Ok so this is my very first TWD fic so please let me know how I did.
This fic takes place before Rick arrives with Glenn and the others at the camp at the quarry in season 1. Yes, the women decided to do laundry even though they end up doing it AGAIN later on but it's my fic so yeah...No real pairings, other than Rick and Lori later on. Cute Daryl/Sophia moments and hopefully lots of laughs. Two-shot.
The hunter skillfully stalked through the trees and underbrush, it's footfalls near silent even with pine needles and twigs scattered about. Trained eyes flitted back and forth ever so slightly – the blue irises focused solely on their prey. Sweat – hot and sticky – clinging to the hunter like dew as the dry Atlanta heat surged on. Breath shallow and slow, fingers deftly fingering the metal of a trigger…
SNAP!
Ears flicked upward and nostrils flared, the young buck dared only a frightened glance towards the noise before bounding away. The hunter cursed and locked his cocked weapon onto the sorry thing that had just cost him a week's worth of tracking and possible meat that would last them a few days. Blind anger morphed the image into a decomposing, rotten, once-living thing – that is until he blinked and the image was replaced by a stick of a girl with stringy red hair and wide, deer-like eyes.
"Jesus Christ kid!" He huffed while lowering his crossbow in irritation. "Ya tryin' to get yourself killed or what?"
The girl shook her head quickly and fumbled with her hands nervously. "I-I'm real sorry Mister Dixon….but…well I just-just-."
"Spit it out for Christ's sake!"
"I wanted to watch!" She blurted out before lowering her eyes shyly and waiting for the tongue-lashing she well deserved. However, all she got was a deep, throaty sigh and a very sweaty Daryl running a hand through his hair in confusion, annoyance, and something else.
"Look 'ere kid. This ain't no summer camp. Ya can't just come walkin' out here wit'out telling your mama." Daryl tried to sound more like a reasonable adult, but when had Daryl Dixon ever been reasonable?
Sophia looked more pitiful than before but she tried to hide it and just nodded her head in defeat. Giving him a weak smile, she apologized as best a 12-year-old girl could do before hiking it back to camp with those bean pole legs. In retrospect, she knew she shouldn't have snuck out of camp to follow the man known as Daryl. She knew that he was hunting that same deer he'd mentioned each night while skinning those squirrels he'd catch – almost as if apologizing in his own way for having not caught something more appetizing. Despite all that her 12-year-old mind had processed, something had pushed her to follow him and watch him work.
Meanwhile, Daryl was stalking back to camp with a fat hare and some squirrels he'd shot down before heading back. The hare would be a nice change from squirrel meat, at least for the others. As for him, he didn't mind it so much, though he couldn't help thinking of how good some fresh cooked venison would have tasted after a week of sweat and listening to Shane try to keep the group in working order.
"Hnf. Order my ass." The blue-eyed man snorted as he came upon the bustling camp. "World's gone to shit and he thinks he can jus' order us around like a damn circus."
He strode towards Lori who – in Daryl's honest opinion – seemed a bit flighty and giggly for a grown woman with a son while the world's gone to hell, and dumped the twine with his catch onto the small table before mentioning that he'd take care of skinning and cleaning them tonight. She gave him a nod and an appreciative smile before returning to her previous engagement – folding her son's shirts while catching the ever-wandering gaze of their so-called leader Shane.
The blonde headed towards a stump next to his and his older brother's tent, but was caught off guard by the appearance of Ed. The sight of the man caused Daryl's lip to curl up in a slight snarl, which was not lost on the burly man. The smoke from the cigarette stung Daryl's eyes but he was too busy glaring at the man in annoyance.
"You gonna move? Or are you too dumb and wild to understand?" Ed wheezed.
Daryl took a step closer to Ed, which seemed to light a fire in the man's eyes.
"I will after you let yer wife out of that dammed tent." He didn't ever call Ed by his name. The sick wife beater didn't deserve even that.
"She's my wife and she'll do as I say. She ain't comin' out today and if you've got a problem then you better say it Dixon." Ed growled before taking another step forward.
The two men stared each other down before Daryl grunted and headed towards his tent, tuning out Ed's choked laughter.
"Yeah you keep on walkin' you white piece of trash. Ain't no one 'fraid of you."
Shane later yelled for Ed to shut the hell up and do something useful – which resulted in Ed being a half-ass lifeguard over the quarry while no one was even down there.
Satisfied that Shane had at least done something right, Daryl set to work cleaning his arrows with the red rag he kept tucked in his back pocket at all times. The job never lasted long, no matter how thorough he was, and in the end he would place them into his quiver and become utterly bored and edgy. Normally, his older brother Merle would be nearby smoking a joint and getting higher than the empire state building – usually resulting in Daryl receiving a few hits or the women getting weird looks – before he'd call it a night and pass out in the tent. However, Merle had uncharacteristically volunteered to go with Morales and that Chinaman and some others into the city for supplies.
"Rock-paper-scissors-shoot!"
