"I— I," I stuttered, sitting up and pulling away from Daryl. I shook my hands in an attempt to shake away the jitters that rested in them. "I'm gonna use the shower." I slid over to the ladder, glancing at him. His eyes followed me as I climbed down the ladder, smirking while he bit his thumb nail. I padded over to the bathroom door, catching a glimpse outside. Rain now cascaded down from the sky, pounding the ground and turning the dirt into mud. The fresh smell of the damp earth flowed through the small mesh holes of the screen door. I sighed with relaxed with happiness, turning away from the sight and stepping into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and was immediately startled by my reflection in the mirror.

Dirt and blood painted my face, the slash on my cheek slowly beginning to scar over. My hair was ratty, matted down and darkened with dirt in certain sections. I tore my gaze away and peeled off my clothes. I threw them to the floor and cringed once I remembered I had to wear them again.

I turned on the water, testing its temperature before stepping in. I slid the door closed and felt instant relief once the water hit my skin. All the dirt and grime that was plastered on me earlier swirled around and down the drain. A bar of soap along with a tiny bottle of shampoo sat in the corner of the shower. It was as if the person who was here last had been expecting us. I smirked to myself before rushing to throughly wash my hair. I closed my eyes and massaged the shampoo into my scalp for as long as I could; it was so relaxing. I stuck my head under the water to wash it out, opening my eyes while I did so. A figured loomed in the corner of the bathroom. I jumped, trying my best to cover myself.

"What the fuck," I shouted in fear while my heart raced, my voice booming from the echo in the shower. I never heard them come in.

"Just me," Daryl assured, stepping closer to the door.

"What the hell are you doing?" I backed away from the door in defense.

"Gonna take a shower." Daryl's voice was confidently smug. Butterflies instantly filled my stomach as he began to undress. My cheeks burned, the sudden realization that Daryl was gonna get a full frontal hitting me.

"I—I don't," I mumbled nervously. He couldn't see me like this. No one ever has. "Maybe not now..." He sighed in slight disappointment.

"Alright," he drawled understandingly while he gathered up his clothes. I bit my lip, instantly feeling guilty about making him leave. A dull yearning burned inside the pit of my stomach.

"Wait," I blurted out, changing my mind. "You can stay," I said inaudibly. I almost felt as if I was suffocating as he grabbed onto the glass. He was so close.

"What'd you say, girl," Daryl teased.

"You can stay," I whispered, staring at Daryl through the door. I could see every inch of his blurred body through the foggy glass. It made the butterflies in my stomach feel like they were about to fly outta my ears. I collapsed into my vulnerability as he opened the door and stepped inside. I tore my face away from him, continuing to cover myself. He was so close and my heart was pounding. I felt his fingers brush against my hand and accidentally touch my upper thigh. I shivered at the softness.

"Ye're blushin'."

"I— I," I stuttered anxiously. The both of us were incredibly close, his lips inches away from my cheek. "I've never done this, Daryl." He lightly grabbed my wrists and gently pulled my arms to the side so I was exposed to him.

"Me either," he admitted, staring me straight in the eyes. He cupped the side of my face and drug his thumb over my skin. I closed my eyes, melting into his touch. The warmth abandoned me for a short moment before it returned on my shoulders. He spun me around so my back was to him. Daryl's now soapy fingertips began working their way over my body. He made sure to take his time, touching every inch of my skin. My mind travelled back to last night: what he did to me, where he had me, what he made me do, every single sensation. Thinking about it made me feel hot, sweat gracing my bare skin. I could feel my breath hitching in my throat as my mind raced, the noise surprising Daryl. I didn't realize I was leaning back against his chest in total ecstasy until he stopped, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I felt a grin spread across my face. I wanted him to make me feel what I felt again. I wanted him to feel it too.

