Walking on Eggshells – Part 2
Hello my dears. I just couldn't resist and had to write a second part. (maybe there will also be a part 3)
Pairing: Daryl x female! Reader
Words: 5159
Warnings: language, sexual content, NSFW, 18+ (my first attempt to write smut in English - hope it didn't get too bad)
Part one
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"Um ... what ..."
You stood in the door of your room, confused. Hershel had finally released you into "home care" after almost a week of continuous surveillance in the infirmary. In your opinion, the older man was exaggerating a little. You were fine, you had no dizziness, and the headache was gone. But that did not stop Hershel from telling you to take it easy anyway.
Your beloved work in the vegetable fields had to wait for the time being.
Somewhat reluctantly, you had agreed to everything, only to finally be able to go back to your own four walls. You wanted to sleep in your own bed again, even if it was just a simple Prison bed in the former director's office. But still, it was your home.
But you did not expect what you found there now.
As if rooted to the ground, you stood in the middle of the room and looked around with big eyes in disbelief.
Your room, your little private realm, should actually be here. But the room in front of you was no longer your room. Your things were still there, but they were not the only ones that filled the shelves on the walls.
The most noticeable change, however, was your bed. It was still in the far corner of the room, but it looked absolutely strange. Because right next to it there was now a second, and the way the sheet was stretched over it made it look like a double bed.
"I thought Hershel wouldn't release ya until tonight," you heard Daryl's deep voice behind you.
Still slightly confused, you turned to the archer. He stood uncertain in the doorway, Crossbow slung over his shoulder, hands clasped on the strap. His blue eyes were fixed on you as he chewed the inside of his cheek - his nervous tic.
And how this man was nervous right now, and it was not just his ears that betrayed him - which had just turned deep red.
Daryl did not expect to find you here now. He actually wanted to talk to you about it first and not just put you in front of a fait accompli. Though, somehow, he would have done it one way or another.
He was afraid he had done something wrong, crossed a line, or something like that.
"I couldn't take it there any longer."
Only now did you notice that his hair was wet and still dripping. Could it be that he had showered?
Daryl nudged his nose up in a nod.
“I know we didn't talk about it,” he began uncertainly, “but Hershel said it would be better if someone took care of ya. And since there is no chance that ya will move back into the cell block, I thought that would be a good solution."
“That's right,” you had to smile, “I'm not going back there so quickly anymore. I like my privacy."
"Well, if it bothers you ... that I ... then ..."
"No no, I don't mind" you might answer a little too quickly, "I ... I was just ... surprised."
The man across from you felt instantly relieved. You, the woman he loved, wanted to live with him. He could hardly believe his luck.
Daryl took off his Crossbow and leaned it against the wall by the door before walking slowly towards you, his eyes full of love.
“Y/N/N we wasted so much time. I don't want to waste another minute. We don't know how much time we have left."
Daryl lovingly cupped your chin with two fingers while he gently touched your lips with his.
You could not help but melt into his touch. That you could do this now was still a miracle to you, and you would enjoy every single second of it to the full.
"But I sleep on the right side," you finally said with mischief in your eyes when your lips had separated.
"Forget it", Daryl snorted and went to the bed, "I'm sleepin’ between the door and ya."
You rolled your eyes with a smile. Always the protector.
"Don't think I didn't see that."
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A few weeks had passed since the incident during your run. You are now working side by side with Rick in the vegetable fields again. The plants were blooming and developing fantastically - and they would be very good yielding.
After a long shower to wash dirt and sweat from your body, you made your way to the inner courtyard of the prison, which was used as a canteen during the warmer months of the year. Dinner had just started, and so all residents, regardless of whether they were old or new, huddled together to have their meal together.
When Daryl returned from his shift at the Guard Tower, he spotted you chatting with Carol who was just distributing the food. He liked how carefree you looked at that moment.
Without thinking about it, he walked over to you and greeted you with a kiss on the cheek before you had the chance to notice him.
"Yuck, don't do that," you giggled, "you're all sweaty."
"And hungry," he said with a grin.
Carol shook her head with a smile before filling two bowls and holding them out to you.
"Here take these, you lovebirds."
Taking the bowls Daryl nudged his nose up in a nod and went with you to the table where Glenn and Maggie were already sitting.
You had not noticed how your loving and familiar way of dealing with each other had been uncomfortable for some - or at least for one.
Michelle was sitting at a table with several other Woodbury residents and had been watching you with narrowed eyes. Green with envy, she got up at some point and went back to the cell block where she lived.
But Carol had noticed, and she would move heaven and earth to keep this woman from disrupting your relationship.
