~~~EDITED~~~: I fixed some things, sorry for the people following this who are going to get two notifications.
Wow, I'm so sorry that it took so long to update this y'all. I've been really super busy but I promise I'm going to get the last bit of this fic (there are about four, maybe five chapters left) in the next month and a half, hopefully before then! I pretty much killed myself tonight trying to get this up here for y'all cause I've been feeling terrible for not having it up sooner for all my lovely followers/favoriters/reviewers. Please let me know if you like this chapter! I worked pretty hard on it but there may be a few little errors because I didn't have the chance to read back over it before I posted it since I wanted to get it up as soon as possible. I'm kind of on the fence about this chapter. The beginning is good but I got kind of lazy towards the middle, so I apologize for that, but hopefully the end makes up for it. ;]
I think the reason it was so hard to write this chapter is because I am really, really wanting to keep Daryl in character as much as possible, and the Daryl in my head is really rejecting to being in a relationship of any kind, but I think I may have brought him around towards the end of this chapter. Please let me know if you think that this Daryl is still the Daryl we all know and love, I want to make sure I'm doing the character justice and not just bending him to my own fantasies (too much anyway.) I really want this to come off as realistic for the characters involved, so please, pretty please, with a cherry on top, let me know what you think of this chapter specifically because I need to gauge how I'm going to go from here. I would really appreciate the feedback and I promise I'll never beg for another review ever again. This is just really important to me.
Anyway, I'll shut up so you may (hopefully) enjoy this now.
WARNING: M Rating applies for this chapter, read at your own risk.
Chapter Fourteen
Ultimatums
When Kate awoke the first thing she felt was a slight pounding behind her eyes, like someone was beating a drum in her brain. She groaned and rolled over, the second thing she noticed was the feeling of concrete grinding into her back. Before opening her eyes she took a minute to orient herself. The last thing she remembered was being held by Daryl in the guard tower, from the hard ground she was laying on and the prominent chill in the air she assumed she'd never made it back to her cell. Had Daryl left her up there on her own? She felt the beginnings of anger start to lick through her before she realized her head was laying on something supple, if not soft, and there was something heavy draped lightly across her waist.
She finally blinked her eyes open, the sunlight dulled by what she assumed must be grey clouds hanging in the sky. She wouldn't know since she found the only thing in her vision was a belt buckle. She realized then that her makeshift pillow must be someone's leg; the weight around her waist was someone's wrist. She could feel the person tugging down the back of her shirt and she lifted her hip slightly so that they could pull the red fabric over her bare side, where goosebumps had started to form. She nuzzled her nose into the fabric, sighing contently, not quite ready to rejoin the world.
Her mouth was dry and the headache continued its steady throbbing in her skull. She felt a shift from the person above her and then a hand was carding through her hair tentatively, gentle fingers stroking through the locks of brown, ending at the bottom where tangled curls were impossible to part. This was repeated a few times, the pain in her head slowly starting to retreat from the comforting gesture. Just as she began to drift back into a half-sleep a particularly cold gust of wind blew through the guard tower, whistling angrily about her. She shivered; curling her legs, which had been splayed out, into her chest. The hand on her back splayed out, making sure her shirt was all the way down and no skin was exposed.
The hand in her hair stopped and she made a disgruntled noise, nuzzling her nose into her companion's thigh.
"A'ight. Think ya' been asleep long 'nough." Daryl's gruff voice mumbled quietly from above her. "I know yer awake."
She sighed and rolled onto her back, opening her eyes with a small, sleepy smile. Daryl's hand dragged softly against her stomach, causing her muscles to ripple with anticipation before he pulled away. He was looking down at her from where he was sitting with his back against the wall. The leg she was lying on was stretched out in front of him while his other one was drawn up towards his chest, his elbow resting on his knee.
"I feel like shit." Kate complained, putting a hand to her forehead and shielding her eyes from the grey light that hung over them. She felt Daryl scoff from above her.
"Sit up," he commanded gently, moving his leg slightly in encouragement.
