Heterochromia Iridum

Hey, you! Make sure to peep the question at the end of the chapter and answer it in a review, I'd really like some opinions on it.

Thanks to universe without a soul, Jasamfromthestart, Biasoul, KioshiUshima, Kaiya's Watergarden, NikChic, jeanf, JenTen, LoveFiction2016, Suzzie, Bactrian Camel, Jean, Suzzie, and wedontkilltheliving for reviewing and the kind words. :) Thank you to everyone that's reading or adding this story to their alert list.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters associated with the franchise. I own the plot to this story and any original characters you may see, like Katty or Calum.

Chapter 22: Favors

Her finger traced through the thin layer of dust slowly, disturbing the even matter on the surface of an old desk. Katty added another curling and swooping line slowly to it's counterpart, finishing off the gesture with a loopy embellishment underneath it. Looking over her completed signature, Katty had the strange realization of how long it had truly been since she had to sign anything; cheques, birthday cards, receipts, drawings.

Katty gazed at her name on the desk, feeling entirely neutral that the autograph hadn't changed in the slightest. Absentmindedly sucking at her teeth, she remembered where she had copied the flourish of a loop underneath her name. Katty had seen a character in an animated movie sign a letter the same way and it had stuck with her.

She'd give anything to sign another birthday card right about now.

A box dropped to the floor none too gracefully beside her, making Katty let out a surprised squeak and whirl around.

"There's just a couple more of these and we're done," Spencer said to her as he swiped his hands across each other in almost a clapping motion, ridding his hands of dust and dirt.

She nodded in response, glad that they were almost done with the task.

"How about I'll grab the rest and you stay up here and organize whatever you can?" he offered and Katty resisted snorting with laughter. Spencer had obviously noticed how weak and slow she had been this morning and decided to take care of the heavy lifting instead of waiting any longer for her.

Katty turned her attention to the medium sized box once Spencer had disappeared down the stairs again. They were moving the majority of Aiden and Reg's belongings up to the attic. Katty thought it was odd that they wanted to mostly empty out Aiden's room, considering they weren't planning on using it for anything else, but Spencer had claimed that Deanna felt unsettled walking by his untouched bedroom every day.

Deanna had said that she was going to help them, but made up an excuse the moment that Katty had walked in the door that she had "records to organize and tapes to archive". Katty didn't believe for a second that the files couldn't wait, but the leader obviously didn't have the heart or stomach or any other organs to rifle through and hide away her loved one's belongings.

That's how politics and leading went after all, didn't it? There was always someone else around to do the shit they didn't want to.

Katty hadn't gone to bed after last night, so she hadn't been moving particularly fast this morning, heavy with fatigue. When she had left her house in the morning, Spencer had caught up to her on her way outside to go for another run. His embarrassment and hesitation when he asked for her assistance pulled at Katty's heartstrings in a momentum that meant she couldn't say no. Especially since she had told him before that if he needed anything, he could ask her.

She slid the cardboard box with her foot along the floor, placing it with the other containers of varied size. Spencer had been being nice when he said she could stay up here; there wasn't much to organize. It wasn't like they were unloading all the boxes and recreating Aiden's room or setting up Reg's nautical trinkets. Katty just moved their belongings around best she could so that no one would trip over them if they were walking around in the dark.

The last thing Spencer brought up was Aiden's music collection, which he put on top of the pile of boxes. They were both silent for a while, just staring at the arrangement of shit that belonged to dead people. It would probably never get used or even looked at again, so she figured that Spencer might want a minute alone.

She cleared her throat. "I'm going to head down to the pantry, gotta pick up some stuff," she motioned over her shoulder with her thumb, even though Spencer wasn't looking at her. "Wanna come?" Katty added as an afterthought, wondering if he wanted to get away from the house for a while.

He shrugged, his gaze still running over the boxes. "I don't really need anything, but I'll walk down with you."

Katty resisted cringing that he had actually taken her up on her offer. Hopefully it wouldn't be awkward; she hadn't spent a lot of time with Spencer past cordial greetings when she worked with Deanna.