Little by little, Rick and the other members of your sworn family joined you to enjoy the meal together and to end the day.
"We should slowly start bringing our supplies up to date," Rick skillfully changed the subject.
That was his less than subtle way of reducing the conversation to necessities.
"Or in other words, time for a run," Daryl said in a nutshell.
“Tightly sealable preserving jars would be important. It will soon be harvest time and we have to preserve the fruit and vegetables. Thank God we have a lot more than we need right now."
That was the first thing that came to your mind. After all, it was important to have vitamins in winter too. Even if cooked fruit and vegetables were nowhere near as tasty as fresh ones. But in those times, you were grateful for everything. And in winter, fruit and vegetables were actually a luxury.
“We should also think about how to heat the buildings. The winter could last longer than we'd like”, Daryl expressed his concerns.
"If we had animals, pigs or goats, maybe even sheep, we would be better supplied with meat."
Hershel had always been a farmer, and you could only agree with the man with a smile.
"Or chickens," said Maggie with a dreamy look, "once again a real roast chicken, that would be something nice."
"Or turkey," you added.
"I just think you can't find something like that on the next street corner," said Glenn, who now leaned over the map that Rick had spread out in the middle of the table.
"Well, the weekly cattle market will probably be canceled."
Daryl's cynical response made you roll your eyes.
"If ya keep doin’ this, these things will eventually get stuck," he said in your direction with a raised index finger.
"That's what my grandmother always meant," you said with a shrug, "and nothing has happened so far."
“You both sound like an old married couple. Really disgusting”, Carl shook himself.
You and Daryl looked at each other questioningly for a moment before you slapped the boy lightly on the back of the head at the same time - he on the right and you on the left.
For about five seconds there was absolute silence at the table, until everyone started laughing uproariously as if on command - except for Carl, who was rubbing his head tightly.
“What that would prove,” Rick grinned as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, “but seriously now. Does anyone have any ideas?"
“I know there was a farm supply center in the south. From seeds to packaging material to combine harvesters, everything was there. The only question is whether that still stands."
Hershel leaned over the map and pointed to an area southeast of the Prison.
“That's a good hundred miles, and only if you drive on the main roads. It will be a run for several days on back roads."
Your stomach cramped painfully at Glenn's words. You knew that Daryl would go on the run. Unfortunately, since the incident, it had become very clear to you that there was no assurance that someone would come back from a run. And the thought that something might happen to Daryl made you uneasy.
“While we're there, we might as well stop by this huge warehouse complex 30 miles to the east. I think there are still some useful things there. "
Glenn glanced at the place on the map Maggie was pointing with her finger.
"Wasn't that an Amazon warehouse?"
"Yea, why are you asking?"
"Well, I think that this time it won’t work with overnight express."
At Glenn's stupid saying you had to smile, like everyone else. Though yours was more of a bitter smile. This run would certainly not be overnight.
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"Everythin’ okay? Ya are never that quiet."
It was getting late. The moon was shining through the windows of your shared room and you could hear the crickets outside. You were snuggled close to Daryl, your head on his shoulder, your legs intertwined. You stared in silence into the darkness of your room, which was only faintly illuminated by the moonlight.
Daryl gently stroked your back. Usually there was something incredibly calming about it, and it never took you long to fall asleep relaxed - but not today. The worries about what could go wrong with the run did not let you calm down that night.
In a few hours he would be gone with Maggie and Glenn, as well as a few others. The fear of losing him paralyzes your thoughts.
"Ya don’t sleep. I know that. I can hear ya thinkin’."
You did not answer, just took a deep breath - in and out again. What should you say?
> I'm afraid something will happen to you <
> I'm scared of losing you <
> Please don't go <
There was nothing to be said, just that nagging feeling was there. This fear that the man by your side could suddenly be snatched away from you.
Daryl put his arm around you and hugged you tight as he kissed the top of your head and let his lips linger there for a moment.
"We're a well-coordinated team," he finally began as he leaned his head against yours, "and it's not the first time we've done such a big tour."
It almost seemed as if Daryl had read your mind, yet all his confidence could not take away your worries.
"I promise I'll come back to ya."
"You can't promise that Daryl."
The archer released his hug and shifted his weight so that you were eventually half under him. Leaning on his left arm, he looked down at you, the contours of your face only faintly visible in the light of the darkness.
"I promise I will come back to ya Y/N. We both have our whole lives ahead of us, and I don't intend to miss a second of it."
"Nobody knows ..."
But you did not get any further, Daryl's lips were instantly on yours. At first the kiss was deep and full of longing, but after a while it became more and more hungry. Your fingers ran through his hair and played with them on the back of his neck while your tongues fought for dominance.
