Chapter Text
You looked up from the white, cotton balls that you were trying to turn into convincing-looking snowflakes for the school’s Christmas play that was coming by the end of the week, and through the window you saw Daryl Dixon walking towards the classroom.
“Look, your uncle is coming to pick you up.”
Little Dixon looked up from the cardboard in which he was drawing the silhouette of angels and nodded, smiling, but he focused back on his work. He was quite an artistic kid, and quite good at that. When you had told so to his uncle, one of the times that he had come to pick him up, Daryl had blinked at you and then frowned, muttering that he didn’t know where he got that from.
Little Dixon was a good kid, no matter that his life wasn’t easy. You didn’t know much, you were new to the town, having started working there that course, but you had heard the rumors about the Dixons. You knew that the mother of little Dixon didn’t want to have anything to do with his father or even her kid, having dumped the baby on his father almost as soon as he was born, and she had fled. The father, Merle Dixon, didn’t seem to be that much of a father figure either, apparently he was not only a drug addict but a dealer too, who had spent most of his son’s six years of life coming and going from jail, where he was now, you hadn’t had the chance to meet him yet.
And so, it seemed that Daryl Dixon, the kid’s uncle, was pretty much his guardian, taking care of him. You heard people gossiping about him too, but for now, Daryl seemed like a decent enough person to you. You didn’t know him much, he was a reserved person, but he was attentive and supportive to his nephew, and when he came to pick him up, he always helped you to clean the mess in the classroom before leaving.
You had started this extracurricular art activity a month after you started working at the school, realizing how many parents in that town were still working after their kids finished school, and so you stayed with them a little bit longer so they could wait for their parents there. Daryl was usually the last one to come, he seemed to work long shifts t the local garage, he always apologized for it, but little Dixon was a good kid. His life was rougher than it should be, so you liked to provide him with that moment to enjoy just making art and playing around. You knew that other kids used to bully and bother him, picking up what the townspeople gossiped about the Dixons, following that hateful example, but the ones who shared the extracurricular activity with him were starting to stop it and even working together with him sometimes, and you were proud that all the effort was bringing something good.
Your reasons were not entirely selfless, though, you had started the extracurricular activities with the idea of it giving you more points in your curriculum, with the hopes that you’d be able to get a job in a school in another town soon. You had gotten that job because nobody else had wanted to go to that small town in the middle of nowhere. You had thought that they were silly, but life in a small town where everyone knew each other since forever was proving to be hard. You were there since September, it was December now, and you still had no friends or acquaintances, people didn’t seem to like you, nobody seemed to trust you, and even the other teachers didn’t include you in anything they did or in their conversations. Considering your outsider life, you had soon realized that you didn’t mind the extra hours that you did after school as much as you had thought you’d do.
“Good afternoon Daryl,” you greeted when he walked into the classroom. “If it’s still afternoon.”
“Hey,” Daryl greeted. “Yeah, sorry about the hour…are you ready to go, kid?”
“Can you wait? I want to finish this…” Little Dixon held up the cardboard angels that he was working on.
“Looks great, kiddo.” Daryl nodded, taking one of the cardboard angels. “But we gotta go, it’s gotten late and Y/N has a life outside this school.”
“That’s funny.” You snorted. “A life outside the school, me.” Daryl arched an eyebrow at you, seeming confused, but he didn’t say anything. “It’s okay, I got nothing to do so you don’t have to hurry unless you’re busy?” Daryl shook his head. “Alright, then we can finish.” Little Dixon grinned and went back to paint the cardboard angels, while you frowned at your white, cotton balls…maybe you should add some glitter…yeah, definitely you should add glitter.
“Can I, uh…help with something?” Daryl asked awkwardly.
“Yeah, can you help me with these cotton balls? They have to look like snowflakes, I’m thinking about adding glitter too…”
Daryl nodded, though he frowned at the cotton as if he weren’t very sure about it all, but once he began working with it, you realized that he was kind of good at working with his hands. “What was the play about again?” He asked.
“A nativity…like, you know, the lord has been born and the angels are going to see him, and all that…” you explained, you had been surprised at how traditional and religious the town was.
“Amazing…” Daryl snorted and you looked at him, he seemed amused and you realized that he was joking.
“I didn’t choose it,” you shrugged. “But it’s not that bad, just wait and see it.”
