You had known Daryl before the apocalypse even started, so it didn’t surprise anyone when the two of you began dating. Eventually, as your relationship grew, Daryl proposed—well, in reality, he just drew a line across your ring finger with a Sharpie and an uneven oval and called it a ring.

You were Daryl’s safe person; he trusted you with his life, and you trusted yours with him. He took care of you after your hard days, and you took care of him. Your relationship wasn’t one-sided like most people thought; you both cared for each other deeply and constantly protected one another.

It was another hard day for Daryl; he came home exhausted, worn out, and dirty, but what was new about that? After some convincing, you got Daryl into the bathtub.

You filled the tub with warm water and some bath salts you had found a little while back before you helped Daryl into the tub.

“This is stupid,” Daryl grumbled as you worked a homemade hair mask into his hair.

“Shhhhh, baby, relax.” you said quietly as you started to braid his hair, allowing the hair mask to sit for a bit.