Open Post 2016 2017 Edition

[likeabulldozer]

☻Pick one of my characters or drop any of your characters in and get a random choice.
☻Pick a scenario or use RNG (or make one up if you don't see what you want here).
☻Have fun!

I. Roadtrip

1. BREAK DOWN. Oh snap. Your car decided to break down out in the middle of nowhere. WHAT DO? Is that Leather-face? Will this be "Children of the Corn"?
2. HITCHHIKERS? Is this even a good idea? Threads may also have a third participant. Go wild.
3. WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST HIT? Dude, I hear deer mess up cars... Or I think that was a deer...
4. DON'T MAKE ME TURN THIS CAR AROUND. Alas. You're the parent or disgruntled friend who has had it up to here with all the fighting in the back. This thread may also have a third or even fourth participant, if you can wing it.
5. OMG, I WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THIS LANDMARK! No, no, and no. You tell that person that they're going to be driven around and they're going to like it.
6. THE GREAT ESCAPE. Either dinosaurs or the moth-man is chasing you. Don't stop now.
7. MAKE OUT. For whatever reason, the person you're traveling with in the car. You would love to make out with them and then some.



II. Cuddles

1. SWEET DREAMS. It's been a long day and all you want to do is sleep or just rest your eyes for a bit. Hopefully whoever is close by doesn't mind if you use them as a blanket.
2. STORMY WEATHER. The heavy rain, thunder, and lightning won't be letting up anytime soon. Luckily, it's the perfect weather to stay indoors and snuggle up close and keep warm.
3. SLOW DANCE. It's the end of a party, or maybe it's only the two of you, but the tempo is slow and the lights are low. Let your dance partner take the weight and just sway.
4. SURPRISE ATTACK. Time to invade someone's personal space. Are they working too much and need a distraction? Maybe you just wanted to brighten their day. Either way, they won't see it coming.
5. MOVIE NIGHT. It can be on the sofa or in a darkened theater, but you've got your popcorn and someone to settle against during your favorite movie.
6. I LOVE YOU, MAN. It's totally platonic, really. You're just very good friends, no matter what people like to think. But you just love your friend so much you want to hug them, whether they like it or not.
7. JEEPERS CREEPERS. Welp. You were just frightened. Was it a spider in the washroom, a ghost in the attic, a bad dream? Either way, you're looking for someone to cling to right now, and who better than that person right there?
8. HURT AND COMFORT. Whether you're sick in bed, just been dumped, or suffered a traumatic event, you need someone to wrap their arms around you and make everything go away.
9. SUNDAY MORNING. Maybe you just had a wild night. Maybe there's just not enough space at your place and you need to share your bed. Or maybe you just got really tired and someone else happened to be there. Doesn't matter because now the person with you looks way more comfortable than any blanket or pillow. Drape to your heart's content.
10. MOMENT AFTER. You just had incredible, vigorous sex and if you weren't a cuddler before, you are now. You're probably too exhausted to do anything else anyway. Just enjoy the moment.
11. PLAYER'S CHOICE. Pick one or make up your own!

III. Hurt/Comfort

1. INJURY. You've been injured. Broken bones or bleeding out or maybe just a tiny little paper-cut. The choice is yours.
2. SICKNESS. You're sick and laid up in bed, at home or in a hospital. The severity is up to you.
3. FEAR/ANXIETY. Something is happening and you're scared beyond belief.
4. LOSS OF SENSES. Sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell, etc. You've lost some important sense or ability and now you're left to deal with it.
5. DESPAIR. Nothing is good or right anymore and you can't shake the depression. Maybe that friend of yours can help though.
6. MAKE UP. Fight or break up, it's time to make up.
7. RESCUED. You've just been held captive and/or tortured for however long and finally, someone has come to the rescue.
8. BAD ROMANCE. Fight, cheat on, abuse, whatever the case is, someone else can clearly see you need comfort from someone who isn't your terrible lover tonight.
9. LOSS. You've experienced a loss of some kind and need help getting through it.

