#bakedcrispss | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pastanest · 1 year

Text

A/N: you’re wondering why I’m having to repost this, or why you were perhaps previously following me but no longer are, please refer to this post. I was able to retrieve this thanks to @bakedcrispss - thanks so much!! ♡

a gif of Daryl looking down at us to set the mood ⤵️

Daryl x Short!Reader

- let’s start with how you met

- so Daryl was out on a hunt when he heard some commotion, something was moving fast towards him and just as he realised which direction the sound was coming from, you quite literally ran into him

- and when you ran into him, you bounced back and fell right on your ass, while Daryl just scowled down at you

- so there you were, staring up at him

- and then you stood up, and there you were, still staring up at him

“Sum’ followin’ you?” Daryl asked, glancing off in the direction you’d ran from.

“Only dead ones, but my knife broke so I had to run to get them off my trail. Sorry about running into you.” The apology was awkward, but Daryl just nodded.

- he considered correcting you, sarcastically saying he should be the one apologising since he was apparently in your way and knocked you over, but he thought it was too soon for a dig at your height

- Daryl waited a few seconds to see if he could hear any walkers coming after you, and when he couldnt, he skulked off

- much to his surprise, you followed him, and he found that he could barely hear you creeping up behind him because of your lack of height and therefore heavy steps

“So, what’s your name?” You asked, definitely taking Daryl by surprise, but he hid it well.

“Daryl.” He answered shortly. haha y’all see what I did there

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Daryl! Im (Y/N). Do you have a group or a place to stay? ‘Cause if not, there’s logically a better chance of us surviving if we stick together.”

- he didnt want anyone following him, much less someone who didnt even see a man directly in front of them that they then ran into. he didnt even know if you could handle yourself. Daryl assumed that what you really meant was you were more likely to survive sticking with him because he’d save your ass

“Got a group an’ a place.” He said, hoping to throw you off, but he quickly realised his own mistake.

“Oh, that’s great! Do you, uh...maybe have room for one more?”

- have room? Daryl had to hold back a laugh, you could live comfortably in the average sized closet and you were asking if his group had room for you?? he, again, refrained from making such comments, and decided to stay professional

“How many walkers you killed?”

“Havent kept count, but some. I can usually sneak away from them, Im pretty good at getting into small hiding places.”

- Daryl looked down at you, struggling to tell whether you were insecure about your height and whether making jokes would be okay, or whether you would get insulted and sad and think your height a weakness

- in response, you rolled your eyes

“Daryl, do you really think I’ve gone my entire life blissfully unaware of being a short-ass? It’s not something I can change, so I work with what I’ve got, but sometimes I run into dudes and knock myself on my ass.”

- and much to Daryl’s absolute shock, that last part made him laugh

“That a regular hobby o’ yers?” He teased.

“Oh yeah, try to squeeze a collision in at least once a month.” You replied with a grin.

- and so your friendship was established

- when the two of you got back to the prison, you saw the people at the gate and in the guard tower and sighed because you knew from a distance they’d think Daryl had brought back a kid

- still, the small group that greeted you were welcoming enough. Maggie and Glenn were both very sweet, and as was Rick, but you’re certain you werent the only one to notice that his teenage son Carl was almost the same height as you

- you fit into the prison nicely, offering to help out wherever you could and getting to know as many people as possible. Daryl was fascinated by how easily you seemed to make friends, especially since you made friends with him in a matter of seconds

- Daryl was your favourite person to hang out with, you loved asking him questions and finding out things about him. he was far from the most open person when it came to talking about himself, but when you’d stroll over and sit on his bike, kicking your legs in the air because you couldnt reach the ground and giving him that damn smile, Daryl found it increasingly difficult to resist giving you anything and everything you wanted

- he definitely had a soft spot for you, and at first he hated that

- you’d wave at him when he was up in the guard tower and before he could even consider his own response, he would be waving back at you with a stupid smile on his face like some friendly dumbass

- one time Rick was coming up behind you and caught sight of the way Daryl waved at you, so Rick waved up at him to tease him and Daryl flipped him off

- once you’d earned the group’s trust, it was difficult for them not to notice how useful your lack of height could be in certain situations

- whenever one of the kids got a toy stuck in an inconveniently tight space, you would be the adult they summoned

- but equally, when the group found a decently large herd of walkers that they wanted to lead away from the prison, they looked to you as the first person to run by them and get to the other side of the herd, because you were the least likely to be spotted

“Naw, ‘s not happenin’.” Daryl shook his head, and Rick sighed.

“It’s the smartest play, you know it is.”

You nodded. “Yeah, and I’ve got no problem with it. At the start if this thing, all I did was run and hide, it’s what Im good at.”

- Daryl scoffed and stormed off, not even slightly onboard with you being the one in the most dangerous position of that whole thing. he knew it was the best option, but he would rather anybody else took that job and you stayed home. Daryl couldnt understand why he was so angry at the thought of you being in danger, but worst of all...when had he started referring to the prison as ‘home’?

- obviously, you ran after the big bad angry crossbowman, and soon enough you were walking at his side

“Why have you always gotta walk so fast?! Takes a lot for these little legs to keep up, y’know!”

- a small smile curled at the corner of Daryl’s mouth, and you nudged him playfully

“That’s better. Now, you wanna tell me what that was all about?”

- Daryl shrugged, having never been one to put his feelings into words without Merle calling him a pussy before he’d even opened his mouth, but you wouldnt do that to him, Daryl knew that, so he tried

“Jus’ don’...don’ want you t’ be in danger.” He managed, and your eyes softened as they stared up at him.

“Daryl, you’ll be on the other side of the street-“

He cut you off by shaking his head. “Ain’ enough. Sum’ could still happen.”

You rolled your eyes. “I can handle myself.”

Daryl was quiet for a moment, choosing his next words carefully, and he decided to test the water.

“Ain’ much t’ handle.”