As Daryl's hands slowly moved down your ribs, your lips parted for a much-needed breath.
Right at the beginning of your relationship, you discussed that sex would not be an issue for you for the time being. After what had happened to Lori, Daryl simply could not and did not want to take the risk of pregnancy. Condoms were not to be found for a long time. And neither of you wanted to play Russian roulette - like Maggie and Glenn.
But there were other ways of showing how much you loved each other, how much you wanted each other - other ways of having fun together.
Daryl's right hand went down to your ass, which he gripped tightly as he pulled you close.
You moaned softly as you could feel him rubbing his growing erection on your most sensitive spot. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you pulled him closer to you. An approving growl left his mouth as he left hot kisses on your neck, making sure to suck the spot that caused your thighs to tighten around him.
You ran your trembling fingers through his hair, trying to hold onto the feeling of his lips against your skin.
The hand on your ass eventually moved down the back of your thigh - as he pulled it closer - which changed the angle of your pelvis significantly. The lustful moan that came out of your lips as you rubbed against him only made him harder against the layers of clothing.
God how good it felt for him when you took your pleasure into your own hands. But you did not get far, because Daryl's kisses slowly wandered further down. A pleasant shiver ran through you.
You knew exactly what he was up to and the anticipation made you almost impatient.
But he took his time, first freed you from your shirt and then devoted himself to your nipples with relish - first the right, then the left - until they were both hard and upright.
The longing feeling in your most private place became more and more unbearable and in an attempt to get some friction, you tried to rub yourself against his thigh.
Daryl only chuckled.
"Impatient, are we?"
Daryl's kissed down your stomach before leaning back. He was now kneeling between your legs. For a moment he soaked up the picture in front of him, burned it into his memory. How you laid in front of him, lower lip between your teeth, breathing heavily, your legs spread, the unmistakable traces of your arousal on your underwear.
A moan came from your lips as he finally ran his hands up the inside of your thighs. Without touching the place where you needed him most, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of your panties and freed you from this annoying piece of fabric with one flowing movement.
The sight the archer now saw made his cock twitch painfully.
It was almost like torture how slowly he ran his thumb through your folds and collected what already glistened there.
With faltering breath, you watched him as he slowly brought his hand to his mouth and licked his thumb clean with an animalistic growl.
You came almost instantly at the sight.
When he finally sank his middle finger into you, you threw your head back and closed your eyes in delight. He pumped his finger into you a few times before adding a second. He twisted and curled them in just the right way so that with each thrust he perfectly hit the spot inside you that made you squirm under him.
Your moaning grew louder as he closed his lips around your sensitive bundle of nerves and began to suck rhythmically. Your orgasm rolled closer and closer, and the knot in your stomach tightened until it was about to snap.
"Daryl - fuck - I ..."
"then let go - for me."
And that was exactly what you did. You came with his name on your lips, repeated like a prayer, and with each new wave Daryl took whatever you were willing to give him. You tasted like nothing else to him, and he could never get enough of you.
He slowly kissed his way back up to your neck while his fingers were still moving slowly inside you.
Your hands went into his hair and hungrily drawn his lips to yours. Just a moment later your tongues fought for dominance; you could taste yourself on his. Now your hands slowly made their way down to his crotch. He wanted to hold back. But he could not help himself, and grinded into your palm to find the relief he needed so damn bad.
Daryl's hips spasmed, thrusting forward a few times before he was groaning and shaking his head.
"No. Tonight is just about ya."
"But ..."
Before you could go on, his lips were back on yours in a demanding kiss.
" I wanna make ya feel so good today, that ya'll be happy to have a few days off."
And with that statement, his fingers left your hot core, only to re-enter with one more.
Your eyes rolled back when you felt him stretch you.
"Fuck," you hissed as you tried desperately to find hold while Daryl's fingers kept trusting into you.
As he felt the sweet pain of your nails scratching his back, his cock twitched painfully in his shorts.
The thought that you marked him, that you would let him run around with declarations of your love on his body for the next few days, almost drove him mad. He started rubbing his crotch against your thigh for some relief as he fluidly moved in and out of you, getting you closer and closer to your next release.
The knot inside you got tighter and tighter, and you tried desperately to keep it from snaping again. Your legs started to shake involuntarily, and you knew you would not be able to resist much longer. Your breath came in shorter intervals and your moans got higher and higher. It would not last long till you would be swept away by pure bliss.
When the wave finally hit you, it was an overwhelming feeling. Your inner walls clenching and unclenching around his fingers again and again as your orgasm swept you away like a tsunami.