He cocked his head towards the sound and whether it was due to boredom or the heat of the day he'll never know, walked over behind the log pile to see Sophia and Lori's boy – Carl – giggling away.
"My rock smashed your scissors! I win again!"
"Aw Sophia c'mon! You've gotta be cheatin'!"
Daryl tried to walk away but his shadow betrayed him and he was suddenly stuck under the gaze of the two.
"Hiya Daryl!" Carl greeted cheerfully.
Sophia ducked her head a bit and greeted him with less enthusiasm. "Hi….Mister Dixon…"
A bit taken aback by the boy's friendliness and the girl's shyness, Daryl didn't realize he'd said something until it was too late.
"Um, hey. You two playin' a game?" Carl nodded eagerly. "Yep! Rock, paper, scissors. You ever play before?"
The redneck was brought back to when he was younger and he'd proposed Merle play it with him. Unfortunately, Merle's version of the game was more in the literal sense…
"…Not much." He wanted to get away but the boy seemed so damn happy and curious…
"Well c'mon! Let's see if you can beat Sophia, she's really good at it." He stood to make room for the larger man. "In fact, she's the master!"
'Oh Christ.' He thought as he squinted at the kids. "Naw, I don't think I'll be much good at it." He scratched his neck. "'Sides, I don't got time for playin' around. Got things to get done…"
Despite his rejection of the offer, Carl was tugging away at his hands, urging him to just sit down and try. He coaxed Sophia into helping him drag Daryl down, which really ended with the two landing roughly on his chest and stomach while he landed on his back just behind the logs. The children burst into a fit of giggles that rattled the poor man's ribcage until he felt as if there were an earthquake trapped inside him. After shoving the two off him and catching his breath, Daryl finally noticed the smug looks Carl and Sophia were giving him.
"Now you'll have to play, right Carl?" The boy nodded in agreement.
"An' what if I say no? You gonna poke me ta death?"
The duo grinned as Carl produced a large sheath holding a particularly sharp Busse knife that happened to belong to a very short-tempered redneck.
"Hey! Gimme that!" He snatched for it, but was stopped by Sophia wrenching it from Carl's hands and leaping away. "I ain't playin' around you brats! That knife in't for kids like you."
Sophia shook her head, "Nope. Not until you beat me at a game of rock, paper, scissors. Deal?"
Carl nodded and gave Daryl a challenging, yet amused glare. The man grunted and tried to persuade and threaten the knife out of her hand, but to no avail.
Finally he threw his hands up in the hot air and gave in. "Fine. Ya got a deal." He held out his hand to Sophia, who stared at the large hand before looking at hers and spitting into it before mashing it with his eagerly.
"Shit Sophia! You got me again!"
The girl giggled before giving the man a sly smirk. "I guess you won't be getting' your knife back anytime soon."
A determined scowl set into Daryl's face as he readied his fist for about the umpteenth time. "We'll see about that Lima-Bean."
Carl smiled to himself as he caught Daryl's swear on the wind, wishing he was over there instead of getting his hair cut by his momma.
"Paper covers Rock, I win."
Daryl shook his head and gave the girl a look that said, 'you gotta be shittin' me.'
"At this rate, I don't think you'll ever get your knife back." She started. "So I think we should make a different deal instead."
He huffed, "S'cuse me? I think you had best think again." Sophia shook her head.
"Nuh-uh. This one you'll win for sure! I promise."
The younger Dixon brother eyed her sweet smile warily, but sighed and extended his hand again. However, right before she shook it, he pulled his back and spit into his palm before gripping hers in a tight handshake. At least they were even on some level now.
"Alright, so what do I gotta do this time? Beat ya in a starin' contest? Cuz I'll definitely beat you for sure."
Sophia laughed. "Nope. All you have to do is sit right there and don't move."
'That's it? Sounds too easy comin' from this lil' brat…' He wondered before accepting the challenge, the idea that his beloved knife would soon be back where it belonged was too tempting.
At first, she was careful with her work, but it didn't take long for him to notice the slight tug on his dirty, sweaty blonde hair. He swung his head around, only to regret it as tiny prickles of pain tugged at his scalp.
"Hey! Don't move! You're gonna mess it up!"
"The hell are you talkin' about brat?" She smacked his hand away as he tried to finger the area where the tugging came from.
"Just sit still ok? This won't take long." Her hands began tugging gently at his hair and despite his urge to wrench himself free, the man just rolled his eyes and sat in the dirt under the blaring sun while the young girl did God-knows-what to him.
It had only been five minutes until Daryl fell into a light sleep under the heat of the day and the strangely relaxing feel of his hair being pulled carefully this way and that. Sophia didn't even notice until a soft snort came from his parted lips, resulting in a fit of silent giggles before she went back to work. Carl had tried to come back over, but Shane got to talking about catching frogs and the boy was mesmerized. No one else noticed the missing redneck or girl, or the sounds of a sleeping Dixon behind the woodpile. Her small fingers worked as quickly as they could as she deftly moved them throughout each sweaty golden strand of ragged hair on Daryl's head, a low hum rumbling in her throat while she worked.