- you were silent, and Daryl immediately regretted what he’d said. you stopped walking, and he turned to look at you, trying to piece together your reaction from how wide your eyes were

“Was that...a short joke?”

- Daryl could only nod, very quickly realising that this was neither the time nor the place to make a joke, the mood was completely off and he couldnt explain why he decided to do it if he tried

- but then, you burst out laughing

- once you’d calmed down, you explained to Daryl that you heard every short joke in existence throughout school, but once you became an adult the jokes died out, in the workplace it wasnt professional or whatever. but you missed the jokes even then, and when the world changed, there were even less of them. it had been years since anyone had made an actual joke about your height

- so, Daryl made it his mission to make playful jokes about it whenever he could after that

“Anyone seen (Y/N)?” He’d ask when you were standing right in front of him, he’d look over your head and pretend to look around for you until he couldnt resist glancing down at you and laughing.

“Rain’s eased up, gonna go out on a hunt, it’s hot out there now. But how’s the weather down there?” Of course, Daryl Dixon found a way to incorporate the classics.

“Best stay behin’ me, cant promise I wont think yer a mouse out there an’ shoot ya by mistake.” He teased whenever you walked next to him on a hunt.

“Daryl, I swear, I will spin your jaw if you dont shut up.” You’d say, and Daryl would smirk.

“If ya can reach.”

And you’d sigh. “Fine, I’ll just bite your ankles.”

“Sure ya can reach those?” Daryl would answer effortlessly, knowing he could continue forever.

“Daryl I SWEAR-“ You’d yell, and he’d burst out laughing.

- anytime anyone around you used the words “little”, “small”, “shorter”, Daryl found a way to spin it on you

“We should take this road, it’d be shorter-“ Rick began, and then he closed his eyes in a pained blink, waiting for what he knew was coming.

Daryl smirked, diverting his gaze from the map on the hood of the car and glancing down at you beside him.

“Shorter, huh. Remin’s me o’ someone.”

- anytime anyone asked anyone “what’s up” you could guarantee that from somewhere else in the prison, you would hear Daryl Dixon yell out “NOT (Y/N)!”

- secretly he found your lack of height to be very endearing, the way you looked up at him was adorable, the ease with which you could jump on his back at anytime for a piggyback ride without fatally wounding him, the fact that the cliché short-problem of having to ask someone else to reach stuff for you and Daryl usually being the closest person for you to ask. he loved it, and he made sure to remind you with a series of cute height-related petnames

“‘ey, mouse, c’mon, aint got all day.”

“Been lookin’ all over for you, li’l one, where ya been?”

“Listen, small person, ya better ease up on that tone with me.”

- later on when your relationship progressed, Daryl introduced the petname of “doll” cuz thinks you’re small and cute like a doll, but he only uses that petname in softer moments between you, like if you’re upset or he’s tired

- and he didnt see your height as a weakness either. once you’d joined him for a few hunts, Daryl could see that you really could handle yourself, you were a strong fighter, he had no doubts there. but he couldnt help worrying that you were just a little more fragile because of how small you were, it was a natural worry to have, all things considered, and you loved his protectiveness of you, so you definitely werent complaining

- the only problem with Daryl’s protectiveness was that it extended to him wanting to beat the shit out of anyone else who joked about your height

- Rick, Maggie, Beth, Hershel, Glenn, Carol, Michonne- the entire core group as well as Tyereese because he’s a fkin unit, they were all allowed to make fun of your height, but anyone else who tried had a death wish

- sometimes new arrivals would be stupid enough to voice their opinions on you being inferior and incapable because of your height when Daryl was nearby. they’d joke about wondering how you made it this far, assuming you’d been living safely since the start otherwise you wouldnt have made it, assuming everyone around you needed to protect you because you were a liability

- and Daryl would be there in an instant

“The hell’d you just say?!” He’d growl from your side.

“Anyone built like that cant even reach the top shelf, let alone survive in a world like this! It’s survival of the fittest, plain and simple!” The idiot would be stupid enough to say, laughing through his own explanation.

And then Daryl would knock him to the ground a lot less playfully than he knocked you to the ground on the day you met, he’d be on top of the idiot and punching him until someone (usually Rick) pulled him off.

You’d be there right away, standing on your tiptoes to hold Daryl’s face in your hands and calm him down. He’d rest his forehead against yours and ask if you were alright, if the idiot had hurt your feelings ‘cause “if he did I’ll go right back over there an-“ and you’d say no. You’d take him back to your cell and clean up his split knuckles while Daryl just watched you, utterly mesmerised.

And then you’d sit on his lap, his arms wrapping around you without him having to think about it.

“What would I do without you?” The question would pass your lips quietly, as though truly bewildered by wondering what life would be like without Daryl in it.

“Hear a lot less jokes.” He’d reply, his voice rumbling in his chest, you’d feel it through his shirt, against your palm.

You’d laugh, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. “And be a lot leas happy.”

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon imagine #imagine #imagines #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #headcannon #headcannons

500 notes · View notes

bakedcrispss · 3 years

Text

michonne: describe your ideal boyfriend

y/n, shyly: has long brown hair, blue eyes, can hunt, has a dog and-

michonne: you're just describing daryl, aren't you?

[ later that day ]

michonne: describe your ideal love-

daryl: y/n.