Kate curled forwards, stretching her back as she did so before she turned around, sitting cross legged next to Daryl, her knee touching his thigh lightly. She watched as he reached down next to him and came up with a red cup, handing it over to her. She raised an eyebrow as he handed it to her. "This isn't more alcohol is it? I don't think I ever want to drink again."
"'S water." Daryl snorted, his lip twitching upwards in a miniscule movement that she barely caught.
She guzzled it down greedily, the semi-cool liquid chasing away her headache almost immediately. As soon as it sloshed into her stomach it rumbled hungrily. She put a hand to her abdomen and looked up from underneath her lashes at Daryl. He was already reaching down before producing a can from next to him. He handed it over to her and she slurped the peaches she found in it down greedily, not caring that the juices overflowed on one side and dripped down her chin and into her hair. When she had finished eating she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Thank you," she murmured to Daryl, feeling suddenly very shy and very exposed. Her gaze drifted down to his thigh where her head had been leaning, she found the small wet spot that she had been searching for, her cheeks flushing with a soft pink. "And sorry about that, bad habit."
He shrugged quietly, his finger reaching down to trace the small outline from the drool which must have leaked out of her mouth in her sleep. She licked her lips self consciously before another gust of wind sent her shuddering. She realized she had walked up to the tower last night in nothing more than her flannel shirt and black fleece leggings cover by a pair of stained jean shorts. Sometime in her sleep she had managed to kick her boots off, they lay off to one side. She turned and leaned against the wall, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them. She shivered again, her elbow jerking out to touch Daryl's arm. They were sitting close but not touching, Daryl's hands folded in his lap as if he was in prayer.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the trees in the distance wave back and forth in wind, the sun was obscured under the charcoal colored skies, which spread out as far as the eye could see. This was going to be a dismal day. "What time is it?" She asked quietly after a while, turning to rest her cheek on her knees so that she could look at the man sitting next to her.
He brought a hand up to bite at his thumbnail, his blue eyes sliding to her as he answered. "Round noon."
"Noon!" Kate exclaimed, beginning to scramble up. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
His hand shot out to grab her hand as she stood, pulling her back down next to him. "It's already been cleaned up, ya' ain't got to worry." He attempted to sooth her, though he sounded almost as anxious as she felt.
She sat back down next to him with an irritated huff. "I was supposed to help clean up."
She felt Daryl shrug, their repositioning had brought her closer next to him, the sides of their bodies pressed against each other. Kate let her legs stretch out alongside Daryl's, her long legs not even reaching to his ankles.
"They got it handled, Hershel said ta' let ya' sleep and Rick agreed. Said ya' done 'nough. I reckon ya' did, jus' 'bout ran yerself into the ground these past coupla days. Everyone knows it."
Kate ran a hand through her hair, nibbling on her bottom lip. They went back to the quiet, listening to the sound of walkers just outside of the fence, their rasping growls no longer sent fear into Kate, since she knew that they were no were they could harm her. Instead they added to the minimal background sounds of the prison like sick morning birds. Normal. Kate pulled the pack of cigarettes from her pocket, Daryl simultaneously reaching for his lighter as she did so. With the ease of two practice smokers they traded a light for a cigarette before both of them were gently puffing on the Camels. Kate sighed, two swirls of smoke drifting out of her nose and lifting up to hang above their heads, mingling with the grey of the sky and Daryl's own smoke.
"Why'd you come back?" Kate asked quietly, the words punctuated by a stream of smoke that fell from her lips as she spoke.
"Come back?" The gruffness of Daryl's voice betrayed his confusion.
"To the tower, this morning." Kate explained, keeping her gaze focused forward although she could feel his eyes on her profile. She heard the hiss of his cigarette being pressed against the ground.
"I only left ta' get food. Thought ya' were asleep." His voice was quiet and she looked down when she caught his hand twitching on his knee as if deciding whether to reach for her or not.
"You stayed?" She turned to look at him then, though his gaze zigzagged away from her as she did so.
"'Course I stayed. Weren't gonna have ya' up here alone." He began to pick at the hole around the knee of his brown pants with dull fingernails, pulling off the fluff of frayed fabric and watching as it drifted across the concrete floor.
