#desus fic

[serenelotus]

here's a desus edit I made that accidentally yet perfectly captured the aesthetic of my fav fic...

The fic is called Fighting the Fall by Not_So_Austen on AO3

If anyone has the author's blog pls tag them for me I need them to see this😭

[not-so-austen]

Daryl/Jesus Rec List

A list of the Desus fics I enjoyed so much I'd recommend them to anyone looking for some quality Desus fic. In no particular order...

Ripples on a Black Shore by Mugatu Summary: For Daryl Dixon the world ended days before it did for almost everyone else, and it was heralded with a prerecorded phone message instead of a bang. An AU fic where Daryl met Paul several years before the apocalypse.

>This fic is technically unfinished, but it does have a solid resolution. Genuinely made me cry, and I can only say that about two fics I've ever read in the 25 years I've been reading fic. I don't even usually like established relationship or pre-series works, but this fic is so well-written, well-characterised, and engaging I was hooked from start to finish.

A Heart That's on Loan by smilebackwards Summary: Aaron and Daryl discover Hilltop on one of their scouting trips and find that the community has an interesting throwback custom for establishing alliances: marriage

>I'm a sucker for a marriage of convenience and this one was incredibly fun and well-done.

The Streets are Full of Strangers by smilebackwards Summary: When Deanna asks Daryl to leave Alexandria, he meets Paul on the road a little earlier.

>Such an interesting premise and it was well-executed too. There are little details in this that just make the rest of the story really sing.

Anyone With Eyes... by GayNinjaBadass (maximumred) Summary: A Oneshot response for a Tumblr prompt. Rick gets tired of Daryl and Jesus dancing around each other and decides to take matters into his own hand.

>A funny little romp and I will always love Rick as the OG Desus shipper.

Never Let Him Go by F_my_entire_life Summary: Daryl and Jesus dated and broke up before the apocalypse. Now meeting again, neither tell anyone why they act the way they do toward each other, but everyone asks. 

Aka five times people asked Jesus and Daryl why they were so awkward and one time they told.

>This is a fun little fic that plays with internalised homophobia and other people's misperceptions.

[visionofdivison]

I'M BACK I DID IT

I'm sorry for the delay 5 people who care after multiple months here is an update to the obscure Walking Dead old man fanfiction that I actually care about very deeply hello

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary:

He grasped me so tightly. Like I was life itself. I felt him gasp against my back as the wind hit his hair. The motorcycle screamed down dilapidated concrete. His fingers dug into my side slipping between the ribs. I gasped too as thoughts only subconscious began to surface. I could feel the adrenaline coursing him through him into me. For this moment, it was simple. Escape, freedom and forward... I get to save Daryl. Feel him hold onto me. It’s a privilege. .... The aftermath of Daryl at the Sanctuary through Paul's eyes. There is something simmering underneath, something terrifying and new. After charged exchanges at Hilltop they find themselves stuck in a cabin in the woods with some tension to resolve. I don't know how cannon compliant this is, just kind of spitballing off of memory during my Walking Dead rewatch. Rating subject to change.

Word Count: 26k

Chapters: 8/?

Rating: Explict

[dixonsmonroe]

The Question

Summary: The Greene/Rhee wedding spectacular that finally gives Paul the confidence to ask Daryl a particular question that’s been on his mind.

Pairing: Darly Dixon x Paul “Jesus” Rovia

Word Count: 1.6k

Notes: fluff, weddings, beth greene being the realest, references to a previous series i posted to ao3.

Author’s note: hello hello i am back from the dead! This is pretty much just a proposal fic that takes place one year after my Desus series “No Grave Can Hold My Body Down”, which can be read here on ao3! There are quite a few references to that story in this, so i suggest reading that first.

Paul looked at himself in the bathroom mirror as he finished pulling his hair back into a neat bun. He had also just finished trimming a good bit of his beard; he’d grown it out over the last year, but it was summer again, and he enjoyed the feeling of warm air on his face.

Daryl walked in the bathroom then with his tie in hand, and grinned. “Ain’t seen your beard that short in a while.”

Paul looked himself over, making sure he hadn’t missed any spots. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do. You look cute.”

“Cute?” Paul smiled. “Really?”

Daryl just smirked and handed Paul his tie, just like he did every time they had a formal event. Paul had taught Daryl how to do it himself, but he still liked when Paul did it for him. Paul finished knotting it and straightening out Daryl’s shirt, then gave him a thumbs up.

They had started living together about six months into dating. They would have done it sooner, due to the whole unspoken “I would die for you if ever presented the need, and one time I almost did” thing they had going on, but Paul really wanted to take it a bit slow. He hadn’t been in an actual relationship in a while, and he wanted to do this right.

“Let me grab my vest and we’ll head out.” Paul said. “Grab the gift by the door?”

“Got it,” Daryl nodded. He went out to the car and Paul put his suit vest on. He headed out to the car and they drove to the church, where they sat next to Denise and Tara.