They made their way down to the pantry, and Katty could easily say it hadn't been awkward. She had rambled entirely too much for there to be any stretches of silence between them. Spencer had just nodded politely, sending the odd, amused look her way. It was obvious to them both that she had been rambling, but he seemed to appreciate that he didn't need to do most of the talking.

Katty doubted that he was even listening to her.

"I'll carry it for you," Spencer offered, grabbing the basket from her before Katty had a chance to decline. It only had a few cans and packages of oat porridge in it, so should would have been more than capable of carrying it back, but Katty let it go. He was probably just looking for more ways to prolong going back to the Monroe house, and Katty didn't want to be the one to deprive him of that. She wondered briefly in the back of her mind if this was bordering on date-like or flirting, but Katty pushed it aside. She hadn't gotten any vibes like that from Spencer yet, and coupled with how she caught him looking at Rosita earlier when they passed by, Katty doubted his intentions were anything other than friendly.

"Thanks, Spence," she said lightly and grabbed the handle from Spencer when they stood on the curb outside Katty's house. He immediately shook his head.

"No, I should be thanking you," his words stumbled out hurriedly. "So – uh – thanks," Katty snorted as the taller man pulled her into a short hug that leaned towards uncomfortable, considering she was holding a basket in her hands.

When Spencer pulled away, Katty saw him look at something over her shoulder before quickly stepping away from her. "See you later. Thank you again, Katty," he called, walking backwards a few steps with a small wave.

"Anytime," she smiled and he nodded before turning around and retreating. Katty watched him for a few seconds, hoping that he and Deanna could begin to heal now that Aiden and Reg weren't staring them in the face every day.

She sighed and turned around, her eyes immediately jumping to Daryl, standing on the veranda. He was leant against one of the wooden support beams of the porch, and watching her with a tight lipped expression.

Ah. So that had been why Spencer kept looking over her shoulder. Katty bit the inside of her cheeks, not enjoying the look that Daryl was giving her.

She tried to ignore how her heart fluttered nervously as she walked towards him. They hadn't talked much since Walmart, since it had become more – Katty cringed at the word official – let's say, agreed on what they were. Even though it didn't have a name and Katty wasn't sure she'd ever call him her boyfriend to his face. Katty almost laughed out loud at the mental picture of Daryl grouching at her that he 'ain't her damn boyfriend'.

She had been shocked at the time when Daryl had conceded and gone along with her admittance. Even more shocked that she had been the one to finally say what she wanted. When Daryl had asked her what she wanted, Katty couldn't surmise her feelings any other way. She wanted a lot of things, out of herself, out of life, but from Daryl? Katty only wanted him. It had been that way for a while, Katty had trouble convincing herself otherwise, even though she had definitely tried.

There were too many paths, too many ways it could go wrong, too many obstacles and too many opportunities for failure. She had done a great deal of thinking in the time that she had spent avoiding Daryl and most of Alexandria. It was far too difficult to ignore the twist and flip of her stomach when she saw him or how her eyes always found him in a room or how easily she picked up on any ministrations he exhibited, no matter how minute.

Like how even though his hands were stuffed into his pockets, Katty could tell Daryl was clenching and unclenching his fists. In hindsight, probably not a good sign.

"Hey," she said casually, approaching the intense man with what she hoped was a disarming smile.

"Since when do ya talk ta Spence?" Katty arched a brow at the forgotten greeting, as well at the irritable tone in his voice. She didn't miss how he hissed out the nickname that she had called him earlier.

Katty glanced over her shoulder in the direction that Spencer had left, "He just asked for some help with moving Reg and Aiden's stuff this morning." She supplied, not feeling the need to explain that they hadn't really talked much past that.

Daryl snorted, "Yeah, 'm sure he couldn't have moved boxes on his own," he drawled sarcastically, following behind Katty into the house.

"I told him to ask," Katty called over her shoulder, sending a quick, annoyed look his way. She didn't understand his sudden attitude change with her, or why Daryl disliked Spencer now. He hadn't seemed to mind the man before.

"Suppose ya told him ta be all over ya, too?" he snipped at her, fixing Katty with a solid glare.

