Carol was walking silently next to her father her nerves clawing around in her throat. He didn't push her to talk as they made their way around the base. She seen more men in uniform running drills and getting yelled at for a lifetime. Dean kept side eyeing her but she just plastered a smile on her face. Her nerves were her own fault. Staying awake last night and questioning if he'd even really wanna see her or talk to her was her own fault. She knew he did, he told her he did...yet she set there with doubt so thick it was like breathing smoke. Toxic.
"There he is." Dean's voice was amused.
Carol's eyes lifted and she seen Will smiling at her over Daryl's shoulder. Dean was walking now and his hand settled on her back pushing her reminding her to take a step again. Her breathing hitched as she took him in his uniform and she swallowed her hands itching at him being so close. Carol started moving quick and before she knew it she had slammed into his back knocking him forward a step as Will caught his bicep.
Carol scrambled around his body without releasing him and ignored everyone around them. "I've missed you." Carol kept repeating her words her hand flexing against his back as his arms held her up.
"Carol I can't hear you." His voice was low. "Calm down Carol."
Getting her breath back at the worry in his voice Carol sucked in a breath and nodded against him. She felt eyes on them and pulled back looking at him studying him as he nodded to someone. This was the most clean-shaven she had seen him and frowned at it looked over her shoulder seeing her father talking to Will while Merle leaned against the wall. He waggled his eyebrows at her and she stuck her tongue out unable to resist the urge and his smile was broad him shaking his head.
Carol released Daryl and stepped back wiping her face, "I'm sorry."
Snorting he went to speak when a loud voice boomed, "DIXON!"
Daryl turned his head and looked over his shoulder, "What?" He sighed.
"You were going to leave without so much as a good-bye?" The man's voice was amused, "I thought we were closer than that man..."
Merle appeared next to her his arm over her shoulder pulling her into his side. Carol realized he was wearing his uniform too and grinned, "Merle are you even allowed to leave base with him?"
"We'll figure that out tonight when I get back Sugar."
"Your ass was off somewhere." Daryl was smirking at the man.
"You wound me."
"Martinez you see this girl here?" Merle motioned down to Carol and the man's eyes went to her and the smile on his face blazed.
"I do and I know this must be Carol." He stepped closer to her grabbing her hand and kissing it giving Daryl a huge smile, "Pleasure to finally meet you." He turned to Daryl and punched him in the chest, "You met Vic and you weren't even gonna introduce me to Carol?"
Daryl frowned at him shaking his head, "Just found out she was here. Where the hell is Victoria didn't think you'd be getting away from her."
Martinez huffed, "Campbell and them are talking to her man better get Carol out of here before they start on her too."
Carol kept laughing as Merle and Will were talking over each other both amused and using their hands as they talked. It was clearly a family trait that they all shared and it was amusing to her, in a way Will and Merle almost seemed more like brothers at times. That is until Will is jumping down Merle's throat for something and then you could clearly see the father in him rearing his head.
Norman was more like Daryl with how quiet he was and she seen him smirking occasionally watching his son and grandson. He was setting next to Daryl and she was on the other side of him with Dean in front of them. Her father kept smiling and looking between them and she was pretty sure that he had his phone silenced and had snapped a picture of them. It had been a fight all day them trying to get Daryl to hold still to get a picture of him but he somehow managed to mess them all up. With Dean's phone silenced he was able to do it without Daryl hearing the camera going off.
"Two months leave." Norman's voice was a low steady baritone, "You coming up and helping me finish?"
Daryl shifted and set back his shoulder brushing against her, "Yeah I'll be there. Bout time we finished her anyways."
Carol was setting up leaning against the table when she felt eyes on her. Turning her head Norman was looking at her with a calculating eye and she smiled at him getting an answering smile in return.
"What are you in school for Carol?" Norman's voice never raised or changed in the slightest but she noticed every man at the table turned when he addressed her.
"Teaching."
He nodded his eyes going to Daryl then back to her, "How long do you have left?"
Carol felt like she was being interviewed and almost wanted to laugh about it. It seemed like roles had got reversed. Shouldn't Dean be the one questioning Daryl?
