The tension in Daryl's hunched shoulders is killing him, and his jaw is starting to ache from scowling. When he told Beth he was tired of losing people that was an understatement. He's beyond frustrated; he's raging. It's the kind that killing walkers won't fix, but he's been trying his best. Spent all day yesterday on the fence trying. Hershel called him a diligent young man, the wily old timer. He's keeping busy, it helps with the guilt. The guilt he feels every time he makes it back from a run and has to tell someone's family they didn't make it. That he lost them. It sounds so careless. What Daryl needs is a distraction.

He's hauling a mattress across the cell block when he hears the door creak open. Between the Woodbury residents and the people he keeps finding outside, it's getting cosy in their cell block. A little too cosy by the way these Woodbury folk keep shacking up, and hell if he's going to listen to them fucking all night long. He didn't even wait to bring it up at the council meeting, just picked a cell block and got to work. They'd cleared out the dead when they took the prison so, after checking it was still clear, it's just a case of relocating the mattresses strewn across the cell block back into their cells. The thin prison issue mattresses are so light he doesn't even break a sweat as he tosses the bedding onto the top bunk and turns.

Daryl is surprised to see that it's Beth who walks through the door. He's surprised to see another person in this part of the prison at all since he didn't bother telling anyone what he was doing. He's even more surprised when she closes the door behind her.

There's a directness in her gait as she walks towards him, pinning him in place with her focused gaze. Ever since he stopped by her cell to tell her about Zach and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body flush against his chest, he hasn't been able to get her off his mind. Maybe it's because they had a moment of shared understanding. Maybe it's because instead of crying when she heard about Zach like he'd expected her to, she just coolly flipped her days without an accident sign. As he watches her approach it's clear she's here with a purpose and his stomach tightens in anticipation.

"I've seen the way you've been lookin' at me, Daryl," She says, coming to a stop directly in front of him and holding his gaze with her piercing blue eyes.

Shit.

He wasn't expecting that and in his surprise all he can do is continue staring back at her, heart flying in his chest.

"I've seen it 'cause I've been lookin' at you too," She says, the tease of a smile curling the corners of her mouth.

Daryl is still letting her words sink in like a ton of bricks, when she crosses her arms in front of her and pulls her vest up over her head, leaving her in just a simple cotton bra. As she kicks off her boots and begins unfastening her belt Daryl starts, the gentle clink of her buckle ringing like an alarm bell in his ears.

"Girl, are you out of your damn mind?"He growls, stumbling backwards, hands flying up in the air as the sight of her cotton panties sends him into full blown panic.

Beth stops, a crease forming in her otherwise smooth, pale forehead.

"It's ok, no one is gonna come," She blinks up at him slowly.

When Daryl just continues to stare back at her with wide eyes and a tightly clenched jaw, Beth sighs. She takes her hands from her belt, and rests one on the curve of her hip.

"Listen, I like sex," She explains flatly, tilting her head in thinly veiled exasperation. "You've got a pretty amazin' body," Her eyes drift down, lingering on his biceps, his clenching fists causing them to pulse.

"An' you don't talk too much," Beth rolls a bare shoulder, making her sharp collar bones stand out and catch in the light. Daryl draws in a slow breath, eyes narrowing back at hers.

She's here for sex? With him? Is this some kind of joke?

"It'll be just between us an' I'm not lookin' for a boyfriend or nothin'," Beth adds, her expression completely neutral as though telling him what he needs to pick on a run.

Daryl feels his heartrate start to slow, his panic lessening and his brain starting to whirr as he tries to wrap his mind around her proposal.

She's here for sex. With him.

"That work for you?" She asks, all too casually.

Struck dumb by her bluntness, Daryl just gawps at her in disbelief. His mouth fallen open, but no words coming out.

His silence doesn't seem to faze her though as she continues rolling her jeans past her thighs, pushing them down and off her slim legs.

"Take your jeans off and sit on the bed, we haven't got much time," She instructs, lifting her chin towards the cell behind him.

He does as he's told because why the hell wouldn't he? But also there's a part of him that thinks she'll take the offer elsewhere if he says no and for some reason he really doesn't want her to do that.

When he looks up, she's padding across the cell towards him on bare feet, completely naked with just a condom in her hand. His breath hitches as she straddles his lap, the smooth skin of her inner thighs hot against his. He's halfway hard from just looking at her, but she wraps her delicate fingers around his cock. He grunts, letting his head fall back against the wall as she works him up until he can feel drops of pre cum beading along his slit. Her hand disappears for a moment, leaving his dick bobbing between them as she opens the condom with an audible rip that seems to echo in the silent cells.