She frowned at him in return. Was he serious? "He was just thanking me –"

Daryl scoffed, interrupting Katty effectively. "'Nd carryin' yer damn groceries home? What a perfect date," he mocked, leaning into Katty's face while he seethed.

"What the bloody hell is your problem?" Katty snapped at him, completely fed up with Daryl's attitude change already.

"Nothin'!" he threw his hands up, exasperated, and then started stomping away. "It doesn't fuckin' matter," Daryl grumbled to himself as he left in a bitchy huff.

"No, it does matter, Daryl," Katty snapped, weaving her way around his retreating steps and pressing he back against the closed front door to stop him from leaving. Was this their first fight? Could Daryl being pissy constitute as a fight?

"I said drop it," he hissed into her face, and Katty heard him grab the doorknob. "Get outta tha way," he snapped, waving at Katty in a dismissive motion.

Katty gaped at him, disbelieving that he was being so difficult. How hard was it to just say what was bothering him, instead of just dancing around it and getting angry when she didn't figure it out? Stepping to the side, Daryl immediately flung the door open and stomped out without so much as another glance at her.

She didn't bother to look after him and watch him leave; she knew she'd have watched him yearningly. Katty was annoyed, sure, she didn't deserve to be spoken to like that when she hadn't done anything, but she was more confused than annoyed. And they hadn't spoken or even really seen each other since their talk in the car on the way back from Walmart.

Katty sighed loudly, roughing her hand across her face before she turned and walked back to the kitchen.

The appearance of Heath, leaned casually against the island in the kitchen, crumpling the wrapper and eating a protein bar, greeted her.

"Oh. Mornin', Heath," she said, feeling colour flare up in her cheeks that he had definitely heard them arguing.

Heath cleared his throat, holding the protein bar away from his face and regarding it interestedly. "Ah, the jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves," he spoke to the bar with a pensive look on his face, and Katty's lips quirked, imagining the man holding a skull instead.

"What?" she laughed, quirking an eyebrow in Heath's direction.

"William Penn," Heath clarified absently, taking another bite out of the protein bar.

"You think Daryl's jealous?"

Heath snorted, "Duh."

Katty filled a glass with water and swirled it around, thinking to herself. She supposed that was plausible. She didn't entirely understand it, considering that Spencer had nothing on Daryl, at least to her, but it would explain Daryl's behavior. She snorted to herself. The man had issues, that was for sure.

The way that she saw it, Katty had two choices. Ignore the spat and hope that they could move past it, or confront it directly and move on that way. Katty couldn't keep the stupid grin off her face, knowing immediately what she was about to do. In a way, it was amusing. Daryl had no problem yelling at people, fighting, any other form of confrontation, but relationship shit, he was obviously not used to.

Don't get her wrong, Katty wouldn't stand for this shit repeatedly; petty arguments exhausted her. She didn't find jealousy endearing, and wanted to just plainly tell him to cut the shit, but that probably wouldn't go over well with him.

She'd just have to find another way.

Katty briefly looked around for Daryl, but decided that he was probably pouting in the main groups house. She didn't want to admit that she had memorized where Daryl usually was, and refrained from checking Aaron and Eric's garage, at least to save herself some embarrassment.

Katty didn't bother to knock, just opened the front door. She figured she was past that with them at this point. The house seemed quiet; no one seemed to be here, which Katty was grateful for. If this ended in another argument, it'd be easier if no one else was here. It was the middle of the day; everyone was probably still doing their daily routine, tasks, jobs for the day.

Walking down the hallway, Katty paused when the door to the first floor bathroom opened and Maggie and Glenn appeared. The three of them stared at each other, and Katty couldn't help but notice that everyone had a look on their face like they had been caught doing something.

"Oh, hi, Katty," Glenn stammered, which made her eyebrows raise. What was with the nervous tone?

"Were you two shagging in the bathroom or something?" she asked bluntly, expecting their answer. Neither looked particularly dishevelled or flushed, other than the pink tinge to Maggie's cheeks.

Glenn snorted, "No," he denied immediately. "The other house is pretty busy, so we came over here."

Katty pulled a face. "You two piss together too?"

