SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I love each and every one of you guys for reviewing! Here's chapter 15 :) thank you!
Beth awoke with the pressing realization that she wasn't in her own bed and the dull, throbbing ache of her injuries. When she reached for Daryl, she found that his side of the bed empty. Slowly opening her eyes and sitting up in the most delicate way, she searched the room for any sign of him. The clothes that had been strewn on the floor without a care were picked up and set on a chair and there was a fresh glass of water and pain killers on the bedside table next to Beth's phone. Daryl had obviously been up for a while.
Maggie had, as expected, texted Beth multiple times, asking in various crude ways if she was hooking up. Beth quickly sent her a text back, saying that she'd be home later and not to worry and then she readily reached toward the pills, feeling an increasing throb in her head. After taking the little lifesavers, Beth got up and stumbled over to grab her bra and panties, feeling even more exposed in the light of day. She put them on and groaned with every bending movement. She hadn't expected it to feel this horrible.
"The day after is always the worst.." Daryl's voice came from the doorway where he was holding a mug in his hand and wearing an indiscernible expression on his face. "I made ya coffee."
"Thanks," Beth murmured, wincing when she looked down at the dark purple color of her ribs. The magic haze of the night before had given way to the harsh reality. Against all expected odds, she had won the fight last night, and against even greater odds, she had slept with Daryl. It all came washing back over her just as the pain crept progressively through her sore body.
"Ya need ta take it easy today; rest an' relax an' put ice an' heat on yer injuries. I'm sorry I can' offer any more advice than that," Daryl sighed and averted his gaze to the ground. Beth casted him a glance and saw that he was fully clothed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He clearly hadn't planned on anything happening between them that morning. Even if Beth wasn't physically up to it, she would have liked to have seen Daryl at least consider wanting it.
"Don't worry, I won't be doing much of anything today," Beth bit down on her lip and hissed when she hit the tender spot. "I'll just grab my stuff and get out of your way," she cleared her throat uncomfortably, feeling helpless to read Daryl's mood.
Daryl furrowed his brow and walked toward Beth, setting the coffee on the nightstand. "I didn' say ya had ta leave.. Stop," he took Beth's pants from her hand and tossed them back on the chair. "I'll lend ya some clean clothes an' ya can shower here. I was goin' ta make breakfast but I didn' know what ya liked, so.." It was then that Beth realized that Daryl was just as nervous and unsure as she was.
"Um.. I usually just eat cereal, honestly," Beth smiled a little. "A shower sounds great.. Thank you. But really, I should just go home and do some school work. Monday doesn't wait."
"So, yer sayin' that yer ready ta face an' tell yer kin why ya look like this?" Daryl raised his eyebrows with a look of surprise.
"Oh god," Beth brought her bruised hand to her forehead. "I didn't even think about that.. I'm an idiot. I can't exactly say I fell down the stairs again, can I."
"Na, I don' think ya can," Daryl pursed his lips. "Why don' ya shower an' think about it a bit?"
Beth picked up the cup of coffee, taking a few sips and nodding. "Yeah, I think I will. Thanks," she looked at Daryl for a minute. For some reason, she didn't feel like she had the right to just lean in and kiss him. She thought after the night before, things would be different. But as it turned out, Daryl still seemed untouchable.
Daryl gazed back at her with a tight but curious expression before breaking it to go and gather clean clothes for her, which he handed to Beth in an impeccably folded pile. Daryl was a bit of a neat freak, Beth had noticed, which was the opposite of her.
After showing Beth how to get the shower water started, Daryl went off to the kitchen and Beth was left alone with her thoughts and pain, which were beginning to become interchangeable. Why did she feel like she'd been friendzoned and Daryl was just trying to be nice about it?
The hot water was almost unbearable at first to her injuries but it quickly became a sweet relief. She washed her hair and body with careful attention and she was lost in the cleansing when she heard the sink going in the bathroom. "Daryl?" Beth called from behind the fogged glass shower door.
"Ya, sorry, I was jus' brushin' my teeth.." Daryl cleared his throat and Beth heard him put his toothbrush up and watched his blurry figure lean against the counter with his head tilted down.
"Everything okay?" Beth asked after a moment in a timid voice.
She saw Daryl shake his head slowly. "Not really."
