Daryl could see something deep in your eyes, some recollection of something that was woven into the fabric of who you are as a person, and it made his chest ache. He ducked his head and pulled in slow breaths for a long moment, trying to find the right thing to say, how to thank you for something that so clearly had now sunk you back into unpleasant memories of your own.
The bloody gauze and leftover herbs you’d used on the wound on his back were scattered beside you still.
”Hey,” he drawled softly. You looked up at him, pulled from your dark reverie by the sound of his southern drawl. “Thanks fer—fer patchin’ me up. I know seein’—” he gulped, unable to even mention his scars aloud, “—it probably brings stuff back for ya…”
You gave him a sad smile. “Nothing to thank me for.”
”Look—we ain’t there anymore. We ain’t there…” he trailed off.
You nodded. “Yeah. I know. And hey—sometimes people with the worst past end up creating the best future. We’re working on that. Right?”
He nodded. “Right.” He tilted his head back toward the path. “C’mon. Let’s get home.”
Prompt: “Sometimes people with the worst past end up creating the best future.”
I just finished The Walking Dead season 9 and I have to say…. the last episode was a little underwhelming. I saw spoilers with Judith and Negan in the snow and how he “saved her life” and expected something big, like Alpha attacking Alexandria and everyone had to flee…
Maybe I expected too much but I’m very excited for season 10!
I really hope we get Rick and Maggie back. It isn’t the same without them.
Also, I hate when actors leave a show before it’s finished (looking at you Nina Dobrev) because then their character has this unsatisfying ending (or apparently none at all like Maggie)
I know there is a chance for them coming back but still…
I cannot believe that I’ve reached 3k followers!!! Thank you to every single one of you for taking the time to read, like and reblog my stories! It honestly means so much to me!
To celebrate me hitting this milestone, I have decided to host an A-Z challenge!
Quite a while ago I asked some of my amazing mutuals to give me a word for every letter of the alphabet; I have since compiled two lists (SFW & NSFW) based on the words they gave me as well as my own chosen words, below you will find these lists:
Rules:
The rules for this challenge are pretty simple, if you want to write the story all you have to do is just send me an ask with the word you want to choose along with the character you want to write the story for!
Ideally, I’d like the characters to be from my character list but if a character you want to write for isn’t on there just let me know!
I will only accept three stories per word!
You can choose up to five words and different characters for each one(or keep the same characters) or you can just choose one word and character!
Make sure you tag me in any stories! If I don’t like and reblog it within 72hours, just message me with a link to the story!
If you don’t want to write a story but would still like to take part feel free to send me an ask that starts with this along with the word and character you want and I’ll write a story for you (any words that haven’t been taken I will also write a story for)
Once again, thank you all so much for the continued support!! I love and appreciate every single one of you!
Tagging some people who might be interested (There’s absolutely no pressure to take part though!) :
Summary: Y/n decides to talk to her father in his cell, but it just leads to more hurt. So Daryl decides to have a talk with him so he knows his new place in Y/N’s life.
Authors Note: This is the first Walking dead imagine I ever wrote, it’s not the first posted but it is the first one I ever wrote. Hope you all enjoy it.
“I’m sorry.” Y/n spoke shifted from foot to foot standing across from the cell her father was in.
“Your actions don’t make me want to believe you.” Negan stated in a gruff voice with a scoff. How else in his mind should he feel other than betrayed by his own daughter. His own daughter who helped his pet Daryl escape and ran off with him and joined Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom go against him.
“I’m not sorry for what I did. I’m sorry that I had to do it to the man I once called dad. Sorry I had to hurt my father. Or at least who was my father. Because your not the man that was around when I was younger.” Y/n le tout a sigh. It hurt her to actually say it out loud but he didn’t. He didn’t know her, he hasn’t taken the time to get to know her for years. After he took over the sanctuary their relationship started to decline. She didn’t see her father anymore, the person he was wasn’t there anymore. She got glimpses of the man that raised her every so often but not enough. “I just don’t agree with what you’ve been doing- what you’ve done.”