The ceremony was beautiful, and Maggie looked absolutely stunning. Glenn was misty eyed at the sight of her, and Paul nudged Daryl just slightly and grinned. Daryl held Paul’s hand until the ceremony ended.

Everyone headed to the hall downtown for the reception. They had thought of using the Greene farm at first, but decided that a wedding in June in the middle of Georgia was going to be far too hot.

The hall was a good size, and the food was delicious. Paul and Daryl got to hang out with Beth, who had decided to come home from college the whole summer instead of staying to do extra classes. At one point, Beth took Paul on to the dance floor to dance with her.

At a softer song, Beth leaned into him as they slow danced. “So? Are you gonna do it?”

“Do what?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “You know--are you gonna ask him? You said you were gonna talk to him about it.”

Paul sighed, knowing exactly what she was talking about. The two of them had become friends pretty quickly, and when she came home for the summer she came to visit the house with Maggie and Glenn. The couple and Daryl had left the room at one point to grill out back, and Beth had turned to Paul.

“Do you wanna marry him?”

Already two whiskeys in, he had foolishly admitted yes, even though he should have known she wouldn’t let it go. It had launched a whole conversation, and it did make him feel a little excited to think about. He brought himself back to the present and she waited for his answer.

“So?”

Paul sighed. “I haven’t yet, but I’m going to.”

She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

“I swear, I will,” he reassured. “Soon.”

“You’re killin’ me, Paul,” she feigned exhaustion and laughed as he dipped her.

“I’ll do it tonight,” he said, “Happy?”

She laughed and nodded, and started walking him over to Daryl. “You two dance, I’ve kept him long enough.”

Daryl gave in almost immediately, knowing that Paul was going to drag him onto the dancefloor at some point in the night anyway. They joined hands and danced with all their friends. Daryl genuinely looked like he was having fun, which just made Paul giddy, but also more nervous than before to talk to him. He loved this person enough to spend their lives together, and he had known that for a long time, but it was still fucking terrifying to think about.

When they got a cab home later that night, after several drinks and more dancing, they collapsed together on the couch, Paul’s head on Daryl’s lap. Daryl was stroking Paul’s hair, playing with it mindlessly.

“That was a lotta fun,” Daryl said.

“Yeah,” Paul replied. “I love weddings.”

“Yeah?”

Paul opened his eyes and smiled up at him. “Yeah.”

Daryl smiled back, then looked away shyly. Paul hadn’t seen him with that look since the first months of their relationship. The look he got when he was scared to ask or tell Paul something.

“How would you feel about that?” Daryl asked, his voice a little more put together. “For us?”

Paul’s heart nearly stopped with relief of not having to bring it up first. He laughed a little, then took Daryl’s face in his hands.

Paul kissed Daryl hard on the lips. “I was going to ask you the exact same thing tonight.”

Daryl kissed him again and put his hand on Paul’s cheek. “So I’m guessin’ you’d be okay with it?”

“Depends,” Paul shrugged. “I was hoping I’d have a chance to properly propose to you, but I guess I was gonna blow that anyway.”

“You can do that if you want,” Daryl grinned. “Could still do it properly.”

“Perfect.” Paul closed his eyes again and laid back.

Paul went to the jewelry store the next day. He took Beth and Maggie with him, since they knew Daryl so well. They looked through the glass cases, ring after golden ring, but none of them seemed to say “Daryl”.

“Oh, what about this one?” Beth pointed at one of the cases. “The black one?”

It was a beautiful ring; a black band with a stripe of silver around it. It was perfect.

“That’s the one,” Paul said happily. He walked to the counter to tell the clerk which one he was going to buy, and they headed out.

“When are you gonna do it?” Beth asked.

“Tonight,” Paul confirmed. “I don’t want to waste any more time.”

If there was anything he’d learned from Fiona and Mariah, it was that all you had was right now, and right now, he wanted to ask Daryl to marry him.

When Paul got home, Daryl was making an intricate looking salad and had onions and mushrooms cooking on the stove.

“Wow,” Paul nodded approvingly. “Smells delicious.”

“Gonna throw some steaks out on the grill too.” Daryl replied, kissing him.

“Going all out, huh?” Paul smiled. “Any reason?”

Daryl shook his head and shrugged. “Just wanted to make you somethin’ nice.”

When he went back outside to tend to the grill, Paul went upstairs to put on shorts that had bigger pockets so that he could hide the ring until after dinner. He found Rosie on the bed and scratched her head. She purred and rolled on her back, and Paul gave her a belly rub.

“Tonight’s the night, lady.” he said. “Wish me luck.”

The dinner was fantastic. Daryl grilled a mean steak, and there was even a checkered tablecloth on the kitchen table.

When they were done eating, Paul started to get butterflies. He knew they had just talked about it, he knew that Daryl was going to say yes unless he had changed his mind in the past day, but he was still so nervous. Daryl seemed nervous too now that he thought about it.

“Babe, that was amazing,” Paul said, finishing his beer.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Daryl replied, getting up and putting their dishes to the sink.

