Here’s your GIF for the writing challenge!
Prompt: “It’s not safe to be out here by yourself.”
Good luck and thanks for participating!💛
Thanks for letting me do this challenge again @crossbowking !
Pairing: father figure Daryl x reader AGAIN cause I’m a sucker for that lol
Type: fluff and angst I guess?
Summary: when looking for Sophia, Daryl finds reader holed up in a cabin. Reader doesn’t speak, doesn’t listen, and doesn’t trust them at all. No one can figure out why but reader sticks with them anyway. One day, Daryl follows reader when they sneak out of camp, hoping to find out what could possibly have happened to make them like that
Sophia’s tracks had begun to fade like the afternoon sunlight. They had gotten faint but Daryl didn’t want to tell Carol the truth. Eventually they disappeared and he was only left with a direction.
He found a set of footsteps the size of Sophia’s about thirty minutes later. It had to be her. Judging by how they weren’t set in one specific direction, whoever it was must be lost.
He followed the footsteps to an old cabin. She had to be in there.
You, however, hadn’t realized you were followed until the door was opened. You felt the thumping of cautious footsteps on the floorboards and immediately jumped into action. You pulled yourself from the floor quickly and hid yourself beneath the dusty bed in the corner, dragging the blankets down to obscure you from their vision. If there was one thing you’d learned in this new world it was that you couldn’t trust people. Strangers, family, doesn’t matter.
“Sophia?” Daryl called out as he peered around the corner cautiously. He glanced about the room, taking in the living conditions.
An old backpack that CLEARLY wasn’t Sophia’s...
Whoever had been there it wasn’t Sophia. They’d been there longer than the girl had been lost.
He tightened his grip on his crossbow. “Whoever’s in here better come out now.” He ordered.
The only response was a slight shuffling noise from under the bed. If it had been Shane or Rick they wouldn’t have heard it. But Daryl had been hunting out in the woods since he was a child, trained in hearing the sounds of hiding creatures.
Whoever they were they were alive.
“Gonna hide forever?” He growled, raising the crossbow so it pointing at the bed.
He was absolutely tired of this person acting like their cover hadn’t been blown.
“Get out before I drag ya out myself.” He ordered, stepping closer.
Finally, he had enough of it. He reached over and pulled the blanket away from the floor. He waited... thinking they’d come out.
He grabbed the bed by its headboard and shoved it away from the wall, causing a small gasp to come from underneath it.
You were no longer in darkness.
You opened your wide eyes and backed up against the wall, chest heaving with panic.
This man looked dangerous to say the least.
Weapon out and pointed at her face.
Knife hanging at his belt.
Suspicious blood stains on his shirt.
“You gotta be shittin’ me.” He groaned. “I go out lookin’ fer one kid and then I find a different one?”
You didn’t respond. You just watched him with wide eyes.
“Ya seen another girl ‘round here, kid?” He asked, trying to calm down.
Still nothing. You just pulled your legs closer and tried to press closer into the wall.
“Got a family?” He interrogated with a firmer tone. “A group? Parents? Hell, even a weapon?”
You watched him carefully. Almost too carefully in Daryl’s opinion. Once he’d finished you shook your head, eyes drifting back to the crossbow in his hand.
He hadn’t even realized it was still pointing at her. He lowered it but still kept the weapon in his grip. “The hell am I ‘sposed to do now?” He asked himself out loud. “Don’t need another mouth to feed.”
You didn’t offer any suggestions. All you did was stare.
After a moment he groaned, his morals speaking louder than the selfishness of a survivor. “Damn it. C’mon. Get up.” He waved you to follow after him.
You shook your head, backing away. You didn’t know this man! He could hurt you! Do bad things! No way in hell would you willingly go with him.
He frowned. “Can’t ya talk?”
“Listen, I’m ‘bout to leave yer ass alone in the woods if ya don’t give me a good enough reason why ya can’t.” His temper began to flare. “Got a group, got food, got water, an’ other kids. Seems like a pretty good deal ta me.”
You seemed to react to the word ‘kids’. You sat up a bit and seemed to watch him with interest.
“Yeah. We got another kid at our camp.” He nodded. “It’s safe.” He swore he was about to leave right then when you said nothing.
You looked down at the floor, thinking. Was this a good idea? He could easily be lying. Very easily. He seemed to know exactly what to say. That was dangerous. Very dangerous.
But other kids... safety... and water... that was something you hadn’t seen in a good long while. Might as well give it a try, right? You could always run if things went south. You were good at that.
Needless to say, Daryl was surprised when you pulled yourself off the ground and picked up your bag. You gave him a wary look but followed him anyway.
“So, ya ever talk?” He asked as the two of you walked through the woods.
You didn’t answer. You just surveyed the woods carefully. He could have men out there waiting to jump you and do bad things. Or there could be walkers. You didn’t know.
Your racing thoughts were interrupted by a tap on your shoulder, flinching you out of your state of mind.
“Gonna answer me or what?” Daryl asked, getting more and more frustrated.
