Title: Beth Greene and the Butt-Faced Blue Truck Jerk
Word Count: 1826
Universe: Non-Zombie AU.
Rating: General
Brief Summary: Beth Greene had the perfect parking spot, that is, until the butt-faced blue truck jerk stole it. Unable to take it anymore, she decides to write him a strongly worded letter, only to find out that uh oh, butt-faced blue truck jerk is, well, not quite so butt-faced. And also Daryl Dixon.
Notes: Inspired by a prompt from Connor.
She tried to be calm about it. She tried to be understanding and polite and magnanimous. She tried to do like her Daddy always told her and treat others as she'd want to be treated.
But after she got caught in the middle of a rainstorm and had to park all the way on the far end of the lot and run through the rain until she and all her bags of groceries were soaking wet, just because this jerk kept parking in her spot? Well, enough was enough.
Never mind that maybe technically they didn't have assigned spots in her apartment building. They might as well have, because everyone always parked in the same spot! Beth's had always been the corner spot, the perfect spot, right by her front door so she didn't get wet and didn't have to carry any of her bags and packages too far. It was under the shade of the building so it didn't get too hot during the day, but not under the trees where it might get covered in pollen or flower petals or other tree detris. It had been hers.
Until, of course, butt-faced blue truck jerk moved in.
Okay granted she wasn't sure he actually had a butt face. She'd never actually seen him except once from behind and from far away. But she was pretty sure he had a butt face because only a butt-faced jerk would steal a nice girl's parking spot, right?
Right.
And now she'd finally worked up the nerve to tell him. Not in person, of course… she didn't want to risk him being an angry butt-faced jerk. But she'd sat down and written him a very sternly worded letter and she was sure that once he'd read it, well, he'd just knock it right off and stop parking in her spot!
Of course he had to read it first. Which was how Beth ended up slipping out of her front door once the rain had passed and, after looking around to make sure the coast was clear, crossing the walkway over to her spot to lean up on her toes and slip the folded up note under his windshield wiper.
Perfect.
Only apparently, she hadn't looked around as well as she should have, because as soon as she turned she was faced with what appeared to be a wall of chest. She stepped back, eyes skimming upwards over the broad body that was doing a very nice job of filling out a flannel sleeveless shirt, right up to…. oh.
Oh no.
Okay, there was a definite problem now, and it was one she'd totally not considered up until this very moment.
Blue truck jerk was, in fact, not a butt-face. Not one bit.
In fact he was a very handsome jerk, with lanky brown hair that hung into his eyes and a scruffy beard that only somewhat covered his strong jaw and oh god, his eyes were so blue and piercing and yep, he was staring right at her.
"Um."
Blue car jerk's eyebrow raised as he folded his (very muscled) arms over his chest. "Can I help you?"
"Uh…" Think, Beth, think! Stop looking at his chest! Remember… your car! And your spot! And the rainstorm that soaked half your groceries, and-"Yeah! Yeah I- I just wanted you to know that I'm very upset with you!"
If possible, the man's eyebrow only raised further, and she was pretty sure an amused smirk flitted across his lips as he peered down at her. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!" She squared her shoulders and then, for added effect, leaned up on her toes to make herself as tall as she possibly could be. "Yeah, I am. Because you keep parking in my spot! And I'm very upset about it."
Despite her attempts to make herself appear more forceful and, well, taller, the man still seemed nothing but amused as he watched her standing there in front of her. After a moment, he drawled, "Wasn't aware we had no assigned spots…"
"Well… we don't. Technically." Okay so that was a sticking point but still! She was still in the right, she totally was! Furrowing her brow she straightened her shoulders again and went on, "But everyone always parks in the spots closest to their apartments, and this one is right in front of mine. I always parked here, before you showed up! It's the perfect spot, right in the shade and…"
"Not under the trees, so y' don't get none of them pollen things or bird shit all over your car?"
"… Yeah. Exactly." His response caught her off guard, and instead of remembering to be angry, Beth found herself distracted by the little smirk on his lips and the way his eyes seemed even bluer now with the sun hitting them just right and… "Hey! You stop that."
"Stop what?" Now he looked both confused and amused, looking her up and down as if he didn't understand just what the diminutive little girl in front of him wanted.
