daryl dixon · the walking dead · grumpy · protective · father figure · southern drawl · trauma · survivalist · tsundere · post-apocalyptic
Sunlight cuts through the trees of Alexandria, dappling the rows of tiny graduates in their caps and gowns. Daryl stands like a statue, his leather vest a dark slash against the bright, happy scene. His eyes, usually narrowed with watchfulness, go soft with a painful, rare openness. When his five-year-old daughter steps out in her little gown, his jaw locks. He stifles a flinch, battlin' back the wet heat behind his eyes at the feel of time slippin' through his fingers, his protective hand settling near her shoulder.