#incorrect twd quotes #incorrect the walking dead quotes #incorrect the walking dead #incorrect twd #incorrect quotes #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #twd #twd x reader #amc twd #amc the walking dead #daryl dixon #michonne hawthorne #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon prompt #twd incorrect quotes #reader insert #bakedcrispss

476 notes · View notes

twdeadlysins · 3 years

Note

❤️💜 Send this to ten bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep the game going. 💜❤️

(HELLO JADE ILYSMMM 💓💘💕💕)

HI YTTRI ILYSM 😭🖤🥺 UR SO SWEET I CRY

#ilysm bby #I GIVE U SMOOCH #asks #bakedcrispss

8 notes · View notes

cathwritestragediesnotsins · 4 years

Text

Can we all just take a moment to acknowledge the amazing content that @bakedcrispss contributes to this fandom?? Bc WOW

#twd #posts by cath #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon incorrect quotes #twd incorrect quotes #the walking dead #daryl dixon #mutual love #mutuals #bakedcrispss #incorrect quotes #everybody's favorite redneck #Norman Reedus #their posts make me smile #or laugh out loud randomly #like a crazy person

30 notes · View notes

greginaries · 4 years

Text

apreshiayshyun💕

loving the content @bakedcrispss / @bakedcrispers ‘s is giving us hours

#THAT'S MY FUCKING FRIEND #l LOVE YOU BITCH I'LL NEVER STOP LOVING UR ASS #bakedcrispss #incorrect twd quotes #the walking dead

15 notes · View notes

4izawas · 3 years

Note

❤️💜 Send this to ten bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep the game going. 💜❤️

(hello maam ily 💞👄💞)

#bakedcrispss

4 notes · View notes

heythereofficerfriendly · 4 years

Note

for being so nice and cute, copy this to ten other bloggers that you think are wonderful. keep the game going and make others feel beautiful ! 💘💝💖💗💓💞💕 ( hi i lof ur drawings a lot they're so cool and cute ✋😔💞💖 )

aaaa!! <3 thank you! and same to you, i absolutely love your quote posts omg <3 <3 (if/when you do more merle it is a delight aaa)

#<33 follow bakedcrispss they are greatness #bakedcrispss

4 notes · View notes

eggs-toast-and-daryl-dixon · 3 years

Text

Daryl: tomorrow is garbage day

Y/N: so nice they dedicated an entire day to Merle

Daryl: [nods in agreement]

Merle:

Merle: I’m literally RIGHT FUCKING HERE??

#I saw @bakedcrispss bullying Merle and wanted to join #I shall do it for the rest of my life on this earth #twd #twd incorrect quotes #the walking dead #the walking dead incorrect quotes #Merle Dixon #Daryl Dixon #Daryl Dixon x reader #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x y/n #y/n

251 notes · View notes

whimsical-musingss · 4 years

Text

Frozen

Summary: you have cold hands. Based off of an incorrect quote by @bakedcrispss aka the love of my life. (Original post here!)

Warnings: literally just fluff, buckle up y’all. Also this is unedited because I just word vomited this because I’m touch deprived and I would LIKE SOME DARYL DIXON KISSES AND SNUGS OK.

The gif made me GIGGLE heheh

Overnight, a heavy blanket of snow covered Alexandria, accompanied with freezing temperatures. It came with no warning. Only the group from Georgia were so unprepared, so confused, and in awe. Most haven’t seen this much snow before, including you and Daryl.

When your group managed to leave Georgia and move north, winter clothes were not a priority, especially during the hot summer and fighting off walkers. Out of the group, Daryl had his poncho that was somehow still intact. Everyone else was managing with blankets and staying indoors until winter clothes were delivered to them.

You’re huddled in your bed, curled up, the blankets over your head like a shield from the cold. Only it doesn’t help. To say you’re freezing is an understatement: you felt the cold in your bones, you could feel the tip of your nose and fingertips going numb. And all you could think was how you’ve never felt so cold like this in your life...and how much you miss heating.

God, you’re miserable. Daryl and Rick said they would be back soon with warm clothes, but that was hours ago. You think. You’re too cold to move to check your watch; afraid that the slightest movement would lose the little heat you had. And you swear, every time you breathed out you saw your breath-

The door opens outside, and you wince. A cold wind would surely make its way to your room, brought by Daryl himself. You don’t get up to meet him, you resort to staying in your curled up position, as stiff as you were. His footsteps are getting closer, and you’re thankful that he took his shoes off. The last thing you needed was melted snow and slush in your room.

He’s carrying bundles of clothes, and you notice his face is slightly red from the wind outside. And he’s layered with coats and gloves, even a hat on his head.

“There’s something I thought I’d never see,” you say from your spot, and Daryl looks down at you, almost pathetically. “Can say the same for ya,” he replies, voice laced with sarcasm and teasing. As always.

“I’m trying to...,” you pause before finally muttering, “burrow.”

Daryl actually smirks at you. “Burrow? You ain’t an animal.”

You don’t answer, even when Daryl plops the bundle of clothes on the bed. “C’mon, sit up,” Daryl says as he sorts through the pile. When you don’t move, Daryl swipes the blankets from your body, and you let out a shriek of shock. It’s so much colder, and your teeth immediately start to chatter.

“Yer wearin’ shorts?”

“Yes! I am! Because they’re my pajama shorts!” You shout, embarrassed, grabbing at some jeans Daryl was holding, but he grabs them back. “Those are mine,” he snaps. “This is yer pile.”

You swing your legs over the bed and onto the floor, squeaking as your bare feet touch the ground. Tiptoeing towards your pile of clothes, Daryl sits on your bed, sighing as he takes off his first layer of gloves, then his second, until his hands are revealed.

You finally find a pair of pants that seem warm enough, as well as a sweater and jacket and socks. Daryl brought a lot back, as usual.

“Thanks for getting me thESE-“ you shriek again as Daryl puts his freezing hand right on your bare thigh. You jerk away, swatting him furiously with your pants. “Cold!” You yelp, slinking back towards the door. He’s shyly grinning, and you barely see it but it’s there, and you blush before you dart from the room.

You change quickly in the bathroom, your face still burning furiously. Daryl touched your thigh. As a friend. Just to be funny; to get a reaction from you. Your thoughts are going a mile a minute, and before you leave the bathroom, you whisper, “Daryl is just a friend.”

Daryl is laying on your bed when you come back. You toss your new winter clothes into some drawers, and when you finish, you sit on the foot of your bed, far away from Daryl as possible. If he touched you like that again, you’d explode.

Daryl sits up as you sit down, however, and he’s right at your side now, very close to you. You feel your face getting hot again, and you fidget.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his eyes concentrated on you, as if trying to figure you out.

