R A N D O M || OS

195. (TWD) Daryl Dixon - Days Turned Cold

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SUMMARY : (Set between Seasons 2 and 3) Ever since Hershel's farm fell, Daryl had been distant. One night, after growing tired of his coldness, you confront him. And it does not go how you planned.

PROMPT : "What the hell are you talking about?"

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The sun was just beginning to melt into the earth, dusk taking its place.

The group was huddled around a flickering fire, sitting amongst each other in silence. Morale was at an all time low. Hershel's farm now belonged to the dead, the weather was turning cold, and there was no end in sight — no safe haven, no home base, no sanctuary.

You sighed heavily, watching the flames dance in front of you.

Your eyes flittered over the fire, landing on Daryl, who sat directly across from you, a faraway look in his eyes. The two of you had grown close over the past couple of weeks, stemming from Sophia's disappearance. You both had put everything into finding the little girl after she had gone missing. But even after her untimely fate had been revealed, you'd still found yourselves leaning on one another for support.

Daryl processed loss very differently from you. You understood loss — you knew it was something you needed to deal with, even if you didn't want to. Daryl, on the other hand, had chosen to isolate himself from everyone, including you. He became very angry — even angrier than usual. All he wanted to do was shove his emotions away and soldier on.

The night after Sophia was found, Daryl packed up his belongings and moved his things all the way across the other side of Hershel's property, far from the rest of the group. You tossed and turned all night, worried about Daryl being so far away from everyone else. It wasn't safe to be alone in this world and solitude wasn't good for anyone.

So you decided to follow suit.

You marched across that field, payed the confused archer no mind, and began setting up your tent. Daryl had yelled at you, told you to 'leave him be' and 'get lost' — along with some other unkind words. But you stood your ground.

Because Daryl needed you.

And he just as easily could've picked up his belongings and moved further away from where you were.

But instead, he stayed.

You never asked him to talk about his feelings. You never pressured him to open up. You just sat with him quietly by the fire.

And with each day that passed, Daryl got a little less angry.

You couldn't deny you felt something for the man. It wasn't something you could explain or really understand even — you just felt it.

But it wasn't like anything was actually going to happen between you. You weren't even sure if Daryl felt anything 'romantic' towards you at all. He didn't exactly strike you as the 'relationship type'. And on top of that, Daryl had seemed distant ever since the farm fell — particularly distant towards you.

You sighed, dragging yourself away from the thoughts about the complicated man across from you.

And then, as if he was reading your mind, Daryl's eyes flickered over to meet yours and you quickly looked away, feeling your cheeks flush.

Suddenly, you heard footsteps approach and glanced over your shoulder, spotting Rick coming over to join the group. He took a seat beside you, exhaling heavily, looking more tired than he had in a long time.

He rubbed a hand wearily over his face, his fingers pausing for a moment over the stubble growing on his chin.

"You okay?" you murmured, turning your focus on Rick.