In Hope Of Falling In Love (A Walking Dead Fanfic)

Chapter 53: Drowning

Beth held the scissors to Daryl's hair, snapping at him to stop moving.

"Fucking-"

"One more rude word and I'll chop all your hair off, young man," she warned, snipping at the ends of his hair delicately. 

Daryl sighed, growling.

"You've needed a haircut for so long. My only regret is not doing it sooner. I mean, have you seen this? No wonder your hair is so dark, it's just dirt! Your hair is literally flithy, Daryl. As soon as I'm done, strip and in the shower."

"Are you going to strip me, Greene?"

Beth prodded him with the end of the scissors purposefully, but carefully, while he winced, adjusting himself on the bed.

"Can I ask you something?" the blonde asked, her fingers occupied with holding the scissors.

Daryl went to shrug but thought better of it, knowing one movement could result in the scissors cutting something other than his hair.

"Yeah," he replied.

"When did you lose your virginity? I mean, you know when I lost mine, but I don't know about you. I've been curious ever since we first kissed, to be honest." Beth liked the sound of that- "kissed" - it sounded special and romantic.

Daryl chewed his lip, trying to recall the moment he first had sex. "I was fifteen and her name was Julie. She was sixteen and really hot."

Beth inhaled. "Hot, huh? Well, if we don't work out maybe you can go and find her."

"Fuck's sakes, Beth. You know I didn't mean it like that," he argued, listening to the snip of the scissors.

"I don't think you've ever told me I'm even remotely pretty and you're calling some one-time sex buddy hot?"

Daryl squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the rage come off her in waves. "I ddin't think I needed to tell you," he said softly. 

"Oh," Beth replied, disgusting at herself for getting angry with him. With the loss of her father, and Chloe and Aislynn currently missing, she'd been more aggresive and snappy than usual.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "If it counts."

She heard Daryl sigh as she cut another bit of dark hair. "Of course it counts, Beth. I know how hard this past week has been for you. I just want you to know that I'm here, I guess. If you need ta talk or something, okay?"

"Thank you," she whispered, settling the scissors on the bedside table of Daryl's cold cell. "I... I love you."

"I know, I love you too."

"Rick really misses Chloe," she said, combing Daryl's hair to check it was straight.

Daryl cleared his throat, nodding. "Like father, like son."

"Carl really misses Aislynn, too. You know what? We're the only couple that has eachother. I mean for-"

"I remember what you said," Daryl interrupted, voice nervous.

Beth shook, staring down into her lap. "What? You mean, when you weren't the Daryl I fell in love with? I didn't mean any of that, Dare. I was terrified and sad, I don't even know why I said half of those things."

"Like when you said you didn't want me? When you said you didn't like the old Daryl? Well listen, princess, that's who I was before I met you. I was a real ass, you hadn't seen nothin'. I banged girls on the weekend and got drunk of weekdays and I didn't think anything of the word 'love'."

She swallowed harshly, listening to him talk. "I know..."

"You said our relationship, what we were, what we are, wasn't worth remembering. Is that really what you think? You think what we have isn't worth anything?"

"Why did you need Maggie's blessing? When you woke up, you said you needed her blessing. What for, Daryl?"

He stared at Beth almost distantly, then clenched his jaw. "I wanted her permission to die. I wanted her blessing that if anything happened, she would look after you, but then... Then I remember she was dead."

Beth swallowed, her eyes red where tears should have been falling. "I accepted losing you, Daryl. Nothing in the world can compare to that. I wrote a letter to you everyday for everyday you were in your coma-state in the hope that one day I could give them to you but then I stopped because I knew, I thought, you were going to choose death. You'd already lost your whole family-"

"I haven't lost my whole family, Beth. You're my family now."

Daryl leant forward, pressing his lips to hers like he was drowning and she was air; like he needed her to survive.

"I was just a brick in the wall to you," she muttered into their kisses, letting him lower her down onto the bed. 

"That what you think?" he asked, kissing her desperately once again.

Beth arched her back, deepening the kiss. "It's what I know."

Daryl stared at the bandage on her arm, rage igniting deep inside him. 

"Kiss me like you've had amnesia for weeks and there's nothing more you'd like to do than be with me," she demanded and he obeyed.

HOPE THIS LIVES UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS, BEAUTIFULS!

LOVE, AMY.