Hi y'all!
This one takes place in the prison, one day before the season premiere of season 4. Not that the day particularly matters, but I loved the way Daryl and Carol were with one another in the premiere, and I wanted this to be as close to then as possible before everything went to hell, just so they'd be more established. Also, it's pure fluff...much lighter than what we're used to with these folks on this show.
Once again, I own nothing : )
CARYL ON, EVERYONE! oxoxox
Carol sat on the steel table, swinging her legs like a little kid on an overgrown chair. She looked around the drab prison block, wondering what the room would have been used for in the days she'd never imagined herself setting foot inside a penitentiary.
It was just a room, with a few cells lined up against one wall, steel tables lined up against the opposite wall, under the windows now, where the group had put them. There were two doors, one on the opposing walls on either sides of the cells, and neither was secure.
So she sat, legs swinging, a bag of stale M&Ms in her hand, as she wondered about the possible function of this strange room.
The door on the wall to her left opened then, and she quickly hid the bag of candy behind her back.
It was Daryl, passing through, she presumed.
"Hey," he said casually.
She smiled.
"What are you doing in here?" he asked. Everyone else was outside, enjoying the beautiful day, spirits high.
"Enjoying the quiet," she whispered.
He nodded, eyebrows raising in appreciation of her intentions.
Carol had welcomed each and every person from Woodbury with open arms, and took care of so much around the prison, that sometimes he forgot how much she had liked to just be away from it all once in a while. Like him.
"Where are you off to?" she asked him in return.
He smiled and spoke low. "Somewhere quiet."
She grinned.
"I'm a bad person," she told him, her smile lingering.
He stepped in front of her, smirking and curious.
"Oh, yeah. The worst," he replied, though his agreement was sarcastic.
She extended her leg and nudged him in the thigh with her foot. He chuckled and, to her surprise, he took a step closer. He was almost touching her knees.
"Why are you a bad person?" He rolled his eyes as he articulated his question, knowing she'd tell him anyways.
Carol reached behind her and presented the family-sized bag of M&Ms.
He looked at her reproachfully, but that half-smile was still there.
"I took it," she confessed, scrunching her nose. "I took it before anyone else could see, and I know Carl loves these. I didn't even let any of the kids have any. Bad Carol."
Daryl's smile grew, making hers do the same.
She loved seeing him like this. In the last few months, things had calmed down, and Daryl was able to just be. She loved this side of him. She loved every side of him, really. But this particular one made all the other ones even better.
"Bad, bad Carol," he snickered, and moved to prop himself up on the table beside her, laying his crossbow down.
He was staying. His weapon was off. That was serious for Daryl Dixon.
And she blushed just a tiny bit at how close he sat to her. How their thighs were practically touching.
"Mind havin' some company? Or am I ruining the quiet," he whispered the last word.
She shook her head. "You are the quiet."
She handed him the bag.
"I ain't havin' any of those. I don't wanna be an accomplice to your offense."
She nudged him with her shoulder.
"I won't tell, I promise."
He swiped the bag from her, giving her a playful side-eye. He dumped a heap of candy into his palm and ate them all in one shot.
"Watch it," she scolded, smacking his arm with the back of her hand. "Don't eat them all!"
"Won't even share with the kids, but you're sharin' with me. I should feel pretty special, I reckon," he joked.
She took the candy back and popped a couple of M&Ms into her mouth, nodding.
"You should. And you best remember that when you're putting your laundry in that bin. You have the filthiest clothes out of everyone. Do I need to write down my laundry schedule for you?"
He nudged his knee against hers.
"Nah, I know which day is your laundry day. And there ain't no way I'm lettin' anyone else touch my shit, so deal with it."
"Wouldn't have it any other way. There aren't many of us privileged individuals who get to clean and fold your underwear," she teased.
"'Many'? Who else is cleaning my drawers?"
She giggled. "Just me, I promise."
She looked at him then and he was looking back. They both smiled, and her stomach fluttered.
Things between them had been so easy lately. It was strange. Nice. There was so little to distract them from what was developing between them – what had been developing for a while – that Carol almost felt like a teenager around him sometimes.
And this was definitely one of those times.
In a moment of pure boldness, Carol reached over and took his hand, bringing it into her lap and fiddling with his fingers.
He made no move to pull away. His gaze was on the sight of her little hands, running her fingertips along his, feeling the rightness of it all.
"You best not tell anyone about this candy, Daryl Dixon," she chastized in a quiet whisper.
"What are you gonna do about it?" he teased, his own voice low.
"I will shoot you and make it look like an accident," she joked back, leaning her shoulder against his just a little bit more.
"Cross my heart," he promised. And then he turned his hand over and slid his fingers in between hers.
She looked down at their interlaced fingers and then back up at him. And he was looking at her. And the look in his eyes made her nervous in a way she'd never felt before. And although her eyes were fixated on his as though she were in a trance, she didn't miss the way his flickered down to her mouth.
Her breath hitched.
"Daryl, you in here?"
They heard Rick's call from the next room and she jolted at the sound, though Daryl's hand clasped tighter on hers before she could pull away in surprise.
"Dammit," she mumbled.
He smirked and moved to pick up his crossbow as their hands slid apart from one another.
Daryl stood up, holding his hand out to her to help her hop down and she took it.
Carol grabbed the bag of candy with her free hand and they lazily let their hands break free after a few steps towards the door.
He held the door open for her and she stepped through, noticing Rick and Carl walking away from them, almost outside, and she assumed they were taking their Daryl-search elsewhere.
"Rick," Daryl called, and the Grimes men turned then, heading back towards them.
"Here, found these for ya," Carol said, dropping the half-eaten bag of M&Ms into Carl's hand as she passed, and the boy hollered in excitement.
"Thanks, Carol!" he said enthusiastically.
She turned around and smiled at him and flickered her eyes to Daryl as she continued on outside to join everyone else.
And Daryl only rolled his eyes at her retreating figure, his smirk lingering as he tried to pay attention to Rick's words.
