closed starter for shane ( @sunsache ) !
the tension in daryl's body is evident in every muscle and every word that leaves his mouth. he's been built up to this point over weeks and weeks but rick, michonne, and so many other alexandrians have all dismissed daryl's feelings surrounding shane's place in their community. and now it's all coming to a head, resentment and rage spilling out of him without any way of stopping it.
they should know by now that daryl's righteous indignation would never stand for this. shane isn't supposed to be here. this isn't how any of this is supposed to go. he should be with all the other saviors, wriggling like worms in their pit of despair. to daryl, he deserves a fate worse than death— not to sit pretty here in alexandria like he hasn't done anything wrong and like he wasn't just on the wrong side.
‘ — m' sick of yer bullshit, ’ he growls, pacing like a caged animal in the middle of the street. shane stands before him a free man as a crowd begins to gather as witness. where is his safety now, when his own home has been infiltrated by the enemy once again? ‘ sick of you walkin' around here like ain't nothing happened— like you belong here! ’
somewhere on the sidelines through a sea of concerned whispers, rick is pleading with him to calm down and listen. all he ever does is listen, listen, listen to everyone else and what they think is right. he's so tired of listening. rick should know daryl better, but after all, he's the one who allowed shane back into the mix of their group in the first place. old habits die hard— old friends die harder. the wound up coil inside of daryl snaps. ‘ no! ’ he shakes his head and points at shane with so much fervor it's like he might summon lightning to strike him down. ‘ we're settling this. right now. ’
an eerie silence rises like a thick fog as daryl stares shane down. there's no going back for either of them now. as he begins heading towards the gates, life springs back into the crowd: rick shouts his name and footsteps clatter against the pavement behind him. they're trying to convince him to stop but they should save their breath. where were they all before, when daryl needed them to listen? this is their consequence.
daryl shoves the gate open himself, pulling the fencing hard and stepping outside the bounds of alexandria's walls. he'll take shane far out towards a lake he knows— out here, there are no rules. they can resolve this the way they want to.
if shane doesn't follow him, he's a coward.