dear_mun | (no subject)

[ grunted out: ]

Y'ain't gone. Just missing, is all.

[ i'm gonna find you, whatever it takes is implied but goes unsaid because feelings are fucking gross. ]

[ not as gross as you eating out of that jar, Daryl. ]

Missing until proven... [ she doesn't say it. he'll know how she was going to end that sentence, judging from the sad look on her face.

it's hard to have hope that she'll get out of this alive when she can barely escape the dead, let alone the living. ]

[ daryl bristles, tries not to look too unsettled at the thought of finding beth dead, all cold, limp, and lifeless. ]

Nah. Nah, that's shit, and you know it. You're not gone.

[ he has to because he owes her, because he feels responsible for her, and because even though he'd never admit it he would miss her if she were truly gone. ]

I'm gonna find you, Beth.

[ if she heard anyone else talking about a person the way she's talking about herself right now, she'd be yelling at them to shut up. but it's a different story when it's herself. she's just scared and upset at the thought of Daryl being right about her never seeing Maggie and the others again...

she looks up at Daryl at his words, torn between a smile and a frown. ]

You don't have to do that. I don't want you to. Whoever took me's dangerous-- [ and she doesn't want him to get hurt - or worse, die trying to rescue her. ] You can't track a car. I could be anywhere. It'd be pointless.

[ cue an eyeroll-huff combo in 3 ... 2 ... ]

Dammit, girl, pull yourself together. There ain't nothin' you can say t' make me change my mind.

[ his tone is clipped and gruff, expression scrunched and irritated. she was the one who taught him it was okay to have hope, made him realization that caring about people, places, and things doesn't make you stupid, or worse, weak. but now ... now she's acting like none of that stuff matters anymore and that pisses him the hell off, makes his blood feel like its boiling. still, somehow he manages to keep his temper in check. ]

You're gonna be alright. You're one tough sonuvabitch, just like your sister.

[ daryl/pep talks: not an otp. ]

[ hearing Daryl call her tough? is one hell of a compliment coming from him since he's one of the toughest guys Beth knows. and bonus points for calling her sister tough too. it's not the best pep talk in the world but she appreciates message he's trying to get across, the same message she was trying to get through to him not so long ago. to not give up.

she can't give up. Daryl will find her, then they'll find the others. it'll be okay.

she nods at him, then she's smiling a little. ] I guess I really did change your mind about things. [ because would he have insisted on finding her if she hadn't gotten through to him? maybe not. ]

Be careful. And don't do anything stupid.

[Beth...It should be good to see you and it is good because Maggie was so sure you were dead but knowing what happened, knowing she's so far away, it's maddening]

It ain't...[Maggie tries to give her a comforting smile.] It ain't going to be that way for long. He's gonna find you, so you hold on, alright? Just hold on. [He'd better find her.]

[ daryl — being the eloquent gentleman that he is — half grunts, half huffs in response to beth's first set of words. though it's quite obvious that she did change his mind about things. ]

Cross my heart and hope t' die.

[ his tone is dry, flat, with a jokeish undertone. this is the kind of conversation he can handle, the type of promise he can make. it's not good enough, he knows that, but he's a work in progress. ]

[ again with the caveman grunting? Beth resists the urge to poke fun at him for that.

and out of all the things he could have said, it had to include the word die in it. it makes her smile falter. ]

I've never understood that sayin'. [ but at least it sounds like he's promising her he'll take care of himself. ]

[ Watch Beth's face light up seeing her sister. She knew Maggie was alive. ]

He was blamin' himself for what happened to... to daddy. [ Her voice breaks when she brings up their father but she stays strong. ] I just don't want Daryl to blame himself if something bad happens to me. [ She doesn't want him to go back to being bitter with no hope again. ]

...I miss you. [ So much. ]

Wasn't his fault. [The mention of Hershel causes her weak smile to falter further. Glenn was who knew where, Beth was kidnapped by a group of men, their dad was dead. But she was alive, which is more than Maggie had had before.]

