Prompt idea: prank backfires
It started at the prison.Anytime Daryl was within reach and distracted enough, Carol would reach overand tug that red rag out of his back pocket. Of course he caught her the firstfew times, before she honed her craft and got better at being sneaky.
After the prison, it wasn’tuntil they’d been settled in at Alexandria for a month before she rememberedthat game, spotting that red rag swishing slightly as he walked across theporch in front of her. She wondered sometimes if he barely tucked it in likethat just to tempt her into yanking it out. She also wondered if that was thesame rag that he’d had since she’d met him…or if the original had finally justfallen apart and he’d replaced it with another.
Either way, she was alwayspulling it out of his pocket.
She got so good at it, thatit stopped being fun almost. Almost, because watching him subsequently reachfor the rag, find it missing, swat at his pocket, and then curse her name,immediately knowing that it was her behind it…would never not be hilarious.
“How does he get it backevery time? Do you just give it to him?” Rosita asked when she caught Caroldoing it one afternoon.
Carol shrugged. “I usuallyjust leave it by his crossbow when he’s not looking. He always knows that it’sme.”
Rosita smirked. “I’ve got anidea. A challenge.”
Carol lifted an eyebrow. “I’mlistening.”
“Take the rag out of hispocket, like you always do, but then try to stick it in his other backpocket…all without him noticing.” Rosita looked at her smugly.
Carol narrowed her eyes.“Challenge accepted.”
Rosita nodded to where Darylhadn’t moved, still standing beside Tara in front of the open engine of theblue car, surveying her work. “Go on then.”
Put on the spot, Carolpaused, drew herself up, and put on her game face. She crept back up behindDaryl, waiting for moments when he was making comments to Tara or the woman wasasking him a question. Yanking the cloth out was all about speed. Putting it back,she wasn’t so sure about.
She ended up going forstealth instead of speed, and she kept carefully in his blind spot, starting toslide the corner of the rag into his other back pocket. Without warning, Darylshifted his weight from one foot to the other, and Carol couldn’t withdraw fastenough. Her hand collided with his backside. Instead of jumping or yellingangrily, Daryl simply twisted around and looked at her.
Carol stood there, frozen,with one hand completely cupped around one buttock. She’d dropped the rag onthe ground. She slowly took her hand back, and his expression was deadpan.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
Carol stuttered andstraightened. His nonchalance was wrongfooting. She wasn’t sure why, she’d donea lot more invasive things to him in the bedroom than grab his ass. But thiswasn’t the bedroom. This was public in the middle of the day.
“Just…making sure it wasstill there,” she rambled, making a hasty retreat.
Daryl snorted and snatched upthe rag, stuffing it back into his pocket. Beside him, Tara snickered andwatched Carol flee.
“She touched the butt,” Taragiggled.
Daryl looked at her flatly.
She sighed. “It’s from amovie--”
“I know what it’s from.” Hepointed for her to get back to the engine.