“You didn’t choose it but they got you making all the scenery,” Daryl said as he frowned at a cotton ball while trying to pour some glitter over it without getting it all over himself, which you knew was a lost cause. “Ain’t so smart on your side.”
You snorted. “Yeah, well, I had the extracurricular activity going already, and everyone else is busy getting things ready for Christmas…”
“You don’t?”
“Nah…I don’t have plans.” You shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll go see my family…what about you both, what are the plans of the Dixon’s for Christmas?”
“We put up a tree last weekend,” little Dixon said, grinning at you. You had thought that Daryl wouldn’t be one for decorations, but if it made his nephew happy, then you could see him getting a tree, color lights, and everything.
“I know Santa is not a thing. So last year, I took a cone from the woods where I go with Daryl on weekends and painted it for him. Also made him a drawing of a squirrel in the woods. Daryl gave me a toy bike, looks like a real one but in miniature,” little Dixon kept talking excitedly, and you couldn’t help your smile, while Daryl seemed shy, eyes trained on the cotton balls. “And when I can ride a bike, he’ll teach me how to build one!”
“Oh, wow, all that sounds great!” You grinned. “I’m sure you are going to have a great Christmas this year too!”
Little Dixon grinned and nodded before going back to pain the cardboards. You looked at Daryl and noticed him fidgeting with one of the cotton balls, but he was frowning, seeming in deep thought. You weren’t sure, but you thought he seemed worried too. You considered it for a moment, but when Daryl’s expression didn’t change as he kept absentmindedly playing with the cotton, you decided to give it a try, and you reached to nudge his arm.
“Hey, Daryl, can you help me reach a box from the top of that cabinet?” You pointed at the other side of the classroom. Daryl blinked at you as you took him out of his thoughts, frowning, but he nodded, and he got up, walking to the cabinet with you following him.
“What you want me to reach?”
“Nothing…uh…” You began and Daryl’s frown deepened. “Just…are you worried about something?” You asked quietly so little Dixon wouldn’t hear.
“What?”
“You looked like you were worried about something…” You said shyly and Daryl scoffed.
“Ain’t worried about nothing.”
“Just…I know we don’t know each other much, but…” You tried to look for words while Daryl kept frowning at you. “If there’s something wrong…I mean…I like to think of us as friends…so if there’s something wrong, you can tell me…I mean, if I can help with something, I’m glad, so…yeah…” You trailed off.
“We ain’t friends,” Daryl said, looking at you with that frown on his face, and you felt like an idiot. “You’re my nephew’s teacher.”
“Oh…oh, yeah, you’re right, yeah…sorry…” You nodded, looking down as you felt your face heating up, feeling like a fool, embarrassed.
Daryl seemed about to walk away, but he didn’t, and he looked at you, letting out a sigh. “I was a prick, wasn’t I?”
“No…” You shook your head, not looking at him, embarrassed still. “You were being honest, I, uh…I overstepped, it wasn’t my place, I’m…yeah, I’m your nephew’s teacher…”
“I just…” Daryl shrugged shyly. “Didn’t know you thought we could be friends…”
“Again, sorry, I was-”
“Nah, I didn’t mean…what I mean is…you know what people here say about Dixons, yeah?” Daryl said and you nodded. “People don’t want to be friends with Dixons.”
“Well, your nephew is making a couple here,” you said, and Daryl glanced from the floor to you at that, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips briefly. “And it’s not like anyone here wants to be my friend either, your neighbors are…really not welcoming.” Daryl snorted at that. “But, again, sorry, it was not my place and I overstepped all boundaries, and-”
“Ain’t that,” Daryl stopped again, looking down shyly. “Just…didn’t know you wanted us to be friends.”
You shrugged, shy too. “Wouldn’t be bad to have one, but I get it if you…well, don’t wanna, or if it’s weird…yeah, probably it’s weird…definitely…” An adult woman trying to make friends with the uncle of one of her students…you felt so silly and awkward…how did people make friends? Did they just…grow them or something…or maybe you couldn’t make friends anymore once you were your age…
“Ain’t weird…just…yeah, yeah, okay, we can be friends.” Daryl nodded, but he too seemed awkward.
