Author: Nebula-Princess

Original Imagine: ¤

Link to Story: ¤

Word Count: 1,925

Fic:

A light cough came rattling out of you as you sat on your bed. Soon, you heard the sounds of other coughs and the sound of vomiting. You shivered, trying to keep your mind clear from the fogginess that had been creeping in. You wanted to get better…more than anything. Being in the separate part of the prison was beginning to wear you out.

All night you heard the coughing, the vomiting, and even crying. But the worst of it was when you heard the groans…Everyone was told to shut their cell doors at night…just in case…It was a good precaution, seeing that almost every night, someone else became a biter. The groaning of the dead made your skin crawl. How were you supposed to sleep with the thought that you might not wake up in the morning? How could you sleep knowing that you would die and become one of them?

You felt another cough coming on as you heard the quiet, uneven steps approaching your cell door. You looked up and saw Hershel. You waved at him, trying not to cough. He gave you a small half smile before he opened your door.

"How are ya, y/n?" He questioned. You shrugged silently. "That good then, huh." Hershel smiled at you sympathetically. You had never liked to talk much before the apocalypse. You were always socially awkward and shy. But now with the dead walking the earth, you decided to try and talk as little as possible. It made you self-conscious at times, but no one said anything about it. You needed all of the help you could get when it came to killing and even scavenging…So now you were almost like a mute. You liked this group of people.

Ever since they saved you from Woodbury and that crazy 'Governor', you had grown attached to the small group. No one was like the other. The only thing they had in common was that they were all stubborn. It made sense. If they hadn't been stubborn, you doubted that anyone of them would have lived this long.

Hershel was like a dad to everyone, it seemed, and the same went for you. He cared about you like you weren't one of the hundreds of new people from Woodbury. It made you appreciate him the more you thought about it. He cared about other people, his daughters the most, but it felt like you had your own relationship with the old man. And now that this new sickness was spreading through the prison, he stood out. He didn't have to help anyone. He was putting his life in danger by just checking up on everyone as it was…
Rick was the leader of everyone. Or so I'm told. He just seems like a guy who took charge because his life had gone to shit. And Carl, you could see, was going through puberty. He rebelled against a lot of things that Rick said. It was almost disrespectful, but in a way, the most normal thing that could happen. It was nice seeing that even in the world that had gone to shit, Carl was still growing up. It may not have been perfect, but he was still going through the motions, only with a little more killing and less girl problems.

Maggie and Glenn were disgustingly cute. It's a strange thought that if this apocalypse had never happened, they would never have found each other. They seem perfect together, you decided. So you let them be cute and have sex up in the guard's tower when they thought no one knew. Everyone knew and it was both hilarious and weird at the same time.

Beth and Carol are nice as well. Even though Beth is over her rebellious phase, she and Carl are close. She babies him sometimes, calling him out when he crosses a line. Plus, they give each other looks when the other isn't looking. It's cute. That's the only girl problem Carl will have to deal with. And Carol is so nice. You heard about her husband and her daughter. You could see why she was so hardened on the outside. But inside, she was still vulnerable and sweet.

Michonne was intimidating at first, you thought, until you saw her give comic books to Carl and smile at his reaction. She was tough on the outside, but you knew she was softer than she let on. She was quiet, so you and she only gave each other small nods once in a while.

Now to Daryl…Daryl Dixon…once you had come to the prison, you had noticed him. It was almost like a magnet. It was gross. But it only got worse when he began to tease you about how you never talked. Once, before you had ever spoken to him, he said that you probably sounded manly and that's why you never spoke. You punched him in the arm and called him a dick, to prove that you in fact, did not have a manly voice. He let out a snort that made you almost melt. It was gross and made your stomach dance with butterflies. After that, he just kept teasing you about anything and everything. He was the only person you couldn't actually fully speak to, which he teased you about in the end for being too shy anyway.

"I'll be better when I'm out of here." You squeaked out. He nodded before he handed you a small pill. You threw it in your mouth and swallowed before making a face. Hershel laughed before nodding for you to follow.

"Ya know, Daryl's been asking about ya." He said as your looped your arm with his. Your cheeks flushed red at his statement. Why would Daryl be asking about you? "Wants to know how you're doin'." He stated, letting a small smile hide underneath his white beard. You rolled your eyes at him.

