#walking+dead

Daryl shoots him a weird look, before glancing back to where you stood a handful of yards away, pulling your hair up into a ponytail and helping to lift a large board. You were wearing black khakis and a dark tank top, looking absolutely amazing in such a simple outfit. The thought of having a baby with you briefly crossed Daryl's mind, but he shut down the idea almost as quickly as it popped into his head.

"What? You'd be a great dad. Especially with Y/N..." Aaron trails off, teasing the archer.

"Yeah," he retorts sarcastically, dipping his head behind his hair and returning to hammering so that Aaron couldn't see the heat rising to his cheeks.

Aaron dropped it and they got back to focusing, which lasted all of a couple minutes until Daryl heard something stand out to him. Your name. In Justin’s mouth.

Daryl knew that Justin had tried hitting on you once before when you came to the bridge to help out, and he had given him a stern warning to stay away from you. Normally Daryl would have trusted you to handle the guy yourself, but seeing as he was a savior, and he was being very pushy toward you, Daryl had stepped in.

He stands up from where he was crouched, brushing the dirt off of his gloves and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, listening in on the conversation Justin was having with some other savior.

“She’s a hot piece of ass. The things I’d do to her if that redneck asshole would let her out of his sight, I swear.” Justin remarks as he hammers at a nail unsuccessfully. The man beside him just scoffs.

“She’d never go for you, man," he responds.

“Sure she would. Just gotta get her alone.” Justin continues, a gross smirk on his face.

By this point, Aaron had taken notice and knew that shit was about to go down. The look on Daryl’s face was enough to warn the younger man that he needed to intervene, now.

"Hey! Back t' work! Stop chattin so damn much!" he growls as he shoves his way past Justin, abandoning Aaron to approach you.

You heard Daryl shout and immediately got distracted, almost wacking someone in the head with the board you were helping to carry. As soon as you and Rosita place it down, you search for Daryl, only to find him heading right over to you.

"Hey, you okay?" you ask, wiping your forehead with the back of your hand.

"Yeah, that prick over there pissin me off again," he grumbles, wiping some dirt off of your shirt for you. You smile softly, appreciating the gesture.

"Don't let him bother you, babe," you start. "Your only giving him the attention he wants."

Daryl grumbles in response. "Hi Y/N, hi Daryl," Henry greets you guys as he approaches with the large jug of water. "Need a drink?" he asks. Daryl motions to you and you open your mouth to fight him, but he shoots you a look, so you accept and take a very small cup of water from the boy.

"Thank you, Henry." You hand the cup to Daryl and give him the same look. He knows better than to argue with you and he was very thirsty anyway, so he pours himself a small cup too.

Henry then moves on and you let Daryl head off to grab another large plank with Gabriel. All is well for approximately three minutes, until...

You hear commotion and turn around to see that Justin has shoved Henry onto the ground and is now downing a bunch of water straight from the jug directly into his mouth. You immediately abandon your work and make your way toward Henry, but before you can get to the prick to handle business yourself, Henry has stood back up and knocks him clean off his feet with his staff.

You finally reached the two and just as the asshole is scrambling back onto his feet and some other former saviors are laughing at him, you place yourself between the man and the child.

"You better fucking not," you warn as he looks over your shoulder toward the boy who was hurrying to gather the water jug and get back to work.

"You see that shit?" Justin shouts, shuffling his body like he wants to go after Henry.

"Yeah I saw you bullying a child and him stand up for himself, just like he should," you retort.

Justin's eyes squint at you in shock and disbelief.

"Whatever! I let him do that. Better not get a big damn ego now!" he shouts dramatically.

"Yeah okay why don't ya get back to work," you roll your eyes and turn to walk away.

"Hey, hold up now. I finally gotcha away from the redneck," he grabs your shoulder and positions himself in your way.

"'scuse me?" you all but growl.

"Oh come on now, you know how long it's been since I seen a pretty face like yours?" he attempts to flirt with a gross smirk. "Take it as a compliment, sweetheart. Like you don't walk around in those tight little pants hoping every guy here is looking at you," he continues, and you move to walk away from him, but he follows you.