“Your my fucking daughter!” Negan yelled storming over to the cell bars.
“You haven’t acted like a father! Not in years!” Y/n yelled back before letting out a deep breath to calm down. She didn’t want to let him get a rise out of her, he always thought since he became the Negan he is now getting a rise out of someone was a win for him. That it meant he was making her into someone better who could make it through the new world order.
“Bull fucking shit!” he scoffed with a shake of his head.
“Just cause you were there and around, doesn’t mean you were actually there for me. Not when I needed you, not when it counted.” the deeper the conversation got the more Y/n’s heart ached. Sure she hated who he had become but that didn’t mean she didn’t miss him. The caring father he was at one point. “Do you even know your own daughter anymore? Like truly know me?”
“Of course I know you.” Negan grumbled, the fact that she’d even say that pissed him off.
“Do you?” Y/n raised a brow, she knew he answer but she knew that he couldn’t admit it to himself.
“Whats that suppose to mean?” Negan scoffed with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.
“You may not want to admit it, but you don’t know me. You don’t know your own daughter anymore… An that’s why you lost me.” Y/n sighed, it’s not like she considered herself his daughter anymore. She hadn’t for a long while, but it still hurt.
After that was said Y/n decided to leave the jail cell. When she turned after locking the door and heading up the stairs Carl stood off to the side at the top waiting for her. He knew how hard it was for her when she went down to talk to Negan. Carl knew more than anyone- well maybe him and Daryl were tyed but they knew it wasn’t easy for her to talk to Negan given their history and they knew the most about what had gone on between Y/n and Negan before their groups ran into eachother.
After chatting for a bit in private Carl and Y/n decided to head inside the house that they lived in with his dad, Michonne, Judith, and Daryl.
As the two walked in they were greeted by Daryl and Rick. It didn’t take Daryl even a few minutes to notice something was off with Y/n.
“You ok?” he asked, concerned about how stressed she seemed to be.
“Hmmmhmmm.” she hummed giving him a tight lipped smile. Trying to reassure him but she knew he probably didn’t buy it but he would wait to ask till they were alone. But this time he felt he needed to push.
“Come on, kid. I know you better than that.” Daryl pushed gently, trying to get an answer without pushing to hard.
“Exactly.” Y/n let out a sigh mixture of sadness and frustration. Y/n decided to bid them a little farewell to go upstairs and take a small nap. Leaving the boys to figure out what that was about all about, well Rick and Daryl. Since Carl seemed to already know.
“What was that about?” Daryl questioned the sheriff hat wearing boy, assuming he might know.
“Your right.” Carl nodded, which confused Daryl more feeling he had missed something.
“Huh” Daryl nodded ‘yes’ but was still very confused.
“Yeah… Daryl, you know that you’ve been more of a father to her in the last couple of months than Negan’s been to her in years. You know I’d say you know pretty much everything about her.” Carl stated, hell Daryl got to know her in the sanctuary and got her to join them. With that being said Carl left to go upstairs to find Y/n and lay with her a bit. Make sure she’s ok.
“Carl’s right, Daryl.” Rick stated looking at Daryl. He could tell Daryl was thinking about everything that Carl had said. As much as Rick didn’t want to put to much on the man he considered a brother, but he needed to clarify more for the man. “You are closer and more that girl’s father than her blood one. Blood doesn’t make a family. You have to admit you’ve practically adopted the girl. Whether the two of you acknowledge it or not.”
“I know.” Daryl nodded in agreement with Rick’s statement. “I’d go through hell and back for that kid. She’s family. I consider her my own… No one elses.”
“She’s family.” Rick nodded in agreement. They all already considered Y/n family but with what she means to all of them especially to Daryl and Carl. She’s their family.No matter who’s DNA she might have. “You should tell her that.”
“Hmmm.” he hummed in acknowledgment. Daryl agreed that he should probably finally tell the girl he considered his daughter how he felt about their relationship.
