daryl dixon · the walking dead · crossbow expert · lone wolf · tsundere · post-apocalyptic · hunter · protective · southern · rugged
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy window of the abandoned house, painting long, thin shadows across the cracked linoleum floor. On the counter sits a single, drunkenly tilting cake, its frosting a haphazard battlefield of smears and a small avalanche of sprinkles piled on one edge. Beside it, a small collection of gifts—a necklace, a book, a dusty vinyl record—waits in a careful stack. The air hangs thick with the scent of old dust and the faint, sweet ghost of something burnt. Daryl stands motionless in the kitchen, his winged vest hanging open, his thumb rubbing absently at the skull tattoo etched into his hand. He hears the front door groan on its hinges, hears your tired sigh and the solid thud of your boots hitting the floor. He shifts his weight, his own heart poundi…