Beth closed her eyes and let out a quiet sigh, letting the water run over her hair and back. "Do you regret last night?" She questioned hesitantly.
Daryl exhaled loudly and pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweats. "I woke up feelin'like an asshole."
"Why? I'm fine," Beth replied quickly. "You have no reason to feel like that."
"I do.. I dragged ya into this whole mess an' then fucked ya while ya were hurt. But that ain't even the worst o' it.."
Beth raised her eyebrows, stepping out from under the spray so she could hear better. "What's the worst of it?"
"The worst is.. When I woke up this mornin' an' saw ya layin' next ta me.. I wanted ya all over again. So I got up an' left ta keep it from happenin'," Daryl murmured in low voice.
"Daryl.." Beth felt a pleasant swirl in her stomach at the admission. "Come in here."
"That's a terrible idea, Beth." Daryl sighed with mild annoyance and brought his hands to his face.
Beth opened the shower in response and poked her head out. "No, come on. Please. I don't want a wall between us anymore," Beth nodded to the shower door but both knew the double meaning in her words.
Daryl looked up at her with a conflicted stare, but with a resigned nod he started to undress. Beth pushed the door open and stood and watched, both feeling unabashed in each other's nakedness. Daryl stepped in and shut the door, standing in front of Beth with closed eyes.
"Hey.." Beth put her finger under Daryl's chin and softly pressed her lips to his. Daryl responded slowly but meaningfully. "I'm okay, I swear. I'll get used to this and I'll get tougher. I'm sorry but, even if it made me hurt more, I don't regret last night. I don't," Beth shook her head adamantly.
"Ya sure?" Daryl whispered, slowly opening his eyes and searching Beth's.
"I'm sure. Relax.." Beth wrapped her arms around Daryl's neck and pressed her body against his as tight as she could without hurting her ribs.
Daryl's arms came around her waist and for the moment, their nude touching forms didn't equate to something sexual. Beth could feel relief spreading through Daryl as he let out a long breath and walked his rough fingers up Beth's wet spine.
"I don' regret it either," Daryl mumbled near Beth's ear before pressing a few light kisses to her abused jaw.
Beth pulled him under the water and their lips met in a firmer kiss. "Good, because I would have kicked your ass if you went all cold on me now."
"Oh really?" Daryl let out a throaty chuckle. "I don' think yer fit ta fight me in this state."
"I'd wait until I recover and then get you when you're least expecting it," Beth wiggled her brows and pushed some strands of wet hair out of her face.
"I think yer underestimatin' my abilities. Let's jus' say yer lucky y'all never have ta fight me," Daryl replied lightly.
"Oh, I definitely know you've got good abilities.." Beth said with an obvious allusion to the night before.
Daryl laughed again and Beth felt the doubt continue to melt away between them. "I was goin' easy on ya, fighter."
"Hmm.." Beth slid her tongue briefly over her lower lip and leaned close to Daryl's ear to whisper, "I don't know, it felt pretty hard to me."
Daryl growled and his fingers tightened on Beth's hips, pushing her away a little. "Girl..."
The resistance and heavier breathing only encouraged Beth as she bit down on Daryl's earlobe, sucking on it and pulling it with her teeth.
"Beth.." Daryl almost whimpered. "Please, stop.."
"You're not going to hurt me.." Beth whispered and kissed the earlobe soothingly, pulling back to look at Daryl with a vaguely cocked brow.
"I ain't goin' ta fuck ya when yer hurt like this," Daryl said resolutely and Beth groaned when Daryl moved away from her.
"Alright, alright. Maybe you should get out then because you're not exactly easy to resist when you're wet and naked like that," Beth grumbled and rolled her eyes, turning away from Daryl to face the pouring water.
Daryl bit back a laugh and reached for the bottle of soap, putting some in each hand. "Maybe 'fore I go though.. I should help ya finish washin' up."
"Huh? I think I washed myself pretty thoroughly, oh.." She moaned when Daryl ran his soapy fingers along her clit in long and smooth strokes. "Oh God.." She turned and leaned her forehead against Daryl's, her eyes immediately slipping shut.
Daryl continued to stroke as he brought his other soapy hand to Beth's and rubbed the liquid over it before pointedly guiding it to his own cock. Beth quickly closed her fingers around Daryl's length and matched the pace that was working on her opening. They panted against each other's lips between intermittent kisses and their hands moved faster and faster.