“It would mean a lot to her to hear it. Carl talk to you? She’s feeling like crap. All thank’s to that asshole.” Rick sighed, shaking his head in slight frustration. He to cared about the y/h/c-ed girl, and seeing his son hurt over how he couldn’t help his girlfriend with what she was going through.
Daryl raised his head quickly at Rick’s words now concerned that he hadn’t noticed this about y/n. “Why?”
Rick knew telling Daryl probably wouldn’t help this situation much but he didn’t really care what Daryl might do to the asshole. “He said a lot to her when she chose our side and she has tried talking to him the last couple days… he’s said a lot of messed up things.”
Daryl growled, pissed off. “I’ll tell her. Might even tell the fucker as well. Along with some choice words.”
“I won’t stop you. He deserves that and more. Not just for everything he’s done to us but especially for everything he’s done to Y/n as well.” Rick stated, not going to stop the very angry Dixon. If y/n was his daughter he’d be pissed to.
Not long after the conversation ended Rick left to go find Michonne and Judith, while Daryl decided now was better than never.
^ ^ ^
“Well, low and behold if it isn’t the Daryl Dixon himself!” Negan smirked after his comment. “What do I owe the pleasure?”
“Cut the crap.” Daryl said with a disgusted tone.
“You know. My daughter stopped by earlier.” he smirked leaning against the wall, trying to get under Daryl’s skin. “Is that why your here? To see if I’ll tell you what we talked about? Maybe she’s come up with a plan to break me out? Maybe we have come up with a plan to take you all out? May-”
“I already know what she talked about with you.” Daryl cut him off, the corner of his lips twitching up. Feeling prod of himself for being able tot make Negan’s smirk wipe off of his face.
“Oh really now?” Negan raised his brows to add to his mocking question.
Daryl nodded biting his thumbnail. “Ya’. Cause she ain’t your daughter.”
“Pretty sure she is.” Negan spoke in a grumbled tone with narrowed eyes.
Daryl shook his head. “Nah, she ain’t.”
“Oh then do enlighten me, who’s is she then?” Negan asked trying to not let it show how frustrated he was becoming with the Archer.
“Mine.” Daryl stated crossing his arms.
Negan cackles at Daryl’s words. “Bullshit! That gave me a good laugh though. Thanks, I needed that buddy.”
“Not jokin.” Daryl spoke shifting his jaw in irritation. “She’s mine. Y/n is my daughter. More mine than she has ever been yours. I know more bout her than you do. More than anyone. The only one that comes close to knowing her as well as me is Carl.” he stated with disgust, spitting towards Negan’s cell. “But the real sad part is anyone here, everyone in our group knows more about her than you do.”
“Well, its not exactly like she’s been on my side.” he grumbles pissed off more than before but trying to hide it.
“Doesn’t matter. Whether she agreed with your methods or not she was your daughter. You shoulda’ been there for her, know her, and care about her no matter what. Not push her aside.” Daryl shakes his head knowing that Negan isn’t worth the stress. “You blew your chances at being her father. Job’s mine now. I love that girl as if she were my blood. I’d go through hell and I’d die for her. You’d leave her to fend for herself.” Daryl growled under his breath but still appeared calmer than Negan had been able to the whole conversation.
“Fuck you! No I wouldn’t.” Negan yelled pointing at the vested man in front of him. Pissed to the max.
“Don’t kid yourself.” Daryl scoffed moving towards the door. Once his hand was on the doorknob he turned back to say one more thing. “Then again that’s probably the only way you can live with yourself.”
With that Daryl left, locking the door behind him. All that needed to be said. Now he just needed to talk to Y/n. As Daryl headed up the stairs and ran into said girl.
“Why’d you say all that?” Y/n asked after the two realized that they should say something. Y/n shifted on her feet wanting to know the answer to her question.
“Truth.” Daryl shrugged looking down before back up at the young woman in front of him. Trying to read her reaction.
“You meant all that?” Y/n shuffled her feet hoping to get the answer she had been looking for.
“Course.” Daryl stated confidently, sparring his shoulders back. “Every word.”
With hearing Daryl’s answer to the question Y/n closed the space between them and hugged the older man. “Thank you.”
