TWD ~ Daryl + Reader ~

Neverending Argument

You know you can't stop any of them from walking into Barrington House and straight into your uncle's office, so you don't even try. You end up just following them in and stand just inside the door leaning on the bookcase that starts right beside the doorframe. You look around the room as they all get situated around the room. Jesus stands to the closest to you with Maggie next to him and Sasha next to her. While rick stands just a few feet in front of Gregory's desk with Michonne not far from him and Carl standing diagonally behind his dad. Then just behind Carl stands Daryl who's leaning against a bookshelf with the girl you don't know diagonally in front of him. 

Rick asks Gregory to stand by them when they go to move against Negan and the saviors and when the answer you knew was coming leaves Gregory's lips you feel the tension intensifies throughout the room. 

You watch as your uncle walks from one corner o the room, behind his desk, and to the other corner as he gives the same reasoning he gave Maggie and Sasha when they argued about them staying here umpteen million times. You push your back into the doorframe while your left-hand grips onto your right index finger.  Gregory walks to his desk and leans over it before moving again to sit in his chair as his last sentence leaves his mouth.

"In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees," Gregory looks at Rick while he slightly motions to Sasha and Maggie, "at great personal risk."

"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place." Jesus almost yells through the room, with his voice full of annoyance, "Your courage was inspiring."

"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory fires back at him. You can't help but smirk, despite the conflict. "Aren't we friends?"

"Nope." You say under your breath, your smirk growing slightly bigger as you make brief eye contact with your uncle's angry gaze.

"Gregory," Rick moves closer to Gregory's desk trying to grab his attention, "we already started this."

"You started this-" Gregory interrupts.

"We did." Rick barks back, "And we're gonna win." Rick moves back away from Gregory's desk as Gregory moves forward when he says, "These are killers."

"Is this how you want to live?" Rick fires back, making your grip on your right index finger tighten, "Under their thumb? Killing your people? Taking them?"

Your eyes cascade to the floor, as you zone out of their conversation. You remember the boy that Ngan murdered when he first came here. You remember Negan taking your brother and having his claim on you. You remember Negan's visits and being scared of what he'd do. You remember watching out your window when Andy was beating that man. You remember Negan killing a man for touching you. You remember you starting to feel for him. You remember all of it. Finally, your right index finger gives in and cracks out of place, you feel the muscles pulling so you look down at it. The pad of your finger is facing outward in its partially clenched position. You just blink at it before you straighten it and twist it back into place. You hold your thumb in place as you look up and listen to the conversation again, trying to ignore the throbbing pain coming from your thumb. 

"-a platoon of sorghum farmers?" Gregory looks from Maggie to Rick, "'Cause that's what we got. They grow things, They're not gonna want to fight."

"You're wrong." The girl who's standing beside Daryl, with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, steps forwards. "When people have a chance to do the right thing, they usually step up." She almost glares at Gregory for judging his people so harshly, her gaze softens as she looks over at Maggie. "I mean, people just-"

"Let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory puts his hand up to her telling her to stop. The girl's reaction is full of bewilderment and annoyance as she slightly turns to look at Daryl, who's whole demeanor changed by Gregory's comment towards the girl. "And, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?"