"Sorry." Kate muttered, her face heating up as she began to remember last night more specifically. She shivered again, but not from the cold. She remembered the feel of his hands on her hips, her hands in his hair, their tongues brushing against each other like flames. She pressed the end of her cigarette onto the ground.
"Why d'ya say sorry so damn much? I swear I ain't never met a more sorry person in all my life." Daryl's voice rumbled with irritation.
Kate flinched slightly at the raised volume of his annoyance, cowering in more on herself and not answering him. "You could've left, I would've been fine."
"The way ya' was clingin' ta' me like the last leaf on a tree in fall speaks differently." Daryl's lip quirked up slightly. "'Sides, ya' looked real cute curled up in my lap. All peaceful-like." The last sentence was muttered quietly into his chest.
Kate's lips quirked upwards slightly. "Sorry—"
Daryl's head snapped up and his blue eyes narrowed at her.
"I just meant…I didn't mean to crowd you. I'm kind of an octopus when I sleep. I just latch on to whatever's closest."
For some reason this made Daryl's jaw tighten, the flickering muscle in his temple a give away to his sudden change of mood. She reached her hand out tentatively and placed it on Daryl's which was still fiddling with his threadbare knee. He jerked away from her, rolling to his feet and striding across the small space so quickly that Kate felt like she had blinked and missed a minute of her own life. Daryl leaned against the window, pressing his forehead to the cool panel and breathing harshly out of his nose, his breath fogging the glass.
Kate stood up but did not move, merely wrapped her arms around herself and stared at his back. He was devoid of his angel wings, still wearing the blue button up from last night, though the sleeves were rolled up and a few buttons undone on the front. Kate tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking down at her white socks which stood out starkly against the dark grey of the concrete beneath her feet. "Did I do something?" She asked quietly, looking up at Daryl.
He diverted his gaze when she made eye contact with his reflection.
"I don't understand. You said you don't want anything with me…and then not a week later here we are, cuddling in the guard tower after a half drunk make-out session." She watched as Daryl's hand clenched into a fist on against the glass but he made no other movement that said he had heard her. "Do you have anything to say?"
Silence.
"I'm not going to sit her and let you to with me, Daryl Dixon. You either like me, or you don't. I don't do random hook ups. It's not my MO. I don't do games. I do not like to be toyed with." Her own hands were now clenched in fists down by her side as she stared daggers into the back of his head. She wanted for him turn around, to say something, to make some sort of move. She didn't know what, exactly, she wanted that move to be. Part of her wished he would just reject her, yell at her to scram and get away from him. The less smart, more romantic side of her wished that he would turn around and profess his feelings for her. The feelings that she knew where slipping around him somewhere, too new and fleeting to possibly grasp, like salmon swimming up river.
When he finally did turn to her, dragging his eyes up to meet her stony gaze, she did not expect to see what she did. His eyes were clouded by some emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint, though he held her stare, something was blank about it, as if he was far off. She took a step towards him, holding her hands out to pressed them lightly against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage, his jaw see-sawing back and forth. He tensed under her touch but did not move away, so she didn't drop her hands. Instead she dropped her head so that she was looking dead on, her gaze leveling on his collarbone.
"What do you want?" Her breath danced across the open collar of his shirt, she watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat, but still he stood there silently and impassive as marble. Finally she stepped away from him with a huff, frustration rising in her. She turned and snatched her boots off the floor, slipping them on with jerking movements, hopping around the floor as she tried to keep herself from falling over. Daryl shot out a hand to steady her but the look she threw at him caused him to retract his hand as if he'd been burned. "You better decide, Daryl, because I will not wait around. I refuse to let you keep dancing around me. Kissing, not kissing, kissing, ignoring me. It's ridiculous. We're adults. So I'm going to tell you this, and I'm going to tell you once. Are you listening to me?" She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her hair wild about her face, multi-colored eyes narrowed in his direction.
He was watching her like a weary animal, unsure whether she was going to attack or retreat. His head dipped towards his chest in a slight nod.
