thelonewalking
A OC x Daryl Dixon fanfiction
Mat's gaze lingered. There was something about the way he held himself, like a cornered animal pretending it wasn't scared. Raw. Real. Something familiar.
Rick followed Mat's gaze and didn't bother hiding the faint smirk that crept across his face. "That's Daryl. Don't take it personal if he don't say much."
"I wasn't planning on it," Mat replied, voice low. His eyes hadn't left Daryl yet.
Daryl shifted like he felt the weight of being watched. His gaze flicked up, locking with Mat's, sharp, suspicious, then indifferent. Like he was used to being seen but not looked at. Mat didn't drop his eyes.
Neither of them spoke.
The buzz of quiet conversation from the others dulled under the weight of their stare. Mat's face remained calm, unreadable, but his chest hummed with a strange pull. Daryl's brows creased, just slightly, as if trying to figure out whether Mat was a threat or just another mouth to feed.
Mat tilted his head slightly, lips curling with a slow, almost amused smile. "You always look at people like that, or just me?"
Daryl blinked once. "Just you," he muttered. His voice was gravelly, low, rough, and Southern