IV. Texts from Last Night

1.Go here
2. Make Magic happen

V. Intimacy

1. PHYSICAL INTIMACY. It might just be innocent touches or it might be foreplay.
2. LONG CONVERSATIONS. Honest words can be more intimate than touch.
3. DRUNK. You're over-sharing or simply maudlin.
4. FORCED INTIMACY. Magic. A truth serum, whatever - you didn't mean to bare your soul, but that is precisely what you're doing right now.
5. SLOW-DANCING. There is something inherently intimate about trusting someone else to lead you, and someone trust you to lead them.
6. OTHER. Intimacy can come in many forms. Pick your poison.

VI. SENTINEL GUIDE

Prompts
oo1. The Meeting:
How did you meet? Was it at an event organized specifically for finding your other half? By accident? Did you follow a mystical calling to them? Some other way?

oo2. Rejection:
Sometimes Sentinels or Guides propose a match but it's just not perfect. You don't feel the pull or maybe you think there is someone better or maybe you're already claimed. Maybe you were claimed and someone better came along?

oo3. Protection:
Sentinels are meant to protect Guides, any Guides, but it's even worse when they feel their Guide is in danger. They go feral; blind to anything but stopping and killing whoever threatened their Guide or the bond. Maybe someone attacked your Guide or you haven't bonded yet and you feel threatened or maybe you're the one doing the threatening. Whatever the reason, Sentinels in a feral state are dangerous and only their Guides can stop them.

oo4. Lost:
Sentinels often lose themselves in their senses. Either you're a Sentinel who has lost themselves or a Guide that has stumbled on one or a friend trying to draw them out. Unbonded Sentinels will find it hard to escape without a Guide. Or maybe you're bonded already which means you just need yours to come home.

005. Persecution:
Sometimes normal people or the government fear the power of Guides and Sentinels. Guides are empaths, feeling the emotions and sometimes passing thoughts of others and it can make people feel violated. Sentinels often have enhanced strength, which can make them dangerous. So they scorn them, hurt them or in the case of governments, regulate them.

oo6. Old-School:
Guides used to be treated on the same level as slaves. Unable to work unless their Sentinel said. Not allowed out on their own. They used to wear collars and couldn't own land or inherit money. Maybe the old ways haven't completely fallen out of style.

oo7. Unbonded:
Nothing sucks more than being an unbonded Guide or Sentinel. Always looking for your other half to fill that empty feeling but you probably have friends that aren't your match or who are trying to set you up with someone. Maybe you're skeptical about the whole love at first sight thing and haven't been looking.

oo8. Wildcard: Some mish-mash of the above or anything else you can come up with!



Other Options
Don't like any of the above? Here are some other options:

1. Picture Prompt: go here or any of your other favorite picture sites. Leave me a few pictures and I'll set something up.
2. Pick a prompt from this prompt tumblr or try googling OTP prompts
3. Insomnia! One or both of you can't sleep. Be awake together.
4. Leave me a scenario, lyrics, a word or a quote

Comments

[littlefaith]

Derek thinks far too highly of Beth. If you don't expect people to be good then they've got no reason to be. As for how she finds the good in life, if she doesn't then what's the point in pushing on? She might as well give herself over to the walkers if she doesn't try to find something good. Besides, she's got good, big things in her life. She's got Derek; they're both alive and healthy. They're together. She's his and he's hers. That's enough to be happy about.

She sees both that eye roll and the grin. She's not fooled for one minute by his bland response. She takes her hair down and brushes ti every night even when it's cold because she knows he likes her hair. Cutting it might be easier, but she thinks they'd both miss it. She'd miss the contact and he'd miss her hair. She likes cutting his hair too. It's one of those nice, intimate moments that are far too rare in their world.

She's definitely seen better days. Sometimes she wishes Derek could have seen her all dressed up. She never wore a lot of makeup, but she'd put on some mascara and some lip gloss. She'd curl her hair and wear it all down around her shoulders. Now, she's lucky to have clean hair and clothes. Even with his hair too long, and stubble turned more beard most days, Beth thinks Derek looks like Prince Eric. She'd loved a Little Mermaid more than any of the other movies and she's certain he's her Prince. Sometimes, she likes to imagine the life they'd have if they'd met in another world.

"Ooooh. See, now I like this boyfriend better," she tells him, tilting her head up for the kiss. "Good morning," she whispers in response then kisses him quickly again before grabbing her backpack and getting to her feet.