Now or never, Rovia.

While Daryl was still turned around, he got down on his knee right in the middle of the kitchen and held the ring. Daryl turned around and his eyes went wide.

“Daryl Dixon, I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” His voice only shook a little at first, but he composed himself. “You’re everything to me, and the only person I would ever want to be by my side when my house was haunted.”

Daryl chuckled under his breath at that, and he bit his lip to keep the smile from breaking out on his face.

“Will you marry me?” Paul asked finally.

“‘Course,” Daryl replied. “Obviously.”

Paul stood up and slipped the ring on Daryl’s finger and kissed him hard. Daryl’s hands snaked around Paul’s back, pulling him right up against him.

“I love you so goddamn much,” Daryl said in between kisses. “I got something for you, too. Guess you beat me to it.” he pulled out a ring as well, a plain silver one with something engraved in it.

“This is gorgeous,” Paul marveled at it. The engraving was a date; it was from May two years ago. “This date, is this when--?”

“The day we reunited Fiona and Mariah,” Daryl replied. “I felt like it was fitting.”

Paul smiled. “It is.”

Paul had never felt so happy in maybe his entire life. “Should we celebrate? Maybe beers down at the bar?” he shrugged. “Just the two of us, I can wait until tomorrow to tell people.”

“Can’t think of a better way I’d wanna celebrate.” Daryl smiled, took his hand, and led him toward the stairs. “Think we should go tell them at least?” Daryl nodded toward the portrait of Fiona and Mariah at the church fundraiser.

Paul thought about it. “I think they’d understand if we waited.”

[twd-darylxjesus]

Runaway (Daryl/Jesus AU)

by Polychrome

Teen + up | 1,511 words | One-shot based on the r/AO3 promptober prompt "circus"

Tags: AU, First meetings, Pre-slash

---

Paul leans his hands on the wood in front of him, tilts his head into the man’s space.

“Oh don’t worry, the… prize I have my eye on is right here.”

Daryl can only stare and, holy shit, is he blushing? Oh god, yes. There’s definitely potential here. Paul sparkles at him.

Notes: Thinking about expanding this into a longer fic, if I can work out a few details. Feedback and ideas very welcome :)

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[canoncannon]

“Tell Maggie what?” / “That we’re… that we’re… what the fuck are we?” Paul waves a hand between them. / “I dunno,” Daryl says, startled. “Thought you knew.” I needed to stop by and tell you that this is peak Desus characterization. Hope you're doing well, and that maybe Silence is going to be next after Kid! xoxoxo

Ahhh, thanks so much!! I’m hoping Silence will indeed come after Kid, but writing when your stressed and busy and can’t breathe because of wildfires is shitty. I promise I’m trying, though <3 <3

[yessoupy]

your skin makes me cry

re-posting because pandemic.

your skin makes me cry by soupypictures (that’s me)

this is the longest thing i’ve ever written. published as a WIP, this fic is complete, an AU (non-zombie apocalypse, teachers), rated E, and comes in just under 40k words. i finished posting back in september but i’m re-posting because i am still so proud of it and we all have more time on our hands so maybe others will want to read it?

not part of the walking dead fandom and not sure if you’ll ~get it? don’t worry -- neither of my betas are/were in fandom (i would never try to lure anyone into this mess, i promise). here’s a tiny little primer for you:

This fic alternates POV between Paul “Jesus” Rovia and Daryl Dixon. We’ll start with Paul. 

He’s the case manager for what my state calls BSS students. I ... honestly can’t remember what BSS stands for, but these are the kiddos who have behavior issues and/or emotional disturbances. He grew up in a group home and had a rough childhood and teenage years. After being a social worker for a few years he made the jump to public education where he tries his very best to help his students achieve THEIR best. His last relationship was a disaster. All he wants is someone who loves him back and doesn’t think he’s too much. Can he find that man?

Daryl Dixon has a checkered past and doesn’t easily open up, but for the last 15 years or so he’s been teaching shop classes at the high school. His students stay with him for four years and he uses his connections in the community to match students with jobs post-graduation. Obviously he has a motorcycle. He looks like a hardass, but is actually a big softie. So why is he single?

Rick Grimes is a school resource officer at the high school, and Daryl’s best friend. He’d rather give a kid a talk than hustle him down to the principal’s office, and has only arrested kids for shit he couldn’t get away with not arresting them for -- assault, drugs, etc. He’s been meddling in Daryl’s love life for years. Will he finally get a rest??

Merle Dixon is Daryl’s brother. He’s locked up at the county jail. He was a terrible influence on Daryl, but loves his brother very much. Daryl visits him once a month even though he’s an asshole.

other characters make an appearance but outlining their role here would create little spoilers so i’ll refrain. i keep meaning to make a meta post about this fic and maybe i’ll actually get around to it since i have little else to really do and i just want to keep thinking about it. if you have any questions about this fic, send them to me and i will happily answer. on the off-chance you make the terrible decision to start watching this show, i’m sorry.

[drcloyd]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

it is finally complete!