I want to say a MASSIVE thanks to H. Chris .H for letting me bounce ideas off her, giving me a helpful shove in the right direction and constantly inspiring me to write more. If you haven't checked her story out already, I suggest you go do it now!
"We should probably get back into the swing of things," Lizzie said as she smiled, glad that they'd cleared the air but mindful that there were things to do downstairs- she'd already avoided most of the work by sneaking off to see Randall and she was beginning to feel a little guilty, "don't want people thinkin' we're up to no good up here… An' you'll never believe what little Beth said to me earlier…!"
"Lizzie." Daryl said suddenly with such force that Lizzie instantly shut her mouth, her teeth clacking together and her smile fading, sensing the urgency in his voice.
As she looked up at him, her eyes wide and searching, he knew he was going to struggle to find the right words to tell her how he felt. It wasn't hard; he knew that, all it took was just three little words… But even though he felt them, he wasn't sure if he could say them.
She watched as he clenched his jaw, his brows practically knitting together as he frowned deeply, looking for the right words. She wished she could help him- give him some sort of hint, find the right words to put in his mouth, anything –but she knew that it was something she needed to let him do alone. They said they'd teach each other things, not drag each other through their experiences- she couldn't speak for him, but she could let him know that she was ready to listen.
"Dammit," he growled, sighing deeply and shaking his head, "I ain't no good at this, let's jus'…"
"Hey," she said sternly, reaching up and cupping his face in her hands, looking into his deep blue eyes and offering him an encouraging smile, "you don't gotta be good at everythin' but y'ain't gonna get better if you don't try," she stroked his cheek, his stubble rubbing her palm like sandpaper, "I ain't gonna judge you baby, I'm jus' gonna listen."
The addition of the word baby surprised her almost as much as it surprised Daryl. She'd never really been a fan of pet names, only using them sarcastically in the past- it stemmed from years of being called everything from buttercup to sugar-tits by drunken patrons- but she'd had to say something to let Daryl know that she was trying to encourage him to speak his mind, not having a go at him for finding it so difficult.
Lord knows he's almost as temper mental as you, she thought, don't want him flarin' up again when you've jus' made your peace.
She let her hands slide to his chest again, feeling his heart beating beneath her hands, and he nodded steadily, letting out a deep breath. He looked away from her briefly, unable to hold her gaze, his eyes darting around the room as if he were looking for the right words to say.
His attention fell on her again, his eyes burning into hers as he wet his lips with the tip of his tongue- oh, the things he can do with that tongue… She thought in a moment's distraction –before he swallowed, ready to speak.
She felt her heartbeat begin to quicken, suddenly nervous about what it was that he was finding so hard to say.
"I ain't really a flowers an' chocolate kinda guy," he started slowly, running the words through his head before he spoke to make sure they came out right and made sense, "never was an' never will be… Not even for you," he paused, expecting her to respond, surprised when she stayed silent, the corner of her lip twitching as she tried not to smile, gazing deep into his eyes, willing him to continue, "but y'know you're my woman, right? You're my woman an' I… I'm your man. It ain't about you an' me no more, it's about us."
He bought one of his hands up and brushed a stray strand of her dark hair from her eyes, pushing it gently behind her ear before he slid his hand around to the back of her head, grabbing a fistful of her hair, loving how silky and smooth it felt around his fingers. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he pulled her as close to himself as he could, breathing her in, wondering whether they'd just melt into one another if he held her tightly.
"I can't have you runnin' off alone an' doin' God knows what sorta crazy shit. If somethin' needs doin, you come to me an' we do it together, right? I gotcha back Lizzie, you should know that by now, yeah?" He felt her nodding vigorously against him, unable to find her voice as she tried to process what he was saying- what he was really saying- to her.
He lifted his face and kissed her forehead for a few long seconds, trying to put all the words that he knew he couldn't say into the kiss, somehow hoping they'd seep through her skull, into her brain, so she'd understand.
"I'd lay down my own life if it'd save yours, I'd rather die than face this world without you," he confessed, feeling the unfamiliar hot sting of tears prickling his eyes. He lowered his voice, afraid of giving his emotion away, but even at a whisper, the words caught in his throat, his voice cracking slightly as he continued, "I ain't nothin' without you Lizzie an' the thought of losin' you…"
He had to stop. Even the thought of her not being there beside him killed him. He'd opened up to her more than he thought was able but he couldn't let himself cry in front of her- not now, not ever, Dixon's were made of stronger stuff and he couldn't let the walls crumble completely.
She looked up at him, sensing that he'd come to an end and was saving the other unspoken words for another time. Her eyes were wet, tears had spilled down her cheeks to her trembling lips, and for a second he panicked, thinking that he'd said too much or not enough or just said it all wrong… But then she smiled at him and he suddenly saw through her tears- they weren't tears of sadness but of happiness.
"I ain't goin' nowhere without you, not now, not ever," she said quietly, her voice shaking as she saw the tears glistening in his eyes, "I might've lost a lot in the past few weeks but I've gained so much more, thank you."
He opened his mouth to reply but the words wouldn't come out. He was trying too hard to keep his emotions in line, his throat felt thick and constricted and his eyes stung so he just nodded in return.
"Daryl," she whispered, tenderly stroking his face as she swallowed, "I lo-"
He couldn't let her say it, he'd thought he was ready but he wasn't and if she said it, he'd have to say it back to her and he worried that, the second they confirmed their feelings aloud, it would jinx things. When the world had ended and thousands- possibly millions- had died, reanimating or simply fading from existence, whilst the survivors had lost everything, how could it be fair that they had found each other and a happiness that he never even dreamed existed for him?
