Daryl Dixon one-shots

Uncle Merle

POV: You call Merle uncle.

Y/N had always felt a special bond with Merle, despite his rough exterior and his tendency to play pranks on the other members of the group. She admired his toughness and his loyalty, and she knew that he would always have her back, no matter what and not just because he was her dad's brother. 

So when she saw him sitting by the fire one night, she walked over to him and said, "Hey, Uncle Merle. What's up?"

Merle looked up in surprise never hearing her call him that, and then he grinned. "Uncle Merle, huh? I like the sound of that."

Daryl, who had been sitting nearby, looked up in shock. "What did you call him?" he asked.

"Uncle Merle," Y/N repeated, smiling. "It's what I'm meant to call him, right?"

Daryl didn't know what to say. He had always been protective of his daughter, and he didn't want her to get too close to someone like Merle. But he could see the affection in her eyes, and he knew that she meant what she said.

Merle, for his part, was touched by Y/N words. He had always felt a special connection to her, too, and he was honored that she finally trusted him enough to call him uncle.

He smiled as she sat next to him, putting his arm around her shoulders. 

Daryl watched them for a moment, and then he smiled. Maybe he had been wrong about Merle. Maybe he was more than just a rough-edged troublemaker. Maybe he wasn't all but an asshole.