"I mean why else would you be here anyway? Not like a woman can be much help buildin a bridge," he blabbers on. You spot Daryl and instantly start walking toward him. The dumbass hasn't spotted Daryl and continues trailing you. "Hey, hold up! You think you're too good for me bitch?!" he grabs onto your shoulder, and before he has the chance to do anything else, Daryl literally tackles him to the ground like a football player, knocking the wind out of him and banging his skull against the ground.

Daryl gets two good swings in before you grab his shoulder to pull him off. He resists until you call out his name, wrapping your hand tightly around his raised fist. "Daryl!" you shout again, and he finally takes pause. Justin lies limp on the ground underneath Daryl. He grabs him harshly by the collar before saying: "Ya come near her again.. I'll beat yer ass into the ground," Daryl growls viciously before slamming him down as Rick shows up and gets an arm around him before he is able to decides to continue beating the prick to death.

He tries to scramble up as fast as he can as Rick and Aaron struggle to keep between him and Daryl. "Hey! Ya hear that shit! Huh?" Justin shouts and points over Rick's shoulder, trying to rile Daryl up some more.

"Enough!" Rick shouts, but Daryl doesn't stop pacing and stalking back and forth as he glares. Justin stupidly starts talking smack again.

"Unbelievable! Tried to kill me over nothin!" Justin tries to get people on his side. "Fuckin redneck asshole!" he shouts around Rick's shoulder. Before he can get any other insults out at Daryl, you reach up and punch him in the nose. Your hand immediately aches and you grab it instinctually, cursing out in pain. In your distraction, Justin grabs a hold of your shirt and suddenly you are in the middle of no less than four grown men pulling at you. Justin holds onto your shirt for dear life, as if keeping a grip on you will somehow prevent him from getting his ass kicked anymore.

Daryl is literally jumping over Rick to get to you as Rick tries to peel Justin off of you while keeping himself positioned between the two men, and Aaron tries to help hold Daryl back. By now a huge crowd has formed and everyone is egging each other on. "Enough!" Rick shouts again as he finally releases you from Justin's grip. "I said enough!" He hollers viciously as Daryl continues shoving his way through the men.

"Daryl!" you shout, finally halting him. He takes pause and notices your stretched out shirt hanging down low on your chest. He grabs your wrist, glancing at your knuckles and then peels his vest off of his back and swiftly pulls it over your shoulders, buttoning it in the front for you to cover you up a little better.

"Everyone get back to work! Now!" Rick hollers, guiding you and Daryl away from the crowd. "What the hell was that?!" he growls under his breath once you guys are far enough away.

"That asshole had it coming! This was neva gonna work Rick! Ya hear the shit he was sayin? He put his fuckin hands on 'er!" Daryl begins shouting again.

"Hey, hey!" Rick puts his hand up and you take Daryl's bicep. "You trying to kill the guy in front of everyone solves nothing, Daryl. You just stirred everything up!" He scolds.

"I'on care! He had it comin!" Daryl huffs.

"And you," Rick turns to you. "Not any better. Are you guys trying to make sure this doesn't work?" he scolds you guys like children.

"Hey," Daryl glares at Rick, pointing at him. "Leave 'er outta it. That prick should die for touchin 'er." Daryl warns Rick, who raises a brow at his friend. Rick puts his left hand up and his right on his hip, tilting his head and huffing.

"Daryl," he starts, trying to deescalate. "Alright, why don't you two go work on the logs, huh? Go cool off..." Rick sighs like a disappointed parent. Daryl wastes no time in grabbing your arm and quickly but gently leading you away to grab your stuff and head off to work on the logs.

Once you're out of earshot, outside of the cabin, Daryl stops and turns to face you. "Ya okay?" he asks, looking you up and down. You chuckle at his worry.

"I'm fine. Just stretched out my shirt," you respond, glancing down at your chest, which is covered by Daryl's vest.

"I'll getcha some new shirts. Go on a run tomorrow," Daryl mutters, grabbing your hand and inspecting your knuckles. "Shouldn't have hit him, don't want ya gettin' hurt," he continues, rubbing your knuckles with his calloused thumb.

