Daryl Dixon was quite content to be washing his own laundry.
He'd been washing his own laundry since he was four and damnit if he'd let some yuppy house wives think just because they be women- (even inside his own head that sounded a bit too Redneck, but whatever.) that they'd had the God given knowledge how he liked his underwear washed.
He'd been caught up in his own little world when he heard a rustle of leaves and a tap on his shoulder.
Before the thing behind him had a chance to squeak it had a bolt lined up between it's eyes and a very angry redneck on the other end of the bow.
"God Damnit Sophia!" he shouted, dropping the Crossbow with a huff. "I could'a effin' killed you kid." He fumed.
The tiny twelve year old quivered on knobbily knees her face blanched white.
"I'm, I'-I'm sor-sorry Mr. Dixon! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you." The kid was stumbling backwards on tiny feet attached to tiny ankles.
"ne-nevermind, I'll leave you alone I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Daryl made to reach out for her as he saw her start to tumble over a root and was shocked.
(okay, not that shocked) to see her raise her hands up over her head as if to protect herself from being hit.
Her posturing stung more than he cared to admit.
In his shock he hadn't caught her as she tripped over the root and fell face first into the dirt.
She made a pained noise from her throat causing his heart to clench.
With dinnerplate sized hand he caught her upper arm and hauled her towards him as she flailed in midair, after she was up right and on her feet she fell against his chest with a huff as she started to cry.
"Shit- kid. Relax." He sighed, damnit. He was not made for this comforting shit.
He got down on a knee and (after making sure she was good and standing) cupped her face in his hands looking at the damage.
She had a gash across her forehead- pretty shallow, nothing that wouldn't heal quickly.
Still, from experience he knew head wounds bled like a bitch-
"Hold still." He hummed as he snatched up the newly cleaned red rag from the pile of laundry and held it to her eyebrow as he wiped away dusty tears with a large calloused thumb.
"Sophia." He said after a moment. "I ain't gonna hit'cha, kid." She sniffed and nodded.
"You just scared me…" He told her as he dabbed at her skin. "I didn't spend all that time lookin' for yo' scrawny ass just so I could shoot you 'tween the eyes the moment you're up and well, huh?" he bumped her chin with a knuckle, causing her to smile.
"No sneaking up on you, got it." She nodded, eyes still watery.
They were quiet for a moment as he continued to hold pressure to the wound.
"Now, you were up here for a reason- what was it?" The question was gruff, but somehow he knew that Sophia knew he wasn't angry with her. Kid was smart like that.
"I wa-wanted to ask you a question." She said, looking down and kicking at the dirt.
"Well. What was it?" He asked, flipping the rag and peaking under it before applying it back to her head.
"It-It's okay. It was a stupid idea anyhow I'll ask Glenn or-" Her cheeks had turned pink and she was gnawing on her bottom lip.
"I ain't got all day. What is it you need?" He asked roughly.
"Tampons." She whispered.
"Huh?" he asked, peaking under the rag. The wound was closing slowly and surely he pulled the rag away and dipped the rag back into the water. After ringing it out he went back to work on cleaning the kids face of dirt and dust.
"You know…. Ladystuff…"
"oh…" He said, his eyes widening and the tips of his ears burning. ''Oh."
He coughed, trying to clear his throat.
"Don't your momma have some you could use?" he asked.
Sure, he knew what a tampon was.
Who else was gonna go down to the pigglywiggly and buy his momma's smokes, wine and tampax.
But hell, he'd not had to venture into that aisle in ten damn years.
(Something he tried not to think about, due to the fact that condoms were normally housed in the same place)
"I looked, and I looked where the other girl's keep theirs. But they're all too big." Her face had turned so red that her freckles seemed white.
'Freckles like her momma.' He thought suddenly.
"I woulda asked my Momma, but she's so busy. And I don't wanna worry her anymore.