“My hands are cold,” you blurt out, and you move your palms together to make a show of it, and he lets out a laugh. He knows your bullshitting, he can see right through you.

As he stops laughing at your poor attempt to cover yourself, he takes your hand in his larger one. “Better?”

Your face burns as you nod, staring at his hand holding your own. He holds it gently, thumb moving across the back of your hand. He looks at you, but you avoid his gaze, continuing to stare at his hand. You watch carefully as he used his other hand move towards your chin. He uses his fingers to tilt your chin so you’re looking at him, but your eyes quickly glance away.

“Look at me,” his voice is soft, like his hands. Your eyes instantly meet his, and you wonder why you can’t speak. It’s like his gaze renders you speechless and floundering like a fish out of water.

You can’t help but blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “For some strange reason my lips are cold too.” His eyes widen slightly, out of amusement or surprise, you don’t know.

His fingers are tracing your cheek then down to your jawline, and he’s leaning in slowly, your noses brush, and his lips are on yours. They feel cold, but it’s instantly replaced by warmth as you kiss him back, his hand holding yours tightly.

He pulls away with a small smirk on his face, and you suddenly realize that he always wanted to do that. The small glances he sent your way, the fact that he gets you winter clothes, and the way he touched your thigh...it wasn’t as a friend.

“Kiss me again,” you say, and his eyes are bright now, the smirk never leaving his face as he cups your cheek to kiss you.

Taglist—let me know if you would like to be added/removed. ❤️

@crossbowking @pastanest @imaginecrushes @jodiereedus22 @br-azy @pansexualgrapes @alispaceme @hudsonbird @sophia-gwendolyn @spidergirla5 @courtnytrash04 @bakedcrispss

2K notes · View notes

archerdaryl · 3 years

Text

I’ll Be Delicate

The reader shows Daryl Dixon that there’s still peace to be found in this world with soft words and delicate fingers.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader Word Count: 2.1k (approximately) Tags: sweet and soft with some humour n gloom, sfw Notes: Anon requested a simple hair braiding fic and I had to be extra and turn it into an entire comfort fic. I’m not sorry.

@bakedcrispss @phoenixblack89 @btsiguess-kpop

Lanterns burnt low and the smell of sage and tobacco lingered in the air throughout the small but comfortable basement on the far side of Alexandria. In the middle of the room was a large sofa, plush with semi-clean clothes stacked up on one half while a sleepy Belgian Malinois lay on the other, still and complaisant.

Daryl Dixon, on the other hand, sat at his makeshift desk by the window. In one hand, a sharp dagger, the other an arrow he had been cutting away at for the past hour. His skin was pink and freckled and his hair damp, freshly showered after a gruelling day outside of the walls that ended in blood and tears.

Losing someone in the community was never easy. He almost felt he should have been thankful it wasn’t somebody he was particularly close to, but that shit hardly mattered since he and Rick had to go back and let the poor bastard’s wife know he wasn’t coming home.

He couldn’t bring himself to think about it now that he was back within the safety of Alexandria, not with all he had waiting for him there. He didn’t think he could cope with where his mind would take him, so instead he took to working with his hands — carving and cutting until his mind emptied and he didn’t have to think at all.

Eventually the stairs creaked and Daryl glowered to himself, figuring it would be Carol checking in on him again. He loved her, she was his best friend, but sometimes she just did too much. When the inevitable knock on wood came, he looked up ready to grunt in acknowledgment. Instead, his features softened, his chest heaving with relief.

It was you.

The corners of your mouth quirked into a sweet smile as you stepped through the doorway. He noticed it didn’t reach your eyes and he reached out to you, taking your hand and gently pulling you closer to him where he could wrap a muscular arm around the back of your thighs and look up at you with those crystalline blues.

You placed your arm around his shoulder, fingers immediately finding their way to the hair at the nape of his neck. You played with it absentmindedly, your sole focus on the man before you, eyes so full of curiosity and care.

“Now how is it you’re cleaner than I am?”

Daryl smirked in response and squeezed you lightly. You were certainly grubbier than he was, but he didn’t care one bit considering grubby was his default state. The old shirt you were wearing was torn at your midriff and it took him a moment to realise it was one of his. He pulled at the tear carefully, thankful only to find a graze rather than something worse.

“Yer back early.” He finally acknowledged.

You hummed in response, fingers now tenderly raking through the archer’s hair to reveal more of the gruff face you liked so much. You took in his features, tracing every scar and drawing together every freckle.

“Mich’ radioed through. Hilltop had one too many people to spare anyway.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn’t question it. If Michonne wanted to grant him a little bit of peace after the day they’d had, who was he to say no? Besides, Hell itself would freeze over before he ever turned you away.

“I like you like this.” You continued, “All soft and warm.”

“Yeah?”

A year or so ago he would have resented being called soft. It was a fighting word, something his idiot brother would use to provoke him into doing something reckless, but when it came from your lips it felt like he was being awarded a Purple Heart.

Sure, you were talking about his shower fresh skin, but that didn't matter. You reminded him that he had been brave and let you in, that after years of being alone and afraid, he had earned the right to be soft.

Pulling away from his grip, your hands came to your belt buckle. You unfastened it and slowly shimmied out of the dark blue jeans that were stained with speckles of old Walker blood. That old shirt of Daryl’s you’d been wearing, tucked in at the waist, fell free halfway down your thighs.

“Like a damn dress on you, girl.”

You shot a playful scowl at him and sauntered towards the couch, moving the pile of clothes to another surface before collapsing onto the cushion with a grunt. Dog perked up and you scratched him behind the ears.

“Not like you to complain.” You sighed.

Watching you like this, comfortable and free, Daryl felt something building in his chest. It wasn’t panic. Maybe it was fear? He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he wanted to wrap himself up in you like you were wrapped up in his shirt. Anything to keep you close so he never had to worry about you not coming home.

“Weren’t complainin’.”

