This wasn't meant to be more than a one-shot, but what the heck. You gotta do what you gotta do!
Carol clung to the empty bowl like a lifeline. Her ear burned where his lips had touched her, and her face was on fire. Unsure if her shaking legs would hold her, she pressed back against the bus's undercarriage, not caring that she'd have grease stains on top of the usual dirt and grime. Daryl's eyes slid up and down her body in a way that made her squirm – those eyes of his, usually so guarded and shy, smoldering under his lashes, scorched her skin wherever they touched. Then he turned and walked away wearing that slight, but oh-so-cocky smirk.
Holy shit! What in the hell just happened?
She took a deep, shuddering breath and pushed off the bus to follow him back to the group gathered around the fire. Beth was singing something, and Carol was grateful to have something to pretend to focus on so she could avoid Daryl's eyes. She watched Beth intently while she pulled her body and mind back under control.
After Beth finished singing, Rick encouraged them all to get some rest for their "big day" of clearing the prison of walkers. He walked away from the group then to make another circuit of the fence line, and Lori struggled to her feet to follow. Carol found a seat by the fire. They had all been enjoying the evening before this – their first night in relative safety in months. She sighed and hugged her knees. She dreaded knowing the danger they would be putting themselves into the next day, but she also knew Rick was right. The risk was worth it. They needed that prison.
She was so absorbed in thinking about what tomorrow would bring that she twitched when Daryl settled himself next to her by the fire. He usually sat nearby, but this time she was so wired and he sat so close that her skin tingled in response. So much for getting herself under control – tension hummed through her whole body. Under the guise of adjusting her sweater, she tried to scootch away from him a tiny bit, just to get some breathing room. He definitely noticed. She could feel him laughing at her, even though he neither moved nor made a sound. Without moving her head, she carefully peeked sideways at him under her lashes. He looked totally relaxed, sitting and watching the fire like nothing had happened. His eyes never moved her way, but a tiny smile crept onto his face anyway. She scowled and puffed air through her nose. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
She and Daryl had gradually grown closer over the winter. Their uneasy bond that formed at the farm became more comfortable for both of them. She liked Daryl, despite his crankiness – she knew he had a good heart, even if he didn't believe it himself. She was pretty sure he liked her, too. Or at least he didn't DISlike her. After they left the farm, more and more of their time was spent together – he taught her to shoot and how to set snares, they sat on watch together, ate together, and slept side by side on cold winter nights. At first they didn't talk much, but the silence between them was never awkward or uncomfortable. They just enjoyed the comfort of being around another person who had no expectations of them.
On one of the coldest days that winter, the group was stuck without shelter for the night. They had been driven out of the farmhouse they'd sheltered in the previous days by a small herd of approaching walkers. The group had slipped out the side of the deteriorating house just before twilight and made it as far north as possible before night fell. There had been no other sign of shelter – no houses, sheds, shops, nothing. So they pulled the vehicles off the road as far into the trees as they could and huddled up for the night. It was bitterly cold and a light drizzle coated everything with ice. There was no way they could stay outside, even with a fire, so they had smooshed together inside the cars for what promised to be a horribly uncomfortable night.
Carol had finally managed to drift into a fitful, shivering sleep in the pickup huddled up next to T-Dog when the door opened. She jerked awake, fumbling for her knife, only to have a hand close over her wrist.
"It's just me. It's T's shift." Daryl reached across and poked T-Dog's shoulder. The big man rumbled something incoherent and blinked his eyes open. He nodded to Daryl, grabbed his blanket and his rifle, and climbed out of the truck's cab, cursing as he slipped on the ice. He closed the door, still swearing as he went. Carol smiled. Despite his good nature, T-Dog had quite a mouth on him when he didn't get good sleep.
Daryl shook off his blanket as best he could and climbed in beside her. She felt him staring at the back of her head. When he didn't settle down to sleep she turned to look at him as best she could in the darkness.
"What?" she whispered.
He didn't answer right away. Instead he draped his blanket over himself, pulled it up to his ears, and leaned against the door. Finally he grumbled, "You sure looked comfy."
"What are you talking about? Tonight is anything but comfy."
He shifted against the door and turned his face toward the window. "Lookin' might cozy with T-Dog there."
"Yeah – I was freezing my butt off. We were trying to keep warm."
Daryl grunted.
She studied the shadowy shape of his profile as he shifted his position against the door again. A smile bloomed across her face as she sat up. "Are you jealous?"
He whipped his head around, and she could see him glaring even in the darkness. "Hell, no."
"Yes, you are! You're jealous!"
"The hell I am. You just..." he groped for words. "I was just...sayin', that's all. Ain't I allowed to make an observation?"
The discomfort came off him in waves. Carol grinned. This could be fun. "Hmm. OK, then. I guess to be fair, I should let you snuggle with me, too."
His nervous shifting abruptly stilled. "What?"
"I said you can snuggle with me, too." A little butterfly fluttered in her stomach as she said it. "Come on – gimme your blanket."
She flung her ratty quilt over top of his, then picked up one side of both blankets and scooted under them, though she was careful not to press up against him. He had plastered himself against the pickup door and appeared absolutely terrified.
She curled up under the double layer of blankets with her back to him. She had done it just to tease him a little, but she was actually much warmer already, even without touching him.
"There, see? Nice and cozy, and you don't have to be jealous anymore."
And she waited. After a while she started to worry that she'd upset him or crossed a line she couldn't come back from. She hadn't really meant to make him uncomfortable, but he got so flustered when she accused him of jealously – and it was adorable. She realized it was the first time she'd ever been playful with him. They'd gotten used to being around each other, but it was never exactly lighthearted. Eventually, he moved again, relaxing a tiny bit.
He huffed out a breath. "Shut up and go to sleep."
She smiled in relief as she settled into the blankets. Yep, Daryl Dixon could do with a little teasing.
Carol hunched her shoulders and glared at the fire. This wasn't how it was supposed to go! After that icy night in the pickup all those months ago, she had started to gently tease him any time they were alone. She'd say something a little provocative, he'd get embarrassed, then she'd let him off the hook. That was how it always went. Tease, fluster, done.
She loved prodding a reaction out of him – he was so cute when he got so awkward like that – but she was always careful not to make him uncomfortable in front of other people or push too hard. At least she thought she wasn't pushing too hard. But tonight he'd completely turned the tables on her and left her seriously flustered. He downright ambushed her, is what he did! How was that fair? Sneaking up on her out of nowhere like that, being all sexy and stuff. It was cheating.
Carol hugged her knees tighter and sneaked another look at him, so smug and serene. Her eyes narrowed. If this is how he wanted to play, fine. This is how she'd play. She smothered a smile. Time to kick it up a notch.