Sorry, I meant to have this out a lot sooner! I've been sick and sleeping for most of the day so my writing time has been minimal.
The week had been dragging on even slower than normal for Daryl. He wasn't used to having things to look forward to. It was now Thursday and Daryl was looking forward to attending Jackson's soccer game. It was a weird feeling, to be excited about such a thing, but it meant he got to make the kid happy, and it also meant he got to see Beth outside of work again. He knew at this point that his feelings for her were bigger than friendship, despite how much he had tried to fight it off in the beginning. So now any opportunity to see Beth was a good one, Jackson just being an added plus. He really wasn't so terrible for a kid.
Daryl had already gotten the okay to leave work a little early, wanting to ensure he would be right on time. So when 4:30 rolled around, he took off and headed for that little sports park on Elm. If he had been driving a car then he would have chewed on his thumb the whole way there, but since he was on his bike, the appendage was safe. As he pulled into the parking lot, he was suddenly starting to feel nervous. The parking lot was full of SUVs and minivans, and there were moms everywhere clutching the hands of their children dressed in uniforms and cleats as they tried to get to their games on time. Daryl parked the bike and went onto the field, trying to find any sign of Beth or Jackson. The task was harder than it sounded, as there were at least five games going on at once. As he walked the row of fields, Daryl was oblivious to all the lonely wives checking him out.
Beth had gotten to the field a half an hour early, wanting to be sure she got there before Daryl did. A couple of the other mom's had been there early as well, so she had been sitting with them, listening to them chat about trivial things, while keeping an eye out for Daryl. She was looking at her phone, seeing if she had missed a call from Daryl, when the women suddenly switched their conversation topic to a man who had just arrived. They were all whispering, each appreciating how unconventionally attractive he was. Beth looked up, her eyes landing on Daryl. He seemed to have spotted her as well as he was looking at her, heading in her direction. Beth waved at him, causing the other mothers to throw curious, and slightly jealous, glances at her. The mothers on Jackson's soccer team already didn't like her much, none of them approving of what she did for a living. Daryl waved back, but was startled when a miniature person slammed into his legs, while tiny arms wrapped around his waist. "DARYL!"
"Hey Jax." Daryl looked down at Jackson, awkwardly ruffling his hair making the kid step back laughing.
"You came! Did you bring your motorcycle?" The kid's smile never faltered.
Daryl nodded. "Mhm."
"Can I show my friends?" The kid put his hands together, holding them out, literally begging Daryl to show off.
"Ain't you got a game to play? 'Cause I came to watch some soccer." He tried to steer the child's attention back in the right direction.
"Yeah! You gotta cheer for me real loud, ok?" The kid looked so hyped up that Daryl was sure if he was locked inside a room that he would be bouncing off the walls.
"I will, now git out there and show me what ya got." Jackson nodded and ran off back onto the field.
Beth, having watched the entire adorable exchange, stood up off her folding camping chair and pulled Daryl in for a hug. His arms felt amazing wrapped around her, like she was made to fit against his frame, and she felt safe and protected. Daryl would have been embarrassed if anyone had caught him sniffing her hair while he reveled in the feeling of her being pushed so close against him. The hug lasted a little longer than it would have been if it was only between friends, but still, knowing this, they were both reluctant to pull away.
"I'm glad you could make it!" Beth sounded perky as Daryl released his hold on her. "Here, I brought you a chair." She picked up the chair from beside her own, setting it all up to Daryl so he would be on the opposite side of the desperate housewives, with Beth acting as a buffer between them, for which he was grateful.
Daryl took a seat, his back resting against the canvas fabric, and threw his right leg up so his ankle was resting on his other knee. Beth sat back down in her own chair, knees tightly together as she rested her elbows on them, using her hands to hold up her head. Daryl couldn't help but stare at Beth as they waited for the game to start. She was dressed casually, the way he preferred her, in jeans rolled up mid-calf, with a thin yellow tank top, and white sandals. Her hair was down, waving in the slight breeze, and Daryl had to fight the urge to run his fingers through it. Beth's face was completely free of make-up and he still thought she was prettier than all the other women present, with their fancy clothes, caked on faces, and snooty attitudes.
Beth looked over at him, catching him in the act and making his face flush. He looked away from her and back towards the field, seeing all the kids ready to start the game, spotting Jackson immediately. "So, he any good?"
