"I like this little house." Austin said honestly as Daryl brought the pair to a house he found with Michonne. "I miss Michonne too."

"We'll find her." Beth gave his shoulder a rub as they looked over at the sound of glass hitting, seeing Daryl pulling mason jars from a little compartment. "What's that?"

"Moonshine." he placed the crate into her hands, Austin's eyebrows shot up at the sight of all of the alcohol.

"I bet the apocalypse is the worst time to become an alcoholic." Austin said honestly with a nod. "Can't just find crates of alcohol everywhere you go."

"I'm glad Daddy got sober before." Beth agreed as Daryl lead them toward the kitchen, that had been destroyed, but better then outside. Beth placed the crate down as Daryl unscrewed one of the mason jars, poring some into a cup.

"That's a real first drink right there." he passed it to Beth, looking to Austin. "That wine you tried at Jenners really the first time you drank?"

"No." Austin laughed slightly. "I had one beer at a robotics party."

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say robotics party." Daryl poured some into another cup, handing it to him. He looked to a hesitant Beth. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just...my dad always said bad moonshine could make you go blind."

"Ain't nothing worth seeing out there anymore anyway." Daryl said, Austin took his chances and downed the little shot. "There you go! Take it like a man!"

Austin coughed loudly as he hunched over, holding his throat and gaging with another loud cough. "Noooo."

"Yeah." Daryl patted him on the back. "You ain't no boy no more."

Beth was inspired by his will, taking a sip of hers with a cringed face. "That's the most disgusting thing i've ever tasted."

"Really? No cough?" Austin asked in disbelief as he still rubbed his throat. Beth down there rest, laughing. "Seriously?"

"Second rounds better." she went on, taking the cup.

"Slow down." Daryl encouraged her.

"This one's for you." Beth shook her head.

"No, i'm good." he said in return.

"Why?" Beth looked in disbelief.

"Someone's got to keep watch." Daryl shrugged.

"And let the two eighteen year olds drink alone?" Austin gapped at him. "How do you think my mom got pregnant with me?"

"Are you our chaperone now?" Beth looked up at Daryl in disbelief.

"Just drink lots of water." he waved her off. "The both of you."

"Yes, Mr.Dixon." Beth hummed as Austin laughed and sat with her. "Wanna do another?"

"Maybe I won't embarrass myself this time." he nodded, pushing his empty cup her way.

He took it better that time, still cringing with a violent head shake. Beth rolled onto the ground with a laugh. "Who'd go into a store and walk out with this?"

Austin leaned on the table to see her holding a large, pink, plastic bra that was being used as a ash tray. He laughed. "People have odd hobbies, you know."

"My dad, that's who." Daryl looked away from hammering the windows shut. "Oh, he's a dumbass. He'd set those up on top of the TV set, use them as target practice."

"He shot things inside your house?" Beth looked up at him, Austin laid his head down on the table but turned his gaze toward Daryl.

"It was just a bunch of junk anyway." Daryl shrugged. "That's how I knew what this place was. That shed out there, my dad had a place just like this. You got your Dumpster chair. That's for sitting in your drawers all summer drinking. Got your fancy buckets. That's for spitting chaw in after your old lady tells you to stop smoking. You got your Internet."

Austin cracked a grin as he held up a newspaper. "I miss my house in Atlanta."

"What was it like?" Beth looked toward her slummed boyfriend, who hadn't picked his head up off the table.

"I'd run into the walls all the time." he hummed as he thought back to it. "I'd be running for the door, usually almost late for school, or trying to get to the door before my mom had the chance to embarrass me. One time, my head hit the wall real hard and there was a massive indention. My dad and I, we laughed so hard that I was crying and couldn't breath. Mom got home from picking up Carl, went to freaking out, asking what happened and ranting and raving about the cost. My dad just laugh and said he was moving a chair around and it fell against the wall."

"He took the blame for you?" Beth looked his way.

"Yeah, he did." Austin smiled slightly. "Saved me from my mom making me get a job and pay for it, that's for sure. Even though, few weeks later, I got one anyways so I didn't have to go to spin class with her anymore."

He exhaled, shutting his eyes. "I miss my mom and my dad."

Beth reached upwards to take his hand, the walker growl from outside had Daryl looking out. "It's just one."

"Should we get it?" Beth suggested.

"If it keeps making noise." he shrugged.

"Well, if we're gonna be trapped we might as well make the best of it." she grabbed the alcohol again. "Unless you're too busy chaperoning, Mr.Dixon."

He took the jar, nodding to a barley awake Austin as he hadn't moved. "What about your boy right there?"