"Asshole had it coming," you respond with a shrug. Daryl chuckles lightly and grins proudly.

"That's m' girl," he touches your chin. "Ya should head back for the day."

"Hell no. I just got here. I'm not leaving 'cuz of him," you state firmly. Daryl looks at you for a long moment, nibbling on his bottom lip before nodding in agreement.

"A'right, but stay with me," he starts leading the way toward the area of the woods where they are taking down trees for the bridge.

~

The rest of the day is pretty uneventful. You and Daryl spent a few hours helping with the logs, loading them up onto the trucks and whatnot. By the time the sun had gone down, your whole body was on fire. You'd definitely be feeling it in the morning.

You hadn't seen Justin since the incident in the afternoon, and you kept near Daryl for the most part, like he asked. The two of you were heading back through the woods, past the cabin and campsite, right when he happened to come out. Rick and Carol were right there talking to one another, and Rick made stern eye contact with Daryl from where he stood a few yards away. Daryl stood on your left as you continued to walk, his body shielding you from Justin.

The two men made intense eye contact as they passed one another, but neither spoke. Just when you thought you were in the clear... You hear: "Better keep your dog on a tighter leash!" Both you and Daryl whip around and spot Justin shouting at Rick as he is slowly walking away. "Damn near killed me for nothin," he continues stupidly.

You grab onto Daryl's bicep and Rick is instantly approaching Justin, his glare on Daryl, anticipating another fight - which seems to be exactly what the savior wants.

"Daryl don't," you try to stop him but he shrugs out of your grasp and strides over.

"Daryl," Rick warns, and Justin puffs his chest, anticipating his attack. Instead, Daryl stops two yards away from where Rick was standing near Justin.

"Listen up. Real good." Daryl points a finger at Justin. "Ya come near her again. Touch her. Talk to her. Hell. Ya look at her sideways," Daryl continues in a calm but dangerous tone. "Stitches won't fix what I do t' ya." It's not a threat, it's a promise. You cautiously take Daryl's bicep again, tugging him lightly to get him to back off, and when neither Justin nor Rick say anything, Daryl allows you to guide him away.

"I love you," you mutter up at Daryl once you are plenty out of earshot, taking his hand and interlocking your fingers as he leads the way toward the awaiting horses and other members of Alexandria to head home for the night. He squeezes your hand and smiles softly in return, silently saying it back.

---

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Of course, he was well aware of the reality that you were a smart, strong, and extremely capable individual. Upon various different occasions, Daryl had observed as you successfully defended yourself against a group of walkers, very proficient in regards to protecting yourself. You were never afraid to express your own opinions and beliefs concerning the safety of the community, often confident enough to challenge Rick when it regarded the process of decision making. Obviously, you were an extremely assure, strong, and secure person, which were all very important qualities when you were constantly forced to worry about your own survival. However, his rather loyal behaviors were simply the result of his own concerns.

Daryl just couldn't help but worry. He had experienced many different deaths and a wide variety of heart break throughout his life, both before and during the apocalypse. Even if it was hard to believe, Daryl was a very caring individual, especially in regards to those he cared for. And he acted the exact same way towards everyone he loved: Both protective and concerned. He would have literally risked his own life if it successfully secured the safety of those he cared for.

He just always wanted to confirm that you were okay, and the absolute best way to verify such a reality was to never leave your side.

In all honesty, Daryl wasn't exactly worried about the walkers, concerned that you may have been accidentally attacked by one whilst he was absent. Obviously, he was well aware of the reality that you were extremely capable of properly protecting yourself within such dangerous situations. Instead, he was much more apprehensive regarding people.

You were a very attractive and gorgeous woman, and he often wondered how someone such as himself had managed to successfully obtain your affection. Not only were you both pretty and extremely captivating, but you were also very confident as well. And as a result, Daryl often feared that a rather disgusting and immoral group of men may accidentally discover your existence during some sort of solo scavenging mission. He imagined that they would become hypnotized by your beauty and desperate to obtain your affection for themselves, through any means possible. Additionally, the men of todays world were often amused by a confident woman, such as yourself, typically attempting to destroy every remaining ounce of self assurance that had existed within their victims, to prove that they had still remained the dominant sex. And protecting yourself against a bunch of decaying walkers was a lot different compared to successfully defending yourself against a group of healthy and able men.

