Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.7 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
One Last Mission
The only thing you can think about is the baby.
While Rick conducts the meeting, all you can do is look down at your still flat stomach and think about the life growing inside you.
It changes everything. You’ve been trying to ignore it, but it does. Rick wants to attack, Aaron says that’s stupid, and now you know why. You know why he said Rick is making it more difficult than it has to be.
You’re the princess. You’re his daughter and you hold the key to the end of this. As you held the key to keep Alexandria safe.
In part, you know Negan created that empire for you. Because he thought you’d like it, that you’d enjoy having the world at your feet. You don’t, but you can’t ignore it kept you safe all this time. So, if you were partly the reason for its creation, you’ll be the reason for it to end.
“Aaron is right.” You speak out for the first time since you got here. Nobody understands, so they look at you, and you notice you cut Rick short in the middle of his speech. “We’re taking the hard path when there’s a much easier one.”
“Which path?” Michonne asks.
“Through me.” Shrugging your shoulders, you stand up from the couch. Daryl gives you a questioning look, so you offer him a small smile. “The truth is that my father doesn’t know me. He thinks I’m ok with everything he does when in fact it breaks my heart. Ever since the Sanctuary started, when I saw what he was doing to people, I knew I wanted a different life. I wanted to re-establish community and society, but not like that.” Pacing around, you cross your arms. You feel more comfortable around them now, but you don’t like sharing some feelings. But now, it’s necessary. “I dreamed of a place just like this. Like Hilltop. The Kingdom and Oceanside. Places where people work together, help each other. Where laws can be created and life can once again thrive. And I always wanted this. I couldn’t make it alone while I was in there, but here… It’s real. And it’s closer than we think. Before I wanted that for myself. For the people, I care about and for the next generations… Now I… I have a bigger reason.” Involuntary, your hand falls to your stomach, and so do their eyes.
“Oh, shit!” Carl exclaims, and he runs to embrace you in a tight hug. “That’s awesome, (Y/N).”
“Welcome to the club, brother,” Rick says, giving Daryl a quick hug before coming to hug you as well.
It takes you by surprise that everyone comes to speak to you. And if this will be your child’s family, they’ll have the best family anyone could get.
“I don’t want my baby to meet Negan.” You continue after a while. “Not this tyrant, at least. I want them to meet the Negan I once knew. The man, not this monster.”
“And what do ya have in mind?” Daryl asks, and you take a deep breath.
You had way too much time to make plans, but you never thought you’d actually have the opportunity to fulfil them. Taking Negan down is an old fantasy because you always knew this is the only way to save people from him. Once and for all. “Jim and I have a what we call BoomHouse.”
“Boom house?” Carol asks eyebrows pinched together.
“He chose the name, not me. But anyway. I’ve been sneaking guns there for years. When Jim came along he just started helping me and came up with the name.”
“Slow down,” Rick says, raising both hands at you. “You’ve been sneaking guns out of the Sanctuary to some random place where anyone can find them?”
“No. I’ve been sneaking guns, grenades, incendiary stuff, knives, bows and arrows, and explosives to a heavily secured place which is locked and is infested by walkers.” Shrugging your shoulders, you turn around, looking at everyone. “If anyone opens the door the wrong way, loud music starts playing and they won’t have to worry only with the walkers inside the building but also with those attracted by the music because that place has a herd surrounding it. They’ve been walking in a circle around that area for years because of some underground construction that makes this constant noise.”
“That’s awesome,” Carl says. “If we get all that, plus the guns (Y/N) brought us, we’d have a hell of an advantage.”
“I agree. But we get the guns and what next?”
“Everything there is more than enough for all the four communities. More than enough to fight back. And win.”
“And how did you manage to steal all that?” Rosita asks.
“I used to go out and shoot walkers, shoot trees, shoot to the freaking sky. Then I lost the gun, or destroyed it, or left it somewhere. I took some grenades to blow things up. Stuff like that.” Sitting on the couch, you sigh. “I’m the princess. People don’t ask and Negan doesn’t care about what I do as long as it makes me happy.”
“So what? We get the guns and attack?” Michonne sounds unconvinced, pacing around the living room. “Doesn’t sound any different from all the other plans you’ve been calling out.”
“The guns are just to show Negan we have the firepower to take him down. But I don’t think there will be a fight.”
“Explain it further,” Rick says, moving his hand in a circle position. “I don’t think I’m the only one here still wondering where you’re going with this.”
“I’ll tell Negan I’m coming. But he won’t know I’ll be taking four communities with me, everyone armed to their teeth. Then I’ll tell him the truth. All of it. How everything he does makes me feel, and if it doesn’t break him…” Touching your stomach with both hands, you look down. “This will.”
“You’re betting our lives on the love Negan bears you?” Sasha inquires, arms crossed and a serious face on. “What if it fails? What if he decides he loves his empire more than his daughter? Or his grandchild?”
“He doesn’t,” Daryl speaks up, and you raise your eyes to look at him. “Negan is an asshole, but the only good thing I can give him is that he loves (Y/N). Ya can see it in his eyes. He’d kill for her, and die for her. She’s the only thing he loves besides himself.”
“I’m the only family he has. The only thing from before to remind him of what life was. To remind him of mother…” You mutter, hands cupped together on your lap. “He said to me many times that he’d give up everything if it meant I’d be safe. If it means I’ll be happy. So, yes, I’m betting our lives on his love for me. And if I’m wrong… I’ll be the first to die and will have what I deserve for all the evil my father made.”
“Don’t say that,” Daryl complains.
“It’s true.” You quickly add. “I don’t think I can forgive myself for all the people I couldn’t save. I know you can’t save everyone but I wanted to. I wanted to save Abraham. And Glenn. And all the others… That was because of me too. Negan created that to himself, for the power it gave him but also to keep me safe. To make sure I’d never get hurt, raped, or starve. That was because of me too.”
“We can’t blame ourselves for what other people do, only for our own decisions,” Carol says from someplace behind you. “You made the right ones. You did save Daryl. And us. And for that, I believe we’re all thankful.”
“We certainly are.” Rick agrees, and you can’t help but smile to see the others nodding.
“So let’s do this. The sooner the better.” You stand up again, strength suddenly renewed. “Step one is to get the guns. And we better take a truck or else there won’t have enough space.”
“We?” Daryl steps in, eyeing you with crossed arms.
“We. How are you supposed to find it without me? And that’s just one thing, you’ll still have to get in and avoid setting off the alarm system.”
“Ya can draw a map.”
“Look, can we have this conversation in private?” Smiling at him, you wave at the others and walk out of Rick’s place.
“Ain’t no conversation. Yer not goin’.” Daryl says when you’re outside, it doesn’t take much for him to reach you.
“Daryl, I’m pregnant, not sick.” You snap back, shrugging your shoulders. “I’m used to going out there and you know I’m damn good.” Stopping, you turn to look at him. “I can do this, you know I can.”
“I’m not sayin’ ya can’t. I know how strong ya are, I’m askin’ ya to stay for me.” He steps closer, putting a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “For my sake, sit this one out. Make me a map, and we’ll stay in touch all the time through the radio so ya can guide me but please. Jus’ this time, stay. It’s bad enough that this whole operation depends on ya. And the very thought of this goin’ wrong, I–”
“It won’t.” Cupping his face, you tiptoe to kiss him. “We’ll be a strong, united army. We won’t lose. And alright, Daryl. I’ll stay. For you.”
“Thanks, Sunshine.”
“I love when you call me that.” Giggling, you kiss him again, slow and sweet, wrapping your arms around his neck.
You want to go, be there to look after him. But if it’ll help him have some peace of mind, you’ll stay and patiently wait for your love to come back.
“They’re following Aaron and Sasha,” Rick announces, putting the radio back on his belt. “Jesus just opened the doors and the walkers from the inside are following him and Michonne. So now it’s our turn. Daryl and I will go ahead with the car and you make sure to make less noise possible with the trucks. If you see any stray walker stop, go and kill it on foot. Keeping a steady rhythm we will reach the building in half an hour. Let’s go.”
They set in motion, and Daryl takes his place sitting shotgun on Rick’s car. With a hand hanging out the window, he has his eyes full alert to anything that might mean trouble.
“So…” Rick mutters after starting the car. “Now that we’re alone let’s talk. From a father to a future father.”
Daryl rolls his eyes at Rick’s smug smirk. “Ya took long enough ta’ come to bother me with it.”
“C'mon, Daryl. You never spoke it but I know you want kids. Ever since you took Judith in your arms for the first time, I knew you would like to have a child of your own. No need to keep it from me.”
“That ain’t the problem, it’s just…” Shrugging his shoulders, Daryl shakes his head. “Guess I’m scared, that’s all. Don’t wanna be like my dad, ya know?”
“That’s impossible. I’ve seen not only how you treat (Y/N), but I’ve seen the person you have become ever since we met in that camp back in Atlanta.” Rick takes a turn left, avoiding a rock in the woods. “I even think you can be a better father than me since you’ve seen all my mistakes.” He chuckles, giving Daryl a look. “I know you’re happy. You can’t hide that from me, I know you too well.”
Of course, he’s happy. Daryl just doesn’t believe it’s true sometimes. He has a family of his own, a wife who he loves and who loves him back, and now a baby. A little part of him, mixed up with (Y/N)’s. And for the first time, he won’t have to just see it from afar. He’ll be part of it, and he wants to enjoy everything. Everything month, every week of her pregnancy. He wants to be there for her through her discomforts, and help as much as he can.
Daryl would takedown a whole mountain with his own fists for her.
“I’m gonna be a dad.” He says, for the first time putting all those words together. And they sound amazing.
“Have you spoken about names yet?”
“Nah. But I’m thinkin’ about putting Lucy on the table. For her mother.”
“So you want it to be a girl?”
“Maybe.” He shrugs his shoulders again. “Ya’ll gonna lay bets on it, won’t ya?”
“Carl will have to make dinner for me and Michonne for a month if it’s a girl.” He laughs, and Daryl follows. “Who knows, maybe you’ll have one of each.”
“At the same time?”
“Maybe.” With that childish smile, Rick stares at the road behind them. “It could be–”
“Sunshine to Archer. Do you copy?” (Y/N)’s voice comes through the radio, and Daryl immediately picks it up.
“They have cute names,” Rick mumbles, covering the laugh with a hand.
“Yes. We’re headin’ ta’ the…” He eyes Rick, who has the decency to pretend not to be paying attention. “Ta’ the BoomHouse.”
“Good. Did they drag the walkers away?”
“Yeah. The place is somewhat secure. We’ll all be alright and I’ll be back in no time.”
“Oh, great.” She makes a pause, sighing. “My tits really hurt today, Dixon, you have no idea.”
Daryl’s face heats up, and he chokes on his own breath. “I’m in the car. With Rick. So…”
“Oh…” She mutters, clearly embarrassed and he can imagine her blushing on the other side. “Say hi to Papa Bear.”
“Papa Bear?”
“Hey, blame it on Carl, not me! I only picked our codenames.”
“Alright, Sunshine, alright.” He breathes out, staring through the window. “We’ll be back by nightfall and I’ll help, alright?” He keeps his voice low, trying not to let Rick hear him.
“How?”
“Ya really want me ta’ tell ya that with Rick sittin’ right next to me?”
“No, no! I’ll wait until you come back.” She sighs, and the soft sound is enough to make him smile. “Be careful and let me know when you get there, okay?”
“Ok. Take care over there.”
“I will. Love you, Daryl.”
“I love you too, Sunshine.” He says back, and the statics tell him she’s gone for now.
“Once this is done, you won’t have to worry about nothing else than the little Dixon coming into this world,” Rick reassures him, lightly pushing his arm. “And it’ll be over sooner than we think, you’ll see.”
“I really hope so.” He mutters his mind too far away.
Daryl never thought of himself to be the type to settle down, have a family. But this is everything he wants now. To be home with his wife, watch closely as his child grows. Go on runs to bring home anything they need. Daryl wants to look after his family. His, and his alone.
His own personal paradise.
But to get there, he’ll have to walk through hell. But he will face it, and he’ll win. They will win. For (Y/N), and for all the others, because they’re his family too. And then they’ll be able to now only survive, but live.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.4 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Another Ray of Sunshine
As if this whole problem with Hilltop wasn’t enough, Daryl can’t ignore how (Y/N) has been feeling unwell. Mostly in the mornings. She says it’s just nervousness, as they try to set a plan. But everything Rick comes up with, she points out the flaws. How Negan could thrive. So after three weeks, we’re still clueless. And she’s been taking it as her personal failure, something Daryl can’t seem to convince her otherwise.
“D?” She calls, soft footsteps on the stairs. “Please, don’t make scrambled eggs.”
Chuckling, he puts the eggs down, and then back in the fridge. “What’s yer the problem with eggs? Ya like eggs.” When he turns around, he finds her sitting on the table, seemingly tired.
“I don’t know. Every time I eat eggs I throw up.” She complains, and when she’s done saying it, (Y/N) clears her throat, shaking her head. “I mean–”
“You’ve been throwin’ up?” Daryl inquires, crossing his arms. That he didn’t know, and he’s quite mad she didn’t tell him. How is he supposed to look after her when she keeps things from him.
“Just once… Twice.” She quickly adds. “Look, I’m probably getting allergic to it.”
“Ya weren’t allergic before. How can ya be allergic now?” Making his way over her, Daryl touches her cheek, caressing her. Her bright eyes look into his, and a smile lights up her features.
“I don’t know.” She says, getting up and hugging his midsection. “I’m just anxious, that’s all. Time is running short and we still have no idea what to do.”
“We’ll figure it out. But ya have ta’ tell me when ya feel sick. So I can take care of ya.”
“D, I’m perfectly fine, I promise. It’s just some headaches and my stomach feels funny whenever I think too much about Hilltop. But I’m fine, I promise.” Batting her eyelashes, (Y/N) kisses him, just the way that makes him forget everything. “I promise I’ll tell you when I feel sick next time, alright?” She mutters when she pulls away.
Nodding, he looks down at there. “Alright.”
“Alright.” She repeats, smiling. “Now sit down and let me make you something for breakfast.” Pecking his lips, (Y/N) moves to the countertop.
There’s something in Daryl’s head, but he doesn’t want to think much about it. It brings up feelings he doesn’t know, way too many, and Daryl can’t understand what they mean. So he doesn’t think about it, and he won’t until he finds out if that possibility can even be considered. But he’ll ask the doctor about it because he needs to be sure.
Aaron’s small talk it’s what distracts you a little. He even gets a few giggles out of you, but you know why he’s doing it. And you’re thankful.
“What about you? What was the stupidest thing you’ve done in school?”
School. You barely think about it now. It feels like a different lifetime. “I had a huge fight with a teacher because she called one of my classmates dumb. He wasn’t dumb, he was just a bit slower than the rest but he was smart.” The memory makes you smile. “I ended up at the principal’s office, of course, and got suspended for three days. Father was quite surprised and laughed it out but mother was angry.”
“You barely speak about your mother.”
“I know. Negan’s heart breaks every time so I learned not to talk about her, only miss her.”
“Well, if you ever need to actually talk about her, I’m all ears.” He touches your arm, with that usual smile on his face. “I like hearing stories as much as I love telling them.”
“(Y/N). Aaron.” Someone calls and you both turn around, finding the doctor by the infirmary’s door. “How are you doing?”
“Great.” Aaron answers and you repeat.
“Good. But can I talk to you for a second, (Y/N)?”
“Sure.” Exchanging a stare with Aaron, you gesture for him to go inside with you. The doctor paces around before closing the door behind you. “Do you need anything? We can look for it or I can ask Negan if it’s urgent.”
“No, no. I just need to ask something.” Doctor Díaz crosses his arms, eyebrows furrowed. “It’s just that Daryl has been coming here. Two-three times a day for two days now. But he never asks anything, he just gets nervous and leaves. Is everything alright with him?”
“Yeah.” Shrugging your shoulders, you try to think about anything unusual about Daryl. If he was sick or wounded to the point of needing a doctor, you’d know. “I have no idea what it could be but–”
“I think he’s coming here again,” Aaron says suddenly, and you follow his gaze, seeing Daryl through the window, walking fast this way.
“Alright.” Grabbing Díaz’s arms, you look at him. “I’ll hide in the back. Try to make him say it, whatever it is.”
“I’ll try.”
“Ok. Come.” Grabbing Aaron’s arm, you pull him with you, hiding behind some shelves near the back door.
It doesn’t take much until you hear the door opening. “Hey, doc,” Daryl says, and Díaz mutters a response. “How’s everythin’?”
“Daryl, you’ve been coming here for two days, making the same question and then leaving. If there’s something wrong with you or (Y/N), just tell me so I can help.” Well, doc can’t be subtle, that’s clear.
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong. We’re fine. We’re both fine.” He says, but you know there’s something else. Something he’s not saying. “Jus’… I jus’ need ta’ know what are the… The symptoms of early pregnancy.”
There’s a buzz in your ears, as you look at the white wall across from you.
“The first thing women usually notice is the missed period. Then nausea, mostly in the morning, with or without vomiting.” You feel Aaron’s eyes on you, but you ignore it, crossing your arms. “Tender breasts. Some women start complaining about how their bra is compressing them. Fatigue, aversion to the food she once liked… The list goes on but those are the most common.”
“What if someone is feeling all those things?” Daryl asks, his voice filled with… Worry? Surprise? Fear? You can’t quite place.
“Well, there will be a new baby running around Alexandria in about nine months. Maybe even less.”
“Alright… Jus’ needed ta’ know.” You listen as he walks, heavy footsteps on the floor. “Don’t tell anyone anythin’.”
“I won’t, Daryl.” He assures, and when the door closes, you release a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.
“Whoa.”
“Shut up.” You burst out at Aaron, moving out of your hiding spot. “It could be anyone. Michonne, Carol, Rosita. Anyone.”
“I doubt he’d know about Michonne’s late period or Carol’s morning sickness or Rosita’s tender breasts.” The doc says, and when you turn to look at him, he’s handing you a pregnancy test. “I know it may be scary, but ignoring it won’t help.”
“I’m not pregnant, ok?”
“Then do it. Won’t do any harm.” Díaz says and takes the box from his hands, shoving it in your pocket and rushing out through the back door, taking a different path from Daryl.
“Wait up!” Aaron calls, but you don’t listen, keeping the fast pace.
“I’m not pregnant!” You repeat, running a hand through your hair. “It’s just not possible.”
“Are you two being careful?” He asks, making you blush. “There are ways you know? And we even have some con–”
“No, we weren’t being careful because…” Stopping, you look at Aaron, trying to control the tears that want to roll down. “When I was a kid, I had an accident on the playground. This metal thing impaled me, right above my womb and the doctor said it would be difficult for me to have kids. Not impossible, not risky, just very difficult.”
“Difficult is completely different from impossible.” Crossing his arms, he jerks his head left. “Why don’t you come to my place? Make the test and then you can work with what you get.”
After a while of silence, you nod, leading the way yourself.
•••
You never had trouble peeing. But peeing on that stick was a challenge. But once it was done, you stood before the mirror, waiting for the results. And now, looking at a plus sign, the tears come out, almost involuntary.
The next thing you do is throw the test out, leave the bathroom, and slam the door close.
“I don’t think I need to ask,” Aaron says, and before you can say anything, he embraces you. “Congratulations, (Y/N).”
You don’t even know what to say. There are questions in your head, thoughts rushing through it. You never considered this. You never thought this would happen.
And you don’t even know how Daryl will feel about it.
“This can’t be happening.” Pushing him away, you pace around. “This morning I wasn’t pregnant and now I am?”
“…That’s not how it works…”
“I know how it works, I just…” Taking a deep breath, you sit down on the edge of his bed. “How am I going to do this? We still need to find a way to keep Negan from taking more than Hilltop can give. We still have to find a way to stop him. And that means… That probably means killing him and… How am I going to raise a child in this world? I don’t even know if Daryl wants a baby. And the man already knows!” Lying back down, you cover your eyes with both hands. “Why does he has to be so attentive?”
“Let’s take it piece by piece.” Aaron lies down next to you, and you both start staring at the ceiling. “I think Rick is making this way harder than it has to be, that’s one thing. And you’re not going to raise the kid alone. You’ll have Daryl, who loves you. And haven’t you seen how he takes care of Judith? Don’t you think he might want a Little Ass Kicker of himself?”
“I don’t know…” Running a hand through your hair, you sigh. “What am I supposed to say to him? We weren’t trying. And he knows about the accident, so I’m sure he wasn’t expecting that.”
“(Y/N), you go home to your husband and tell him you’re carrying the very image of your love.”
Furrowing your eyebrows, you look at Aaron. “Damn it, that was poetic.”
He giggles, playfully punching your arm. “It’s true though.”
“Yeah…” Sitting up, you kick his leg. “Thanks, A. For everything. You’ve been an amazing friend.”
“I hope that grants me the title of Uncle.”
Rolling your eyes, you giggle. “Of course, A. I’ll go face my archer now.”
“Great.” Standing up from the bed, Aaron walks you to the door.
As you walk home, a lot of things go through your head. A lot of ways to say this. But nothing is good enough, and when you walk inside, you have no idea what to say.