I spun him around, gingerly running my soapy hands down his back. I was light on his scars, my fingertips barely touching his skin. I glanced down at his arms and noticed they were sprinkled with goosebumps. I brought my hands back up to his chest, ever so slowly dragging them down to his stomach and suddenly stopping. I rested them there for a few moments, feeling his chest heave up and down with aroused anticipation. I bit my lip before turning him back around. He stared down at me with dark eyes, his cheeks tinged with pink at what was happening to him. I got up on my tip-toes and lightly pressed my lips against his, our bare bodies against one another. I pulled away when I felt it on my skin, my breath nervously wavering. Daryl's eyes flickered over my lips before pulling me back to him by the sides of my face, kissing me with deep-rooted passion. I could feel my knees shaking with hypnotized weakness. Before I could fully engage, he pulled away.

"What was that," I questioned him breathlessly, my cheeks burning.

"Dunno," he muttered sheepishly, his hands traveling down my sides to rest on my hips.

"Do it again," I challenged him. My heart thudded with thunder and fire, my skin everywhere screaming out for his touch. Daryl's eyes grew somewhat wide in surprise at my demand, faintly smirking after. He did as he was told, kissing me again with intensity. I closed my eyes and snaked my arms around his neck. He backed me up against the shower wall, water pouring down on us as we entwined. I could feel his hand travel to my thigh. I lightly moaned against his lips at the firm touch. Daryl lifted my left leg up and wrapped it around him while his lips moved to my neck, nipping at the skin. I let out a shaky sigh at the familiar sensation. His right hand moved up to my left breast, gently holding it in his hand. I moaned at his touch. I could feel Daryl brush against me, the feeling making me pull away with rediscovered fear deeply rooted in my stomach. I dropped my leg from him. Daryl stared at me as his hands fell to rest on my hips, startled and panting. He seemed embarrassed at what had happened in the heat of the moment, his face growing red like he knew he did something wrong.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I began to stumble over my words as my mind came back to earth. "I-I can't, we can't." I leaned over and turned off the water. "N-not in here." I grabbed the towel that hung over the door and wrapped it around my body, Daryl watching me. "Not in here."

The warm steam embraced my skin as I stepped out of the shower. I could feel Daryl's eyes linger on me as I bent down, swiping my clothes off the ground before leaving the bathroom. I tied my towel around me before climbing up the ladder. I threw my clothes into the corner and sat down on the mattress. My heart raced faster with every footstep on the hardwood floor, Daryl coming closer and closer. Once his eyes fell on me, he stopped right where he was. He was shirtless, his pants lazily clinging onto his hips. I bit my lip nervously and started to slightly lower the towel.

"We don't have to," Daryl said. "I-I was just—"

"It's okay," I whispered, letting the towel fall. His lips were slightly parted in awe after he swallowed, hard.

"Really," he asked in disbelief. I knew he wanted me to be okay with everything. The gesture caused me to grin.

"Yeah," I softly smiled. Daryl hesitated before crawling over to me. His face hovered inches away from mine, our eyes intensely locked. It felt like at this moment we could communicate telepathically if we really tried. I could tell the cogs in his brain were turning as he contemplated what he was going to do next and how he was going to do it. Daryl finally closed the space between us, softly pressing his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down towards me as I laid back against the mattress. Our lips moved in passionate tandem as did our heartbeats. Daryl hovered over me, swinging his leg over to rest on the other side of my body. His fingertips ghosted their way down my sides, causing me to shiver underneath him. My hand flew to the waistband of his pants, tugging them even lower than they already sat. He pulled back, unbuttoning them and gently guiding my hands in bringing them down his thighs. I quickly bit my lip to hold back a smile, my face deepening in color at what I saw. My heart fluttered. I stared up at him with innocent lust. Daryl smirked before his lips rested against my neck. I ran my fingers through his wet hair.

"Be careful," I muttered softly. He stopped, placing his mouth near my ear.

"I won't hurt you," he whispered huskily before kissing my cheek. Chills ran down my spine as I shivered in anticipation, feeling the heat of his body nearing with every second and his teeth grazing my neck. Once he resurfaced, I pulled him to my lips with my hands on both sides of his face. I kissed him in attempts to calm my racing heart. This was good; a good thing was happening with a good person.

"Fuck," I groaned in slight pain and surprise at the sudden push inside, butterflies erupting from the pit of my stomach.

"Am I hurtin' you," he asked through shaky breath.