Daryl was still even a bit hesitant regarding the remembers of Alexandria as well. Prior to the apocalypse, he had been forced to behave rather weary around others, the idea that everyone was an enemy had been instilled within his mind since basically the moment he was born. And now, with the sudden lack of a proper government, rules, and legal punishment, such beliefs had only been further intensified. Daryl trudged through the community like a stray dog, constantly weary of everyone who had even managed to glance within his general direction. And he certainly wasn't ignorant regarding the many different men who would consistently gaze towards you, hungry for the new, attractive, and young woman who had just arrived within the town.

Therefore, what a better way to scare off the competition than to constantly follow you around like some sort of big and scary guard dog?

You had grown rather accustomed to Daryl's intense form of loyalty, familiar with him often accompanying you everywhere you went. In fact, you had honestly enjoyed it. You savored his company, cherishing every occasion in which the two of you had spent together. Even if you had just been relaxing within silence or actively battling a hoard of walkers, his general presence was extremely comforting.

Furthermore, his constant worrying had been almost reassuring. The evidence of his concern had confirmed that he truly cared about you, loved you enough to repeatedly risk his own life in order to protect your own. Whenever he had wrapped a rather possessive arm around your waste or collected you within his grasp during some sort of tense encounter, it only further proved that he cared for you just as much as you cared about him.

Sometimes, you worried he may have took on more responsibility than he could reasonably managed. You often envisioned him venturing into the outside world during some sort of mission and never returning. At least when he was constantly by your side, you were never forced to worry about his safety.

However, as of recently, Daryl had been acting rather odd. Suddenly, he had become a lot more reserved and almost distant; whenever you would exclaim that you were going to visit one of your companions, such as Maggie or Michonne, he would simply just release a grumbled hum of acknowledgement within response. Daryl no longer joined you upon your journeys around town or accompanied you during each occasion in which you visited Carol. In fact, he had even stopped offering to join you during scavenging missions as well, suddenly allowing you to actually both hunt or search for resources all alone.

As a result, you had started to worry. Due to his sudden unavailability and blatant lack of concern, you feared that maybe you had managed to accidentally upset him. Had he become distant in response to a lack of connection with you? Had he become bored, annoyed, or revolted by you? Was this just the first stage of a future break up, starting as just silence before slowly evolving into general distain? In all honesty, the constant concern and emotional distress was driving you absolutely insane.

You had even resorted to rather immature attempts to provoke him, to regain his previous jealousy and protectiveness through the usage of rather childish forms of taunting. Yet, no matter how hard you tried, your efforts never appeared to succeed.

"Im going to visit Abraham." You would suddenly declare, covertly attempting to somehow agitate him.

Daryl had never been a big fan of you visiting other men. However, such protectiveness wasn't some form of jealousy, simply rejecting each occasion in which you had attempted to visit a male companion, due to his own insecurities. No. Instead, it was the result of his own fears, worried that something bad may happen during his absence. Daryl was aware of your general intrigue, and he certainly wasn't ignorant to the many others who were obviously captivated by you as well. There were only a few men in which he had actually trusted, including both Rick and Glenn, but other than that, he had remained rather skeptical of the others.

"Mhm." He had simply grumbled, failing to offer any sort of company or companionship during the visit, as he previously would have. In fact, he had barely even glanced within your general direction, which had only managed to even further intensify your own distress.

One morning, once you had prepared for the advancing day and finally ventured outside, you had soon discovered Daryl repairing his motorcycle within your respected driveway. The hot Southern sun was relentlessly baking him, causing a thin sheen of sweat to glaze his flesh as his muscles visibly strained beneath the force of each motion.

"Hey." You had stated as you ventured towards him, voice both low and rather quiet, due to your increasing sorrow. However, when he had failed to even glance within the direction of your voice, continuing to basically ignore you as he remained completely focused upon repairing his bike, you worried that the current strain within your relationship would only become worse.

