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[ he lets the hug linger on for another moment. presses his face into Daryl's shoulder and shakes his head in response. who was Daryl going to hurt in the forest anyway? he could have turned back even without Felipe interfering. maybe he was already on his way back to himself? ]
No. That's not how it went.
[ it was nothing but blind rage and violence. intense feelings he's now ashamed of. his grip of the other man tightens as he shifts his center closer to him so that they don't lose their balance and fall off. ]
You don't owe me anything. Shut up.
No. That's not how it went.
[ it was nothing but blind rage and violence. intense feelings he's now ashamed of. his grip of the other man tightens as he shifts his center closer to him so that they don't lose their balance and fall off. ]
You don't owe me anything. Shut up.
It's no big deal. I can trade for one if it don't.
[ He's already thinking of all the things he's going to have to trade for to get back on his feet here. What's one more thing?
But thoughts of planning for the future in this place make his expression darken up again. ]
You still stayin' in the woods?
[ He's already thinking of all the things he's going to have to trade for to get back on his feet here. What's one more thing?
But thoughts of planning for the future in this place make his expression darken up again. ]
You still stayin' in the woods?
[ He's way better at hugs now than he used to be and he lets Felipe get comfortable for a solid few seconds before he starts trying to pull away. Then he feels Felipe holding tighter and Daryl pats him between the shoulder blades instead, just letting it continue.
His friends used to hug him like this sometimes. It isn't the worst thing. ]
How'd it go, then?
[ He doesn't have to ask very loudly. ]
'Cause from what I remember, I fought back. It... wasn't done for me.
His friends used to hug him like this sometimes. It isn't the worst thing. ]
How'd it go, then?
[ He doesn't have to ask very loudly. ]
'Cause from what I remember, I fought back. It... wasn't done for me.
Just chat with me for a bit. About anything. Tell me a little more about your world?
[ she picks at the dead skin beside her nail beds. you'd think that if the duchess was going to resurrect people, heal up their old wounds, that you'd come back with undamaged nail beds. fewer callouses. no dead skin.
maybe this is proof that john and ari are right. that she's just mavis, still, no matter how it feels. ]
Complicated. [ she acknowledges. ] But he came back.
[ he'd been the one to leave in the first place. mavis isn't in the business of leaving if she isn't forced to. she doesn't know how to segue between these thoughts. ]
He is too weak to be alone. [ she says this dismissively instead. how pitiful he'd been about missing her. how he'd held her. she can't admit most of it, so she just falls back on the old stand-by that felipe is embarrassing. ]
maybe this is proof that john and ari are right. that she's just mavis, still, no matter how it feels. ]
Complicated. [ she acknowledges. ] But he came back.
[ he'd been the one to leave in the first place. mavis isn't in the business of leaving if she isn't forced to. she doesn't know how to segue between these thoughts. ]
He is too weak to be alone. [ she says this dismissively instead. how pitiful he'd been about missing her. how he'd held her. she can't admit most of it, so she just falls back on the old stand-by that felipe is embarrassing. ]
[ Her awkwardness with this, when she's so frank about so much else, reminds him of Lydia once again. Of the girl's resistance to so much of the gentleness of civilization, after breaking free of her people.
And that comment about weakness? Lydia, up and down. It's enough to put a slight, knowing smile on his face. ]
You like him.
[ The smirk can be heard in the statement. ]
You're allowed to, y'know. If he really ain't such an asshole. He did kill me for you, an' all.
[ Somehow he's able to say it without the stab of guilt cutting him in half. ]
And that comment about weakness? Lydia, up and down. It's enough to put a slight, knowing smile on his face. ]
You like him.
[ The smirk can be heard in the statement. ]
You're allowed to, y'know. If he really ain't such an asshole. He did kill me for you, an' all.
[ Somehow he's able to say it without the stab of guilt cutting him in half. ]
Edited 2023-08-18 04:02 (UTC)
[ she reaches for the nearby pillow and throws it at him. fuck off with that.
she isn't laughing, merely flustered by his amusement. but she sits with it for a silent moment after that, and then stretches out onto her back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ]
He betrayed me. [ this gets its own space. ] I felt stupid. I trusted him. [ she settles her hands on her abdomen. ] Then he left. I felt stupid again. He didn't care about me.
[ she huffs out a breath. ]
He came back and made me stupid three ways. [ she looks over at daryl, smiling now a little. stupid, this time, for thinking he hadn't cared. he was a coward, yes, but stronger than she gave him credit for, given what he'd done to daryl for her, and given how he'd held her and come back to her and apologized. ]
she isn't laughing, merely flustered by his amusement. but she sits with it for a silent moment after that, and then stretches out onto her back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ]
He betrayed me. [ this gets its own space. ] I felt stupid. I trusted him. [ she settles her hands on her abdomen. ] Then he left. I felt stupid again. He didn't care about me.
