"Wounded Animal" - ficlet

[Garnet]

This isn't quite a fic, and isn't quite a drabble, but I'm posting it in its own topic anyway. Mostly because HEY WOW it's not Avengers fic!

So I like The Walking Dead, and I love Norman Reedus. Daryl is basically my favorite thing (at least until Michonne comes along), and I've been meaning to write him for a while. Figured I'd get some stuff down before the new season steamrolls through and incapacitates me with feels all over again.

I like Carol, too, not sure if I like them together in a romantic sense but I'm fond of how they take care of each other in their own ways. So, onward! Minor spoilers for the Sophia arc in Season 2, set sometime after he gets messed up but before everything goes completely to hell.

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Even with the flaps propped open and sitting in the shade of a huge tree, the tent was hot and stank of blood and the surgical smell of wound dressings. Carol had a strong constitution, though, so she bent to one knee and ducked inside anyway.

"Hey," she offered, when Daryl glared at her uncertainly. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I got shot," he deadpanned.

What could she say to that? Of course he'd been shot, and worse. While looking for her daughter. The guilt was like a hard rock in her gut, but she swallowed it down and held up the plate in her hands.

"Brought you some dinner."

Daryl glanced at the tinfoiled plate, then rolled over as much as he could to face the wall of the tent. "I ain't hungry."

"You have to eat."

"I don't have to do shit."

Carol silenced her sigh. Daryl behaved like a wounded, half-crazed animal even when he was sober and hale. Actually wounded, doped up on Percocet and laying restless in a hot tent all day, she hadn't expected easy cooperation. This was more like poking a rabid wolverine with her bare hands.

She was contemplating another tactic when all at once, his whole body tensed and he brought a tight fist to his face. Daryl inhaled sharply through his teeth, then seized in place with a harshly-controlled sneeze. "Eh-SHH!"

Carol blinked, half in surprise and half anticipating more, but Daryl only squirmed his nose, sniffed, and went silent.

"Bless you."

He ignored her. She wasn't surprised at that part.

"Eat a little, please? I'd feel better if you had some food in you."

She expected another rebuke, but he sat up to look the food over again. Paused. Turned into a fist with that same quivery expression. "Eh-SHH! -- eh'SSHH!" Short and hard, clenching. The sound of his sneeze suited him. Before Carol could comment, he nodded towards the plate with his chin.

"That corn?"

She nodded as she peeled back the tinfoil, showing the savory bounty within. "And potatoes."

"Shit," he muttered, throat rippling with a hungry swallow. "Alright, give it here."

Carol watched in satisfaction as he dug in with ravenous abandon. He glanced at her between bites, but didn't slow his intake except to ask, "You gonna sit there and watch me?"

She shrugged. "If that's alright."

He sniffed, muttered a 'whatever', and went back to devouring the treat of a home-cooked meal. Not hungry her ass. Daryl got through most of the plate before having to stop again, once more to sneeze. She heard the catch of his inhale as he crushed the knuckles of one hand cruelly to his nose, shuddering.

"Eh-SHH! -- Eht-SSHHIH!"

"God bless you. Are you getting sick?"

"No." He went back to eating.

Carol frowned. "You're sneezing an awful lot.

"So?"

"So..." She floundered, and shrugged. "So I worry."

"Well, don't," Daryl muttered. "You got enough to worry about."

"Then tell me what's wrong, so I don't have to."

Daryl set his jaw, looking both annoyed and a little impressed at the logic trap she'd set for him. "Allergies," he said at last, head ducking with a thin, whistling sniff that seemed frustratingly unproductive.

It was the absolute worst thing to do, but Carol couldn't stop herself; she laughed. Daryl looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

"What the hell's so funny about that?"

Clasping a hand quickly over her mouth, Carol shook her head and composed herself, fighting a lingering smile. "No, nothing. I just... mister super-tracker outdoorsman, with allergies. It's just... ironic. Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."

Daryl eyed her restlessly for a minute, then looked back down at the plate to chase up a last few forkfuls. "... I guess it's a little funny," he admitted, with another sniff. "Not a big deal, s'just when the ragweed's bad. Few weeks out of the year."

Carol nodded in silent sympathy. "Do you have anything you can take for it? Hershel might have some antihistamines."