Beth laughed. "None of them are any good. They mostly just run around in circles." She had to squint while talking to him to keep the sun out of her eyes. "Just wait, you'll see."
Daryl and Beth sat and watched as the kids did indeed start running around in big circles, half of them oblivious to where the ball was even at. It even brought a smile to Daryl's face. The entire time Beth was cheering the boy's team on and Daryl was surprised at how such a small woman could be so loud. When Jackson scored a goal, both Daryl and Beth stood up out of their chairs, hooting and hollering so loud that you would have thought he had scored the winning goal at the World Cup. Jackson had a huge smile on his face, seeing his mama looking so proud, and having someone as cool as Daryl rooting for him.
When the game was over, Jackson's team having won by two goals, Beth scooped Jackson up in her arms, pecking little kisses all over his face as he struggled to get away, clearly embarrassed that his mom would do such a thing in public. "Mommy stop!"
"I can't help it, I'm just so proud of you baby!" Beth's eye shone with adoration as she looked at her little boy.
Jackson basically ignored Beth, who rolled her eyes, and turned his attention towards Daryl. "Daryl, did you see my goal? Did I do good?"
Daryl chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah kid, you did real good."
His reply seemed to please Jackson, who continued to smile, enjoying the attention. "What do you say we go get some dinner?" Beth questioned the excited pre-schooler.
"Yeah! Can we go to Chuck E Cheese? Please mommy?" The child was a master manipulator, puffing out his bottom lip and giving his mom those puppy dog eyes.
"Oh I guess, if we must." Beth sighed dramatically, acting like it would be such a chore.
Jackson clapped his hands together, looking as if he was about to burst. "Can Daryl come too?"
"Well, I don't know, let's ask him." Beth looked away from Jackson, turning her attention towards Daryl. "Daryl, would you like to come to Chuck E Cheese with us?"
Daryl wasn't quite sure exactly what Chuck E Cheese was, but at this point he decided that he would follow Beth anywhere. "Yeah, sure." He nodded at her.
"Yay!" Jackson exclaimed. He wiggled his way out of his mom's arms and began running off in the direction of the car. "Come on, you're taking too long!" He yelled back at the pair.
All of them piled into Beth's car, Beth promising to drop him off later to pick up his bike, and headed off, Jackson's talking taking up most of the twenty minute drive. Daryl could hardly understand how one person could have so much energy all the time. Just listening to the kid made him exhausted. Pulling up to the pizzeria and arcade, Daryl inwardly cringed. He knew he should have paid more attention to the name. Up above the neon sign that read 'Chuck E Cheese's' there was also a bright cartoon mouse with a big thumbs up, trying a little too hard to be cool.
Jackson was squirming in the backseat, desperately trying to unbuckle the straps that harnessed him to his booster seat. Beth looked back at him in the rearview mirror, smiling while shaking her head. They all got out and entered the building, and Daryl was immediately hit with the sight that could only be described as pure hell. Children were running around in all directions, screaming bloody murder, holding slices of pizza and cups full of tokens. Parents seemed to be gathered in the eating area, blissfully ignoring their kids for the time being. Up on a stage, there were animatronic animals bigger than Daryl, all singing some horrible song while playing their fake instruments.
Beth pulled Daryl from his thoughts by placing a hand on his arm, giggling at his horrified expression. "You okay?"
"What have you dragged me into?" His eyes were scanning the area, as if on alert for any new threats.
"Hey, I asked if you wanted to come." Beth blinked her eyelashes, feigning innocence.
"Yeah, you failed to mention what kinda place this is." He was debating on whether or not he should bolt back out the front doors and the fifteen miles or so back to his bike. The smoker's lungs wouldn't be able to handle that, so he was effectively stranded here.
Beth paid the entry fee, getting a cup full of tokens for Jackson to go play with, and they walked over to order their food. Jackson's eyes were set on all the lit up game machines, clearly not wanting to be bothered with sustenance. "Mommy, can I go play?"
Beth didn't take her eyes off the menu board as she replied. "Not yet, you have to wait until I can keep an eye on you." Her answer made the kid pout. He could understand why Beth frequently gave into him, because even Daryl couldn't stand to look at that face all upset. "I can watch him."
