Hi everyone! I really hope you enjoy this; it takes place back in the funeral home where Beth finds a pair of scissors. My friend and I definitely wanted this scene to take place, where Beth cuts Daryl's hair. Enjoy!
Beth tries to find more candles to use to light the kitchen in one of the spare rooms in the funeral home. She used most of them last night while she was playing the piano. It felt so good to feel the piano keys underneath her delicate fingers again. It almost felt foreign to her as soon as she sat down, all of those memories of piano lessons since she was five gone. It took more than a few minutes to get back into the grove. She was just glad Daryl was out securing the perimeter so he didn't have to hear her.
She remembered back to last night when she was singing and he was watching her, when she turned around to see him there her face was flustered with embarrassment. But when he told to keep playing she felt ecstatic to play for him. She was nervous at first but she felt very comfortable doing it. After maybe an hour of playing songs she could remember she had to stop because her throat was hurting her. Or maybe it was because she was running out of songs she could remember. In the middle of one song she forgot the entire chorus so she had to improvise and might've mentioned Mr. Potato Head. Which earned a small chuckle out of Daryl Dixon.
She shuffles through one of the cabinets in the room with all the bodies that deserve to be properly buried. If the person who did that doesn't return anytime soon, she wants to see if Daryl will be willing to help her bury them. She rummages behind unrecognizable equipment; behind a strange looking pair of forceps she finds a pair of scissors, She debates if she should trim her long blond locks. Beth doesn't remember the last time she had her haircut. She can narrow it down before the turn; She thinks it's when Maggie evened out her hair after she got it stuck in a car door.
Beth contemplated it and decided that a trim would be good for her hair, which is probably a rats' nest. She can't even remember a proper wash. She takes the scissors and a comb and hurries up the stairs, she quickly pops into the sitting room and grabs her bag and takes it up to the bathroom. Up in the bathroom she looks at her self in the mirror. In the mirror she sees a small frail girl. But she's not that girl. She is a survivor. She has survived this long; she sure can survive a hell longer.
She pushes that all to the side and puts her focus on her hair. It hasn't left her ponytail since the Prison and she's scared to take it out. She carefully tries to pull it out of her hair, and it hurts. She let's out small cries of pain as her hair is being pulled from out of hair. She wants to take those scissors and just cut it out of hair but she can't because it's the only one she has left.
"Come on." She says to her self. She yanks it again, "Ow!" She cries. She hears foot steps stump up the hair and make their way into the small bathroom.
"Beth? What are ya doin'?" She hears Daryl say once he enters. She turns to face him, her hair sticking out everywhere. He has his crossbow in hand and a smirk itching on his face when he sees her.
"It's stuck." Beth tells him. He chuckles and he releases his crossbow and puts it down against the wall in the hall. He wipes his hands on his pants and walks over toward her.
"Come 'ere." He says. Beth turns to face the mirror, she watches him approach her from behind. He gently begins to play with her hair with much concentration plastered across his face.
"What are you doing?" Beth asks dumbly not taking her gaze of him in the mirror, she asks the question even though she already knows the answer.
"What ya think? I'm getting this damned thing out of your hair." He says as he carefully untangles the hair that is knotted around the elastic band. Beth smiles down at her feet. His long fingers play with her hair as he inches the band out of her hair. Once it is out her sun kissed hair cascades down her back and shoulders.
Beth turns around with a smile played across her face. Her face looks much younger. 'She looks beautiful', Daryl thinks to himself. He's never actually seen her with her hair down. There was one time in the prison where he went to check on Judith who was in Beth's cell. Lil' Asskicker was playing with Beth's hair when he walked in and when he did she quickly put it back up. Back then he didn't think much of it, but now he wishes she would leave it down more often.
"Thanks." Beth says and Daryl realizes he was gazing at her longer than he should have. He looks down quickly and stumbles to find his words, "Yeah." He mutters.
Beth reaches for the comb and after a few minutes of her ripping at her own hair she is able to get the knots out. She runs her hands through her hair and feels how much nicer it is. Daryl watches from the door way memorized by her and her hair. It's strange that this is what he wants to be doing. He also realizes how much he wants to run his fingers through her long silky hair but he stops as he sees her pick up the pair of scissors from off the counter.
"Whoa." He says stopping her. Beth looks at him confused. "What? What is it?" She asks. She holds the scissors in a defensive position thinking something or someone was in their, no not their, the house.
"What are ya doin'?" Daryl asks gesturing to the scissors. Beth releases her grip as she realizes what he is talking about. She sets them back on the bathroom counter.
"I was just going to cut off a few inches. So it would be more tolerable." Beth explains. "Why?" Of course she had to ask that.
Daryl hesitates to answer her. He can't tell her what he really thinks. He doesn't know how she'll respond. So he ends up just saying, "Why don't ya cut my hair instead?"
And he slaps him self for it.
Beth just starts laughing, laughing at how idiotic he sounded. Was he serious? Did big bad Daryl really want his haircut? Daryl stands there like a five year old who did something and everyone is laughing and doesn't know why.
