It may be a little late, but here's another Halloween-y ficlet for your sweet tooth. Thanks to olpie for the prompt - sorry I don't follow directions very well...
"Daaaryyllll," Beth whined as she followed him from one room to another in their apartment. Granted, there weren't that many rooms for him to escape into, but that was beside the point.
"I ain't doin' it," he growled at her as he led her just far enough into their bedroom to be able to get around her and retreat back to the living room. Was he desperate enough to lock himself in the bathroom? No, although if she kept up that whining, he'd be sorely tempted. Plus she knew where the emergency lock pick was, so the point was moot anyway. Was he a big enough asshole to just leave? Also no. They both knew he'd never leave her.
He heard her petulant stomping behind him, sighed heavily, and turned around with just enough time to catch her before she ran right into him. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, and he knew whatever she said next, he'd be hard pressed to argue his way out of it. He hated when she gave him that look.
"Rick and Michonne's Halloween party is in two days, and we don't have a fun couple costume. I didn't make you wear one last year, and it was no fun getting all dressed up by myself. Please?"
Shit. Now she was begging? Why did the universe hate him? "Why do a bunch of grown ass people think they need to dress up anyway? Ain't Halloween for kids?"
"Halloween does not have an age limit, Daryl." She sounded scandalized, and he nearly laughed out loud at her reaction. "Even Merle dressed up last year."
"Yeah," he agreed sardonically. "As a biker. Big stretch there." Daryl turned to walk into the kitchen. Maybe a beer would make this a little less painful.
"It was a costume," Beth insisted, following after him. "He wore a helmet. Merle never wears a helmet. I didn't know he even owned one." After a beat, she asked, "Do you think he bought it just for Halloween?" He cracked open a can he'd pulled from the fridge and watched as she shook her head, bringing herself back to her argument. "The point is, he put in at least a modicum of effort. So…?"
Daryl leaned back against the counter and took a healthy swig of Budweiser before answering. "Fine. I'll go as a biker. Helmet and all," he relented, pushing himself back upright to head to the living room couch.
Beth growled in frustration. "That doesn't count. You already have a helmet. That's like…even less effort than Merle."
"Exactly," Daryl countered, making himself comfy against the arm of the couch. "It's simple, economical, and effortless." He took another sip of beer, a tiny celebration of a victory that he should have known was fleeting.
"And what am I supposed to be?" Beth stood strong, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. God, she was gorgeous when she was pretending to be pissed. "Your old lady?"
Daryl considered it. She'd look hotter than hell in leather. "I mean…it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." He watched her fight the grin that threatened to stretch across her face.
"That's not the point, Daryl," she tried again. "Halloween is about dressing up as something you're not. To make believe. Just pretend."
"You sayin' you wanna role play?" he teased. She scoffed and play-swatted his shoulder…and he probably deserved that. "Fine. It means so much to you, fine. What do you want me to be?"
Beth thought for a minute before saying, "Do you trust me?"
Oh, shit. What was he supposed to say to that? Of course he trusted Beth. Deep down, he knew she'd never do anything to embarrass him or hurt him or anything like that. He also knew she had a quirky sense of humor and a penchant for overly cute a mile wide. (At least, he thought that's the common measurement for penchants.) He took a deep breath, then a sigh, "Yeah. I trust you."
The smile on her face lit up the room. She damn near skipped over to him, held onto his bicep for balance as she reached up on her tiptoes and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Daryl." She sauntered off to the bedroom, swaying her hips confidently like she'd known she would win the entire time and the whole conversation was just for show. Was she wrong? She instructed him over her shoulder as she walked, "You just wear your good jeans, boots, belt, and all. And a shirt with sleeves. I'll take care of the rest."
Well, at least he only had a day and a half to wonder what was in store for him. Beth must have been keeping all the costume parts at Maggie's or something, because he sure as hell couldn't find one little hint as to what they were going to be wearing.
Not that he looked. Much.
The night of the party, the second he was dressed to her approval, she kicked him out of their bedroom, claiming that she wanted to surprise him with both of their costumes. He may have rolled his eyes as he walked into the living room, but if he was willing to humor her on wearing a costume, he figured going along with her little surprise wouldn't hurt anything.
"Okay," she called from the back a few moments later. "Go sit on the couch and close your eyes."
Fine. If his eyes were closed, she couldn't see him rolling them…again. He jumped a little when he felt her fingers brush his cheek. "I'm right here," she spoke softly, her voice like warm honey. "Just going to put the finishing touch to your costume on your head, so hold still."
Daryl felt her slide something over his temples and behind his ears that kind of pinched, sort of scratched. As soon as her hands pulled away, he jerked back, his own hands immediately reaching up to feel what she'd done to him. He felt hard plastic and… "Are these fucking cat ears?" he asked, a little disgusted.
Then he saw what Beth was wearing - a white dress, so gauzy she may as well have been wrapped in a cloud. A golden cord was wrapped around her slim waist that matched both the halo hovering above her head and the wings attached to her back. Her honey-blonde hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, just begging him to run his fingers through it, but to do so would surely be a sin.
"No," she said with a grin, "You're my handsome devil." She held up a hand mirror to show himself wearing a set of red satin-y horns.
Daryl pursed his lips as he peered at his reflection then back up to her. "Thought you said Halloween was about being somethin' you're not. You sayin' I ain't handsome?"
"You sayin' I'm not an absolute angel?" she countered, her hands on her hips, head tilted, and one eyebrow perfectly arched in a way that told him he would be wise not to comment further. After a moment, she dropped her arms to her sides and sighed, "I thought this would be the most low-key costume that you'd agree to. If you really don't like it, you can just wear your cut and we'll both go as angels."
Holding back a sigh, Daryl stood up, gently taking the mirror from Beth and letting it land on the sofa cushion behind him, then sliding his hands around her waist to rest on her lower back, holding her close to him. "Nah, it's fine," he acquiesced, pulling her even closer before leaning down to murmur in her ear, "as long as I get to corrupt you later tonight."
He felt Beth grin against him as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Oh, I think we'll both be getting a glimpse of heaven tonight."
Thanks for reading - please leave a comment!
