Their first winter at Hilltop hit them hard but this sudden cold wave in February was something Daryl had rarely experienced before.

They couldn't go on a run until at least some of the snow had melted and the roads were drivable again, so he spent a lot of time hunting or chopping firewood.

One night, with his blankets wrapped around his shoulders he sneaked through the corridors of Barrington House. He gently knocked on Carol's door but didn't wait for her answer.

She sat up in bed when he closed the door behind him.
"Daryl? What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Nothing... I'm cold..."

They had slept close to one another before to stay warm, back when they where on the road, before the prison, but so far they rarely slept in the same bed.
"So you figured you'd come here to cuddle up with me? That's so romantic!"
He could hear the smile in her voice and despite being slightly embarrassed, he was glad that some of her playful, cheery behavior had returned in the past months.

On some days it was still very obvious to him that all the sacrifices she had to make were a burden on her soul, but since that day they met again at the Kingdom, after she wanted to leave; When she broke down and told him about everything, it seemed finally being able to talk to someone, slowly helped her move on and heal.
She spent a lot of time with Enid and Maggie, helping with the baby.
Things hadn't felt this normal since the prison. They were still cautious, but after defeating Negan, their sense of safety was slowly restoring itself.

He slightly shook his head, thankful for the darkness in the room so she didn't see him blush, and mustered all his courage:
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... Now scoot over before I freeze my balls off."
This kind of brazenness was new but she liked it.
"We wouldn't want that." she chuckled.
Nervous and excited, she made some room for him, folded back her blankets and waited for him to lay down.
But he didn't right away, instead he sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes searching hers in the dark.
"Is this alright?"
"Mhmh, hurry up, I'm getting cold."
He settled down in bed next to her and managed to pull his blanket over them on top of her own.

They were facing each other and despite the darkness he could see her smile before she wedged one of her cold feet into the leg of his pants and ran it along his calf.
"Holy shit! Stop!"
Carol's giggling sounded like music to his ears as pulled her body close and slid his equally cool hand underneath the back of her shirt.
She squealed and tried to squirm away from Daryl's icy touch, making his hand slip to the front of her body.
They both froze when they realized his palm was resting on her ribs, his fingertips lightly pressed against the soft swell of her breast and for a moment they just stared at each other.

He was just about to pull his hand out from underneath her shirt when she took a hold of his hand.
"Daryl, wait...You can touch me, if you want to." her voice barely a whisper and still a bit breathless.
He leaned in, his lips almost touching hers, she felt his warm breath on her face and smelled the minty fresh toothpaste he'd brushed his teeth with before he went to bed, as he asked:
"This okay too?"
"Yes"
She closed the distance between them.

Kissing Ed or Tobin had been nothing like this, despite the low temperature in the room, a hot shiver went down her spine.
It was just a tender little kiss, but Daryl's heart was beating so vigorously, he could've sworn she could hear it.
His hand, barely warmer than before, was resting on her waist, still underneath her shirt. His thumb gently caressing her soft skin.

"Do you want to stop?" Carol whispered against his lips.
He nodded, looking slightly embarrassed and quietly mumbled:
"I really wanna do this with you...But I'm cold and tired, I don't think I'll be any good...Do ya think we can continue in the morning?"
"Sure, we've got time," Carol smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind his ear,
"Good Night, Pookie."
She snuggled close to him, her face nestled against his chest and she couldn't remember the last time she felt this safe and content.
Before drifting off she felt him whisper a quiet "Good Night" into her hair.

Sure enough, Carol woke up with a smile on her face and excitement bubbling in her belly, to the sound of crackling firewood. Daryl must've lit the fireplace and crawled back into bed behind her, she realized as she felt the warmth of his embrace.
It was still slightly dark outside, judging by the light coming in through the half-open curtains, Carol guessed it was somewhere between 5 and 6 o'clock.

Slowly and very lightly Carol ground her backside against his very prominent erection until she heard him groan.
Only when she couldn't suppress a giggle anymore, Daryl mumbled:
"You doing this on purpose?"
Before she could respond, his hand was on her hip, stopping her from gyrating her hips against him.
Her already quickly beating heart started racing and just when she thought he was mad at her for teasing him like that while he was asleep, she felt him thrust sharply but not too forcefully against her.
A gasp escaped her lips when he rasped into her ear:
"Two can play this game, ya know."
She grinned at him over her shoulder, his face was as deeply flushed as hers but his playful behavior spurred her on.
"Do you want to play, Daryl?"