Beth finally straightens up and pushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Uhm okay," She smiles widely, "Wait here I'll be back." She says and exits the bathroom.
Daryl stands there awkwardly tapping his foot regretting his decision. He didn't really care to be honest, it's just hair. But to have Beth touch his disgusting hair with all the dirt and walker blood he used as "hair gel". He felt uncomfortable with that.
She quickly returned with a chair and a jug of water, Daryl eyes her. She still has that smile on her face, and Daryl hints a smirk. She sets the chair down in front of the sink.
"Alright Mr. Dixon take a seat." Beth gestures to the chair. Daryl gives in and sits down and lays his head back in the sink. Beth digs in her bag and pulls out a small pink bottle.
"Hope strawberries okay?" She asks even Daryl knows he doesn't have choice. "Anythin' is probably better than what I smell like now." He says.
"True." Beth agrees with him. "It might be cold." She warns him as she pours the jug of water over Daryl's head and into the sink.
"Shit." Daryl curses and closes his eyes as the coldwater inches down his skin.
The sink fills with dirt and Beth hasn't even started scrubbing yet! Once Daryl feels Beth's nimble fingers massage into his scalp he relaxes. It feels excellent as she digs to get the dirt and grime out. This is one of the best experiences he has experienced since the world went to shit.
The smell of artificial strawberries fills the small bathroom as Beth begins to wash the archer's hair. She appreciates how much younger he looks when he's relaxed. His muscles are relaxed, especially in his face. All the stress is washed away at this moment as she washes his hair.
She scrubs against his scalp trying to get all the dirt out; the white foam of the shampoo has even turned a pale brown color. When Beth believes she's got most of it out she rinses his hair again with the water to get the soap out.
"Okay, time to cut." Beth tells him when she's finishing combing his hair. Daryl grunts as he hands her the scissors from off the counter.
"Don't get to creative. Ya hear me." Daryl warns.
"Loud and clear Mr. Dixon." Beth gives him a smile to reassure him that she won't make him look like an idiot.
Beth concentrates hard trying to make sure all the cuts are even. She's already cut a few inches off when she realizes she needs to part it a little different. She carefully snips at his bangs so they're not in face anymore and pushes them to the side. She realized she has to get creative because this is Daryl Dixon. You can't just give him any ordinary hair cut, so Beth has to use her imagination.
Daryl sits there eyes shut, all he can focus on is the sound the blades make when they rub against each other. Snip, Snip, Snip. He doesn't even have to open his eyes to know that there is a difference. He doesn't feel the hair in face anymore and in the back he feels the cool air of the funeral home nip at his neck. Daryl is putting an extreme amount of trust in Beth right now. It's not like he's never trusted her before. Hell, he trusts her with his life right now. He won't be surprised if she shoves the scissors in his next because how much of a dick he was back at the cabin.
Daryl doesn't understand how kind, optimistic this girl is. Even after all she's been through. Her mom, brother, the lost of her home, the fall of the prison. Rick and Judith. Even her dad, he expected her to be broken unable to process what happened. But here she is proving him wrong; she's stronger than ever. She surprised him. She surprised him because she reached in; she opened him up. She made him feel.
When her small arms wrapped around him back at the cabin, he broke down. She let him just morn for everything they lost, for what he lost. Daryl can't remember how long they stood there. Minutes? Hours? Who knows; all that mattered was them and how they needed each other in that moment.
"Ok all done." Beth breathes after many moments of playing with his hair to make sure its perfect. To make sure it was Daryl.
'
Daryl waits for her to finish brushing off the strands of dark hair from of his shoulders and back before he stood up. Beth moves to the side and gestures for him to look in the mirror. Daryl hesitates before turning to look at his reflection. And his jaw drops.
He doesn't know how she did it but it looks exactly how it did when they first got to the prison. It's even ruffled in the way it was when he woke up. And to be honest this is how he liked his hair best. He didn't realize how long he got it because when he looks at the floor he's standing in a decent sized pile of his hair.
Daryl looks back in mirror and sees Beth in the corner admiring her handy work. "So," She asks carefully, "You like it?" Daryl smirks.
"Too short in the back." He says waving his hand at the back of his head. Her smile just drops.
"Oh no, Daryl sorry I didn't mean-" Beth quickly begins to apologizes but Daryl laugh cuts her short.
"Beth. It's great. Thank ya." Daryl says. Her smile returns. "Just don't get used to it. Beginners luck." Daryl warns as he walks into the hallway. Beth giggles and picks up the scissors again. She turns to mirror and picks up a strand of hair to cut.
"Put those down," Daryl says taking the scissors from her. She gives him that look again.
"Why is that?" Beth asks him crossing her arms knowing why Daryl doesn't want her to cut her hair. She just wants to hear him say it.
"Come on," He says putting his hand on her back and leading her out of the small bathroom, "Time to eat." He says.
"What ever you say Mr. Dixon." Beth giggles and walks ahead of him and disappears into the kitchen.
He watches her and shakes his head. Daryl Dixon, the man to let a girl cut his hair so she didn't cut her own. Just because he couldn't admit her hair is beautiful.