Stupid Cupid
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"So. Let me get this straight. You want to hire me to be your date to a Valentine's Party?"
"Yeah. Naw. Ain't like that. Shit."
"Well," Carol bit her lip to keep from laughing as the man in front of her blushed a deep, endearing pink. From the well of his bobbing throat to the tips of his almost elfin ears. Even those impressive biceps of his, well. Ahem. She really shouldn't be openly ogling him like this when the man was clearly struggling. He was her friend, after all. Least she liked to think they were friends. And with Lori and Andrea gone, Maggie happy in her little Glenn love bubble, Beth still so young in her ways, and the Woodbury people still so unfamiliar to her, she was in sore need of the companionship and Daryl was easily the best friend she had ever had, anyway. It wouldn't do to alienate him and send him scurrying back to the safety of his shell. "Which one is it?"
Daryl raked a rough hand through his hair, starting at the crown of his head and effectively hiding his eyes beneath the shaggy veil of his bangs. "Forget it. Ain't nothing."
Dog-earing the page of the book she'd been reading, Carol cast it aside, scrambling from her bunk and capturing his wrist before he could make his escape. "I didn't say no." His stiff shoulders relaxed, but only briefly. He remained wary, like a cornered animal afraid to take the first step toward a too-good-to-be-true trap, and her fingers itched to sweep his hair from his eyes so she could really look at him. They'd made some monumental strides in their relationship since the Quarry, but some old habits were harder to break than others. She supposed her frequent, good-natured teasing of him wasn't really a help in this case. Serious and soft, she repeated, "I didn't say no, Daryl." His pulse thrummed beneath her fingertips, and it was her turn to flush awkwardly when she realized her thumb had a mind of its own and was idly stroking his skin, tracked by a hint of vivid blue.
Daryl's fingers twitched when she withdrew her hand and let it awkwardly fall to her side. Nary a second passed before his thumb made its way to his mouth. "Don't have to."
Fixated on that fascinating oral habit of his, Carol didn't immediately respond. When she did, her soft tone had devolved into smoke and longing. "What if I want to?" The moment stretched between them, and she was afraid she'd crossed that ever-present line in the sand they did their best to ignore most times when he snorted, uttered a familiar refrain.
"Stop."
"I'm serious."
"Pfft."
A laugh rumbled low in his chest, and his shoulders moved ever so minutely as he turned to go. The woman who valued his friendship above almost all else was pleased, but the woman who couldn't help wanting more bit her lip when her heart clenched painfully beneath her ribs. "Consider me hired." She caught just a glimpse of that curled lip little half-smile of his over his broad shoulder, and her own smile returned. "I have to warn you, though."
"Yeah?"
"I don't come cheap. I have conditions."
"Conditions, huh?"
Carol grinned when the flush made its way back to his cheeks. "Conditions."
"You gonna tell me about 'em?"
"In due time, Dixon." The look he gave her was more amused than frustrated, and her cheeks started to hurt from the smile that stretched wide and bright across her face as those conditions started to take shape in her own mind.
A tiny groan spilled free from Daryl's mouth. "Don't like that look."
"Got to give you something to think about on your long, lonely watch shift," Carol quipped, turning on her heel and practically prancing back to her bunk. Picking up her forgotten book, she shooed him away. "Go on. I'm sure Glenn's waiting." The heavy curtain hanging in front of her cell fell back into place, and she could hear Daryl muttering beneath his breath as he walked away.
"The fuck have I done?"
Only then did she laugh.
xxxxx
Sorry for this silliness. I'm blaming it on being sick, lol, and the following prompt: "So. Let me get this straight. You want to hire me to be your date to a Valentine's party?"
Caution: here be some silliness, some sweetness, and maybe even some sexiness in future chapters.
Let me know if you want to read more of this crazy little fic of mine. Hopefully, it will be fun and not wildly OOC.
Right now, we're going to leave this at a T-rating. That's subject to change.