A/N: I've got two more Caryl fics up, so if anyone's interested they can go to my profile page and check them out. One's a humorous oneshot and the other's sort of a vignette, which by definition: refers to a short simple story that focuses solely on exploring a poignant moment, impressionistic idea, or thoughtful character study rather than developing plot, action, or characterization.

I was gonna say drabble, but those are generally under 100 words, so, that wouldn't have been right XD

Reading time: 8 mins.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Chapter ten: Mattresses and Spilled Beans~

Daryl sat cross-legged on the living room floor, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the mattress to fill with air.

Merle was passed out in the bedroom, having gotten himself drunk on a six-pack, and Carol sat with her legs tucked under herself on the couch, idly keeping an eye on him and twirling a particularly long curl on her head.

He had hoped that with Merle gone, she'd be more vocal, but that didn't seem to be the case. If anything, she seemed even more closed off. Happier, yes, but still unwilling to engage in conversation. He thought of opening his mouth to break the ice, but was too afraid he would only end up making things worse with his dumb mouth.

Of course, that was fifteen minutes ago.

Daryl shifted his position on the floor as he held the electric air pump in place, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"...So, what'd you an' Merle talk about?"

She looked at him. "Merle?"

Shit, he hadn't told her his brother's name yet.

He momentarily pursed his lips, deciding to just roll with it. "Yeah. What'd he say to you?"

Her eyes shifted downwards. "Nothing, he just...nothing, really. Why?"

Obviously, he needed to be more specific.

"Did he say anything 'bout me?"

Her lips puckered slightly and her eyebrows lifted. "Um...w- well, yes. I mean, nothing bad, it was just..." when he gave her a look, she simply said, "Yes."

He looked away. "Hmph."

Carol fidgeted in his peripheral vision. "...It...it wasn't anything bad. He just...told me about your childhood."

His neck nearly snapped as he turned his head to look at her again, feeling rather panicked at the plethora of things Merle could have told her.

"...Well, what'd he say?" He asked, tone a bit more curt than he'd intended.

She gaped at him like a fish out of water, obviously wishing she could take the words and put them right back in her mouth, but nevertheless, answered. "Uh, he- he told me lots of things. Uh...he-"

"Like what?" He asked, more insistent.

Carol looked to the ceiling, trying to pick a topic.

He'd obviously told her a lot if she had to think about it.

"Okay," she said. "Well...he told me about the time you and he outran the cops in a go-kart when you were seven."

A smile tugged at his lips at the fond memory, and he was thankful he had something covering his face so she didn't see. "Really, now?" He mused. "And what else did he say?"

She relaxed her position on the couch, relieved that he wasn't angry with her.

"Oh, uh...well, he...he told me about the time he beat up your neighbor because they'd hired someone to rough you up."

He laughed at that. "Ha! Yeah. He ended up havin' to take on an entire bar..."

"Yeah, he said that!" She said, smiling.

They stared at each other for a long moment, smiling at age-old memories that only one of them had been fortunate enough to experience (or unfortunate, depending on your point of view) and Daryl could swear his heart was having palpitations under her gaze.

"...Are...you going to get that?"

He snapped out of his trance, following the trail of her eyes, and found that the mattress was inflated - to the point of nearly bursting.

"Shit!"

He fumbled to shut the air pump off, yanking it away and letting some of the excess air out before plugging the hole in the bed.

If he hadn't had it covered, he was sure she'd be laughing at his beet-red face.

He coughed. "Well there's your bed. It ain't heated or nothin' but it beats sleepin' in a closet."

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you. I know you didn't have to do this."

He stood up, looked at the floor. "It was nothin'."

They waited in relative silence, save for Merle's snoring, and Carol spoke again before things got too awkward.

"So," she said, clapping her hands. "Trade you places?"

Daryl lifted his head to look at her, finally having found his nerve. "Uh...yeah, sure."

She stood up and he moved forward, trying to keep the heat from flooding up the back of his neck as she brushed past him. It was pretty pathetic, but this was the closest he'd ever been to a woman, and even that was only because he'd kidnapped her.

Of course, he wasn't about to tell her that.

As Carol sat down on her new bed, Daryl lay down on the couch. He tossed her a thin blanket, the one he had been using the past few nights before, and she muttered a low 'thank you' as he switched off the lights.

The room was flooded with darkness...

And then awkwardness.

He lay staring up at the blackness he knew to be the ceiling, trying his damnest to get out the two little words that he knew would clear the air again so he could just shut his eyes and go to sleep.

Just get it over with, his mind told him. It's two damn words, what the hell's the matter with you? It shouldn't be that hard to say it! People say it all the time! Little kids say it more often than you do! Why are you such a dumbass? Why are you having so much trouble with this? Why-

"Good night."

He froze, surprised at the broken silence, but relieved all the same as he finally felt as if he could get the words out. It was always so much easier to react to someone else's conversation than it was to start your own. Or at least, for Daryl it was.

Turning his head towards her, he replied in a low but soft voice, "G'night."

He stared back at the ceiling, a feeling of calm washing over him, and he closed his eyes.

He couldn't see it, so he really couldn't be sure, but he swore he heard her smile as he drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Isn't that sweet? Daryl didn't even have anything to worry about. Merle took care of him, building him up in Carol's eyes with crazy stories and all that :)

SPOILER ALERT: Carol's going to be leaving in the next chapter. I won't say how, but you'll see. In the meantime, feel free to share your theories on how it's gonna happen ;)

Though I doubt if anyone's interested (considering this is a Caryl fic) I'm thinking of getting a Bethyl fanfic up soon, modern AU. What do you think? I've also got several other Caryl ideas, most of which are not AUs, so don't hesitate to share your thoughts :)

'Til next time!