When you hear a noise coming from your bedroom, you make your way upstairs. Daryl is seated on the bed when you get there, back resting against the headboard. Taking a deep breath, you lean against the door frame, and it takes no time until those blue eyes find you.
“Ya have headaches.” He starts, and you know exactly where he’s going. “Mornin’ sickness, yer period is very late and yer been complainin’ about–”
“About how my breasts are tender.” You finish off for him, looking down. “I was in the infirmary, Daryl. Hiding behind the shelves with Aaron and I heard everything. Doc gave me a test and I ran to Aaron’s place to do it before coming to speak with you.”
“…And?” He asks, hair hiding one of his eyes. It reminds you of the day you met him, naked and imprisoned. You never thought you’d fall in love with him, even though something lit up inside you at the sight of those eyes.
And you certainly never thought you’d carry his baby. “It’s positive.” You whisper, clearing your throat before repeating it louder. “It’s positive.”
Then, silence. Dead, cold silence until Daryl moves. Fast and abruptly, coming to the door. Your heartbreaks, but you find it in your to just move out of the way. But when you do, he changes direction too, and instead of leaving, as you were expecting, he embraces you tightly against his chest. You finally breathe, allowing the tears to roll down.
“I’m sorry. I never thought–”
“I promised I’d take care of ya. And I will.” Daryl says, pulling away just enough to look down at you. “And I’ll extend that promise to… Our baby.” His voice breaks a little, and you caress his cheek.
You know what he’s thinking. “Wanna know why I’m sure you’re not going to be like your asshole father?”
“Why?”
“Because you’re nothing like your asshole father, Daryl Dixon.” Smiling, you push his hair away, just to have a better look at his eyes. “I know it’ll be hard. It’s new for both of us but I’m one hundred per cent sure you’ll be an amazing dad. Because you’re an amazing man and an awesome husband.” Taking his hand, you place it on your stomach. “This baby is the very image of our love. A piece of both of us. It’ll be a crazy child, we gotta be ready for it.” Giggling, you sigh. “But it’ll be strong like you. And caring, and loyal, and–”
“And gentle, like you. Fierce and brave. Another ray of sunshine.” He bends over, placing a soft kiss on your lips. “We’ll make it work. You and I.”
“You and I.” You repeat, smiling. “…And all the uncles and aunts this kid will have.”
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.3 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N: I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Hilltop
She didn’t know they were friends with Hilltop. Daryl did mention another community at some top, but (Y/N) never made the link. And, knowing his wife well, he knows she’s nervous.
Maggie is there, the person who lost the most.
Daryl tried to ease her heart. Maggie is fierce, but she’s fair. She’ll come around once she sees who (Y/N) really is. The whole group is warming up to her, day after day, and soon enough they’ll be her family, completely. They’ll love her, as he does.
“Yer alright?” He asks for the third time, as she comes to stand next to him. (Y/N) left Alexandria on Daryl’s bike, but she was so nervous that she had to stop and go to one of the cars.
“I will be.” She mumbles, holding Daryl’s hand.
The gates are pulled open and the small group walks inside. It’s just the two of them, Rick, Carol, and Rosita. The others stayed to look after Alexandria. “I’ll get ya something ta’ eat.” She didn’t have breakfast, and despite knowing people can skip a meal without dropping dead, Daryl worries.
“I’m fine, Daryl, I promise. I just deal better with this situation with an empty stomach.”
“I’ll take ya ta’ Maggie soon. Ta’ end the tension once and for all.” He wishes he could make her skip this whole thing, but it’s impossible. Whenever (Y/N) suffers, he suffers too. But if he can’t free her from the confrontation, he’ll be there with her, doing whatever he can to make it easier. “Ya will see that–”
“Jesus!” She suddenly says, giving Daryl a happy look before running forward, and much to his surprise, she jumps in Jesus’s arms, who happily hugs her back. “It’s been so long!”
“Hello again, little (Y/N).” He says, putting her down. “I could barely believe when Rick told me you’d be coming here.”
“I know, right? Daryl here kept talking about some community at some top but I didn’t make the connection.” Daryl walks over them, nodding at Jesus.
“Hey, man.”
“Hello, Daryl. How have you been?”
“Fine.” He mutters, eyeing (Y/N) down. It’s not that he’s jealous, he just can’t help the thoughts that run through his head. (Y/N) chose him, but even so, he knows she could do better. Jim would certainly be a better match, all easygoing and stuff. And so would Jesus, he knows now. But when he feels her hand on his again, these thoughts start to vanish.
“Wanted to make you a surprise, D. Jesus and I are somehow friends.” She explains, those bright eyes set on him. “We met one day when I found him sneaking into the Sanctuary a few years ago.”
“This chick got me scared as hell.” He laughs. “But ever since she has been helping us.”
“Is that so?” (Y/N) still impresses him, every day. When he thinks he knows everything about her, something new comes. He never thought she helped Hilltop as well, and that makes him proud. Indeed, she is a ray of sun in the darkness that has fallen on the world.
“Yup. Mostly medication when they need it. Just small stuff.”
“The small stuff saved people’s lives in here.” He nods, looking at something behind them. “Rick, my friend. It’s good to see you.”
“Jesus. How is Hilltop doing?”
“Surviving, as always.” Jesus raises his eyebrows, gesturing at both Daryl and (Y/N). “I was going to ask, but I see that what Rick told me is true. You two got together to keep Negan off Alexandria.”
“We did. The city is off-limits to him and all of his minions.” She says, and they all start following Jesus to Gregory’s mansion.
“Wait.” He says, holding (Y/N) back. “Rick, why don’t ya update Jesus and hear what the problem is. I’ll show (Y/N) around.” Daryl says, and when Rick nods, he starts pulling the girl with him.
“Daryl, wait.” She says when they’re far enough, making him stop. “I’m not ready. I-I don’t want to face her. Can’t I just avoid her?” Her voice is weak, and Daryl sees as she caresses her thighs before crossing her arms. It’s as if she’s tying herself up not to go back there. Not to hurt herself again.
“Ya can’t run away from this. I know it’s hard I jus’ want ya ta’ get over with this ‘cause I know that if ya don’t, it’ll keep haunting ya.” He knows her. He knows she needs to get things done. To clear her name with people. “Trust me. Maggie will come around with time.”
(Y/N) pulls Daryl close, resting her head on his chest. “My father killed her husband. Orphaned her baby. How can I–”
“So this is her.” A voice says, and he can feel as (Y/N) gets tense. Placing a kiss on top of her head, he wraps an arm around her waist, to make her feel secure. Turning to look at Maggie, he offers her a small, quick smile.
“Yeah. Maggie, this is (Y/N), Negan’s daughter. (Y/N), this is Maggie.”
Your stomach feels weird as you stare at the woman. You can’t read her face, so you have no idea what she’s thinking. “Hi.” You whisper, barely hearing your own voice.
“Is it true?” She says, walking closer. When the wind blows, you notice that her belly is already a little swollen. “That you and Daryl got together to keep Alexandria off Negan’s hand?”
“Yes.” You nod, and if it wasn’t for Daryl’s arm, you feel like you’d fall. “It started as a fake relationship. Then I asked Negan to make me the head of Alexandria, so nobody could take anything from there, and, Mmm… Nobody raids Alexandria anymore.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.” Biting your lip, you can’t help but remember all the things you heard about Glenn’s death. How the Saviours, your father included, laughed at how his eyeball popped out. At how his pregnant wife cried.
Your legs suddenly fail, and Daryl’s arm is what holds you up. “Hey. Yer ok?”
“Yeah…” You mumble, a hand on your stomach. “I’m just a little dizzy.”
“Ya gotta eat somethin’.”
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” You say because you can’t help it. You can’t help feeling guilty, you can’t help the tears that started filling your eyes. “If I was there, i-if I knew… I could’ve stopped it. I know I could’ve because I’d never let my father do something like that. I’m sorry he’s such a monster. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She says, crossing her arms. “I’m a reasonable woman, and I won’t blame you for your father’s mistakes.”
That takes you by surprise, and you gasp, catching your breath. “Thanks…” Holding on to Daryl, you wipe a tear that escaped.
“But you must know that we’ll take him down. And I’ll kill Negan myself if I have the chance. And I won’t change my mind, no matter what.”
She’s the second person to say this, but you understand. You know Negan must be dealt with, sooner or later. And there’s no other way to end his tyranny. “I know.” You love your father, but you must agree. He can’t be stopped if not by death. “I know.”
“Come. I have half a pie you can eat.” Maggie invites, and you look at Daryl before nodding.
As you eat apple pie in Maggie’s house, or better saying, Maggie’s trailer, you can’t help but feel relieved. These people are reasonable, and despite being very careful as this world demands, they’re not like the Saviors. You’re happy Maggie doesn’t seem to hate you, despite keeping a certain distance. Time, says Daryl. With time they’ll see you’re not like your father. And since you’re not going anywhere, you have plenty of time.
When you’re done with the pie, Maggie goes with you to the mansion. By the tone of her voice talking about Gregory, it’s clear she doesn’t like him. And you know why. He’s disgusting, weak, and will step on everyone in this community to stay safe. You despise him.
“Let’s see what the hell is goin’ on,“ Daryl says, but instead of following him and Maggie inside Gregory’s office, where the group is, you stop.
It’s quite obvious what’s happening. You noticed how people out there are working hard, walking fast, looking anxious. It’s obvious. “I know what’s going on.” You say, looking at Daryl. “The Saviors want more, don’t they?”
“Yes.” Maggie answers. “And we’ll starve if we give then the percentage they’re asking for.”
“You two go. I have to think.” Tiptoeing to kiss Daryl’s lips, you give him a reassuring look.
As they get to the office, you decide to explore the house, going upstairs. This is huge, a lot of people could live here, but of course, Gregory has it all to himself.
On the second floor, you find a library, with a couch set before a door that leads to a balcony. Going for the door, you open it, breathing in the fresh air.
“Running from the meeting too?” Jesus asks, and you turn around, letting go of the doors after pulling them further open.
“No need to hear what I know.” Shrugging your shoulders, you sigh. “What I need is to think about a strategy because I can’t put on another fake relationship. First, because Negan wouldn’t believe it, and second because Daryl and I are together. Like, for real.”
“That I noticed.” Jesus drops to the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “They want seventy-five per cent of everything. If we give it to them, we’ll starve. We’ll die.”
“And let me guess, Gregory accepted it without thinking twice.”
“Exactly.”
“You should run Hilltop.” Walking to the couch, you sit next to him. “I already told you that.”
“Won’t make any difference if the Saviors keep taking what we have. If they keep threatening us.”
“I know…” Rubbing your temples, you sigh. “God, coming here got me sick or something.”
“Because of Maggie?”
“Mhmm.”
“I can make you some tea. To help with the headache and make you relax a bit.” He says, already standing up.
“Thanks.” You’d decline the offer, but since it could be of some help, you let him go.
When you’re alone, you go to the balcony, watching the people down there. They do look anxious, and you have to find a way to help them. And that means you have to find a way to keep Negan off this community too. But how? Asking him to give you this place too? They need the stuff they steal from this place, so there’s no way they’ll just stop. For that, the Sanctuary would need to start planting on their own. And you don’t think they’d do that.
“Here it is.” Jesus comes back after a while, handing you over a mug with hot tea. And you still have no idea what to do.
“Thank you.” You mutter, but when you bring the mug close to your mouth, the sweet smell reaches your nose and it makes you feel even sicker. “What’s that?”
“Lavender. Why?”
“Ugh.” Giving him back, you cover your mouth with a hand. “Sorry. My stomach has been weird ever since this morning.”
“All this because you were scared to face Maggie?”
“My father orphaned her child. Of course, I was nervous.” Jesus puts the mug on the coffee table before joining you on the balcony.
“You have to–”
“(Y/N).” You immediately recognize Daryl’s voice, turning around and finding him coming to the balcony. “We’ll need your help.”
“I know. I just don’t know what to do.” He comes closer, and you hug him, resting your head on his chest.
“We’re heading back home to come up with a strategy. Negan gave them a month, so that’s how long we have.” He caresses your hair, and you see through the corner of your eyes as Jesus leaves you alone with Daryl. “But we’ll need ya. Ya know him, his way of thinkin’. Yer the only one who can make somethin’ big work.”
“With something big, you mean taking him down, don’t you?” Raising your head, to look into his blue eyes.
“I do, Sunshine.” He doesn’t seem like he’s happy about it. But he should. Taking Negan down means he won’t be able to hurt anyone else or turn people’s life miserable. “M’ sorry. I know ya love him.”
“I do… But I know this can’t continue. Negan always wants to expand. So that means he’ll keep looking for communities, taking over, and making his empire of terror grow. We can’t allow that.”
Bending over, he kisses you, slow and sweet before pulling away. “We can’t.”
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.5 K
Summary: You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N: I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
True Love
“Lower your weapons and open the gate.” You shout a little cold from the damp hair on your back and the cold morning air. Of course, they all look at you. Some wondered what the hell are you doing. But you eye Rick as you walk over him. “Trust me.” You tell him, taking the gun from his hands. He nods, and the gates are open.
On the other side are three trucks and around twenty men, heavily armed. And you do know them. They’re just another group under your father’s hand, who are allowed to keep doing their stuff if they keep giving Negan half of everything they get.
But that doesn’t matter. What matters now is that you know them. And they know you. “Hello there, Mark. You ruined a perfectly good morning.”
“P-princess?” Mark, the leader, stutters. He, like all the others, already put their guns away. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Do you really think I have to answer to that?” Stepping forward, you walk over them, outside the walls. You see the group moving with you, not only Daryl.
“No, of course not.” He mumbles.
“On your knees.” You tell him, and your order is immediately obeyed. You hate this, but you need to make them believe you’re who they think you are. For the city’s safety. “Listen up.” Raising your voice, you pace around, as the others get down as well. Stopping behind Mark, you touch both his shoulders. You know how to scare people, how to intimidate them. You’ve seen Negan doing that way too many times. “Alexandria is mine now. And that means you’ll leave it alone and spread the news to any other jerks you meet out there.”
“Negan himself told us we can raid.” Another man speaks, and you see him standing up. You don’t know that one, and by the tone, he’s using, he just joined the group. “As long as we give him half of what we get.”
“Things changed and now the Princess lives here.” Slowly, you walk around, getting closer to the man. “You can either lower your head and accept it or… Well, there’s no other way, is there? You have to do what Negan says or you die. Painfully.”
He laughs, looking at Mark. “Look, I didn’t join this shit so some slut can tell me what to do. You told me we could do it. Take what we want, pay off Negan, and enjoy what we have. I ain’t going for a shit.”
“What did ya jus’ call her?” Daryl yells, and Rick immediately goes to hold him back. “What did ya jus’ say, ya piece of shit.”
“Daryl, it’s alright.” Walking over him, you take his hand, giving him a look. He doesn’t have to do this, and this stupid guy will serve as an example.
“I’m sorry, (Y/N). Alex is new here.” Mark says and you can hear the fear in his voice.
“Don’t worry.” Turning at him, you give the other a stare. “I don’t have to recite the rules on which our world stands. You know them. And you have been serving both me and my father well. And now you’re aware that Alexandria is off-limits. So go, and tell anyone else you find who doesn’t know about it. But first…” Gesturing at Alex, Mark’s men are quick to move, grabbing both his arms as he starts fighting back. “Stop by the Sanctuary to drop him off. Negan will be waiting and I’ll let him decide what to do.”
“As you wish, princess.”
“You may go now.” With that, the caravan starts moving. Mark gives you one last look and a nod.
You stand by the gate until they’re far gone before turning around and walking into the city again. That’s when you notice that the group was standing right behind you, guns ready. “Thanks.” You tell Rick as you walk past him, handing over his gun.
“No, actually–” He follows you, and the unusual gesture makes you stop. “Thank you. They were very eager to get inside and I really thought there would be a fight.”
“There would. Those men don’t just steal, they like hurting people too. But you don’t have to thank me. I’m just playing my part here.”
“Even so, thank you.” He touches your shoulder and you give him a small smile. “Both my children live here. This place has to be safe.”
“It is, from now on, I promise.” Patting his back, you walk over Daryl, making your way back home.
There, you finish breakfast before getting your stuff to start off the day. When you’re ready, you wait for Daryl, since you’ll be heading in the same direction, but for some reason, he’s taking way too long. After twenty minutes, you call, and he mumbles something you don’t understand in response.
“Were you fixing your hair?” You joke when you see him coming downstairs. “What took you so long?”
“I…” He clears his throat, looking down at his hand. Following his gaze, you find a delicate silver chain in between his fingers. “I was supposed to give ya this yesterday but ya were in a hurry. Then this mornin’ shit happened so…” Reaching out his hand and opening it, you see a necklace with a pale pink rose flower as a pendant. “It was a pin but I turned it into a necklace for ya. Ain’t a red tulip but… Thought ya’d like it.”
Biting your lips, you take the pendant, caressing the metal petals. “Daryl, this is… This is beautiful but… A-a red tulip is–”
“A confession of true love, yeah.” He finishes off for you. “That’s my red tulip for ya. Symbolic but–”
You don’t let him finish, jumping on his arms and kissing him passionately until you’re forced to pull away to breathe. “I love you, Daryl Dixon.” Turning around, you give him the necklace and hold your hair up. “Help me put it on.” And so he does, fingers softly caressing your skin. “I don’t have anything to you but…” Turning around, you wrap your arms around his neck. “If I had a red tulip, I’d give it to you… But you already have my heart so…” Blushing, you kiss him, feeling at peace for the first time since the world broke. At home, in his arms.
•••
The days start passing, one after the other, and slowly, very slowly, some of the group start acting more comfortable around you. Aaron and Gabriel are your friends already, Carol started even hanging out with you every once in a while. Carl talks to you a lot about some new strategies he has in mind, since you’re the one to have a creative mind like him, or so he says. Rick too, with time he seems like he doesn’t absolutely hate you anymore. Michonne is different. She talks to you, but never feels too eager to do so. Eugene is more than happy when you cross paths with him. He’s quite funny you think, and very smart, and you know the world will need smart people like him. Sasha still hasn’t even looked at you yet, and the same goes for Rosita and Tara.
For the rest of the people of Alexandria, it varies. Some still hate you, others politely wave. Daryl says it’ll get better with time, when they see you’ll keep them safe. It did get a little better when you made Negan send the other doctor they found. Jack is in his fifties, but he’s strong and was acting as a doctor before, meaning he has a lot to offer. It wasn’t that hard, since they already have a doctor there, and the princess is living here. Negan would never leave his daughter unattended.
A month goes by easily. Then another one, and one more. Your father visits you around two times a month, and it’s always a little tense. But a little bit of tension is better than the terror they were in before.
Today, there isn’t much to do. The sun is shining, but there’s a cold wind blowing. Daryl is in a meeting with Rick or something, and you’re going back home after helping Aaron in the storage. Walking slowly, you hear the kids yelling. Moving to the sidewalk, you watch as they pass by, running and laughing.
“Hi, (Y/N).” A soft voice calls your name, a little mispronounced. Looking down, you find Judith. You’re around her a lot since Daryl is her chosen uncle. And by marriage, you became the aunt.
“Hi, little ass-kicker.” Kneeling down, you look at the bouquet she’s carrying, too big for her little hands. “These flowers are beautiful.”
“Thanks!” She smiles, handing you the flowers. “For you.”
“Thank you, Judy.” Taking the bouquet, you place a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll put them in a vase so you can come to check on them later, ok?”
“Mhmm. Gotta go now.”
“Sure, sweetie. Go play with your friends.” And with another smile, she goes, running to reach the other kids.
“Hey.” Someone shouts as you stand up, and looking behind, you see Anne, one of the women who look after the kids. “Those are for the kids.” She gestures at the flowers.
“Oh, sorry. Judith gave me.” You’re reaching out your hand to give Anne the bouquet when she violently pulls it from your grip. At the same moment, you feel a sting, and you yank your hand away. It starts to burn immediately, and when you look, you see a cut through your palm, already bleeding. “Wait!” You exclaim, closing your hand into a fist and feeling the blood flowing out. “There’s a thorn in it.”
Without saying anything, and with her back at you, she searches on it, finding a branch in the middle and throwing it on the floor before quickening her pace to follow the kids.
Sighing, you look at your fist, and a drop of blood escapes.
“You need to have that cleaned.” A soft voice says, and you look at the house next to you, finding Rosita on the porch. “It could be poisonous, so it’s better to check.”
“Poisonous plants aren’t Jack’s speciality. So I don’t think he’d know.”
“He doesn’t, but I do.” She states. “Come.”
Furrowing your eyebrows, you watch as she goes inside, waiting a few seconds before climbing the few steps to her balcony, walking to the side, and sitting down on one of the wooden chairs. When she comes back outside, she places a first aid kit on the table. “Let me see.” Giving her the wounded hand, you open it, hissing a little at the pain. Rosita puts some pressure on it, and you see more blood flowing out. “I only see blood, so probably not poisonous.”
“Would you even tell me if it was?”
“I’m not like your father or his minions, so yes, I would.” Opening the first aid kit, she starts cleaning the cut, then wrapping a white gauze around your hand. It takes a couple of minutes, which you spend in silence.
You don’t know why she did this, you’re thankful. It was certainly a good surprise to have her even look your way. “Gracias.” You mutter as she closes the kit.
