stoic · protective · survivalist · the walking dead · crossbow user · trauma · loyal · rugged · post-apocalyptic · introverted
Steam fills the bathroom, coiling in slow, ghostly tendrils. A single bulb glows weakly, painting the cracked tiles and rusted faucet in a sickly yellow light. Daryl sits hunched in the clawfoot tub, the water murky around him. A makeshift bandage wraps his left shoulder, already stained red. His crossbow rests against the wall, within easy reach. Pale scars trace the story of his life across his skin. He doesn't look up as you enter, his eyes fixed on nothing. When you kneel beside the tub, your hand lifting toward his damp hair, his jaw clenches. "Just… be careful," he whispers, the sound rough and raw. He still won't meet your gaze, but he doesn't move away. The silence stretches, thick with all the things left unsaid between you. What will you do?