Original prompt: "What if every time Beth takes a nap or is lying down, her shirt rides up and Daryl can't resist kissing her tummy?"
(Cute and squishy and one of my favorite scenes from this verse.)
Considering the sort of work Beth did, it never surprised Daryl that she needed to nap most days after work. Hell if he had to work just one day at that daycare full of screaming kids, he'd probably nap for a damn week. Of course Beth wasn't like him; the kids adored her and just a gentle touch or a hummed little song from her could usually get them to stop screaming.
But still, she spent eight hours a day handling a pack of energetic kids, so it wasn't ever a surprise that after coming home she often needed a nap. That wasn't the amusing part.
What amused him was that she always chose to nap on the couch instead of the bed. He didn't get why really; their bed was much more comfortable and far bigger, considering it took up almost all of their bedroom. But time after time she chose the couch, and it became a sort of routine. He'd get done with work at the garage and drive over on his bike to the daycare to pick her up and drive her home to their tiny little apartment. He'd always go get changed into something that didn't smell like car oil and when he came back she'd be curled up on the little couch (which was really a love-seat), looking almost like a cat all tucked into a ball.
That was how it started, anyway. She'd curl up there and when he came out she'd ask him about his day, listening to his low rumblings until she drifted asleep. He never minded that she fell asleep while they were talking, 'cause he knew it wasn't personal, at least not in an offensive way. She liked falling asleep to the sound of his voice, had told him once it comforted her and made her feel safe, and fuck if he was gonna argue with that.
While she napped he'd unwind in his own way. Sometimes he'd clean his bow, other times he'd watch TV (quietly) or even read a book, one of the worn paperback crime novels Beth had picked up for him at the secondhand bookstore down the street.
He also watched her, because he just couldn't help it. She was the sweetest, prettiest girl he'd ever known and even in sleep she followed certain patterns that were frankly kind of adorable.
She'd start all curled up in a little ball, but slowly and surely she'd begin to shift and move. She'd roll a little onto her back and then stretch out, making little kittenish noises in her sleep until she ended up with her ankles hanging over the arm of the sofa and her arm stretched up above her head.
And of course, there was the shirt.
Every time Beth took a nap on that tiny little couch, she'd get to a point in her stretching and squirming where her shirt would begin to ride up. First it would expose just a sliver of skin, then a little more and more, until the soft, pale flat of her belly was temptingly visible beneath the risen hem.
He couldn't help but be tempted by it, since he knew first hand just how soft every inch of Beth's skin was. He'd mapped out that softness again and again with his hands and his lips, and her belly was one of his favorite places. Not just for the warmth and the softness, but the way she always sighed when he kissed her there, the way she'd twine her fingers in his hair and sometimes breathe out a little giggle.
Every time Beth took a nap, Daryl had to fight to resist the temptation of that exposed skin, and every time he gave in. Day after day without fail would find him kneeling beside the couch, gently stroking his fingers across her pale flesh until she stirred with a soft hum. Only then would he lean in, tracing his lips across her skin from left to right, nose dipping briefly into her navel as she hummed above him.
Today as always she woke slowly, with a smile curving up her lips. Her eyes stayed closed but he felt her hand brushing up his arm and her fingers shifting to tangle in his hair. "Mmm," Beth murmured, shifting beneath him as he kissed back across her soft skin. "Time to get up?"
He smiled against her skin, nose nuzzling her stomach as he murmured, "Time to get up, baby girl."
Above him she sighed, soft and sweet as her fingers combed through his hair. "You know what my favorite part of napping is?"
Brushing his lips just above the hem of her jeans, Daryl tilted his head to look up at her across the expanse of her stomach and the gently curves of her chest. "What's that?"
"This." With a smile, she brushed her fingers down and grazed her thumb across his cheek. "You waking me up with kisses. That's my favorite part."
"Oh yeah?" He grinned, pressing one more kiss just below her navel before moving up to lean over her. His hair fell into his eyes and as she looked up at him Beth shifted her hand to brush back the dark strands.
"Yeah." The grin on her lips lit up her eyes with a hint of mischief. "Why do you think I always wear shirts that I know will ride up?"
Daryl couldn't help it, he just had to laugh. Low and deep, it rumbled through his chest as he looked down at her, so damn perfect and pink and soft, smiling at him brighter than the damn sun… and of course, laughing right along with him, especially when he reached down to tickle that exposed flesh as he playfully scolded her, "You're a tease, Greene."
"A tummy tease?" She giggled and squealed, squirming beneath him until she found her own way to put a stop to it by reaching up, wrapping her arms around him, and drawing him down until their noses nuzzled together. "Yeah, but I'm your tummy tease. And you loooooove me."
Beth might have been teasing him in a silly voice, but every inch of him was serious as he brushed her lips over hers and whispered back, "Always, baby girl. Always."
Even if she was a 'tummy tease'.
Hell, who was he kidding. Especially because of things like that.