Daryl wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tightly to his chest. “No need’a thank me.”
“I consider you my father.” Y/n said pulling her head back to look up at him smiling. “Just so you know.”
“You’re my daughter. Nothing else to it.” he stated with a shrug of his shoulders before pulling her back into his chest. Resting his chin on top of her head. “Nothin an on one ever gonna change that.”
A/N: lemme wipe the dust off this blog real quick..
Okay
For a man appearing so stoic, it is beyond easy for you to see when he’s bouncing off the walls. Not literally; again, physically, the man is the picture of still. Perhaps stealthy is a better word. Since entering this American dream, Daryl Dixon has chosen the best vantage point that he has access to, seated on a windowsill that gives him full view of the makeshift family spread through the living room, and a direct line of sight out of the window, into the neighbour of make believe. His sharp, forever scowling eyes dart between the two views, checking everyone is alright and then reanalysing what’s outside. By now, the window looks pitch black, so how he can see a thing you really dont know, but you know he can.
And despite hoping his stance is unnecessary, instinctively, you have followed suit. On the opposite side of the room, you lean against the wall, keeping your back against it, standing at the perfect angle to see the front door. Your own gaze flickers between that and your family, assuring their safety just like your counterpart across the room. And somewhere in the middle, between every glance, your eyes meet his, a silent report to each other about your separate findings on your joint-purpose watch.
Deanna has long since left, but her appearance at the front door is what has caused your hyper vigilance here. It has been a good hour since then, you estimate, and nobody has come around since. The leader of this pretend settlement did say that she would ensure nobody else bothered you all tonight, perhaps you should take her word for it? Have a bit of faith?
Gravity pulls your gaze from the door to the other side of the room and lingers there, until Daryl meets your eyes again. He notices a different look in your eyes, and lingers too, just for another second, to make sense of it. Understanding your thoughts perfectly by analysing the look on your face, he nods, and does another scan of the room before setting his sights back to the window.
Sighing, you watch him longingly. You can see how much this place is already impacting him. A wild beast cooped up in the American dream, white picket fence and all, at the end of the world. It’s almost ironic; Daryl would say the only way he’d end up in a place like this is if it’s what his personal Hell looks like once he’s kicked the bucket, once his personal world ends, so to speak. If there was any danger of his emotions getting the better of him, you’d be surprised not to see him pacing around the room like an animal in a trap. That is exactly how he feels, after all. But he is choosing the still, patient and wary approach. Not showing anyone that could be peering in from outside any sign of weakness, smart. Still, even animals momentarily try to forget their fate in order to get some rest, they have to keep their strength up in case whatever has trapped them is going to need fighting in order to free themselves.
Crossing the distance of the living room, weaving in between members of the people you’ve come to love on your journey through the end of the world, you reach the person who has been the centre of yours for as long as you can remember. Your hands finds his, both of yours holding just one of his, and he squeezes your hand, but doesnt look at you.
Glancing over your shoulder, you lock eyes with Rick Grimes and share a silent question, answer, conclusion, and nod. He’s got it covered down here, he tells you with a look alone, and you give him a grateful smile before turning back to the captured, and secretly terrified, wild man.
Squeezing Daryl’s hand, you draw his attention back to you. His scowl softens at the sight of you, but turns confused upon your attempts at pulling him to a standing position. Wordlessly, he follows you, just your pinkies intertwined for ease of travelling together, a visible representation of the tether between your souls that has existed for as long as you can remember being. Rick pats Daryl’s shoulder as the two of you pass him, and while you can tell the rest of your family are somewhat confused by your ascension of the stairs, they trust you enough to understand that whatever the reason, it needs to be done. And it does.