Carol's eyes fluttered close as she enjoyed the feeling of Daryl's strong body behind her, his lips brushing the back of her neck as his grasp on her hip loosened and his hand slowly moved over her soft belly, past her hip bone, and finally, his fingers stroked her on top of her pale blue pajama pants, slowly but with pleasantly firm pressure.

He was insecure about every move he made, doubts niggling at him:
'What if I come before we even really started, like a horny teenager? What if it won't be good for her? What if I hurt her?...'
All those worries went out the window when he heard her breathy moans and felt her weakly hump against his hand.

Carol quickly repositioned herself on the bed , laying on her back, and looked up at him with big blue eyes.
With a trembling hand she caressed his chest, up to his neck and into his hair, where she gently but impatiently tugged him down to make their mouths meet.
This kiss, so much deeper and more intimate than the one a few hours earlier, sent little shocks of excitement through both of them.

Reluctantly, Daryl broke the kiss and straddled her thighs, the movement pushing the now useless warm blankets to the end of Carol's bed.
"...Are you sure about this?" he asked.
There it was again, that shamelessly cheeky smile she always had on her face when she teased him.
She nodded, lifted her upper body from the bed and unceremoniously pulled her tshirt off.
He was completely mesmerized by the pale, freckled skin she'd just revealed, the way her abs relaxed when she let herself sink back onto the mattress and the way her soft breasts jiggled from the motion. Her already puckered nipples begged him to run his tongue over them.

"...Are you just going to stare at me or are we going to screw around?"
She grinned but Daryl detected her self-consciousness in the way she was crossing her arms in front of her chest.
He chuckled and slightly shook his head, before flinging off his tshirt as well.
"Sorry, you're just so damn beautiful!" He murmured against her throat, while his hands slowly ghosted over her newly exposed skin.
Another moan escaped her when she felt the warmth and the comfortable weight of his body on hers.

She gently trailed her fingertips through the maze of scars on his back paying close attention to his reaction in case he wanted her to stop touching the scarred skin, but he didn't seem to mind.
When she reached the waistband of his sweatpants, she hesitated for a moment before slipping her hands in and playfully grabbing his ass cheeks.
Daryl's lips stopped nipping at her collarbone.
"Wait!"
"Too much?" She pulled her hands from his pants.
"No! No...um...I've got condoms in my room..." He panted against her skin.
"Did you plan this?" She asked while nibbling his earlobe.
He abruptly pulled away far enough to look into her eyes, flustered, and tried to find the right words to apologize:
"I swear I didn't! I saw this huge box in the supply room the other day and I figured-"
"Hey, I was just messing with you." Carol cupped his face in her hands, "I'm glad you're so responsible but we don't need condoms...I've had my tubes tied years ago and I haven't been with anyone since Ed."
She bluntly told him as her hands began to wander again, this time they roamed over his chest and taut stomach.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow,
"You haven't?" he asked and only noticed how insensitive that sounded when she tensed underneath him.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I shoudn't have said that, I'm a fucking idiot!"
Daryl scrambled to get off her, sitting on the bed with his back to her.
He felt the mattress move when she sat up behind him, she reached out and touched his arm, making him look at her.
"Daryl, I... I didn't have sex with Tobin. I did sleep at his place and we ...did some things...but we never went all the way...I wasn't ready."
"Sorry, It's none of my business." He bent down, picked up her shirt and handed it to her.

"...So we're not doing this, huh?" Her eyes tried to avoid his now as her hand reached for the piece of clothing.
He closed his fingers around the fabric again, surprised. "You still want to ...After I killed the mood like that?"
Carol bit her lip and scooched closer, whispering in his ear,
"It's okay...It happened, it's over... But right now,we're already half-naked and I want you."

