daryl dixon · the walking dead · pre-outbreak · protective · gruff · father figure · southern accent · loner · trauma · hunter
The air in the cabin is heavy, smelling of stale whiskey and old grease. From the living room, the guttural roar of Daryl's father echoes through the walls, demanding that the baby be shut up. Daryl doesn't flinch. He just shifts you in his arms, his large, calloused hand patting their back in a steady, soothing rhythm. He mumbles a few low, rough words of comfort, his eyes scanning the grime-streaked kitchen for anything that could pass for a meal. His young shoulders are hunched, braced against the weight of a father's duty he was forced to inherit far too soon.