It was your turn to reach out to him, coax him over from his attempts of escape. You may have been exhausted, but losing anyone from the community was a nasty reminder of how fragile this life really was.

Daryl stood and mosied over. Dog was comfortable right where he was next to you, though Daryl wouldn’t try to get rid of him even if he wanted to. You shuffled up a bit, angling yourself against the inner corner before tugging on his forearm — a silent plea to give into you and just be. He spent so much of his time looking out for you, making sure you were okay that it also became a way of making himself feel better. You loved him for it, but you desperately wanted to take care of him too.

He finally sat. It was a start. You kept your fingers on his skin, your thumb caressing it gently and he turned his head to watch your hand at work. His eyes soon drifted to your legs. They were bruised but still strong and inviting. You pulled at him again and he finally met your gaze.

“I’m right here.” You assured him, “I’m not going anywhere.”

But you could. That was what was tearing him apart.

Daryl eventually nodded and shuffled up, taking your legs and placing them over his lap so that you were practically sitting on him but not quite. He loved the weight of you, loved you dressed in nothing but one of his old band shirts so that he could flex his hand against the warmth of your thighs. You were his anchor, keeping him from spiralling just by being right there in your arms.

With one arm wrapped around his broad shoulders, you used your free hand to trace the far side of his jaw with your thumb. He leaned into your touch and you sweetly kissed his shoulder before pulling him in closer to you, the hand behind his head now weaving into his hair again.

“Think Dog is getting jealous.”

A soft snort escaped him then, “I’d be jealous too.”

“Don’t need to be. You got me.”

He adjusted his position, allowing himself to lean into you a little bit more. You continued to play with his hair, twirling it between your fingers. The tension in his body slowly began to melt away, evident from the long exhale that drew from his lips.

“Still don’ know how the fuck tha’ happened.”

And that was the truth. To this day Daryl had no idea what you saw in him. You could tell him to his face -- in fact you had -- and he’d still question it. He’d grown up believing he was no good but even if that were the case then, again, who the fuck was he to deny you?

“The world works in mysterious ways Daryl Dixon.” A smirk tugged at your lips, “That and I had to make the first move.”

“Shuddup.” He retorted quickly, “Woulda’ done it eventually.”

It was your turn to laugh. Looking back on your journey together, it was honestly miraculous you’d ended up where you were at all. He was oblivious when it came to women and you weren’t exactly someone that was easy to pin down. Your affection for him snuck up on you, but once it hit you it did so with full force and you weren’t going to risk not knowing.

“I almost wish I’d waited now.”

“‘M glad ya’ didn’t.“ He confessed, squeezing your thigh with his calloused hand, “‘M glad you’re here.”

You pressed a kiss to his temple then wiggled, adjusting your position so that you could angle yourself against him comfortably. You could use both of your hands to play with his hair now. He didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t like it, because he did. He liked all of the attention you gave him.

“So, how would you have done it?”

“Dunno. Don’ matter now.” His brow quirked as he glanced at you, “I kissed ya first. Don’ that count for somethin’?”

Well, there was that. It was one of few times Daryl had truly caught you off guard. You were pissed off about something, wouldn’t stop going on and on at him even though it wasn’t his fault.

“In my defence, you kissed me to shut me up.”

“Worked didn’ it?”

“Haven’t gotten rid of me since.”

Delicate fingers had taken a few thin strands of his hair, tucking them one behind the other aimlessly to form a subtle braid as you both reminisced. You sometimes couldn’t believe how long his hair had gotten, but you quite liked it. You never took too much off when he let you cut it.

“Wouldn’t ever.” He mumbled shyly, “Ain’t gon’ get luckier than this.”

“Not sure I’d call it luck. Been through too damn much for the world not to pay it forward.” You truly believed your words as they spilled from your lips, “We deserve a bit of good. You deserve it.”

Whether he agreed or not, he wasn’t sure how to respond. If it were true, he had already gotten that little bit of good by finding you. He would be perfectly happy if that was all the good he ever got in this new world of blood and rot. He didn’t need anything more. He couldn’t help but wonder if you felt the same.

You were partially preoccupied, braiding his hair gently piece by piece and savouring the sweet moment between you both. His hand caressed your thigh, traced circles with his fingers while you leaned into each other’s touch. It set your skin aflame, poked coals in the pit in your stomach, but you pushed that feeling down until when or if he pulled you in.

Truthfully, you didn’t think much about the future anymore. You couldn’t afford to. It put you on edge, made you panic and do stupid things. It was easier to live in the moment and appreciate what you had, and waking up to Daryl everyday was more than you ever expected to have when you were first taken in at Alexandria. Hell, you felt lucky to make a few friends after being on your own for so long.

You sighed happily as you combed out the loose braid with your fingers and began again, taking thicker pieces of clean dark hair. He smelled like your shampoo which tickled you a little, but you didn’t complain. It wasn’t like he was going to seek out his own. Piece by piece, the braid grew and you could feel him relax further, the circles he was drawing on your thigh growing slower. You bet that if you turned to look, his eyes had closed.

“The hell you doin’ girl?” He finally mumbled.

He always called you that. The way he said it made it feel like there was supposed to be a my in front of it. Sometimes if you were being especially irritating he’d slip a lil in there as if that was supposed to deter you, but it never did.

“Shhh. Stay still.” The response came with a soft chuckle.

As you finished another braid, you admired your work with a grin. His eyes flit open as if he knew you were up to something, brows soon furrowing as he looked at you. It wasn’t long until they relaxed, that smile of yours turning him into putty in your hands.

“Do I wanna know?”

“Do you wanna know I’ve been braiding your hair for the last… however long.” Your words were dry, bordering on teasing, “No, probably not.”

That infamous scowl of his tugged at his grizzly features, though there was no bark to his bite. You cupped his face, gently coaxing it towards you.

“This suits you.”

He thought you suited him too.