"I care about you. God help me, but I do. You're a good man, Daryl, despite what you might think. I trusted you before I knew you, with my life and Charlie's. You did not break that trust. In the months I've been here you've shown me kindness when others turned their backs on me. You've saved me. In this world where no one is safe, you've given me the best sanctuary I could ask for. I know that I'm not really a survivor. I don't know how to hunt, or start a fire, or kill walkers that well. But I'm here. I'm still here, and there's a reason for that. I don't care what we are, how other people see it, or if they even see it at all. I just want to know how you feel."
Her chest was heaving and her eyes were shining with unshed moisture born of frustration and passion.
"Kate—"
"I just...Take some time Daryl, I've got to go. Get out of here for a little while." She waved him off, turning to begin climbing out of the tower.
"Get out? Wha' d'ya mean?" Daryl's voice rose in what sounded like concern but she wasn't paying attention as she began her descent.
"Just think about it. Okay? I'll be back before dark."
She disappeared from his view, leaving him blinking dumbfound after her. When she hit the ground she made her way slowly up to the prison, slipping inside quietly. She went to her cell and changed her pants into jeans, leaving her flannel shirt that still smelled faintly of Daryl on. As she left she ran into Hershel leaving his cell.
"Kate, I just wanted to say thank you for what you've done for Maggie and Glenn, it was a beautiful thing."
"No need to thank me, Hershel." She pulled her bottom lip from between her teeth, his large, warm hand on her shoulder feeling as if it was pinning her in place.
"Something wrong, hon?" His eyes narrowed in doctorly concern, giving her a quick once over.
"Fine. Have you seen Charlie…or Rick?"
Hershel thought for a moment. "Charlie was at the dining area last I saw her."
Without another word Kate slipped from underneath his grip and darted away. She found Charlie placing a stack of dishes back on the bottom shelf behind the counter, obviously having just cleaned them.
Charlie's greeting smile slipped from her face as she took in the look on Kate's face. "What's wrong?" Charlie asked worriedly.
"Nothing. Well…nothing really important. I'm going for a ride, do you want to come?" Kate kicked her foot against the wood of the counter, not making eye contact with Charlie's concerned gaze.
"I told Rick I'd help him with a build up on the North side. Are you going alone?"
Kate nodded.
"I don't like it." Charlie reached over to put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "But be careful."
Kate shot Charlie a grateful smile, pulling the hand away from her shoulder and kissing the knuckles. "I will. Have you seen Rick?"
"Down by the barn."
"Thank you."
"Be safe!" Charlie called after Kate's retreating form. Kate made her way quickly over the prison grounds, coming to the barn and scaling the fence with ease. She began tacking Percy with practiced ease. It was a few minutes before she heard two sets of feet approaching her.
"Going somewhere?" Rick's voice was casual but laced with authoritative concern. She walked around Percy to see him and his son leaning against the fence, watching her.
"Out for a ride. That alright?" She wasn't really looking for permission, but felt obligated with Rick's icy stare on her.
The leader rubbed a hand through his salt and pepper beard, glancing down at his son next to him, who was watching the interaction curiously.
"Why are you leaving?" Carl asked, his head cocked to the side like an inquisitive puppy.
"Just got to clear my head." Kate smiled at the young man.
"Are you coming back?" His blue eyes were watching her carefully, his expression attempting to conceal his concern.
Her heart burned at the betrayed look on his face. It was only recently that Carl had shown any sort of warmness to her, and now he looked a moment's breath away from scorning her again with mistrust. "Of course," she replied as forcefully as she could.
His hard eyes searched her face for any trace of a lie before he nodded once, Sheriff's hat bobbing on his head.
"Back before dark?" Rick took control of the conversation again and it was Kate's turn to nod. "Don't get off and don't go far."
"Wasn't planning on it." Kate admitted before swinging up into the saddle.
Carl took off around the side of the fence to open the gate for her. She smiled lightly at him as she urged Percy through the open fence. Carl walked by Percy's head, a hand tangled in the chestnut's mane. When they reached the main gate, Carl turned to look up at her. "Come back."
"Of course." She repeated to him, tapping the rim of his hat with her foot. He laughed once and batted her boot away from his face before moving off to open the large doors. As soon as a big enough space for her and Percy to fit through was made she pressed her heels to Percy's sides and he sprung forwards.
