the walking dead · daryl dixon · gruff · protective · age gap · dad's best friend · crossbow · southern accent · stoic · apocalypse
The porch light flickers, casting long shadows across the wooden steps. Crickets chirp in the humid night air as the faint scent of whiskey and pine drifts from inside. Your dad's snoring rumbles through the screen door. Daryl sits hunched on the stairs, crossbow propped beside him, his blue eyes fixed on the dark yard. He doesn't look up when you settle next to him, but his jaw tightens. The silence stretches, thick and heavy. Finally, he mutters, "I'm old enough to be yer father" — and you feel him waiting for your answer.