A/N: this is a work of fanfiction, I only own Thea.
Wallflower
By Leah Pensotti
It was about one in the morning when Thea got home from Rick's. It was a pleasant evening and they seemed to deepen their emotional connection talking about her past. She also enjoyed having dinner with his kids, and was glad that both Rick and Carl seemed responsive to the library idea.
One thing, though, gave her pause.
Jessie Anderson.
Beautiful, willowy Jessie who captivated Rick enough for him to kill her abusive husband just days after he and the group arrived. Pete intimidated the hell out of Denise, and Thea could see why. Even Deanna knew that he beat Jessie.
Maybe Rick just liked to save people. Maybe he thought Thea, like Jessie, needed saving.
Thea thought that she could survive just fine on her own...but she wouldn't be winning any hundred meter dashes.
Saving was the only conclusion that she could draw in between Jessie and herself. Jessie had been a mother and slightly artsy...and she was traditionally beautiful.
It worried Thea how quickly Rick had turned his attentions to her after Jessie and her sons fell victim to the herd of walkers just weeks before.
Even though these things gnawed at her, Thea was hugely attracted to him.
She grabbed a quick glass of water from the kitchen and caught sight of the pantry...which made her cheeks flush. The encounter with Daryl crept back in her mind and she shook her head.
Thea had gotten herself in the weirdest position of all. She never thought she'd be the focus of a love triangle in a million years. Even if reincarnation was possible, she'd still have her doubts.
Her sleep that night was restless; she had dreams of both Rick and Daryl and even some flashes of her attacker. She had compartmentalized most of her thoughts and feelings on it, successfully not being haunted by him or his actions.
Talking with Rick and Daryl must've put him in her subconscious. She didn't like it one bit. He was dead...probably some roamer in the Virginia State Pen, if not long dead now.
She got up around six to get ready for her shift at the gate. Thea felt excited to be able to do something useful. She showered and made some coffee before finally making her way to the front of the town.
Thea took the gun from Aaron, who she was relieving. He had always been so kind and genial...it must have been hard for him to hear that Rick and Deanna had suspended recruiting.
The same went for Daryl.
He still got out to go on runs, but she could tell that he didn't like to have his wings clipped in the slightest.
She stood at the gate for two hours, Spencer and Rosita were up on the platform beside her. She was scheduled to be there for another two hours, but Rick came by and swiftly put an end to it.
"Who put you on watch?"
Rick's blue eyes burned with a hint of anger and Thea answered, "I asked for a shift."
His hands went to his hips and his head tilted a little to the side; a stance that usually ended up with someone in a world of hurt, "It's great that you want to help, Thea...but we could do this in different ways. It's too dangerous out here."
She shook her head, "I'm opening and closing a gate. That's all."
Thea noticed that Rosita and Spencer were trying not to stare at the interaction below them. Rick sighed, "Give me the gun."
"I'm not helpless, Rick. I'm perfectly capable..."
"You can't run. What if there was an attack? You'd be a sitting duck. Dead. I've seen too many people...try to be helpful and end up dead. We've got this, you don't have to be on the front lines."
She was certain in that moment he was talking about Jessie...but she wasn't her. She hadn't hid behind the walls of Alexandria the whole time. She wasn't an invalid or a lost cause, either.
"I'm just as capable as Eugene. But don't treat me like a child. I have limitations, but I can open a goddamn gate."
She thrust the gun forward forcefully and he took it, recognizing the look of disappointment in her eyes, "Thea...wait..."
Thea turned around and walked as quickly as she could back to her house. She felt the tears come and in turn she felt ridiculous. She should've known Rick wouldn't let her do anything that tested her physically after he knew exactly what her body has been through.
When she finally got home, she got back in bed and cried...either from frustration or from the momentary cloud of self pity she had actually allowed to affect her.
Daryl tried everything the night before to keep the self-torture at bay. He tried not to think about what Thea and Rick were doing, but it always seemed to sneak in.
The next morning, he had checked in with Aaron after his shift at the gate and he was surprised to hear that the person who relieved him was Thea.
He had to give it to her; she had a lot of heart.
But he didn't like it, really, knowing the gravity of her physical situation.
After he had gone through most of his day, he finally ran into Rick and all of the questions came back in his head about what he and Thea had done the night before and if she had whispered Rick's name the way she had his own.
"We need to talk. Thea was on watch this morning. Did you give her a shift?"
Daryl shook his head, "Nah. But ya know her. She wants ta do her part."
Rick sighed, "I don't want her out there, you hear me?"
Even though Daryl mostly agreed with Rick's sentiments on the issue, he thought he was being a little too protective of her. She couldn't run, true. But it wasn't like she was on a wall or platform; she was behind the gate, on the ground.
"I hear ya."
Rick was his best friend...and the leader that had gotten them through most of this mess. Daryl wasn't about to go against him on the issue. Though, he did know Thea was probably unhappy with it.