Something patted his face and shook him – the clouds of sleep slowly ebbing away and giving way to the bright Georgia sun. The man blinked a few times before meeting the smiling face of Sophia, who was clasping her hands together as she admired her work.
"Well now that you're awake Mister Dixon, I guess you'll want your knife back now."
"First off, the name's Daryl. I ain't old enough to bein' called a mister." He held up two fingers. "Second, you bet your string-bean little self I want my knife back." He held out his hand expectantly, "Been puttin' up with yall's shit all day."
The girl nodded at the first condition, but didn't release her hold on the sheath. "The deal's not done yet, Daryl. You gotta take me to my momma's tent first." She waved the knife sneakily. "Then you'll get your knife back."
Daryl closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and calm himself. 'Remember the Zen man, just listen to the little urchin and everything will be fine.'
"Ugh, alright fine. But this is the last deal I make with you String-Bean. You got that?"
She nodded and mock saluted him. "Cross my heart and hope to eat a frog." Daryl gave her a strange look before getting to his knees and brushing the dirt off his pants before standing all the way. Sophia smiled and slipped her hand into his dirty rough one, before shoving the knife in the back of her pants and leading him through the camp. It felt as if she was parading him around, which made him suspicious – combined with the weird looks everyone was giving him – of just what was really going on.
"Uh…Sophia? Why the hell are they lookin' at me funny? I got somethin' on my face?"
She shook her head and pointed to the window of the RV with an innocent smile. "Take a look and see, Daryl."
The way she said it made him wary, so he marched up to the window with Sophia in tow and jerked backwards so suddenly he almost landed on top of the poor girl.
'I swear to Christ I ain't ever makin' another deal with this kid again!'
He stared at his reflection in shock and mild irritation, the man finally realizing the reason everyone had been staring at him. Sophia had taken his once shaggy mop of hair and braided small, thin braids into most of it, the ends tied with brightly colored bands. A few loose strands hung on the side of his face from the sweat of the day, but the braids all branched out in every direction, making him look more ridiculous than he could ever imagine was possible.
"You like it? It took me 'bout an hour but I think they look nice."
For once, Daryl Dixon was speechless.
"C'mon, you still gotta take me to my tent." Then she pulled him down so she could whisper, "I promise I'll take 'em out when we get there."
The normally ill-tempered redneck just let himself be lead all around camp, ensuring that everyone in camp – minus Merle and the others – saw him and his new hair do.
'Merle'd beat my ass and call me a soft bitch for lettin' this happen.' And for once, Daryl was glad his brother wasn't in camp.
Finally the two reached the large blue tent that housed Sophia and her momma, Carol, and her deadbeat husband. Sophia looked up at him and smiled before pulling out his knife and handing it to him politely.
"Here ya go Mis – I mean, Daryl. I'm sorry for what we did." She seemed a bit sad.
Despite everything that she and the Grimes boy had put him through, Daryl couldn't find it within himself to get mad at them, especially Sophia. He got down on one knee and took the knife with an actual smirk and ruffled her hair playfully.
"Don't be sorry String-Bean. You beat me fair n' square. A man's gotta honor his deals ya know."
Her face lit up and the smile - that reached deeper inside Daryl Dixon then anything else had in a long time - made him chuckle.
"So….you like them?" He snorted. "Like 'em?" He shook his head and tapped her under the chin. "I think they make me look mighty pretty don' you?"
She nodded and flicked a few of the braids before she began to pull out the bands in them. Daryl caught her wrist and pulled it away with a smirk.
"Tell ya what brat, how 'bout I teach you how to use a smaller knife of mine in exchange for some of these…hair does tomorrow." He stuck out his hand. "Deal?"
Little Sophia grinned and shook his hand eagerly before heading inside her tent with a skip in her step. He shook his head and chuckled before heading back towards the table near the fire to skin the squirrels and hare from earlier, when something small latched onto his waist. He looked down and shushed her before she could thank him and instead put a hand on her small shoulder and whispered something into her ear that made her smile and laugh, before ruffling her already messy hair and telling her in the gentlest tone anyone had ever heard out of Daryl to 'get'.
As he neared the table and pulled out his Busse knife to start skinning, he felt everyone's eyes on him. With a sneer he lifted up his head and gave them all a challenging glare.
"What th' hell you all starin' at?"
No one answered and he snorted before going back to his work, Sophia's braids keeping the sweat from dripping into his eyes. When he still felt them all watching, he barked roughly for them to get their heads out of their asses and to leave him alone, to which they all obliged.
Besides, since when had Daryl Dixon ever been reasonable?
So how'd I do? Did you love it? Hate it? Please leave a review to give me any advice or tips or point out any errors I may have made. Thanks!
Oh and seriously, who thinks Daryl is the best character in the show? And the hottest? Am I right? :D