"Fuck," He hisses as she rolls the rubber down his fully erect cock, pressing her thumb to the tip to push the air out.

She wastes no time at all in pulling herself up by his shoulders. With one hand curled around his shoulder and the other guiding his desperately hard cock, she lowers herself into his lap.

"Jesus Christ girl, you're tight," He groans, hands coming up to grab her waist as she sinks down slowly, burying his cock inside her tight walls.

"Shut up," She whispers breathlessly, pushing her hips forward and taking every inch he has to give her.

No talking, Daryl takes note. The side of his mouth twitches at the way she's bossing him around, and how much he finds himself liking it.

She rides him hard. She rides him like he's a colt she's trying to break in. Grinding down so that his public bone massages her clit. Her eyes are closed, lips slightly parted and he can't help wondering what she's thinking. If she's thinking anything at all, or just losing herself in the rush.

Daryl may have fucked before but he's never been fucked the way she's fucking him right now. Her hips are frenzied, rocking her up and down his cock so fast he's delirious. He didn't know anything could feel so damn good, it's like he doesn't know his own dick.

When his mouth finds her neck she turns his face away, fingers pushing his cheek roughly. No kissing either then.

He looks down and watches her pert little tits jiggle as she moves up and down, nipples rosy and peaked with her arousal. He wants to take one in his mouth and suck it, feel the pebbled nub against his tongue, but he isn't sure if he's allowed. It occurs to him that she's completely naked when she doesn't need to be. He has no idea if that's an invitation to touch her or not though, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth as he plays it safe.

It's been a long time and combined with the way her tight pussy is clutching his cock he's worried for a moment that he might embarrass himself by blowing his load in the first minute. That wouldn't go down well. It's clear this is about getting her off, not him. He knows she will be decidedly unimpressed if he finishes before she does and there's a very real possibility he won't be able to look her in the eye ever again.

Screwing his eyes shut, he thinks of the walker he saw on the fence yesterday. The thing had half its face hanging off. Nasty shit. Imagining the way its rancid flesh hung suspended from its jaw keeps his orgasm at bay long enough for him to hold out until he feels her pussy walls begin to flutter around his dick. A little grunt makes its way out of her throat as she comes, sending a sharp burst of air streaming across his temple.

Spurred on by her climax, he tightens his hands on her hips and fucks up into her, enjoying the way she gasps as he hammers her trembling cunt.

With a growl, he leans forward and closes his mouth around the pebbled nipple dancing in front of his face.

Beth lets out a high pitched moan, her pussy walls shuddering violently around his cock and dragging his orgasm out of him. He groans around her nipple, teeth pressing into the soft tissue of her breast. With one last hard thrust his hips stutter and stop as his hot come pours out of him and fills the condom inside her. She collapses heavily onto his shoulder and his arm wraps around her, cradling her against his chest.

When his hand starts to softly stroke the bare skin of her back she suddenly slides off him and starts to dress without a word.

No cuddling. Got it.

He watches her for a moment, his chest heaving with ragged pants as he catches his breath. Her back is turned to him as she pulls on her clothes.

He shuffles forward, pulling the condom off with a wince as it drags over the sensitive head of his spent cock. Dragging his jeans up, he worries his bottom lip as he watches her intently. She's not quite rushing but it's clear she isn't hanging around either.

He pushes himself up just as she spins around, suddenly bringing them nose to nose.

Beth's piecing blue eyes widen for a split second before she catches herself. Daryl's never seen that colour blue, complimented by the flush in her cheeks.

"Thank you," She says a little stiffly and with enough finality to inform him she's done here.

Daryl scoffs, bringing his thumb up to catch the nail between his teeth.

Her eyes narrow.

"What?"

He lets his hand drop to the side and looks up at her through his hair.

"You think you're gonna wanna do that again?" He murmurs, his voice husky with dehydration or some newly awakened lust, maybe both.

She looks him up and down for a moment, as though considering it. The side of her mouth pulls up.

"Sure. Why not," She shrugs.

Daryl feels the absence of tension in his shoulders as he tilts his head back, holding her gaze with a simmering heat, a crooked smile replacing his set frown.

"Good," He rumbles.

And when he drags his tongue across his bottom lip her eyes follow and flicker.