Daryl hated when Glenn insisted on going on runs.
Daryl wasn't the overprotective type, he liked to say. He gave Glenn plenty of freedom without being too overbearing, but that was before the dead started walking around and eating anything that moved for the Hell of it. That also was before the man was carrying his child. Daryl despised watching Glenn haul his ass all the way to Atlanta for pointless gadgets and a few bottles of water nearly daily, and no matter how much he wanted to stop him from doing so, he reluctantly never said a word on the subject. Merle had been quite clear his "lady" needed to do something productive within the group, and sitting around watching everyone else work wouldn't suffice.
The older man typically spent the hours Glenn was on a run hunting. Much like Glenn, Daryl needed a way to pull his own weight in the group as well, and hunting was something both he and Merle excelled at. While is was awkward, and typically annoying to hunt with Merle again, it did give him a taste of his childhood he only slightly missed. If he had thought hard enough, he could almost believe that the world was all as it should be, and Merle was simply his older brother spending an afternoon with him. Willingly, even. Unfortunately, that illusion is always shattered far too soon by a well placed, "Come on, Darleena. Get yur head outta yur ass!" Or a swift slap to the back of his head.
"Daryl?" Daryl's head shot up, eyes locking with the chocolate brown of his husband's. Glenn smiled at him, taking a seat next to the hunter. Daryl had sat outside the three Dixon's shared tent as he sharpened his knife, thoughts trailing off in the exact way he knew they shouldn't. Not anymore. "I'm going to go on a run today, just wanted to know if you needed anything." Glenn asked. Daryl sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband, eyes scanning the area to make sure Merle wasn't in the general vicinity.
"I need ya t'stay." Daryl whispered. Glenn wrapped his arms tightly around Daryl's shoulders, a soft sigh escaping his lips in response.
"You know there's no one else who knows the city like me." Glenn responded, and it wasn't as if Daryl could argue the point. Glenn was the only one quick and efficient enough to get through the city unscathed and with the proper supplies. The one time they'd sent Andrea she'd come back with nothing to show for it but a can of chicken noodle soup and a dented can of coke.
"I can't stand the thought of ya gettin' hurt." Daryl said, his hand trailing down until it rested against Glenn's still flat abdomen. It wasn't long before the Korean man's hand found its way on top of Daryl's own.
"I swear, I'll be careful." Glenn pulled his head away enough that he could look into Daryl's eyes.
"Like Hell you will." The two shot away from each other as if they had been burned, eyes widening at the sight of Merle standing above them. Daryl would never know how he didn't hear his brother coming, his ears having been trained practically from birth to pick up on even the smallest sounds. "When were you gonna tell Uncle Merle that he was gon' be an Uncle, huh?" Daryl shushed his brother, the last thing he wanted was for the entire camp to know that Glenn was pregnant. He didn't fully trust these people, and Daryl was well aware of Merle's plan to ditch the poor suckers anyway, so he felt no need to divulge such sensitive information to them.
"Woulda told ya sooner, if ya stayed sober long enough." Daryl bit, pulling Genn back toward him again. Merle scoffed and wiped his hand across his mouth, shaking his head in response.
"I think imma tag along with ya today, lil lady." Merle said, Glenn's eyes falling shut at the name Merle had taken to giving him. He never understood Merle's infatuation with calling him a woman. "Gotta protect my kin." With a snarling smile, Merle found his way back into the tent, rustling coming from within as he gathered up supplies. Glenn groaned loudly, head falling atop Daryl's shoulder in exasperation. Daryl wrapped one arm around his husband, placing a soft kiss against his temple.
"Ya know I'd go if I didn't have ta hunt." Daryl said, and Glenn nodded.
"All he's going to do is slow me down. This is just fantastic." Glenn lifted himself up slowly, hand rubbing against his now slightly aching belly. Daryl took swift notice of the action, grasping Glenn's hand in his own.
"Ya alright?" Daryl asked, and Glenn took a deep breath in before nodding. He had been battling morning sickness for close to three weeks now, and he hoped that said problem would go away soon enough. "I'll go get ya somethin' for that, okay? Think the old man had somethin' for nausea." Glenn nodded in thanks, feet taking him slowly toward the barely burning fire in the center of the camp. It was blistering hot outside, but there was something about the flames that soothed Glenn immensely. It wasn't long after that Daryl rejoined him, handing Glenn one small pill and a half full bottle of water. Glenn smiled gratefully at his husband, taking the pill and sipping at the water.
