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Daryl Dixon is straight, right?! He knows he likes girls he always did like girls, so why are you making him feel like his heart is getting squished around? He's been avoiding going on runs with you since he feels awkward, like he might say something stupid and then you'd hate him or think he's weak. He gets butterflies just hearing your voice, and what's he supposed to do with these feelings? And damn it, why are you always just so sweet to him? He has all these questions rushing through his mind but is too scared to ask for an answer.
It was the middle of the day, rays of sunshine flooding through the windows of the kitchen of your home in Alexandria. Daryl was kind enough to bring you bananas and you thought you might put some use to the chocolate chips in the pantry. You spent your afternoon making Daryl banana bread as a thank you. You pull the loaf out of the oven and place it on your counter, as you wait for it to cool you draw some hearts and what's supposed to be him on a pink cardboard box. You do a double take at the doodles and decide it's good enough to throw banana bread in. You grab the baked goods and head out the door.
Daryl was on his porch smoking a cigarette when he saw you and that you brought him another present, he mentally prepared for what he might say to you. You walk up to his porch, holding out the box.
"It's uh- a thank you gift."
"s' it got naners in it?" He mumbled.
You snort at his phrasing and smile up at him.
"Yeah"
"When d'you got time fer stuff like this anyway?"
"Since we got here I just finally felt normal for the first time in a long, long time ...so I'm just soaking it in."
He did something faint of a smile, heart pounding.
You sit next to him on the swing bench, and in a hearts notice brush your knee against his. Daryl looks away and down at the loaf of bread in his lap, he opens the box, smiling at the drawings. He started shoving chunks of bread into his mouth with his fingers. Licking the crumbs off as he ate.
"You're nasty." You teased, with a frown on your face.
"It's tasty."
"You seem like you're enjoying..."
He smirked, looking at you from the corner of his eye. You seem happy, comfortable, a little more comfortable with him than usual.
"You uh wanna come in for drinks?" He tries to stay nonchalant as he asks.
"Sure, yeah."
You both head inside as he insists you sit down, pouring you both drinks.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Shit, he didn't think this far ahead.
"Uh well...you've been baking?"
"Yeah, I try to make stuff with what we have. I wasn't a very good cook before this all started, I'm still not. But I can make some mean cookies."
"What have you been getting up to?" You ask.
He looks around, nothing. He still won't let his guard down, still no real hobbies outside of surviving.
"I shot a deer yesterday... It was pretty tasty."
You smile at him, taking a sip you notice he's been taking straight swigs. Is he nervous?
"Are you all good Daryl?"
"Yeah." He averts his gaze from you.
"Did I do something?"
"No, no it's not that... I just-"
"What?"
"You make me confused." He confesses
"You're so sweet to me...and I feel the way I would toward a girl but you're not a girl and all I think about is you and your stupid face. Why am I like this? Why can't I be normal?"
Your eyes widen with the sudden information put on you.
He seems ashamed that he opened up, and especially that much.
"I get it if you think I'm weak now."
"Daryl feeling aren't gonna make you weak."
He looks at you as you stare into his eyes expecting what he always gets, pity or disgust. But all he sees is a man who cares about him.
You cup his face and immediately get your and pulled off. He looks at you a little scared but reaches over and touches your shoulder, saying nothing but his eyes darting between your eyes, your lips, your eyes, and your lips again. He leans in and just breathes. Seconds and seconds go by before you close the gap between each other. He rests his hands on your neck and shoulder, awkwardly pulling you into the kiss. He puts his hand on your lower back and just breaths you in and something finally feels right. That Daryl Dixon loves you, and he knows it.