“Hablas español?” She asks, sounding a little surprised.
“Sí.” Bringing both hands to your lap, you wonder if you should just go. “A couple of years ago I was quite bored and I found a book in Spanish. Decided to learn the language. I just never had the chance to actually try it before.”
“Si quieres puedes entrenar conmigo. No tengo a nadie con quien hablar en mi lengua materna.”
The offer takes you by surprise. Rosita never spoke a single word to you, and now she wants to talk to you in Spanish? “Eso me gustaría.” You simply say. “But first I have to ask. Why all this now? I was sure you’d never want to have anything to do with me.”
“Because I’m not a jerk.” Crossing her arms, she looks at you. “And I can’t ignore that I was wrong and you were telling the truth. You are keeping Negan away from us, and instead of taking things, he’s actually giving us things.” Shrugging her shoulders, she chuckles. “All because the princess is here.”
“No me gusta cuando la gente me llama así.” You complain, looking down at your hands. The nickname makes you feel weird as if you are superior to everyone else just because your father happened to have the upper hand. It makes you feel more like a monster than someone from royalty. “I did what I did because I don’t agree with my father’s methods. I just… Don’t know how to end it once and for all. So I just keep helping people as much as I can.”
“We’re gonna take him down. You should know that.”
“Yeah…” Nodding, you take a deep breath. “A veces, viviendo aquí, olvido lo que se pasa afuera.” Alexandria is a dream in this world, and sometimes the fairytale takes over. That is why people here, before Rick, were so weak. A good place like this can easily make you forget what’s going on outside these walls.
“Yo no.” Rosita stands up, taking the kit with her. “I have a run tomorrow so I have to pack some things.”
“Alright.” Getting up, you offer her a small smile and a nod before walking down the porch.
“One more thing.” She calls, and you turn around. “De verdad no eres como tu papá.”
Your lips break into a smile. “Gracias, Rosita.” Waving, you set in motion again. Daryl has been telling you that ever since the beginning, that you’re not Negan, but hearing it from someone else, mostly from someone who you thought would always hate you, means a lot.
When you get home, you take a quick shower and start dinner. You’re waiting for Daryl, seated in the living room with a book when the door opens. Putting the book down, you look up, finding both Daryl and Rick, looking very worried.
“…Is everything alright?”
“We’re going to need your help,” Rick says, hands on his hips.
“What happened?” Quickly you stand up, and the sudden motion makes you feel dizzy for a second.
“Hilltop.” Daryl answers. “We got a problem at Hilltop.”
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings: Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N: I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Not The End
“(Y/N), you can’t be serious,” Jim says, arms crossed. You asked him to come, alone, but only now you told him why. Daryl wants only one witness for each because, unlike the fake relationship where the whole world needed to be aware of, this is real. People will know when it’s time. “This was supposed to be a–”
“I know what this was supposed to be, Jim. This was your idea and it worked. It still works but… I fell for him.” Blushing, you look down. The white dress you have on, the only one you own, is hidden by an overcoat. You thought it was too much, but Daryl had walked past the bedroom and saw you in it, and when he smiled and said you were beautiful, you knew you had to use it.
“…When did it happen?” His voice is lower now, and when you look up, you see a hint of something you don’t understand. “It’s not like I’d ever try to stop you but marriage? Isn’t it a little too fast?”
“It is.” Nodding, you smile. “You know I believe in love. Even after the world broke apart and I promise you what I feel towards Daryl is love in its purest form and… I believe he feels the same.”
Jim sighs, suddenly pulling you into a hug. “If he ever breaks your heart, I’ll break his bones.”
“Thanks, Jim.” Giggling, you pull away. “You’re the only true friend from the Sanctuary, so I wanted you to be my witness.
“And who will be his?”
“Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.” The voice makes you turn around, finding Rick standing next to Daryl.
“Let’s get inside,” Daryl says, and you give him a shy smile before entering the church.
Your heart is beating so fast that it feels like it’ll jump off your chest. In the last week, you had doubts. Seconds thoughts even. This is huge, and you spent almost every evening talking to Daryl about it. You don’t want him to feel pressured, and he reassured you he’s not. Well, Daryl doesn’t bend, and you know he’d never do anything he didn’t want to.
“I see you’re all settled,” Gabriel says from his place by the altar, where the small group walks to.
“Daryl, brother,” Rick says, and you see through the corner of your eye when they both stop. But you keep walking until you reach Gabriel, trying not to overhear anything. But it doesn’t seem like Rick is making any effort not to make himself heard. “You don’t have to do this. We’re safe, this… You don’t have to do this for us.”
“Ain’t doin’ this for ya. ‘M doin’ this for me.” Daryl says, and you keep your eyes on the floor, arms crossed. “I love her and she loves me. And I never thought neither of those things would ever happen and…” He sighs, and you can imagine how he’s struggling to say these things. “She’s the one.”
Biting your lip, you feel heat spreading through your face. “Alright.” Rick mumbles. “But if this is real, you have to call the group. We’re a family. Everyone has to be here.”
At that, your heart skips a beat. It’s not that you want to keep Daryl away from them, but you don’t feel welcome. And you certainly don’t want to feel their hate on this occasion.
“ ‘M not sure (Y/N) will–”
“Rick’s right.” You’re quick to say. “They’re your family, Daryl. They have to be here.” Swallowing your thoughts and pains, you look at him with a small smile.
“Then Negan should be here too.”
“No.” Walking over Daryl, you shake your head. “If this is about us, and not about some plot to keep Alexandria, there’s no reason for him to be here.”
“He’ll be sad.” Jim cuts in, getting your attention. “He might be insane, but he loves you.”
Sighing, you recognize the truth in his words. “Them someday we can make some sort of ceremony there. But now… It should be just us.” Taking Daryl’s hand, you look at him.
“Well, it’ll be your family too now,” Rick says, clearly not very happy about it. “I’ll call them.”
“Okay.” You whisper, nodding as he walks away.
“Yer alright?”
“Mhmm.” Smiling, you tiptoe to kiss him. “He’s right, your people have to be here.”
“Well, well,” Gabriel says, and you both look at him. “I noticed something white under this coat. Why don’t you take that off?”
“Oh.” Giggling, you take the overcoat off, laying it on the pew next to you. “I know it’s silly but I’m being forced to wear that.”
“It’s yer wedding. Ya have ta’ wear white.” Daryl complains.
“It’s the end of the world, haven’t you heard? It doesn’t matter which color I use for my wedding.”
“The world might be endin’, but we’re both here.” He says in a low voice, only for you to hear. “Ain’t the end for us.”
Blushing, you smile, nodding. “You’re right, Daryl Dixon.” Pecking his lips, you wonder if you had anything to do with his change of heart. In the beginning, Daryl wasn’t so… Hopeful. But you like this look on him.
It doesn’t take much time until the group starts getting here. Of course, some of them surround Daryl, asking what the hell is this about. And you, standing away to give the man and his family some privacy, watch next to Jim as Daryl struggles again. He’s not good with feelings, but he’s making an effort to explain it. To explain to you.
“For the last time, are you sure about this?” Jim asks again, looking down at you.
“I am.” You’re still speaking when Gabriel steps forward, raising both his hands.
“Alright, people. Alright.” He begins. “I know how you must feel, it was a surprise for me as well. A joyful surprise. But now, shall we begin? Is anyone who should be here missing?”
“Aaron said he was coming. I have no idea why he isn’t here yet.” Rick says, and Gabriel nod.
“Well, if anyone has anything to say, please speak now.”
“I think it’s quite obvious that this is insane,” Michonne says, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I get that she’s helping us. And yes, I’m thankful. But I don’t think it’s necessary to–”
“This isn’t fake anymore,” Daryl answers, arms crossed. “Ya know why I just called Rick to be here? ‘Cause I knew you’ll think this is just some shit ta’ make Negan believe what we had was real. It isn’t like that anymore.” He looks at you, a small, quick smile taking over his lips. “So it doesn’t matter if ya believe it or not. What matters is that we do.”
“Thank you.” You whisper.
“I can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Carol says, arms crossed as everyone moves to give her some space. “It was quite obvious to me.”
“How so?” Rosita asks a hand on her hip.
“After half a year stuck at the Sanctuary I thought we’d get a very grumpy Daryl back. Instead, he came home with a girl on the back of his bike, holding on to him as if they were together already.” She talks fast, and scanning the place, you notice as some people seem thoughtful. “Then he moved in with her and I just could notice it in his eyes whenever he spoke about her.”
“Can’t disagree with that.” Rick’s son says, shrugging his shoulders. “He makes heart eyes whenever he looks at her.”
“Alright. If ya don’t have anythin’ else ta’ say–” Daryl is interrupted but the church’s door opening up.
Everyone turns around, and a joyful Aaron comes inside. With a bouquet in his hand. “Sorry, I’m late.” He chuckles, walking fast towards you. “But since it’s a wedding I figured you’d need this.”
Taking the wildflowers from his hand, you blush again, smiling. “Thank you.” It warms your heart that Aaron didn’t even think twice. He’s probably the only one from the group who’s truly happy about it.
“Can we now proceed with the ceremony?” Gabriel asks and Daryl takes your hand, both turning to face the priest. “Good. Let’s begin.”
• • •
Not everyone came to congratulate you, but you were amazed that Carol, Rick, Carl, and Tara came to talk to you. It does feel like they may be starting to get used to you. But still, you don’t feel welcome.
But soon after the ceremony, it doesn’t matter anymore. Being with Daryl, fully for the first time, is amazing. You do feel like you’re together now, as one. And this is real. Completely, ultimately real. You had him on a whole different level, and it felt amazing. Almost too good to be true. But it is, and right now, as the morning sun comes through the window, lighting the bedroom, you feel a kind of joy you never felt before.
Daryl was right. Thanks to him, Alexandria is home.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” He says and you toss around, finding him coming from the bathroom and sitting on the bed, shirtless and hair still damp. “Gotta wake up.”
“Mhmm.” There’s something you notice again. How Daryl seems not to turn his back away from you. Yesterday night you let it go, but now it’s quite clear. “You have scars on your back, don’t you?” It’s obvious to you since you have some on your thighs that won’t heal. And you would never let anyone see.
He looks down, mumbling something you don’t understand before nodding. “Nothin’ go past ya.”
“Wanna tell me? Because you don’t have to. I won’t try to look if you’re not ready to show me, Daryl.” Sitting up, you blush when the sheets fall, exposing your body. Shyly, your cover-up. It’ll take some time to get used to it.
He sighs and, without saying anything, he moves, so his back is turned at you. You quickly take in the scars, his skin lit up by the morning sun. “It was my father.” He says in a low voice.
“I’m so sorry, Daryl.” It breaks your heart to know he went through that. Your father might be Negan, but he never did anything like that. And would never let anyone else do it. You know little about his life before, but you never thought it was that bad. Slowly, you start kissing his back, right on the scars. You can never change the past, but you’ll make sure to give him all the love he didn’t have. All the love he deserves. Moving the kisses through the scars, you go to his neck and jaw, until you’re face to face with him again, kissing his lips.
He softly caresses your thighs, and you know why. You both feel the same, that your scars are something else uniting you. “We gotta go.” He mutters when you pull away to breathe. “I know exactly where this will lead if I let ya.”
“But weren’t we supposed to have a honeymoon?”
“Maybe someday, but today we both got chores. Don’t ya have ta’ train the teenagers today?”
“Yup.” Pushing yourself up, you walk to the bathroom with the sheets wrapped around you. “I was thinking we could use one of the Saviors methods. Well, a version of it.” Stopping by the door frame, you turn to look at Daryl again. “Instead of throwing them in a death match with the walkers, we could break them into smaller groups, put them together with the most experienced on runs, and go outside. So they could know what’s like to be out there and work on their strategy.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Let’s talk ta’ Rick about it and get it done.”
“Alright.” Smiling, you nod and get inside the bathroom.
You’re dressing up when you smell breakfast, and that’s when you notice how hungry you are. So you rush downstairs, still drying your hair with the towel.
When you find Daryl making scrambled eggs, you can’t help but smile. It’s not the first time he makes you something to eat, but it’s always amazing. And you never take for granted. “Have anyone ever told you how hot you look cooking?” You say, walking over the kitchen island.
“Here we go.”
“I’m just being honest.” Laughing at the funny face he has on when he gives you your plate, you start eating. “Good as always.”
“Thanks. I–” Loud, obnoxious knocks make him shut up. Getting serious all of a sudden, you both move at the same time, opening the door to a nervous Carl.
“Hi. Sorry. There’s this group outside with guns pointed at us and demanding the gates to be open. Father is trying to deal with it but I think you could be of more help.” He gestures at you, and you simply nod.
Rick may be able to stop them from getting in. But you will make sure of it.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.5 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
The Moment I Saw You
Seated on a chair in the middle of the living room with Daryl’s group all around makes your stomach burn. You don’t want to be here.
These people hate you.
Well, not everyone. It wouldn’t be fair to put Daryl, Gabriel, and Aaron on the same page as the others. Daryl stands next to you, like a tower, and it does make you feel better. Aaron stands on the far right, and he has a small smile on. Gabriel is at the back but has a kind expression towards you. But that’s it. The rest seems excited for this to end so they can stay as away from you as possible.
“How many walkers have you killed?” Rick asks after Michonne, the only one who was missing, gets here.
It feels like an interrogation. Because it is. “Too many to count.” You simply say, crossing your legs and trying not to look so nervous.
“How many people have you killed?” He continues, and you feel as people’s interest grows at the question.
As if they’d believe you. “Zero.”
“Don’t lie to us,” Michonne says, stepping forward. “Being with Negan, you might have blood on your hands.”
“I do have blood on my hands. From all the people I couldn’t help. From all the people I couldn’t save from my father’s insanity.” You raise your voice, hands grabbing the edges of the chair, near your thighs. “Abrahan’s blood. Glenn’s blood. Elliot. Sarah. Amanda. Matthew. The list goes on. But I’ve never taken a life with my hands.”
“That answers the next question.” A woman in the back, Tara you think, mumbles.
“Why are you helping us?” Rick inquires. “I want a direct answer. Not some long, heartwarming story to try and get our trust.”
“I’m not–” Rolling your eyes, you look down, sighing. It’s useless. They’ll never believe or trust you. This is… This is just some kind of formality. “I saw the way Daryl was being treated and I immediately knew I’d help him. Then I learned he was from that group, the one Negan hates the most. Then I knew I had to help all of them. All of you.” Taking a deep breath, you bite your lip. “That’s why I did it. Because I knew the plans Negan had for you, and I knew he had already made a widow. And a child will grow without a father because of him. So I knew I had to do something about it.”
“And what were his plans?” Carol asks, and you raise your eyes.
“Come here, take everything he wants and just throw it away because he doesn’t even need it.” Shrugging your shoulders, you shake your head. “Surround you, set up traps. Give you the ways to break off the rules just so they could have a reason to come and kill some of you. Or… Or just cut pieces off.”
“I still don’t trust her,” Michonne tells Rick, pacing away, soon followed by him.
“I vote for giving her a chance,” Gabriel says in a soft voice. “She has been here for over a week, almost two. And Negan has been off our business. She did fulfil her word.”
“A couple of days doesn’t mean anything. She could still be setting some kind of trap.” Michonne gestures at you, eyes on Gabriel.
“Ain’t no trap, I assure ya,” Daryl speaks up, and you immediately look up at him. “If ya can’t trust her, trust me.”
“Then tell us why should we even consider believing her?” A woman with dark long hair asks. She looks like she’s Latin, and has a bit of an accent too.
“I’ve been tellin’ ya that ever since she got here. What else do ya want me ta’ say?” Daryl raises his voice, and you stand up, holding his arm.
“Daryl, don’t.” You whisper to him, once again addressing the group. “Guys, I don’t blame you for feeling this way. I’d feel the same if I was in your position. Thanks to Negan and the… Empire he built I’ve never been on the road. Never experienced the hard life and dangers you have. So I get it, you can’t take chances. You don’t have to like or trust me. You just have to bear with me, because as long as I have this fake relationship with Daryl, as long as I’m living here, Negan won’t hurt you anymore. He won’t burst through your gates and take your stuff. Actually, he’ll bring the stuff I ask just because the…” Rolling your eyes, you don’t find any other way to express yourself without using that stupid word. “…Just because the princess is living here. So that’s it. I live here, and you’re safe. You don’t even have to look my way.” That said, you walk away, straight to the front door, and slam it closed behind your back.
You never thought they’d accept you. Or like you. So why are tears in your eyes?
Walking fast, you don’t even know where you’re going until you’re at the gates. “Open up!” You shout, and your order is shortly followed. Probably because they hope you’ll get eaten by some walker.
With stubborn tears now rolling down and unarmed, you go deeper into the forest. You weren’t planning on this, it was supposed to be just a meeting, so you didn’t see the need to bring any guns or knives. Big mistake.
There’s a cold wind blowing as you walk. Wiping some tears away, you feel your skin burning. It’s probably shame. Or sadness. Or whatever. You never thought you’d miss the Sanctuary. But at least you didn’t feel so… Rejected? Hated?
A rock under your feet slips you you crash down, falling on your ass. Your arms hurt to have broken your fall, as do your legs and butt. Cursing yourself, you get up, dusting your jeans, and starting to walk again.
Some minutes after, you’re not sure how much, you hear some walkers coming. Walkers… You’re already calling them by the name Daryl’s group uses. So you turn left, finding a rock, and sitting next to it, resting your back. The night will fall in a couple of hours, but you’re fine here. Better than in Alexandria.
“(Y/N)!” The voice wakes you up, and that’s when you notice you fell asleep. The shadows around you are larger now, and you know the sun is getting closer to the horizon. “(Y/N)?”
You know it’s Daryl, but you don’t want to talk to him. Pushing yourself up, you start walking away. But when you’re circling the rock, you see him. Stopping on your tracks, you feel tears pooling in your eyes all over again. “Go back home, Daryl. I’m fine here.” Muttering, you turn around, walking away.
But of course, he follows you, not minding to cover up his footsteps. “It’s yer home too now.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“(Y/N)–”
“It isn’t!” Stopping, you move to look at him. “I will keep them safe, but that place isn’t home. The Sanctuary is. With my people. Because let’s face it, I’m as much as a monster as they are!” You’re yelling, even though you shouldn’t. Not here in the woods with the night falling. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t break my promise. I’ll keep this up, I’ll keep them safe.”
“Ya gotta give them more time. They will get to know ya as I did.”
Shaking your head, you sigh. “It was different, Daryl.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” Shrugging your shoulders, you run both hands through your hair. “I don’t know, Daryl. I just want to stay here for tonight.”
“Here? In the middle of the woods?”
“Yeah. Leave me a gun and I’ll be fine.”
“Nah. Come.” He jerks his head somewhere, giving a step back.
Furrowing your eyebrows, you shrug your shoulders again. “I’m not going back to the city, Daryl.”
“I didn’t say anythin’ about the city. Come.” Daryl reaches out his hand, palm facing up. Looking down at it, you sigh.
Daryl has something over you. Like a power of some kind. You haven’t noticed it until now. When you move to take his hand, much bigger than yours, it’s pretty clear to you. It’s like your body moves by itself, pulled to him like a magnet. Holding his hand, you let him guide you.
The walk happens in silence, but as usual, it’s comfortable, warm, and calming. After some minutes, you’re about to ask where he’s taking you but then, you see it. A wooden cabin. It doesn’t seem like anyone lives in here, since it’s all a mess. Daryl knocks the door down and checks inside before gesturing for you to get inside. It’s pretty much the same as outside, but Daryl guides you to what seems to be the kitchen and as you sit down on the floor, you hear as he drags something against the front door.
“Both entrances are blocked.” He mutters after a while pacing around the house, joining you in the kitchen. “We’ll be fine.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doin’ what?”
“This. I…” Looking down at your hands, you sigh. “Did you bring a flashlight?”
“No.” He settles down next to you, soo close his arm touches yours.
“It’ll be a long night then. Staring at nothing in the dark.”
“Or we can talk.”
“You’re not a talker, Daryl.”
“But I’ll talk with ya.”
Daryl can’t stand seeing her sad. If he could even call it sad. (Y/N) is devastated, broken. It breaks his heart as well.
“It’s not like I expected to have a good functional family coming here, I just… Didn’t think I’d feel this way.” (Y/N) looks away, but he sees it, glistening in the low light. Tears rolling down, that she’s quick to wipe off. “I know I have Negan and I love him but… I just… I don’t know. Whatever it is I was subconsciously expecting is stupid and I’m getting exactly what I deserve.”
“Are ya done?”
“No, I’m not done.” She takes a deep breath, both hands on her head. “You know what? I should live here. In this cabin, away from the city. It’d be better for me and for them. Negan is not here so it doesn’t matter.”
“I won’t let ya live here, (Y/N),” Daryl speaks up, holding her arm when she moves to stand up. “Alexandria is yer home now. It’s yer place.”
“Home is with people who love you.” The girl says, the dying light illuminating her angel face. The tears are there, still rolling, but he can see anger in her expression. It’s still hard for her to let go, to know she doesn’t need to pretend to be so strong. Not around Daryl. “Alexandria is your home, Daryl… Not mine.” Her voice breaks, and she sits down again. At the low whimper, Daryl pulls her into his chest. She sobs a little, as he softly rubs her back.
