Summary: Teaching archery to little kids was not the job he had in mind, but he liked it. He liked it because Sophia was his best student, and her mother was the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
note; i've found out i like writing caryl, like a lot, and this au just popped up into my head. i really like stories where sophia is a main character and daryl and her have such a cute relationship so i thought i could use it. enjoy? (i don't really like the chapter tho, but it'll get better)
Merle had gotten his ass in jail. Again.
While it was refreshing to have his brother away, it also meant his job as a mechanic wasn't going to be much help. Merle's job had never been an honest one, being a dealer the main reason while he got himself in jail again. But it payed the bills. And while Daryl could survive by eating the deer he hunted or even squirrels, their house wasn't even theirs, so he needed to find a job. Quick.
As soon as his afternoon shift ended, he headed straight to the police station. This was a small town in the country side of Georgia. Everyone knew each other. That didn't mean everyone liked each other. Daryl opened the door and marched up to the Sheriff's office. Rick Grimes was a nice man. Daryl could stand him for more than five minutes so he figured that was good. They were friends. Or at least, they would be if Rick's best friend and full time asshole, Shane Walsh, was always insulting him. Rick was too dumb to see what kind of person his best friend had become.
"Hey, Daryl," the officer smiled.
Daryl gave a sharp nod, "Got any news on my brother?"
"I'm sorry, Daryl," Rick's smile fell, "It seems like they're transferring Merle to some prison in Virginia. Didn't really have a say on it."
"I don't think I can bail him this time, you know?" he sighed, "He got into some deep shit. Now I can barely pay the rent."
The last line perked Rick's interest, "Do you need a new job?"
"Yeah," Daryl said grimly, he didn't like pity. He knew Rick meant well but he had to advert his eyes to avoid seeing pity in them, "But I'll manage."
"Well, if you really need one," Rick paused, not sure how to go on, "Carl's going to a camp this summer, I'm going to be guarding the place and all."
Daryl raised an eyebrow, silently asking for Rick to cut the chase and just spit it out, "Your point?"
"They need an archery teacher," he stated, "Most of the kids there want to learn how to shoot arrows and go fishing. The pay's good, you have your own cabin, it's out on the woods. I figured you'd be interested."
And he was. It sounded better than fixing cars. He would be hunting, in the woods, and no one would judge him for it. He would even have a place to stay. It sounded great. So what if he had to teach kids? He liked kids better than grown ups anyway. He bit his lip as he pondered on the idea. Why the hell not?
"If you don't want to I understand, it's not exactly the greatest job and I'm sure you'll find something else—"
"I'm in."
Rick looked startled before his face broke into a grin, "Great. I'll tell Hershel about it, he's gonna be thrilled. The camp starts tomorrow, you should be here around seven. Pack what you can, we'll be out there for two and a half months. It's gonna be great!"
Daryl couldn't help but snort. Rick looked as a excited as a little kid on a Christmas morning. The man deffinitely had issues. He nodded and walked away, offering Rick a smile once he reached the door.
"Thanks, man."
He had packed everything.
He didn't have much, just a bunch of sleeveless shirts, ragged jeans, a blanket, his leather vest with the angel wings on the back and his crossbow. He didn't need anything else. The house itself barely had furniture. It was just for the summer anyway, so he didn't need to add anything else into the bag. He lied down on the couch, staring at the ceiling for hours until sleep got the best of him. Still, that question rang through his mind like a church bell.
Why the fuck did he agree?
Sunlight burns.
That was Daryl's first thought when he awoke. The second had been why was sunlight hitting him. He opened his eyes slowly, blinded by the light before looking away. When his eyes came to focus, he noticed he was on the couch. Must have passed out. He sighed and sat up, trying to smother his hair. It was long, he hadn't cut it in a while. He looked at the clock and cursed. It was 7:30.
He was supposed to be there before seven.
Daryl jumped off the couch. He picked up his bag from the floor and ran to the fridge. He was thirsty, and he didn't have much time. Maybe the kids were late as well? He grunted. Great. No milk. He threw the door shut with a bang and got out of the house. He was headed for the truck when he stopped dead on his tracks. His gaze dropped on the bike.
Merle's bike.
But Merle wasn't here, so he couldn't see why not. He chewed on his fingernail. This might be his last chance of riding it before Merle came back. There would be no other. And he'd always wanted to ride it anyway.
So he did.
All the kids were already there.
Daryl cursed. There were about thirty or forty kids around there, all running and jumping an screaming. Some were saying goodbye to their parents, some were talking with other kids. Those kids were everywhere. There was too many people, too many parents, too many children.
It was fucking scary.
Daryl never liked people. He was socially awkward and an outcast from day one. He never had many friends when a kid, the other kids parents always made sure of that. He's a Dixon, they would say. Don't mix with his kind, they would say. So Daryl isolated himself. He didn't need people. He had Merle. And Merle was enough.