Instead of rewarding you with a proper response, Daryl had resorted to releasing a simple grumble of acknowledgement, as he had become so prone to doing as of recently. Of course, he had always been a rather reserved and quiet individual, a man of few words as he remained both distant and even isolated from others. Yet, you had always been the singular exception to such a rule. Daryl often became almost outgoing when located within your company, talking, laughing, and joking with you in a manner in which he had never done with anyone else before. Well, up until recently that is.

"Im gonna visit Spencer." You added.

Obviously, you desired absolutely nothing to do with Spencer Monroe. You had regarded him as spoiled, annoying, and typically irritating. He was a protected child, his parents often shielding him from the reality of today's world, a reality that had caused him to become both arrogant and ignorant. Of course, you weren't actually prepared to spend any time with him. Instead, this was just another one of your childish attempts to somehow revive Daryl's previous protectiveness.

In all honesty, you had mourned the manner in which he had behaved so concerned regarding you, especially around other men. The evidence of his worry had remained you that he was absolutely infatuated with you, revealing the fact that he truly cared for you, within his own way of course.

However, Daryl had remained distance one more. He had failed to offer to join you or state that he did not trust Spencer, as he would have previously done. No. Instead, he had just rewarded you with a silent nod of approval, as if he didn't even care.

You had instinctually released an annoyed sigh in response to his dismissive demeanor, rather irritated by his ignorant behavior recently. You had remained dormant for a moment, silent as you simply stared towards Daryl, utterly astonished by his blatant carelessness.

"Can I ask you something?" You had eventually inquired, voice piercing the thick silence as you executed a lengthy stride within his direction.

Daryl peered towards you from over his shoulder, eyes squinting beneath the bright illumination of the sun. Finally, he had simply nodded once more, wiping his grease glazed palms against the fabric of his pants before he slowly rose to his full height.

"Are you..." You hesitated, almost too nervous to successfully ask, worried you might accidentally vomit if the words had managed to exit your mouth.

By actually inquiring, you were risking everything: Your happiness, relationship, and even your own ignorance. You were gambling with the possibility that provided with the proper opportunity, Daryl might end things right then and there. You were practically setting the stage for him to execute what he had been obviously delaying for so long.

Yet, you were aware of the reality that you would have to finish what you started. You had initiated the entire conversation, and there was certainly no retreating now. As much as it might have hurt, you would much rather know the truth than continue living amongst lies.

You consumed a large inhale of courage, and during the following, lengthy exhale, you had swiftly inquired:

"Are you gonna break up with me?" You had spoken so quickly, the entire sentence had basically morphed into one big word, much too scared to even consider pausing for a moment.

Suddenly, it was completely quiet, as if the entire world had become deaf from around you. In fact, it was so silent, you worried he could possibly perceive the audio of your rapid heart beat hammering against your ribs, due to just how nervous you truly were. This was it, wasn't it? The moment in which Daryl would declare that he no longer loved you, that he wanted to break up, and desired absolutely nothing to do with you. As the two of you remained completely dormant, atmosphere thick was tension, and surroundings almost terrifyingly silent, you worried that you might start to cry.

However, your previously frantic emotions, along with each of your concerns, were soon replaced with utter confusion once you had wearily glanced towards Daryl's features. You had expected him to be scowling towards you, within the same manner he had regarded everyone else he disliked. You assumed he would declare that you had been correct, and in fact, he did desire to break up. Yet, instead, as you awkwardly peered towards him, you soon discovered that a visible expression of confusion was now etched across his features, brows furrowed, head slightly tilted, and a glimmer of puzzlement flickering across his vision.

"What?" He asked, sounding completely bewildered. In all honesty, you were almost certain that this was the first occasion in which you had actually perceived him speak a proper word towards you within at least a week.

You had hesitated beneath his scrutiny. With his unfaltering vision and rather mysterious tendencies, you had become both frightened and embarrassed, no longer worried that your relationship was about to end, but now concerned that you had just accidentally upset him.