He thought bringing her here, to the city, would fix all her problems, but he was wrong. She still needs him, and he will help her.
He’d move a mountain for her.
“It is yer home too.” He whispers, breathing in the candy smell of her shampoo. The next words, that float around in his head, are just about to flow out his tongue. Daryl didn’t even know he had them in store, waiting to be spoken to her and to her alone. “I love ya, Sunshine.”
It echoes, it bounces on the walls. (Y/N) freezes for a while before raising her head, teary eyes finding his in the darkness. “You can’t love me.” Is everything she says, almost a plead. “Please, Daryl… I can love you because you’re… You’re amazing but I’m… I’m my father’s daughter. You’re not supposed to–You’re not even supposed to like me.”
“But here we are.” He says, feeling as if his skin is burning. “I promised I’d take care of ya, but I never thought…” His voice fades as his heart and mind get filled with way too many feelings. Feelings he never thought he’d experience.
Love was nothing but a word, a fancy sentiment he only watched from afar. Rick and Lori had it, but it was broken, fake. Then he saw Glenn and Maggie grow closer, something he thought would last just a couple of weeks if the guy was lucky, but that became a strong bond, and the proof is growing inside Maggie right now. A piece of Glenn that still lives. Some time after Michonne came along, he watched as Rick fell for her. Even though Rick didn’t want to admit it in the beginning, but Daryl knew it was happening.
Sasha and Bob, Rosita and Abraham, Beth, and that guy back at the prison. Daryl witnessed several different types of love.
Yet, he never thought he’d feelit.
But then, she opened that cell door, letting the light come in. (Y/N) herself was the light. She didn’t only open the cell door, but also his heart. Forcefully in the beginning, when he wanted more than anything to rip her off his mind, but the girl insisted on making roots inside him. And now, all those things came out, and suddenly he understands.
It doesn’t matter where she came from, he sees her. He sees (Y/N) for who she is, and not for what people made her be.
Daryl loves her.
“Daryl, what–”
“It’s ya who shouldn’t love me, (Y/N). Ya know it.” He’s thankful for the dark, creeping over every passing moment. “I’m older than ya, I’m nothin’ like easygoin’ Jim. I’m just tellin’ ya this because if home is–”
“I think I fell for you the moment I saw you in that cell.” Her voice, barely a whisper, lights up something inside him. Daryl is too old for feeling this way, too long gone for these kinds of teenager love confessions. But nobody can control the heart. It is indeed a wild creature. “Then we started talking about a relationship… And then the kisses… I tried not to because I knew you’d never feel the same way but–”
“I’m not good at this. I’ve never been with someone and I never thought I’d want ta’ be with someone. But I want ya. Like I’ve never wanted anythin’ before.” He feels kinda stupid, but there’s no other way he can express it. Daryl feels like his heart is wide open, completely exposed to her.
“Do you… Do you want to make this real, Daryl?” (Y/N)’s voice sounds like a ghost as if she’s too scared of the proposition.
“I wanna marry ya.” The words come out by themselves, a living thing. “The world already ended and we could die tomorrow. So I want ya. Completely, for as long as we live. Or as long as ya want me. I–”
“You don’t have to say anything else. I know how you struggle with words and feelings so just… I want you too.”
“Alright then.” Daryl mumbles, certain that his cheeks are burning red.
“Alright then?” She giggles, a hand softly caressing his cheek. He should call this off because she deserves more than him. So much more. She deserves Jim. Happy, smiley Jim. But yet, Daryl can’t let her go. He’d die, he thinks. And if (Y/N) wants him too, he’s willing to try. To be with her. “What next?”
Her questions drive him out of his thoughts, claiming his attention. Now, there’s only one thing to do. The final decision, something he never dreamed of but now, he knows he needs it. Daryl is not that young anymore, he doesn’t have time for dating. He loves her, and he’s sure about it.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.7 K
Summary: You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
The Mess We Made
You can’t help but feel lonely. Back at the Sanctuary, even though you despised some people, you knew some of them were just bound to the circumstances. So you used to hang around with them. And if everything was bad, you always had Jim. But now, even him is gone. You’ve been talking to him every day because the updates he gives are more serious than Negan’s. But it’s completely different than having him here. And Daryl has spent the last three days, ever since you got here, talking to the group, telling them the details, and trying to set their mind at ease.
So that’s why you decided to finally go out. You did take some walks around the place, but never alone. But since you’re bored, you think you can take some angry stares and gossip.
The sky is clear, but the wind is a bit cold. You’re impressed to see kids running around, playing and yelling. They don’t need to be quiet here, and that’s a good thing. This place is the absolute opposite of the Sanctuary. It’s open and cozy, and if you stop for a moment, you can pretend you’re back in the world before the dead came back to life.
You’re walking through a square when you notice the building next to you seems familiar. Moving to the front, you see it’s a church. Alexandria even has a church. This place barely seems real.
Slowly, you peek inside, just to make sure it’s empty. You wouldn’t want to disturb anyone with your monstrous presence. But when you don’t find anyone, you walk inside, going to the front and looking at the pulpit. It does feel like the world is completely normal on the outside, almost as if you crossed some kind of portal, to where everything is back the way it was before.
“A true miracle.” You mumble, sitting on the first pew.
“A miracle indeed.” Someone says, and, startled, you look at your left. A black, bald man comes walking your way. By his clothes, you know he’s the priest.
“I can go if you like.” You’re quick to say, standing up to your feet.
“No, please.” Raising a hand at you, he smiles. “This place is for all. No need to go.”
“…Okay.” Sitting back down, you run a hand through your hair.
“Were you religious before?” He asks, folding his hands together.
“No, not before, but…” Chuckling, you wonder if you should ever say it. People in the Sanctuary would laugh, but you guess that him, being a priest, wouldn’t. “But after, I… I started seeing God on things, you know?”
“That’s intriguing.” Moving slowly, as if not to scare you away, he sits next to you, three feet away. “I’ve seen people abandoning God after the world fell.”
“Guess it was the opposite to me then.” Again, you chuckle out of nervousness.
“What do you think about this… Apocalypse? Where do you think God is in all this?”
He’s lecturing you. Advising you. But you don’t mind. You could use some therapy or something like that. And you could certainly use the friendly conversation. Plus, you never had anyone to talk to about this. “I don’t think God did this. I mean… Not as a punishment, you know. I think it just happened. Like the bubonic plague or Spanish flu. It came, it killed, and one day it’ll be gone.”
He squints his eyes, smiling a little. “That’s an unusual thought these days.”
“I know.”
“So you do believe in God. And you do believe he hears and answers us.“
“I believe he still helps good people. And delivers judgment to the evil…” Looking down at your hands, you shrug your shoulders. “Like Negan.”
“Your father can still find redemption. As long as we’re alive, there’s hope for changing.”
Shaking your head, you stare at the priest. “I don’t think Negan can change. What he… What he does… He likes it. I… I love him. He’s my father, the only family I have left but sometimes I can’t find good in him. I feel like the father, the man I once knew is completely gone and it breaks my heart.” The words come out fast and low, and you never thought you’d admit it. That this hidden feeling would come out. “I remember when I was little that he used to pick me up from school. Mother took me, and he picked me up. And there was this ice cream parlor on the way home, and on this day I got an F because I studied for the wrong subject.” The memory is blurry but still vivid, and tears start pooling in your eyes. “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought he’d be mad but when I finally said it, he smiled. He said that one day I’d see that life is more than just a test I failed. He stopped by the parlor and got me chocolate ice cream.” Giggling, you wipe off the single tear that rolled down. “That man is gone.”
“Of one thing I’m sure.” He says, friendly touching your shoulder. “Your father loves you. And that didn’t change.”
“I know. I just–” He suddenly looks at something behind you, and you jump up, turning around to find Daryl. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He mutters, nodding at the priest. “Been lookin’ for ya. Got us somethin’ for lunch.”
“Alright.” Looking at the priest, you wave. “Thanks for everything, priest. It was good talking to you.”
“The name’s Gabriel. And you’re welcome whenever you need to talk.” The man says with a smile.
“Thanks.” You mutter again, already following Daryl.
“I heard what ya said. About Negan.” He speaks up when you’re outside. “And Gabriel is right. He loves ya. That’s why he agreed on leaving us alone as long as yer here.”
“I don’t doubt his love, I just…” Sighing, you put a strand of hair behind your ear, glancing at Daryl. “Miss who he was. It’s complicated, I guess.”
“Hey.” A sudden call makes you look forward, and you see a man coming your way with a smile. “Hello, (Y/N). I’m Aaron.” To your surprise, he not only introduces himself but reaches out his hand, which you shake.
“Hi.”
“Daryl told me you’d like to help on the runs, so I could show you what we have here, what we need, our priorities…”
Nodding, you look at Daryl. “I’ll go see it. Can you wait a bit for lunch?”
“Sure, go.”
“Alright.” Smiling again, you tiptoe and place a soft kiss on his lips. It’s only when you step back that you notice what you did. “Mmm… Okay, let’s go.” Stuttering, you turn around, starting to follow Aaron. There’s no reason to kiss him now since everyone here knows you and him are just a lie.
“So…” Aaron mumbles after a while of silence. “You and Daryl, huh?”
“Well, we… We’re good friends. W-we became good friends.”
“Friends, who kiss each other?”
Nervously giggling, you blush, crossing your arms. “That was an accident. I mean, we had to kiss at the Sanctuary to make things believable, so I guess I just got used to it.”
“Is Daryl a good kisser?”
“What?” A laugh escapes your mouth, and you’re sure you look like a tomato now. “H-he– Mmm… We…”
“I’ll take your stuttering as a yes.” Aaron smiles. “This is our storage, come.” He guides you to an open garage, which is wide and has two doors on the back. “We converted this whole house in your storage.”
“No wonder why Negan hates you so much. Looks at all this stuff.” Walking around, you give everything a quick look. “You have chocolate!”
Aaron giggles, coming to stand next to you. “We do. It’s quite rational but guess you can just take it if you want.”
“No, absolutely not. I’ll play by the rules.”
“Alright, but–”
“Aaron?” Someone calls and you both turn around, finding a chubby, dark-haired woman coming from inside the house. “What is she doing here?” Her voice breaks a little, and you can see the fear in her eyes.
“(Y/N), this is Olivia, she takes care of our storage. Olivia, this is (Y/N). But you probably know that already.”
As soon as he’s done speaking, you reach out your hand. “Nice to meet you, Olivia.”
She exchanges a glance with Aaron, who nods, and only then she shakes your hand. “Hello.” She stutters. “If you want the chocolate, you can have it.”
“No, no. Actually, I intend to go on runs too so if you have any kind of list of things I must keep an eye for…” Again, another look at Aaron.
“I-I actually have one.” Olivia walks away, to a square table on the corner. “Our stock of aspirin is low so there’s that. Rita asked if we can find something for her to give her son on his birthday. He’s one year old so anything colorful would do.”
“I got it covered.”
“Well, thank you.” She gives you a half-smile, crossing something in the open notebook.
“I think I should probably go now…” You mutter, already moving. “Thanks for everything and let me know when the next run will be.”
“I must go too.” Aaron touches Olivia’s shoulder. “See you around, Olivia. Don’t forget my share of that spaghetti, alright?”
They mutter something else, but you can’t hear it anymore, already making your way back home.
“Wait!” Aaron shouts, and you turn around to find him jogging until he reaches you. Furrowing your eyebrows, you start walking again. “I’m going that way too.”
“Why are you talking to me?” You suddenly ask, running a hand through your hair. “Correction. Why are you being friendly with me?”
“Because you’re not Negan.” He simply says, smiling when you give him a look. “Daryl has been talking to us about you and so far, I believe you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” Aaron touches your shoulder, and you stop, turning your body towards him. “Look, I know this is complicated. People here, mostly from Rick’s group, have been through hell out there, so, naturally, they suspect of you. But from what I’ve seen, what you have done to come here and make sure this place is safe is wonderful. And, on behalf of all the people of Alexandria, I thank you, (Y/N).”
You don’t know what to say. You weren’t expecting anyone to thank you for this. “There’s no need. I just couldn’t let my father ruin anyone else’s life. And couldn’t let him ruin this.” Gesturing at everything around you, you sigh. “This is a sanctuary. Safe, and with enough strong and smart people to prosper. And I’ll make sure it will.”
“(Y/N)!” Daryl’s voice reaches your ears, and you turn around spotting him some meters away. “C'mon, let’s eat. I’m starvin’.”
“Coming!” You yell back, turning at Aaron again. “I gotta go. Thanks for everything.”
“I hope we can become friends, (Y/N). And about that spaghetti, I’ll make it tomorrow night. You and Daryl are invited.”
“We’ll be there.” Smiling, you wave, turning on your heels and walking fast back home.
The lunch is a lasagna Carol made, and as you eat, you can’t help but wonder if she’d like you eating something she made for Daryl. You even considered it being poisoned, but since Daryl is eating without any problems, you decided to chill. These people are not like the Saviors, they won’t play that dirty. If they want to kill you, they’ll do it in your face.
“(Y/N).” Daryl gets your attention as you get up, taking yours and his empty plates to the sink. “Tomorrow ya will speak to the group. Rick decided that if yer supposed to stay, ya have ta’ go through the same process as all the strangers.”
Freezing for a moment, you take a deep breath and sit back down, looking at Daryl sitting across from you. “Daryl, I don’t want to do that. They hate me and they know they can’t just kick me out.” Running a hand through your hair, you get up, pacing around. “I’m stuck here in a way. I’m not trying to be ungrateful because Alexandria is amazing, but… The people here look at me like I’m a monster because well… I am.”
“Hey.” You hear as he gets up as well, walking fast towards you and then a strong hand on your shoulder, making you turn around to look at him. “Gabriel didn’t seem like he hates ya. And Aaron? Yer like best friends now or somethin’.” His voice gets funny in the end, making you chuckle. “And me.”
“…You what?”
Daryl doesn’t say anything, those blue eyes looking down at you. It feels like he’s battling himself, wondering, thinking… Furrowing your eyebrows, you start wondering yourself. Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything, just suck it up and do whatever they want you to. Say whatever they want to know.
“You don’t have to say anything, Daryl. You brought me here, believed me so that’s a lot more than I deserve. I–”
“Shut up for a bit.” Daryl bursts out, pinching his eyebrows together.
“Hey!” Punching his shoulder, you fake an angry face.
“Sorry, I jus’…” His voice fades, and slowly, very slowly, you feel Daryl’s hands on your arms, caressing your skin.
Then it happens, suddenly. Daryl’s lips connect to yours, and despite being taken aback by the action, you’re quick to kiss him back, parting your lips to let him deepen the kiss. Countless questions run through your head, but it doesn’t take much until everything fades away. Kissing Daryl is always amazing, breathtaking, indescribable. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you move even closer to him when you feel his arms around your waist, holding your body close to his.
After a while, the heated kiss takes the best of your lungs, and you’re forced to break apart to breathe. But you hold him, both hands grabbing the collar of his vest.
“Daryl…” You breathe out, whispering, your foreheads touching. “Why? There isn’t anyone looking.”
“Does it always have ta’ be an audience?” He asks in a low, husky voice.
“No, but… The lines are blurring Daryl…” Taking a deep breath, you peck his lips a couple of times. “I know this is just an act but I want to kiss you… Even when we don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“I know.” He nods, and you feel his hot breath on your face.
It’s clear to you that there’s something he’s not telling you. Daryl isn’t good with words, and you don’t want to force him into anything. “If you want to kiss me, you can because… I want to kiss you. Like… All the damn time and… And even when nobody is around.” Nervously, you chuckle, biting your lip before speaking again. “I think we might have made a mess here, Daryl Dixon.”
“A hell of a mess indeed.” And he kisses you again, warm hands around your waist pressing you against his body.
In your mind, all the rest fades away. There’s nothing but you and Daryl, his lips, his hands, his taste.
And for the first time, this feels real. This kiss is real.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.2 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Home
From what you got, this was Deanna’s house, the woman who used to rule Alexandria. Daryl told you about her. Well, he told you a lot about Alexandria.
But standing here now is completely different. Daryl united his group so you can make things clear. You can’t wait to break off with the truth, but under their stares, you feel… Small. Well, smaller than you already are. But you also feel hated, and despite knowing they have all the reasons to, it still makes you feel bad.
“What the hell is this about?” A woman with dreads asks, in a rapid tone.
“We have ta’–”
“Wait.” Cutting Daryl off, you gesture at Jim. “Keep an eye on the front of the house. And I’ll need three more people for the left, right and back. If any of the Saviors come, whistle.”
Nobody moves, and you cross your arms, getting a worried glance from Jim. Tilting your head, you sigh when he moves.
“What the hell…”
“Trust her, Rick,” Daryl says, nodding to the man.
“Alright.” He eyes three people, and they immediately move.
You wait, just enough for them to get settled. If any news of this gets out it’s over. That reminds you of the radio you’re carrying to get in touch with Negan. Taking it off your belt, you open it and take the batteries off, laying them on a near wooden table. Better safe than sorry.
“Well? Can someone explain why Negan’s daughter just took over our home?” The woman speaks again, you take a deep breath.
There was a speech in your head, but it vanished. Looking these people in the eye hurts. Hurts because you know what they lost. Who they lost. Because of your father, your people. There’s pressure in your chest, and you cross your arms to prevent yourself from grabbing your thighs. “I can imagine how you feel. But I promise you, you’re safe now. Alexandria is safe now.”
“Do you really expect us to believe that? Coming from Negan’s daughter?” A woman in the back asks, rudely gesturing at you.
“Daryl, explain it to us,” Rick says, furrowing his eyebrows. “What is she doing here? And what does it all mean?”
Daryl sighs, looking at you. “You should be the one ta’ speak.”
“No.” Shaking your head, you step back, gesturing at him. “You tell them. They won’t believe me.” Whispering to him, you give a small quick smile when he nods.
“I was in a cell for three days, naked and in complete darkness when she found me.” He starts, looking down before raising his eyes to the group again. “It was confusing at first and when she left I thought that was it but some minutes later some men came. Threw me some clothes and took me to an apartment. I thought it was some kind of plan but on the next day, it wasn’t Negan who came. It was her.” He points out at you, blue eyes meeting yours. Some butterflies start flying around in your stomach for some reason, and you wonder if you’re blushing. “She had a plan of hers. A crazy-ass plan that I was certain it was some kind of trap.”
“You’re still not making any sense.” The woman standing next to Rick says. You notice a sword on her back.
“(Y/N) said that she had an idea to keep my group safe. Ta’ keep Negan off our asses.” Daryl gestures at everyone, and you watch as they exchange glances with each other. “So I said yes, of course. I was still doubting it, but with time she proved to me I was wrong about her. That she isn’t anythin’ like her father.”
“So are we supposed to just believe that we’re all safe now? That Negan won’t burst through our gates, take what we have, and kill those we love.”
“I know how it sounds, Michonne, but trust me. I didn’t believe it either, but it’s true.” He answers, looking at you again and reaching out his hand. You furrow your eyebrows, wondering what this is about. But since you don’t move, Daryl does it, taking your hand. “Talk to them. It’ll be alright.”
Nodding to him, you take a deep breath, raising your eyes at Rick, their leader. “What I said out there was a facade. I don’t agree with my father’s methods, I never have and when I saw Daryl, I just… I just knew I had to help him. And then I found that he was from Alexandria and I was sure about it.” Involuntary, you squeeze Daryl’s hand. Their stare is hard, and you feel like Negan is right here with you. “My father hates you. All of you. Because you know you can, and will prosper. He knows you have the courage and the strength to rebuild society, something he wants to do himself, in his own cruel ways. So I knew I had to do this. So now I tell you, you’re safe. What Daryl and I have guarantees that Negan won’t bother you again. My nomination as head of Alexandria means nobody gets to mess with this place. I promise you that… You won’t lose anyone else.”
“What is it you have?” A woman with grey hair asks. “What could assure us that Negan wouldn’t take our stuff?”
“Mmm, I…” You whisper, glancing at Daryl. He nods, clearing his throat. “We faked a relationship.”
“You what?” A boy asks, eyebrows raised.
“A fake relationship is the only thing keeping Negan away from us?” Rick inquires, hands on his hips.
“Trust me, we fake it really well.” You chuckle, biting your lip before continuing. “I told Negan we’re in love. And, since I’m his only family and he does everything I want, he won’t hurt the family and the community from which my love is from.” Blushing, you look down, running a hand through your hair. “I know you have no reason to trust me, and all the reasons of the world to hate me. My father killed your family. Abraham and Glenn…” At the mention of the names, you feel like the atmosphere change. The anger and hate are tangible. “But I’m not like that.” When an idea pops up, you let go of Daryl’s hand and pick up the radio before turning it on. “I can prove.”
“Gonna call him?”
“Yeah.” Adjusting the frequency, you look at the group. “Don’t say anything. Just listen.” A little bit of static comes through and you take a deep breath for the hundredth time today. “Dad? Do you copy?”
After some seconds of silence and more static, a voice comes through. “Hello, there, little lady. Are you all settled up on your new homie?” Negan sings songs, obviously not happy with your decision of moving.
