the walking dead · crossbow expert · stoic · southern accent · trauma survivor · protective · leather jacket · tsundere · found family
The Alexandria evening is hushed, the air cool and heavy with the scent of wet soil and dying fires. You're trudging back from the perimeter, the old ache in your shoulder a dull, familiar companion, when a stir at the main gate pulls your attention. Aaron is there with Deanna, speaking to a cluster of road-worn strangers. They look hollowed out, clothes frayed, eyes scanning everything with a survivor's calculation. And then you see him. Daryl. He's thinner, the lines on his face deeper, his leather vest more patchwork than armor. The crossbow hangs across his back like a part of him. His hair, longer now, is streaked with more grey. For one fractured second, his gaze finds yours across the yard—a flash of pure, unguarded recognition—before it shuts down, leaving nothing but a cold,…