#daryl dixon #norman reedus #the walking dead #twd #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon oneshot #daryl dixon imagine #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead fanfic #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus fanfic #mine

541 notes · View notes

pastanest · 1 year

Text

Daryl Dixon x she/her!reader

spoilers: set in season 5

Night To Remember

The knock at the door sent everyone into full alert, with Daryl immediately standing up and beginning to pace the same single step back and forth, making sure to continually shield you in some way. When Rick opened the door, however, it turned out to only be Deanna, and the room packed tightly with your family began to relax, at least a little. You gently took ahold of Daryl’s arm and tugged him to sit back down beside you, and he complied, but he still felt very tense beside you. The tension amongst all of you in this new place was definitely going to stick around for a while, and that’s putting it lightly. After Terminus...you shuddered at the thought, and Daryl’s eyes focussed on you instinctively, studying you as you shook the thoughts he couldnt read from inside your head and fixed your gaze on the darkness beyond the window that was on the other side of you. Looking out there meant that you could shield Daryl, too, but not from a threat of some kind, just from the sadness in your eyes.

“And Im just trying to figure Mr Dixon out, but I will.” His name passing from Deanna’s lips caught your attention, and you turned to look at her, causing her to smile.

“I can tell that (Y/N) would offer to partner up with Daryl no matter what job I offer him, though.” She teased, and you gave her a small, but genuine, smile. That was all you could manage before you drifted back to the view of the darkness.

Deanna’s next words brought your head snapping back around again to stare at her again.

“Tomorrow night, Im hosting a welcome for all of you, in my home. I would very much like as many of you to be there as possible.” She looked up at Rick as she spoke, but you couldnt help blurting out your question.

“A party?” You asked, feeling Daryl’s confused scowl burning into the side of your face.

Deanna smiled, her eyes twinkling with excitement at the enthusiasm she could sense radiating from you. “Yes, a party.”

You blinked rapidly, feeling something in you that had been absent for so long it was unfamiliar, before you could manage an answer. “I’ll be there.”

Deanna nodded at you, clearly very pleased at you not only choosing to speak to her, but also the fact you werent afraid to voice your own commitment to the event in front of your far more reluctant family.

The conversation between Rick and Deanna soon ended, you barely even registered the sound of the front door closing behind her because you were so lost in your own thoughts. A few seconds passed, and then Daryl couldnt wait for you to voice your explanation on your own, he had to ask.

“Ya lookin’ forward to the party?” He questioned, very obviously bewildered by what had just happened.

Something flashed in your eyes then, Daryl could only see a flicker of it because you were looking down at your legs, but then you smiled and turned to him.

“Y’know what...I am.” You said, and the sincerity in your voice stunned him, he didnt know what else to say, so he just hummed.

Those events played on repeat in Daryl’s mind for the entirety of the following day.

Just like on the outside, you stuck by him, so Daryl had umpteenth moments to ask you about it, but he didnt. He couldnt. He was scared that if he voiced it then the fragile, light smile on your face would disappear. He thought he had seen all of your smiles, but apparently there was an especially rare one that had stayed locked away. Daryl couldnt tell whether it was selfish to not want to ruin that sight, or if he was sacrificing his curiosity to preserve whatever this newfound joy was in you. All he knew was that seeing you sitting on the opposite side of the porch, picking through the small pile of flowers you’d gathered to make a chain, it was easily the most perfect thing he had ever witnessed. There was something about you; you were like a deer. Beautiful and undisturbed, distracted and safe enough to do something as meaningless as making a flower chain, simply because you could. So, Daryl stayed quiet, you stayed smiling, and he couldnt have thought of a complaint even if he tried, which he didnt even consider.

A little while ago, Maggie came and found you and dragged you off the porch to get ready for the party, and that small smile blossomed into the most gorgeous, beaming grin. Daryl stayed sat on the porch, staring up at you in wonder, like you were a scene in a movie, a scene of normality that in the world before would have made him scoff and turn the television off; for some reason, when it was you that was smiling like that over the simple act of getting ready for a party...it was the closest thing to a spiritual experience that Daryl had ever witnessed while sober.

Your smile turned to him, and he felt the air in his lungs escape in the quietest gasp imaginable. He waved you off, giving a small smile to encourage you to go, and you squealed. You squealed! If you didnt have Daryl wrapped around your little finger before, you sure as hell did now.

While you were gone, Daryl reminded himself that he had already decided he was not attending the party. No matter what happened, he was not going, he could not imagine anything worse than a party. Forced social interaction with naive strangers in a confined space where he was obligated to stay until everyone formed a hive mind and made the decision to leave? That was the end of Daryl’s world, plain and simple. No amount of alcohol in that scenario would make it any better, not even moonshine.

You’re gone for so long that Daryl starts to wonder what he’s waiting for. There is no reason for you to come back and see him before the party, you know without asking that he wont want to go, and you could have quite easily arrived at the event alongside Maggie. Daryl stands up from the porch, deciding that he’s going to go for a walk. Maybe he’ll stroll past Deanna’s house, see if he can spot you as he casually passes the windows, just to make sure you got there alright. Maybe he wont. Or maybe he’ll tell himself he isnt going to do that when he knows he’s going to.

Just as he jogs down the steps, Daryl hears the sound of heels clicking down the street, and when he turns to face the sound, he very nearly passes out. Your hair is the same as it had been when you’d been sitting on the porch with him earlier, it was the way you liked it. In this world, makeup was hard to come by, so your face is as bare as had been earlier, too. The slinky red dress that hugs your figure perfectly, though, that is new, that is something Daryl has never seen, and he wonders how you can still look so much like you when dressed in a way that he didnt think would suit you. But then you smile, and everything clicks. Daryl had never considered that you would look comfortable in a dress like that, he didnt think it was your style, you had never mentioned that it was - but why would you? What would be the purpose of a dress like this in the world today? What would be the point in bringing it up in conversation, when so many other details of the world before were so much more deserving of remising? This, it wasnt an extremely important, sentimental thing, it wasnt vital to know in order to know you. But it was a small part of you that had previously been reserved entirely to the world before, and now Daryl has the privilege of witnessing it.