"No," I whispered, my eyes squeezed shut while I relished in this feeling. "No," I exhaled with my hands resting on the top of Daryl's shoulders. We stayed like this for a few moments as his lips traveled all over my chest. His arms held me close, comforting me as he slowly began to thrust. I squirmed underneath him at the feeling of almost being unable to breathe, a loud moan building inside me. A low growl resonated at the back of his throat once he pulled back and paused before thrusting again, the feeling of fullness leaving me and reentering. I shuddered as he pushed in again, a tingling feeling storing itself deep inside my stomach. Daryl's breath was already choppy as he stared into my eyes, watching the pleasure drip across my face. A soft moan drifted from his lips as he began to thrust quicker than before. A sharp jolt rocked me as a now deeper sensation took over. I moaned loudly, clenching my teeth as I felt his hips grind against mine. I lifted mine up the tiniest bit to meet his, soft skin against skin.

"Shit," he cussed lowly at the sensation. I opened my eyes to watch what he was doing to me, the sight of him moving in and out of me making me feel hotter and hotter. I moaned as he nipped at my neck, his speed slightly picking up even more. My mouth was open but no noise was coming out as I raked my fingernails down his back. "Goddammit, Aften," he moaned against my skin. I threw my head back onto the mattress while Daryl ground against my hips harder, exciting shocks electrifying me. My fingers made their way back up to his hair, ragged breaths escaping my lips with every thrust. I cussed to myself in pleasure, staring up at the ceiling as tears pooled at the corners of my eyes. Daryl kissed up my chest to my lips. His hand ran down my leg, lightly pulling it over his lower back like he did in the shower. A moan was almost ripped from my throat as it allowed a new, even better feeling to take over me. A little whimper was all I could let out.

"Oh fuck," I cried out, clawing at the back of Daryl's neck. He let out a deep growl in response, his hand slipping in-between my legs. The touch made me gasp, lightly moaning his name under my breath with every second I could get a chance. I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt like I was about to explode with every inch of my body screaming out for relief. A single tear ran down the side of my face as I could barely breathe, Daryl's pace picking up once again. My mouth fell open even wider in ecstasy as he made everything inside of me explode like fireworks, loud crackling color. I felt completely frozen, crying out while his body trembled over me. My mind swam as Daryl moaned, pulling back and touching me for a little while longer as I came down. I kissed his chin and his collarbone before he rolled over. I rested my head on his arm after trailing kisses up it. He sleepily smirked. Our chests rose and fell a few beats after one another's. We laid there for what felt like eternity before anyone did anything. I was half asleep from the calm when Daryl sat up, shaking me right out of it. He pulled on his pants.

"Be back," he promised with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He lit it before he climbed down the ladder, stepping out onto the porch without his shirt. I grabbed mine from the corner and pulled it back over my head before sliding my underwear back up my legs.

A chuckle from the other side of the loft startled me. Merle sat up against the wall with a smirk on his lips. I sighed, closing my eyes. I knew exactly what he was gonna say.

"Don't," I fired before he could open his mouth. "I don't wanna hear it, fucking perv."

"I tried to tell ya that you needed to realize what was goin' on with him," he retorted. "But, no, you didn't listen to me. This could've happened sooner if ya did."

"So what? I'm not one for rushing things."

"C'mon, Red, there's dead folks roamin' 'round eatin' everybody up! Waitin' ain't necessary anymore."

"Last time I checked, I get to decide when I feel like doing it. Irrational decisions don't exist here." I rested my finger against my head, pointing to my brain. "I'm not you."

"It really does come to that, doesn't it," Merle chuckled salaciously. I stared at him in disbelief.

"I hate you," I stated, shaking my head.

"Better watch yer mouth, girl," Merle drawled while he laughed. "That thing'll get ya into some trouble."

"Like it hasn't already," I responded bluntly as Daryl came back into the cabin. He climbed up the ladder, crawling back over and laying down next to me on the mattress. He scooped me up into his arms, softly kissing me on the forehead. The quiet, soothing thud of his heartbeat and warmness of his chest lulled me to sleep. Daryl's eyes flickered down to my face once he heard me softly snore. He watched me in enamored awe as I was completely at peace in his presence.