Her neck tasted good, and he couldn't help but wonder how she made that happen. He always had trouble staying focused, and he was silently kicking himself for being so distracted at a time like this.
"It's kinda creepy out here." She said. He nodded, kissing her throat again before making his way back up to her lips. She smiled and he pulled back, staring down at her somewhat swollen mouth, proud of himself for the marks he'd already left on her. "You're a little bitey, aren't you?" She asked. He smiled. "Maybe we shouldn't keep going. You might wreck me." He kissed her again and dug his lower body into her, making her moan. "Zip it up." She said. He crawled over her and pulled on the zipper to the tent. At the same time, she unbuttoned his jeans and grabbed his butt, using her teeth on the zipper. He looked down, smiling at her, letting his guard down. The combination of the loud yell and the sudden grip someone had on his wrist made him yell out, which scared his date enough to make her scream. Daryl shoved the hand away and pushed the girl back away from the tent's entrance, putting his arms out to shield her. It wasn't until he heard his brother's familiar laugh that he relaxed. "Who the fuck is that?" The girl asked, shaking.
"Merle?" Daryl asked. He waited for a response, and got one when Merle poked his head in the tent's opening. Daryl let out a breath and closed his eyes.
"What the fuck is going on? Who are you?"
"Wow, she's a pretty one, Derlene, good job."
"Daryl?" She asked.
"My brother." Daryl stared at him, a mix of emotions going through him.
"Did I interrupt or are you two lovebirds done?"
"You interrupted." She said angrily.
"We're done." She looked at Daryl.
"Oh, we are?" She asked. He looked at her.
"I gotta talk to him. Can you just wait here and we can keep going in a few minutes?"
"The mood's dead, Daryl. The only thing happening in a few minutes is me either sleeping or leaving."
"Sleep, then. Just don't go. Please?" She stared at him, breaking eye contact only to glance at Merle, who stood outside the tent smoking.
"You have to?" She asked. "Like, absolutely no way around it have to talk to him?" He nodded.
"Please?" She looked away and he kissed her cheek before standing up and exiting the tent. Merle looked at her.
"Might wanna zip it so no monsters get in, sweetheart." He said, walking away. Daryl led him just far enough to where he was sure they wouldn't be heard before he turned to his brother.
"What?" He asked. Merle was taken aback.
"'What'? Is that how you say hi to your brother?" Daryl glared at him. "You seem to be doing alright for yourself. You wanna know what I've been up to?"
"No. I want to know why you're back."
"Because I felt like coming back, that's why." He spoke through gritted teeth, trying hard not to lash out at his little brother. "Not happy to see me, I can tell. Probably not the best time for me to pop in. I'm sorry for that." Daryl raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, you're sorry for that." He repeated.
"Yeah."
"That's what you're sorry for."
"That's what I said."
"Not anything else. Not a single fucking thing besides what you did five fucking minutes ago? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Watch yourself, boy-"
"Don't call me boy. I'm not your fucking boy."
"Jesus Christ. Had I known you were bleeding from your vagina, I'd've waited a week to come find you."
"Or maybe you should've just not come back at all." Daryl knew he was hurting his brother, and he was enjoying it. All the years of him being gone, and Daryl being left with nobody to protect him from their father had taken a toll and he'd grown bitter toward the one person he once idolized.
"What's going on?" Merle asked after a short pause. "Did something happen?"
"Yeah, my mom died and my brother left me with a fucking alcoholic piece of shit who isn't fit to own a god damned goldfish, that's what fucking happened."
"I had to."
"You fucking had to." Daryl shook his head. "Jesus Christ."
"What? You wanna hit me? I know you're fucking pissed off, so hit me. Get it out, Dar-" Merle's sentence was cut off by Daryl's fist slamming into his jaw. Merle staggered back, shocked at how hard Daryl had hit him. "Jesus-"
"Thanks, that felt good. Let me know when you're ready for another one, alright?" Merle touched his face and looked at him.
"Do it." Daryl swung again without hesitation and Merle took it, this time right below his eye. He didn't have time to recover before Daryl shoved him into a tree and punched him in the stomach. He didn't fight back, he just let his brother get it out, secretly feeling like he deserved it.
"Do you fucking know what he's like now? Do you know what you left me with?" He heard Daryl's voice crack and looked at him as the punches stopped. "He's just- He has to fucking blame everything on someone, and I'm the only one there. I'm the only fucking one and I get it all."
"I was going to kill him, Daryl."
"Well you still have a chance so fucking have at it." He began walking away and Merle grabbed his shoulder, which earned him another shove.
"Whoa. I didn't come here for this-"
"I don't give a shit what you came here for. You can't just disappear, leaving me in the fucking woods by myself-"
"Oh Jesus don't act like I stranded you in the middle of the fucking desert to live off sand and your own piss, Daryl. For fuck's sake-"
"It's the fucking purpose of the thing! Who does that shit? I was just a fucking kid-"
"You were never just a kid, Daryl. I didn't raise you to be some pussy Playskool truck driving sissy boy. I knew what you could handle-"
"Obviously you fucking didn't or you wouldn't have left!" Merle threw his hands up, at a loss for words. "Nothing to say?" Daryl asked.
"I'm sorry!" It seemed to shock Daryl. "I don't know what you want me to do or say. You want me to go take some classes and learn how to build a time machine, man? I can't do anything about it. I fucked up and I'm sorry. I came back to tell you that." Daryl seemed to be calming down, but he still paced around like he always seemed to when he was nervous or angry.
"Did your plans not work out?"
"Didn't have no plans. I just ran."
"Like a bitch." Merle nodded.
"Yeah. It was a bitch move and I'm sorry." He kept his eyes on Daryl, ready for him to charge at him again, but he didn't. They both stood there, neither of them talking for a couple minutes. "I'm staying with Scott for a while. If you want to talk, come by tomorrow sometime. You want me to fuck off, I will if I don't hear from you by Wednesday."
"What's on Wednesday?"
"Scott's moving to Texas. Figured I'd hitch a ride with him if there's nothing for me here." Daryl nodded. "Hope to hear from you." And with that, Merle walked away. Daryl watched him until he couldn't see him anymore, and then turned to head back to his tent. Half expecting it to be empty when he got there, he was shocked to see brown hair popping out from inside the sleeping bag he brought.
"Jenny?" She moaned, obviously barely awake, and he zipped the tent up behind himself. He took a minute to take his shoes off and tried to get in with her. She lifted her head and looked at him.
"Take your clothes off." He looked away.
"I gotta be honest, this whole situation just killed it for me, you know?"
"I didn't ask to sit on your face, Daryl, I'm asking you to get naked so its more comfortable under the covers." She pulled the sleeping bag back over her head and curled up again as he began stripping down. Once he was down to his underwear, he got into the sleeping bag with her. She turned to him and he felt her naked body press against his. Any other night, that would be all he needed to get going, but after the confrontation with his brother, his mind was as far from where it had been earlier as it possibly could've been. Even when she grabbed the hem of his boxers and pushed them down, kicking them off his legs with her own bare feet, he was focused on how warm and soft her skin was, and how comfortable he felt just lying there in the dead silence of the tent. He put his arm around her and she buried her face in his chest, falling asleep a little faster than he did, but he soon followed her lead, feeling strangely comforted that the brother he wanted to hate so much was back, and that he actually managed to apologize, which was something that was extremely rare in their family.