"Ahh.." Daryl groaned when Beth sucked on his lower lip and twisted her palm over the head of his cock, jerking her hand back down. "Fuck.."
Beth's stomach contracted at the pleasure building inside and she moaned into a particularly deep kiss after a moment. "I'm gonna come.."
Daryl's hand accelerated in a more determined way, his own body tensing as he grew closer to his orgasm. Beth came first, her body trembling during her release, and Daryl followed quickly after, unable to resist the guttural sounds of relief that were coming from Beth.
"That was.." Beth took a deep breath, "just what I needed," they said at the same time and faint laughter followed.
"An orgasm can be a pretty effective painkiller," Daryl smiled smugly to himself while he washed off, giving Beth's lips a firm kiss. "Come on.. I'll make ya a real breakfast. Fuck yer lame cereal," Daryl stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.
"There's nothing wrong with my cereal!" Beth narrowed her eyes and took the towel that Daryl offered her next.
"Yer jus' too lazy ta cook a proper breakfast," Daryl shrugged his shoulders and flashed a playful grin.
Beth couldn't argue with that because it was the absolute truth. "Alright, show off your breakfast making skills. You're full of surprises, you know?"
"Ya have no idea," Daryl looked over his shoulder with an ominous smirk.
"That was beyond cliché," Beth scoffed but had to admit she was intrigued.
_
"If it was your goal to make me so full that I'm unable to leave, you've succeeded," Beth groaned and put her hand on her stomach. "I ate way too much."
Daryl had made pancakes and bacon, which just so happened to be two of Beth's weaknesses. They had been outlawed in his apartment because while they were too much to resist for Beth, they were even more of a temptation to Maggie. The roomies had gotten into more than one scuffle over the last pancake and piece of bacon. It was best to leave it at that.
"I'm jus' the cook, I don' have any ulterior motives," Daryl swallowed his last gulp of orange juice and licked his lips.
"How did you learn to cook so well, anyway?" Beth asked as she lazily drifted over to the sink to rinse off her dishes like a good guest. "The result of countless morning-after encounters?"
Daryl glared over at Beth. "Do I really seem like the type that would cook breakfast for any bitch I've had in my bed?"
"Well.." Beth motioned toward the remnants of the food with one hand. "Yeah, kind of."
"I picked up how ta cook out of necessity," Daryl's stature went tight.
"You mean.. You didn't have anyone to cook for you?" Beth questioned.
"Ha. Can ya imagine my dad wakin' up early ta cook me a healthy breakfast 'fore school?" Daryl rolled his eyes hard.
"What about your mom?" Beth pressed with an obvious lack of encouragement from Daryl.
Daryl exhaled and stood up to gather more dishes. "Ya through with all o' this?" he asked but didn't wait for Beth to answer before pushing past her to wash the dishes off.
Beth had clearly touched a nerve. With any other subject, Beth would take this opportunity to share a personal and relatable experience. Her empathy could make Daryl feel more comfortable with talking about a topic that he was tight-lipped about. But, parents were not something that Beth was ready to talk about with anyone. Not even Daryl.
"Here, let me help you," Beth put the juice and butter back in the fridge and brought dishes over to the sink, pressing a little kiss to Daryl's cheek and wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I don't care how or why you learned to cook, I'm just happy that you feed me."
Daryl let out a small huff of laughter and put his wet hand on Beth's arm, squeezing it briefly. "Yeah, yeah. There are ice packs in the fridge, get a couple an' go lay on the couch. Yer bugging me," Daryl answered in a teasing tone.
She kissed Daryl's cheek again and nodded. Even though Daryl didn't sound mad, Beth could tell that he needed a moment to himself. Beth really did need to learn to shut up sometimes.
_
The afternoon had consisted of sleeping, pain pills, food and half-assed fooling around. It was oddly comfortable and easy, which wasn't always the case with Daryl. However, it only took Daryl mentioning that they had to go meet up with the crew, to make the unease return in Beth's stomach. When they entered the one-story office building that had obviously seen better days, the feeling worsened. Beth had to wonder where they found these shady places for their unsavory meet-ups.
Merle's grim smile only added to the unpleasant vibe that was sourcing through the fluorescent lit room where they sat around a worn card table. Beth gulped and she felt Daryl's foot lightly bump her under the table. When Beth lifted her gaze, Daryl wasn't looking at her, but Beth knew he was just trying to say that it was okay.