Rounding the top of the staircase, you lead Daryl into the first bedroom you spot, gently pushing him to sit on the end of the bed while you close the door. He watches you, always mesmerised by whatever you do, always perplexed and waiting for an explanation, always excited by and so in love with whatever your reasons are for the things you do. There’s a white, fluffy blanket that seems to only serve as decoration for the bed, folded up beside Daryl, and you pick it up without a word. Unfolding it and holding it up behind you, your hands at two of the wide corners. Then, you’re approaching Daryl, your knees resting either side of his hips as you wrap the horizon of clouds around him, enshrouding you both. His hands hold your waist and he stares up at you in wonder.
“You, and me. Just you and me.”
Those are the words that pass your lips and break the silence, and as you lower your forehead to meet Daryl’s, his eyes close. He releases a breath he didnt realise he’d been holding in metaphorically since stepping through the gates of Alexandria. His hands around your waist are replaced by his arms, pulling you as close to him as humanly possible, and you wrap your arms around his shoulders, tucking his face into your neck. Further hiding away the man who only ever wants to show all of himself, when it’s you.
Daryl sniffles quietly against your collarbone, so overwhelmed by this place and the people, and by your love for him, that you show him at every possible opportunity, in the most gentle ways you can. Nobody has ever treated him like he’s something precious, something that could break. Granted, the chances of that are slim, but the fact there is still a chance doesnt make him weak, you taught him that.
Combing your fingers through his hair and absentmindedly detangling it, you shush him comfortingly. In a few minutes, his sniffling subsides, and you pull away from him slightly, just enough to cup his stubbled cheeks in your hands. Stormy Georgie skies clearing to sunnier days, a single spark of hope igniting behind them. A hope that whatever happens here, as long as he’s with you, Daryl knows things will be alright.
His years melt away from his face then, and the two of you are back in a forest that seemed endlessly taller than you both, the world an ever expanding mass of land that you became more aware of everyday. A smaller Daryl was sat on the ground, one of his knees up but one of them laid flat, covered in dirt and blood.
His face was stern for someone so young, he had sucked his lips inside his mouth as hard as he could, refusing to admit that he was in any kind of pain, that he had made such a rookie error and tripped while running. Already punishing himself, even before the age of seven. His focussed eyes were locked on you as you ran towards him, little legs carrying you as fast as they could until you collapsed to your own knees in front of him. Not caring about the scolding you’d get later for getting your skirt dirty, you swung your bright pink backpack off your shoulder and started digging through it. Had little Daryl’s mind not otherwise been occupied, you’re sure he would have made another timeless comment about that bag being the one thing that would make you impossible to miss if you ever got lost in the forest. When you retrieved an antiseptic wipe and small bandage from your bag that your mother had forced you to carry with you at all times, just in case, Daryl shook his head.
“Aint no way, I dont need-“
The look on your face, even back then, was enough to shut him up.
Without another word, you cleaned his wound, and Daryl had to try so hard not to let the tears burning his eyes flow free, or the hiss threatening to break through his lips pass and make you jump. Once it was clean, you bandaged it up as best as you knew how. It was sloppy, but you were only young then, and it did the job.
Little Daryl had watched you with bewildered, awestruck eyes. And then your gaze met his, and he could see the genuine worry you had for him over something so small.
“Are you alright?”
A question only you had ever asked him reached his ears, and suddenly his defences against his own tears were wearing thin. Daryl looked away from you, knowing if he admired you for a second longer, he’d be done for.
But you reached for his hand, he hadnt even noticed the way it had been clutching at the dirt. His eyes darted to his own hand, watching you gently take ahold of it, with a care nobody else had ever given him.
“You dont have to say you’re not, I know you’re not. It’s okay not to be, y’know.” You reassured him, so wise at such a young age. A smartass, actually.
Daryl nodded, unable to tear his gaze from your hands holding his as you brought them to his lap, the view blurring as his chin began to wobble.
You didnt make a big deal of it, seeing him break that first time. In reality, it wasnt that serious, you were just kids and the emotional turmoil of tripping over and grazing his knee was minimal. But the gesture, the sentiment, the way you had hugged him as he cried instead of ridiculing him, like all those close to him had always done, to train that response out of him. You, singlehandedly, made everything okay, when he wasnt.