Jackson's face immediately lit up at hearing this. "Please mom!"
Beth turned to Daryl, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, ain't a big deal." Daryl shrugged.
Beth looked hesitant but she ended up nodding. "Okay." She threw a stern look towards Jackson. "You be good." Jackson nodded, grabbing Daryl's hand and heading off towards the arcade.
Jackson apparently did not know what Beth meant by 'be good'. He had been running all over the place, with Daryl struggling to keep him in sight. It was amusing that whenever the kid would win a ticket or two, he'd act like he won the lottery. Daryl assisted him in playing skee-ball winning him about one hundred tickets, making the kid declare Daryl as his official hero. The comment made Daryl's heart swell, and he quickly forced a cough to settle himself down.
When Daryl looked towards the direction of the dining area, trying to catch sight of Beth, Jackson took off. When Daryl turned back around, he saw the kid was gone. "Shit." A little girl who looked to be about eight stared at him after he had cursed. "Sorry." Daryl said shrugging it off and taking off to find Jackson. He maneuvered about the children running wild and saw Jackson's red soccer uniform out of the corner of his eye. He looked over just in time to see Jax crawling into a big play structure. Daryl ran over and stood in front of the brightly colored plastic, debating whether or not he should follow him inside. "Ain't no way in hell." He doubt he'd even fit into the tubes.
Daryl saw a little girl walking towards the structure and he reached out to grab her by the shoulders, planning on asking her to go find Jackson, but he quickly abandoned that plan when she opened her mouth and started screaming. Daryl immediately released her and yelled apologies after her as she ran away. He put his hands on his hips, deciding he would stand here until Jackson came back out.
When the child did emerge, Daryl immediately grabbed him by the waist, hiking him up onto his hip. "Okay, enough playtime for now."
"But Daryl!" The kid pouted, clearly not finished playing.
"No buts. I ain't used to this shi-stuff. Let's go find your mama."
They found Beth in the dining area with a hot pepperoni pizza and sodas for everyone. "There you are! I was just about to come looking for you." Daryl set Jackson down on a chair next to Beth then took a seat across from them.
During dinner, Beth kept shooting Daryl little looks along with smiles that made his stomach flutter. Whenever she wasn't looking his way, he would be staring at her, once again captivated by her beauty. Anyone on the outside could see that the two were obviously falling for each other, even if they would not admit it themselves.
After they had finished, they took Jackson over to trade his tickets in for prizes and he walked away with a chinese finger trap and a cheap plastic toy truck. On the way back to Daryl's motorcycle, Jackson fell asleep in the backseat.
"I feel like he's starting to like you more than me." Beth joked, prompting Daryl to look over at her.
Daryl chuckled. "Nah, I'm just the shiny new toy."
"He likes spending time with you...I do too." Beth blushed as the words came out of her mouth.
Daryl was incredibly nervous at this point, unsure of what to say. "Yeah, you guys ain't so bad either, I guess." He wanted to smack himself, he could have at least sounded a little more excited. Because he was excited, he enjoyed spending time with Beth and Jackson. The time seemed to fly by, in a good way, and he felt comfortable with them. It was a strange feeling.
"I just hope you'll be able to forgive me for dragging you to Chuck E Cheese." Beth kept her eyes on the road but put a smirk on her face as she said this.
When Beth dropped Daryl off, she wasn't in any position to give him another kiss on the cheek, or even a hug. Instead she settled for patting him on the arm, but any touch from her was appreciated in Daryl's eyes. "Thanks for coming today, Daryl. I don't think I can express in words how much I appreciate it." Daryl nodded, not used to all this praise. "I'll see you Saturday."
"See you then." He got out of the car, but just before shutting the door, he spoke up again. "I had a nice time, Beth." This put a smile on her face and Daryl was pleased with his decision to speak those simple and honest words. He then shut the door, and watched Beth drive off before climbing onto the motorcycle with a silly smile on his face, that he couldn't seem to get rid of.
Hope you guys liked it! Reviews, please? Please please please?
P.S. I'm starting a new Bethyl AU fic, in which Daryl and Beth will have D/s BDSM relationship. If anyone has any real experience with this or have researched the heck out of it, let me know! I am always looking for someone to run my ideas by to make sure they are accurate.