It took you a few moments to come back from your high while Daryl's gentle movements of his fingers let your orgasm slowly fade out.
"Okay", you began with a trembling voice as he slowly left your inner core, "that was something else."
Daryl’s head rested on the crook of your neck as you slowly recovered your breath, but you could still feel him chuckled lightly.
Slowly you stroked his hair and patted his neck. When he shifted his position slightly so that he did not crush you any further, you noticed that his shorts were suspiciously stuck to you.
Apparently, he had enjoyed this whole interaction too.
"I love you," you whispered before leaving a kiss on his sweaty forehead.
"Love ya more."
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You patiently worked your way through the corn plants with the rake. The work was strenuous because the plants were close together - after all, you needed the greatest possible yield in a small area - and the relentless Georgian sun burned down on you.
Your hair stuck to you and the sweat kept dripping from the brim of your straw hat. Your arms ached, and despite the leather gloves you wore, you had blisters on your hands where they were tightly gripping the wooden handle of your gardening tool.
But despite everything, you kept working. You had to work through the soil so that the weeds had less chance to dispute the valuable nutrients from the crops.
This large field that you had laid out in the style of the "three sisters" was your whole pride. Corn, beans and pumpkins, the holy trinity of this bed, were perfectly coordinated. The Native Americans had already cultivated these three plants in this way.
And what worked for them could work for you too.
You have been toiling for hours. Your clothes were soaked in sweat and your back ached. Nevertheless, you continue to work, moving slowly but steadily through the beds.
"Here," you heard Rick say behind you at some point.
With great effort you straightened up and massaged your back. You felt every single vertebra as it slowly popped back into its original position. An exhausted moan could be heard as you finally turned to the man behind you.
Rick just stood there, bottle of water in hand, his eyes fixed on the fields.
You gratefully took the bottle from him and took a few sips of the refreshing liquid. Especially with such sweaty work in the blazing sun, it was incredibly important to drink enough if you did not want to suffer sunstroke.
And unfortunately, you were predestined to forget it sometimes. But Rick paid attention. You were family, and family looked after each other.
“Looks really good. If the plants continue to grow like this, we will be able to bring in quite a good yield. You are really a talented little farmer."
You looked at him in surprise with raised eyebrows.
"I'm not sure right now whether I should thank you or whether you insulted me."
“Believe me Y/N”, Rick laughed and put his hand on your shoulder, “that was meant as a compliment. An honest compliment. If we didn't have you, we almost certainly wouldn't even be able to harvest half as much. You really have a knack for it."
“Well, everyone does what they can. And I can do that."
You lowered your gaze. You felt uncomfortable when someone complimented you, so you tried to belittle it.
"No", Rick smiled at you friendly, "some do more than others."
After a long day of work and a long - but cold - shower, you sat down with Carol for dinner. You missed your family members. You missed Daryl.
The presence of the older woman had been a comfort to you in the last few days. This run had been going on for five days now, and it was impossible to tell when they would be back.
The feeling you felt in the pit of your stomach was almost the same as when Daryl had disappeared into the forest with Merle. Back then you thought you would never see him again.
But it was different now. Now you had hope that you would see him again.
Maybe.
“It's only been five days Y/N/N. It's too early to worry,” Carol tried to cheer you up.
"I'm not worried," you said stubbornly while you continued to stare at your now cold food.
"Yes of course. That's exactly why you've been poking around in your meal for ten minutes. You haven't even taken a bite."
You looked tiredly at the woman across from you.
“Eat, you worked hard. And tomorrow you will work as hard again as I know you. You need the calories. And believe me, you'd rather eat it voluntarily than have me cram it into you."
Carol had used her best mother voice. Even if Carol was not many years older than you, this woman had somehow become a mother's substitute for you.
After a few moments you finally began to empty your bowl slowly.
Getting around the days was easy. There was always enough work in the gardens and in the fields, you were busy and did not have much time to think.
In the nights it was different. They were bad.
The bed was way too big for you alone, and you lacked the warmth of Daryl's body.
Even on the hot nights of Georgia, you always fell asleep snuggled together. Ever since you had spent your first night like this, you knew that you could never do it again without it.
Now you were alone. Yet again. Daryl was still on this fucking run, and the solitude in those four walls that you had always enjoyed before, now seemed overwhelming to you.
What is he doing right now? Was he okay? Was he thinking of you, too?
With these wistful thoughts, you finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
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"If they are not back by tomorrow, we will send a search party out," announced Rick over breakfast.
You made no reply as you continued to choke down your small portion of porridge, bite by bite. You were not really hungry, but Carol's stern look had kept you from skipping breakfast.
