Authors notes: Hey everyone! This is my first Walking Dead Fanfic. After reading so many wonderful Bethyl fics I decided to write my own. Hope you enjoy!
Beth watched the rain start to fall outside as she poked and proded at the keys of the piano trying to come up with a new tune. Daryl had warned her to keep the blinds and curtains closed but she couldn't resist letting in a bit of light from the outside. Being in the mortuary was the first time in a long time that the walls and roof overhead were not made of concrete. It was the simple things she appreciated and she wanted to enjoy having a window to let the light come in while she could.
Her thoughts floated to Daryl and the evening before as she continued to play. They had been sitting in the kitchen. Daryl had been eating and she had been writing a thank you note to whoever had been there before them. They had shared a moment. Daryl had changed his mind and thought that there were still good people out there in this new world. When Beth realized she was the one that had changed his mind she was only able to respond with one word. Oh.
The silence after that shared moment stuck in the air as they stared at each other. Neither could speak or move. Finally Daryl had broken the silence saying something about being tired and heading to bed. Beth just nodded her head and let him go. She knew he had opened up to her enough in one night and didn't want to push it. Or did she want to push it?
The last few days Beth's mind had been swirling with thoughts about Daryl. She thought of how much she enjoyed getting to know him on a deeper level. She liked pulling back the layers and seeing him for the first time for who he really was. The real Daryl. The person who never let anyone get to close. But he was letting her get close, wasn't he? He had told her about his past. He had told her that she had changed his mind. The way he looked at her sometimes made her feel like she had a million butterflies floating around in her stomach. She knew she was starting to fall for him. Did Daryl feel the same she wondered.
The morning had been quiet. Daryl had been outside most of it trying to see if there was anything useful in the shed out back. She watched through the window as he climbed the stairs and walked across the front porch. She stopped playing and listened as he gently opened and closed the front door. Beth turned around on the piano bench and waited for Daryl to enter the room.
"Hey." Daryl said as he entered the room laying his crossbow on one of the chairs and sitting himself down on the couch on the opposite wall from the piano.
"Find anything useful outside in the shed?" Beth asked.
"Just some tools." Daryl replied. Then he pulled a small pair of binoculars out of his pocket and held them up to show her. "And these. Might come in useful if we see any unusual activity around this place."
"Good find." Beth said as she played with her hair. She was nervous. She wasn't usually nervous around Daryl but after last night she found it hard to make conversation without feeling like she might spill the beans about how she felt about him.
"Come over here" Daryl insisted. "I want to take a look at that ankle."
Beth slowly got up making sure not to put too much pressure on her right leg. She crossed the room and sat beside Daryl on the couch. He reached down and gently pulled her leg onto his lap so he could get a closer look. Beth shifted her position so she was more comfortable. He slowly pulled her pant leg back and her sock down so he could inspect the damage the animal trap had caused. "Still swollen but looks like it's not as bad as it was. Bruising's gonna be there for a while." Daryl concluded. "Do ya find it any easier to walk on it?"
"A little." Beth replied looking at her foot and refusing to make eye contact with him. "Still sore though."
"Let me see if I can help some with that." Daryl gently pulled her sock off her foot. His calloused fingers gently massaged where the bruising was the worst.
Beth held her breath for a moment as she took in Daryl's touch. Not only was it helping her ankle feel better but she felt her cheeks start to flush. She needed a distraction and fast or she wasn't sure she'd be able to contain the noise that was bellowing deep down in her throat ready to come out. So she did what she did best. She started to talk and said the first thing that popped into her mind.
"Tell me about your first kiss." Beth asked out loud before she realized what she was saying. Or maybe she did realize what she was saying. She had been even more curious about Daryl's life before the zombie apocalypse after he had shared with her that night at the shack while they drank moonshine.
"You wanna know about my first kiss, huh?" Daryl responded while continuing to massage Beth's ankle. He stopped for a moment as he looked up at her to make sure he had heard her right.
"Yes." Beth affirmed.
"It was the summer I turned 15." Daryl started. "Merle was in the slammer for a couple of months. I started to hang out with the neighbor girl from down the street. Her name was Laura. Her mom worked a lot so we ended up hanging out at her place most of the time playing video games or watching movies. I thought we were just friends curing each other of boredom. Guess she thought differently. We were watching a movie and she planted a kiss on me one night right in the middle of an action scene. Took me by surprise but can't say I didn't like it."