Maggie laughed, "No, idiot. Just – talking," Katty didn't miss the sparkle in her eye or how she shuffled something around behind her back. She glanced down at where Maggie's hands were hidden behind her back and Glenn moved half a step more in front of his wife.

"Daryl's in his room," he chimed, his lips curling into a knowing smile.

Katty blanched, immediately forgetting whatever Maggie was hiding. Was she really that obvious?

"Maybe I'm here to visit Rick and Judith," Katty deflected innocently, trying to stop the heat from travelling up her face.

They both mirrored an expression that didn't need words to be able to call her out on her lie.

"Better make it fast. Everyone is coming by later," Maggie grinned at her.

Katty swore under her breath and left without a word, walking down the hall to where Daryl's room was. The door was ajar, so Katty knocked as she pushed it open.

Daryl whirled around at the sudden knock, and he instinctually reached towards his crossbow, which was propped behind him against his bed. He paused when his eyes landed on Kat's slim figure, standing in his doorway.

Damnit.

He had been in the middle of changing when she had walked in, catching him without a shirt. Daryl hadn't expected her to follow him so soon after. He straightened up and ran his eyes along her face, trying to gauge what he was going to be in for. Strangely enough, she didn't seem pissed. He wondered if it was a trick.

After he had left, sufficiently pissed off, his anger towards Kat had quickly melted into a simmer. Daryl was definitely still pissed at the Monroe boy; where the hell had he gotten the idea that it was alright to hang all over Kat? He couldn't justify being angry at her for moving boxes; he could, however, be pissed off at the fact that she couldn't see that the kid was just trying to fuck her.

She wasn't looking at his face anymore, Daryl realized as his anger flared again. Kat was looking unabashedly at his chest, her eyes trailing over the scarring on his chest. He didn't have time to examine her facial expression, didn't want to wait for the disgust to cross her face – or worse, pity.

"Git the hell out," he hissed at her, narrowing his eyes in her direction. He refused to grab his shirt off the bed at this point; Daryl didn't want to appear like he was embarrassed. He wasn't ashamed of the discolored scars crisscrossing across his chest and back. It just wasn't any of Kat's goddamn business. He didn't want questions, didn't want sad looks and sure as hell didn't want her staring any longer.

They had fucked twice, both times Daryl had effectively kept his clothes on. Daryl, however, had practically seen every inch of Kat. Every perfect, unblemished, untarnished inch of her. He hadn't extensively studied and looked over her, but with girls like Kat, it was obvious. They didn't have scars like him.

And now she knew how different they really were.

Kat hadn't moved, hadn't looked up at his face to acknowledge that he had said anything, and it pissed him off. Her fuckin' weird, different colored eyes burnt into his skin uncomfortably.

"Get the hell out," he hissed again, enunciating each word pointedly.

Kat glanced up at him finally, and he forced himself to lock eyes with her, though he desperately wanted to look away. There wasn't a trace of pity or sadness on her face. She hid it well, he thought to himself bitterly. Was she good at hiding other shit?

She took a step forward into his room, and Daryl furrowed his brow at her, not understanding why she hadn't snapped something at him in return and left.

"No thank you," she replied lightly, and Daryl's furrowed brow turned into a scowl. She nudged the door shut with her foot and reached behind herself to push the lock in on the handle, all without turning away from him.

Daryl hated that Kat responded like he had offered her tea or some shit.

"Ya hard or hearin' or just dumb?" he asked callously, hoping that being rude would make Kat leave.

He shuffled uncomfortably under her stare when she just calmly slid her eyes back to his chest once more. Daryl let out an irritated huff and turned sideways so that he could grab his shirt and vest off of the bed. He tried not to let her get a look at his back, especially since it was worse. Ignoring that he could feel her eyes travelling over the exposed side of his back, Daryl quickly grabbed the button up and shoved each arm through it. Scowling downwards, he hurriedly and angrily started to button the shirt.

"Can't even have a goddamn minute of privacy in my own – " his words died in his throat when he realized Kat had silently moved in front of him, and lightly pushed his hands away from the buttons that Daryl had started to do up improperly and mismatched.