“Yup. Just got here, had a little chat with their leader and all is well. Alexandria is mine and they’re updated on the change of command.” Holding the radio near your mouth, you keep your eyes on the floor.
“I will never forgive you for taking Rick and his dumbass group off my hands.”
“We can’t choose who we love.”
“Yeah, but did you have to choose Daryl? From Rick’s circus?” He sighs, and you can imagine the eye roll. “Well, doesn’t really matter now, does it? Alexandria and its army of assholes are yours now. And it’s my job as a father to make sure you’re well attended so I guess I won’t raid this town.”
“Oh, you won’t. Actually, I might need you to get me some stuff.”
“Holy hell, (Y/N). What is it that your papa can get you?”
Giggling, you shake your head. “I’ll check and give you the list. I gotta go now. The Saviors are going back first thing tomorrow.”
“Alright, bun. Have fun, but not too much. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“Thank you for the advice. Over and out.” Turning off the radio, you raise your eyes at the group. They seem… Perplexed. Shocked. But not Rick. Rick seems sceptical.
“It could be a trap.” Gesturing at Daryl, he moves forward. “Negan and her could be fooling us. They could be fooling you too, don’t you see that?”
“Ya jus’ have to–” A whistle cuts him off, and you immediately turn to the front door.
“Jim.” You recognize by the familiar tune. Moving to the front door, you find Jim climbing the steps to the porch, gesturing with his thumb at the two guys coming to the house.
“The box with the green circle is here.” He says.
“General supplies. Good.” Raising your voice, you move aside, allowing the men to get inside and lay the huge square box on the floor. “You may go back to your posts now.”
“This shit is heavy. What do you have in it?” Giovan asks, and you give him a hard look.
“If you were supposed to know, I’d tell you. Now, back to your post.”
“Sorry, princess.” He mutters, raising both his hands. Once they’re both gone, you sign to Jim to resume his patrolling as you close the front door behind your back. “I brought this for you.” Taking your necklace off, you reveal the key to open the box, giving it to Rick. But the man doesn’t even move, eyes locked on you. “Fine.” Sighing, you get on one knee, easily opening the lock and pushing the top off.
You hear them moving closer to peek inside, and you smile to yourself to see the many guns and ammunition. You got them with Daryl’s help. “All the guns the Saviors took from you are here. And some more as a bonus for the… Trouble.” Getting up to your feet, you walk back to where you were, throwing the key at Rick, who catches it midair.
“I don’t know what to say.” Rick mumbles, eyes on the guns. “This just can’t be real. It’s too good to be real.”
“I felt the same in the beginnin’.” Daryl cuts in, glancing at you. “But she ain’t Negan. Never was, never gonna be.”
You can’t help but smile, heat creeping over your cheeks. “Thanks.” You whisper to his ears only.
“Now come. Lemme show ya our house so those pricks can take yer stuff there.” Walking over to the door, you give the group a shy wave before following Daryl.
You don’t feel welcome here, and you know the feelings these people have towards you are the worst kind. But it makes you happy to see them excited about the guns. Relieved even, to have the firepower to defend themselves again. And as you leave the house, you feel like you did a good thing.
Daryl takes you through the neighborhood, and your eyes wander around. “This place is amazing.”
“It is.” He agrees. “This is it.” Stopping suddenly, he gestures at a small house two streets away from where you were, more to the middle of the city. “Two bedrooms on the second floor and a balcony on the other side. It ain’t big but–”
“Let’s go inside!” You exclaim, rushing through the steps and to the front door, swinging it open.
The house is somewhat on the same side of your apartment, but absolutely adorable. The pale walls make it lighter, and the windows let even more light come inside. You pull Daryl everywhere, until your reach the upstairs balcony. It’s tiny, with enough space for two chairs only, and a small round table. But it’s very pretty.
“This is beautiful.” You say, hands on the wooden railing as you take in the view. The walls at a distance, the people walking around. This feels like home, like a place you’d love to come back to after facing what’s out there.
“I’m glad ya like it,” Daryl answers, and you turn around to look at him. “People here will see who yer really are with time. Ya jus’ need ta’ give them some time.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m going anywhere, so…”
“Yer not. Yer home now.”
“Okay.” Nodding, you can’t fight back the smile that comes to your lips. “I’m home.”
Request:Just wanted to ask a fluffy Daryl!! It’s New Year and reader wants to kiss Daryl (who she started dating only some days ago) at midnight. He thinks it’s a silly tradition but she convinces him!! Please and thank you!!
Daryl was not the man who was a big fan of traditions, especially not with the way the world was right now.
He couldn’t care less about any traditions, holidays like Christmas for New Year’s Eve.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.3 K
Summary: You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Taking Over
Standing outside the meeting room, you pace around. Almost everyone is here, but as usual, Negan will make them wait.
“I’m nervous.” You whisper to Daryl for the tenth time. Today, you’ll ask Negan for Alexandria. You can’t wait anymore, and neither can Daryl. He misses his family, and you want to set him free from the awful place. And you want to make it one hundred percent sure that his people are safe. But the waiting it’s killing you.
“It’ll work,” Daryl assures you, stepping closer. “Ya have ta’ be calm for this.”
“I will be. I will.” The habit makes you touch your thighs as you take a deep breath.
“Hey.” He takes both your hands, pulling them away from your body. “Don’t.”
“Sorry.” As an impulse, you wrap your arms around his neck. “Tomorrow you’ll head back home.” Smiling, you tiptoe, placing a peck on his lips.
“You too.” He mutters, only loud enough for you to hear. You grew used to this, the two of you whispering in the halls, his low, deep voice on your ear. “Both of us.”
“Are you sure about it? We can work on something through distance. Some visits here and there…”
“Yes, I’m sure about it.” He says, caressing your cheek. “We’ll make it work over there.”
“We’ll make it work over there.” You repeat, kissing him again.
“Holy shit!” The dramatic tone and the sing-song words make you roll your eyes, stepping down, and looking at your father. “Can’t you two keep your hands off each other for five minutes?” With a disgusting face, he walks past you two, stopping by the door. “Everyone keeps pissing the hell out of me about how the two little doves are going way too far with the PDA.”
“Don’t you kiss your wives in front of people?”
“Completely different.”
“I disagree.” Shrugging your shoulders, you grab Daryl’s collar and pull him down, kissing him hard and needy, not minding your father’s eyes.
“Get inside right now!” He shouts, and you break the kiss, laughing. “And enough with all this saliva exchanging before I throw up my lunch.”
And so you do.
The council gets tense to see Daryl, but you ignore it. Negan sits on one end of the table and you sit on the other, making Simon move out so Daryl can sit on your right.
“Well, well, well…” Negan starts, sighing. “People say children change your life forever and when Lucille told me she was pregnant I was so down for it.” He holds his bat, looking at it, and for a second, you notice when his stare changes. When he remembers her, your mother. “But I never thought you’d ask me to give up on my worse enemy because of a crush.”
“Daryl is not just a crush anymore. We’re in love.” Trying not to blush, you hate to say that in front of all these murderers. This was supposed to be something that belongs to you alone, but the situation forces your hand. “We’re into a serious relationship, and I won’t have any of these assholes hurting anyone he cares about.” Giving everyone a look, you smile to see them nod.
“I had a perfect plan,” Simon speaks up, chuckling, a hand covering his mouth, glancing at Negan. “It’d take Alexandria and Rick down for good. And we could easily implement it on the other communities as well if necessary.”
“Well…” Mimicking Negan’s tone, you get up, walk around the table, and stop behind Simon. “I could stay here all evening and tell you every single flaw that plan has. Flaws Rick Grimes would find out and take you down.” Touching both his shoulders, you squeeze them. Your father always does that, and you feel when Simon gets tense. He knows you can have him killed if you want. “For good.”
“Did you tell him my plan?” He asks, jerking his head towards Daryl.
“Yup.” Giggling, you walk over Negan, casually resting an arm around his shoulders. “This is only a formality so you’ll know how things will be. Dad and I have been through this already. I met Daryl by accident when he was being kept a prisoner and we got into each other. Now, we’re together and I here announce formally to you I’ll be taking over Alexandria.”
To say people are perplexed is a misunderstanding. They all look at Negan, who sighs and nods. “Yeah.” He bangs Lucille on the table twice, like a judge making a decision. “This is how things will have to be now since my beloved daughter wants to have… That.” He gestures at Daryl, and his tone makes you boil with anger. “But.” He pauses, and you can imagine the smile he has on. “When this whole thing is over we’ll be right back to business.”
“When?” Dwight asks, both his hands folded in front of him. “So we’ll sit here and wait for them to break up?”
“Absolutely, yes!” Negan exclaims, standing up to his feet. You haven’t thought about this. You did promise Daryl nothing would ever happen to his people, and the Saviours are just waiting for their chance.
So this play will have to go on forever.
It seems like Daryl has the same thought because there’s a question in his eyes. Should I prepare myself for an eventual fight?
The answer is no, so you shake your head. You don’t mind keeping this up forever if it means a bunch of good people will be spared. And you know that when you reach Alexandria and the Saviours that will accompany you leave, you won’t have to fake that much…
And that’s something else you haven’t thought about. Daryl won’t have to kiss you anymore.
“So. That’s it. (Y/N) is the head of Alexandrian now so no playing with them anymore or you’ll have to answer to my baby girl and me. ”
At the same time, you walk over to Daryl, biting your lips to hide the smile. “We did it.” You whisper, tiptoeing to kiss him.
“Ya did it.”
“Nope. We did it. You and I.” After another kiss, you follow the people out of the meeting room.
But that’s when the anxiety hits.
You and Daryl spend the rest of the day making the preparations to go to Alexandria. You gave up going half a dozen times, but Daryl keeps assuring you it’ll be alright. Jim and a dozen other Saviours will go with you but leave on the next morning. Then… You’ll be there, far from all those people that make you sick.
But you’ll also be surrounded by people who your father hurt. A hell lot. So it’s a bittersweet sensation.
“Where will I live…? I mean after the Saviours are gone?” You ask as you shyly climb on Daryl’s bed, sitting on your legs.
“Yer making a lot of questions tonight.” He says, reaching out his hand, which you take. “There’s a small house near a square. We could stay there ‘cause-”
“Because you were sharing a house with Carol and oh–She hates me.” Cutting him off, you sigh. “They’ll all hate me. As they should.”
“Yer not Negan,” Daryl states, as he always does. With a small smile on your lips, you move closer to him, lying down with your head on his chest, as usual. “They’ll come around with time. They’ll get ta’ know ya and they’ll see yer nothin’ like these assholes here.”
“I wish I had your hope.”
“Stop thinkin’ about it and get some rest. Long road tomorrow.”
“Are you happy to go home?” Stupid question, of course, he is. “Well, I know you are. I’d be too, obviously.”
“I’m not good at sayin’ stuff but… Thank you.” When you listen to those words, you raise your head, using your elbow to support your weight. “If it wasn’t for you more people could have died.”
Smiling, you lean down to kiss him, softly. “I’m just trying to do what’s right.”
“Yer succeedin’.”
“Daryl, we… What will happen to us? When the Saviors leave?” You ask in a low voice, going back to your previous position on his chest. “This fake thing won’t be necessary once we’re alone there…”
“Do you think I’ll stop takin’ care of ya?” He grunts as if you said something very stupid. “Ya ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easily.”
Giggling, you nod, closing your eyes. “Good night, Daryl.” You whisper, smiling to hear his soft reply.
Daryl was genuinely happy to be home. When he sees Alexandria’s gates, a smile crosses his lips. But he never thought he’d be taking the Saviors with him. At least this means something good. With (Y/N) as the head of Alexandria, his family will be safe. And nobody else will get hurt. Ever again.
He feels when she gets tense on the bike behind him, arms strongly encircling his midsection. Having her cross the gates on his bike will send a good signal to the group. He needs them to see in (Y/N) the same thing he sees.
In the beginning, she was a paradox to him. So beautiful and kind, with a proposition to save his group out of nowhere. For a long time, Daryl thought she was lying, that it was some kind of trap. But it wasn’t. And the angel-like girl, whose eyes caught his attention at the very first sight, stole his heart.
It was a weird sensation for Daryl, to have his heart settled on someone. But this feeling is why he’s bringing her here, for good. Here, she won’t have to hurt herself anymore, because Daryl’s heart breaks every time he thinks about what she used to do. He makes sure she’ll keep her nails short now, just in case. He knows it may come out as too controlling, but he just wants her to be fine. Happy.
Everything is new to Daryl. This is a situation he never thought he’d be into. He not only has strong, confusing feelings towards her, but she seems to feel the same. She never pushed him away, instead, she holds on to him, mostly at night. He never thought a woman like her, young, beautiful, and kind, would ever want to be near him.
But he wants to be near her. So that’s what he’ll do. Daryl decided not to overthink the chaotic feelings trapped inside him, and just do what felt right. And (Y/N) feels right. That’s why she’s here with him, entering her new home. Daryl will make sure he’s fine, healthy, and happy. If it’s up to him, she won’t ever have to see death in its worse form, imposed on good, innocent people.
When the gates open, you can’t help but hold onto Daryl a little bit tighter. But when the bike stops, you jump off, eyes on the group coming your way. There are some people ahead, and others keep a distance. You can’t ignore how amazing the place is. It looks like a town, and if it wasn’t for the circumstances, you could pretend this was the world from before. A normal neighbourhood with children playing around.
But the group ahead of you is fully alert, and those behind you need to be fooled, so they can take the right information to your father back at the Sanctuary. So you take a deep breath, clenching your hands into fists.
But before you can say anything, Daryl walks forward, hugging who could only be Rick, judging by the description Daryl gave you. “Brother.” He mumbles, patting Daryl’s back. And despite the groups’ eyes being on you and the Saviors, everyone greets Daryl, some with teary eyes.
Then, once the greetings are over, all the attention is back on you. And the Saviors.
“As much as I’m happy to see you alive and well, brother, I have to ask…” Rick jerks his chins forward, at you and the heavily armed people you brought to their home. “What’s this about?”
Daryl gives you a look and a nod. So you take a deep breath, preparing yourself for another act.
“People of Alexandria.” You start, raising your voice so everyone can hear it. “You all know this place and your asses belong to my father. But there was a change of protocol.” Shrugging your shoulders, you pace around, glancing at the Saviors. “I am now Head of Alexandria, which means your asses now belong to me, so you’ll do as I say, just like you do as Negan says.” There’s a commotion, but you ignore it, turning to face the Saviors. “And you won’t ever touch anyone from this Community unless I say so. Understood?”
“Yes, princess.” They chant, almost at the same time and you fake a smile before turning around at the group.
Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 1.3 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
How It Begins
Walking around is hard now. You’re way too heavy, only a month away from finally meeting your baby. The bets are going wild, and the group is divided fifty-fifty. You think it’s a boy, and Daryl thinks it’s a girl. And you have a bet of your own.
With a hand on your belly, you approach the house, on the furthest side of Alexandria, taking the keys from your pocket and unlocking the bars. The metal is fixated on the structure of the house, surrounding it completely. It was Rick’s idea, and as soon as it was ready, he was moved from his cell. He can’t leave, that’s the agreement, but at least he has some comfort, even though you’re not sure if he deserves it.
“Dad?” You ask before you hear something falling on the kitchen and making your way over there. It doesn’t take much until the smell of something burning hits your nose. “What are you doing?”
“Cooking.” He simply says, turning around and looking at you. With a dishcloth over his shoulder and a pan on his hand, Negan smiles.
“More likely trying to set the kitchen on fire.” You complain as you move to sit on the table, a hand on your swollen belly. “Quit trying to recreate mom’s recipe. You know you can’t.”
“The more you try to stop me, the harder I’ll try. My grandchild will eat those cookies.”
Giggling, you roll your eyes. “How is your day going so far?” Visiting Negan is a daily thing. He’s imprisoned for life, but he doesn’t seem too bothered by it. You do manage to get him out every once in a while to walk around the neighborhood, but always with an armed guard. Rick, Michonne, Jim, or even Daryl. The last option is always fun because he enjoys making Daryl uncomfortable with way too many questions about your life together. But even though this is his prison, Negan seems satisfied, as he said himself. He wants to be around you, and his grandchild. He wants to be part of your lives, even though he’s still paying for his crimes.
“Good. Finished another book. Quite mad I’ll never have a sequence since the author is probably a walker by now, and even if he isn’t I don’t think he’d lose his time writing it.” Putting the pan in the sink, he comes to the table and sits next to you. “And this little one? Agitated much?” He places a hand on your belly, making a funny face. “Are you letting mommy sleep? Or are you shooting crossbows in there?”
“He loves crossbowing in the nighttime when I want to sleep.” You giggle, running a hand through your hair. “This kid will be a hurricane.”
“What did you expect by mixing your genes with Dixon’s?”
“I’m a Dixon too, you know that, right?” Rolling your eyes, you smile.
“Yeah. I remember something about a marriage nobody told me about.”
“Drop the drama, dad.”
“I–”
“(Y/N)?” You hear him calling at the same time you hear the front door opening. “M’ back.”
“Seriously? You’re eight months pregnant and he’s still going on runs?” Negan asks as you stand up, quickly helping you.
“I needed some things from Hilltop.” You explain as Daryl comes to the kitchen, eyeing Negan before looking down at you. You don’t think they hate each other, but they’re certainly not friends.
“I got what ya need.” He tells you. “And I won’t be goin’ anywhere else for a long time.”
“You better not,” Negan warns.
“Alright, alright.” Touching your father’s shoulder, you sigh. “I’ll go now. Why don’t you cook something other than coal so we can have dinner together, huh?”
“Carbonara?”
“Carbonara.” You agree, kissing his cheek. “Bye, dad.”
“Take care.”
“I will.” Taking Daryl’s hand, you walk out, making sure to lock the house again.
Doing this wasn’t easy, but it works. The Saviors still obey Negan, so they left. The workers stood in the Sanctuary, and they’re rebuilding it, under Rick’s leadership. If anyone rises on Negan’s name, the man himself will tell them not to. And if they don’t give up their idea, someone will shut them up.
Alexandria is thriving, prospering, alongside the other communities. Hilltop, Oceanside, the Kingdom, and the Sanctuary working together to achieve one goal. Rebuild society. Live, instead of just survive. You’re seeing the start of everything, your baby will see it play out, and God only knows what your grandchildren will see. Whatever it is, it’ll be great.
“Yer silent,” Daryl says as you walk inside, already back home. “What are ya thinkin’ about?”
“A little bit of everything, I think.” Still pulling him with you, you guide him upstairs, where your sit on the edge of the bed. “Life, us, the baby… What this world will become and who our son will become.”
“Or daughter.”
“Or daughter.” You decide to agree, rolling your eyes. “Are you excited? Only around a month to go. Doc says maybe three weeks.”
“Ya have no idea how much.” He sits beside you, a hand on your belly. As if the baby knows, he kicks, and you fix your eyes on Daryl, admiring his smile. This smile belongs to you alone. To you and your baby, because nothing else can make him smile like this.
“Someone’s saying hi.” You sing-song.
“Hi, little ass-kicker. Cozy in there?” He talks to the bump, and you can’t help but chuckle. “Is mommy a good house for ya?” The baby kicks again, and you gasp. “I guess that’s a yes.”
“I freaking love you, Daryl.” You decide to say, just because you need to let him know that. Every day, over and over again. “So much.”
“Ya gave things I never thought I’d have. Things I don’t think I deserve. Love, a family… Yer everything ta’ me, (Y/N). My sunshine.” Leaning closer, he kisses you, slow and sweet, a hand caressing your cheek. “The two of ya are my whole world. Now and forever.”
“You saved me, you know that, right? When I saw you in that cell… I think you saved me as much as I saved you.”
“We saved each other.” He says, kissing your nose. “And because of ya I’m the happiest man alive.”
Biting your lip, you feel yourself blushing. “Than kiss me again, Dixon.” You challenge, blushing a little bit more when he does just that, kissing you with all the love he has.
People say this is how the world ends, but you disagree. This is how your life begins, and you’re in love with it. And you will live. For your husband, for your child, your father, and your family. The one you chose, and who chose you. This is not the end, it could never be. This world is still full of life, and you’re the proof.
Pairing:Daryl Dixon X Reader | Negan X daughter! Reader
Word count: 2.7 K
Summary:You saw Negan build his empire, saw your father become a monster, a murderer, and never had the courage to stand your ground. So everything you do it help as much people as you can, carrying the guilt of being part of it. But one day, your world is shaken when you find him, the man with blue eyes locked up inside a cage. You decide to help him, to keep his community safe. And for that, you’ll have to pretend you and Daryl are in love… But how long until the lie becomes the truth?
Warnings:Some sensitive topics such as mentions and light descriptions of self-harm. (I kept it light, so don’t worry about graphic descriptions.)
A/N:I wanna thank (and give a lot of credit) to to absolutely awesome friend @multific, who helped me with a lot of ideas, and also with the final editing of the text. Love you, girl!!
×
Whatever Happens
The commotion is all over the city, with everyone getting ready to leave. You’ll be reaching the Sanctuary tomorrow morning, and that’s when you’ll let Negan know you’re coming. The other communities are ready as well, already in motion.