"Stop smirking like that, it's distracting!" The words burst out of her lips before she could stop herself and oh god, now she was blushing and he was only smirking more, laughing really, and this was just so not fair because she was supposed to be mad! She was mad! She was so totally still mad! "I'm still upset with you! I had to park all the way at the end of the lot today and all my grocery bags got all wet and the paper soaked through and one of them broke and I lost like half of the things I bought because they got all smushed falling to the ground and- now what?"
She cut off at the way he was looking at her, his expression somehow softened and concerned. "M'sorry, that's all. Didn't mean to get in your way or somethin'. Didn't even know there was no unspoken rule or nothin', about the spots. Real sorry 'bout your groceries, too…"
Totally flustered now, Beth didn't know what to say or do, except to stammer a bit and run her hands awkwardly through her hair until he spoke up again, "Look, maybe we could share the spot, or somethin'? You know, split days so you always have it on your shoppin' day, or whatever? I would offer to move entirely but well… it's the perfect spot for my apartment, too, when I have things to carry…"
And to Beth's surprise, he pointed to the apartment to the right of hers, just past the edge of the parking lot… aka, the door that didn't have a spot in front of it, thus making her spot the closest. Also, the apartment she would totally have known was his if she'd paid any attention and made the connection between 'quiet new neighbor' and 'butt-faced blue truck jerk'.
"Oh." Beth blinked a minute and then caught herself at the hint of amusement that flashed across her face again. Boldly, she shot back, "What, you wanna arrange custody of the spot?" A smile flitted across her face, and she didn't fail to notice the shifting interest in his expression at that, either. "Plan out shared custody, and all?"
"Maybe I do." He uncrossed his arms from his chest and instead leaned to his side, pressing his hip against his truck as he watched her. "I mean unless you're so upset you wanna go off on me again."
"Maybe I am." She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, even as a smile played across her lips. "Or maybe I'm just thinking that, you know… a custody agreement like that might take some communication. Some arranging, you know?"
"Oh yeah?"
"Mhm. Maybe the kind of arranging that's best done over, or, I dunno… a cup of coffee?" She hesitated just a second and then gave him a sweet smile and a pretty tilt of her head, bold even as her cheeks flushed pink. "I mean, if you want to. I could go back to shoutin' at you, if you'd rather…"
"I dunno," he remarked in that same slow, gruff drawl, eying her up and down before teasing, "You're pretty amusing when you get all worked up…" Just as she opened her mouth to protest, though, he added, "You get all flushed and your eyes get just the prettiest damn blue…"
Oh.
And now they both looked flustered, both looked a little flushed, both stood there for just a moment in awkward silence until a smile curved up Beth's lips and was matched by his in return.
"As much as I like the sound of that… I think I'm leaning towards coffee. If you're game, Mr…?"
"Dixon. Daryl Dixon." He pushed off the truck and slowly stood up straight, looking her over one last time before he added softly, "And yeah, I reckon I am. After all, it's like you said. We need some time to do our negotiatin', Miss…?"
"Beth Greene." She grinned, and suddenly it didn't matter that her groceries were squished or that her socks and shoes were soaked and probably wouldn't be dry for days. "I know a coffee place down the street… if you're free now…"
"I reckon I am."
"Good. And just- oh!" Suddenly spotting the square of paper from the corner of her eye, Beth leaned forward and quickly snatched it from under the wiper to slip it into her pocket. "No, uh… no need for you to read that!"
"Oh come on." He was teasing her again, she could tell now. "You came down here so decisively, I watched you. Sure you don't want me to read your angry letter?"
"It was not an angry letter, it was a sternly worded letter and no, you really don't need to read it. Honestly!" Beth turned away, gesturing for him to follow her as she headed towards the street.
But even as she did he came up beside her, arm nudging hers as he teased, "Oh right, a sternly worded letter, my mistake. You know, that only makes me wanna read it more…"
"Knock it off!"
"Just don't reckon anyone has ever written me no sternly worded letter before…"
"Hey, keep that up and I'm gonna factor this into the negotiations!" She shot him a sideways grin and let her arm brush back against his. "There are seven days in a week, you know, one of us is gonna get an extra day…"
"If I fight you for it, you gonna get all flushed and worked up again?"
"Daryl!"
Even as she scolded him she laughed, and in the end, she was kinda glad she'd stepped out of her box and not done the polite and magnanimous thing for once.
(She was actually almost even glad he'd parked in her spot. Almost. It was still her spot after all, no matter how many times he gave her that seriously attractive smirk…)