"Stop," she murmured in that damn accent, the word making his stomach lurch. He felt frozen in his own skin, and stiffened when she leaned forward and kissed the corner of his jaw. Kat dropped her hands from his wrists, and he watched her interestedly. She reached down and Daryl heard her undo her pants and saw Kat begin to shove them down her legs. Was this her fucked up way of saying that she didn't care, or had gotten over how rude he had been to her earlier? With sex?

He flinched when she grabbed his hand once again and placed it on her hip. Daryl frowned when the pads of his fingers slid over an uneven patch of skin, and he noticed with an odd thought that it was a degree hotter than the surrounding smooth surface of her body.

Inclining his head downward, he stared at where his hand was. A large, scarred patch of skin. It stuck out oddly against the tan, fleshy tone of the rest of Kat. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before, and thought back to when his eyes had glanced down to a patch on her hip previously, when she had been greeting Calum for the first time. It was large, slightly bumpy, uneven in color and texture; it was an ugly scar. The shape was strange, and Daryl stared at it, trying to place it. It was almost a complete, oblong circle, with jagged, uneven punctures throughout the perimeter. Almost like something had taken a bite out of her?

"I won't ask if you won't ask."

His eyes snapped back up to her face at the quiet, raspy tone. She was watching him watch her, her eyes searching his. Kat's tone held a pleading, underlying edge to it, and he immediately wanted to find out why.

The questions burned his throat, and they were both quiet, just staring each other. Who had hurt her like that? How long ago? What happened? He swallowed them all down like acidic bile, and resisted voicing any of them. He wasn't prepared to answer any questions about his, so how could he expect her to in return.

He nodded once, and watched as Kat seemed to deflate slightly with relief.

Daryl decided then that he would find out what happened one way or another, one day.

"You over your jealous fit from earlier?" Kat purred at him, her lips curling as she stared up at him.

Daryl scowled. "Dunno whatchyer talkin' 'bout," he grumped and went to take a step away from her once again.

Kat immediately curled her cold fingers around the top of his pants, her Cheshire grin pulling Daryl back towards her. "So you didn't get all cranky when Spencer thanked me for doing him a favor?"

Daryl scowled at the memory of Spencer hugging Kat. "Shouldn't be doin' him any favors," he grumbled.

He inhaled sharply when her hand cupped the front of his pants. "What, you're the only one I'm allowed to do favors for?" her tone was teasing.

Daryl rolled his eyes, "That's what ya said, Kat." He muttered, referring to the other day, and then swatted her hand away from his crotch. Rick would be back any minute; he didn't have time for this shit.

She laughed as she reached up and grabbed him on either side of his face, and pulled him so that their foreheads touched. Daryl immediately stiffened, not used to or comfortable with the intimate proximity.

"What I remember saying is that I want you," Kat spoke lowly, her breath whispering across his face. Daryl swallowed thickly. "Not Spencer," she continued. "I want you, you git."

He didn't care that she had called him a git or wonder what the hell it meant. Daryl slid his hands down to her hips once again, while Kat tipped her head up, capturing his lips in a kiss. It was short, and sweet, and Kat pulled back when Daryl's hands toyed with the edge of her underwear.

She seemed to freeze, her eyes trailing away from him as her brow creased in thought.

"What?" he questioned when he saw her counting something on her fingers silently.

"Uh – nothing," she shook her head and smiled weakly at him.

Daryl watched as Kat pulled her pants back up and over her hips, concealing the scar once again. He was about to question her sudden hesitance further, when Kat's hands went down to the bottom of his shirt. Deciding to remain silent, her smaller hands undid the few buttons at the bottom that he had managed to throw together, and she trailed her hands down his stomach. Daryl didn't like that he was getting used to how often his stomach would flip around her.

Her soft hands, free from calluses or any wear and tear, unlike his, felt strange on his skin, but not unpleasant. Kat leaned forward again and pressed her hot mouth to his jaw line, trailing down his neck and back up to Daryl's ear. Daryl tried and failed to keep his breath from shaking.

"How about I even the score and do you a favor, then?" she murmured near his ear. Daryl's throat was dry, his mind buzzed as he tried to think of something to say that wasn't unintelligible. Before he could, Kat had deftly undone his belt and pants and shoved them halfway down his thighs.

