A/N: Hey all... My writing process for my other story is all backed up, and maybe starting yet another will help. Probably not. *avoids disproving looks*

Disclaimer: I do not own TWD or any of its OCs. Just using the for my amusement

Chapter 1 - Gummy Worms

Merle knew Daryl loved gummy worms. That's why he stole them.

It hadn't been hard - walking aimlessly around the drugstore for half an hour to divert suspicion and then snatching the jumbo bag as soon as the cashier let his guard down. He tucked the colorful snacks under his jacket and booked it out of there. Clean get away.

What was more difficult for Merle was keeping the candy under his bed for a whole week, awaiting his baby brother's birthday. The deliciously chewy snacks called to him well he lay in his bed at night, coaxing him to take a bite. He'd glance at Daryl's sleeping form cautiously before sneaking a sweet wiggly worm. One turned into two, turned into three, turned into half the bag. That's where Merle put his foot down. The rest were for his baby brother. Thankfully, the week was almost up.

The day Daryl's birthday finally arrived, Merle had to hide the slight bounce in his step. He eyed his brother on their walk to school. He didn't even seem to remember it was his own birthday, and Merle couldn't blame him. They never celebrated. Another year didn't bring much difference to Daryl's appearance, he still looked eleven to Merle.

They soon parted ways; Daryl to the middle school and Merle to the high school. The day seemed to crawl by, especially with the detention Merle unsuccessfully tried to get out of serving. He glumly plopped down in a back desk. This meant Daryl would get home before him, foiling Merle's plans of presenting Daryl with his gift as soon as he walked through the door. Merle supposed it wouldn't matter though, birthdays weren't exactly a grand spectacle.

When he finally did race home, the older Dixon was puzzled to find the front door wide open. Their daddy's truck was gone and living room was eerily quiet. Merle tried to shake the bad feeling but as he padded down the hall his suspicions were only confirmed. The floor was littered with the debris of a fight. The door to the brothers' shared room hung ajar and Merle prepared himself for the worst before kicking it all the way open.

There Daryl Dixon lay, a tangled mass of limbs on the floor. Merle stood frozen in the doorway, taking it all in. His face was a bruised mess, blood pooling in the corner of his swollen lips. His right elbow was bending the way no elbow should and his shirt was torn to shreds. After a brief second Merle rushed over, kneeling beside his baby brother.

"Daryl," he urged, lifting his brother's head. Blood dribbled from his mouth, dampening his slight groan. He stared up at Merle from underneath black eyelids and coughed.

Merle felt a fire stir from deep within him. His cold blue eyes darkened like storm and he found himself almost snarling. How dare their dad touch him.

After many pain filled grunts and groans, Daryl was sitting with his back against the wall. He slumped helplessly, willing himself not to cry. Merle dabbed his face with a rag, wiping away all the excess blood.

It was a long trek to the hospital, especially with Daryl's seemingly dead weight in his arms and the loaded backpack on his back.

The ER was deserted, and even if it had been packed Daryl still would've been taken in right away based on his apparent condition.

"What in the world happened?" The nurse inquired worriedly, looking down at the battered child.

"He got in a tussle at school." Merle lied through his teeth. He was good at that. Daryl silently nodded to confirm to the skeptical nurse that, that had been what happened.

Two hours later and they were walking out of there. Well, Merle was walking, and Daryl was limping behind with a bulky cast on his right arm. Merle led and instead of turning left towards home, he turned right. Daryl looked puzzled so Merle patted his backpack, dragging his brother along.

Inside that backpack was a switchblade, two extra shirts, twenty dollars he lifted from a teacher's wallet, their daddy's handgun, and half a bag of gummy worms.

Well there you go, I know it was short, sorry about that. Do y'all think I should keep going or leave it like this? Thanks for reading!