Daryl Dixon x Reader

Eyes fixed on the sun

You looked up to your right at Hershel briefly as it was to much effort for you to hold his gaze. You lay down on your back against the small mattress of the cell room you were in. Your strength was dwindling down rapidly as the hours passed by. He grunted as he looked at your features solemnly.
"Do you think he's gonna come talk to me?" You mumbled out
"Well..I..I'm not for sure darlin'...It's a lot to take in right now...not just him.. but for everyone else too." He replied.
"Hershel...I..you don't think he..blames himself right?..it was my fault anyways. I was actin' stupid.." You wheezed. He just looked at you before letting out a deep sigh.
"Maybe." Was his only answer.
"This feels like a dream. Like just a really long nightmare." You whispered as a small oddly placed smile formed on you lips. Your eyebrows began to scrunch together as the stinging in your nose began as you felt tears gather up. Your eyes became glossy as a few stray tears fled from them as you turned to look right again.
"You know what's kinda funny? I've asked for this so many times...but now that it's happening..I'm scared....I'm so scared Hershel.." more tears spilled out as your eyes crinkled as you gave him a quivering smile. Your vision blurry but you could still make out his head bowing.
"People think they want to die but they don't...Nobody wants to die." He spoke to you.
Hershel's own eyes we beginning to blur as well. His jaw clenched as he tried to put up a front for you. He desperately tried to clear his throat of the tightness he felt but to no valid.

" I love him...I love him more than I probably should... I used to not be able to pee without him standing guard two feet from me...and now he won't even come near me.." you laughed.
"He'll come around soon enough. Don't worry." He assured you.
You shook your head slightly. Your hair rustling against the scratchy material of the yellow toned pillow.
"He doesn't want to believe it's happening...at this point..." you slowly looked up towards the ceiling of the cell "..I'll have to do it myself."
Hershel stared at you for a moment before falling silent once more.
"It's better this way anyways..he had to do it to Merle....I don't think he could do it again..."you trailed off.
"Are you trying to convince yourself or me?" He questioned. You cracked a smile at that.
"Both." You responded.
Hershel gingerly grabbed your right hand gently. He almost flinched away when he felt the heat radiate off your body.
"Will you tell Daryl I love 'em?" You requested as you felt your eyes begin to droop.
"How about I just go get him hmm? I'll hog tie   and drag 'em here if I have to." He smiled as he got up and steadied himself for his crutches and began his journey to find the silent hunter.
You stayed still as you heard the slow movement of crutches go down the hallway. Your nostrils flared hard as you couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Free falling tears stained your pale cheeks as they made they way their way down.
"I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun" you sang hoarsely
"Shake me down, cut my hair on a silver cloud
Broken sound, softly laying on the ground
Oooh not a lot of people left around oooh oooh
In my past, bittersweet, there's no love between the sheets
Taste the blood, broken dreams, lonely times in deed
With eyes cast down, fixed upon the ground, with eyes cast down." Your scratchy voice bounced off the blank walls and into the open air.
"I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun" you sniffed hard, lower lip trembling and your face puckered up.
"Turn back now, it's time for me to let go..."
Your breath hitched as you cried. You cried as hard as your body would let you in your state. The pain on your left forearm intensified the harder your body convulsed. The pain flowing in your veins pounded hard as your throat tightened.
"Im sorry Daryl.." you cried out into the open.
All you could do was hope he would turn up before it was to late to say your goodbyes. And maybe, just maybe you could confess your love to him yourself.
"Don't be.." a gruff voice came at the foot of the bed. Your hazy eyes fluttered open as you looked at the said man in the door way.
"D..Daryl?" You sputtered as you tried so hard to set up but felt rough hands push you back down to the bed.
"Don't go pushin' yourself there sunshine." He mumbled as he took the seat by the small bed. He sat there quietly for a few moments as he looked at your white complexion. He grimaced at the sweaty and sunken features of your face.
You chuckled "Well damn...you're starting to give me a complex." You wheezed out. As you stared into his eyes he darted to look towards the wound on your arm. His hands tightening at the memory of it.
"I should've made you stay. This wouldn't have happened." He snapped, more at himself than you. "I wanted you to learn how to hunt properly..to be able to take care of yourself.. and I let this shit happen..I should've been-"
"Daryl stop. Don't do that to yourself..."you had to catch your breath before you started again " you couldn't have known. Don't blame yourself." You finished with a few deep breaths.
"Don't blame myself?!" He exclaimed loudly "What the hell do ya mean! Of course I'm gonna blame myself for this. Everyday of the rest of my damn life! So don't YOU tell me not to!!" He shouted.
You didn't even so much as flinch as he stood up to hover over you. Tired eyes blinked slowly at him. A broken smile made its way across you mouth. Droplets of something wet plopped on your face. The sight before you made you want to cling to life harder. Daryl's face was flushed from the anger of yelling but streams of tears made small paths through the dirt on his face. You signed heavily as you looked to him once more. You shakily lifted your hand to cup his face and looked clearly into his eyes,
"I love you Daryl.." both of his hands came to grip around yours to hold it in place. His breath hitched as he processed the information. The slipping of your hand brought him out of the trance he was in when he turned to look you in the eyes. With one final smile you felt you eyelids drop for the last time. Daryl felt his heart stop as his stomach dropped. His mouth felt dry as his throat tightened. He tried to speak,to say something, anything, and yet nothing. It wasn't until he noticed you stopped moving is when he went into a frenzy. He dropped your hand at your side and straightened up as he turned and started to call for Hershel only to find the rest of the group gathered outside the cell. He rushed and screamed for them to do something.
" WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR COME ON." He rushed back to your side as he fumbled around to start doing chest compressions. He did a double take over his shoulder as he didn't see anyone move from their spots. His nostrils flared at them and moved faster to press down.
A gently voice tried to get his attention but was ignored and over powered by his wails.
A gentle hand covered his right shoulder making him stop mid movement.
"Son..she's gone...stop." Hershel tried to reason with him. Daryl slapped the hand off and moved back to start again but another voice rang out and stopped him.
"Daryl" the thick country ascent of Rick made him stop.
"Stop..please." Rick pleaded as he moved Daryl back from your body.
Daryl looked down as he tried his hardest to not burst in anger at the sheriff. Rick looked from Daryl to you and sighed hard. He didn't know how to bring it up to him.
The cries coming from the hallway were muffled. Some cried and others had their head bowed.