“Look, if this is pity-”
“Ain’t no pity, woman.” Daryl rolled his eyes. “Look, you want us to be friends or not?”
“Yeah…I…I guess I do.”
“Alright, then we’re friends.” Daryl shrugged, looking at you unsure.
“Okay…good…” You looked at him, unsure too, but then chuckled awkwardly. “As you can see, I don’t have muchhh experience in this ‘making friends as an adult’ thing.”
Daryl snorted, his frown finally gone as he smirked. “You think I do?”
“Well…I guess we’ll discover together how this ‘making friends’ thing goes.” You chuckled again, but you couldn’t help how glad you were that maybe you were actually making a friend, finally, and that it was Daryl. No matter the gossip, his harsh ways sometimes, or how he might look, you were still sure that Daryl was a good guy. “And you know a thing that I think friends do…they have drinks…right? And I think I have just the perfect thing…hey kiddo!” You looked for little Dixon. “Do you want some hot cocoa?”
“Yes, thank you!”
“Alright, I got a stash in the teacher’s room, don’t tell the others…help me to get it ready, Daryl?”
“Alright…”
You walked with Daryl to the teacher’s room and opened the locker that you had been given, the smallest one in the most inconvenient place, to make you feel welcome, you said jokingly to Daryl. Luckily, you had two mugs, not just one like you had feared, and Daryl didn’t mind to share with little Dixon. You opened the minifridge, taking out a milk box labeled with your name, and poured it into the mugs. You also took a mug that belonged to the school custodian to get him one too, he was not rude to you like most of the others, and you liked him.
“So…” You looked at Daryl. “There’s nothing wrong, then.”
Daryl frowned at you, studying you, but finally, he spoke. “Just…Merle might be getting parole for Christmas.”
“I see…and that worries you?” After what you knew about Merle, you weren’t surprised.
“Dunno…” Daryl shrugged, looking down, fidgeting with the mug. “I wanna see him, and…it’s good for the kid, I guess, Merle’s his father…just…dunno…when Merle’s around…you never know what to expect from him. I just…don’t want him to fuck anything up…not with the kid…”
“I get it, Daryl.” You gave him a kind smile, wishing that you had something better to say, some piece of advice. “I know I’m not of much help but…well, we said we’re friends…so if at any time you need something, or just to speak, or…I don’t know…well, I’m here…”
Daryl glanced at you, and you noticed not for the first time that his blue eyes were quite beautiful, before he looked down again, shy and awkward, but he nodded, giving you a brief, half-smile. “Thanks.”
“Same if you need someone to look over the kid while you work this holidays…” You offered shyly.
“You sure?”
“Yeah… told you, I got nothing to do…no plans, no friends…wait, I got a friend now!” You tried to joke awkwardly, and Daryl snorted but he smiled.
“Yeah…” He nodded, and you smiled, maybe you were actually going to be friends for real.
You took the mugs, getting them into the microwave, and pouring the cocoa on them once the milk was hot, stirring it until it was ready. “Look what else I got…” you reached into the locker, pulling out a small bag of marshmallow, putting one in yours, another for the custodian mug, and two for the one that Daryl was going to share with his nephew. “Ready.” You grinned at Daryl, who gave you one of those small, shy smiles, that you couldn’t help but find kind of cute.
You gave the custodian the mug with cocoa, and he was surprised but grateful, and then you went back to the art classroom.
“That smells so good!” Little Dixon said as Daryl and you walked in.
“Tastes even better.” You smiled, taking a sip of your cocoa while you sat down, and little Dixon hummed a yes while he drank from the mug that Daryl gave him.
“Hey, leave some for me…” Daryl joked, smiling at the kid, and every time he looked at him, you could see how deeply Daryl cared for his nephew.
“Alright…what if we finish our cocoa and then put everything back in place and call it a day?” You suggested. “Maybe your uncle Daryl can stay for a bit tomorrow too and help us get ready everything that we’re still working on?”
Little Dixon looked at his uncle, grinning when Daryl nodded. You looked at Daryl, smiling too, but he was already looking down shyly…still, you couldn’t help but feel happy. You had made a friend, finally…and Daryl was an intriguing guy, you couldn’t help but want to know more about him, if he let you…
Maybe this year working in a small town in the middle of nowhere, where nobody had seemed to like you, wasn’t going to suck that much after all…