood there, frozen, blinking with wide eyes. Then your body seemed to catch up and flushed your face with heat. You felt disgusted and humiliated, like your only purpose for existing was for them to look at and fuck. You hardly knew these assholes. What the fuck?! Where the hell did they get the audacity to walk up to anyone and talk to them like that? You felt sick. And you felt scared. If they felt okay saying that to you, what would they feel okay doing? But you couldn’t seem to get any words out for a long moment. 

“Come on,” laughed the second guy. “It’s just a simple question. We’ve got lunch for the next few days riding on this,” he said jovially. 

Your voice finally came back. “What the hell is wrong with you?” At least you’d managed something, though it came out quieter and less derisive than you’d hoped. You turned away hurriedly and simply tried to escape, a cold slimy feeling permeating your skin. But a hand on your upper arm stopped you abruptly and you spun around in shock. 

“Hey—come on… it’s just a bet! It’s not a big deal!” He was laughing again. His hand was still gripping your arm. You were just staring at it. You desperately wanted to get it off of you but your body, though revolted and urgently telling you to punch him in the face, to kick, to yell, anything, was completely locked up. “Relax. We can tell you aren’t some pure little prude. Just settle the bet. Or better yet, you can show both of us later… ” he said with a smirk. There was something alarming in his eyes, some hunger or violence that set alarm bells ringing in your head.

You felt bile rising up in your throat and then all of a sudden Daryl was right there beside you. You hadn’t even heard him coming over the throb of your heart in your ears. 

“Hey! Get yer fuckin’ hand off her!” he roared, stepping in front of you, shielding you from the two guys with his body. “What the fuck do ya think yer doin’?!” he growled, stepping up right into the guy’s face.

They immediately seemed to wilt and sputter beneath his glare and stepped back, proverbial tails between their legs, trying to come up with some explanation that would save them from his anger.

But nothing would satisfy Daryl. As they tried to come up with some lame excuse, attempting to draw him in to what they believed as misogynistic assholes was “guy talk”, he’d heard more than enough. He squared his hips and roundly swung with a fist and slammed it into the jaw of the guy who had grabbed your arm. One glance at your body language and expression from across the courtyard had told Daryl all he needed to know. The guy crumpled like a pulled weed in the hot sun, hand pressed to his face.

Daryl stepped forward again, still shielding you behind him. “If I ever see ya lay another goddamn fuckin’ finger on her, Hell—if I see ya lookin’ at her, talkin’ to her, talkin’ about her, comin’ near her, I’m gonna beat ya both into the fuckin’ ground and feed ya to the walkers at the fence. Got it?”

Everyone knew Daryl was a warrior, the best there was, and you could see on their faces that they completely believed him. They rushed off like scolded children. Daryl quickly turned to face you and his demeanor changed wholly, softened and concerned. “Are ya okay?” he asked urgently. He wanted to clasp your face, but he didn’t dare to.

You gulped and nodded, rubbing at the red spot on your arm that clearly showed where the guy had grabbed you.

Daryl’s brow furrowed more deeply and another flame of rage wicked upwards. “Are ya sure? Ya ain’t hurt? That fucker grabbed ya—I—” He let out another low growl. “I shoulda gotten over here sooner…”

You shook your head. “No. No, I’m okay. Thank you,” you said. “I—I don’t know what happened. I just froze. I couldn’t—I was just so shocked by what they said…I—” you broke off, unable to verbalize why you hadn’t been able to shove the guy off you yourself, or better yet, kick him in the balls.

“Nah. Tha’s… totally understandable. Those guys are fuckin’ creeps.” He was studying you with concern. “Lemme walk ya in,” he said. “C’mon. Let’s get ya outta this sun.” You fell into stride beside him and he kept glancing over at you the whole way to the cell block, sensing that you were still upset and wanting to reassure you. “Hey—why dun ya grab yer stuff and get cleaned up in the shower room? I’ll—I’ll watch out for those two. Make sure they dun come around,” he trailed off. He was still worried. And he wanted more than anything for you to be and feel safe and secure. Nothing was fucking happening to you while he was around. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck nervously. “And then tonight—if ya want, ya can stay in my cell. Take the top bunk. Just so, ya know—so ya feel safe. And I’ll talk to Rick about them two tomorrow.”

Your muscles seemed to loosen their grip on your bones and you felt a wash of relief. “Daryl. What the hell would I do without you?” you asked him. You hurriedly leaned in, touching his arm gently to steady yourself, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” He could see on your face how much that meant to you and felt another swell of protectiveness and a rare rush of pride. “You’re the best. Thank you.”

His ears burned with a blush and he cleared his throat nervously. “S’nothin’. C’mon… go ahead and get cleaned up. I’ll be right out here…”