Daryl heard the cock of a gun and ripped out of ricks grip and took a defensive stance in-front of you. Rick muttered an apology as he tried to gather his thoughts.
Rick gulped as he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.
"I fuckin' know. Ya don't gotta say it...jus leave us be." Daryl turned around towards your body slowly.
"You don't have to do this ya know? You..shouldn't. I can do it-"
"LIKE HELL YOU WILL. DON'T YOU DARE!" he roared as he gathered Rick's shirt between his hands and started to push him out of the cell and against bars. The group moved quickly out of the way as the pair argued loudly. Glenn and Maggie tried to pry Daryl off of Rick. They all stopped moving when they heard a noise inside the cell.
Heavy breathing could be heard as everybody moved back slightly expect for Daryl. He stopped when he saw your eyes flutter open. But instead of the normal (eye color) it was cloudy with a yellowish film over if. Your body moved to sit up and push yourself off the cot. Wheezing could be heard as you stumbled across the room. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Daryl being the only one left just staring. Hisses and snarls came from your mouth as you wobbled your way to him. He didn't realize he held Ricks gun in his hands until he felt his thump cock it back. The group had stayed far away to watch what would happen as only Glenn and Maggie were in front with their guns incase things went south.
New warm tears replaced the cold trails down his cheeks as he shakily took aim. One of your hands went to reach out towards him but before you could touch him a shot rang out in the prison. As the ringing continued, a body was heard as it hit the grimy floor. It felt slow as he fell to his knees in front of you. Your gaze towards the ceiling as blood fell from your forehead in different directions.

Daryl worked through the early morning hours to dig a grave for you as your body was wrapped in a old sheet placed next to him. The blood stain distracted him momentarily as he looked hard at the ground. It was mid morning by time he was done and everybody had gathered around for the burial. A few words were said as the sun beat down on everyone at the grave. Slowly people start to disperse and head back in. With Daryl the only one left he sat down looked up into the blinding sky.
"I love you too sunshine.." he closed his eyes as he felt the breeze flow around him. "Merle, you damn bastard.. take care of her..until I come." Was his last words as stood to walk back to the prison.