Knox, Leech and a sleepy looking guy called Grim all sat fiddling with their phones while Merle counted the cash in his hand with great delight. Beth blew out a dramatic breath and glanced at her watch. She really hadn't intended to spend this much of her Sunday like this, though she didn't regret the time with Daryl.
"Alright, ya did pretty good, kid. But not great," Merle looked at Beth with a hard expression as he evened out the stacks of money by tapping them on the table. "'cause it was yer first fight, an' ya gotta earn yer status with us, ya won' make as much as ya could later on."
Beth didn't think that seemed fair and from the look on Daryl's face she could see that he agreed. However, Beth wasn't in this for the money, and she didn't think that starting shit over it was in her best interest. So she kept her mouth shut and simply nodded with her lips set in a firm line.
"I'm goin' ta give ya $3,000 an' ya three boneheads get $1,000 each," he motioned toward Knox, Leech and Grim. "Dixon, ya git $2,000 since ya had t train her prissy ass, an' I'll keep the rest."
Beth had never been given that much cash before in her entire life. She wasn't even sure if she'd had that much in her bank account at one time. She took the money and looked down at it with subtle awe and jerked when Daryl kicked her leg under the table and smirked at her in amusement.
Merle shoved a sizable wad of cash in his pocket and Beth blinked. "How much is your cut?" A silence fell over the rest of the guys and Beth knew she'd asked a bad question.
"Why ya wanna know, huh?" Merle got immediately defensive. "If it wasn' fer me, ya wouldn' have fights, ya wouldn' be makin' money, eh? It's none o' yer goddamn business." Daryl looked at Beth with a light shake of his head.
Beth obeyed and held back the urge to say that if it wasn't for Merle, she wouldn't have to fight in the first place. "Right, sorry. I'm just naturally curious," Beth murmured and cast her gaze submissively downward.
"'member what I said 'bout learnin' yer place, Priss? Looks like ya need more work," Merle stood up and grabbed his jacket roughly. "Baby brotha, I need ta talk ta ya fer a minute."
Daryl nodded and stood up, sparing the briefest of glances at Beth before walking over to the corner where Merle put his arm around his shoulder and they both ducked their heads down to talk. Beth fought another twinge of curiosity and focused on getting her jacket on and carefully pocketing the money. She was quite worried that the shallow pockets of her skinny jeans wouldn't hold it.
Leech laughed at the struggle as Beth jumped a little to push the money down as deep as he could. "Maybe you should buy some looser pants, kid."
"Nah, these make my ass look great," Beth replied casually and bit back a laugh at how quickly the guy's mouth snapped shut and his eyes looked away.
Daryl looked tense when he walked back over, but he usually did, so Beth had no way of knowing if something was up. All she knew was that they couldn't leave together because it would raise suspicions.
Beth gave him a nod and a look before going toward the door. "See you all later, I guess," she waved lamely and walked out into the cold, feeling especially aware of how much it would suck if she got mugged on that particular evening.
_
Beth was almost to her apartment and had already plotted how to sneak up the fire escape and get straight into bed. She would just pretend that she came home hours before and Maggie hadn't noticed. As stupid as it sounded, this had actually really happened a few times. If her sister happened to be watching anything on TV with boobs or food, she was shockingly unobservant to anything around her. At least Beth would have until the morning to come up with a ludicrous story to explain her wear and tear.
"Hey, wait up!" Daryl called out and jogged up to Beth, his breath visible in the frigid night air.
Beth looked at him in confusion. "What.. What are you doing here?"
Daryl glanced around them and shrugged his shoulders, his hands pushed into the pockets of his oversized jacket. "I jus' wanted ta make sure ya got home alright."
"Really?" Beth's lips turned up in a faint smile. "Yeah, I guess I'm alright. I was just figuring out how to sneak in, is all."
"Why don' ya jus' use the front door. Ya live here, 'member?" Daryl creased his brow incredulously and wet his lips.
"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me," Beth rolled her eyes and kicked at Daryl's shin. "What'd Merle want with you, anyway?"
"Oh.." Daryl's face turned serious. "He's got a big fight in the works an' he wants ta put me in."
"You mean.. You'd be fighting?" Beth felt an inordinate amount of worry come over her.
