Warnings: Soft!Daryl. Send Help. "Mmm? What's That Look?" You Asked Softly, Stroking Your Fingers Through

Warnings: Soft!Daryl. Send help. "Mmm? What's that look?" you asked softly, stroking your fingers through Daryl's wavy hair. He looked so relaxed, reclined into the pillows with you tucked up against him, basking in the afterglow of a blissful evening alone together.

He shrugged, his fingers drawing idle circles on your bare shoulder. "Nothin'. Was just thinkin', ya know? I was lost before ya," he drawled, ducking his eyes for a moment. "And ya came walkin' in and... s'like ya just dropped love into my heart and that's all I need. Yer all I need."

You were overcome with emotion for a second watching this strong man, this badass warrior, this man who had been owed softness his entire life be so soft for you. Those words were the sweetest you'd ever heard. You pressed your palm flat to the center of his chest so you could feel his heartbeat beneath it. "Babe," you finally managed. "You're all I need too." He kissed you then, clasping your face delicately and trying to put every ounce of the feelings he had for you into it. In another moment, the two of you were completely lost in each other again. Prompt: "You came walking in and dropped love into my hear and that's all I need."

A/N: HELP this is so fucking wkerh;KHQS*T^PQ(@IRGKJBDA;EUIFH;bskjfgwe&@#T ugggggghhhh you know what I mean? lol

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this is so rafe sitting outside on the patio after a long day. you come out from the kitchen’s sliding glass door with another shallow glass of liquor for him, swaying your frilly-skirt clad hips to draw his attention. you don’t really have to try though, he draws you in with a gentle hand on your waist when you come to him, guiding you to sit on his lap as he takes the drink from your hand.

“thanks, baby.” he rumbles in a groggy voice, sliding his warm palm over your exposed thigh as you sit down. the air is chilly against your skin, the summer having been swept from under you. you get goosebumps — from the air or his touch, you’re not sure — he rubs your leg gently. “you cold?”

“i’m okay.” you answer in a hushed voice, leaning against his warm sweater in hopes he’ll let you stay there forever.

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soft steve who's pinning for his girl, who doesn't mind the waiting but also admits that it is simultaneously killing him, who looks at his girl (who's not his girl yet) like she controls the sun and the stars because to him everything just works and moves because of her, who drops everything to help her out, who always offers to drive her home, who's the only one who never talks over her, who asks how her day went and gets all excited when she asks about his, who loves her very quietly, with all he's got but it's just quieter, he doesn't need to be loud about it, not until he knows for sure she likes him back, he can't lose her friendship if she doesn't feel that same way, he can't lose any part of her she's willing to give him <3

first choice

masterlist ko-fi ao3

requests are open

summary: being an incredibly reserved person, it took Rafe a long time to finally feel comfortable enough to let you see him break down

words count: 2.5k

warnings: hurt/comfort, crying, talk about feelings, Ward being a shitty father as always, insecurities

a/n: couldn't help myself but mention Wheezie as well because she deserves so much better💔

The first time you saw Rafe crying was not so long after you started dating. You went to Tanneyhill that day and were nearly knocked off your feet when Ward Cameron stormed out the front door. He was seething with anger and it seemed like he didn’t even register you standing there with wide eyes and a lost face expression. 

You slowly walked into the house, hearing the sound of Ward’s truck driving away, and slowly patted into the light and big kitchen. Your eyes instantly caught sight of your boyfriend, standing with his back facing you and his body hovering over the counter. His hands were firmly gripping onto the edge of the marble, and his head was lowered so you couldn’t take a look at his face behind his hair. When you heard muffled sniffs, your eyebrows knitted in confusion. 

“Rafe?” You almost whispered, talking one step closer to him. Rafe’s body instantly tensed, but he didn’t turn around. His shoulders and back seemed harder than rocks, and you swore his body was shaking from tension. 

You debated for a few seconds, considering what was best to do. Something obviously had happened between Rafe and Ward, and even though they always fought, you never saw Rafe crying. You quickly figured out that he didn’t like to be seen as "weak,” so he rarely showed any emotions, even to you, no matter how hard you tried to create a comfortable environment for him. That’s why you knew that there was no point in trying to make him talk.

When he sniffed again, not moving for an inch or acknowledging your presence, your heart clenched and not waiting anymore, you slowly went closer to him. 