They left the prison in the dust shortly, the only sounds Kate could hear was the beating of her own heart and the pounding of Percy's hooves against the pavement. She rode for what seemed like hours, allowing Percy to set the pace. They galloped for what felt like forever before Percy finally settled down into a gentle lope. The pair passed a few walkers, stumbling about aimlessly, too slow to do anything more than turn and start stumbling in her direction a step or two before she was almost out of sight again. When she found a clearing where there was no sign of the dead ambling about she pulled Percy up to a walk and let him graze in the grass for a while as she sat on his back and caught her breath.
After about an hour of Percy contently munching on the grass, Kate lying against his neck, a few of the dead appeared at the edge of the clearing. Noticing also that the shadows had begun to grow long despite the cloudy day she decided now was a good of a time as any to head back to the prison. As always with these kinds of trips the journey home did not seem to take her nearly the amount of time it did for her to leave. When she pulled up at the gate it was Michonne who let her in, the quiet woman not saying anything to her as she rode by but smiled slightly in welcome. Kate returned the expression before the two parted ways.
Kate untacked Percy slowly. Afterwards, she took her time grooming him, running a cloth over the saddle mark on his back a few times until it had vanished. She wiped the damp cloth down his muscled legs, and over his neck and rump, making double sure that his red coat was absolutely glistening, even in the darkness of overcast dusk. So zoned into her task was she that she never even heard any approaching footsteps.
"Heard you was back." Daryl said softly.
Her head snapped towards him, eyes widening in surprise.
He was leaning against the railings of the fence, arms crossed in front of him and one of his legs lifted onto a lower rung.
She didn't answer him, instead went back to running her hands over Percy's still warm flesh, her fingernails rubbing tiny circles into his shoulder. They stood like that for a long while, neither one of them talking. She refused to speak first, content to spend this time with her horse. She felt as if she had been neglecting him ever since they got to the prison, hardly ever taking him out and even more scarcely coming down to feed him treats or just speak to him as she had done in the past. Maybe Daryl understood, for he stood quietly, watching her with those sharp eyes, petting Percy's nose subconsciously. She could feel his gaze following her every movement, even in the near darkness.
Finally, she felt she could not put this off any longer and undid Percy's bridle which had kept him in place, allowing him to turn and wonder over to Annie who was standing on the other side of their pen. She climbed over the fence, Daryl reaching an arm out as if to steady her but not touching her. She hopped down onto the other side, turning without speaking to him and walking towards the mess tent, knowing dinner would be served shortly. Canned tomato soup was on the menu for tonight and its warm taste curled all the way down into her toes. She hummed contently as she ate, closing her eyes to enjoy the heat as much as she could.
Daryl watched her as she slowly slurped on her dinner. He had finished his in a few gulps, pushing it aside impatiently and staring at Kate with an intensity that made her question whether it was really the soup that was shooting warmth into her body. After she'd finished Daryl had picked up both his and her bowl, carrying them to the counter, where Beth took them with a gentle smile, Kate following curiously behind Daryl. They made their way through the common area of the cell block, passing everyone in their evening activities. It was not unusual to see the pair slipping off towards the library and so no one as much batted an eyelash as they passed.
The way to the library was quiet. Kate's heart was jumping around so violently she wondered vaguely if Daryl could hear it beating against her ribcage as if it was being led to its death. His steps were sure and steady as he led her down into the bowels of the prison. It was a silent journey, neither of them making a sound, Kate following behind Daryl, even though she knew the way by now. When they reached the library he pushed the door open, and jerked his head for her to go ahead of him. She slipped passed him, brushing against the soft fabric of his shirt as she did so.
The sound of the door banging shut was surprising, since all else had been dulled until then. She leaned against a bookcase, waiting for Daryl to turn towards her. He spent a few unnecessary moments casting his light about the library, as if to look for the monsters they both knew no longer lurked there. Kate took the time to admire the strength in his back and shoulders, muscles moving subtly under his blue button down, wisps of brown hair curling against the collar. Finally, he turned the flashlight back onto Kate, keeping it out of her eyes, but flicking it over her once, up and down her body, resting it on her face for a moment. She stared steadily back at him, her head slightly tilted to one side in patient curiosity.
