He'd know he was screwed the moment the words left his mouth. They'd all been sat down at dinner, inner circle all around the table while the Woodbury folks busied themselves elsewhere.
"Daddy, I can't just sit inside the prison for the rest of my life," Beth pressed. This had been going on for over an hour, with Daryl feigning indifference.
"It's not safe for you out there," Maggie insisted, "You'll get yourself killed."
"But I'm never gonna learn how to defend myself if I don't get out there and try."
"There are better ways to learn. Safer ways," Hershel said.
"Like what? Sitting around bouncing Judith in my lap all day," she gave an apologetic side-glance towards Rick, "I love Judith. I do. But I have to learn how to protect myself. And I can't do it by staying here."
"Bethy, I agree you need to learn, but going out on a run with no training isn't the way to do it. You need to be taught properly. You can't just –"
"I'll teach her," Daryl bluntly interrupted, then regretted it immediately when a dozen sets of eyes honed in on him. Including hers. "She can do watch with me tonight. Work her way up from there." Daryl shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but his heart was pounding. Why did I say that, why?
"That," Hershel said, "sounds like a more agreeable solution."
Beth smiled at him brightly, and Daryl stuffed another handful of deer jerky in his mouth to hide his blush. It's not as if this was the first time he'd noticed those eyes of her. But he hardly ever looked. And when he did, he didn't let it go on for long. What good could come of it, anyways?
But now Daryl was sitting up in the guard tower, sometime past midnight, and wishing he was sharing his watch with anyone but her. He never felt any pressure to make conversation with Rick, or Michonne. They made it easy to sit in companionable silence, never judgmental of his less then social demeanor. Hell, even one of those Woodbury chicks would be better than this. He could ignore the way they all prattled after him, batting their eyelashes and standing a bit too close. They were easy to scare off; a grunt and a scowl and they'd leave him alone for good.
Six hours. Six hours alone with Beth; now, that was a different thing entirely. Daryl had given up on caring what people thought of him years ago, after the third or fourth time his dad had sent him to school with a shiner. But little Beth Greene made him self-conscious in a way he hadn't felt since he was a kid. It unnerved him. It frustrated him. By and large, it pissed him off.
Daryl heard a loud creak from downstairs, and knew Beth was climbing up to the top of the tower.
"Hey," she said shyly, slipping into the room.
Daryl jerked his head towards her, grunting in response. He eyed her up and down as she walked towards him.
"No weapon?" he asked incredulously, and she stopped in her tracks.
Beth's hands went to her sides, and her cheeks lit up neon pink. Daryl had to bite back a smile at the look of utter surprise and embarrassment on her face. "Shoot! I know I was forgetting…I can go back! I'll just run back and-"
"S'alright," Daryl interjected, "You can borrow mine."
Beth smiled at him gratefully, taking the shotgun from his outstretched hand. He had his crossbow anyways. Never went anywhere without it. She slung the gun around her back, the way Daryl always carried it, and eyed him expectantly.
"Now what?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Whaddaya think? We watch," Daryl said more harshly than he intended. He walked out to the railing and settled down with his back against the wall. Beth followed suit, though keeping a safe distance from him.
They sat in silence for several minutes, and Daryl was starting to think this wouldn't be so bad after all. But then Beth sighed exaggeratedly, and remarked, "It's quiet."
"Mmhmm," he acknowledged.
"It's nice. The prison's hardly ever this quiet anymore. Reminds me of the farm," Beth continued, looking down at her hands suddenly when she realized what she'd said. She tried not to think about the farm so much these days. You had to remember the things you'd lost, but not dwell on them. That's what daddy always said, anyways.
Daryl shot a careful glance in Beth's direction, and saw the sadness in her expression. He racked his brain for anything to say, cursing himself for having no damn clue how to be comforting. Eventually, he decided that changing the subject would be the best route.
"So how come you're so damn set on learnin' to fight?"
"I just figured it was time. I mean Maggie's pretty much fearless these days, and even with one leg, Daddy's as good a shot as anyone. I'm the only one who can't do anything…other than babysit I guess."
"That's doin' somethin'," Daryl tried to assure her.
"I know," Beth sighed, "But I don't want to have to depend on everyone else to keep me alive. I want to protect myself. I want to know that even if I was alone out there, I could survive. Ya know?"
He did know. He knew more than anyone. Though in his case, independence and self-reliance had been forced on him, rather than something he sought to achieve. If he hadn't learned to hunt and track, to fight back, he probably never would have made it to adulthood, let alone survived this long into the damn apocalypse.
"I get that," he finally said. He could feel Beth watching him from the other side of the perch, but he kept his eyes trailed on the handful of walkers lining the prison fences.
"How come you offered to teach me?" Beth asked him cautiously.