In a flash she was pushed back against the mattress and he was hovering above her again.
She spread her thighs apart underneath him and a shiver went through her when he rocked his still clothed crotch against hers.
"Please, stop teasing me." She moaned as his lips finally closed around one of her nipples while he softly thumbed the other one.
"Hm, I dunno, I'm not sure you really want it." he flicked the tip of his tongue over the tight bud again and looked up at her through his disheveled bangs, flashing her a mischievous grin.

Carol grabbed his hand and pushed it from her breast down over her flat stomach and past the waistband of her pajama pants.
"Does it feel like I'm unsure about this?" She breathed as she guided his fingers into her slick folds.
He stroked her lightly at first, hoping he was rubbing in all the right places and with the right amount of pressure.
Her grasp on his shoulder tightened when he slowly pushed his middle finger into her, exploring her silky, slippery walls, his thumb still relentlessly teasing her sensitive little clit.
A sudden gasp startled him.
"Everything alright?"
She nodded eagerly and her right hand slid down his body into his pants. Her eyes widened when she wrapped her fingers around his hard dick and realized just how thick he was.
"Wow.." she breathed.
His groan and the smug yet surprised look on his face made her chuckle.
Daryl was glad he had rubbed one out this morning, before starting the fire, or else he would've just come all over her hand.
The gentle stroking motion of her hand stopped abruptly when he added a second finger and started massaging her deeply.

He'd seen that move in a porno once and hadn't known if it would actually feel good for her but if her frantic whimpers ,her arched back and the way her walls fluttered around his fingers were anything to go by, she liked it alright.
"That feel good?"
"Mhm...faster...please"
His mouth captured hers in a heated kiss again and he sped up the movement of his fingertips.
"Daryl, I'm so close...Don't stop" she whined against his lips.
"Ain't gonna stop...come for me!"
Carol pressed her face into the crook of his neck, trying to muffle her moans when she felt an intense wave of pleasure crashing over her.
She brought her legs up and around his hips reflexively as her inner muscles coiled tight on his fingers.
When her moans turned into what sounded like pained whimpers he almost stopped the motion of his hand completely, circling her bundle of nerves once more, for good measure, as he pulled his now soaked fingers out of her.

"Do you need a moment?" he asked and she could practically hear the smugness in his voice before she even opened her eyes.
Carol's heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest as she nodded weakly and felt slightly embarrassed for letting herself go like that in front of someone else.

The warm weight of his body on hers disappeared which made her open her eyes, just in time to see him take off his pants.
"Do you always come this easily?" he mumbled and she wasn't sure if it was his question, the sight of his erect cock, which looked even thicker than it had felt in her hand, or just the aftershocks of that breath-taking orgasm, that made the muscles deep inside her clench again.
"...It never felt like that with someone else..."

She suddenly sounded insecure, something Ed used to say still ringing in her ears.
He'd always told her it was her fault that it never felt good for either of them. Told her something wasn't right with her, that she was too tight or not wet enough and simply not a good lay.

She flinched when Daryl hooked his fingers into the waistband of her pants and lightly pulled.
"What's wrong? Did you change your mind?"
She shook her head slightly as if she was trying to shake off those memories about Ed, before lifting her hips and helping Daryl undress her.
"No, I might not be very good at this though..."
He laid down beside her and looked at her, trying to lighten the mood he said:
"Pfff yeah right, if you come this hard while I have my dick inside of ya, i'm sure this'll be the best sex of my life."
It was surprising to hear him talk like that but she enjoyed it, she also enjoyed the way he smiled at her while his hand lazily traveled over her body, from her breast, down her soft belly where his fingers lingered a moment on the scar next to her bellybutton before he caressed further down over her mound and finally making sure she was still wet enough.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear:
"You wanna be on top?"
"Maybe next time." She grinned at him and bit her lip.
Daryl nudged her thighs apart and maneuvered himself on top of her again, until his cock was pressed snuggly against her slick warmth.
"Next time, huh? So this ain't no one time thing?"
He asked playfully while using his hand to slide the tip of his dick along her slit before tapping it lightly against her clit.
The intimate contact made her gasp as she ran her hand down her own body until she could wrap her fingers around his thickness again.
"Nope... I wanna be able to do this with you everyday."
"Are you ready?" He groaned as she tilted her hips a bit and started guiding his erection towards her waiting opening.
"Mhhh please do it, Daryl."