"Sit down," she ordered playfully, giving him a short shove. Daryl half stumbled back, his knees catching the side of his bed, and he promptly sat down. He didn't like being ordered around or not entirely being in control, but Daryl's mind was blank, so he let Kat get away with it this time.

She walked forward, situating herself between Daryl's legs. The other times, it had been rushed and heated and nothing but fire between them, so he hadn't had time to think about it. The change in pace to a slower, more playful one, coupled with the unexplored territory, made Daryl nervous.

His hesitation was cut short when Kat's mouth found his once again, sucking at his bottom lip briefly before slowly moving back. Daryl's eyes fluttered open when he felt her move, trailing her hands down his front once more as she kneeled in front of him.

Stop thinking," she said to him softly, looking at him from her position on the hardwood floor in front of him. "Just relax." Daryl didn't want to point out that his problem was that he couldn't think straight or sometimes at all when it came to Kat.

Kat watched him for a few more seconds that felt like hours to Daryl, before a grin quirked on her face and she shoved him backward onto the bed with a laugh. Daryl grunted and opened his mouth to tell Kat off with a few expletives, before he had to stifle a groan as Kat quickly pulled him out, wrapping her hand around him. He was always half hard from seeing Kat kneeling in front of him, so she worked him with her hand slowly, pumping him evenly.

Daryl pushed himself up to lean on his elbows. Kat glanced up at him quickly before she brushed her hair over one shoulder and leaned forward. "Fuck," he swore lowly when he felt her hot breath on him and the ends of her hair tickling his thighs. Daryl shut his eyes tightly, trying now to blow it before she even fuckin' did anything.

His head lolled back and Daryl let out a low groan when he felt her mouth surround him, his fists clenching beside his body. Gaining the nerve to open his eyes, he just about lost it at the image of Kat, kneeled in front of him, her plump, soft lips wrapped around his dick.

He almost forgot how good it felt, becoming encased in how erotic it was to watch her. Her cheeks hollowed as Kat bobbed up and down with her head, her tongue sliding around him. She looked up at him as she forced as much of him as she could into her mouth, and Daryl's teeth clenched, hissing at the feeling of his cock at the back of Kat's throat.

"Christ," he bit out, fully sitting up and roughly tangling his hand into her brown hair. Wrapping the locks around his hand, Daryl tugged harshly, not quite sure if he was pulling her away or closer to him.

Kat moaned at the shock of slight pain, the vibration reverberating through him and making Daryl swear. Her hand came up to cup and massage his balls, and Daryl felt them tighten with his nearing release.

A knock at the door startled Daryl out of his reverie, and he snapped to attention, panic filling his veins like cold water being dumped on him. Kat's mouth on him froze as well, but she didn't remove him from her mouth.

"Hey Daryl, you comin'?" Rick's muffled voice sounded from the other side of the wooden door. Thank fuck Kat had locked the door.

Daryl disentangled his hand from Kat's hair, pulling her away slightly while he was at it.

"What?" he called, wincing at the slightly strangled tone to his voice. He hissed and batted Kat away when he felt her slide her tongue around him once again, circling his tip lazily. She hummed a quiet laugh around him and Daryl tensed his jaw, focussing on not letting out any suspect noises.

"Just lettin' you know we're back. Waitin' for Michonne and a few other people and then we'll talk about the run, yeah?"

There were a few beats of silence when Daryl almost forgot to reply. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than the beautiful women between his knees, his eyes almost rolling back when she pushed all of him into her mouth and started to bob quickly. Daryl fisted her hair again and tugged Kat back, watching as a trail of saliva connected the tip of his dick to her mouth. God, she was so fucking sexy.

Daryl cleared his throat, "Alright, be out in a sec," he called to Rick. After they heard his footsteps retreat, Kat let out a snort.

"That all it takes? A second?" she licked her lips with an amused look. Daryl rolled his eyes, jerking her head back towards him.

"Shut up," he snapped at her, though he felt a smile threatening to break through. Fuckin' smart ass.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and suck my cock, I get it," Kat flicked the inside of Daryl's thigh and laughed when he flinched, engulfing him again when he glowered at her.

