A/N: Okay so I apologise in advance, this wasn’t something that was requested but this idea has been in mind for ages and after the most recent episode I feel like now is a good time to write it. For a brief overview it’s Carol bringing Daryl back around from his darker side that’s recently come back around.
Also sorry if this isn’t very well written, my brain is like soup lately and nothing seems to be coming out the way I’d envisioned...anywayyyys, enjoy!
@equuleus86 tagging you girl just to tell you I did it!xox
“Yeah, and a saviour too. Couldn’t’ve been much older than Carl, if that.”
Carol’s gaze fell to the hunter of topic, aggressively sharpening his knife making small grunts from his effort.
“He’s out for blood,” Rick told Carol, worried for the mentality of the man he’d come to consider his brother. “He’s not thinkin’ rationally. Hell, I don’t know if he’s thinking at all if all he can see is red.”
Carol nodded knowingly, most of them had all been in that position one at point or another. Anger makes you stupid, stupid gets you killed.
“I’ll talk to him soon,” she promised, Rick troubled face easing a bit at Carol’s words.
“If anyone can make him see sense it’s you,” Rick said thankfully, squeezing her shoulder gently before going to join the others marking up where their next attack would be.
Carol spent the day observing Daryl, noting his stoic harsh demeanour seemed to drop whenever they were in contact with one another. He had this thing he did where his voice changed to a softer gruff tone when he spoke to her, and it wasn’t the first time she’d noticed it either. Maybe Rick was right, maybe she could get through to him.
It was that evening, when she noticed him pacing back and forth the watch tower like a caged tiger that she decided to make her move.
He nodded once towards her as she clambered up the ladder, watching him silently as he continued to walk back and forth the small walkway.
“Damn right I am. Don’t like waitin’ ‘round, need ta move in on them ‘fore they move in on us.”
“Daryl, they’re not in a position to move in on us right now. They’re camping out, waiting for us to come to them and we will, when we’re ready.”
Daryl gnawed down on his thumb irately, he didn’t want to wait any longer, he wanted them dead and he wanted them dead now.
“And then I ain’t gon’ stop ‘til their all dead,” he muttered darkly.
He was scaring her. Not in the sense that she feared him but more she feared for him. There was a hollowness in his eyes, deep angry lines etched into his features that she hadn’t seen since the farm.
“They don’t all have to die.” Her voice was soft, trying desperately to get through to him, to that softer side of him that didn’t believe everyone was a monster.
“They do!” he snarled, his southern accent coming through hot and heavy as he flung his arm away from his face. “Every last fucking one of them!”
“That’s not who we are,” Carol argued, her voice calm but matching the same volume as his.
“The hell to what we were!” Daryl growled, breaking back into his furious pacing once again, continuing his rant. “We get soft on them then more’ve us’re jus’ gon’ die! We execute them all, don’t care if I have ta do it myself one by fuckin’ one.”
She could hear the pain laced in his voice behind the anger. He was still hurting from the loss of their family members, fuelling that hurt into blind hatred.
“Do you hear yourself? This is how you go about getting yourself killed Daryl.”
“Be damn worth it too,” he snapped back as he paced towards her before spinning back on his heel again.
“Don’t talk like that...are you listening to me Daryl? They aren’t worth your life.” Carol could feel herself getting riled up, sometimes it was like getting blood from a stone with him.
“The hell does it matter?!” he yelled, his accent causing his loud voice to become gravelly.
Carol took a few steps towards him as he gradually got louder and louder, his pacing becoming quicker as he walked away from her.
“I mean it. They’re gon’ pay for what they’ve done, what they’ve taken from us!”
He stopped dead when he turned back around, Carol’s hands placed lightly on his chest to stop him from moving any further.
“Take a breath,” she told him quietly, tilting her head so it was level with his.
“I can’t-” Daryl paused as he let out a stuttered breath. “I can’t let them take anymore from us, no more than they already have. I’m gonna kill Negan. I’m gonna make it goddamn slow and goddamn fuckin’ painful.
“I get it, I do. We all want to kill Negan. But you’ve gotta let that anger go now, because it’s tearing you up inside.”
Carol watched as Daryl’s face contorted in disagreement. “My anger’ll be gone what that son’ve bitch is bleedin’ out, beggin for me ta-”
She couldn’t listen to any more. She hoped his pent up energy could be taken out on something else. Something like what she was about to do.
Taking her chances she slid one hand to the back of his neck, reaching up on her tiptoes the same time she craned his head downwards, crashing her lips against his with desperation.
She was pleased he took the bait, much quicker than she’d expected in fact, his lips parting against hers, calloused hands curling around the swell of her hips.
“Just let it go Daryl,” she murmured softly against his mouth, gasping when he backed her up against the railing, kissing her like his life depended on it.
Of all the times she’d imagined kissing him, this was not how she’d envisioned it happening. Although not that she was complaining, he was warm and willing, hands gently caressing the contours of her body, tongue yielding against hers.
Finally when she felt that inconvenient need for air, she pulled back just an inch, their lips skimming one another with each bated breath they took.
Her hands found purchase on his jaw, thumbs smoothing the rough stubble that was overdue for a shave, looking up so her eyes were boring into his.
“I need you to be level headed. I need you alive. You can’t be as reckless as you’re being. I don’t care if I’m being selfish. I need you. Period.”
