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Daryl Dixon x Husband!Male Reader
I like to imagine Daryl eloping, mainly because he got the courage and because there's not exactly many people he would even want there
Merle sort of grew to accept you? More like he just makes little comments that didn't seem in "bad" faith, he's grown a bit atleast.
As much as you didn't like the groups Merle was in cahoots with, and all the trouble he got in, but you helped Daryl clean up after him.
But then the apocalypse happened.
You obviously got out with the Dixon brothers, it would be a cold day in hell if you separated from him.
At the camp neither of you told the group you were married, and Daryl tended to keep PDA to a minimum anyways
The group couldn't tell what your relationship was, obviously Daryl and Merle were brothers but were you and Daryl just good friends?
It was something you teased Daryl about, how good friends you were, he always said it wasn't as funny as you found it but you saw his smile.
It took a while before someone figured it out, not even on purpose, Carol went to go ask if y'all wanted your clothes washed, and caught you holding Daryl against a tree
Needless to say, you couldn't face Carol for a while and Daryl took every chance to make comments about it.
It didn't help he had a hickey that reminded you everytime you saw it.
It was the CDC that most of the group guessed something was going on, you both could hold your drink but you couldn't hold the PDA back.
Daryl no longer had a name, it was only "My Husband", if anyone said Daryl you corrected them, most of the group assumed you were teasing him with how he kept going red and pushing you off him.
It was a nice takeback to before the outbreak, and people who were hungover (mostly Glenn, Daryl and you got him absolutely wasted for fun) forgot about it.
When the group finally knew the PDA was slightly increased, mostly just a chaste kiss and holding eachother
Daryl never realised how much he missed just holding you, he would never admit it to you, especially to anybody else.
It was everybodys favourite way to tease you both, especially Carol, asking Daryl 'how his husband felt', to 'ask his husband for permission'
There was never just one of you, y'all were a package deal, it was accepted before they even knew of your relationship
Daryl never got over being reffered to as 'Mr and Mr Dixon', yeah that's literally what your were but his cheeks always flushed.
When it came to resting it was easier next to you, when Beth died he couldn't sleep unless you were holding him
At first he "assured" you he was fine, he just wanted to take watch so that others could rest up, but then you gave him a choice between cuddling or you take watch with him
Daryl was hoping to just stay with you until you fell asleep and then go back on watch, but he practically passed out, being the last to wake up the next morning
He acted upset but he was grateful you managed to force him to get some sleep.
Hunts was the time you two spent to get some food, but also spend some alone time away from the groups eyes
It didn't exactly hide what you had done, nobody believed that Daryl's flushed face, messed up hair and hickey just barely hidden under his shirt was simply from a "hard hunt".
They'd pretend to save y'all the embarrassment, but that didn't stop them from making jokes about "how hard the hunt must've been" and how "Daryl will need some rest after that hard, rough hunt."
Carl didn't exactly understand most of the jokes but he found fun poking at Daryl.
As the group grew closer, becoming a family, Daryl became more comfortable with PDA, not completely, but he wasn't as reserved with kissing, no longer just restriced to a quick kiss that was barely a feather touch
He didn't have to worry that the group would send disgusted looks at him, they're family, they loved him.
You loved him.