Rick nodded and looked like he didn't know what to say, "I think she's pretty pissed at me, but I'm just looking out for her. If you see her...tell her..."
He trailed off, thinking it was weird that Rick would ask him to relay a message to the girl that currently they both had intentions on.
"...Tell her it's for the best and we'll find something else for her to do."
Daryl nodded and watched as Rick went off in the direction of his house. He decided to go see Thea...it was a little early for the wine, but he thought he'd at least check in on her.
He knocked on the door and waited. After about ten minutes, he knocked again. Thea threw back the door and looked relieved, but her eyes were red and it looked like she had been crying, "Sorry. I thought you were Rick."
Daryl didn't know if that should worry or please him.
She waved him in and he felt himself tread carefully as he shut the door behind him, "Ya okay?"
Thea shook her head, "I'm not a child. I'm not helpless. I'm not fragile. So I can't run. It's not like I'm asking to be a scout. I was watching the gate in the morning."
Daryl nodded, "He was just doin' this ta keep ya safe."
She turned around and he saw the gray fire in her eyes, "There is no safe. I know that. I've known it for a long fucking while."
He'd never heard her sound like that before. She was angry and impassioned...instead of her normal meekness. She must really be pissed.
"I mean, I don't like it much either, Thea. But I know ya wanna help. But I'm just...protective of ya. After that day, we went out on the run...I couldn't put ya in a situation like that again."
She shook her head, "Rick knows better than anyone, after the herd, why it's important to fight...why it's important for everyone. Me, Denise, Olivia...everyone. I want to. I think you all should let me."
Daryl knew there was truth in her words. That everyone did need to fight. That he should let her.
But all of that logic was overruled by what he felt about her and knowing her physical limitations. He didn't know what to say to her...she was still going to be mad.
Thea sighed and shrugged, "We're all gonna die, Daryl. Let's be honest...we're just biding time. This world, if it's not walkers it's other people. Call it surviving, but really it's just grasping at straws."
Daryl walked over and stood closer to her, his arms crossed over his chest, "Ya can't mean that. Ya know what survivin' is."
Thea leaned back against the kitchen counter and shrugged, "Yeah...and so do you. Maybe it's just time to call a spade a spade. You all wanted me to go on runs before you found out I couldn't run...what happened to me. Then the thing with me, you and Rick. Before all of this would it mattered if I lived or died as long as I was fighting the good fight? Doing my part?"
He wondered if Maggie and Glenn ever had these conversations? Lord knows they'd both been in plenty of deadly scrapes.
Daryl reached out for her, "It matters. Every loss is a big one, Thea."
She sighed fitfully, "I'm just frustrated. I don't want emotions to get in the way of what is best."
His hands went to her face, they were dirty, but she didn't seem to care, "We'll figure out something for ya ta do. Put ya ta work."
She smiled a little and asked, "Have you eaten?"
Daryl shook his head, "Nah."
"Well then, how about an early dinner followed by reading and wine?"
If it meant being with her for the night, he was sold. Not being with her the night before and knowing she had been at Rick's had eaten away at his sanity.
Daryl nodded and soon he was helping her with dinner and getting down the dishes, and then after eating; cleaning up. It amazed him that everyday stuff like this with Thea made him feel calm, easy. Maybe this is why people coupled up?
After they ate, Daryl helped her carry the two bottles of wine into the living room and she went upstairs to get the book. The first bottle of wine he opened with his hunting knife was red. He felt himself smile a little, knowing it was exactly what Thea had wanted.
She reappeared as he was pouring it into their glasses, and for the first time that day, he saw her half smile appear, "Well, look at that."
Daryl wanted badly to grab her and lay claim to her, finally getting her out of her clothes and beneath him...but he decided to let her lead. He didn't want her to make decisions based on her frustration with Rick. Daryl wanted her to make decisions based on her feelings for him.
She put the book on the coffee table and picked up the delicate wine glass before sitting beside him. The red wine was fruity and strong, but not sweet. Just the way she liked it.
Thea had been so frustrated that it was nice just to calm down, try and relax. She appreciated Daryl's honesty, even though he stood with Rick's decision, but tried to be sympathetic to her.
She also liked how he didn't try to use her current feelings about Rick to get advantage. Daryl Dixon was a good man, and a good friend and Thea found him incredibly sexy. Their connection was kinetic and unspoken. She knew that his hands were itching to touch her, just as hers were itching to touch him.
But both of them were waiting for the right moment, to play it out a bit.
She was beginning to think that Rick wanted to protect her, but maybe his feelings for her were misplaced after what had happened to Jessie. He was handsome and she really liked being with him...
But with Daryl...it went beyond looks. Thea knew darkness held a seductive pull. They'd both been broken. They had both been scared to be touched...to get close to someone, and now they knew about how much alike they were...it held an appeal they couldn't deny.
Two glasses of wine and two chapters later, Thea turned to look at Daryl, who was laying back on the couch, his hands behind his head. It reminded her of elementary school when the teacher would read and she would get lost in the words and in her own mind.
