Imagines // Daryl Dixon

ed

Rolling to your side, you couldn't help but notice the absence of a particular being; It was rare that he was there when you woke up. You knew he had trouble sleeping recently, and though you hated seeing the bags under his eyes the lack of sleep caused, you didn't know how to help.

Emerging from your tent, the burning sun was only low in the sky, but the temperature already soared. You glanced around, noting the majority of the others were still asleep, except Carol and Sophia. As you approached them, they greeted you with warm smiles, offering you a bowl of porridge. Shaking your head, you spotted Daryl sitting on the hill overlooking the quarry. Carol's gaze followed yours as she nodded slightly, a smile creeping across her features. She handed you a bottle of water and ushered you off in his direction. He had an effortless beauty about him, leaning back on one arm, the other resting over his raised knee. As you approached, he glanced up at you, eyes following as you knelt in front of him, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Pulling away, he opened his arms and you crawled into his chest, feeling him rest his head on your shoulder as the two of you just sat in silence, gazing out over the quarry. 

"'m going out hunting today." You bit your lip slightly. Knowing well he could handle himself, you just worried he wouldn't come back one day. You looked down, entwining your fingers with his when you heard someone call your name from the camp. Rising to your knees, you turned to face him. 

"Be safe, hm?" He simply nodded, leaning in to plant a kiss on your lips. Pulling away, you stood, pulling him up beside you. You followed him back over to the others, watching as he retrieved his crossbow and headed off. 

"Can you help me out today hun?" You jumped at the voice, turning to a smiling Lori. 

"Sure thing, just let me get over my heart attack first." She laughed at you, handing you several stacked baskets of washing, as she grabbed the washboard. The two of you made your way down to the water, her telling you stories of her life pre-apocalypse. Taking a pew on the shore, Lori glanced over the baskets her eyebrows furrowing in the process.

"(Y/N), can you go an' fetch Carol's family's stuff? I'll get started on the rest of this." You nodded and made your way back up to the camp. Looking around, you couldn't see Carol, so you decided to go over to her tent to find her. 

"Carol?" You heard a grunt inside before the door was slowly unzipped, being pulled open to reveal Ed, Carol's husband. 

"The hell ya want?" 

"Just here to pick up the laundry." He narrowed his eyes before stepping aside.

"Come in 'n get in." You glanced over your shoulder, cringing at the thought of going in there. There was something incredibly off about the man and you weren't the only one to think so. Stepping in, Ed pointed to a bag in the corner of the tent. He sat down on the bed next to it and as you neared, he grabbed your wrist, pulling you harshly onto him. You froze, fear flooding your veins. "How 'bout ya do somethin' else for me aye?"

"Ed, pleas-" He cut you off by cupping a hand over your mouth. You tried to pull away from him, but your struggling just caused him to hold tighter. He slipped a rough hand under your shirt, sliding over your skin until he harshly grabbed your breast. You whimpered at the pain, before raising a hand and slapping him with all your force. He loosened his grip enough for you to stand, but before you could get out of there, he stood, knocking you to the ground with a blow to your stomach. You crumpled to your knees, the breath knocked out of you. You looked up at him in time to see a fist coming straight at you, connecting with your jaw. Moments later, it happened again before he pulled you to your feet by your shirt. 

"Ain't no 'lil whore gonna disrespect me. Get ya filthy ass out of here." Steering you out of the tent, he quickly zipped the door up behind you. You raised a hand to your mouth, feeling the deep cut and the wet blood. Looking around, you ran to your tent, collapsing inside it. You balled a shirt up tightly, pressing it to your lip while you crawled into your bed. You closed your eyes and drew your knees to your chest as you felt a tear slip down your cheek. 

You don't know how long you stayed there like that before somebody begand unzipping your tent. Your eyes flew open and you shot up, sliding back as far as you could. Lori poked her head it, and her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw you. Crawling in, she gently grabbed your chin inspecting your face.

"How?!" You looked down, more tears forming in your eyes. 

"I just went to get their laundry... Ed tried to.." You felt Lori froze and her hand dropped from your face. She didn't speak for a moment, shaking her head slowly.

"He didn't, did he?" Her voice was a whisper as your covered your face with your hands.

"No." Lori pulled you in for a brief hug, rubbing your back softly. 

"We need to go get you cleaned up, hun. Dale has a first aid kit in the RV." 

"I don't want people to see." 

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, the others should know what a piece a shit he is. C'mon." You watched as she stepped out, waiting for you to join. Reluctantly you joined her, making your way to the RV. 

You felt Dale's worried eyes on you from the doorway, but you avoided them, instead staring out the window at the setting sun. You felt a sting on your lip, tears welling your eyes as you looked down at the bottle of antiseptic Lori was applying to your lip. 

"Done." She stepped back and begand packing away the kit. You stood and made your way to the mirror hanging on the door. Your cheek was a deep purple and your bottom lip was split, another bruise deloping around it. Sighing, you turned to thank Lori when you heard cheering outside. Dale glanced outside before qucikly shutting the door, turning to face you.

"Looks like deer tonight.." Daryl was back. Glancing back at the mirror, you didn't want him to see you like this. 

"Please, Dale, keep him away." 

"What do you propose I say?" You looked at Lori for suggestions. She shrugged and turned to Dale.

"Tell Merle. Let him tell Daryl. Ed deserves whatever he gets, but I just think someone who can pull him back should tell him." You turned and walked into the small bedroom, curling into a ball on top of the quilt. Lori followed you and you heard the RV door opening as Dale left.

"You're gonna be okay (Y/N)." You just nodded as Lori continued whispering comforts to you. You jolted upright at the sound of yelling outside. Sitting up, you slid the window open to hear what was happening.

"That's enough baby brother, piece a shit ain't worth it." 

"Ya ever lay a hand on her again, I ain't gonna hesitate 'bout fuckin' killing ya. Hear me?!" Lori stood and walked out, pacing the small space in the RV. You laid back down, covering your head with the pillow when you heard the door open. Uncovering your face, you sat up to see Lori with her hand on Daryl's chest. 

"Ya gonna need to calm down Daryl." He brushed past her, stopping at the bedroom doorway when he saw you. He looked angrier than you'd ever seen him, and you didn't dare move as he took a step closer to you. Slowly, he knelt down in front of you, dropping his head onto your lap. You ran your hand through his hair and he raised his head, the anger fading to pain. He stood, dropping into the bed beside you and pulling you into his lap. You buried your face in his chest, and the tears you'd managed to keep in for the most part, flooded down your face. He held you tightly, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. 

Your tears ceased, and you raised your head, meeting his gaze. He hand cupped your cheek, his thumb lightly tracing your bruised cheekbone, eyebrows furrowing.

"'m so sorry princess. So fuckin' sorry." You grabbed his hand, holding it in both of yours and staring into his eyes.

"Not your fault. I'm okay."

"Ain't gonna let anythin' hurt you ever again." You leant forward, placing a hand on his cheek and kissing his jaw.