The plan is good, and despite some people thinking it’ll end up in a war anyway, you believe otherwise. You’ll talk, Negan will listen. And this will be over.
“Hey,” Daryl calls, and you stand up from the wooden chair on your porch. “Ya ready?”
“Yes.” Getting closer to him, you smile when he touches your belly, warmth spreading through your skin. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s do this.” He repeats, nodding and taking your hand. “C'mon, it’s time. It’ll be over and–”
“(Y/N)!” A shout startles you, and you look at the street. Rosita comes running, a scared expression on her face.
“Is something wrong?” You ask, climbing down the few steps.
“It’s Negan!” She says under her breath, gesturing for you to come with her. “He’s almost here.”
“What?” Exchanging a glance with Daryl, you set in motion.
The commotion soon became chaos, and Rick looks like he was about to explode. When you find him near the gates, he’s talking to someone, telling them to stand down and wait for instructions. This is a mess. But you won’t let it change anything. This ends today, it doesn’t matter where.
“Rick.” You call, and he quickly breaks the call and looks at you.
“He got the right day to pay you a surprise visit, that son of a bitch.” He exclaims, running a hand through his hair. “Now we have to–”
“Tell them to wait. Negan is coming here and I’ll do what I have to do here.” You say, watching as people run to hide the guns and the cars that were ready to go. “Listen up!” You yell, and people stop and turn at you. “Everyone who has a gun gets out of the city through the Westside emergency exit. Surround the Saviors but don’t let them see you. Stay there and wait for the sign.”
As usual, they wait for Rick’s nod before settling in motion. “(Y/N), what’s your plan?”
“Gather the group. I’ll take Negan to my place as always. He’ll ask his men to stay outside the city, so you tell the group to attack them and… Well… Handle them.”
“Are you sure? They’ll probably radio Negan.”
“I’m sure.” You can’t think too much, you don’t have the time. “After we have Negan neutralized, I’ll take over the Sanctuary and his men will listen to me. If they don’t, we attack.”
“(Y/N), I know this is hard for you.” Rick sighs, touching your shoulder. “He’s still your father.”
“He’s here!” Gabriel announces from his post above the walls.
“Open up.” You tell Rick, and he moves to the gates.
Everything happens as usual. Negan steps out of his car, tells his men to wait for him and walks inside with the same old smile. And that’s good because it means he’s not aware of what’s going on.
“Hey, you.” He says, giving you a tight hug and lifting you up. “It’s been a week since we spoke. Are you forgetting your father already?”
“Of course not.” You manage to give him a small smile.
“Daryl,” Negan mutters, putting an arm around your shoulders and already walking you home. “So start talking to me, child. How’s everything going? How’s life in this cute, little city?”
“Good. It’s good.” You don’t know what to say, and you just want to get home already and get this done with.
“(Y/N)?” Your father calls, making you snap out of your thoughts. He makes you stop, looking down at you. “Is something wrong?”
Taking a deep breath, you give another smile. “No. We just… We need to talk.” Giving Daryl a look, you know he’s hurting for you. You can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t want you to do this. But nobody else can do this. You made a promise to keep these people safe, and you will. In fact, you’ll save a lot of people once Negan is down.
“About what?”
“About me, dad. Please.” Gesturing at the house, you start walking ahead, not looking back.
When you reach the house, you hear people calling Negan through the radio. Turning around, you see Daryl taking his radio away.
“Whoa! What the hell?” Negan chants, trying to take the radio again, but Daryl yanks it out of his reach.
“Yer daughter needs ta’ talk ta’ ya. So go there and talk.” Daryl says, and the staring contest makes you sick.
No, wait. You’re actually sick. “Damn it!” Leaving this tense situation behind for a moment, you run to the first-floor bathroom, locking yourself in it and kneeling near the toilet.
“(Y/N)!” Negan calls, and you hear both men talking about something you can’t understand.
“I’m fine!” You shout back, closing your eyes and trying to keep from losing the breakfast.
When you’re stomach calms down, you stand up, washing your face and neck. The water makes you cold, but it’s refreshing. Looking up at the mirror, you stare into your own eyes. Then, it starts flashing. All the faces, all the names Negan killed. Those he made miserable. The many, countless workers he has, under that stupid points system, breaking their backs every day to sustain his empire.
Looking down, you stare at your thighs. All the blood you spilt for all the blood Neganspilt.
It doesn’t matter if you love him, this has to be over.
Caressing your belly, which just started to swell, still impossible to notice to other people, you walk to the door, pulling it open.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Negan asks, but it’s to Daryl’s arm you go, under his worried eyes.
“Ya ok?”
“Mhmm. I’m alright. Just felt a little sick but I’m fine now.” Smiling and caressing his cheek, you turn to look at your father.
“Are you–” He’s cut short by the front door being open, and when you look, you see it’s Rick and some others, guns in hand. “Oh, (Y/N)… What’s going on here?”
It would be easier if you had any pleasure in it, but you don’t. Taking the tyrant down is one thing. Betraying your father’s trust is another. “As I said, we need to talk dad. Sit down, please.” Gesturing at the couch, you walk to the living room as the group raises their guns at Negan. He chuckles, looking down and shaking his head before doing as you said. When he sits, you do the same on the coffee table, right in front of him. “What happened to my men?”
“They were dealt with,” Rick answers, but your father’s eyes are on you.
“Are they dead?”
“What do you think, Negan? After everything you’ve done, what do you think we had to do?”
You don’t wanna say anything, yet, you’re the only one who should be speaking. So you glance at Rick and he nods.
“Did they brainwash you or some shit like that?” Negan whispers, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. “Because if they did, I–”
“I never agreed with your methods.” You begin, tears already threatening to roll down. “Since the very beginning, seeing you create the Sanctuary broke my heart. Seeing my father turn into a monster, a murderer who not only kills without reason but finds joy in it broke my, damn heart.”
“(Y/N)–”
“No, you will listen.“ Cutting him off, you raise your voice a little. “For the first time I’ll speak my heart and you’ll listen, dad.”
“Alright, sweetheart.” He sighs, and you recognize sadness in his eyes. And that’s good because it means he knows you’re hurt.
“All those years I helped people. As much as I could, I helped them. I gave them medication, food, I lied to you to keep them alive.” There they are, the bitter tears you were trying to control. “I took Jim under my wing because you’d kill him. I said Alice was my childhood friend so you wouldn’t kill her. I created a fake relationship with Daryl so you wouldn’t kill his family.”
“Fake?” He asks, giving Daryl a look. “All that disgusting kissing was fake?”
“It was.” You simply say, and as Negan gets it, his eyes go wide.
“What the hell, (Y/N)? Did you keep all that from me? Did you lie through the years instead of coming and talking to me? Your father?”
“And why would I? You made yourself an army. Those people will follow you to the end of the world and… Actually, they already did.” A humourless laugh escapes your lips as you stand up, wiping some tears away. “What I want to say is that living with you and somehow being part of everything you did destroy me. I…” You never thought you’d tell him about the self-harm… Or anyone else than Daryl. But you have to, and this is the right time. “I used to scratch my legs… Both my thighs and I scratched them so hard it drew blood. I still have the scars and I don’t think they’ll ever go away. Those marks and what they meant will be with me forever.”
“I don’t even…” His voice fades as he looks down, both hands on his head. “Why did you do that, (Y/N)?”
“Because I felt guilty.” It doesn’t matter how many times you try to wipe the tears off, more come. And it just hits you now that half the group is here, and for the first time, you feel… Welcome. Comforted by their presence. “Blood for blood, that’s what I told myself.” Clearing your throat, you take a deep breath. “Dad, Daryl was the first and only one to know about this until now. He… He made me stop, he took care of me, dad, like nobody ever did so I fell in love with him. For real.”
Negan gives Daryl a look, who nods. “Then it’s real now, you two? Not some scheme to fool me in sparing these idiots’ lives?”
“No, dad. Daryl and I got married some months ago.”
“What?!” He stands up, and the guns are raised and pointed at him again. “My only daughter gets married and I don’t know anything about it?”
“If I told you, it would feel like just some part of the plan, and it wasn’t.” You know what to say next, the other thing he needs to know. But you also need to tell him how things will be now, so you take a deep breath, walking until you’re standing before him. “But it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you have two choices.”
“Only two?”
Rolling your eyes, you sigh. “If you don’t call out your men, once and for all, we will kill you. And we will attack the Sanctuary, kill the Saviors and allow the workers to create their own community. And we’re going to win because we have four communities armed to their teeth just waiting for the orders.”
Negan closes his eyes for a while, taking a deep breath. “Option two?”
“If you give the order, if you call them out, we will allow you to live.” There’s a commotion, some gossip because that wasn’t the plan. But you need to at least give him a chance, for the father, the man he once was. “You’d be kept in prison, of course, for the rest of your life to make sure the Saviors will never rise again. We’ll spare them, and send them away so they can do whatever they want with their lives.”
“…Just to make sure the Saviors won’t rise again?” He asks, and you look down, crossing your arms.
“Are you asking if I’m doing this for me? Because I am… But I’m doing this for someone else too…” Then, you place your hands on your stomach. “I want my baby to meet his grandfather, but not Negan, the cruel ruler… Negan, my dad.”
“You’re… You’re pregnant?” Negan mutters and suddenly hugs you, a laugh escaping his lips. “Holy shit! I can’t believe I’m gonna be a grandpa.” He lets go, cupping your cheeks. “I can’t believe I’m gonna be a grandpa.”
“Only if you chose the right thing,” Daryl says, coming to stand next to you.
“The only bad part is that this scum bag is the father.”
“Look, first of all, you’ll stop calling my husband names, alright? I’m sick of this shit. And now you better make your choice.” Turning around, you walk to the front door.
“Where are you going?”
“Rick will hear your answer. And you don’t pick the right one, I don’t want to see you die.” Closing the door behind your back, you breathe out, using the wooden railing on the porch to balance yourself when you feel dizzy. Taking a deep breath, you slowly get to the steps, reaching the sidewalk and starting to walk away.
If it happens, you don’t wanna hear the shot.
“(Y/N)!” Daryl calls and you stop, immediately running to his arms, tears now freely rolling down. “Shh, it’s alright, Sunshine. M’ sorry.”
“I don’t want him to die.” You tell him, crying against his chest. “I already lost my mother and I don’t want to lose my father too.”
“I know.” Daryl caresses your hair, holding you close. “M’ sorry, Sunshine.”
You stand there for a while, crying, ignoring those who walk by. After a while, Aaron comes, and Daryl carries you to his place, where you sit on the couch, your head on Daryl’s chest. Neither of you says anything, but with time you stop crying. Nobody comes to say anything, and you don’t want to go out there to ask. Whatever happens now, it’ll certainly be for the better. For you, for Alexandria and the other communities, and for your baby.
“I want to start thinking about names.” You say after an hour or so of silence, voice barely a whisper. But you want to distract yourself, and talking about your baby is the only thing more important than all this. “Maybe everyone could give an idea and we could work from there.”
“I like that,” Daryl answers, a hand coming to your belly. “I was thinkin’ about Lucy.”
That makes you smile, as the memory of your mother fills your head. “I love it.” Raising your head, you look at him. “Whatever happens now, it’ll be good right?”
“Whatever happens, we’ll be together. You and I, and all the others.” He caresses your cheek, placing a kiss on your lips. “It’s not the end of the world. For both of us, and for our baby, it’s just the beginning.”
This makes you smile, even more, moving to straddle his lap. “You and me, Dixon.” You say, wrapping your arms around his neck. “You, me, our little Dixon, and our family.”
“Exactly.” He agrees, pulling you closer and capturing your lips in a sweet, passionate kiss.
But a sudden noise makes him pull away, and when you look at the door, you see Rick coming in with Michonne. Taking a deep breath, you stand up, trying to read his expression, but you can’t, not when you’re so damn nervous.
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…”
Words:2,972 Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader Reader pronouns:she/her Era: Alexandria, pre-Negan Warnings: intense scenarios, mentions of blood, language, violence Summary: Y/N responds to Daryl suggesting she leave Montana and join him and his family in Alexandria. A/N: This is part of a series! You can find all the previous parts on my Master List.
Daryl ducked his head again. “Brian—he didn’t just ask me to come find ya. He—he wanted me to bring ya back to our group. To our home. He didn’t want ya to be alone.” He ventured another glance up at you, and you still seemed frozen.
The warm flickering of the firelight sent the shadows of your eyelashes dancing and he swore he could almost see the glow of the coals and the rising embers reflected in your eyes. They were beautiful. You were beautiful. But he couldn’t tell what was going on behind them… and now he just had to wait.
“I—leave here?” you said. You almost couldn’t wrap your head around that reality. “I don’t—” You shook your head. “I don’t know…” Your voice was soft despite the hurricane in your head. Your brow furrowed and you stared back at him. “But I have everything I need here.”
“‘Cept people. S’a lot easier if ya got people. I mean, ya said it yerself, if I hadn’t been here—that grizzly—” Daryl ducked his head, clutched by a sudden grip of fear at the thought of what had almost happened. When did just the thought of you gone start to make his entire world shift? It alarmed him. He stared down at his hands. He fiddled with the edge of the throw pillow in his lap.
“But I—there’s food here, and solar panels, and hot water… and—” You gulped. But that wasn’t just it, was it? That wasn’t what had you shaky thinking about leaving. You realized it with a sinking feeling. “This is the last place—the last connection I have to my family. To my mom, and to my dad.” Tears welled up in your eyes and Daryl saw them reflected in the low light. “And to Brian,” you choked out. “It’s the last place we were all together… alive.”
Daryl nodded. “I know. I know what I’m askin’ ya ain’t easy…” You looked overwhelmed, hastily wiping a tear that broke free from your cheek. “But—s’why I came here. Yer brother, who ended up bein’ mine too… s’what he asked me to do. And sooner or later, we all need people. S’just a matter of when.”
Daryl could sense your internal spinning. “Look, ya ain’t gotta answer now. There’s still feet of snow outside. I ain’t goin’ anywhere for a while. Just—think about it, alrigh’? And I can promise ya, if ya come, you’ll have a new group, a new family. It won’t replace what ya lost and that ain’t what ‘m tryin’ to do but… everybody would—would love ya. I know it.”
You hardly seemed to move, but you nodded, that same stunned look on your face. Your stomach was clenched into a tight knot and Daryl almost startled as you stood up abruptly. “I’m—tired. I think I’m gonna head to bed,” you said.
Daryl’s expression fell and his eyes narrowed as he looked up at you. “Okay. Yeah… sure. Umm,” he scratched a non-existent itch on the back of his neck. “G’night,” he drawled. “Yeah. Long couple days…” he reasoned aloud.
“Yeah…” Your hands fiddled nervously. “Goodnight.” You hurriedly whistled to the dogs and made for your bedroom, clicking the door shut behind you. You leaned back against it as soon as it was closed, your mind racing. Leave here? The thought was terrifying and surreal. It was a miracle that Daryl had made it across the country once, could he really manage it again? Could you?
The truth was that you weren’t tired at all. Although you dutifully completed your evening routine, washing your face, brushing your teeth, pulling on your pajamas, you were quite sure that you’d be lying awake in bed until dawn.
Scratch that. You couldn’t even lie still most of the time. You paced the length of your bedroom rug on softly padding feet, wringing your hands, overwhelmed by anxiety. The dogs watched you as if you’d lost your mind, their heads and ears turning as they followed your progress back and forth. Jesus, calm the fuck down! He wasn’t asking you to go tomorrow. He just wanted you to think about it.
And was that really what Brian had wanted? This community, this group was so good that Brian wanted you to leave everything you’d ever known and go with practically a complete stranger back to… to what? What would be waiting there? Sure, Daryl had told you about Alexandria. He’d told you about his people, and he certainly didn’t feel like a stranger anymore. But you couldn’t imagine yourself in day-to-day life there… What would your “job” be? What would you wake to and spend your time on? Here, you headed out into the mountains to hunt, fish, and trap. You came home, trailing muddy feet and paws into the front room, exhausted but feeling safe and free. Mostly.
You had to admit that these strange new dead ones, the runners, were worrying you… and you did occasionally have to worry about unsavory people when you needed to scavenge supplies, but you’d done fine for yourself so far. Sure, there had been some hairy situations, but you always got out of it.
But he was right about the grizzly. You had to admit that. You’d be dead if he hadn’t been here. And eventually your luck would run out again. That’s how this world was.
But still, the thought of leaving was overwhelming.
After another bout of pacing and then lying frozen on your back on the bed, you glanced at the clock only to see that it read just after 3:00 am. The night had passed in an anxious blur and yet was dragging on excruciatingly slowly at the same time… Your room felt suddenly suffocating and you decided just to go out and make some tea, maybe stand in the frigid air in the door to the deck and draw in deep lungfuls.
You heaved a final sigh, rubbing your hands over your face, and headed to the door.
When you pulled it open, you jumped back and another “Oh” escaped you. Daryl was standing just there, his hand raised as if he’d just been about to knock.
“Sorry, I—” he cleared his throat. “I could hear ya awake and—I dunno… Uhh… Sorry,” he drawled, stepping back.
You only stared at him for a long moment.
“I just—wanted to make sure yer alrigh’,” he finished. Internally, he was groaning at himself. He’d been unable to sleep and he could hear you pacing for most of the night. Of course you weren’t “alright.”
“I’m fine,” you said. “Just can’t sleep…”
“Sorry,” he drawled again. “Feel like that migh’ be my fault…”
You shook your head, ducking his gaze. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Daryl. You just told me how it is. And I should have realized that you wouldn’t just stay here forever. I was stupid not to think of it…”
“Hey.” Your eyes lifted up to meet his. “Ya ain’t stupid. And—I couldn’t—I mean… I—ya wouldn’t want me here forever,” he drawled more quietly.
This took you aback and you studied his expression. There was only the glow of the low flames in the hearth to light his face, but you saw enough to know he wasn’t joking.
“Sure I would,” you said firmly. “Why would you say that?” Your eyebrow quirked up in that familiar way it always did when you were asking a question.
His blue eyes shot up to your face again, but his expression didn’t change.
You sighed, your hand finally slipping off the doorknob. You took a step closer to him and the space between you felt suddenly intimate and like it was shrinking even though you’d stopped moving. “You could stay here for—for as long as you want. I know you said that you have to leave and—and I get that… but you could stay. I’d be happy for you to stay.”
Daryl gulped, his heart hammering. Everything seemed to have stilled; the air in the cabin, the flames on the logs, the shifting of the shadows… He felt like he was being drawn in by you, even more so than usual… because if he was honest with himself, of course he’d thought about what it’d be like to just stay. To just stay and be here, with you and your two dogs… sinking into some kind of domestic bliss that never got boring, because you certainly weren’t boring. You’d hunt together. You’d kill walkers together. You’d wander the endless woods, finding new hidden spots that would become yourstogether.
But the bubble always burst. He did have people waiting. And not knowing what they were going through right now, the idea that they needed him and he wasn’t there, that was scarier than having to cross the country again to get home. And if he could just unify those two daydreams… Your voice broke through again, however, and interrupted his thoughts.
“Of all the people my brother could have sent, I’m glad it was you.”
And Daryl felt it with certainty that moment—that urge he’d tried so hard to suppress. He wanted more than anything to just clasp your face and kiss you.
But just then, WHAM. The sound reverberated against the front window and both of you jumped. The dogs started barking and growling and you shushed them hurriedly with gentle hands, your eyes wide and fixed toward the source of the sound.
Daryl grabbed his crossbow from where it was leaning up against the coffee table and swore under his breath. “Prob’ly just that damn owl again,” he said over his shoulder.
You tried to will your heart to slow back to normal pace. “Probably,” you agreed, but you grabbed one of your knives near the front door and went to join him at the window.
But this time, when Daryl peeled back the blinds to peer outside, there was another resounding thud against the glass shortly followed by many more. “Goddammit!” He jumped slightly back and looked over at you. “Ain’t the fuckin’ owl.”
Your eyes widened and you jolted with each new strike at the glass. Dead ones. A small group of them, maybe five or six. And based on the jerky rapidity of their movements they were runners. You pulled in a steadying breath and rushed to pull on your boots, readying your knife.
“Hey, hold up—” Daryl urged you. “Let’s just plan this out!”
“Daryl, if we wait much longer they’re coming through the glass!” you argued, climbing back up to your feet. “Let’s go!”
Having not even really tried to sleep, he still had his boots on and he tensed but nodded as you gave him a harried look. “Alrigh’. Alrigh’, ‘m ready.”
And you pulled the door open and pushed out into the snow. The dogs bounded out beside you, immediately heading for the dead ones at the window, who turned and began to charge toward you as soon as the door had opened. They were just so fast… There was no room for any error.
Daryl let fly a bolt that whizzed past you and buried itself deeply in the skull of the one closest to you.
Strider and Bear each had pulled one to the ground and were fighting with them fiercely. “Off!” you yelled at the big black lab, and he darted away from the dead one and you thrust your knife into its temple. Another one of Daryl’s bolts struck its target and a body thumped into the snow beside you. A spray of blood dotted the snow on the deck as you pulled your knife out, violently red in the whiteness. You turned, readying yourself for the next dead one, but it rushed you with alarming speed and you found yourself knocked to the ground, struggling to keep its clicking teeth and clawing hands away from you.