"A year and one more semester." She smiled running her finger around the rim of her cup.
Norman didn't speak anymore instead he was quiet watching Will talking to Dean and Merle trying to bait Daryl into a fight. He smirked when Daryl growled and she seen Merle's eyes flash.
"Carol you better watch him and Martinez...those barracks get lonely at night." Merle grinned.
Norman set up mirroring Daryl, "You would know this wouldn't you Merle."
Carol's eyes widened at the red that raced over Merle's face and Daryl choked on his drink. Norman slapped him on the back roughly knocking him forward and into the table.
"Now I aint no queer." Merle growled.
Norman rolled his shoulders and looked at Carol and then Merle, "Seems only one of my grandsons has a woman who was waiting on him...maybe those barracks are getting cold for you Merle?"
"Fuck you Norm." Merle hissed.
Daryl stood up pushing his seat away and excused himself his face red. Carol watched him walk away her heart thundering and seen the conversation fall into an easy setting. The men seemed oblivious to her while they argued back and forth with each other and Carol shifted on her seat looking for Daryl and where he went.
There was a brief flash of him across the room and Carol stood up without saying anything and like she thought no one even noticed. They were debating about a gun or what she was thinking was a gun. It sounded like a couple of letters and numbers to her so she had tuned them out.
Carol smiled when she realized that it was Daryl and he was walking towards the back of the restaurant. Trailing him she paused outside the door that read mens restroom and waited to see if anyone was going to walk out. Tapping her foot she blew out a breath and swallowed pushing the door open. Carol's eyes swept the room and she smiled realizing the only boots she seen were Daryl's and he hadn't noticed her yet.
Slipping into the small stall just off from him she smiled licking her lips. The sound of the water cutting off had her grinning even wider and then his boots were nearing from the sound of it. Moving quick her hand closed around his wrist and she jerked hard pulling him into the stall causing him to stumble and have to catch himself on the wall behind her.
Looking up Carol met his wide blue eyes with her own wide smile. "Shut the door Daryl."
He pulled his hand from the wall and straightened as he pushed the door shut behind him. Carol leaned forward her fingers finding the latch and sealing them in alone.
"What're you doing?" His voice was low and the roughness of it was like home.
Carol let her hands settle on his chest and leaned up catching his mouth before he could question her anymore. She didn't want to lose her nerve, she wanted this. She just wanted him and didn't think she could say good night to him tonight without at least a moment alone with him. Daryl groaned against her mouth when she got rougher kissing him and she smiled knowing she had surprised him. Daryl use lead things with them her usually easily following him and never being the aggressor.
Hands rubbing over his chest Carol slid them lower feeling his body shudder the lower her hands went. Daryl broke the kiss his breathing erratic and Carol smiled against his throat nipping him as her hands made it to his waist. His pulse was hammering against her lips as she kissed his throat, with each touch of her lips his breath hitched in his chest and his hands tightened on her pulling her closer to him.
"We can't do this here." He growled against her the side of her head.
Shushing him Carol started working his belt open and his head thumped hard against the stall door. Lifting her eyes she followed the column of his throat as he swallowed and grunted the second the jingle of the belt sounded in the small space. It wouldn't matter now if anyone walked in that bathroom she was sure he wouldn't notice and she was beyond the point of caring. His smell was all around her and she felt a heat rushing through her body once she had taken over control for once that was addictive.
"Shit." The hoarseness of his voice spurred her on and she pulled the zipper down slowly.
Carol gasped when she felt his hands on her bare skin. She had been so focused on him she hadn't been paying attention to his hands and what he was up to. He finally looked down at her and the look in his eyes had her thighs rubbing together before his own leg shoved between hers stopping her and slightly lifting her. Carol moaned and pushed her hand inside his jeans searching for him her nails scraping just slightly over his skin causing his pupils to dilate.
Grasping him Carol shoved his jeans wider open and pushed his jeans down his hips. Growling when he chuckled at her struggle Carol gripped him tighter and gave him a slow stroke causing his mouth to snap shut and his eyes turn hooded. She smiled triumphantly when he deliberately made his stance less wide aiding her attempts of getting his jeans off his hips. Once he was free of his pants Carol let her hand close over him again and caught his mouth again silencing his groan.