Daryl was a rather confusion individual, his enigmatic demeanor often causing his emotions to become disoriented. He might have been situated upon the couch beside you one evening, the two of you simply enjoying each others company, all whilst supporting an expression typically induced by anger. However, when you would eventually inquire about his blatantly unfavorable mood, he would swiftly respond with "What are ya talkin' 'bout? Im havin' a good time." As if it was the most foolish question upon planet Earth. Yet, in comparison, he might have appeared entirely unfazed during some sort of argument between himself and another civilian of Alexandria, features rather blank and impassive. However, as soon as the two of you would return home, he would immediately declare something along the lines of "They just piss me off so much! Im so fuckin' angry!" And the current situation was no different.

"Its just..." You paused once more, a thick lump of shame forming within the depths of your throat as you squeezed your vision shut, unable to bear his scrutiny any longer "You've been acting so different lately, like you don't like me anymore, and I was worried you might end things soon."

At that point, you were now slightly trembling, your breath both rapid and quaking as tears began to blur your vision. You felt like a little kid once more, upon the verge of sobbing following a rather upsetting argument shared between yourself and your parents. You felt like a fool standing before him, no longer able to tolerate his scrutiny and the extremely intense silence.

"Why would I ever do tha'?" He had finally responded, an audible hint of confusion actively lacing his tone.

You had released yet another, trembling exhale, now completely embarrassed. Had you just been over reacting this entire time? Was absolutely nothing different and you had just been over analyzing the entire situation? Due to his rather perplexed and somewhat condescending response, you began to worry that you had been acting utterly foolish. Had you honestly allowed yourself to get so worked up over absolutely nothing?

"I don't-don't know." You stuttered, the mass amount of anxious saliva currently accumulating within your mouth causing your words to falter "You've j-just been so distant and q-quiet lately, it makes me worry."

As you remained idle before him, vision basically transfixed by your own shoes as you nervously avoided proper eye contact, the sudden sensation of his warm palm cupping your cheek had caused you to involuntarily flinch. In all honesty, it had been many days since Daryl had last caressed you so tenderly, grasping you within his hands as if you were the most gentle object upon planet Earth, the sensation was almost foreign now.

"I promise, darlin', I ain't never gonna break up with ya." He had whispered, voice both gravelly and soft at the same exact time. He had spoke so quietly, it was obvious that his words were intended entirely for you, and absolutely no one else.

You couldn't help but melt into his embrace, further burrowing your features against his large palm, completely unconcerned regarding the reality that he had just been fiddling with his oil glazed motorcycle only moments prior. You were sure to discover some sort of grease etched across your flesh later on, but in all honesty, you couldn't care less. All that mattered was that he was holding you, the sensation of his hands grasping your features causing an affectionate warmth to suddenly infiltrate your chest.

"Then why have you been acting so... Weird?" You whispered, aware of the reality that if you had spoke any louder, you would certainly burst into tears.

In response, Daryl had released a rather heavy sigh from above you, exhale so intense, it was as if he had been holding his breath since the moment you had initially arrived.

"I was just worried I was bein' clingy, scared I might annoy ya or be too needy. I didn't want ya to get fed up with me always followin' ya round like a lost puppy. Thought Id just give ya yer space." He had grumbled, an obvious hint of embarrassment now glazing his tone as well. Just as you had been nervous to express your true emotions, afraid of accidentally humiliating yourself, Daryl was obvious anxious as well. And for some reason, such a reality was rather comforting.

You glanced towards him, observing Daryl through your tear fogged vision. You were searching his features for any sign of hesitancy, worried that he might have simply been lying in an attempt to comfort you. However, the reality that he was being completely sincere was soon enforced once Daryl had returned your gaze, discovering the evidence of your own fear. In response to your tear glazed irises, the small frown of sorrow actively quivering across your lips, and the fact that you were currently trembling like a leaf, he had started to gently stroke your cheek with the usage of his large thumb. Such a seemingly minor detail had managed to successfully solidify the fact that he was being completely honest.

"Oh Daryl," you sighed, somewhat shaken by his rather intimate confession, his sincere words causing your heart to flutter "you could never annoy me."

Just as you had been skeptical of his previous claim, Daryl appeared rather hesitant from above you, almost as if he didn't believe such a statement. A small smile of delight failed to explode across his lips. He did not scoop you into his arms due to pure relief. No. Instead, Daryl had continued to silently peer towards you, scrutinizing your general existence as if you were some sort of riddle he was forced to decipher.