"And what do you tell him?" You asked, trying to hide the small bit of anxiety rising through your thoughts. Hershel was an ornery man when it came to the subject of Daryl. He would always poke fun at you for having this small crush on the burly man. You wouldn't admit to Hershel though, but you guess it must have been obvious…

"Oh, nothin' much. Just told 'im ya miss 'im." Your eyes widened as your head snapped over to him. He let out a light chuckle as your face lit up again before you nudged him. "I'm kiddin', don't get all huffy." He rolled his eyes with another small chuckle. "I told 'im that he needs to come see you for 'imself." You looked over at him again as your eyes widened.

"What?!" You questioned quickly. "Wh-why would you do that?" You inhaled sharply making the cough you had been holding in let loose. Only, you had expected it to be rough against your through, but all that came out was a lighter cough.

"Because ya sound like you're getting' better, and I bet he'd like to tease ya about it." He smiled again. You let out a quiet huff as you found yourself standing in front of the glass that let you see the 'non-sick' people. "Now, ya stay there." He said, unhooking his arm from yours. You let out another sigh as he walked over to the door and left.

You played with your y/h/c hair lightly, feeling butterflies storm into your stomach realizing why Hershel had left you at the window. He was going to make Daryl stop whatever it is that he was doing to come see you.

"Why did he have to be such a butt?" You huffed to yourself as you soon saw the sleeveless man walk up to the glass without Hershel. Your heart began to pound in your chest.

"Hey sicky, how ya doin'?" His deep voice muffled against the glass. You shifted your hand back and forth. "Hershel says yer doin' better." He stated. You only shrugged as Hershel walked through the door. You looked over at him, happy for the distraction.

"She is; she's just bein' a butt about it." Hershel said. You tried to keep in the laugh that soon came barreling out of your mouth without warning. You covered your mouth with your hand quickly. "Oh, I forgot, ya don't like to laugh in front of no one." He taunted you, making your cheeks begin to brighten.

"Shut up, Hershel." You muttered and stuck your tongue out at him. He chuckled before your attention was drawn towards the lighter chuckling that was coming from across the glass. You looked over at Daryl as he raised an eyebrow at you with a small smile across his lips. Your breath caught as his smile and blue eyes seemed to consume you.

"Even when yer sick, ya gotta have the last word." Daryl muttered. You rolled your eyes at him as you could feel the warmth burning across your cheeks again.

"You too, Dixon." You tried to hiss out playfully, but all it sounded like was a squeak. His low laugh filled your ears again, making your heart race unevenly.

"Good try y/n." His gruff voice made you want to sink away. No one should have this much power over you, damn it. All he did was say your name. "Say it louder so I don't have to strain my ears to hear ya." He sassed. I mocked him quietly to myself. "Watch it, lil' mouse; I might have ta come in there." He growled playfully, making your stomach twist again.

"And do what?" You sassed him back as best you could. He smiled lightly at your attempt before he shrugged.

"That would require him to be a man." Hershel muttered to you. You let out another laugh. Daryl didn't say anything to Hershel. He just looked at you and gave a small smile. Hershel shook his head and looked over at Daryl giving him a look that confused you. Daryl only looked down slightly, like a dog that was retreating with its tail in-between its legs. Hershel let out a loud sigh. "God, it's like the blind leadin' the blind here." Hershel muttered. You looked over at him giving him a confused look. He rolled his eyes before looking back at Daryl with another look. You looked back at Daryl, but he didn't say anything. Hershel huffed out a sigh before walking back to the coughing cells.

"What was that about?" You questioned Daryl. He looked down at his feet, biting his lip. He took in a deep breath.

"He wants me ta say somethin' ta ya." He admitted cautiously. You looked at him curiously.

"What?" You questioned feeling a prick of fear rise through your thoughts. Maybe something had happened…On a run someone had gotten hurt. Someone was dying.

"I-" His voice caught suddenly as you looked back up at him. You saw him mutter something to himself. "I care about cha, alright?" He mumbled. You looked at him, confused. He looked up at you and huffed to himself. "I care about cha a lot. More than anyone else. More than jus' carin'." He stated, looking at his feet. Your heart was beating a million miles a second.

"I-I-I care a-about you t-too, Daryl." You felt your cheeks begin to warm as you stuttered out your response. He looked up at you though his eyelashes with a small smile lighting up his face.

"Yeah. It weren't subtle." He stated with a chuckle. "It was obvious."