When he felt your arms wrapping around his middle part with your chest firmly pressed against his back, his whole body stiffened at the unusual touch. Rafe had never had someone comforting him, and the whole thing with you constantly trying to go past his walls slightly terrified him. He desperately wanted to just give in, because Rafe knew that you would never hurt him, but something inside his head was still fighting against it.

You held him as close to you as possible, hoping to give him some sense of security. When Rafe’s body finally eased up a little, you turned your head to place kisses on his back while your hands moved up and down his stomach. 

You didn’t know how long you two were standing like this—close to each other and in complete silence. Rafe clearly didn’t want to talk about it and you knew better than to push him. It was a small step for both of you, but you knew that you would do anything to make him feel safe.

The second time it happened, you were in Rafe’s bed, too invested in your book, when he entered the room. Your gaze shifted to him and you instantly noticed that slightly distant look in his blue eyes, as well as his clenched jaw and rapid breathing. 

You were trying not to be very obvious by the way your instant reaction was to jump out of bed and ask what happened. Rafe was not this type of person and he needed gentle handling. So you went back to your book, only lifting your eyes every few seconds while he silently changed his clothes to something comfortable. 

“I want to cuddle.” You suddenly said, placing a bookmark in between the pages and putting your book on the bedside table. Rafe just looked at you and it felt like your eyes were having their own conversation. He knew that you knew that something had happened and were now just trying to make it seem like you were the one who needed affection, and he was thankful for you not trying to get the information out of him.

He nodded, and the next thing you knew, he was on top of you, arms wrapped around your body, face in the crook of your neck. Your fingers started to brush through his hair and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

The room was silent, except for your quiet breathing; that’s why your ears easily caught a soft sniff. Rafe moved his head back and forth, trying to be closer even if it was impossible, and it made you feel something wet touching your skin. You didn't say a word because you knew that it was not the right time yet. Instead, you left one hand in his hair to massage the scalp and moved another one to Rafe’s back, rubbing it up and down. You let your lips brush against his temple and he tightened his hold on your waist in return.

You didn't know what had happened and you hoped that he would tell you when he felt like it, so for now, you were just giving him the safe space that he desperately needed. It clearly worked, because as Rafe’s body became limp on top of yours and his breathing started to slow down, you guessed that he had fallen asleep. 

The next morning, you were standing in the kitchen and making breakfast when you felt two hands sneaking around your waist and turning you around. Before you could say anything, Rafe gave you a breath-taking kiss, which you knew was his way of saying "thank you."

At one of Friday’s evenings, you and Rafe’s family and a few closest friends were having a dinner in the restaurant to celebrate Ward’s important deal at work being finally successfully signed. You honestly didn’t listen to the conversation that everyone was having, looking down at your almost full plate, until Ward and Sarah started a little argument about him doing something that she didn’t like. 

“It also turns out that the most important thing for me is you, Sarah. That’s why I did it.” Your heart skipped a beat when your ears caught the end of the conversation, with your whole body freezing in your chair. He said it so easily, not even hesitating or considering the feelings of his other kids, who sat at that exact table. 

Rafe sat near you and your eyes instantly drifted to him, only t just a blank expression on his face. He looked at his father, then at Sarah, then back at Ward. The disappointment and hurt were written all over his features. It was so obvious for you, probably because you spent so much time trying to figure out him and his emotions, yet his father didn’t care. 

Nobody did, honestly, as everyone at the table just brushed that comment off and continued talking. Only Wheezie looked equally sad, with a frown and with her hands crossed over her chest. 

Rafe’s eyes drifted to his full plate as he became completely distant from the conversation, not even paying attention to your worried gaze. He just felt numb. 

It's not like he didn't know that Sarah was everyone’s priority; he just didn't need to hear another reminder of that. 

He hated the feeling of not being good enough. He tried to impress his father countless times, being loyal and jumping at every opportunity to do the dirty work, just to hear any kind of praise or approval. Yet Sarah has always been the best girl, the best daughter, and the best child. 

A quiet groan escaped his lips in desperation, as he felt that similar tightness in his chest and throat. 

It just fucking hurt. 

Your worried eyes didn’t leave him even for a second, and when you noticed in which state he was in, you moved closer so only he could hear what you were saying. 

“Do you want to leave, Ray?” He just nodded, taking your hand in his and making some lame excuse about needing to leave. 

Sitting in his truck a few minutes later, Rafe didn’t even look at you, staring at something through the window. You saw the way he was occasionally clenching his jaw and blinking rapidly—signs that he was trying not to break down in front of you. 