Daryl's eyes shot to hers, then immediately resumed their inspection of the dangers outside the gates. "'Cause you're right, everyone needs to be able to fight these days. Ain't no way around it." He nodded towards the gun in her lap. "You know how to use that thing?"
Beth avoided his gaze. "Not really," she admitted.
"Gimme," he demanded, and Beth handed him his gun back.
"Safety, trigger, sights," he instructed, pointing out the parts as he went. He stood up, and demonstrated loading and unloading the gun. "Safety on, safety off. You try it."
Beth was as quick a study as he'd been as a kid, desperate for knowledge. She nimbly unloaded the gun, then loaded it again, and grinned when he nodded approvingly.
"Alright, lemme see your stance," Daryl said.
She gave him a questioning look. "Huh?"
"Aim the damn thing," he sighed. "At the walkers, not me," he added a moment after.
Beth squared her shoulders and pointed the gun out at the fences, with Daryl eyeing her objectively.
Abruptly, he grabbed her by the belt loops and pulled her body around. "Face the thing you're lookin' to hit."
Beth gasped at his sudden closeness, and Daryl immediately took a step back. "Try again," he muttered, after a moment.
This time, Daryl seemed to approve of what he saw. He nodded slowly, "Alright, you can relax now," he teased.
Beth smiled shyly and slung the gun back around her shoulder. Daryl leaned back against the railing in turn, wincing noticeably.
"You're hurt," Beth commented worriedly, but Daryl just shook off her gaze.
"M'fine."
Beth watched him for a moment. "Is it your shoulder? From the bow?"
"Happens from time to time," he confirmed.
Beth continued to watch him, contemplating her next move. "Let me," she finally said definitely, moving towards him. But Daryl instantly tensed, jerking away from her and nearly toppling over the railing in an effort to gain some distance.
His ears burned with embarrassment, with Beth's hand still frozen mid-air. "Don't like to be touched," he rasped in explanation, staring down at the ground.
"Well, how do you know you don't like it if you never let anyone try?" Beth responded, and he had to meet her eyes at that. He'd never really thought of it that way before. Daryl could only stare at her blankly for a moment, mouth hanging open as if a response were hanging from the tip of his tongue.
Taking his unresponsiveness as permission, Beth tried to move towards him again, only to force him back into the corner between the railing and the wall. She'd never seen Daryl look frightened before, and it was even more surprising that she was the one making him feel that way. In truth, she understood why he didn't want to be touched. She'd seen the scars, back at the farm when she'd helped daddy patch him up. But out of everyone at the prison, Daryl deserved a little something good. And if she could ease his pain, well, at least that was a start.
"Daryl, let me help. I'm good at this. I'll make your shoulder feel better, I promise," Beth told him.
"I…" Daryl began, wincing when his voice broke. He should have been angry. Hell, had it been anyone else, had it been a couple years back, he might have hit someone for coming at him like this. Even if they did only want to help. But he couldn't be angry at Beth. For one thing, there was no concern in her tone, no pity marring her features. She wasn't doing this because she felt sorry for him, she just wanted to. That much was clear.
"I gotta be able to see you," Daryl said softly, surprising the both of them. Not an outright refusal, not an angry outburst, just a condition.
Beth nodded thoughtfully, glancing back through the open doors of the tower. Her lips broke into a smile when something caught her eye. "C'mon," she said cheerfully, turning on her heel and walking back into the room. Daryl never made the conscious decision to follow her, but nonetheless he found himself immediately at her side, watching her hesitantly.
She led him to the opposite end of the room, where a large couch faced the mirrored wall.
"Sit," Beth instructed, pointing to the couch, and Daryl did so without hesitation. It was near startling when he felt his body hit the cushions. He'd obeyed her without a thought, the same way he'd always done for Merle, and now did for Rick. If he was being honest with himself, he preferred it that way. Letting someone else call the shots; someone he trusted; someone he cared for.
He couldn't help but flinch when Beth slid in behind him, but when he raised his head up, he finally understood why she'd insisted on the change in locale. Daryl's eyes met hers in the mirror, and she smiled softly at him.
"You can see me this way, see? Is this alright?" Beth asked him, and Daryl swallowed thickly and nodded, not trusting his own voice at the moment. This was the closest anyone had been to him in years.
And then Beth's hands delicately made contact with his back, and he lost the ability to think. She touched him gently at first, keeping her eyes locked on his in the mirror as she discovered where he hurt worst. But soon her fingers pressed confidently into sore muscles, working at Daryl's shoulders until his body relaxed into her knowing hands.