And then I tried to ask Andrea, but she was on watch and told me to go play. And then Mrs. Grimes was too busy arguing with Shane and I don't know The Greene's and asking Glenn or Dale to go and get some would be just embarrassing and or Mr. Grimes is so busy….So you were the only one who I could think of that would be big enough to go and get them… and I knew you wouldn't make a big deal about it and tell everyone - This is just embarrassing!" She rambled with a dramatic moan.
A part of him was actually touched that she was the only one he felt comfortable enough to tell, even though it put him in a spot that was thoroughly uncomfortable.
"No it ain't." he said with a friendly roll of his eyes. 'Damn right it is'
"Happens to everyone, well. Every girl…" he trailed away. "Ain't my first time in the Tampax aisle." He stood up once he deemed her face clean enough to be seemly. 'sure, last time I bought them my Momma told me they were for nosebleeds when daddy socked her up side the face…'
He shook his head. "Ain't no big deal. He told her, turning his back on her so that she might have a tiny bit of privacy.
He gathered up his washing and put it in the basket before propping the basket up on his hip.
Deep down he was thankful whatever the ones Lori used were too big.
Meant' Ed never did to Sophia what his own daddy had done to him.
And for that, he was infinitely thankful. From what Carol had said, there'd been a bad seed in that man's heart. He thanked God that it never grew into anything more before the man had died.
Kid didn't deserve that. No one did.
"'Sides." He sniffed, turning around. "Gotta go out any'how. Your momma stole my deodorant." He groused.
"I wondered why her bed smelled like Vanilla and Motorcycle." Sophia drawled, "I figured you'd just been sleepin' in there." She shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"AH. No. I have not been sleepin' in your momma's bed." He cuffed her- (gently) upside the head.
"You best git that outta your pretty little mind.'' He started walking back towards camp.
She giggled, but followed along after him.
"An' anyway-" he stopped and bent down to whisper in her ear. "It's worse for guys- Carl's got shit comin' up he didn't knew came up-" he snorted, leading her by the back of her neck.
She didn't seem to mind though as he looked up at him in wonder. "middle a' camp too."
"Really?" she asked.
"Hell yeah. Ten times worse on the embarrassing scale. See, way I figure- ya'll got some braggen rights, with that PMS and shit. Take anyone of us men folk and have us bleed for six days straight- not to mention the stomach aches and crap. We'd be balled up in a heap cryin' like babies."
Sophia laughed, her eyes lighting up. Daryl smirked down at her, quietly pleased at being able to make her laugh.
"Hell yeah you would." She nodded quickly.
Sophia loved that about him- that he'd let her curse and would just tell her like it was.
The Dead were walking around. He seemed to be the only one to think she didn't need to be shielded from silly stuff like impromptu boners.
It wasn't like she didn't already know about them anyhow.
Daryl just snorted as he deposited her by the RV where Carol was busy sorting laundry to be hung up.
"What you two been up to?" she asked, looking up suspiciously.
"She was helpin' me wash my undershort's, weren't you shorty?" Daryl asked.
"Ew. No." Sophia groaned. "I fell down and he stopped the bleeding."
Carol's eyes snapped up to search her daughters face.
"Hold your horses woman. Ain't nothin' don't even need a bandaid." He held out the basket of laundry and looked up at her through his lashes as he ducked his head.
"Mind hangin' these up for me? I gotta go on a run."
"Nope." She smiled brightly, taking the basket from him.
"What're you goin' for?" she asked.
"Gotta get some lube." He shrugged, bending over to tie his shoes.
"KY or astro glide?" Carol asked with a snort much to Sophia's confusion.
Daryl stood up and fixed her a dirty glare, his cheeks a violent red.
"For my bow, Woman." He ground out. He said no more as he stomped away.
Bloody Woman.
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"He really needs to ask before he just goes off like that!" Lori told Rick as they all sat around the campfire that afternoon for lunch. "What if we needed him? Or if there was a walker attack?"
"He's his own man, Lori." Rick sighed.
"Now, I get your point, but what'm I gonna do? Chain him to a tree like a naughty dog?"
"Could try." Shane grumbled. "Don't see much harm in it."