"O'course, that's what I do. Er did ya forget? Maybe ya jus' think it's my job ta cook fer yer ass an' fuck ya real good now," Daryl's tone was light but his words had impact.
"No, no, I know that's not your job," Beth huffed and bit the inside of her cheek. "I just.. Got used to you not fighting, that's all. You say it's a big fight?"
"Yeah, a guy from outta state that's supposed ta be undefeated," Daryl mumbled and rocked on his feet a little, shivering. "Fuck, it's cold out here."
Beth felt annoyed at how Daryl was downplaying. "So, why does it have to be you who fights? Why not Knox, Leech or that Grim guy?" Beth crossed her arms over her chest.
"'Cause they don' have my track record. I guess ya don' know it but I'm undefeated, too. Don' fuckin' doubt what I'm capable o'," Daryl glared faintly and shook his head.
"I don't doubt it, I just don't see why you have to be the one. It seems like Merle makes you do the most out of everyone," Beth replied in a clipped toned.
"Maybe 'cause I'm the best an' he trusts me? God, Beth, ya know how ta change my mood from great ta shit in a matter of seconds," Daryl brought his hands to his temples and rubbed them. Beth fell silent and glared down at the ground.
"Look.." Daryl said carefully after a moment. "I know what I'm doin'. Been doin' this fer a long time. Have a little faith in me, alright?" Daryl's whispered voice sounded closer and Beth looked up to see Daryl right in front of her.
Beth let her forehead press into Daryl's as she nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, I find myself worrying about you for some inexplicable reason."
"Ya know.. As annoyin' as that is, I don'mind it," Daryl mumbled and sighed deeply.
"Why don't you?" Beth pulled back to look at Daryl's face and put her cold hands around Daryl's.
"I never had someone that worried 'bout me," Daryl admitted lowly.
"Oh," Beth barely uttered the word. There were a million things she could say in that moment, but she had learned not to push Daryl when he was opening up, so she chose to give Daryl a soft kiss on the lips.
Daryl kissed her and pulled back after a minute, breathing warm breath against Beth's cold lips. "Ya never told me, why are ya needin' ta sneak into yer own apartment?"
"So my sister doesn't see me like this.. I just need the night to sleep and figure out what the hell I'm going to say," Beth frowned and glanced up at her apartment.
"Why do ya think I'm here?" Daryl took Beth's hand and laced their fingers and Beth looked at him with a baffled expression. "Ya need someone Beth, someone outside all o' this shit. If somethin' happens, ya need a person ta turn ta an' someone that can take ya away from all o' this if necessary."
"But.. You -" Beth started.
"No, listen, in a perfect world, I'd be there fer ya an' ya be there fer me if somethin' went wrong in a fight. But who knows, maybe we'll both be knocked on our asses an' I won' be able ta care fer ya like ya need," Daryl spoke clearly and looked Beth straight in the face.
The logic was sound, but Beth wanted to piss herself when she thought of facing Maggie's judgement and seeing the concern and hurt in her eyes. "Just.. I don't know what to say. I'm so used to lying, you know? Telling the truth seems almost.. Impossible."
"I'm gonna help ya," Daryl murmured near Beth's ear before kissing her temple lightly.
"Maybe she'll try to kick your ass.." Beth warned.
"Let her hit me if she wants to, I deserve it," Daryl sighed out and nudged Beth. "Come on, let's go. Fuck, I feel like I'm meetin' the parents er somethin'."
Beth tensed a little but forced out a light laugh. "She's not that bad. Just kind of obnoxious," She whispered and they started to climb the stairs. "Hey.. Thank you for this."
"I got yer back, Darlin'. I don' really know what we are.. but I know I don' want ta see the people that care 'bout ya turn 'gainst ya."
"I've got your back too, Daryl. I know I'm not as tough and intimidating as you, but.. I can do a fierce bitch-face when necessary," Beth smirked and then laughed when Daryl rolled his eyes.
"Please. I'll let ya know if I need ya ta give someone the bitch-face fer me, deal? Let's go, I'm fuckin' freezin'," he opened the apartment building door for Beth and they walked forward toward the unknown.
"Deal," Beth breathed out and hoped that Maggie was watching something on TV so maybe that could help lessen the blow. No matter what though, she was absolutely going to flip the fuck out and Beth knew it.