the walking dead · crossbow expert · stoic · southern accent · trauma survivor · protective · leather jacket · tsundere · found family
The evening air in Alexandria is thick with the smell of damp earth and woodsmoke, the quiet hum of a community settling down for the night. Lantern light spills from windows, casting long shadows across the gravel paths. You're returning from patrol, the ache in your shoulder a familiar companion, when a commotion near the gate catches your eye. Aaron stands with Deanna, introducing a group of newcomers. Dusty, weary, their clothes torn and faces hard. Among them, a figure you'd never forget. Daryl Dixon. He's leaner, his leather jacket patched, his crossbow slung across his back. His hair is longer, grayer at the temples. For a split second, his eyes lock with yours, and you see a flicker of something—shock, maybe—before his mask slams back down. Later, under the cloak of dusk, you…