He gently thrust into her, studying her face for any signs of discomfort and instantly stopped when she winced and squeezed her eyes shut.
Her entire body tensed, her inner muscles tightened around his dick and he was about to pull out again when she held him close.
"Wait... I just need to get used to it...You're big." she panted.
"You sure know how to stroke my ego."
Daryl tried to joke and captured her lips in a slow, sensual kiss again, their tongues smoothly exploring one anothers mouths.
He gently and slowly pushed deeper, eliciting a breathy moan from her, as she relaxed.
When his hard member was fully inside her, he rested his forehead against hers, holding himself up with his elbows pressed into the mattress next to her head, his fingers playing with her short hair , his thumb caressing her cheek.
"You alright?"
"...Yes" Her voice barely a whisper.
It took all of his self control not to come right then and there, with her tight, velvety pussy stretched around him, but he wanted it to feel good for her, he wanted her to reach her peak before he could let go himself.

"Is it okay for you?" She asked when she noticed the concentrated look on his face and he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her this insecure and vulnerable.
"Fuck yeah, you feel amazing."
"You too. I feel so full..."
His head dropped to the crook of her neck and he groaned.
"You gotta stop saying things like that or this'll be over real quick."
He was still occupied with kissing every bit of the smooth creamy skin behind her ear and along her neck when she giggled breathlessly.
"Sorry, Pookie...You can move now..."

He started with very slow, deep thrusts, paying close attention to her reaction, her ample wetness making it easy for him to slide his thick cock along her clenching walls.
She didn't tense up again, instead she let her delicate hands roam over his back and shoulders and after a couple of thrusts she moved with him.
His throaty moans, her soft gasps and their bodies coming together as one were the only sounds that filled the silence.
He hooked his hand under the back of her knee and hitched her leg higher on his hip, slightly changing the angle of his strokes.

"Mhhh... Like that... Right there!"
Carol tried to keep her voice down but her impending orgasm made this increasingly harder for her.
Knowing he wasn't going to last much longer, he sneaked his hand back down over her uncontrollably flexing inner thigh and even lower until his fingers made contact with his swollen length as it moved steadily in and out of her. He gathered up some of the generous moisture there and dragged it up to her throbbing little nub, flicking and playing with it.
She wrapped both legs around his hips and held him as close as possible, her whole body seemed to contract and shudder again when a powerful orgasm washed over her.

After a couple more frantic thrusts Daryl finally allowed himself to go over the edge as well. Carol's inner muscles were still pulsating violently as the most feral growl ripped from Daryl's throat, she looked at him, mesmerized, enjoying the feeling of his cock stretching her even a little more before she felt the warmth of his seed spurting inside her.
His arms gave out and he was about to move off of her when she stopped him.
"Can you stay like this?" she asked breathlessly.
"Why, you want me you crush you?"
She playfully peppered the expanse of skin between his neck and shoulder with little kisses before she shrugged.
"You're not that heavy."
He clutched her body against his and deftly rolled them over, his not entirely flaccid length still inside her.
"That's better." he mumbled into her hair as he trailed his right hand from the nape of her neck along the freckled skin of her back until it came to a stop on her butt cheek.

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped in one anothers arms, enjoying the intimacy and allowing their breathing to even out.
"I'll try and last longer next time..." Daryl murmured embarrassedly.
She lifted her head from his chest, where she'd listened to his heartbeat slow down, and looked at him incredulously.
"Are you screwing with me? You were great...I didn't know it could feel like that."
"Well, I did screw with ya." He chuckled, feeling more confident now, "Gimme a couple of minutes and we can do it again."
Despite the gloomy light of dawn streaming in through half closed curtains,her smile lit up the entire room as she reached up and lovingly brushed his hair behind his ears.
"...Or we could go back to sleep now and screw later...You wore me out." She giggled and pressed another little kiss against his lips.
"Sounds good to me." He agreed.

Carol slowly disentangled herself from him and pulled the bed sheets back up, before snuggling up close to Daryl and falling asleep again while the other residents of Hilltop were slowly waking up and going about their usual morning routines.

They'd have to do without Carol and Daryl for a while.