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đđđđđđđđ ⢠Daryl liked youâyou knew thatâbut all youâre getting is mixed signals, and itsâ driving you crazy.
đđ¨đ§đđđ§đ đđđŤđ§đ˘đ§đ ⢠none! Daryl is bad at expressing his feelings, awkward kissing, touch starved Daryl, hurt/comfort
The camp had settled into that quiet kind of nightâthe one where everything felt too still, like even the wind was holding its breath.
A small fire crackled low, barely alive, more embers than flame. most people had already turned in. a few murmured voices drifted from the far end, but out here, it was just you⌠and him.
Daryl Dixon sat on an overturned crate, hunched forward, elbows on his knees, a cigarette burning slow between his fingers. the glow lit up his face every few secondsâjust enough for you to catch it.
And every time you did, he wasnât looking at you.
You noticed that.
You always noticed that.
It had been like this all day. small things. subtle enough that no one else would clock itâbut you werenât stupid.
Short answers. one-word replies. walking off mid-conversation. like the second you got too close, he needed space.
But last night?
Last night heâd been different.
Closer. softer, in that quiet, awkward way he had. like he didnât know what to do with the feeling, but didnât want to let it go either.
And nowâthis?
It made your jaw tighten.
You pushed off the wooden post youâd been leaning on, boots crunching softly against gravel as you crossed the space between you.
He noticed. of course he did.
His shoulders tensed slightly, just for a secondâbut he still didnât look up.
That was it.
âThatâs getting real old, yâknow.â
Your voice cut through the quiet, sharper than you meant it to be.
Daryl took a drag from his cigarette, slow, like he was buying time. smoke curled from his lips as he finally glanced your wayâquick, fleetingâbefore looking off again.
âAinât doinâ nothinâ.â
You let out a short, humorless breath.
âYeah? Couldâve fooled me.â
No response.
Of course.
You stepped closer, close enough now that the heat from the dying fire brushed your side, close enough that he couldnât pretend you werenât there anymore.
âWhole day, Daryl. Youâve beenâwhat? Avoiding me?â
âNah.â
âThen what is it?â
He shrugged, like it didnât matter. like you didnât matter.
Something in your chest twisted at that.
âDonât do that,â you snapped, quieter nowâbut worse. âDonât act like nothinâs changed.â
That got him.
His jaw tightened, fingers flexing slightly around the cigarette before he flicked ash into the dirt.
âNothinâ changed.â
You stared at him for a second, searching his face, waiting for somethingâanything real.
But he wouldnât give it.
And that? that pissed you off more than anything.
âYouâre a terrible liar.â
His head turned then, finally meeting your eyesâand it hit harder than it shouldâve.
Because there it was.
That look.
The same one from last night. the one that lingered too long. the one that said things he wouldnât.
Then, just as fast, it shut down again.
âGo get some sleep,â he muttered, looking away like that solved anything. âAinât worth gettinâ worked up over.â
Your laugh was quiet, disbelieving.
âNot worthââ you cut yourself off, shaking your head. âYou donât get to do that.â
He didnât answer.
Didnât move.
Just sat there, like if he stayed still enough, this would all pass.
It didnât.
You stepped even closer now, right into his space.
âIâm not crazy,â you said, voice lower. controlledâbut barely. âLast night wasnât nothinâ. So donât sit here and pretend like it was.â
Silence stretched between you.
Heavy. thick.
Darylâs grip tightened slightly on his knee, knuckles going pale for a second.
For a moment, you thought he was just going to shut you out again.
But thenâ
ââŚainât sayinâ it was nothinâ.â
It was quiet. rough. almost reluctant.
Your breath caught a little at that, even if you didnât want it to.
âThen what is it?â you pressed.
He didnât answer right away.
His eyes flicked up to yours again, lingering this timeâlonger than before. there was something there. frustration. confusion. something softer buried underneath it all.
Like he didnât know how to say it.
Like he didnât even know what it was.
His gaze dropped again, shoulders tensing.
âDonâtââ he started, then stopped, jaw clenching. âDonât make it into somethinâ it ainât.â
You frowned slightly.
âAnd what is it, then?â
That did it.
He stood up abruptly, the sudden movement closing the space between you in a different way nowâcloser, more charged. the cigarette dropped, forgotten, crushed under his boot.
âDonât,â he said again, firmer this timeâbut not angry. not really.
More like⌠overwhelmed.
You didnât back up.
Neither did he.
For a second, neither of you spoke.
Just stood there, too close, tension thick enough to choke on.
And it hit you thenâ
He wasnât pulling away because he didnât feel anything.
He was pulling away because he did.
Your voice softened, just a little.
ââŚyouâre real bad at this, yâknow.â
A faint huff of breath left himâalmost a laugh, but not quite.
âYeah,â he muttered.
Silence again.
But different this time.
Less sharp. Still tenseâbut warmer, underneath it.
Unresolved.
Not over.
Not even close
For a second, neither of you move.