You just frowned at him, unsure of what he was saying. He was talking too fast for you to follow along with it.
“I asked if ya ever talk.” He shouldered his crossbow, no hope whatsoever in you answering.
All he got in return was a shrug.
“I’ll take that as a no.” He sighed. Whatever. At least he’d be able to walk to the farm in silence.
When they arrived everyone was confused on who you were or where you came from.
The people living in the farm house asked you many questions and you could only catch a few words here and there.
You just stared at the floor, unsure of how to respond.
“Is there something wrong with her?” Maggie asked quietly. “She’s not answering anything.”
“Been like that since I found ‘er.” Daryl shrugged. “Ain’t sure ‘a her name, family, or if she even got anybody.”
“Where’d you find her?” Lori frowned. “Surely she has parents somewhere out there.”
Daryl wanted nothing more to leave and return to his tent. But he answered anyway. “Was in a cabin. By the looks ‘a it it’s just her.”
“Sweetie, can you tell us your name?” Lori bent down so she could see your face. “Or where your parents are?”
Your eyes didn’t leave the floor.
Lori sighed. “It’s almost as if she can’t hear me.”
“Or don’t want to.” Shane snorted, leaning against the wall. “Kid doesn’t seem too happy to be here. Probably just thinks ignorin’ us is gonna make us mad or some shit.”
“Damn right it’s makin’ me mad.” The hunter watched the kid in front of him. “Can’t tell if it’s on purpose.”
“I’ve heard ‘bout kids shutting down an’ not speak in’ when they’ve been through somethin’ traumatic.” Hershel informed the group. “It could be like what happened to Beth earlier, an’ it’ll just take some time for her to come around.”
That was the answer everyone seemed to settle on.
They gave you time as well as plenty of opportunities to talk to them. They tried asking questions or telling you things but you didn’t respond no matter how hard anyone tried.
Daryl began to suspect what the real case could be when you didn’t even respond when Shane yelled at you.
He’d been trying to hurry up the process by forcing you to talk. When he got no response he finally snapped.
You’d been reading a book Maggie let you borrow, unaware that anyone had been talking. But you caught on quickly when the book had been slapped from your hands.
You gasped and stumbled away, face to face with an angry Shane.
You weren’t close to anyone in the group so you ran to the person who had brought you there, hiding behind Daryl.
Daryl had been surprised. He didn’t think you liked anybody there at all. After all, you never talked to anybody. Never answered any questions. Being there for five days hadn’t changed anything.
“The hell’s yer problem man.” Daryl growled. “Ya always go ‘round tryin’ to scare kids or what?”
“It’s not my damn fault she won’t talk.” Shane yelled. “She’s gonna learn some respect if she wants to stay here.”
“Yellin’ at her won’t get ya any damn respect.” Daryl bit back. “Hershel said it’d take time, didn’t he?” He glanced down at you as you hid your face from the fight.
“It’s takin’ too much in my opinion.” Shane rolled his eyes and turned to walk away.
From that day on you steered clear of Shane and stayed by Daryl’s side. He wasn’t too sure why you’d chosen him out of everyone else and neither were you. But it seemed to be the right choice. The man never forced you to talk. He never yelled at you when you didn’t react.
It seemed like he simply enjoyed peace and quiet.
You helped around the farm house by washing dishes and feeding chickens. You helped Maggie and Lori make dinner and always helped them clean up after.
You picked flowers for Lori.
You showed Carl how to climb a tree.
You played cards with Glenn.
If Daryl didn’t know better he’d say that you were enjoying your stay at the farm.
But you still weren’t talking.
You interacted with everyone, yeah, but you still never spoke.
Not even when the farm fell.
You and everyone had spent almost a month out in the woods once the farm was gone. You bounced from house to house and never stayed in one spot longer than needed.
One house you stayed at, you found a pair of small batteries. Even wire and tweezers. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give you hope.
So that night you snuck out to the back yard once you were sure everyone was asleep.
He’d noticed the moment you disappeared.
He’d gotten up and walked outside, crossbow in hand. Maybe you’d ran away. Or got taken. Maybe you went outside and gotten lost.
But he found you leaning against a tree instead.
“It’s not safe to be out here by yourself.” Daryl stated, even though he knew you wouldn’t respond.
You did however react to feeling his footsteps vibrating the ground. Quickly, you stuffed whatever had been in your hands into your pockets and looked at him with wide eyes.
“Damn, kid, I ain’t gonna bite.” He held up his hands in surrender. “The hell ya doin out here?”
As always, you didn’t say anything. You looked back at the forest floor almost guiltily.
“Somethin’ wrong?” He frowned.
You knew you should tell him. He’d proven himself trustworthy after all. You just... you were scared you were wrong. That he’d be just like every other adult I. Your life.
“What’d ya have in yer hand before?” He tried, gesturing to whatever you’d stuffed in your pocket.
You tore your gaze away from him and reached down to pull out an object wrapped in cloth.
Daryl sat down beside you. “Can I see it?”
You held it a bit closer, brain still thinking in circles.