And in all the years that have past since, that has only become more obvious. Daryl stares up at you with eyes familiar, his soul smiling at you through them adoringly as he takes the blanket from your hands and drapes it over your shoulders rather than letting you keep holding it over you both, his own care for you prevailing over anything else that may be on his mind.
“Okay?” You asked him.
“Naw,” Daryl shook his head. “But I will be, ‘s long as yer here.”
With that, you leant forward and placed a soft kiss against his lips. It’s momentary, but momentous, just like every other kiss you’ve ever shared with him. And Daryl remembers each and every one.
That night, when the two of you lie down to sleep on a bed that isnt yours, in a world run by the dead, Daryl stares up at the ceiling and replays the memory of every kiss, from the very first one up until the one you gave him before you drifted off to sleep. And as you snuggle up against his chest, desiring to be closer to him even when unconscious, Daryl realises that in that moment, when in the small world of a bedroom where the only two of you exist, he is okay again.
——————————
it’s been a while so my taglist is a bit out of date, please let me know if you’re on this list but your name has changed etc, or if you’re new and would like to be added to future works! :)
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.
In Alexandria Rick wanted to at least have a little Christmas of their own, he invited everyone to his house and they even exchanged small presents, Daryl went along with everything that happened but he knew better than to get too comfortable.
He only went because of you, Because he knew you would be there he wanted to be there as well, and he did not regret that.
He wasn’t sure how you found such a dress, but he was not about to ask questions as you looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life.
After a couple of short conversations with you, he just knew you were the one for him, and he was also shared that his friends had a certain plan to get the two of you together. But he didn’t care about that he forgot about everything even the walkers outside as soon as you walked in with that beautiful red dress of yours.
He needed some fresh air after dinner so he went out to the porch and there he found you sitting in a chair drinking but you can only assume was wine. Out there on that porch is where everything happened, it’s where he was finally able to confess his feelings to you and the two of you became a couple. Of course, everyone was watching you from the windows and when you pulled him close to kiss him under the mistletoe everyone cheered inside.
And now came New Year’s Eve.
Another year went by in this hell, and Daryl didn’t see the point to celebrate that.
If you weren’t so excited, he wouldn’t even go to the party that the people were throwing around the neighbourhood.
You sold him that you wanted him to kiss you exactly at midnight but he wasn’t really fond of the idea. Although you definitely understood why he was behaving like this, you understood that there was nothing to celebrate about a new year coming but it was something that you always wanted to try and now that you finally had someone, someone you loved, you really wanted to.
Daryl didn’t have a choice, he just didn’t know about it yet.
You ended up not going to the others, you just headed over to Daryl’s so the two of you could have a quiet night. And that you did.
Maybe too quiet.
You were a bit bored but you didn’t tell that to Daryl. He did give you some nice alcohol which certainly helped your courage.
But you were still set on that kiss at midnight.
You were not about to force or trick him, you wouldn’t do that. So, you decided to talk to him and ask him why was he so against a little kiss. Not like during the last couple days you two didn’t kiss.
“I just think it’s stupid.” he said and you tilted your head at his answer.
“Why? Does it have to do with your past? Were you rejected or heartbroken? I don’t care if you were I’m o-“
“No, that’s not it. I’m just not a big fan of traditions like that in a world that is burning.”
“I know that but… if we forget holidays, traditions, what will be left? We won’t have anything just pain and misery.” Daryl never thought about it that way, you were completely right he was at a loss for words.
“I never-“ he didn’t know what to say you got him there.
You smiled at him, it was such a sweet smile. That smile always made his worries disappear, that’s why he fell in love with you in the first place, you had something that no one else had.
Then Daryl heard the others counting back.
10
9
8
He pulled you closer, looking you in the eyes, he didn’t speak, he didn’t have to.
7
6
5
You moved your arms around his neck as he moved his hands up your back.
4
3
2
He leaned down as you moved up, letting your lips meet.
1
Happy New Year!
The sweetest kiss, exactly at midnight.
Maybe this year will be better, maybe things will finally change for the better. And with you by his side, Daryl was sure they will.