[Beth had been the one who told her to be strong when things were breaking down in the prison. None of them knew how strong her sister was. No, maybe Daryl knew now.] And it ain't going to be his fault now because nothing bad's gonna happen to you. He's good at taking care of things. [But even if it's Daryl, Maggie doesn't like just leaving her sister to someone else.] Then you come to me, both of you.

...I miss you too.

[ that's exactly what he's promising. take it or leave it, greene. ]

Me neither.

[ he replies, rubbing the palm of his hand across his jaw, thoughtful. ]

You better find some more alcohol 'cause I'm gonna need another drink once you get me back.

[ none for Daryl though since he's an asshole drunk. ]

[ Beth gives her a nod. ] We'll come find you... and you would've found Glenn by then. [ She hopes. ] Then we'll find everyone else. [ Who knows what will happen after that, where they'll go or if they'll just keep moving since settling in one place went so wrong.

This is all too depressing though, so Beth decides to mention something more lighthearted. ] Guess what? I had my first drink of alcohol.

[ daryl shakes his head, kicks at the floor with the toe of his boots, adding another mark to the scuffed, worn leather. ]

Nah, y' ain't drinkin' that shit no more. Screws your head up, turns y' into someone you're not.

[ spoiler: he's talking about himself, and kinda sorta apologizing for his shitty drunken behavior. ]

[ she's already forgiven him for the way he acted, but she guesses he's talking about himself and appreciates the almost apology. ]

Definitely agree with that last part... [ because that person who'd grabbed her and tried to make her use a walker as target practice, she doesn't think is the real Daryl. ] And it did taste pretty disgusting. [ less disgusting after the first sip, but still pretty gross. ]

We'll still celebrate somehow... right? [ that'd be something to look forward to. ]

[ a look. ]

What, y' want a victory cookie, or somethin'?

[ his tone is dry and gruff. ]

[ get your sass outta here. ]

I dunno. Somethin'. [ maybe they could burn another house down. that was kinda fun. ]

[ make him, beth. make him. ]

Life ain't no damn video game. Soon as I find y', you and me, we're gonna get the hell outta dodge, hole up someplace safe, and then we're gonna figure out our next move.

[ oh, and he's also never gonna let her out of his sight again because of reasons. ]

The dead are walkin' around like they're alive. Sounds like a video game to me. [ but she gets what he's saying and nods at his words. ]

I wish we could go back to the prison. [ if only so she could find her dad's body and bury it. ]

[ daryl nods stiffly, palms his jaw. hearing beth mention the prison stirs unwanted memories, makes him feel uncomfortable and, oddly, itchy, though he does his best not to show it. ]

Me too, I guess. [ a beat, then: ] We had it good there, didn't we?

Yeah. [ she quietly agrees. even if her last memories of the prison are painful for her, for both of them, they did have it good until people got sick and the governor ruined everything. ]

We'll find somewhere good again.

Hmph.

[ another grunt, albeit it's not his usual sort of grunt, it's a grunt of agreement and hopefulness — if there is such a thing. ]

[ she's not letting him get away with that grunt. ]

If I got a dollar for every time you make that noise in a conversation... [ she'd be a billionaire. ]

[ have ANOTHER grunt. this time he sounds more amused than anything, and it shows in the way his lips pull up at the corners, forming something that could almost, almost pass for a smile. ]

You'd be rich.

[ watch it Daryl, if you smile and the wind blows, your face might stay that way!

she mimics him by grunting in agreement. ]

Ain't scared are ya ?

Don't make a habit of it. I like you better when... when you're, you know, talkin'.

[ a w k w a r d . ]

...oh.

[ apparently that's her catchphrase around Daryl now.

it's not a bad oh but she's not sure how else to respond. awkward smile? ]

Didn't say nuthin bout missin ya, girl

[ awkward or not, he takes some small measure of comfort in seeing her smile. ]