The air between you feels different nowâstill tight, still complicated, but no longer snapping at the edges. Just⌠heavy. Waiting.
Daryl shifts first.
Not awayâjust enough to break the stare, his hand dragging briefly over the back of his neck like heâs trying to shake something loose. His boot grinds whatâs left of the cigarette deeper into the dirt.
ââŚshit,â he mutters under his breath.
You almost smile at that. Almost.
âYeah,â you murmur, quieter now.
Silence settles againâbut itâs not as sharp as before. Not cutting. Just stretched thin.
Daryl pats his vest, then his pocket, frowning slightly.
âGot another?â you ask, nodding toward where his last cigarette used to be.
He huffs, already pulling a crumpled pack free.
âYeah.â
He taps one out, bringing it up to his lipsâbut when he reaches for his lighter, his movements stall.
A beat.
Another.
You raise a brow.
ââŚdonât tell me.â
Daryl clicks it once.
Nothing.
Again.
Still nothing.
He exhales through his nose, irritation flickering across his face as he shakes it slightly.
âGreat.â
That does earn a small smile from you.
âHere.â
You step inâcloser again, like you hadnât just argued, like the space between you had always been this small.
Your hand brushes his as you pull your lighter out, the contact brief but enough to make something flicker in his expression.
He stills.
Just for a second.
You flick the flame to life, holding it up between you.
âCâmon.â
Daryl hesitates.
Not because of the cigarette.
Because of you.
Because now he actually has to look at youâand this close, thereâs no pretending he doesnât feel it.
But he leans in anyway.
Slow.
Careful.
The tip of the cigarette catches, ember glowing as he inhalesâbut neither of you pull away right after.
The flame is still there, held between you.
Too close.
Way too close.
You can feel his breathâwarm, uneven, ghosting against your fingers. His eyes flick up, meeting yours through the dim light, and itâsâ
Itâs the same look.
That same one.
Only worse now.
Stronger.
Like heâs thinking about it.
Your grip on the lighter tightens just slightly.
ââŚgonna burn yourself,â he mutters, voice lower than before.
But he doesnât move back.
Neither do you.
âThen move,â you reply, just as quiet.
He doesnât.
The flame flickers between you, small and unsteadyâlike itâs caught in the same tension.
Then you snap it shut.
Darkness rushes back in, leaving just the faint glow of his cigaretteâand the two of you, still too close.
Daryl exhales slowly, smoke curling between you, but his eyes donât leave your face this time.
Your heart kicks a little harder than youâd like.
âYou keep doinâ that,â you say softly.
His brow furrows. âDoinâ what?â
âThis,â you gesture vaguely between you. âActinâ like you donât want thisâand then lookinâ at me like that.â
That hits.
You can see it.
His jaw tightens, shoulders going rigid againâbut he doesnât step away.
âDonât know what you want me tâsay.â
âTry the truth.â
A beat.
Another.
The fire crackles faintly behind you, but it feels miles away now.
Daryl looks at youâreally looks this time. Like heâs weighing something. Fighting it.
Then, quieterâ
ââŚainât good at this.â
You huff softly. âYeah, I got that part.â
Something almost like a smile ghosts across his faceâbut it fades just as quickly.
âDonâtââ he starts, then stops, eyes dropping briefly before lifting again. âDonât wanna screw it up.â
Your expression softens, just a little.
âYou already are.â
That earns you a small, breathy exhale from himâcloser to a real laugh this time.
âYeah,â he admits.
And there it is again.
That shift.
That moment where neither of you are fighting it as hard.
You donât even realize youâve leaned in until youâre already thereâuntil the space between you is barely anything at all.
Daryl notices.
Of course he does.
His breath hitchesâsubtle, but there.
He doesnât move away.
ââŚyou sure?â he asks, rough, like the words are dragged out of him.
You nod, just slightly.
âAre you?â
Thatâs all it takes.
He hesitatesâjust for a second longer, like heâs giving himself one last chance to back out.
Then he doesnât.
His hand comes up, slow and unsure at first, brushing against your arm before settling more firmlyâlike heâs grounding himself.
And thenâ
He leans in.
The kiss is⌠not smooth.
Not practiced.
A little off at first, like he doesnât quite know what heâs doingâbut itâs real. Careful, almost hesitant, like heâs waiting for you to pull away.
You donât.
Instead, you lean into it, closing that last bit of space, and something in him shifts.
The hesitation cracks.
Just a little.
His grip tightens, the kiss deepeningânot rushed, not overwhelming, but more certain now. Like heâs finally letting himself feel it instead of holding back.
Itâs quiet.
Slow.
A little messy.
But itâs him.
And when he finally pulls back, itâs not far.
Foreheads almost brushing, breath uneven, his eyes searching yours like heâs trying to figure out what just happenedâand what it means.
ââŚshit,â he murmurs again.
This time, you do smile.
âYeah,â you whisper.
And neither of you step away
Thank you @luvxtaki and everyone who got me to 5 reblogs!













