i don't know. here's a thing for the spring fling. i laughed at that because it rhymes. hope you did too. word prompts used: picnic & bubbles. i'm posting two of these today because i'm so close to the deadline, so you'll get a double dose of spring caryl today!
"I hate picnics." Daryl grumbled as he watched his wife prepare sandwiches for a picnic they were going to take later in the day. He hated doing them, they did them on Friday after their girls got from school. They would go down to the local park fifteen minutes from their house after they did their homework and would eat sandwiches and potato salad, then Carol and Daryl rest on the blanket while they each drank a beer cleverly discussed in a Verners soda bottle and the girls played. It was Friday tradition but Daryl hated it.
Daryl wasn't used to being a family man, even if his twin girls were eight years old now. He was used to it just being himself and Merle, going from town to town. That's how it was for the Dixon brothers, that's how it was for ten years. Then Merle got arrested for attempting to rob a convenience store and suddenly it was just Daryl. He got a job at a diner, where he ended up meeting Carol Potter. Carol hated Daryl when they first met, thought he was a rude jackass – which was kind of the truth. Daryl was rude and he was a jackass most of the time.
Daryl, however, was a lot nicer than Carol had thought and he had noticed when she had stopped eating because she just didn't have time to, she was always studying. She was going to medical school, she wanted to be a nurse. He'd noticed how much thinner she'd gotten. One night when it was just them at the diner and there wasn't anyone else there, Carol was taking the time to study for an exam she had coming up. Daryl had walked over to her and set a plate next to her, he had made her dinner knowing that she would probably go home and not eat there either so he'd made her a cheeseburger and a plate of fries. It made Carol realize that Daryl wasn't a bad guy. They started talking that night and Carol ended up not studying at all that night, she spent almost all night talking with Daryl.
Fast forward two years after that night and they'd welcomed twin girls, Sophia and Stephanie. They'd gotten married just after that at Study Hall and bought a small two bedroom house. Friday night picnics didn't start until the girls had turned four and were going to kindergarten, it was a nice way for them to celebrate a week well done. Nowadays, Daryl owned an Auto Body Shop in town and Carol worked at the local clinic as a nurse. They'd done really well for themselves.
"Yeah, yeah, and yet you go on them every single Friday with us." Carol said, putting each of the sandwiches in a plastic bag before she walked over to the fridge and set them in the fridge to keep them cold. She walked back to the stove and began to make the potato salad. Daryl leaned against the counter and slipped both of his hands in his pockets.
"Girls love it." Daryl shrugged. She glanced over at him as she peeled the potatoes over a bowl to catch the skins, a small smile on her face.
"And you're just a big softie that wants to make his girls happy." Carol said, setting the peeled potatoes in a second bowl as she was finished.
"Don't tell anyone." He mumbled. Carol smiled softly and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Daryl smiled slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. Carol glanced up at her husband and finished peeling the potatoes, slicing them up and dropping the chopped up potatoes in the bowl. She moved onto the onions.
"Writing a letter to Merle right now." Carol teased. Daryl playfully growled at his wife and he took a step over to her, leaning down to bite her shoulder. Carol laughed softly and pulled her shoulder from him.
"Stop it, the girls are going to be home soon."
Daryl smirked softly and nipped at her shoulder again before pulling away from her. "Yeah, I know." He said and leaned against the counter. Carol finished the potato salad just minutes before the bus stopped in front of their house to drop their twin girls off. Carol put the salad in the fridge and wiped down the counter as Daryl left the house to walk down to the end of their driveway. They had a long driveway and neither of them liked the idea of the girls walking down it alone. Daryl was always there waiting for them everyday at the end of the driveway to wait for his girls, no matter how busy it was his shop.
He crossed his arms over his chest as the bus stopped in front of the house and the doors of the bus opened. Sophia came off the bus first, Stephanie following behind. Daryl gave an awkward wave to the bus driver as the girls ran up to him. "Daddy!" They squealed, throwing their arms around their father.
Daryl grinned as the girls hugged him, resting a hand on each of their backs. He might not be used to being a family man, might just be used to it being him and his brother, then just him but he really loved being a Dad. "Hey girls." He said and wrapped his arms around their thin shoulders. "How was school?" Daryl asked as they walked up to the house.
"Good." They echoed each other. Daryl grinned. The three of them went into the house where Carol was waiting for them inside the kitchen.
"Hi Mom!" Sophia and Stephanie said at the same time as they pulled their backpacks off of their backs and set them on the table.
"Hi girls." Carol said and kissed Stephanie's head then Sophia's. "How was school?" Like they had with their father, both girls told their mother their day was good. "I'll make you guys a snack, go upstairs and start your homework."
After a snack and the girls finished their homework, Carol packed up the picnic basket and the Dixon family went down to the park. They went to their normal spot to eat their dinner, the girls taking off to play after they finished. Daryl started in on one of his beers, leaving his arm wrapped around Carol's shoulder blades as they watched their girls play with bubble wands. Alright, he liked having picnics.
"I hate bubbles." He grumbled, watching as the girls got the bubbles on their clothes. Carol wondered if Daryl was miserable unless he had something to hate and complain about.
Carol grinned at her husband and picked up one of the small bottles of bubbles, opening it and pulling the wand out. She turned her head to look at him and she blew a single bubble, giggling when it landed on his nose.
"How old are you again?" Daryl asked as the bubble landed on his nose.
"42." Carol grinned and shut the bottle of bubbles, setting them off to the side.
"Ya sure about that?" Daryl asked as Carol leaned up to kiss him. The bubble popped as they kissed and Carol laughed softly upon feeling the bubble burst. Daryl scrunched his nose and pulled away from her, looking down at the look on his wife's face. Daryl couldn't help but smile when she smiled at him, her smile was contagious.
He still hated bubbles.
