Written for Damion Starr. Do I still get a cookie for preslash subtext?

May my Caryl readers forgive me, I'm not switching teams, just … playing with fire.

Just Looking, by MissMishka

DISCLAIMER: The usual warnings, I claim no ownership of these characters, they are simply borrowed with love and adoration from the original creators to have their stories embellished on a little more than the show may do. Not for any profit.

Their eyes met over the hood of the Cherokee and Daryl's gut twisted at what he saw.

Fucking gratitude.

He couldn't believe the damned fool had made it this far with that heart bared on his sleeve for the living and dead alike to seek for destruction. Daryl laid out a course of action for the search party and the thankful relief in those eyes grew worse.

The Deputy had made Sheriff of this ragtag group and he did well enough, but Daryl saw that part in the other man that sought to be relieved of all burdens of leadership. He scratched nervously at his neck as his skin began to pull tight over tensing muscles with the knowledge of how the other man would likely submit. Married man and father or not, Rick Grimes craved domination.

"Daryl," the other man stopped him a short time later as the tracker prepared to leave on his self-assigned task.

It didn't surprise him none that the man had been waiting for a minute to get him alone. He'd have to be careful to insure this kind of instance didn't occur more often.

"You okay on your own?"

"Better on my own," Daryl answered, turning in hopes that that would be the end of it.

He needed to snuff that hopeful flare that the Sheriff got in his eyes lately when he learned that he could find and take strength from the redneck. Daryl knew why the man wanted to tag along and it hadn't a thing to do with Sophia's search, not past the surface. The guilt the other man felt at having left and ultimately lost the little girl was something he needed to forget and he knew the guilt from one act could erase the guilt of another.

Two wrongs didn't make a right, but a greater wrong worked to lessen the blow of the original mistake.

Daryl, though, wasn't about to be the heavier cross for that man to bear, especially as he'd only end up having to carry them both under the weight.

He knew the things they'd do in the deep of the woods with no one to hear them if Daryl allowed it. Things that the other man would try to excuse away as a one-off brought on by the blood lost transfusing to save his son, but it would all be bullshit. Once they started, they'd not be able to stop if it ever went past just lookin'.