"You took your vitamins, yeah?" Daryl asked, and Glenn nodded his head in response. The Korean did need to pick up more prenatal vitamins, and maybe a few things for the baby before things got any worse in Atlanta and he isn't able to return anymore. He'd looked through countless stores, but it seemed as if all the baby items had been completely looted already. He'd have to check out a few daycares, maybe a school if he got the chance. Even though he was barely three months along, Glenn didn't know how bad things were going to get, and it made him feel better to be prepared for the worst.
"Come on then, lil lady. Let's get this show on the road." Merle announced as he made his way out of the tent, walking down toward where all of their vehicles sat. Glenn gave out one more annoyed groan, Daryl sighing and kissing his temple again.
"Just gotta ask everyone what they want." Glenn responded quickly, lifting himself up out of his seat. Daryl followed after him, placing a soft kiss on his lips.
"Gonna go an' hunt. You be careful okay?" Glenn nodded and kissed Daryl again before going to ask what the remainder of the group needed on their run.
Whatever Glenn did to deserve this, he would never know. Maybe he didn't go to church enough as a child. Or, ever really. Regardless, he never thought he'd be walking through Atlanta flanked by five other people. All he'd asked was what people wanted, and all the sudden since Merle decided to tag along, everyone else decided they wanted to gather their own supplies too. It wasn't even as if Glenn wasn't capable of doing it himself, he'd never not gathered everything they'd asked, so he had no idea what the use was of them all coming along.
"Hey, lil lady, you picked up anythin' for the squirt then?" Merle asked, slapping Glenn on the back. Glenn rolled his eyes, counting to ten in his mind and hoping he didn't kill his brother in law before the day was done.
"Not yet. I've looked around, but most of the department stores are flooded with walkers, and all the small baby shops are completely emptied." Glenn said as the two of them made their way into a decent sized shop along the main road of the city. The others had decided to disperse, eyes catching different stores filled with different items they thought they needed. Glenn hadn't minded, it gave him some time to breathe and left no chance for Merle to piss anyone else off.
"Shame. Our old man used ta tell us not to expect nothin' when he would go out." Glenn looked up at his brother in law confused. Had the burly, racist redneck just opened up to him? Of course, when Daryl and Glenn had found out Glenn was pregnant, Daryl had told him a fair share about his own father and his desires to never even compare to him, but it was different coming from Merle.
"S'gon be a boy." Merle said suddenly, walking around the small clothes store looking for different clothes for who he can only assume were for the ladies of the camp. They had expressed their desire for new outfits, but again, Glenn found himself shocked that it was Merle looking for them.
"Oh yeah? Why do you say that?" Glenn asked curious.
"He's a Dixon, Dixons are always men." Glenn smirked in response, shaking his head lightly.
"I'm gonna go upstairs and survey the alleys and streets around us. There's a daycare I wanted to check out, wanna see if we can even make it there." Glenn said as he opened up the lone employee exit that lead to the roof of the building, Merle calling back for him to be careful. Glenn ran up the stairs, gun loaded and ready in case anything decided to make a quick appearance in the hallway. It seems as if the place had been deserted when it all started, not a trace of people left in the entire building. Once he made it outside, Glenn was startled to hear the distinct sound of a gunshot, a muffled one, but a gunshot nonetheless.
The Korean ran over to the left side of the roof, eyes catching a horde of walkers all surrounding the lone tank that had been there since Glenn had first started making runs into the city. To the right of the tank was a small piece of the horde, bent over devouring something Glenn couldn't fully make out. He only hoped it wasn't one of his group.
"Well what do ya know." Glenn whispered as a man poked his head out of the tank, a man he had never seen before, lucky for him. Glenn chuckled lightly as he pulled the walkie talkie he carried out from where it was hooked to his back pocket, waiting for the man to fall back into the tank yet again. Sure enough, he did, closing the hatch as walkers began to overtake the tank. Glenn's heart was stuck in his throat as he realized just how much jeopardy the poor man's life was in, and with a sigh, he began changing the channels on his radio until he reached the right one.
"Hey you." Glenn began, waiting only a second before starting to speak again. "Dumbass." Still no response. Alright, try again.
"Hey you in the tank."
"Cosy in there?"