It didn't take long at all for Daryl to feel secure enough to let his eyes drift shut. And when he realized he was panting audibly at her caresses, then let out an involuntary groan, it was easier that he couldn't see Beth at all. But if she was bothered by his responses to her, she certainly didn't indicate it. Beth just continued her steady, soothing pressure against his shoulders, showing, rather than telling, that everything was okay.
"Scooch up a bit," Beth whispered into Daryl's ear, and he immediately complied. But when Beth knelt behind him, and he felt her wrap her arms around his body, his eyes shot open wide. She was still working at his shoulder, and hardly seemed aware at his sudden change in mood. But now her right arm was wrapped all the way around his front, holding him immobile, and her mouth was inches from his ear.
One hot breath against Daryl's neck and he was shivering in Beth's arms. But Beth didn't pull away, or ask him what was wrong. She just continued her slow torture, touching him in ways no one had ever touched him. Daryl couldn't hide his panting now, that, or the small whimpers he let out each time she discovered a particularly sore spot. There was no way Beth had failed to notice his heated gaze on her from the mirror, or the tightness in the crotch of his jeans.
It's just a warm body, he told himself, just cuz I ain't gotten off in so long. Daryl's body was moving with the push and pull of Beth's talented hands, and it had his cock rubbing against his jeans in all the right ways. It wasn't because it was Beth touching him. And it sure as hell had nothing to do with the way she was holding him down, keeping his arms pinned underneath hers.
If Daryl hadn't been so uncertain about whether or not Beth realized his predicament, he might have just gotten up and left. But if she didn't realize the thoughts that were running through his head right now, and he took off on her, she'd certainly figure it out then. Beth met his eyes in the mirror and his cock jerked in response, his whole body seizing briefly as he rode out the sharp burst of pleasure.
"Shhh, I've got you," Beth murmured, and Daryl melted into her again, watching with hooded eyes as she coaxed all the tension from his body. Maybe she'd thought it was just her touching him that had gotten him so tense, so suddenly. Or maybe she did know the effect she was having on him, but simply didn't care.
Daryl closed his eyes and tried to get a hold of himself. But without blue eyes and golden hair as a welcome distraction, all he could feel were her arms around him. The way she held him close, held him still. It wasn't just the warm body, and it wasn't just that Beth was the one touching him like this.
Beth watched him through the mirror, surprised to find Daryl more relaxed and calm than she'd ever seen him. She had a hunch about the cause. Beth tightened her arms around him, and she got her answer. Daryl gasped and his hips jerked forward, cock rubbing desperately against the fabric of his jeans. Even in the dim light, he could see the dark spot forming there.
Daryl watched Beth look down into his lap from above him, then stare at him through the mirror with a warm smile. She knew. Maybe she'd known all along. But if anything, her arms had tightened around him even more, holding him steady and immobile against her chest as she worked away at his sore shoulder.
Daryl was stronger than Beth. They both knew it. There wasn't a doubt in either's mind that he could easily free himself from her hold if he really wanted to.
But he didn't want to. He didn't want to at all.
"That's good, Daryl," Beth whispered into his ear. And Christ, he shuddered, he gasped, his body jerked towards her instead of away and the only thing keeping him together were Beth's arms around him. Please, please, please. But Beth held him tight, hands abandoning their previous cause to embrace him fully.
"Go on," Beth murmured, holding him steady. "I've got you." So close, so fucking close. Daryl's hips ground forward reluctantly, cock rubbing back and forth against the denim until he could barely breath.
"Go on, Daryl. I want you to," Beth whispered, looking him directly in the eye. And that was all it took. Daryl whimpered when he came, hips stuttering into the air and body shaking with the force of it. Even after the last spurt had left his body, Daryl didn't stop shaking. His body melted into Beth's as he shivered and gasped for air. So Beth held him tight, keeping her arms wrapped around him until he caught her gaze in the mirror and gave her a nearly indistinguishable nod.
He stood in front of her uncertainly, painfully aware of the dampness in his jeans. Beth rose to her feet to join him, looking him squarely in the eye and seeming far too proud of herself. She watched him carefully for a moment, assessing just how shaken up he was from what had just happened.
"You know, I could take the rest of watch on my own, if you're tired," Beth offered tentatively. Daryl needed time to decompress, that much was clear. And she wasn't going to make any headway with him if he stuck around tonight.
"Yeah," he agreed immediately, clearly relieved. "Could use the sleep." He shouldered his crossbow and was nearly out the door when he turned back to look at Beth one last time.
His mouth opened, but he was lost for words.
"Go on, Daryl," Beth said with a knowing smile. And Daryl's spent cock twitched in interest at her choice of words. Go on, Daryl. I want you to. Fuck, he needed to get out of here, and now. He was down the steps and stomping towards the prison before he could suck in a much-needed breath. And he didn't look back, not once, at the young blonde who was watching him from the guard tower.