Quite suddenly, he becomes aware of just how long he has spent staring at you without saying a word. Chuckling, you look down at the ground shyly, holding your forearm with your other hand.

“I was just coming by to see if you were planning to go to the party tonight...” You say, your voice dancing through the night air like the most euphoric song he has ever heard.

“Dunno.” Daryl replies gruffly, and you nod, but your smile falters ever so slightly.

“It isnt really your scene, I get that. You dont have to come if it makes you uncomfortable. But if you do decide to go, it’d be nice to steal you for a dance...” And then your smile is back, you’re glancing over your shoulder at Maggie and Glenn as they jog down the street towards you.

Maggie loops her arm through yours, Glenn hyping the two of you up hilariously as you make your way to the party, leaving Daryl lost in a way that no amount of tracking experience can help him escape.

Not knowing what else to do, Daryl speeds inside the house that the group had spent the previous night in. He paces from the kitchen to the living room, biting his thumb as his mind spins.

“I aint goin’ to no damn party.” He mutters to himself, trying to reassure the thoughts that are swarming him.

Feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden, Daryl storms back outside to get some air, hoping that the outdoors will allow him some clarity, some space to think. Unfortunately for him, the space to think presents him with the image of you in that dress that is now imprinted on his brain for as long as its working. Daryl stands in the middle of the street, glancing down in the direction of Deanna’s house. The memory of that smile returns to him, and Daryl shakes his head.

“Fuck it.”

The mental image of you blinds him, blocks out any other thought, until he arrives at the party. By the time Daryl is able to think for himself again, Rick has already seen him, and it’s too late for him to discretely sneak back out. Rick approaches Daryl, drink in hand, and he picks up another one for his friend as he nears him. Daryl takes it with an appreciative nod, and then his eyes are scanning the room. Every other face blends into the background, clearing a visual path to you as you stand by the record player, flicking through a box of vinyls with a focussed expression.

When your eyes light up at the sight of a particular vinyl, Daryl braces himself. He has no idea what song you’re going to pick, yours and his taste in music is another conversation topic that seemed too pointless to ever bring up. In the world before, things like your taste in music would have been a bonding point, a vital factor in knowledge about anyone you call a friend, but those things dont matter anymore. Daryl knows your soul, so even if your taste in music is the polar opposite to his, it wont change a damn thing.

The second Dancing Queen by ABBA starts to play, Daryl cant help smiling as he tips his glass of whiskey to his lips. Of course, what else? You close your eyes, smiling and swaying to the music for a little while, but then you’re turning and miming the lyrics. Following your gaze, Daryl spots Maggie on the opposite side of the room, miming the lyrics back at you, and the two of you approach each other, beginning a dramatic dance in the sea of people that are just standing around and talking.

It doesnt take long for Maggie to pull Glenn to the dance floor that you have crated, and when you search for your own dance partner, your eyes find Abraham. Initially, Daryl cant help feeling slightly jealous, but when he sees how over dramatically you serenade Abraham, that jealousy fades into a low laugh.

“See that girl, watch that scene, diggin’ the dancing queen!” You mime up at the ginger giant, and he smiles, batting his eyelashes and letting you very awkwardly twirl him as though you were leading a formal dance, causing the two of you to burst into fits of laughter.

Towards the end of the song, you happen to glance around the room, and finally, you meet Daryl’s gaze. Your eyes widen in shock, which quickly transforms into excitement as you make your way through the crowd to reach him. Rick pats your shoulder and laughs as he walks back over to the others, leaving you to talk with Daryl.

“Im so glad you’re here! I wasnt planning to drink unless you came, ‘cause even if you were drunk yourself, there’s nobody I’d feel safer around. Oh! I know exactly what song to play now! Wait here!” Your words are rushed, and before he can reply you’ve run back over to the box of vinyls.

Daryl finds himself thankful for your brief greeting, because he’s absolutely positive that seeing you with rosy cheeks would render him incapable of forming a sentence.

The song you choose next, Daryl recognises instantly. Summer Of ‘69 by Bryan Adams, a classic, and one that he’s somewhat surprised you picked after a song like Dancing Queen. Feeling himself drift back to his teenage years listening to this song, Daryl starts subconsciously nodding in time with the beat, but then he feels a pair of eyes on him and he’s brought back to the present. When he sees you on the other side of the room, miming the lyrics at him, Daryl realises that there’s nowhere he’d rather be.

“When I look back now, that summer seemed to last forever, and if I had the choice, yeah, I’d always wanna be there - those were the best days of my life!”

Daryl glances around, feeling like the population of the room is staring because you’ve cleared a path to him that is naturally drawing attention to whatever you are now doing. But you’re walking closer, and Daryl has another moment of sudden ‘fuck it’ clarity, downing his drink and discarding the glass on a table nearby. Discarding his nerves and general social ineptitude, he focusses his mind on the fact that this is possibly the only time he’ll ever experience something like this with you, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to waste it. So when you start dramatically air-drumming along with the song, Daryl joins in. He doesnt know whether it’s the alcohol already effecting him, or whether it’s the magic of you, but even with the entire room looking at him, he feels completely at ease.

“Standin’ on your momma’s porch, you told me that you’d wait forever. Oh, and when you held my hand...”

Now standing close enough to Daryl, you hold your hand out to him, and his constantly overthinking mind is sent into a state of peace he has never known, because his hand is in yours.

“...I knew that it was now or never. Those were the best days of my life!”

Thinking back to your dance with Abraham earlier, and assessing his current wondrous situation of holding your hands, Daryl doesnt waste a second to spin you out and back into his arms. By no means is it the slow dance that he hopes to do with you someday, but he cant help wondering whether it’s even better.