But Merle wasn't there now.
So he took a deep breath and sucked it up, because either you nut up or you shut up. Daryl Dixon was not afraid of kids. He was a grown up man. He would get off his bike, walk up to the group and head off with them to the mountains. Plain and simple.
It didn't look so simple once he made his way through the crowd.
Some threw disgusted looks at him, pushing their children in the opposite direction. Some were just plainly and shamelessly staring at his face. Some just ignored him, thankfully. He immediately regretted his choice. His eyes roamed the place, looking for any friendly faces. His eyes fell on Rick. He was bidding his pregnant wife goodbye. Daryl wanted to sneer. Lori Grimes was a very pretentious woman, and though he knew she meant well, she was annoying and too full of herself. Not to mention, he was sure the baby she was carrying wasn't Rick's. Most people in town knew about Lori and Shane's affair. Rick was clueless enough to not notice, and Daryl pitied him for that. Rick was a good man, he didn't deserve being cheated on.
He was about to walk up to Rick when a ball hit him right in the stomach. He doubled over as the air was blown off his lungs for a while. He looked up when he heard light footsteps approaching.
"I-I'm so sorry, sir!"
The voice was soft and small. Daryl regained his posture and looked down to find a little blonde girl holding a soccer ball. Her wide blue eyes were staring right at his, and he could see the girl shaking with fear. The kid was afraid. Daryl wanted to punch himself. He didn't like scaring kids, he had been scared enough as a kid to know better. But it wasn't the usual fear he saw in her. He recognize his own fear. The fear that got him whenever his daddy was home.
Daryl opened his mouth to say something and saw her flinch. His jaw clenched. He recognized the signs. She didn't look like she had been beaten up, but verbal abuse was enough to put a kid down. He shook his head and kneeled in front of her.
"It's fine," he said with a small smile, "Didn't hit me that hard. You got some muscle on you, though."
He poked her in the arm and she giggled. The fear was gone. Daryl felt his smile widen. He was about to say something about how she should try kicking in the other direction when another soft voice startled him.
"Sophia!" the voice called, she sounded distressed, "Sophia where are you?"
Daryl looked up to see a petite woman, her hair cropped short and gray running towards them. He expected her to freak out and jank the kid away from him, warning him to never get close her daughter again. Instead, her face only showed relief. She smiled and walked up to them. Daryl stood up almost immediately, the woman standing a few feet from him. The first thing he noticed about her were her eyes. They were blue. So blue.
"Sophia, I thought I told you not to run off."
"Sorry, mom," Sophia replied shyly, "But I kicked the ball too far and hit him."
Sophia pointed at Daryl, and that's when her eyes found his, and instead of a sneer, she offered him a grin.
"Did you apologize, Sophia?" she asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.
"Yes," Sophia rolled her eyes.
"Have you put your bags in the bus yet?"
"I think so."
The mother shot her a look, "You think so or you know so?"
"I think so," she said meekly.
"Go check," the woman sighed. Sophia nodded and shot Daryl a smile before she took off. Her mother called behind her before she went too far, "And don't stay talking with Carl for too long!"
Daryl stood awkwardly. He didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Should he walk away? He didn't have time to choose since she turned to him with that same beautiful smile on her face.
"She's a bit of a wild one," she chuckled, "She didn't mean to hit you."
Daryl nodded, "It's fine. She's just a kid."
"Yeah, but she gets on my nerves sometimes," she joked. A comfortable silence passed before she decided to break it, "I'm Carol, by the way."
Daryl gulped. This was it. If she didn't know his name she didn't know his brother and father's reputation. Now once he told her she would freak and run and insult him. But he thought she wouldn't. She just seemed so nice and beautiful, he didn't think someone like that would do that. So what were the chances?
"Daryl." He gulped, waiting for the outburst. It never came.
"Dixon, right?" his eyes widened, and he looked down immediately. He didn't want to see the disgust in her face. But Carol chuckled and he had to look up, "Yeah, I knew your brother. Haven't seen him in a while, though. How's Merle?"
Daryl just stood there, his mouth agape. She knew who he was. She knew his brother. And still, she was being kind to him. He quickly shut it and looked away, mumbling a sentence in hopes that she wouldn't hear.
"Jail. Again."
She laughed, earning a surprised look from Daryl. She shrugged with a smirk, "Merle was always either in detention or in juvie. Happened quite often, can't say I'm surprised."
Daryl found himself chuckling along with her. Carol opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she heard her daughter calling out for her.
"Mom! It's time to go!"
Carol offered him an apologetic smile, "Guess I'll see you at camp, Daryl?"
Daryl nodded sharply, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards, "Yeah, sure."
She sent him a last smile and walked back to her daughter. Daryl had to supress a smirk of his own. He hopped on his bike and looked back at them.
Somehow, he didn't quite regret his decision anymore.