— Behold, the humorous Bethyl fic (originally a one-shot) I promised, if you follow me on tumblr.
Story title from Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud".
"You whipped, sly motherfucker."
Daryl grunted when Merle dropped the other side of the couch. His arms strained in protest, but he ignored them. Without his brother's help, he pushed the couch to the wall.
Merle shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "The one time I give ya a chance to pick a place, ya pick the one where your damn bitch is at," he sneered. "Didn't y'all break up?"
The younger Dixon approached Merle until their faces were inches apart. "She ain't no damn bitch," he growled lowly.
The older Dixon merely smirked in response.
While Daryl began to unpack the boxes, Merle leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Do whatever the hell ya want, baby brother. Best remember that we only here for three weeks, then we skedaddle outta here nightfall, got it?"
Daryl paused for a moment and then nodded.
Merle stayed around for a bit, reluctantly helping Daryl unpack his belongings. This was the second time the Dixon brothers stayed at the same area but went their separate ways for a certain amount of time. This time, however, Daryl insisted on it.
Outside Daryl's apartment, Merle turned around to face his brother.
"Hey, if things don't work out with blondie again, I'll get ya another one. One that has huge jugs 'stead of the tiny pokers — "
SLAM!
—
Daryl stared at his phone, thumb hovering over the call button. He should call her up and say he was in the area. They could meet up at some diner, and she'll show him around. It'd be awkward, but then it'll fall into a natural state because Beth somehow made everything better with her smiles and overall presence.
God, he missed her.
In the end, Daryl flung his phone on the coffee table and sighed.
He was afraid. She might have some boyfriend around her age or she might be too busy for a lowlife like him, busy building her life when his was in shambles ever since he was born.
However, because of her, his life pieced up together little by little. And even though he resorted to following Merle around again, it was a far cry from the so-called life he had before he met her.
"Fuck it," he muttered. He grabbed the phone and was about to press call when Merle's number began flashing on the screen. "Damn it." What does this asshole want?
"Meet her yet?" Merle asked on the other side.
"I was about to," Daryl lied. He knew that if he said the truth, Merle would tease him and then random blondes would appear at his front door instantly.
"Tell her I said hi and if she — "
All of a sudden, muffled music blared. Daryl looked up and perceived the noise was coming from next door. He scowled. There was no way in hell he was going to have to deal with some insensitive dick during his three weeks here.
"Hey! Boy, you listenin' to — ?"
"Got some shithead to deal with," Daryl hastily replied, ending the call.
He pocketed his phone and trudged out of his apartment. He turned left and stood in front of the door, music even louder. His scowl deepened.
Lifting his fist, Daryl was about to bang on the door before he saw a woman coming up the stairs with a bag of groceries. Her kids sped past him, shouting and giggling.
He sighed. He approached the woman and grabbed the groceries from her grasp.
"Which number ya live in?" he asked, ignoring her surprised look.
The woman pointed to the door across his. He saw the kids bouncing around and slamming the walls, making airplane noises.
Gotta deal with them brats too, damn, he thought.
Daryl stayed in front of her door, and the woman retrieved her groceries, thanking him.
"Ain't ya bothered by the racket?" he wondered.
The woman gave him a tired but content smile. "My kids are louder," she merely said. "Besides, she doesn't play it loud that long."
Trusting the woman's word, Daryl postponed giving his neighbor a piece of his mind and headed out to grab something to eat and hopefully find a temporary job.
—
Daryl had his head underneath the kitchen sink, cold water spilling nicely over his long locks and burning skin, when he heard the muffled music again.
Instantly, he turned the faucet off and dried his hair as fast as he could with a lying hand towel. He threw the towel away carelessly and went out the door.
Without hesitation, his fist banged on the door three times.
The music switched off, and his heightened hearing detected footsteps heading toward the door. He retreated his fist and took a step back, ready.
The door opened, and he wasn't ready anymore.
Beth Greene. His girlfriend — ex-girlfriend.
(Actually, he didn't refer to her as his girlfriend because they were so much more than that.)
But here she was, after all these months traveling around Georgia with Merle. Her mesmerizing blue eyes stared up at him, and her soft lips opened in shock. But what didn't help him at all was the fact that she was wearing cotton shorts and an off-the-shoulder crop top, smooth midriff exposed. Long legs exposed. Her right shoulder exposed, one of the shoulders that he always loved kissing and biting …
"Daryl!" she gasped, and oh Lord, did he almost collapse from the sound of her sweet voice. "Wh — How — Y-You're here!"
Daryl willed his mouth to open. He willed for his vocal chords to start working. He willed for his brain to come up with something to say, but holy shit, for the first time this week, he was glad for this heatwave.
His Beth covered her mouth, and she grew teary-eyed, causing him to mentally freak out even more. He wanted to give himself a pat on the back for not turning into his mental state when she bounded forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, cheek settling perfectly on his chest.
Slowly, wordlessly, his calloused palms cupped her elbow and then slid upwards to her shoulders. He gently pushed her back to make sure this was actually the beautiful blonde he dated.
She smiled. It was.
Finally, his mouth opened.
"Merle says hi."
— Next chapter will be Beth's POV and longer.
Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated.