"Bad things happen when you fall in love," Merle had warned when he was eight years old, after he'd come home from school, gushing about Eleanor Higham and her pretty blue eyes, "you stop thinkin' with this," he had slapped him over the head, "an' start thinkin' with this," a hard shove in the chest, "an' nothin' good ever comes of that, baby bro, mark my words."
Deep down, he knew that Merle hadn't been right… But he still wasn't willing to test his luck so he pressed his lips to hers; cutting her off before the word could leave her mouth.
She was taken aback by his sudden kiss. She had understood what he was trying to say to her in his own words and she'd wanted to use her own words- much simpler, more traditional words…-to let him know that she felt the same.
As he made to pull away, he bit down on her bottom lip sharply, making her moan in a mixture of surprise and pleasure- it wasn't like she was into any of that weird, kinky sex stuff, it was more that Daryl just seemed to have a way with her that made her feel alive… And incredibly horny.
She reached for him then, tangling her fingers in his hair as she pulled him down to her again, kissing him forcefully and parting his lips with her tongue, eager to taste him. In return, he pressed himself against her, making sure that she could feel how hard she had made him.
He might not be a flowers an' chocolate kinda guy, she thought as she slid her hands inside his jacket, raising them slightly to peel it from his shoulders, feeling him let go of her as he wriggled his arms free of their constraints, but he has other ways of makin' you feel like the only girl in the world…
His hands glided up her body, taking her shirt with them, forcing them to break their kiss momentarily as he pulled it over her head, discarding it quickly so he could touch her again, just to make sure she was real.
He grabbed her waist again, moving her slightly so he could push her onto the bed, instantly following her down so their lips barely parted, both taking in a quick gasp of air before they found each other again. He felt her hands running along his sides, snaking underneath his shirt as she began to lift them, meaning to stroke the length of his back before she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him onto her even more. As he tensed, still disgusted by the scars on his back and wary of her touching them, he felt her hands wriggle free and come to a rest on the top of the material.
He broke their kiss for a second, looking down at her questioningly. When she gave him a small smile and nodded in understanding he realized she'd felt him tense up and moved her hands so as not to cause him any discomfort. He smiled back at her before plunging his head down again; kissing her with a passion he'd never known before.
As he began to move his kisses from her mouth to her jaw, he felt her fingers running along the front of his jeans, rubbing against him. When his mouth reached her neck, kissing and biting in equal measure, her fingers had begun to fight with his fly, tugging it down painfully slow until it had released him. When her hand wrapped around his erection, moving steadily up and down, he let out a groan.
Suddenly, she let go of him and shoved him hard in the chest, forcing him back into a standing position. Before he could question her, she mumped to her feet, unzipping her own jeans and beginning to wriggle out of them, sliding her panties down her legs as she did so.
No more games, he thought, grabbing her suddenly and pushing her back down before she'd had a chance to remove her jeans completely. He couldn't wait any longer; he needed to be inside her so they were together as one.
He slid one hand beneath her, raising her hips, and pushed in to her, relishing the gasp that fled her lips at his sudden intrusion. He almost wanted to take it nice and steady, to make love to her rather than fuck her, but he knew he couldn't hold back- he needed something hard and fast and he knew she needed it too.
As he began to move inside her, he noticed that she was trying her best to keep their mouths together, masking the noises that were trying to escape both of them. She held him tightly, one hand grasping his hair while her other had hold of his shirt, pulling it up as she gripped him.
When he pulled away from her lips, burying his face in her hair as he began to move faster, she moaned, releasing his hair from her grip and covering her mouth, aware that nearly everyone was in the house below them.
With her hips raised, he was hitting her sweet spot with every thrust and it was driving her wild. The ferocity of his fucking was a stark contrast to the sweetness of his words but she didn't care- she wanted him, she needed him and she knew this was his way of showing her that he felt the same.
His teeth grazed her neck and he bit down, sucking slightly, sending shivers down her spine and she groaned, moving her hand away from her mouth so she could pull her man further into her, wanting him as close as possible.
She heard him mumble something into her neck but she couldn't quite make it out. She opened her mouth to speak to him but she found herself on the crest of her orgasm and the words wouldn't come out. Instead, she clawed at him, taking hold of his shirt as her body tensed, gritting her teeth against the cry of satisfaction she felt bubbling in her throat, distorting the sound so it came out as an animalistic growl as she felt herself melting, her muscles relaxing and her body trembling with pleasure.
When he heard her growl beneath him and felt her muscles clench around him as she came, he knew he could finally let go. He'd never really been a generous lover- as long as he finished, he was happy-but there was something about hearing her cry out for him that made him determined to get her there every time.
As he let his orgasm take him, moaning into her hair at his release, his arms went slack and he rested his weight on Lizzie for a few seconds, panting as he waited for the strength to return to his arms.
He could feel her heart thudding in her chest and he raised his head slightly to look at her. As their eyes met, she took his face in her hands, pulling him towards her slowly and planting a long, soft kiss on his lips.
When she pulled away, he looked down at her, trying to remember if he'd ever been kissed so tenderly before.
"What was that for?" He asked, his voice still husky from their love-making.
He watched as she squirmed a little, unsure whether she was uncomfortable or just trying to shrug.
"Jus' for bein' you." She replied softly, smiling up at him.
"Jus' for bein' yours." He corrected her, dipping his head and returning her kiss.
