His hair had grown longer since the last time you saw him. Still that dark brown shade he always had, but now it hung over his face. Shading his eyes and blocking you from seeing his facial features.
His body had grown stronger since the last time you saw him. Even in long sleeves, the bulge of muscles was obvious underneath the fabric. His body seemed rougher, larger and more bulk than it had years ago.
But the thing that hadn't changed, not a single bit since the last time you saw him, were those Dixon eyes of blue. They were just as bold, just as beautiful, just as rare as you had remebered them to be.
The blue was the first thing that drew your eye, as you stumbled into the woods after being on the road for an endless amount of time. It was as if time slowed and the air you were breathing was stolen straight out of your lungs. The green of the trees and the brown of the ground blends together, and that deep Dixon blue was the overriding color.
You knew it was him. Without having to take a second glance, without even having to hear his voice. You knew that face, that body, those eyes anywhere. No matter the amount of time that passed. You knew it was him the moment you saw him, because you felt the same feelings you felt years ago in his presence. The skipping heart beat, the fluttering of butterflies, the breathless feeling inside of your chest. Things only Daryl Dixon could make you feel.
"Woah, look what we got here." Suddenly, reality snaps back and it's no longer just you and the man you hadn't seen in years. Now you two were surrounded by men with the same ruggedness as Daryl, only more intimidating and more dangerous looking.
Some of them grin smiles your way, ones that make your skin crawl. Smiles that you know the meaning behind and smiles that make you want to leave. Their eyes that trail over you not making the situation any better.
"Claimed." The word falls from his mouth faster than you can register what is going on. But that voice... You'll never forget that voice. Daryl Dixon looks straight at you, and you wonder what brought him to be around a group of men such as these.
"Alright," The man to your right who seems to be the leader says, but you don't look over at him. "You heard him."
The men slowly but surely begin to back away, except for Daryl. He's as planted in place as you are. His eyes boring into you as yours do the same to him.
You don't understand why Daryl said claimed back in the woods and you don't understand what he's doing with these people as you all begin to walk along train tracks. You wonder if you should even be following along with them, but it's Daryl that makes you want to stay. After months of being alone, seeing faces again... Especially his feels like a blessing.
Daryl doesn't say anything, he doesn't even really look at you as you walk in silence beside him. But you can feel the protective surge radiating off him, guarding you from these men. He always acted as your protecter or knight in shining armor. And even with the years that passed, that fact hasn't changed.
Taking shelter in some old shop, Daryl claims a far corner of the room that is slightly cut off from everyone else. And his hand reaches out to you, taking hold of your wrist and pulls you over. His touch is not harsh nor does it frighten. Instead, it sends memories of his touch floating through your mind. His hand on your wrist is gentle but stern, careful but tight.
Setting out a blanket, you sit down and lean against the cold wall. Daryl sits down beside you, his head focused downward and avoids looking at you. But he's here, sitting close to you.
"What? No hello after all these years later?" You try to lighten the moment as everything feels so heavy right now. But your words fall into the air with no response from him, and you know there are words-- more important words-- to say other than hello.
Daryl lifts his head and looks at you, making you feel breathless and shaky. You can't read what he's thinking and you never were able to before either.
"Always hoped ye had made it." His voice is low, quieter and older. But that same accent he always had floats through his words, just the way you had remebered.
The words he decides to say to you for the first time in years, the ones he says as he holds steady eye contact with you, reminds you of the last day you saw him. The day things ended and your heart was never the same.
You weren't expecting him to go this route with the conversation, but for some reason maybe you should have.
"I always knew you would," You say with a light sigh, and look down at your hands that lay in your lap. "You were made for this world."
Daryl grunts lowly, and you look over at him. This time it's him that has his eyes trained downward at his hands.
"What are ye doin with these men Daryl?"
Daryl shrugs, and you know he doesn't have a good enough reason to share.
"Is Merle with you?" You ask, remembering his brother. The brother that made fun of Daryl for falling in love and becoming weak.
Watching Daryl stiffen, gives you your answer. Reaching out your hand, you touch his knee softly. "I'm sorry."
Merle was crude, he was an asshole, and he wasn't the kind of family Daryl deserved. But he was blood, and you knew that it still hurt Daryl deeply.
"Glad I found ye." His voice is so low you almost miss it, but you hear his words and they travel straight to your heart. The piece of your heart that was always and will forever belong to him.
He doesn't address the break up and the heartache, but he doesn't have to. The tone of his gravelly southern voice says the unspoken words for him.
"I'm glad I found you too," You whisper and he looks over at you. His blue eyes swimming with vulnerable emotion and anxiety. "I never stopped thinking about you Daryl. Especially now. I kept hoping I would find you somehow."
"Ye have."
The edges of your lips curve slowly upward into a warm smile. And Daryl's hand inchs forward and covers your hand that still sits on his knee. His touch warm and safe, his skin rough yet just how you remebered.
"Can I ask what's up with all the claiming things with these men?" You ask and he leans back against the wall.
"Some rule they got. Want something? Say claimed and it's yours. No questions and no arguements."
Your eyes flicker up from your gaze on Daryl's hand resting on yours, towards his eyes.
"You claimed me. So does that mean you want me Daryl Dixon?" Your lips edge upward in a small smirk and you feel like old times. When the two of you would joke and tease. Except this time, his face is serious and his eyes never leave yours.
"Never stopped wanting you."
His words leave you breathless and you realize one thing has changed about Daryl after all this time. Something so big that you believe it can heal any pain and heartache from the past. The thing about Daryl that changed isn't his physical features or his voice. But his heart.
His heart changed because he was letting you in. He was telling you something you always ached to hear. Sharing what he wanted and sharing how he felt. He was still a man of few words, but that meant his words meant more.
After all these years... He finally found a way to tell you he never stopped loving you. That he never stopped wanting you. That you meant something to him.
You guessed they were right... Time heals all wounds. And after all these years, you were more in love with Daryl Dixon than you had ever been before.
A/N: I kept going back and forth on this one, but I kind of like it! I got inspiration from Camila Cabello's song All These Years.