You bit your lip, thinking to yourself, before finally deciding that you couldn’t just look at your boyfriend being hurt. So, tossing your purse aside, you got up from your seat, moving quickly to straddle Rafe’s lap. He looked at you in shock, but still placed his hands on your waist, rubbing the soft fabric. 

“Hey, look at me. You don’t have to keep it to yourself. Your feelings are normal, baby.” You tried to reassure him, holding his face firmly in your hands. 

He furrowed. “It’s just— It’s just that—“ Rafe paused, looking down and trying to control his breathing. You didn’t know whether it was anger or sadness, but as his chest started rising faster, in the darkness of the car, you saw a tear rolling down his cheek. 

Then another, and another, and another. 

Rafe tried to physically distance himself from you, pulling your hands away from his face and throwing his head back with a frustrated groan as the palms of his hands pressed into his eyes. 

“That’s fucking’ pathetic.” He hissed.

“No, it’s not. Stop trying to hide from me and just talk. You know I’m the last person to ever judge you.” You soothed him by softly caressing the skin of his neck with your thumbs, and then took a hold of his face to make him look at you. “Talk to me. It’s just us and no one else.” 

Rafe’s blue eyes seemed even brighter with tears gleaming in them, even though it was dark outside and the only light that you had was a lamppost near the restaurant. He gave you a long look, probably fighting his own barriers inside of his head because of how hard it was for him to open up. You waited patiently, not looking away or rushing him and it must’ve worked.

“The shit that he says and does… It hurts me. No matter how much I try, how much effort I put into everything, or how often I do what he needs and wants, it’s never enough. I’m never fucking good enough for anyone or anything.” You took Rafe’s hand in yours, interlacing your fingers. He instantly focused on it, mindlessly playing with your ring and rubbing your skin. “And I don’t hate Sarah—fuck, I really don’t, ‘cause it’s not her damn fault, y’know? But it makes me so fucking mad and-and I just don’t know what to do or what’s wrong with me.” 

Angry tears continued to flow down Rafe’s cheeks freely, as he was not capable of trying to hide them and wipe them away quickly anymore. You looked at him softly, with your heart aching for your boyfriend and for the way this situation deeply affected him. 

“He does this to Wheezie too. She’s a child, Y/N, and I know how it messes up with her head.” Rafe sighed, throwing his head back and looking at the ceiling. “Sometimes... sometimes I feel like I fuck up everything in my life. I think that maybe it’s my fault for him to act like that. Maybe I do something wrong, I dunno.”

“I know that I can't give you what Ward was supposed to give you. That type of love, I mean. But you’re important to me, Rafe. I won't put you in second place because you're always my first choice.” You freed your hands, again placing them on his wet cheeks. Big blue eyes stared back at you with vulnerability and despair as hands on each of your thighs tightened, so you tried to let Rafe know how much he meant to you. “You are good enough, and don’t you dare think otherwise.” 

You leaned closer, hovering over Rafe’s body, just inches away from his face, before tenderly pulling him into a kiss. 

“You shouldn’t let Ward ruin your life and your relationships with your sisters, because it won’t benefit you in any way. Ward is the problem, not you, Ray, so no matter how hard you try, he won’t change his mind.” You kiss away his tears, still firmly holding his face in your hands. “I’m here for you. I love you, and I hate seeing you kill yourself over this.”

Rafe suddenly pulled you closer by your waist, hugging you with all the strength that he had. His body trembled against you while you soothingly scratched the back of his neck. 

“I love you too. ‘M sorry f’ being a mess.” 

“Don’t say that. Everything is okay, we are okay. I’m happy that you finally opened up to me a little bit, because I support you, okay?” He nodded and kissed your naked shoulder, trying to catch his breath. 

“Thank you.” 

A few minutes later, Rafe’s breathing calmed down and his hands were just slowly going up and down your back. Your legs were already sore from your position on his lap, but it was peaceful with just you two sitting in a comfortable silence, so you didn’t mind. You looked up at him as the idea came to your head. "What if we take Wheezie away from there and go out to eat or ride around?" 

Rafe placed a kiss on your forehead, thinking about your words. His and Wheezie’s relationships were weird, with Rafe feeling distant from his family and her just being a child who didn't know how to handle the situation. But he always had a soft spot for her and he hated thinking about his sister sitting there and being invisible to everybody. 

“Yeah, we can. She’d like that.” He mumbled, focusing on your lips that curled into a smile. 