Daryl shook his head and wrinkled his nose. Now that he'd confessed, she could clearly see that the expression was the picture of allergic misery. His eyes and nostrils were definitely flushed an irritated pink, beneath the bronzing of the sun and usual smears of dirt. "Nah, Merle's got some stuff that'll... do the trick," he admitted, glancing to a bag nearby, beside his crossbow. "I ain't taken 'em yet, they knock me on my ass." As if by the power of suggestion alone, he yawned against the back of one hand.

"Some sleep would do you good," Carol said as she took the plate back from him, polished clean.

"Can't. If..." He trailed off, uncertain of his own logic, suddenly. Carol finished it for him.

"If we get mobbed by walkers, you're not much use anyway. I mean that in the best way. Rest up, so you can get back on your feet."

"Yeah," Daryl muttered reluctantly, brushing a palm in irritation against his nose. For a splitsecond, he looked much younger, boyish, borderline vulnerable as he sniffled.

"Okay if I kiss you again?"

The question seemed to throw him. "Uh..." He narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "...where?"

Carol thought about that for a second. "... cheek?"

Daryl lowered his eyes and nodded once, curt. "Yeah, okay." He blinked a couple of times, expression starting to weaken. "Just l-lemme... heh...!"

Carol sat patiently as he crushed his nose in one hand, breath twitching, and then shuddered with a brief, spastic fit.

"Heh-SHHH! ... eh-SHH!" He picked his head up for a second, eyes squinted and nostrils miserably flared. "Eh---SHHHT! Heht--SHHIH!! Christ."

She averted her eyes as he recomposed himself with sniffles and nosewipes, and made a mental note to look for something resembling tissues or a handkerchief when she went back to the house. "God bless you."

"Thanks," he grumbled, jaw tilted down. Before he could reconsider her request, Carol ducked in and touched her lips to his cheek, gently. He didn't flinch away this time, just watched from the corner of her eyes as she sat back.

"Thank you," she corrected. "Again. For... trying."

Daryl rubbed a wrist under his nose. "Stop thankin' me, I ain't done anything. I didn't find her yet."

"No, but you will. And... look, I don't care if you're doing it for me, or for her, or even for yourself," Carol said with a shake of her head. "But you're trying, and that's... it's something, to me. Gives me hope."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't, instead turning slightly to rustle through Merle's saddlebag full of meds, both legal and otherwise. Carol turned to go, halting in surprise when he suddenly blocked her egress with his good leg.

"Hey..."

She looked back to find him considering her solemnly.

"I ain't... doing it for me," Daryl clarified, quietly. She smiled and patted his leg, then maneuvered around it and stepped out of the tent.

"I didn't think you were," she agreed. "I'll come back with some new dressings later. Get some sleep."

He nodded once, sullen and thoughtful, and she turned to head back towards the house.

[Spoo]

aaaaaahhhh;lasdjkf;lsdklfDSFaksdlf

Yes. YES. Good, Garnet. Good. I am pleased to have read this, not only because it comes from your talented mind, but also because it involves someone I love from TWD. Darrrryyyyllll. Superb interaction here. Like, SPOT-ON! It's so awesome how your writing adapts per fandom. You're like a writing chameleon. Hehe.

[VoOs]

You have no idea how happy you just made me. Hnngghh, I love Daryl so, so much, and this... as always you got the characters down perfectly, and... I'm just going to sit here and grin stupidly for a while, 'kay?

[SterlingSilver]

*rolling around* SO MUCH FANTASTIC GARNET-NESS LATELY~!

This was just the right amount of adorable~

I LOVE his sneeze spellings, and his little fit at the end up was ADORABLE x'D

[Anonymouse]

DARYL YES. I'm so glad other people think he's hot as frick.

The sound of his sneeze suited him.

I was just thinking that. You have a knack for coming up with sneeze sounds/spellings that fit the characters you write about perfectly. You also got his aloof, guarded nature down so well.

AWW ALLERGIES I was thinking this was a sickfic but the irony of him being an outdoorsy redneck with allergies just makes me so happy.

[VividBubbles!]

DARYLWITHALLERGIESISCOMPLETEADORABLENESS!

Your fic has redused me to a pile of blathering goo.

I loved this lots!

BYE!

[BelieveInRollins]

Oh my god this was so perfect! I fricken love Darryl! I can't wait for the walking dead to come back today!

[InsertNameHere]

Ermergerd.

This fic's awesome Thanks so much for sharing.

Daryl is deffo my favourite, and it's great to read such a well written fic about him and Carol.

*melts*

[Shiro]

this had been great.