[ she huffs out a breath. ]
He came back and made me stupid three ways. [ she looks over at daryl, smiling now a little. stupid, this time, for thinking he hadn't cared. he was a coward, yes, but stronger than she gave him credit for, given what he'd done to daryl for her, and given how he'd held her and come back to her and apologized. ]
[ The pillow projectile only magnifies his grin and Daryl catches it, but barely. He throws it back but not with the intention that she had.
He doesn't rush her, he works in the silence as well as she does. ]
Okay, well. I'll punch him for ya.
[ He gets how that would make a person feel like they were being yanked around. He still doesn't understand the details of the problems and he'll never forget finding his camp deserted, but Felipe just seems harmless to Daryl, even now. Even after everything. ]
I think he does care about you. 'm pretty sure he's just the stupid one.
He doesn't rush her, he works in the silence as well as she does. ]
Okay, well. I'll punch him for ya.
[ He gets how that would make a person feel like they were being yanked around. He still doesn't understand the details of the problems and he'll never forget finding his camp deserted, but Felipe just seems harmless to Daryl, even now. Even after everything. ]
I think he does care about you. 'm pretty sure he's just the stupid one.
What's that thing, that American thing, where you're choosing not to say anything? Plead the fifth, right?
[ she laughs. it feels good. even if she seldom does it, it feels like her in a way that she has struggled with since leaving the castle. she rolls onto her side, taking the thrown pillow and tucking it under her head. she stares across the space at daryl. ]
Do not punch him. He is too fragile. [ and dumb, yes. but at least she feels better having articulated the complexity of it. he doesn't quite grasp the ins and outs, but the general pattern seems to have conveyed, and that's better than mavis expected.
it feels good. not being alone. ]
Do not punch him. He is too fragile. [ and dumb, yes. but at least she feels better having articulated the complexity of it. he doesn't quite grasp the ins and outs, but the general pattern seems to have conveyed, and that's better than mavis expected.
it feels good. not being alone. ]
Yeah, it... took a while.
[ but that could have been just because Felipe riled him up again. ]
I think you saw me as a threat. Attacked me because I...
[ he lets out a ragged exhale. there's a heavy feeling in his chest sucking out all the air when he thinks back on what happened. he wishes he could concentrate on Daryl's arms instead. ]
You saw me with Mavis.
[ but that could have been just because Felipe riled him up again. ]
I think you saw me as a threat. Attacked me because I...
[ he lets out a ragged exhale. there's a heavy feeling in his chest sucking out all the air when he thinks back on what happened. he wishes he could concentrate on Daryl's arms instead. ]
You saw me with Mavis.
[ He's never seen that before, her laughing. It's the last thing he's expecting during their first conversation after the void, after their resurrection. He could swear parts of him still hurt.
But there it is. It makes him laugh too. ]
Alright.
[ If she wants to catch some sleep he isn't going to doze, but when Mavis gets comfortable Daryl pulls his legs up and lays out on his back. The ceiling is the safest place to look before he lets his eyes close. A rest won't kill him. ]
But he steals you again, an' he's gettin' punched.
But there it is. It makes him laugh too. ]
Alright.
[ If she wants to catch some sleep he isn't going to doze, but when Mavis gets comfortable Daryl pulls his legs up and lays out on his back. The ceiling is the safest place to look before he lets his eyes close. A rest won't kill him. ]
But he steals you again, an' he's gettin' punched.
Just bored. In the mood to hear more about someone else's apocalypse.
[ That finally gets Daryl to put back properly. He shivers and it's almost like a flinch, the way he quickly withdraws because the sense memory that follows Felipe's explanation is so strong. The damage he'd done to her, the way he'd been prepared to protect the body. To...
He can't look at him. ]
I deserved it.
[ He feels like he deserved worse. That he still deserves worse. He should still be being punished; for what he did to her when he transformed, for getting them all out there in the first place. For everything. ]
You two would never have been out there if it weren't for me. It was my fault.
He can't look at him. ]
I deserved it.
[ He feels like he deserved worse. That he still deserves worse. He should still be being punished; for what he did to her when he transformed, for getting them all out there in the first place. For everything. ]
You two would never have been out there if it weren't for me. It was my fault.
[ He could kiss you for rolling with it right now. ]
You said the whole world was gone β were there any holdouts? Groups of survivors? What about the military? What was life like? Did you stay in one place or move around?
You said the whole world was gone β were there any holdouts? Groups of survivors? What about the military? What was life like? Did you stay in one place or move around?
Had you lived off the grid before it happened, or did you have to figure that out?
[ Just one question, he's learning! ]
[ Just one question, he's learning! ]
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