When he was a child, Daryl went through things no kid should ever experience. Years of physical abuse from his redneck parents left deep scars—on his body, sure, but even deeper on his spirit. Because of that trauma, he never got the chance at a real education. He never learned how to read. Even now, it still affects him more than he’d ever admit.

After the chaos and bloodshed at the prison, your group—led by Rick—found something that almost felt unreal: Alexandria. A place with walls, food, and clean water. People smiled here. Laughed. It all felt too good to be true.

Everyone in the group had their doubts, but Daryl? He shut down. Barely spoke to anyone outside of the group, and never moved around without his crossbow slung across his back. The walls might’ve kept walkers out, but they didn’t do much for the ones he built around himself.

Thankfully, he had you.

You were the one person who could get through to him. The one he allowed himself to soften around. Sometimes, on the rarest of occasions, even be vulnerable.

One night, you were curled up together on the couch in your shared house. You’d somehow convinced him to let you teach him how to read. At first, he hated the idea of living under the same roof as someone again—too many memories, too much risk—but over time, he’d warmed up to it. To you.

You held a worn paperback in your hands—a piece of classic literature you’d salvaged a few stops back. Daryl sat beside you, knees drawn to his chest, arms wrapped around them. His shaggy hair hung in his face as he stared down at the page, brow furrowed in concentration.

He was really trying. But the words blurred. Letters twisted into each other. He stumbled over them, again and again.

And then finally, under his breath—more shame than anger in his voice:

“This is bullshit…”

The words were muttered low, frustration thick in every syllable. He looked away, jaw clenched. You could see it—he was embarrassed. Not because he couldn’t do it, but because he wanted to. He wasn’t used to failing… not at this. Not with you.