"Im being serious. I like when you're so protective, it makes me feel cared for. At least then I know you love me." You had continued, attempting to properly reassure him and successfully gain his trust.

Of course, Daryl had still failed to completely accept such a claim without some form of further confirmation. He had always been the skeptical type, not exactly believing something right away. Even when you had first confessed your feelings towards him, extremely nervous and scared that he might possibly reject you, Daryl had failed to believe you at first. Instead, he had repeatedly asked "Are ya serious?" And "Is this some kinda joke?" In fact, he didn't completely trust such an admission until you had leaned forward and softly connected your lips. And even then, he had still remained a bit skeptical for a while, even though you had spent the following weeks constantly reassuring him.

"Ya sure? I don't like... Smother ya or anythin'?" He had further inquired.

You frantically shook your head.

"Yes, Im sure, Daryl." You giggled, wiping at your blurry vision in an attempt to successfully dismiss the accumulating tears, now worried that you appeared somewhat pathetic for actively crying over such a minor situation "You could never smother me. Trust me, if I could spend every waking moment with you, I would."

It was silent for a moment as the two of you remained completely dormant. A subtle jolt of anxiety had infiltrated your system once more as Daryl had continued to survey your features as if you were similar to that of a tricky exam, seemingly searching for some sort of hidden detail. In all honesty, you were worried that he was about to alter his previous decision, that your rather hasty confession (admitting that you would practically conjoin yourself to him if you could) had accidentally unsettled him. Were you now the one behaving much too clingy?

However, once Daryl had suddenly captured you within his strong grasp, compressing you firmly against his chest as he slightly swaying you within his arms, you couldn't help but release yet another yelp of laughter. His rather unexpected response, embracing you as if the two of you had been apart for months, had been rather amusing and extremely relieving.

The two of you were silent for a few moments as you simply hugged one another, slightly rocking within each others arms whilst you embraced within the drive way, completely unconcerned regarding what your rather judgemental neighbors may assume. After days of being both emotionally and physically distant, it currently felt as if you had just been reunited after months of no contact. You had become so accustomed to occupying basically every moment alongside Daryl, being apart for even a second was comparable to that of literal torture.

"Okay, good. 'Cause I don't want ya seein' that Spencer freak without me." He had grumbled against your flesh, features now buried against the junction in which your shoulders encountered your neck.

Daryl released a rather dry chuckle against your skin, as if successfully expressing such a possessive confession, after a week of restraining himself, was both amusing and rather relieving at the same exact time. And you couldn't help but release a giggle of your own, the return of his rather territorial tendencies causing your heart to flutter once more.

"Honestly? I don't really wanna see him at all. I just wanted to make you jealous." You confessed with a sigh, further relaxing into his grasp as if an intense weight had just been lifted from your shoulders.

With that, Daryl withdrew his face from the junction of your neck. You were still captured within his firm grasp, figure pressed tightly against his sturdy form, but he had recoiled just enough to create proper eye contact with you once more.

"You ain't never gotta make me jealous for me to care 'bout ya, darlin'. Id kill any man who even dared to look in yer direction." He had exclaimed, causing a soft and affection smile to instantly grace your lips "Bein' away from ya so much has been driving me crazy as it is."

Once again, you had released a rather tender giggle, amused by his serious words. Such a statement was obviously genuine, yet extremely silly at the same exact time.

"Then stop pushing me away so much." You exclaimed through laughter.

Daryl compressed his features against the junction of your neck once more, as if that specific location was comparable to that of some sort of comfort space.

"Well Christ, now that I know ya don't mind, you wont ever be able to get rid of me." He declared, gravelly voice muffled against the flesh of your throat.

Of course, such a statement could have been received as some kind of joke. However, due to the manner in which Daryl was currently embracing you, caging you within his grasp as if he didn't plan to ever release you, you were well aware of the reality that he was being completely serious. And in all honesty, you weren't the slightest bit upset.

Even though his vision was currently obstructed as he further nuzzled his features against your skin, you couldn't help but smile once more, the warmth currently pooling within your chest only further intensifying.