“I ain’t gonna break it or nothin’ if that’s what yer worried about.” He rolled his eyes.
Finally your mind was made. You set it down in his hands and waiting for his reaction.
Carefully, aware that you were watching his every movement, he unwrapped whatever it was.
He didn’t know what it was at first. It was almost as long as his smallest finger and was colored silver and tan. He realized what it was when he finally turned it over.
“Hearin’ aids?” He asked, turning to you.
You took a deep breath and nodded. “D-deaf.” You spoke, nerves at how he’d react making you stutter.
He jerked back a bit in surprise. “Ya been deaf this entire time?”
“Damn, that’s impressive.” He gave you a sort of half grin. “How’d no one catch on? An’ why didn’t ya tell nobody?”
You reached into your pocket and pulled out a notebook, scribbling on a couple sentences. You showed him once you were done.
‘Lip reading. And I didn’t trust you.’
“But why didn’t ya talk like ya did now?” He frowned. “I wouldn’t ‘a known the difference.”
You wrote down more, hesitantly.
‘I’ve been told I sound stupid when I talk. So I don’t.’
You fiddled with your shoelace as he read.
“Who the hell told ya that?” He practically growled. “And why don’t ya know any ‘a that sign language?”
You took the notebook back and wrote down a few more sentences.
“And why don’t ya use the hearin’ aids?” He added.
You turned the book back to face him, only one word written.
You felt ashamed to be admitting this. This wasn’t anything he needed to know. He would probably react the same way your dad reacted when he was given the opportunity.
“Hell no yer gonna explain more than that.” Daryl pushed the book back into your arms. “Can’t just half ass an answer.”
You sighed and began again.
‘He thought being deaf was a weakness. No sign language, no hearing aids, and no talking the moment my mom turned. He broke them when I broke the rules.’
You swallowed the emotions rising back up in the back of your throat.
It was sickening, but you were almost glad that he was gone.
Daryl’s expression darkened when he read those words. “Sounds like an ass to me.” He handed the notebook back to you again. “So you tryin’ ya fix ‘em?”
You nodded and pulled out the batteries and wire, shrugging.
Daryl sighed. “Sorry, but that won’t be enough to fix these.” He examined the hearing aids once more. The wires were pulled apart and some of the plastic had snapped.
“... I know.” You managed to speak again, summoning your bravery. “Just wanted to try.”
Daryl’s expression didn’t change when you spoke. Maybe your dad was wrong. Maybe you didn’t sound as stupid as he told you you did.
Daryl handed the hearing aids back to you gently. “M’sorry kid.”
You shrugged again, placing them back in your pocket carefully.
Suddenly, Daryl had an idea. I’d require a run for sure but it’d be worth it. For now, he’d keep quiet about it. He didn’t even know if it’d work. But he might as well try.
For the next few weeks on the road Daryl was on every run. You were curious about why but you dismissed it as him trying to make sure everyone would survive the coming winter.
By now, everyone knew you were deaf. They all reacted as Daryl had and treated you the same as they always did.
It was relieving to be honest. And a bit of a surprise. But the bigger surprise came later when Daryl told you he wanted to show everyone something in the woods.
You’d followed along, assuming he’d found more supplies.
Instead of revealing more supplies, he knelt down so he was at your level.
“I know it’s been hard without yer hearin’...” he started, reaching into his back pocket, “an’ I hope ya don’t mind I did this without askin’...” he pulled out an object wrapped in a familiar cloth.
You realized what was happening the moment you saw it.
“I gave it my best shot.” He pulled away the fabric and revealed the newly repaired hearing aids. “Found a book an’ some supplies on the last run.”
You hadn’t even realized tears were running down your face until they dropped onto your shirt.
Daryl reaches over and placed the hearing aids in your hands. “Give ‘em a try?”
You glanced at the faces of your new group. They must have known. Not a single one of them looked surprised. Just expectant and...happy. Happy for you.
Slowly, you tucked your hair out of your way. You set the small machine in place. You placed your hand over the on button tentatively.
The Hunter you’d grown attached to gave you a nod.
Finally, you pressed the button.
You waited and held your breath.
It was as if everything came crashing in at once.
The wind that rushed through the trees was giving out hollow rattling noises.
The birds above were chirping shrilly, each whistle harmoniously fitting together like a puzzle.
And you... you could hear yourself gasping in surprise as you spun in circles. You could hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet. Did that always happen?
“I’ll take it that it works?” Your thought were interrupted by a raspy southern accent.
You spun around, facing Daryl once more.
He stood back up, tip of his mouth tipped up in a half smile.
You couldn’t even thank him with your words.
So you thanked him the only way you knew how: with actions.
You wasted no time in running in his direction, more tearing spilling down your face as you wrapped your arms around the surprised man.
He returned the gesture after a moment of hesitation. “Wasn’t no problem.”
You buried you face in his shoulder, overcome with emotion. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”
He rubbed your back comfortingly. “Was nothin’.”
You shook you head and hugged him harder. “No, it was everything.”