Until tonight, Daryl had never known that you were the life and soul of the party, that you enjoyed dressing up and dancing with your friends. A side of you that he had never known is right in front of him, and Daryl is utterly amazed that despite having never known these aspects of you, he was head over heels for you regardless. You are caring, kind, a good fighter, and an even better friend. The things he knew about you likely didnt exist in the world before, so the people that knew you then wouldnt know the things he does about you, but tonight he has been given the pleasure of catching a glimpse of something that was brand new to him, but seemed ancient to you. In a world that is so dark, you being the ray of sunshine that you are changes everything, and Daryl can see now that even when the world was so much brighter, you brought the same joy wherever you went.

“And now the times are changin’, look at everything that’s come and gone.”

You turn back around and hold Daryl’s hands, smiling up at him to mime the next lyrics. It‘s like you’re taking them and somehow applying them perfectly to this moment, and everything that this group has lost. Everything led to this, to the two of you dancing together, and anything could happen after this, but it wont change what’s going on now.

“Standin’ on your momma’s porch, you told me that it’d last forever. Oh, and when you held my hand, I knew that it was now or never - those were the best days of my life!”

You squeeze his hands, beaming up at him with tears shining in your eyes, but they were happy tears. Happier than the ones you cried when you held Judith for the first time and remembered what it was like to hold a baby. Happier tears than he had ever seen, and the fact they didnt escape your eyes somehow emphasised the emotional weight of them. They didnt need to be cried.

As the song finishes, the people around you applaud, everyone laughing as Maggie and Glenn cheer and whistle for the two of you. Shaking your heads, you make your way back over to your family. The rest of the night is spent venturing back and forth between conversations with your friends and the irresistible pull to the dance floor. But no matter where you are, one of your hands stays in Daryl’s.

By the time everyone has reached their social interaction quota for the day, it is pitch black outside, and the night is cold when you and Daryl step into it. The alcohol in your systems warms you both considerably, and you giggle about nothing at all as you stumble down the street together. You let go of Daryl’s hand to dance ahead of him, for a few seconds you even act like you’re walking on an invisible tightrope as you hop on and off the curb, singing away to yourself.

“In this world we're just beginning to understand the miracle of living. Baby, I was afraid before, but I'm not afraid anymore.” The spirit of Belinda Carlisle grabs ahold of you, and you jump off the curb dramatically, breaking into the chorus. “Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth? Ooh, heaven is a place on earth! They say in heaven love comes first, we’ll make heaven a place on earth!”

In a state of blissful, drunk bewilderment, Daryl watches you dance back over to his side and slip your hand back into his.

Silence is a distant memory as you walk beside him, humming the rest of the song to yourself, neither of you feeling the need to say anything. That could very well be the fault of the alcohol, but that hardly matters now. You finish the song in your own time, and the silence that starts to set in is clearly not something you want, because that’s when you decide to speak up.

“Y’know what we didnt get to do tonight?” You ask, glancing up at Daryl with dreamy eyes.

“What?” He enquires, staring down at you in drunken wonder.

“Slow dance!” You cheer, throwing your arms - and therefore one of Daryl’s hands - into the air.

He shakes his head. “I aint no good at that.”

But at his shy objections, you simply roll your eyes. “Of course you are!”

Moving to stand in front of him, you prevent Daryl from taking another step down the street, and you move the hand you’re holding so that he can hold your waist, before doing the same to his other hand. Daryl is tense for a moment, but as you wrap your arms around his neck and rest your head against his chest, he suddenly feels like the strongest man on the planet.

The two of you start to sway, but for the first time since entering the party, there’s no music being provided by you or a record player. Your only company is the stars above, and the people of Alexandria who are walking past you on their journeys back to their homes. Daryl cant help noticing the way they turn their heads in your direction, the way their gazes linger. He scowls.

“Everyone’s starin’ at you.” Daryl says to you, so quiet he’s almost whispering, but it’s almost impossible for a voice as gruff as his to do that.

“Maybe they’re staring at you?”

Daryl finds it endearing that you would even entertain that thought enough to vocalise it, but he knows the truth, and it causes him to shake his head.

“Naw.”

So, you offer up an alternative. “Maybe they’re jealous of you.”

Daryl is quiet for a moment, his drunken mind struggling to process your words. Had he been sober, he’s sure he wouldnt have even answered you, but the alcohol in his system is encouraging previously unspoken thoughts to reach your ears.

“You aint mine, I aint no threat to ‘em.”

Ever so slowly, you pull away from Daryl. Not enough to leave his warm embrace, but enough to look up at him with the stars reflecting in your eyes. You smile, a smile that he recognises, one that he has only ever seen directed at him. And it is without a doubt his favourite smile on any person he has ever seen.

The world moves in slow motion, then. Your hands unclasp from the back of Daryl’s neck, one of them carefully sliding down his shirt to rest over his pounding heart, but your other hand ventured to tuck some of his hair behind his ear, then caressing his stubbled cheek as it also travels down to rest on the other side of his chest.

“Oh, Daryl, I think they should be terrified of you.”

Unlike his, your voice can whisper, and it wakes butterflies that you had been the first one to bring to life within him. Rising to your tiptoes, you close your eyes, and the hold you have over Daryl makes him close his eyes too. The people passing by disappear, as does the street they walk on. All that’s left is the two of you under a starlit sky. The instant your lips meet his, you create an entire world for him behind his closed eyes. A blinding light that somehow plays a split second reel of every memory spent with you, every smile of yours that he has ever cherished, every time you have had his back or he’s seen you have someone else’s, every occasion that you have made him fall in love with you all over again. But none of them even come close to this.

The kiss is brief, lasting maybe two seconds, and you once again introduce Daryl to something new. He had no idea that he could live an eternity of euphoria in just two seconds. Those rosy cheeks return on either side of that beaming smile, the perfect combination of the one you reserve for him and the one from the world before.

Without a word, you step away from Daryl, intertwining your fingers with his and continuing your casual, stumbling stroll through the night and back to the house.

He doesnt know if the small smile that you brought to his face will ever leave again, but he knows that even if it cant be seen, his heart will always remember this.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x reader #imagine #imagines #x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #headcannon #headcannons

128 notes · View notes