"He-" Beth got to her feet. "-is in need of a nap."

Austin hummed as she helped him up and brought him to the dumpster chair to sleep.

Austin didn't nap long before he decided to go on a walk into the woods, searching for their next meal or any of anyone out there. He held his knife in his hand, sighing as he walked through the woods with a hopeful eye. He came across a stream, kneeling next to it and filling the two water bottles he had up. Out of a minor headache, he sat down with an exhale. He could remember loving the ocean, how interested he'd been in it and how things started and ended within the depths of the water.

He dug into his bag, pulling out one of Loris shirts that she had. Austin held it in his lap, inhaling as he shut his eyes. He wondered how Carl ever did it, how he was so strong about it all. Lori was Austin's favorite person, she did everything for him and made him grow as a person. He didn't agree with things she'd done, especially the pregnancy and getting with Shane back at camp. But, still, she'd been his number one. Austin was so curious how easy it was for everyone to move on when he was still struggling, when every time he was alone, she'd be all he started to think about.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose to keep it together, shaking his head in disbelief with himself. It wasn't the time to think about Lori, she was gone. Carl, Rick, and Judith weren't. They were out there somewhere, they still needed him. Austin pulled his knife off the ground again, cutting Loris shirt before it was good enough to rip. He pulled a thick strip of the navy fabric off, folding it over, and tying it around his head like a bandanna. Pushing it up some, it held the wavy curls back nicely.

Austin put the rest of the shirt into his bag again, pulling out one of the sheets of paper that Beth gave him. He empty one of the water bottles he'd just filled up, using his shirt to whip the inside clean before pulling the cap of his pen off.

Dad, Carl,

I'm still alive, i'll get to you soon.

-Austin

He didn't know what the chances were of them being able to find it, it was likely very low. But, low chances were better then zero. Screwing the lid on, be placed the bottle in the stream and watched it float off. As it left his eye sight, Austin got sight of the fish near his feet.

"There you are." Beth spoke from the the porch when Austin turned up just as the sun went down, a gentle smile on her face. "Was starting to miss you."

"Guess what I got?" he smiled, holding up two red fish.

"No." Daryl gapped. "How'd you get em?"

"Shane taught me how to stab a fish." he said in return, handing them his way. "Took me a few times, fell in the stream twice, but got em."

"Gonna make a fire." Daryl patted him on the back, walking toward the back.

"What were the two of you talking about?" Austin slide into the space next to Beth, putting his arm around her as she laid her head into his shoulder.

"Tweakers." Beth said in return.

"Drug people?" Austin frowned his eyebrows as Beth hummed. "Oh, cool."

"Oh, cool." Beth mocked him with a minor laugh. "He misses his brother. And I miss Maggie. I miss Sean. You miss Carl and Judith."

"Yeah." Austin agreed as he looked up at the stars. "But, the stars."

"What about Meryl though?" Beth looked up at him. "He isn't alive like ours are."

Austin looked down at her with a minor sigh. "Well, then maybe he's one of those stars then. The ones we are under. I hated that guy, but I can understand Daryl's pain. I couldn't imagine it."

"I know." Beth agreed, laying her head back down. "We should burn it down."

"What?" Austin laughed as Beth stood up. "Beth?"

"We should burn it down." she repeated, running down the steps to get Daryl. "We should burn it down."

He thought back to all they talked about when Austin was out, getting a questionable look from the younger Grimes. "We're gonna need more booze."

"Why are we burning down the only shelter we have, again?" Austin gapped as he followed them inside.

"We should burn it down." Beth just repeated, passing him some of the moonshine. "What do you say, Austin Grimes? You wanna burn our only shelter down wuth me?"

He cracked a grin as she looked up at him. "Anything for you."

Taking the moonshine, they threw it all around the little house before walking outside to do the same on the porch, heading into the grass as Daryl held matches and lighters out to Beth. "You wanna?"

"Hell yeah." she took it with a grin, Austin smiled and rubbed her back, watching the match take fire. She set the money on fire as Daryl threw it at the house, a large fire spreading as their eyes glew of an amber shade.

"It's beautiful." Austin admitted. "Weird."

"Weird." Beth agreed, tossing her middle finger up, encouraging Austin to do so.

They looked to Daryl as he followed their salute. "Weird."

•

kylie speaks

every time i write about
pre apocalypse austin i get
so happy, i just know he was
a cutie.

ALSO, the bandana? i just got
into season six when writing
and he still wears it constantly.

also do y'all wanna see the banner i made for season seven when cindy and austin run into each other? i think it's cute and kinda gives you a look into their very first scene together.