Beth smiled. She liked hearing about Daryl's past. She knew he didn't open up to people that often. It made her feel closer to him. "What happened next? Did you and Laura end up dating?" she asked.
"I don't really know if you could call it dating." Daryl surmised. "We hung out a lot the rest of the summer and ended up getting closer. Then summer was over and Merle got out of jail."
"And what happened to Laura?" Beth asked intrigued by the story.
"I dumped her. Merle had told me you shouldn't spend that much time with one girl and I listened. Broke her heart I think. She never talked me again." Daryl said sadly. Beth knew even though Daryl acted tough he was sensitive towards people he let get close.
"Sounds like you could write your own romance novel." Beth joked trying to lighten the mood.
Daryl looked up at her and a small smirk formed on his lips. "Your turn Greene. Time to spill the beans. Who was your first kiss? Though I assume I already know the answer." Daryl said confidently.
"Guess." Beth taunted.
"I know it's Jimmy." Daryl insisted.
"Guess again." Beth said as a smile played on her lips.
"But I thought you told me he was your first boyfriend?" Daryl countered.
"I did tell you that and he was my first boyfriend." Beth affirmed. "Just cause you kiss someone doesn't make them your boyfriend." She shifted a bit closer to Daryl and she felt his fingers slowly move from her ankle up her leg and his hand rest comfortably on her thigh.
"Go on with it then. Tell me your story."
Beth sighed as she took a trip down memory lane. "I was 14. Maggie had just left for college. I went with my friends one night to the fall fair in town. We had a great time riding the ferris wheel and all the other rides. One by one they were all picked up but I couldn't get a hold of my dad to come pick me up. The park was about to close when I saw Maggie's ex-boyfriend Eric walk out in to the parking lot. He offered to drive me home and I let him. We started talking on the way home and continued for a while when we were parked in my driveway. Maggie had just broken up with him a few days earlier and he was still a little upset about that. I tried to comfort him a bit and tell him that he was a great guy. Before I could even realize what was happening he leaned over and kissed me. Truth be told I had always had a bit of a crush on him. I froze then got out of the car as quick as I could and never talked to him again."
"Did Maggie ever find out?" Daryl asked.
Beth laughed. "I'm still alive aren't I?"
"Yah. Suppose you are." Daryl smirked.
Silence filled the air again as Daryl slowly rubbed his thumb up and down Beth's thigh. She reached her hand forward and covered his with hers.
Their eyes met as Daryl felt Beth's touch. "Why'd you ask me about my first kiss?" Daryl inquired not breaking eye contact. He could feel the heat rise up the back of his neck from her touch.
Beth leaned forward a bit almost closing the gap between them. "Cause I figured we should know about each others first kiss before we shared our first kiss together." Beth whispered as she moved her free hand to the back of his neck gently pulling at his hair.
Laura may have made the first move when he was 15. He wasn't 15 anymore. He knew that not everyone might understand how Beth and him had gotten so close so fast. There was at least 15 years age difference between them. But in that moment he didn't care about the others. He only cared about what was in front of him and the girl in front of him was looking at him waiting for him to kiss her. So he did.
Daryl closed the gap and gently put his lips on her. Beth could feel the stubble of his chin on her face. She deepened the kiss still keeping it slow. Daryl pulled her closer so she was completely sitting in his lap so he could gain better access to her mouth. She parted her lips. As their tongues clashed together he got lost in the sweetness of her mouth. It seemed like the world around them stopped as they got lost in each other.
After a few moments Beth pulled back and leaned her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath. "Guess that was our first kiss." Beth pointed out.
Daryl slowly leaned Beth back so she was laying on the couch so they'd be more comfortable. He guided himself above her and lowered himself so they were touching but not so much as he would crush her. He gently stroked her hair out of her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ready for our second kiss beautiful?" Daryl asked. Beth smiled and her eyes lit up. He didn't wait for her reply as he placed his lips on hers for the second time that day.
So what did you think? There are four more chapters to this story with a time jump between most of them. Please click to follow so you can get the update as they become available.
