Norman Reedus Imagines

Shelter (1) (Daryl)

- Imagine: Things haven't been going well for Y/N at the farm. When she tries to escape, none other than Daryl Dixon offers her shelter for the night.

They both sat, corner to corner in the small tent they shared. Friends, acquaintances at the most. He sat to the far right, chipping away at the wood on his bolts. While she sat to the far left, peeking through the small holes Daryl made in the tent. Watching the rain fall, she crossed her arms over her knees and rested her chin on her hands. It was mostly silent, the only noises being what stirred in the night. The only source of light was the dimly lit, flickering lantern she found earlier in their travels.

Time droned on and on, only the occasional eye contact and one word answers passed back and forth. He wasn't the talkative type, spending his days off in the woods while the others helped around the farm.

Ever since the fight between her and her short term boyfriend, Shane, she wanted to escape, run far away so she never had to see his face again. After packing her bags and attempting to slip away from the group, she got as far as the tree line before she was stopped. Daryl took her back to his camp and made room for her.

Since then they've kept each other company, the silent treatment was common between the two, but it wasn't awkward in the slightest.

He looked up from his carving to see her rubbing her arms, desperately trying to pull down her sleeves to keep her arms somewhat warm. He looked around the tent, trying to find any means of warmth until he resulted to his last option.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she watch him unbutton his shirt.

"Don't ask questions." He said while proceeding to hand it to her. She hesitated for a moment too long, causing him to ball it up and toss it at her. She held it in her hands and looked over as for approval to which he nodded.

As the night drew on the conversations between the two progressed more and more, eventually reaching the point where childlike games came to be.

"Dare ya to run in the field in nothin but'cha boots. "

"Sure, when I'm dead."

"Fair enough." He said while nodding and throwing back his canteen.

After swapping stories for what seemed like hours, exhaustion started to sweep over them, she let out the first yawn and went to bed. Huddled into a ball, holding herself together and acting as a blanket, she attempted to get some sleep. Tossing and turning, attempting to get comfortable.

He sat up and kept watch, even though he didn't have to. It was in his nature to protect, considering there was another life involved he wasn't taking any chances. Even though he was to watch for walkers, his eyes kept flicking over to her stressed state. He watched as she struggled to get comfortable. Biting his lip, he thought it over a little before leaning back and nudging her side with his boot. She flipped over and saw him signal her over. She looked at him as though he were joking.

"Better hurry before I change my mind." He said in a raspy voice. She crawled across the short distance and laid next to him, scared to get too close.

They both lied there, staring up at the mesh ceiling and squinting to see the stars. She'd be lying if she didn't have any affections toward him, but she still didn't know if it was real or just a feeling that comes and goes. Taking the chance, she inched closer to him and rested her head on his chest, just below his shoulder. She fiddled with the seems on his vest, tracing Over the stitching with her finger.

He looked down to see her playing with the thread, watching as she outlined the patterns stitch by stitch. She stopped abruptly after seeing him watching.

Taking her hand in his, he held it gently in his grasp, meeting her eyes in the process. He studied her features, just as she did his. Breaking the connection, she buried her head into his chest and balled up the sleeves of his shirt in her fists, keeping warm and falling in sync with his heartbeat. The soothing patterns of his breathing lulled her to sleep, keeping her comfortable and warm.

Birds were chirping and the glow of morning was upon them, she tried to sit up only to be stopped by a pair of arms wrapped around her midsection. She glanced over to see Daryl passed out to the side of her. She could feel the heat slowly rising in her cheeks, breaking free from his grasp, she slowly slipped out of his hold on her and sat in the far corner of the tent. Watching his steady breathing and admiring the calm atmosphere, she took it all in, staring through the holes in the tent and watching the sun rise.

She knew that she couldn't make it out there alone. Having someone there to shelter her and protect her gave her that sense of relief. Although she didn't know what this could be, she just knew that he'd be there to keep her out of harms way.

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Sorry this was so short! Small idea I had that seemed a lot better in by head...

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving (for those who celebrate)!