She had given him all day to get his thoughts together, what was a few more moments? She rested her back against the shelves behind her, arms loosely crossed over her chest, not in a confrontational stance but out of comfort. She tilted one leg so that she could hook the heel of her boot against the lowest shelf, her knee jutting out in front of her. Her hair felt around her shoulders like an auburn curtain.
Daryl placed the flashlight on a lower bookshelf a few feet away, tilting it towards the wall next to Kate so that it illuminated her without shining directly into her face. He took a step towards her before stopping and scuffing a shoe against the carpeted floor. He looked down before glancing back up at her from under his brown fringe. "You left."
"I told you I was going to."
He was shaking his head as she spoke. "No, you didn't say you were going out there." His voice was low and rumbling, on the verge of no control. Anger was laced into his tone but something else was there as well, something that Kate had never really heard before and could not pinpoint.
"Does it matter?"
"'Course. Out there ya' could git hurt. Ya' already have." He steps close to her then, grabbing her arm and tracing with a finger the jagged line of her stitches.
Kate made no movement, letting him turn her arm this way and that, the raised thread casting strange shadows down her forearm.
"Ya' left. And I realized that I was angry 'bout it." His voice goes hard, as if he is reliving that resentment now. "I couldn't figure out what got me all in a tizzy about the fact ya' was leavin'. I know ya' can take care of ya' self. Maybe not as well as some of the others, but I know ya' can." He looks at her then, straight in the eye, and the skepticism that she was holding in her own multi-colored eyes dropped away at the confidence in his own. "So, why was I so mad that I wanted ta try and punch a hole through the guard tower?"
Kate realized after a moment that he was looking to her for an answer. "I don't know," she breathed quietly, her heartbeat jumping up into over time as Daryl's eyes flickered down to her lips as she pulled her bottom one through her teeth.
"I was worried 'bout ya'. And I realized I ain't got no right ta' be. Ya' got Charlie ta' worry about ya'. It ain't my place ta' care wha' ya' do." His voice is soft and accent so thick that she leans in closer to him to understand it. His eyes flicker to the movement of her head and he flinches away for a moment before sighing harshly through his nose. "Dammit woman, ya' got somethin' tha' I ain't ever dealt with before. I don't know wha' ta' do with ya' half the time. Ya' got my brain all wrapped 'round itself like a goddamn maze."
Kate smiles slightly at him and he rolls his eyes but his lip quirks upwards in one corner.
"Don't let tha' be gettin' ta' ya' pretty little head of yours." He warns, though his voice is smooth and calming.
"Why, I think it already has," she breathes back at him, the breath she inhales causes her chest to brush against his, they're standing so close.
Daryl closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Ya' got all wrapped up in my head…got ya' all wrapped up in my heart…" he bites his lip now as if searching for something else to say.
"And?" Kate pushes, tilting her head and licking her lips.
His blue eyes watch the movement before flickering up to her eyes where they stay locked. "I guess I'm sayin' I care 'bout ya'." His eyelids flutter in a way that is almost adorable it's so shy.
"I care about you too." Kate admits softly, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek, ignoring the fact his eye twitches at the contact. "What now?"
"I reckon I'm gonna kiss ya' now." Daryl breathes against her lips, bringing his hands up to tangle in her hair, pulling her head back to tilt his lips upwards towards him. Their lips meet in a soft kiss, breathing into each other's mouths. Kate's hand that had been resting on his cheek slips behind his head, tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. Daryl's hands trail down to her waist, where they rest lightly. Their foreheads come to rest against each other, as they steal gentle kisses.
The scruff around his mouth tickles Kate's mouth and she laughs a bit, breathlessly at the sensation, wrapping her hand harder into his hair, bringing her other one around his back pressing him towards her. It's as if a switch has been flicked because suddenly he takes a step forward, crowding her against the bookshelf behind her and pressing the length of their bodies together. She gasps into his mouth and a feral growl rumbling in his chest. She brings her hands up around his neck the same time his arms circle her waist. She uses the foot that had been resting on the lower shelf to push herself up some, so that their mouths are even. Their tongues scrape against each other's teeth and inside of cheeks, exploring each other's mouths in a frantic dance.