Sophia looked down at her lap, feeling very guilty.
"What's the matter?" Carol asked her daughter. Sophia shook her head, taking a bite of beans, though inside she felt very guilty for having sent him out.
As if summoned, there was a great racket as the old Triumph came up the drive and parked near the RV.
Daryl got off with a creak of his joints , after grabbing the bags he'd secured to the back of the bike, he stomped over to them.
"Got shit." He said, plopping down three of the four bags on the picnic table.
"Cleared out the shop two towns over." he started divvying up the goods.
"Clothespins." He placed three packages of plastic clothespins in front of Carol.
"Got some smokes. Matches." Six packages of parliaments were placed on the table in a stack, "couple a' fingernail clippers. Lady shit-" Several packages of maxipads were thrown in Andrea's lap.
"Shampoo, Don'know what this is, but figured it'd come in handy." He wiggled a bath scratchy towards Lori who snatched it up with glee. "Razors" those two were thrown in the pile.
"Planning on getting' some?" Rick asked, gesturing to the fifteen packages of Condoms that were placed on the table.
"These aren't even the good one's man." Shane chuckled.
"gonna be a right bit uncomfortable to get these suckers on." He gestured to the package where it said ''unlubricated.''
Daryl rolled his eyes. "dumbasses.'' He hissed under his breath. "Don't ya'll know nothing?"
When everyone just blinked at him he continued.
"There's more than one use for the things."
"Latex is strong. It's meant to be. It's also meant to be water proof. Stick one in a sock and fill it up with water, you've got a compact, collapsible water container. Fill a couple with tinder, it'll keep clean and dry in your pack so you can start a fire- not to mention the latex is highly flammable- it'll catch fire and burn pretty hot so the tinder catches. Use it for food storage- flour, sugar, oats. Shit like that. Keep Gun powder dry. Put it over the end of your rifles- knew a guy named Ford, was in the Marines- said they use 'em to keep the sand outta the barrels of their rifles. You can use it as a fishing bobber, put it on the end of a slingshot, use it as a crude rubber glove. Use it to cover a wound. Any'ya'll ever been hunting in winter? No one likes cold wet feet. You get trenchfoot that way. Thing'll fit around your foot, put em' ever your socks." He turned his attention to Sophia and Beth (who were sitting near Carl looking pink cheeked about the whole thing)
"Boy ever tells you he don't wanna wear one cause it don't fit-" he said to her, raising a finger. "Call bullshit and remind him that one rubber will hold two liters of liquid and you can also fit it over a bowling ball. If his junk is that big, then he probably got something wrong with him and in that case, there ain't no need for hanky-panky."
Shane snorted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yes sir." Beth nodded as she and Sophia giggled.
Lori was darn near ready to faint, Beth was giggling and Grimes looked impressed.
Carol was simply pleased they'd caught the man saying that man words in one sentence.
"Alright, Get me few of those." T-Dog commented, taking a package of cigarettes and a couple of things of condoms.
As the goods were divvied up and people went about their ways- Daryl shifted his head at Sophia from where he was digging through his packs on his bike, telling her to follow him.
When she'd finally skipped over he ducked down and pressed a bag into her arms.
"Everythin' you'll need in there, sweetheart." He said quietly.
She peaked into the bag and saw that it was filled with little sparkly tubes of teeny tampons, several things of panty liners, a bottle of Midol, several bags of chocolatebars and some one time use heating pads.
She squeaked out a thank you and hugged him around the middle.
"Yeah yeah." He said, patting her head unsurely.
"I'm awesome. Just uh… don't let the others know about that- k?" he pulled out a small plastic shoebox and held it out to her. "Got a reputation to uphold."
'SOPHIA'S SURVIVAL KIT.' Was written in big loopy litters. It looked like a man had tried to make it look girly.
She giggled and kissed jumped up, kissing his cheek before running into the RV to hide her goodies.
Daryl chuckled as Carol brought him a plate of food.
"She likes you." She noted.
"Nah…" Shook his head, a rueful grin on his face.
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