How about an AU, where it's Darryl that finds Henry in the woods and not Mercedes?
Imagine it. Carol talks Darryl into going on a hike in an attempt to cheer him up (his dad's death would be pretty recent in this AU), and they run into a ragged and amnesiac Henry in the middle of the woods. Carol just wants to call the cops and be done with it, but Darryl's a bit of a bleeding heart, especially since he's grieving, and checks up on Henry and becomes his friend/Earth guide.
I'm thinking Henry falls for Darryl first, 'cos although Carol and Darryl's relationship is kinda on the rocks Darryl's hanging onto it tooth and nail because he's afraid of being alone. But thanks to Henry's emotional support and influence and Darryl's feelings for him Darryl is eventually able to let go of the broken relationship. Or something along those lines.
This just came to my mind since I didn't see many AUs about these two in AO3, much less AUs where they're not dads yet. I'm not surprised, Henry and Daryl being dads is a central thing in canon, but I think this AU could be fun~