“Great!” You pushed away from him, opening the door and casually sliding on the floor. Rafe looked at you curiously, silently grateful that you were absolutely normal about what happened just a few minutes ago in his car. His heart suddenly raced, and he could not resist the urge to grab you by the waist and pull you in for a kiss. 

Rafe connected your lips, then slightly tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Your skin got covered in goosebumps as you smiled against his lips before pulling away. Rafe subconsciously followed your face, trying to get more. 

“Fuck, you’re amazing. So gorgeous. I love you so much, baby.”

“You already told me that… but I love you more!” You giggled, taking his hands away from your body. “Now I’ll go get Wheezie, and you remove my lipstick from your face.” You gave him a teasing smile before finally going back to the restaurant and leaving Rafe with a soft smirk on his lips. 

He thought that maybe opening up for you was working much better in his favor than he expected. 

Just a short little blurb about how you finally let your hair down after keeping it up for most of the years, and Daryl notices.

You never really left your hair down, literally speaking.

Ever since the dead started wreaking havoc on this planet, your hair has been a messy bun or ponytail, which was knotted to no extent from being up, being rinsed with lake or river water.

That was until Alexandria.

Alexandria allowed you to finally be able to let your hair down. You had a brush, shampoo and conditioner, and even a hair dryer.

You never thought you’d see the day to where your hair was clean, knot free and down. It actually shocked you the first time you saw it, how long it had gotten.

You got dressed and went back to blow dry it.

As soon as you walked outside, the people in your group, the ones you were with from the start, were shocked as well.

“Wow, look at that head of hair.” Carol teases, “It’s pretty. You should wear it down more often.”

You smile and shrug, “Yeah, I hope I’m able to.”

You walk away and someone else would say something, then finally, you saw Daryl. He had to do a double take, because to him, you looked like a whole other person.

“Whoa, look at you.” He smirks as you walk up to him, his eyes scanning you, “Y’look like you actually belong here.” Of course he couldn’t just give you a compliment, “Y’look ridiculous.”

You laugh, tilting your head as you flick your hair off of your shoulder, “Yeah, I feel ridiculous.”

“No, no, I didn’t-“

You cut him off, “I’m screwing with you, Dixon.”

He laughs and nods, “uh huh.” He reaches up, twirling the ends of your hair with his fingers, “s’really pretty. Y’got a lot of it, though.”

“I know. I have to learn how to braid it so it doesn’t get knotted.” You look up at him, “It was bad.”

“M’sure, I don’t think I ever seen ya let it down.” He drops his hand, “I like it like this.”

A week later, he shows up and offers to braid it for you, all thanks to Carol for teaching him how to do so.

Here’s a kiss for likin’ and rebloggin’💋

imagine soft domestic life with rafe

warnings - suggestive, not proofread!

okay okay so you two would live in a little cottage on the outskirts of north carolina. rafe absolutely dreaded the idea at first, wanting to buy a house on the island. after a while, you both came to a compromise; you’d buy a house outside of the outer banks, but stay in the state. all you had to do was buy a ferry ticket if you’d want to visit family!

here you are, baking cookies in the quaint kitchen. you hear rafe’s footsteps and you smile softly as you kneed the cookie dough with a roller. you watch as he rips a piece of cookie dough and puts it in his mouth, sighing at the sweetness. you roll your eyes, slapping his hand when he tries to take another piece, “i’ve already added the egg, don’t want you to get sick,” he lowly chuckles, licking his fingers. “nah, its good, I got a strong immune system,” “I don’t think that’s how that works.” “that’s totally how that works, baby,” he pushes a stray hair that fell on your face, eyes looking down at your pursed lips. “eyes up here.” he lightly scoffs, sitting down on the counter, “rafe, what are you doing?” you lightly chuckle, placing the cookies into the oven. you press a couple of buttons, feeling slight heat radiate off the oven.

“i’ve missed you,” he says softly, blue eyes softening. you walk towards him on the counter, holding both of his hands. he gets off, large frame towering over you. “but you see me everyday, every hour almost,” you giggle, wrapping your arms around his neck. he leans in, lips almost touching yours, “it’s not enough…I need to be with you every minute,” he seals your lips with a kiss, pulling your body towards his.

quickly, he spins you around, setting you on top of the counter while his lips remain on yours. he lifts you from the back of your thighs and carries you to the bedroom, cookies burnt and long forgotten.

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