She placed a hand on his hip to stop his hips from jerking too hard, and Daryl felt himself tense as he neared his end quickly. He resisted completely fucking her face and tugged her hair firmly to push himself deep down her throat. Kat's throat tightened around him when she gagged at the full feeling, the contractions pushing him over the edge. He released and shot into her mouth and throat, holding her head in place as he fully emptied himself. Kat gagged again, and Daryl groaned at the feeling of her desperately trying to swallow around him. A small amount bubbled out of the corner of her mouth as he watched, knowing that the vision below him was way hotter than any porno he had seen.

Kat swirled her tongue around him once more before pulling away from him, leaning back and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Arsehole," she laughed, while Daryl tucked himself back into his pants and stood up to button them. "Could've warned me." Her eyes were slightly red, her hair fucked up. She sat there, combing it roughly with her fingers to attempt to settle it.

He tossed a smirk her way, offering a hand to help her up. "Sorry," he shrugged, appearing unconcerned. In actuality, he was slightly worried that he had taken it too far, but he had lost it near the end and couldn't stop himself. Kat took the hand that he reached out and slapped his exposed chest in a playful manner after she stood up. Daryl snorted, assuming from the action that she wasn't actually mad.

Kat reached forward, quietly doing up the buttons on his shirt without prompting. Daryl thought it was weird, but didn't say anything. He couldn't remember ever having someone dress him, but figured Kat might be more adept at doing it than he would be in the moment. He felt clumsy and sluggish now and just basically wanted a nap, but had to go talk to Rick and everyone else.

He slung his vest on when Kat finished, and started walking towards the door to leave. When Daryl noticed that Kat wasn't following him, he paused, his hand on the handle. She was glancing hesitantly between the door and his window, and Daryl quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Should I go out the window?"

The question made him let out a bark of laughter, and he half considered agreeing, if only to see her try to do it. If she had asked at another time, he may have said yes. But in the minutes after release, when he was still coated with bliss and calm, Daryl didn't give a shit if anyone made comments or assumptions.

"Nah, c'mon," he waved her over, "Just ignore 'em," Kat only momentarily paused before she grinned at him, following him out the door.

Daryl regretted his decision the moment that the many pairs of eyes landed on himself and Kat when they appeared in the main room. Daryl's hands stuffed into his pockets, feeling entirely uncomfortable.

"So you found Daryl," Maggie called out to Katty, sounding amused. Daryl wondered who would be the first one to tell him off if he lit a cigarette in the house.

"Yup," Kat quipped back, sounding dismissive, but Daryl could see the pretty pink color flushing her cheeks. He kept the smirk off his face, knowing everyone was watching their expressions carefully.

"We're happy you came," Abraham said loudly to Daryl, who cringed at the double-entendre. Kat, however, couldn't contain her laugh and ducked her head, snorting and chortling to herself. Daryl scowled over at her.

Real subtle.

"Feel free to stay, Katty. We're just talking about what's goin' to happen with the supply run," Rick invited, and Daryl refused to look at either him or Carol. He could hear the laughter in Rick's voice, and feel the bemused expression she was sending them.

Daryl was never going to hear the end of this.

Kat cleared her throat, her laughs finally settling. "Thanks, but I actually have to go grab something that I forgot from the infirmary, so I'm going to head out." Daryl sent a questioning look her way but she ignored it, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "See ya later. Bye, guys," she directed to the full house, before weaving her way through everyone, and disappearing out the door.

Leaving Daryl to fend for himself with the wolves. Great.

At least it was one hell of a favor, he supposed.

A/N: So I was looking through the Negan filter, and was surprised that there wasn't a ton of stories with him. So I have a question for you all.

Question: Would anyone be interested in reading a Negan story? I've started fleshing one out and I'm actually surprisingly into the idea, though I have no fucking clue if I could do him justice. It's another OC story, rated M for all the same reasons that this story is. It definitely wouldn't be a typical romance story though, and would be pretty dysfunctional.

But definitely let me know if you'd be interested in reading it!

-Submechanophobia.

Next Time: He was fucking livid. How could she keep something like this from him?