The Walking Dead One-Shots

hold back the river (let me look in your eyes) (Daryl x Reader)

Finding a single peaceful day among the madness of the end of the world had become a rarity but it seemed today was shaping up to be one of those rare days. You finished your work helping to repair the walls early and headed out to check in with Maggie wanting to see where else you could lend a hand but it seemed for once, everything was already under control. Maggie reassured you that you'd done everything you could for the day and told you to take the rest of the afternoon to yourself.

You gladly accepted, already feeling the ache in your bones from moving around the metal panels for the walls setting in as you walked back to the trailer that had become your home at Hilltop. It was one of those late Autumn days when the sun was still sitting high in the sky and the air somehow still held onto that Georgian heat. You decided not to waste the day cooped up inside and instead took the book from your bedside table and headed out to settle into your favourite spot for the afternoon.

There was a small patch of trees hidden more towards the back wall of Hilltop, one of which was perfect to sit under to read. It provided you with enough shade to hide from the sun while still letting you enjoy the warmth. It was quiet, further away from the usual everyday noises of Hilltop and you had started to spend a lot more time here when you needed your space. It was rare that anyone stumbled across you here and there were only two people who knew where to find you when you disappeared.

 The first of course was Maggie, the woman seemingly having a talent for knowing the whereabouts of any resident of Hilltop at any time had quickly discovered your hiding spot. The other was Daryl, he was the only one you'd shared the secret with willingly. You'd taken him here with one summer day when he was staying at Hilltop, the two of you wanting some time alone while you were navigating a new relationship.

That day was almost bittersweet to think about now. It might have sounded ridiculous to anybody else but those seemed like simpler times now. Your memories with Daryl, anytime you spent with him were the fondest memories you had but it made your heart ache just that much more when he was away. More recently it was starting to feel like he was away more often than he was with you. It had been almost three weeks since the last time you saw him now.

The news of what happened to Rick Grimes shook each of the communities, everyone's lives having been touched by him in some way but out of everyone you knew, Daryl had been hit the hardest. He lost more than most people could understand that day. You wished there was some way you could undo the last few months, to bring Rick home and bring everything back to normal but more than anything else, you wished you could bring Daryl home to you. He wasn't lost out there or presumed dead, he was alive and safe but simply spending every waking moment he had down by that river searching for his brother. He lost his brother that day but in the process, you were losing the man you loved.

You tried not to think about it, knowing all it did was upset you but your mind liked to wander. The words on the page in front of you started to blur, the romance novel long since abandoned but you couldn't pull your eyes away instead just staring blankly at the page. You were so disassociated from everything that you barely noticed the feeling of something nudging at your hand that was resting beside you. 

You slowly started to zone back in, your small bit of focus recognising the feeling of the wet nose of an animal sniffing at your hand, begging for attention. You didn't pay much attention to it, acting on instinct as you raised your hand to pet it still trying to focus on your book. It wasn't uncommon for animals to be running loose around Hilltop, most of them having grown used to human attention. It was only when you heard the whining bark for more attention that it finally snapped you out of your daze and your eyes flew to the dog sitting next to you.

"Dog! Oh, good boy!" You grinned the excitement of seeing him taking over as you dropped your book to your lap to give him a proper welcome. You scratched behind his ears as you watched him roll over onto the ground, panting between excited barks. There was this certain spot behind his ear that made Dog completely flop over and he loved when you scratched it, it was something Daryl had taught you early on when Dog had taken a liking to you. That was when the realisation hit you like a train, practically knocking the air from your lungs. If Dog was here then- "Daryl!"