[duelo]

Feigning offense, Derek fails to keep up the facade at her comment when instead his expression shifts into amused incredulity and the laugh that bubbles up out of him matches the look on his face. "Oh that's how it is? You only like this me when I can carry you around, huh? I'll remember that, Beth," he jokes.

But her whispered tones and the chaste kiss she follows them with melt away his playful facade. Beth is quite literally Derek's whole world now, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Everything about her makes him want to keep fighting and keep surviving when the world around him is all but insisting that the living should roll over and let it win.

Derek pushes himself back up as she gets to her feet and he lets his bag drop to the ground. He's not going to be able to put it on if he's going to be carrying Beth, after all. She'll have to pick it up after he's got her settled on his back. "You ready? I'm feeling good about today. I think we're going to find a place to stay. I don't know why, I just...have a really good feeling about today."

[littlefaith]

"Actually," she hums. "I prefer the boyfriend that kisses me. Puppy you drools," she informs him, sticking her tongue out at him.

She still has family, at least she still hopes Maggie is out there and okay, but Derek is her whole world as well. If she has a future at all, it'll be because of and with Derek. She doesn't want a future that doesn't include him anyway.

She hops up on his back, reaching down to grab the bag before they start off. She rests her chin on his shoulder as they start off. "Yeah? I like it when you have good feelings."

[duelo]

"I do not drool," he insists incredulously. Derek doesn't actually mind it when Beth — or Maggie, when they're with her, for that matter — teases him. It's difficult to find humor or levity in the world as it is now, so Derek welcomes that sort of thing when he has the chance to do so.

Derek smiles, hooking his elbows under her knees once she's on his back. "Yeah, I don't know, I just feel like we're going to have a good day, gorgeous." He hopes the feeling is on point, because it's been a rough past few days and they could really use something good. They could really use somewhere to call home. Even if it's just for a little while.

Shifting to hoist her up a little higher, Derek starts walking, leaving their camp as it is: a little messy and surrounded by a perimeter fence made of fishing wire and tin cans, on the off chance that he'd been able to sleep through the stench of an approaching walker. Let someone else use it, he thinks, if someone comes across it. It's not like they've never taken advantage of an abandoned camp before, they might as well pay it forward.

They're only walking for maybe twenty minutes before Derek stops suddenly, his head lifting and back straightening. It sounds like water, just barely. The sound is soft and admittedly distant, but it's running water, like a creek or river that hasn't run dry yet. Derek changes course abruptly, but doesn't say anything, in case Beth has fallen asleep on his back because he woke her up before her body was ready to start the day. He doesn't want to do that to her twice.

[littlefaith]

Beth laughs softly, pressing a kiss to his arm. She teases him because she's confident that he knows she loves him, both his wolf form and his human form. He's always still Derek and hers.

"We could use a good day," she says, winding her arms around his shoulders. She takes a deep breath, relaxing against him, knowing that Derek won't let her fall. Before she knew about the wolf, she'd feel bad about this; she'd worry about him getting tired or expending too much energy or that he wouldn't be able to run when they needed to. Now she knows none of that's a concern. She doesn't always take him up on his offer of a piggy back ride, but often enough. "Hey, in case you don't remember, I love you," she whispers to him. Beth has lost far too many people (they all have) not to tell those she loves that she loves them every day.

Some of those abandoned camps have been incredibly welcome and needed. She wouldn't say they'd exactly saved their lives, but they'd certainly helped a time or two. If they can provide the same help to someone else, Beth is all for it.

Beth has kind of drifted off a little. She stirs when Derek stops, back straightening up. She doesn't wake up though, just sort of mumbles 'everything okay'. She knows Derek will wake her up if necessary.

[duelo]

If there's one thing to be said about Beth that Derek has found to be unique to her, it's that she's not afraid to let people know when she cares about them. She's learned the hard way that there might not always be a tomorrow to wait to say it. He feels guilty knowing that she had to learn it the same way he had so many years ago before the world went to hell, but he can't help the fact that he likes that about her. "I couldn't ever forget," he says softly back, a small smile on his face as he tilts his head to touch hers. "I love you, too, Beth." Derek always makes sure he vocally reciprocates that sentiment because he knows what this world threatens every day. One minute things could be fine and the next he could be dead; Derek doesn't ever want to face something like that without knowing that Beth knows how much he loves her. If he ever can't survive long enough to go on protecting her, he wants her at least to have that to hold onto.