Daryl was there in an instant, ramming it in the head with the butt end of his crossbow and knocking it off you. You felt the thick, warm wetness of its blood dribble down onto you as the weight left. Daryl finished it with another sickening bash to the head and turned hastily to check on you after it had gone still.
You were still lying on your back in the snow, chest heaving from the exertion. The wetness and cold had started to seep through your clothes. He scrambled over to you.
“Hey. Hey—ya good?” he asked desperately, falling onto a knee beside you, scrutinizing you for wounds. “Ya alrigh’?”
Heaving in breaths, the cold stinging your lungs, you nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I’m good,” you murmured, examining your own arms. All you could see was some blood spatter. No scratches. No bites. “Thanks,” you said blinking up at him beside you.
He nodded and swung his crossbow onto his shoulder, offering you his hand. “Here. C’mon. Let’s get ya up outta the snow.” He pulled you to your feet. You paused and bent forward for a moment, still trying to catch your breath, staring at the corpses littering the deck. The frigid air on your damp clothes made you shiver. The dogs still had hair raised and were panting just a few feet away from you. You glanced around the cabin into the darkness, not even aware that one of your hands was rubbing at the stiffness in your leg. Were there more just beyond the reach of your senses? More waiting to ambush you when you weren’t expecting it?
“There’s more than one,” you said.
“Huh?” Daryl asked, straining his eyes as he too looked into the darkness.
You straightened up and gestured to the corpses. “The runners. There’s more than one,” you said again.
His eyes went back to the bodies, his brow heavily furrowed. “Yeah… that ain’t good.”
You shook your head. “Let’s just get inside,” you said, exhaustion hitting you like a tidal wave. The adrenaline had waned, and you felt the full extent of your lack of sleep and the fight. “Deal with the bodies tomorrow…”
Daryl nodded and called to the dogs, and you all headed back into the cabin. You sank down heavily on the bench by the front door, meaning to take your boots off, but you found yourself suddenly frozen, staring blankly toward the rug.
Daryl shut and bolted the door, eyeing you with concern. He set his crossbow down nearby and chewed on his bottom lip. “Y/N,” he said gently. “Ya alrigh’?”
“Huh?” His voice snapped you back. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay…” you toed off each of your boots and then glanced at the blood spatter on your arms.
Daryl frowned. “Let’s get ya cleaned up. Ya got coated pretty good,” he drawled. “C’mon.” He tilted his head toward the kitchen and you followed, shivering again from the wetness of your clothes from the snow.
He ran the water in the sink until it was warm and grabbed the nearest dishtowel, wetting a corner. You leaned up against the counter near the light he’d flicked on and accepted the damp cloth gratefully, wiping it over your face and down your neck, swiping it over the blood spatter on your arms.
Your eyes were vague and fixed ahead as you sighed, the wet dishcloth now dangling in your hand.
“Hmm?” Daryl prompted you.
You shook your head slowly. “Just thinking about that owl… maybe it was a bad omen,” you said softly.
Daryl chewed on his bottom lip again. “Was just an owl,” he said. “C’mon. Ya should change outta those wet clothes. And then ya need sleep. Ya look dead on yer feet.”
You scoffed a wry laugh as you straightened up. “Poor choice of words.”
He let out a low hum. “Righ’… C’mon.”
You disappeared into your room as he sank down on the couch, having tossed another log on the fire, and then collapsed back into worried thoughts. So, there were more of them… Tomorrow he’d have to set up some alarms… maybe talk to you about more defenses around the cabin.
“Daryl.”
He looked up to see you standing in the doorway of your bedroom, in a change of dry clothes, your eyes heavy. “Hmm?”
“Do you think we could—combine forces again for tonight?” He didn’t catch your meaning at first, until you tipped your head back in toward your room behind you.
His heart jumped. “Yeah. Yeah, o’ course. I’ll be righ’ there…”
In a few minutes, both of you were settled down in your bed. The dogs were on the rug nearby, already sleeping as if nothing had happened. You shifted beneath the covers and rolled onto the flat of your back. Daryl was laying on the other side of the bed with his crossbow within easy reach.
You sighed loudly into the darkness. “So, there are more of them,” you said again.
“Yeah,” he replied into the blackness.
“We’re gonna have to change some things.” Daryl heard a note of weariness or maybe sadness in your voice. “Tomorrow. We’re gonna have to do something… I don’t know. Something.”
“Yeah,” he said again. He heard the rustling of the blankets and could sense that you’d turned onto your side and were closer to him.
“…How many more do you think there are?”
He didn’t want to tell you what he really thought. He knew that you probably already knew the answer. “I don’t know…” he drawled. Then he was surprised when he felt the weight of you so close you were almost pressed against him, and then the gentle feeling of your hand on his arm. It was still a bit cold and he wanted to cover it with his, warm it underneath his own, but he didn’t.
“I’m—I’m glad you’re here,” you said. Your voice was faint, laced with waiting sleep.
Words:4,562 Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader Reader pronouns:she/her Era:Alexandria Warnings: language, sexuality (*wiggles eyebrows*) Requested by:anonymous Summary: Finally safe and feeling that this new community may actually be the real deal, Y/N finds herself looking for Daryl during the group’s first night in Alexandria.
“You’re still awake.” Your voice, woven with sleep, sounded from the front door. Daryl looked over his shoulder to see you standing at the threshold to the porch in your socks. Your hair was tousled and the sight of you looking so domestic produced a profound pang in his chest, a desire for the space between him and you to vanish she he could feel the softness of you that he could see. “I woke up and you weren’t by the window. I got worried,” you went on. You were worried about him? Was it wrong that he wanted you to worry about him? To wonder where he’d gone? His heart leapt at the thought of you missing him. You shut the door softly behind you and wandered over to him. He was anxiously chewing on his thumbnail, now averting his eyes away because it felt dangerous to keep looking at you.
“Couldn’t sleep,” he murmured, his eyes still fixed out into the darkness of the still street.
You tilted your head a little skeptically. “Couldn’t or wouldn’t?” you asked, already knowing the answer. He hummed a vague response. You leaned back against the porch railing beside him, your eyes fixed on the silent house. Daryl was leaning on his forearms, staring out into the night. Your elbow accidentally brushed his upper arm and he gulped at the glancing contact. The settlement was still and quiet. People were sleeping deeply in their beds with no fear of the dead or a living intruder with stolen supplies or worse on their mind. You glance toward the walls which loomed securely at the edge of your vision. And although you knew they weren’t a guarantee, you were breathing deeply in a way you hadn’t for a long time. You were filling your lungs with air and letting it out slowly. You were appreciating the scent of grass damp with dew and the rose bushes next door. You glanced back over at Daryl. He was the only one of your group who hadn’t rushed to take a shower as soon as they heard the words “hot water.” His hair still hung in dirty strands, and his skin was dark with the accumulated sweat and grime of many weeks wandering in the dry, scorching heat. Even so, your heart still fluttered as you looked at him and you felt the familiar tug behind your navel, a pull that made you want to reach for him. You understood why he hadn’t cleaned up yet. Some part of him was worried it would all vanish in an instant, so what was the point of getting comfortable? Getting comfortable was dangerous. You’d all gotten comfortable at the prison and look what had happened… Still, you wanted to reassure him. “I think we’re going to be okay here,” you said.
The archer could hear hope in your voice. He hadn’t heard that since the prison fell. His stomach still clenched at the memory of it all crumbling… The smoke and chaos, the continuous din of gunfire, his frantic searching for you, screaming your name into the rubble, fear seizing him with an icy fist when he realized you could be lying dead beneath crumbled brick and stone… He tried to push the memories away but they seemed to have their own will and stayed firmly rooted in his mind’s eye. He was teetering on the edge of that dark whirlpool when you called him back, the way you always could. It was just his name at first, but your hand on his arm followed and he felt as if you’d snatched him back from the edge just in time.
There was something extra soft about you in that moment. Maybe it was the sleep you were still wearing wrapped around your shoulders. Or maybe, just maybe, he dared to hope that it was something else—something in your eyes that was just for him. He ducked his head and swallowed nervously.
“Come inside with me,” you said gently. “Please?”
He glanced back up at you in surprise. He could only guess at what you meant by “with me” but his heart pounced on it immediately and began to race. It had sounded like there was more meaning in it than simply rejoining everyone back in the main room, huddled together side by side on bedrolls like refugees. You didn’t say “with us.” You’d said “with me.” Or maybe he was just overthinking it, mixing fantasy with your words to come to a meaning he wanted.
You tilted your head slightly, the question persisting on your brow, and your fingers slipped from the bare skin of his arm. As an answer, he straightened up, chewing on his bottom lip and looking boyish with some nerves. You smiled at him; just a small one. He followed behind you as you let yourself back into the house, but he hesitated in the entryway when you bypassed the front room and made for the stairs, looking back at him to see if he would still follow.
He seemed nervous and you moved back down the few stairs you’d already climbed and crossed the space to him. You stood close, so close he could feel the heat of you, could smell the lingering scent of floral-scented shampoo. Lilac? Rose? You gently grabbed his hand and he stared down at the melding of the two of you in surprise before meeting your eyes again with yet another question on his brow. Your hand fit so perfectly in his, your fingers laced. He could feel how much smaller yours was than his and he felt a swell of protectiveness.
“Come on,” you whispered. “Everyone is down here. We’ll have upstairs to ourselves.”
His breathing kicked up.
You read his nerves on his face and gave him a small, reassuring smile, squeezing his hand lightly in yours. “Daryl—You’re always taking care of everyone else. Can I take care of you?” you asked him.
His brow furrowed. He still didn’t quite understand your meaning. Or he thought maybe he understood it, but no—that couldn’t be right. You’d never… and he’d never… What was happening? He knew something was. He’d known it as soon as you’d stopped beside him outside.
“Do you trust me?” you asked again in a low voice.
He could hardly find his voice to answer and had to clear his throat so it wouldn’t come out strangled in his throat. “Yeah. O’ course…” he drawled, gruff gravel heavy in his answer.
You tilted your head back toward the stairs. “Then come on.” You didn’t let go of his hand and tugged him gently behind you, up the stairs, peeking into each room you passed until you apparently found the one you were looking for and stepped inside.
Once you crossed the threshold, your fingers slipped from where they’d been laced with his, and he felt the loss intensely and found himself clenching his hand into a fist and stretching his fingers as the electric sensation on his skin dissipated. He watched you with curiosity as you paced toward the center of the room, your back to him, and stared at the king size bed, complete with all manner of fluffy pillows and clean bedding.
The bed. Jesus, he was far too aware of that bed. You and him and a clean, soft bed.
“Doesn’t feel real, does it?” you said over your shoulder.
Daryl took a few more steps toward you. “Nah. But ‘m not sure anythin’ really feels real anymore.” You turned and gave him a sad look, your mouth drawn and your eyebrows low over your eyes. He ducked his head and shifted anxiously again. “I ain’t even sure yer real most days. Ya could be a fuckin’ mirage,” he said, one corner of his mouth quirking up slightly to tell you he was joking, but you knew he was more serious than he wanted you to think.
You moved into him, one hand landing on his arm again and smoothing down the length of it to stop gently at his wrist and the other surprising him as it came to rest in the center of his chest. “I’m real.” Your eyes searched his face.
Daryl gulped. Your fingertips were setting him ablaze, fueling a fire in him he tried to pretend wasn’t there, except in the wee hours of the morning when he couldn’t sleep and his hazy mind whispered “what if”. What if he told you? What if you felt the same way? What if you’d let him put his hands on you and taste your lips and breathe in your smell? What if you’d let him take you to bed and push you into a deep pool of bliss? What if you let him hold you all night, your legs tangled together, your head resting against him. God, he wanted to kiss you. He didn’t think he’d ever wanted anything more in his entire life, unless it was his desperate wishing and hoping to find you again after the prison fell… his need to always keep you safe in this world. But by the time those thoughts had dashed through his brain, your touch was gone and you’d walked into the attached master bathroom and he soon heard the running of water as you turned on the shower. Daryl watched clouds of steam drifting lazily up toward the ceiling lights until you reappeared in the doorway, one hand gracefully resting on the frame, your eyes fixed on him.
His heart was beating so fast and hard he was certain you would be able to hear it. He could hear it loudly in his own ears, almost drowning out every other sound. His mind was racing as he tried to decipher what you wanted from him. You had that look in your eyes again. It was the one that was soft, but intentioned, and he tried to decode it. He was grateful that he didn’t have to whirl with uncertain guesses much longer, because suddenly you were against him, pushing his dirty hair out of his face, and finding his lips with the soft pillow of yours, kissing him with a tenderness he didn’t think he’d ever known in his entire life. You were all silky curves and soft velvet, warm and steady. But behind your gentle kiss was all the passion burning in your chest waiting to burst out, restrained as you waited for his reaction and again pulled back, searching his eyes.
He seemed stunned for a long moment, except for his eyes flickering over your face. You just gazed back at him steadily.
He seemed to draw in a hurried, fortifying breath and then he crashed down into you with the hunger of a starving man. You were the only thing that would sate the desperate need he had and you’d given him the permission he needed to seek his fill. His hands slid over your edges; curling around the curves of your rib cage and tracing the coastline of your waist to the swell of your hip, flattening out on your back and settling in the gentle bend of your spine. His other hand cupped your face. His thumb traced your jawline and his fingers slid into your hair, all while his kiss deepened and intensified and you found yourself off-balance, falling back into his hand, which kept you on your feet with gentle pressure on the small of your back. You looped your arms around his neck and pulled him more tightly into you, and his tongue darted out to sweep across your lower lip, asking permission for entrance to taste you and replace what he’d imagined so many times with reality. You melted beneath him and happily parted your lips. Everywhere your hands touched him seemed to spark with electricity and Daryl’s mind went blissfully blank, except for the sensations of you, you, you.
You sighed into his lips, humming a noise of surprised pleasure at his eagerness and he pulled back, his expression suddenly uncertain. You tried to catch your breath as you struggled to read his face. “What?” fell from your lips in a breathy whisper. “What is it?”
Daryl’s blue eyes flickered between yours. “I dun—what is this?” he drawled, his brow furrowing.
Confusion flashed across your face. “What do you mean?” you asked, not understanding his hesitation. You started to pull away. Maybe he didn’t want this the way you did…
His arms tightened around you gently, not to force you to stay, but to tell you he didn’t want you to leave. “Y/N, I—I just gotta know what this is… whatever it is…”
And then you understood his hesitation. Daryl wasn’t a hook-up, one night stand kind of guy. You knew that. He’d rejected every person who’d shown any interest in him in that way, and come to think of it even the ones who sought more. And that thought suddenly struck you hard in between the ribs. The people he cared about, he cared for fiercely for as long as he lived. Though he often tried to hide it behind a bowed head and brooding looks, he was deeply emotional and felt things profoundly. His hesitation was the fear that the two of you didn’t want the same thing—that he wanted you in a way you didn’t want him. Insecurity from his past ate into him, needled into his most intimate hopes and thoughts. You hurriedly moved into him again and your eyes closed revealing the thick frays of lashes as you kissed him, heated and sincere, your lips tasting to him like vanilla sugar with the brightness of citrus. Daryl’s fingers dimpled into the soft curve of your waist as he kissed you back.
You drew apart just enough to look into his eyes and smoothed a hand down his strong chest, pausing with your palm flush over his bounding heart. “I want you, Daryl. And not just this minute, or just this hour… I want you like I didn’t think it was possible to still want someone in this world. And I’m tired of waiting. We’re safe here—at least for now. And I just can’t bear another second of pretending like I don’t wonder what being more with you is like every second of every goddamn day. I can’t pretend that I don’t love the way you always check on me to make sure I’m eating enough or drinking enough stupid water. Or that it doesn’t drive me insane watching you work with your hands. And I can’t pretend that I can sleep, really sleep, without you close. So, that’s it. That’s what this is. You have all of me,” you hesitated, a blush rising in your cheeks as you spoke so plainly, “if you want it.”
His answer, after a moment of frozen disbelief, was to kiss you urgently again, even more desperately. “Fuck, have ya got any idea how much I want this?” he said, pressing his forehead to yours and feeling completely out of breath, his tongue a little clumsy in his mouth, drunk on you.
Your face lit up with a relieved smile. “No,” you said, with a light laugh. “I—I wasn’t sure that—I mean, I hoped you knew how special you are to me but I didn’t know if—"
He bit his bottom lip and shook his head at you. “I want this more than I admitted to myself until righ’ now… ‘cuz I didn’t believe it was—I didn’t think ya—fuck,” he ducked his head, frustrated that now of all times he couldn’t find the damn words.
But you only leaned into him and kissed his neck. The action sent a jolt through him like adrenaline with an electric sizzle. You felt his body tense beneath your hands, but you only did it again, moving your lips toward the angle of his jaw. His fingers tightened on your hips. You grazed the shell of his ear with your teeth and a chesty growl escaped him. You couldn’t suppress the smug smile of satisfaction that you were able to elicit such a response by hardly doing anything. “Our shower is waiting,” you said softly, right into his ear.
“Our… shower,” he repeated.
“Mhm. If you’re interested…” You drew back to study his face again and couldn’t help but smile at his expression.
“If?” He cursed under his breath again. “…Are ya sure?” he asked again, doubt still nagging him. “Are ya sure ya want—I mean, we can stop if—”
Your fingers floated to the top button of his shirt. “I’ve never been more fucking sure of anything in my entire life, Daryl.” Your voice was silky and dark, and another shudder almost ran through him. You gave him another look, gauging if you could continue and the hunger and near desperation on his face urged you on. You undressed him hurriedly, unable to stop your hands from drifting over every hardened muscle as the heat in your core grew more and more, and he returned the favor with somewhat clumsy fingers. But you didn’t mind when he couldn’t get a button undone, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, and he finally just swore and ripped the last few off your damn flannel, dissolving you into laughter first, until his skin was pressed against yours and his lips descended on your neck and found their way to your collarbone. He wanted to kiss every part of you. He trailed kisses down the center of your chest and stomach before circling back to the swell of your breasts. You sighed, pressing your hips into his, and his hands wandered to the curve of your buttocks, his fingers dimpling into your skin. The heat you’d kindled was flushing his chest and face and you could feel it radiating off him.
“Daryl—shower,” you breathed.
He nipped at your collarbone and you let out a small noise of surprise that melted into a moan. And the next moment he was tugging you to the steam-filled bathroom and freeing you of the last of your clothing. You returned the favor and hastily pushed his jeans and boxers aside.
You nudged him under the warm spray of water and let it cascade over both of you, running your hands over his skin and through his wet hair, your fingers finding every little cut or bruise and leading you to leave a kiss on each. Daryl leaned into your every touch, closing his eyes and directing the shower spray over his face as he curled his arms around you and held you to him, skin to skin, warm water collecting between you and spilling down over the tangle of you both. You grabbed the soap and shampoo and smoothed it over his body, washing away the dirt and grime of the road, yearning growing in you every second your fingers passed over his chiseled body and drifted around the angle of his hips or broad shoulders, alternating with pangs of anger and pain when you met one of his many scars.
Both of you were clean, simply enjoying the heat of the water, when he finally walked you up against the shower wall and crashed his lips down on yours again, droplets clinging to you and him. Neither of you could wait any longer and you gasped with pleasure and ecstasy as he gained entrance to you and you wrapped a leg around him to encourage closer, almost overwhelmed at the rippling sensations running through you. You were each completely intoxicated, high on each other, and the long years of waiting, of pining, only intensified your highs.
For someone who had alluded to not having much experience, Daryl seemed to read you like a book, responding to each little sound or movement you made as if he already knew exactly how to prolong each wave of pleasure, knew just what every little expression meant, had the handbook to decode your moans and sighs. His name leaving your lips in a breathy gasp nearly pushed him over the edge every time, but he chased the peak of your pleasure, and that desire to make you feel good, that goal, held his own release at bay until finally, the two of you crested and came down together. He collapsed into you, his head finding the crook of your neck and you draped your arms lazily around him, trying to regain your breath. “Oh my God,” you breathed, running your fingernails down his back. He kissed your neck and the side of your face. And finally, when the water was starting to run cold and your legs were so shaky you almost couldn’t support yourself, he folded you into him and kissed your wet hair and your forehead. You rested your cheek against him, hearing the rushing of his heart. He fumbled for the tap and turned the water off before grabbing some towels and wrapping you up first. He memorized that moment. You were adorned with droplets of water, your wet hair sticking to your neck, looking up at him with pink, kiss-swollen lips, smiling. He marveled at what had just happened—him, a nobody red-neck, rough around the edges, and you at your softest, colliding together.
You were more relaxed than he’d ever seen you. Your eyelids were heavy with bliss as you smiled dreamily up at him, biting your bottom lip. His mouth quirked in a smile and he ducked his head for a moment, avoiding your gaze, his boyish bashfulness coming back for a moment. “Ya think ya can make it to the bed on those wobbly legs or should I carry ya?” he drawled, glancing at you again from beneath his wet strands of hair.