She felt a smile pull at her lips and she leaned forward to pour the last of the first bottle of wine, equally, into both of their glasses. Thea had a nice red wine buzz happening, something that had not happened in a long while.
Daryl turned and looked at her, "Why'd ya stop?"
Thea shrugged, "Wine...and my eyes are tired. I got myself worked up this morning. Allowed myself to sulk some."
He moved closer to her, his hand stroked her hair idly. She hadn't thought of Daryl as being the cuddling type, but she definitely wouldn't turn it away...today had been the first time in a very long time that she allowed any sort of emotion to take over fully...at least a negative one.
Usually, she took it on the chin and kept moving forward...but today she crumbled and wallowed in self pity.
Thea found it wholly unattractive, honestly.
Daryl leaned forward and picked up his glass and threw back what was left of the wine. She raised an eyebrow, "Think we should save the other bottle or say to hell with it...and just drink all of it?"
He looked at her with his hooded eyes and shrugged, "I don't mind gettin' ya wasted, but ya'd have ta deal with it tomorrow."
She sighed, "True. I just kinda want to feel something else right now."
Daryl looked like he had something snarky to say, but Thea leaned in and silenced his lips with a kiss. It started out gentle and sweet but morphed into a voracious, hungry embrace.
She wanted him and she didn't know if she could make herself hold back any more. She didn't know if she could settle for anything less than all of him.
Daryl felt her tearing at his clothes, and hers came off, too. He thought he might pop before anything even happened. He pushed her away for a moment and she looked concerned, wearing only her bra and unzipped jeans, "What?"
He looked her dead in the eye, his finger beneath her chin, "Ya sure about this...this ain't about anythin'...or anyone else except ya and me?"
Thea's gray eyes softened and she wrapped her arms around his neck, their noses touching, "I want this...you...very badly...right now."
He felt like emitting a big, cheesy grin, "Alrigh'...here or upstairs?"
She shook her head, "Here."
Daryl couldn't wait to see what she looked like beneath her clothes, and he gently slipped the straps of her bra off her shoulders. His hands cupped the full flesh of her breasts as she unhooked it so he could peel the piece of clothing away. Thea was pale and her breasts fit perfectly in his hands and they were tipped with light pink-brown nipples that hardened against his palms.
Pretty didn't begin to describe her.
She moaned lightly against his mouth and he found himself biting her lower lip gently with his teeth. Soon his shirt came off, and her jeans, then his jeans and finally, her panties.
Daryl was realizing his wish. Thea Graham was buck ass naked beneath him, and she was warm and ready between her thighs.
He settled there for a moment and looked down at her, wanting to ask again if she was sure. She looked up at him longingly, and he realized he'd do just about anything to keep that look on her face.
"Daryl?" She whispered lowly.
"What?"
"You okay?"
He smirked, "I don't think there's a word for what I am right now."
She smiled and leaned up to kiss him, her soft hand on his hardness and guiding him inside her. Thea gasped a little and she put her foot under his ass allowing him full range.
Everything in his mind went blank; she was so warm and wet. He couldn't imagine what would happen when they started moving.
Thea's breast rose and fell quickly, her breathing deepened and sped up. Daryl rocked his hips slowly and she pulled his head down to hers, kissing him deeply. He took her hands and pinned them by the sides of their head, their fingers intertwining.
She made little noises that drove him wild, urging him to speed up the pace; he needed more. Thea wrapped her legs around his midsection, meeting his thrusts head on with welcome abandon.
Soon Thea came with a groan and a shudder and he was close on her heels. Daryl collapsed downward, his head landing between her breasts where he placed idle kisses.
Neither of them said anything, it was like they were trying to wrap their minds around what just happened. Thea's hands tangled in his hair and she kissed the top of his head while her breathing regulated.
A/N: next up; more Daryl and Thea. Thea avoids Rick. Everyone feels conflicted. The law of averages. Soon Thea sees someone she never thought she would see again.
Thank you guys for all of the love! It is greatly appreciated! Please drop me a line and let me know what you think! I have two other stories, both AU's I'd love if you'd check out...one for Daryl and one for Rick. I have some drafts of a male OC story I've been working on, too. Hoping to publish that soon.
Super Special Shout Outs to: Angelicedg, Celia Azul, emfalcon, Kima Wolfwood, CLTex, stormrunner74 (I write these character bios to help get to know them...fave colors, fave books, music etc. I'm having a hard time sinking into Rosita's skin and I have since changed the oc's name 3 times...now somewhere between Daniel and Andrew. I've written two drafts. Getting closer ;), bbwzoey86, Jemstone6259, enchantmentanjel, OrangeBears, Maddie (Thea is a complex character. She doesn't "love" anyone yet. There is. Big difference between love and sexual attraction. She is conflicted and human and is well aware of what trouble may come. Thanks for the review :), Amethyst Siri and Cassie!
Thanks and Love!
Leah P!
xoxo