Hands tightening on her ass he almost lifted her off the ground completely. Keeping her strokes like she knew he liked she felt his hips press into her more as his breathing got more ragged. "I've missed you." Voice low she purred to him just in his ear.
Hand coming up Daryl tangled it in her hair and pulled her head back angling her for him. His eyes locked on hers and she smiled at him, "You have no idea." He cut her off taking over the kiss immediately. Carol moaned and nodded as much as she could when she felt her sun dress shoved roughly up between them their chest so close it held it in place. He wasted no time stripping her of her panties as his fingers caught the thin material and almost ripped it in his haste. Growling when his fingers came in contact with her she moaned against his lips as he swallowed the noise down.
Hand hooking on her thigh her jerked it up around his hip spreading for her as his fingers sunk into her. Eyes snapping open she met his even as the kiss never broke and she seen the smile in his eyes. It wasn't going to take her long to get there. She had been shamefully wet since just seeing him standing there earlier in the day and he no doubt knew it now.
Tightening her grip on him she matched her pace with his fingers deliberately, "Can't wait for you to be on leave." Voice no more than a breathless whisper.
His mouth opened but his eyes darkened and she felt his body tensing and she kissed him. Silencing each other through rough kisses as each climaxed Carol leaned against him feeling his body jerk while her breathing returned to normal. Now that the ache that had set in since the moment he'd driven off was gone she swallowed realizing where they were and that anyone could have walked in. Daryl let her leg down off his hip and caught her dress before it could fall. His fingers slipped from her and she watched as he cleaned them his eyes looking her over hungrily.
Cleaning up Carol watched him straightening up his uniform an swallowed, "I guess I kind of assaulted you there..."
He snorted shaking his head, "That was you assaulting me?"
Carol grinned and finally let her dress fall into place, "Yes."
"You're the only person who gets a pass on assaulting me then."
The rest of dinner went smooth thankfully. Dean, Norm, or Will never commented or even noticed when they both showed up together at the table. Carol grimaced when she realized Daryl's hair was mussed up. It could easily be blamed on him and his habit of pushing his hand through his hair but she couldn't blame the redness on her throat on the same. Merle was smiling at her and she kept her eyes off him and his knowing look.
"We gotta get back." Merle was speaking to Daryl. "They don't even know I left base."
Daryl snorted and looked across the parking lot, "You gonna get in trouble?"
"I don't give a fuck." Merle shrugged, "I've got enough sand in the crack of my ass from setting out there that they can suck a dick if me getting out of there with my baby brother for the last time before I ship out pisses them off."
Daryl inhaled deeply letting the smoke burn through him and looked at her before his brother, "When do you ship out?"
"Day after tomorrow. Nothing long...I'll be out for a few months." Merle flipped his cigarette away, "Speaking of where did you two get off at earlier?"
Carol flushed, "We were just-"
"I asked where you got off at not where you got off too...I know that look Sugar." Merle nodded to his brother and Carol followed his eyes seeing him talking to her father, his, and Norman. "You aint as slick as you think. You've been eye fucking him since you seen him."
"Merle I missed him and it isn't about sex! I missed your brother." Carol was getting flustered and Merle was just smiling more.
"Oh you missed him alright." Merle elbowed her, "Gotta say...Dean almost got a surprise when he got up to hit the bathroom but I'd just came back from there and had the luck of walking in on the show you all were putting on in that stall. Saved your ass girl and his life."
Carol couldn't help the grin on her face and looked at Merle, "I missed all of your brother...and besides my dad likes him."
"Like him enough to be ok with fucking you in a bathroom?" Merle raised a brow. "Aint no daddy wants his daughter to be treated like a whore."
Carol gave him a pointed look, "Wasn't his fault anyways didn't really give him an option before I started everything."
"Marry me." Merle sighed his arm falling over her shoulder.
Carol laughed and shook her head her arm going around his side, "No."
"Can't blame a man for trying." Merle pulled her in tighter against his side and started towards where their family was.