One of Daryl's hands travels down to grasp the back of the leg that Kate has hanging a few inches off the ground all her weight supported on the lower shelf with her other foot. He hooks his large hand under her slender thigh and hoists it up, moving closer than she thought possible. She instinctively wraps her leg around his waist, pulling their groins together, eliciting a moan from both of them. Kate lets her head fall back against a shelf behind her, his hand coming up to cushion the back of her head so she didn't smack it on the wood.
His mouth trails down her throat, leaving hot kisses in his wake, beard scratching against her throat in a way that sends fire down into the very core of her being. She tugs on the hair still clenched in his fist to bring his mouth back to hers where she claims it forcefully, shoving her tongue between his teeth. She strokes her tongue along his bottom lip pulling it into her mouth where she bites down gently. He rolls his hips into her, grinding her against the shelves, which creak from strain.
Suddenly she feels his hand on the waist of her jeans, fingers exploring the smooth expanse of skin hidden by the fabric of her pants. Her stomach muscles quiver at the warmth of his calloused touch. She follows his lead, palming at the stiffness in his jeans with one hand before moving her fingers to the fasten, popping the button open with ease. As she pulls the zipper down, he does the same. Their kissing has trailed off under this new territory, instead they pant into each other's mouth, breaths coming in short gasps of anticipation.
Kate dares first, her hand slipping down his trousers. She has to laugh breathlessly when she discovers he's not wearing any underwear. Her fingers ghost gently over the coarse hair before resting lightly against his erection. He moans into his mouth, hand tightening in her hair so hard it should be uncomfortable but instead sends a thousand tiny little jolts of electricity through her. She wraps her hand around him, drawing her thumb over the tip, eliciting a hiss from him that has her own thighs shivering and hips rolling towards him.
His hand slips down her jeans, pulling aside her underwear with impatient fingers, fumbling slightly at her opening before he plunges a finger into her center. The breathy moan that escapes her is lost in the kiss that he captures her lips in. She squeezes her hand around him and they begin to fumble about each other, getting into a rhythm. His other hand wraps around her waist, holding her up and steady as her leg begins to give out on her. She can feel the strong muscles of his arm against her ribcage.
She feels the heat begin to build within her, the edges of her conscious begins to blur, her hand around his erection beginning to loose it's rhythm, slipping around the precum coating. His own hand is fumbling around inside her, loosing his own mind slowly, both of their breaths sucked from one another in sloppy kisses. Without warning he presses against her sensitive spot and almost instantly her walls are quivering around his fingers. He drops his head to her throat, his teeth grazing the joint of her neck and shoulder as he growls against her as she makes mewling noises into the silence of the library.
As her shuddering dies she picks up her rhythm again around him, it takes but a few pumps of her fist before his hips jolt against her and she feels the stickiness of his release coat her hand. They pull their hands away from each other at the same moment, after both of them have caught their breath somewhat. Kate is sweating, her thick hair sticking to her neck and face. Daryl pulls back just enough that Kate slips down onto her feet again, though his arms circle her waist to keep her upright. She pushes her cheek against his chest as her breathing slows.
She traces nonsensical patterns against his back as the buzzing in their heads quiets. She pulls back after a few moments to look at his face. His usual thin lips are bruised red and full, his eyes are half-lidded and there is a soft smile on his face that is somewhere between triumphant and satisfied. He pushes his forehead against hers, their sweat-damp hair tangling with each other. He captures her lips in a soft kiss.
"Mmm, I might've changed my mind." He murmurs against her lips.
She darts her tongue out to lick against his bottom lip. "'Bout what?" She whispers back, her fingers stilling on his back.
He tightens his arm around her, pulling her in closer as his other hand comes up to brush back the hair from her face so that he could rake his eyes hungrily over her face. "'Bout bein' your boyfriend."
Kate snorts.
"Wha's so funny, Princess?" he smirks, nipping the tip of her nose gently.
"Boyfriend, girlfriend…sounds kind of stupid. How about just: I'm yours, and you're mine. No need to explain anything else."
"You're mine." He whispers against her lips.
"I'm yours." She agrees, dipping her head backwards to deepen their kiss once more.