“I think I can make it,” you sighed. He nodded and stepped out, toweling himself off before wrapping it around his waist and going to shut and lock the bedroom door. The two of you hadn’t even realized you’d left it open…
He paused when he turned back, letting the sight of the shape of you beneath the blankets sink into the deepest corners of his core memory, your towel discarded on the floor. Your eyes were already closed, wet hair leaving a damp spot on the pillow. You lifted your head and looked at him when you didn’t feel him return to you, and the smile you gave him made his heart jump.
You peeled back the blankets to welcome him into your warmth and he didn’t hesitate a moment longer, slipping into the sheets with you and moving into your softness, breathing in the clean scent of your skin and hair. His hands traveled your frame as if they knew the way now, a landscape he loved and would travel every day of his damn life if he could. He felt you become heavier beside him, sinking into sleep, and he began to slip down with you, curling you in against him and kissing you one more time.
You both woke early to a warm, sun-tinted room. Daryl was wide awake after what he thought was the best goddamn sleep he’d ever had in his life, but he wouldn’t move a fucking inch until you came gently out of your slumber. When you did, you stretched in his arms and smiled as they tightened around you again. You turned toward him and the sleepy smile and messy hair had him weak. His mouth turned up in a soft smile.
“Hi,” you said, reaching up to run your fingers through his wavy hair. His eyes closed at your touch. He ran his hand gently up and down your arm, his blue eyes calm and happy.
“Hey,” he drawled. He pressed a kiss to your hair, looking a little boyish and shy even. “How’d ya sleep?”
You sighed contentedly and splayed your fingers out over his bare chest. “Amazing,” you breathed. “You?”
He nudged his nose up in a nod. “Same.” His heart jumped as you leaned forward and kissed one of his scars before snuggling in against him, your head resting beneath his chin. Holy shit. He would die to keep you safe. He’d do anything to protect you. Of course he’d known that before but this—now? It was almost overwhelming how deeply his feelings for you ran, brought to the surface because you simply felt safe enough to reach for him, to draw him inside out of the dark and pull him into your light.
But your relaxed and happy time was shattered by frantic voices downstairs and then footsteps clattering up the stairs. Glenn’s voice sounded urgently from the other side of the bedroom door after a loud series of knocks.
“Hey! Daryl? Daryl, are you in there??”
Daryl swore under his breath as you gave him a worried look and he leaned up on his elbow. “Yeah, ‘m in here. ’S wrong?”
“Oh. Oh… okay. Thank God… We just—we didn’t know where you were. Have you seen Y/N? She’s missing from downstairs too. Rick just wants to make sure nothing—nothing sideways is going on.”
“Uhh—” He glanced over at you beside him, the dip of your waist and curve of your hip shrouded in only a sheet. You bit your bottom lip as you looked back at him. “Yeah, I saw her… this mornin’… uhh… ‘m sure she’s fine,” he drawled, shrugging at you and pulling a face.
You put a hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter as Glenn sounded relieved and you heard his steps retreat down the stairs. You grinned at Daryl, light sparking in your eyes. “I’m better than fine, Daryl.”
He gave you a smile and you bit your bottom lip again, your brain going fuzzy and drifting away to the previous night in the shower, the rhythm of the two of your together, your fingernails down his back, the little bruise he’d left just below your collarbone. “Sorry. Should I have just told him ya were righ’ here, naked in bed with me?”
You shrugged. “If you wanted to. I plan to brag to everyone,” you teased him.
“I better give ya somethin’ to really brag about then,” he said, moving over you in the bed, his hands planted on either side of you. His lips descended on your neck and you sighed involuntarily, melting beneath his touch.
“I’m yours, Daryl,” you breathed.
He crashed his lips against yours and clasped your face. He brushed the strands of your sleep tousled hair away, meeting your eyes, bewilderment and disbelief still in his. “Yer mine. And ‘m yours. And we’re gonna be better than okay here.”
And that was beyond what you had hoped for as a fresh start in this new community… a blissful first night that gave way to a heated and happy new beginning.
New surprise one shot dropping in the next couple hours because The Muse still is giving me writer’s block on Dead of Winter… BUT AT LEAST YA’LL GET SOMETHIN’! <3
The door banged open and you looked up to see Rick partially supporting Daryl. He had a belt tied around his upper leg to slow the bleeding of a very obvious wound in his leg. You swore under your breath and immediately rose, pulling a clean pair of gloves on.
“You’ve got to be kidding me with this, Daryl,” you scolded him. Rick helped him get onto one of the tables nearby. You hastily began pulling supplies off the shelf. “What the hell happened?”
Daryl shot you a glare, annoyed by the edge in your voice. “I hurt my fuckin’ leg,” he growled. “Can’t ya fuckin’ tell?”
Rick’s eyebrows lifted. “I wouldn’t antagonize her, Daryl. She’s the one who—”
“OW! Son of a bitch!” Daryl yelped out. You’d jabbed a needle into his leg to numb the area without warning and perhaps a little harder than necessary…
You shot him a look as Rick tried his hardest not to react.
“What the fuck was that for?!” Daryl asked, reaching for his leg. You pushed his hand away before he could get it near the injection site or the wound. “Goddamn, woman! Ya coulda fuckin’ warned me!” he growled.
“Stop whining,” you snapped at him. “I’m sick of having to put you back together every three days, Dixon.” You started digging in a nearby cabinet for your suturing supplies but were having trouble locating what you needed. You were rifling through a drawer for the third time when his southern drawl cut through the crinkling of plastic and paper.
He let out a scoff. “Jesus, maybe ya should spend some time organizin’ this place instead of just tossing shit randomly in drawers. Maybe then ya could actually find what yer lookin’ for instead of havin’ yer patient bleed out on the table…”
You straightened up and shot him a glare that sent a chill down even Rick’s back. He stepped forward to catch your attention. “How bad is his leg?” Rick interrupted.
Without change of expression, you grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Daryl’s pant leg wide open practically from knee to his belt loops. You tossed the scissors down with a loud clatter on the metal table and eyed the wound. It was wide, but the edges were clean and you’d be able to stitch it easily. It was deep enough, but not so deep that you were worried about permanent damage. “He’ll be fine,” you tossed at Rick.
“Ya just fuckin’ ruined my goddamn pants on purpose,” Daryl accused you, staring at the entirety of his now exposed upper leg. “Why the hell did ya have to cut ‘em that much?”
You rolled your eyes dramatically.
Rick ignored the bickering and cleared his throat. “Great… Alright. I’m, uhh, gonna leave you to it then,” he said, patting Daryl heavy-handedly on the shoulder and giving him a pointed look. As soon as the door shut behind the sheriff you rounded on Daryl again, your nostrils flaring with your anger.
“You don’t come in here and tell me how to run my shit!” you snapped at him, nearly jabbing a gloved finger into his chest. “This place is organized fine! I wouldn’t have to search so hard if someone didn’t keep using up all my goddamn suturing supplies! Not to mention the antibiotics!”
Daryl’s eyes narrowed and flashed. “Hey, somebody has gotta keep your ass safe! Ain’t no joke goin’ outside the walls!”
“You think I don’t fucking know what it’s like out there? I know all too well what it’s like! And yet, despite my repeated warnings that you need to be less reckless and less of a pain in my ass, you’re the only one who seems to be entirely unable to keep themselves out of trouble for more than 24 hours at a time!”
“Ya think I like getting torn to pieces all the time? I like it about as damn much as I do comin’ in here and havin’ ya patch me up! Yer bedside manner could use a whole lot of fuckin’ work, doc!”
You let out a growl of frustration and threw your hands up, anger flaring in your chest. He was so—he was so—UGH! “You know what? Fuck you! Next time you almost kill yourself, you can have someone else stitch you up!”
“Good! Maybe they’ll do a better job!” he yelled back, ignoring the throbbing in his leg.
That was it. Your jaw clenched and your chest was heaving in angry breaths. Your eyes were flashing with an internal light that was staggering. You looked wild and nearly feral as you glared at him, and something in Daryl couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed the lapel of your white coat and pulled your lips down on his, kissing you fiercely.
To his surprise, you kissed him back, almost melting beneath his lips, softening under his touch—but then, you seemed to come back to your senses and stumbled back, looking at him with wide, shocked eyes.
“W—what the hell was that?” you demanded. “Why did you do that?!” You were entirely alarmed at how your body had responded to him, at how good and right kissing him had just felt. Warmth bloomed out from the center of your chest and spilled outward through the rest of you. “What the fuck, Daryl?!”
His blue eyes were still sharp and fixed on you, but there was something in them now that was different. “Yer the biggest goddamn pain in my ass, ya know that?”
You scoffed. “Me? Me? You’re—you!” You were stuttering, stumbling over your words, and you hated that.
“Ya gonna fix my leg or what?” Daryl asked, his eyes still fixed on you, slightly narrowed.
You came back into yourself and resumed your care, ripping open sterile gauze and arranging the tools you needed. You felt his eyes on you and your cheeks grew hot. It was some infuriating mixture of anger and desire to kiss him again. “This isn’t—this isn’t over, Daryl,” you said. “You can’t just do that and then expect everything to just… go on the way it was. And I’m still mad at you!” You sighed and focused on his leg. “It’s not over…”
“I was hopin’ not…” he drawled.
Prompt: “You don’t come in here and tell me how to run my shit!”
requested and commissioned by @madhouseexe1 thank you so, so, SO much for your support! <3 prompt: You and Me by James TW (cute song btw!)
“You’ve been quiet all day,” you said to him. He was sitting across the fire from you, prodding at the coals every so often. You could sense that he was continually turning something over and over in his mind and that whatever it was, it was pressing on him. “Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” you asked. It was a gentle nudge. Daryl knew you’d never press him, but what he was holding in was about to burst out of him anyway. It was like a rubber band stretched to breaking point and it was about to snap.
His eyes finally drifted up from the coals of the fire to your face and there was a distinctive look of anguish in them. You straightened up, alarmed.
“Daryl—what is it?”
“I shouldn’t—I shouldn’ta kissed ya last night,” he drawled, looking away to the side, hiding the emotions swirling in his eyes.
You stomach tightened into a knot. Your heart stalled out completely. “What?”
He ducked his head, shaking it slightly. “I ain’t—I ain’t good enough for ya. I know that. And I shouldn’ta—”
A rush of air left your lungs; some combination of relief mixed with disbelief at what he’d just said. “Daryl,” you interrupted him. You climbed to your feet and moved around the fire until you were right beside him, sitting up on your heels. “Look at me,” you begged him. He kept his eyes turned away, tension flickering over his face briefly as he tried to contain his emotion. “Hey—” You cupped his face and his chin lifted at the touch of your fingers. He met your eyes, and you could see that his were glassy. “Don’t you ever, not for one second, think that.” You sighed. “As long as I have you, I’ll always have everything I need. You have no idea what you mean to me. Daryl, you are more than enough.”
You sighed again and shook your head, giving him a somewhat sad smile. The link between his past and those words leaving his lips was so clear and obvious to you… and you cursed everyone who’d every hurt him. “Sometimes I forget you can’t read my mind,” you laughed. “Because it often seems like you can. But if you knew what I thought about you, every minute of every day, you’d understand that you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. And I’ll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it to shut up those voices in your head telling you otherwise.”
He gulped and his blue eyes searched your face. There was a questioning expression on his face and you gave him a reassuring smile.
“You kissing me last night was the best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me. And that includes when I found that unopened jar of peanut butter last week.”
Daryl let out an amused exhale, and his lips actually curved slightly in a smile. “You and yer damn peanut butter,” he drawled.
“Right! So, that’s really saying something!” You brushed his hair away from his eyes and felt a warmth filling you up that you only associated with him. It was safety. It was your best friend. It was home. It was everything you needed. “You’re everything, Daryl Dixon. You don’t even realize it.” You leaned in and found his lips softly with yours and the next moment his hand gently found your lower back and pulled you in more tightly. The heat between the two of you grew as he kissed you back urgently, eager to have you under his hands, and leaning against him, you didn’t need the fire anymore.
”Where the hell have ya been? I’ve been looking all over for ya!” Daryl was striding up to you as you were sitting on a bench pulling your boots off. As an answer, you tossed the small but weighty duffel bag at him and he unzipped it, revealing boxes and boxes of ammunition.
His blue eyes were narrowed and sharp as he looked back up at you. “Where’d ya get this?” he asked.
You pursed your lips and looked off to the side thoughtfully. “Mmmm… Do you want the honest answer or the one that will give you peace of mind?”
Daryl’s brow furrowed deeply. “Please tell me ya didn’t fuckin’ go back there by yerself…” You only gave him a somewhat sheepish smile and shrugged vaguely.
”I knew they had ammo, and we needed ammo! Don’t worry. I wasn’t seen and I wasn’t followed. It’s fine!”
Daryl set the duffel bag down and stepped close in front of you, gripping your shoulders gently, his face grave. “Y/N… That was real fuckin’ stupid. What if—”
You interrupted him. “Daryl, it’s fine. I—”
”Lemme finish,” he said sternly. “What if they hadseen ya? Ya could be dead. Or worse… they coulda taken ya.” The serious expression on his face melted away into fear. “What would I have done if—if somethin’ had happened?”
With his hands on you and such fear in his blue eyes, your tongue seemed to be having trouble forming any words. You gulped nervously and opened your lips to speak, but nothing came out.
”Ya gotta promise me… promise ya won’t do somethin’ like that again. Okay?” And there was no way you couldn’t promise it, not with him looking at you like that… so desperately…
Prompt: “Where did you get that?” / “Do you want the honest answer or the one that will give you peace of mind?”
No Lone Wolves Here (Daryl Dixon x Platonic!Reader)
An Alexandrian party is too much for you after your time surviving. Thankfully, your friend Daryl understands exactly how you’re feeling.
The party was bustling with life. It felt odd, to be surrounded by so many people in such small quarters, actual clean clothes adorned on your body and the heavy sound of chatter attacking your senses. After surviving with the dead for so long, it was strange to be living with the living. That’s why you separated yourself, clinging to the quietest corner of the room. You merely watched all these people interact with one thought in your mind - how can they act so normal?
Your every instinct was telling you to run, to find a quiet place to spend the rest of your night. You wanted to ditch the bottle of beer that was cradled in your hand, the liquid still brimming the top. You couldn’t drink. No, you had to stay focused.
“Hey, Y/N.” Rick sidled up beside you, eyes raking your tense stance. It didn’t take a body language expert to sense that you were on edge. “Enjoying the party?”
“Depends on your definition of ‘enjoyment’.”
“C'mon, try to loosen up a bit.” Rick sighed, rubbing his beard. He placed a friendly hand on your shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “I know it’s hard, but can you at least try? These people welcomed us into their home.”
Rick’s begging eyes broke your resolve. As much as you loved your corner of solitude, there was only so long that you could put off interacting with other people. Nodding your head, a bright smile lit up his face. The action nearly knocked you off your feet. It had been so long since you had seen him smile.
You had to do this, for your friends, your family.
“You got this.” Rick gave your shoulder a final squeeze, before disappearing back into the crowd. You wished he stayed by your side and helped you navigate the treacherous waters of normal conversation. God, you couldn’t remember the last time you made small talk.
Fighting your trembling hands and racing heart, you threw yourself into the fray. You felt eyes draw towards you as you suddenly realised you could not remember how the hell to approach a stranger for a conversation. Don’t even get you started on small talk.
Nervously, you sipped your drink. The foul tasting liquid did nothing to soothe your nerves. Maybe it would be better if you got another drink.
Weaving through the people, you managed to find the kitchen. You released a breath you didn’t realise you’d been holding at the sight of the empty room. You were becoming aware that your palms were sweaty.
Drink cradled to your chest, you searched the table for anything other than beer. After a few minutes you came up short, disappointment shooting through you like a bullet.
“Looking for a drink?” A voice behind you questioned.
Your heart jumped out of your chest as you spun around, already thinking ten steps ahead as to how you could incapacitate the threat. You froze when you saw a man standing there, no older than early twenties, looking at you with a raised brow.
“Someone’s jumpy.” His remark dug under your skin. He had no idea what you had been through to get to this paradise. Ignorant prick. Still, you promised Rick you would try to be friendly. You huffed a laugh, hoping it would hide your annoyance.
“You’re with the new group, right?” You nodded your head, really wishing he would stop looking at you. There was nothing sinister in his gaze, just a glint of curiosity that you weren’t sure how to respond to. “I’m Jake, nice to meet you.”
His open hand hung between the two of you. You stared at it, not entirely sure what to do. If you shook his hand, that would give him the advantage to exploit your weaknesses. You settled for nodding at him, forcing a small quirk to your lips. “I’m Y/N.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
Suddenly you didn’t get a good vibe. You wanted to tell this man to mind his own business but all you could think of was how brightly Rick smiled. He wanted to make this place a home; you had to try to make this work. Reluctantly, you shook your head up and down.
Jake moved closer, skirting around you to grab another drink. He took the lid off with the edge of the table, looking at you from the corner of his eye. “It’s so boring here. It’s wild to think the world is… gone when everything here is so normal. I bet you have some stories.”
Your mouth ran off without consulting your brain. “None of which I’m sharing with you.”
Jake immediately backed away, raising his hands in surrender. You wanted to do nothing more than yank the drink from his hand and smash it over his head. He was still smiling. “I wasn’t trying to pry, just making friendly conversation.”
“Feels more like an interrogation to me.”
“Is it? Because to me it seems like you have a difficulty opening up.”
“To me it sounds like you’ve never heard that curiosity kills the cat.”
He smiled playfully. “But satisfaction brought it back.”
“Not to be rude, but I’m not going to tell someone I’ve just met my life story.” All thoughts of grabbing another drink forgotten, you moved past him to leave the kitchen. His hand shot out and grabbed your arm. Before you could process what was happening, you had his arm pinned to his back, him whimpering.
“Don’t touch me.” You warned, releasing his arm and leaving the kitchen. Rick’s wish be damned, you tried, maybe you could try another day. All you knew was this house was suffocating and it felt as if your lungs were going to explode.
You saw glimpses of your group as you tried to find a way out. They were laughing, smiling, drinking, and acting like the perfect citizens. The thought of doing the same made you feel sick. At this point you had evolved into a survivor and the white picket fence lifestyle didn’t suit you.
Aaron appeared in your vision, stepping out in front of you. You stopped in your tracks, legs itching to start moving again. “Y/N? Are you okay?”
The concern in his eyes made you want to run further. Desperately, you managed to squeak out a request. “Can I leave?”
“Sure, sure.” Aaron smiled at you sympathetically. “I’ll show you the way.”
With Aaron as your guide you escape your prison, breathing in a large lungful of clean air. As soon as you stepped outside you felt your shoulders loosen and your heart calm.
Aaron closed the door behind you. “Want me to walk you home?”
Home? Did you really have a home here? You declined his offer, shoving the bottle of beer towards Aaron and practically running down the stairs and out into the street. The steady rhythm of your feet hitting the ground brought a strange sense of calm over yourself, until finally you could rid yourself of the anxieties the Alexandrian welcome party had brought you. Jogging to a stop outside the group’s shared house, you weren’t all that surprised to see Daryl sat on the steps, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.
Slightly out of breath, you nodded to the seat next to him. Daryl shuffled over wordlessly, and with a deep sigh you sagged into the space. The acidic stench of smoke hit your nostrils.
“Thought ya were at the party.” Daryl puffed out a plume of smoke. You watched it curl into the air and fade away.
“I’m not really the party type.”
“Me neither.”
“Now that does surprise me.” Daryl eyed you up from the corner of his eye. You smirked, knocking your shoulder against his. “Look at us, a pair of socialites.”
Daryl chuckled. “I’d rather not play pretend when I know the shit that’s goin’ on out there.”
You looked at the walls, at what they were keeping out, but what they were also keeping in. “These people know nothing of suffering.”
“You were like tha’ once.” Daryl stubbed his cigarette on the floor, grinding the ashes into the wood, leaving a burn mark.
“Yeah but I wasn’t a blind idiot.”
“Yeah, 'cause you still are.”
You mocked a gasp, pushing him playfully with your hand. “Remind me why we’re friends.”
“Bold of ya to assume we’re friends.”
“Right, because we’re family.”
“Damn straight.” Daryl leaned backwards, his hands supporting him. “Why’d ya leave?”
You sighed, looking down at your hands. When you lived outside the walls they were always caked in some kind of dirt or blood. Now they were so clean you could make out the creases in your skin. “They wanted entertainment and I ain’t no performing monkey.”
“Amen.” He shuffled across, so the space between you was smaller. His body heat warmed your chilled bones.
Minutes of comfortable silence passed between the two of you. It had always been this way, you could happily chat for hours or say nothing at all. It was the company that mattered. Having once been renowned for being a lone wolf, Daryl had broken free from his shell and embraced the relationships he formed with others. It was hard to believe that when you first met him, he was the loner everyone was intimidated by.
“This place feels like a fairytale.” Daryl mused, looking out at the picture perfect scene. Even the moan of walkers could barely be heard.
“All stories end.”
Daryl grunted in agreement. “I just hope it’s a long fucking story.”
“Are we normal, Daryl? For not fitting in here?”
“Were we ever normal?”
You hummed.
“I don’t think bein’ different is a bad thing.”
“No, I guess you’re right.”
Daryl smiled at you cheekily. “Aren’t I always?”
You laughed, grateful that while everything else was changing, you would still have your friend by your side.
