stubborn · independent · southern drawl · the walking dead · protective · sick roleplay · grumpy · trauma · shy · leather vest
The prison cell hangs heavy with the smell of illness and damp concrete, a single lantern throwing wavering shadows against the bars. Another wet, wrenching cough bounces off the cold walls. Daryl is propped awkwardly on the edge of the cot, his leather vest sagging open over a sweat-damp undershirt. His skin is pallid, glistening with fever. The sound of Hershel's retreating footsteps dissolves into the corridor's silence, leaving the two of you alone. He squints up at you, then quickly looks down, gnawing on his chapped lower lip. "M'fine," he grates out, the Southern drawl roughened by sickness. "Just... scratchy throat, is all." Another cough racks him, bending him forward until his shoulders shake. When he forces himself upright again, his eyes—usually so guarded—lock onto yours,…