“I'm sure they are fine. They will definitely be back here soon, "said Hershel soothingly," they are all experienced with such actions. They are sure to be fine."
Yes, they were all experienced, knew how to behave and how to protect themselves, but that nagging feeling persisted in you.
You had spent the whole morning working in the fields again, laboriously dragging buckets of water to provide the crops with enough moisture. If it did not rain soon, this would probably be your main occupation for the next few days and weeks.
You had two canisters tied to the outer end of a thick wooden stick. So, you could carry the heavy burden on your shoulders and not in your aching hands.
As you were trudging up the hill again with a full load of water, Rick was leaning against the base of the central guard tower, smiling, and staring into the distance.
"Looks as if we could save ourselves the search."
These words made your body tingly and you immediately turned to face the gates. You could not prevent an unspeakably bright smile from spreading on your face.
"Oh my god," you whispered when you saw the column of cars approaching the prison.
An unmistakable chopper at the head of the convoy.
An army of butterflies exploded in your stomach when you saw Daryl. He was back. He really came back to you.
When he finally brought his bike to a stop and casually dismounted it, you couldn't hold back any longer. Without further hesitation, you dropped the water canisters, which hit the floor with a thud, and immediately spread their moist contents over the floor.
You ran quickly towards Daryl. But even before you had covered half the distance, he was already coming towards you - a radiant smile on his lips.
When you finally met, you immediately put your arms around each other in a tight hug. Your head rested on his chest while he laid his head lovingly on top of yours.
Cuddled so tightly you could hear how fast his heart was beating, and an indescribable feeling of happiness flooded your body. Daryl was back - back by your side.
"Did you miss me," he finally began, and you could hear him grinning right away.
“No,” you answered, “not at all. Not one bit."
“Felt the same way."
With these words, his strong arms tightened around you even more, as if he were trying to melt into you.
So absorbed in your reunion, it took some time until you noticed that Rick and Carol were already discussing the successful run with the rest of the group.
"We got almost everything," you heard Glenn say when you had finally separated from each other and now went to the cars where everyone else was standing - your little fingers still hooked together.
"We found hundreds of canning jars and even seeds," added Sasha.
"Wheat, oat and a lot more." Maggie pointed to the back of the overcrowded pickup truck.
"And we also solved the problem with the heating," said Daryl mysteriously.
This run was really a complete success. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.
> C O C K A D O O D L E D O O <
Suddenly the gushing and loud greeting was silent. Inquiring eyes met knowing faces.
You and Rick looked at each other as to ask if you really had heard this now.
> C O C K A D O O D L E D O O <
"What the hell is that", Rick wanted to know.
"What did it sound like?"
Daryl grinned mischievously and leaned casually against his bike; arms crossed over his chest. His chin raised challengingly.
"No," was all you could say at that moment.
"Yea," Daryl nodded, still grinning.
"No way!"
"Yea, a rooster and six chickens."
"How? Where? How?"
You were completely surprised and had to grin broadly. That was one of the best that could have happened to your community.
"Believe it or not, they were just walking around on a street corner," Glenn explained, looking incredulous about his statement himself.
"So the cattle market wasn't closed after all," you replied sarcastically.
Immediately Daryl had to roll his eyes.
"Just don't start with that," you chuckled and gave him a playful clap on the upper arm.
“You really missed something Y/N,” said Maggie with a grin, “believe me it was really impressive to see how Daryl caught the poultry. Didn't know that he was doing so well as a farmer."
"Yea, ha-ha, very funny!"
Daryl's ears had turned deep red, but then he had to laugh himself at the thought of this chicken-catching operation.
"I really would have liked to see that," you said with a laugh.
"Well, maybe there will be a repetition," said Glenn, "we have to get the critters out of the car somehow without them getting lost again."
"Ya can forget that right away," Daryl announced in a stern voice.
"Don't worry, I'll help you", you smiled at your boyfriend.
After a few minutes of reunion, you started to get the supplies out of the cars and to distribute them in the storage rooms.
Building a chicken coop was definitely on your to-do list for tomorrow. And it has been a long time since you had been looking forward to a job as much as this.
"And I found something for you too," Maggie whispered to you when she put her arm around your shoulders in a friendly manner.
You two had just cleared away a load of canning jars and were about to trot back to the cars.
"And that would be?"
Surprised you stopped and looked at her questioningly. You did not ask her to get you anything.
“I won't tell you yet,” she smiled, “but you will definitely enjoy it - as well as Daryl."
With these words, your best friend left you in the yard as she made her way back to the cars with a mischievous grin.
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