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New fanfic!!!

5 times Daryl should have known you were little and the time he found out.

Chapter 1 - Can’t sleep

In the apocalypse, most of the littles have died, but you've managed to survive by repressing your littlespace and convincing your group that you were a neutral. Although, there were times you could hardly keep your headspace at bay. What happens when you catch the eye of a certain rough-voiced caregiver?

Sophia had been missing for three days, and the tension on the farmstead had become palpable. Arguments had broken out, petty fights motivated by the heat, the fear, and the uncertainty of the apocalyptic summer. You could hardly stand all the yelling and the endless feeling that something was wrong. All of it just made you desperately wish you could cuddle up to one of the resident caregivers, let your headspace take over, and be lulled away from all of it.

But in this new world, you had to adapt to survive and being little was not an option, no matter how much your body craved it. You knew you had to regress at some point, you were just hoping you could fight it off until you found a surpressant or something to keep your regression in check.

inhale, exhale you reminded yourself. It would all be okay once this problem was solved. Your newfound family had a safe place to stay with the Greenes, and you were slowly making friends with the more difficult group members. Namely, Daryl.

You knew there was a sweet guy under all that gruffness and redneckism, and you watched him protect Carol and tirelessly search for that little girl, and you hoped he would warm up to you. Whenever you were around him, you little side betrayed you as your headspace crept up on you. You knew Daryl was a caregiver, but if anyone found out your status, especially him, you didn't think you'd ever live down the embarassment. You were the only little since Amy had died, and you were determined to not let it become a burden. So, as far as anyone knew, you were neutral.

Night fell on yet another unsucessful hunt for Sophia, and as everyone crawled to their sleeping places in Hershel's living room, Daryl was unnacounted for. This worried you, and you had an incredible urge to make sure he was okay, to ensure his safety (and yours) by having him crawl into your sleeping bag beside you and falling asleep wrapped in his arms.

Okay, maybe that last part was more controlled by your littlespace than you'd like to admit. Still, his absence worried you.

"Where's Daryl?" You asked to no one in particular.

"Don't worry too much about him," Rick muttered softly. "He can take care of himself in the woods at night."

You were unsatisfied with his answer, but there was nothing you could do to change it. So, you laid down in an attempt to fall asleep and forget about it.

Your efforts were unsucessful, however, and you ended up tossing and turning for hours on the hardwood floor. Moonlight moved through the small household, and as the night wore on Daryl was still nowhere to be found.

Finally you gave up, choosing instead to sit by the doorway and wait for him. You could feel yourself slipping, and for once you were too tired to fight it. The combination of exhaustion and anxiety took out all your will to fight. Your thumb found its way into your mouth as you waited, anxiously gnawing at your nail.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Daryl made his way into the living room, crossbow strung over his back and a defeated look on his face. When he saw you staring at him from the floor, he stopped in his tracks.

"Waddya doin down there?" He asked softly. "Doncha' got a sleepin' bag or somethin'?"

You quickly yanked your thumb out of your mouth and stood up slowly, joints protesting the movement after hours of sitting on the floor.

"Couldn't sleep," you whispered, looking anywhere but his eyes.

"Ya don't gotta wait for me or nothin," He crossed his arms and looked at you quizzically. When you didn't respond, he sighed and put a comforting hand on your shoulder. "'Salright man, I'm here now."

You both walked back to your sleeping spots, Daryl keeping an eye on you until he was sure you were asleep. Something about that interaction felt odd to him; soft. He vowed to himself to keep an eye on you, just in case.

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