Feeling her stir and hearing the soft voice muffled against his shoulder, Derek nods as he goes on walking. "Yeah," he replies softly. "It's okay. I hear water," he explains his sudden change of course, in case that's what made her wake in the first place. He doesn't have to further explain, he thinks, because Beth knows what running water means just as well as he does. Fresh water to drink, a place to bathe that won't feel like they're just standing in other people's filth while they do it. Derek doesn't like standing water if they can avoid it, which is why he's so excited and why he's changed course.

Maybe this is why he had a good feeling about today when he woke up this morning. He hopes that this is just the start and not the be all, end all of that gut feeling. Derek's still really hoping for a house to settle in.

It takes another ten minutes or so for the sound of the creek — not a river, he thinks to himself; it's not quite that loud — to get loud enough for him to think they're nearly there. Derek slows to a stop again another few minutes later, his face lighting up when he sees it. "Beth..." he says in his normal voice, not too quiet but not too loud; enough, he hopes, to rouse her without startling her. "...it's a creek."

[littlefaith]

She used to be a little more shy about telling people how she felt, about letting them know she cared. The world changed that. Some people went even more silent after everything, but Beth never did and she's glad that Derek isn't shy about telling her how he feels. She likes hearing the words even though she knows he loves her. Ideally, they'd both live to an old age, but this isn't an ideal world and she knows today might be all they get.

She makes a humming sort of noise, something between contentment and sleep. She doesn't stir again though. Derek is warm and solid and safe. It's the perfect condition for sleeping, despite the fact that they're moving. She might end up dreaming about a bath, granted it won't be the warm bubble bath of her dreams but even a cold bath is better than nothing. She doesn't like standing water either. Maybe they can catch some fish. If they're really lucky, there'll be a shelter near the creek.

Beth is hoping for the same thing. It would be nice to sleep under a roof, nice to have some place they can stay for more than a day or two.

When he rouses her in that voice, she does wake up, yawning and moving to slide off his back. There's a smile on her face as her eyes find the creek. She looks up to Derek, that smile still on her lips. "I think I've still got some of that soap I found a while back." It's girly and scented and her favorite.

[duelo]

Ideally, Derek thinks they'd be married by now. They've been together for almost two years and they've known one another even longer still than that. Ideally, they would live in the Greene farmhouse. Ideally, Hershel would still be alive and Derek and Glenn would've taken over the farm for him so that he could retire in peace. Maggie and Beth would have been pregnant together. There would be children running around the farm without a care in the world, because ideally, there wouldn't be a thing in the world to care about because the world wouldn't be all fucked up.

Ideally, Derek would've met Beth under better circumstances and they could be happy all the time instead of just in little pockets of time when things are okay for a little while.

They don't get to have ideal anymore; no one does. So what they have has to do and Derek will take it because he loves her and he intends to make every second count. He's seen what happens when people don't do that.

When he feels Beth starting to slide off his back, Derek crouches a little so that she won't have to drop to the ground to reach it. He laughs a little, looking over at her when she comments about the soap. "So I can smell like your girlfriend instead of your boyfriend?" he teases. He wishes Maggie was around, because he'd like to be something more to Beth than a boyfriend by now, but he won't ever do it without at least Maggie's blessing. Neither of the Greene sisters know that he has Hershel's blessing already; has had it since before he and Beth were even officially dating, actually. Hershel is the reason Derek even started to look at Beth the way he looks at her now. But Hershel is gone. Now, he feels like he needs Maggie's seal of approval before moving forward the way Glenn had.

"I guess I'd rather smell like your girlfriend than a mountain man," he adds with a smirk, moving toward the creek and peeling his shirt off as he moves toward the water, draping it over a large boulder. "You gonna make me test the temperature first again?" he teases, looking over his shoulder at her.

[littlefaith]

Ideally, they would be married now. Since Maggie's wedding, she's thought about that a lot. Of course, they can't have that idyllic life now and Beth knows that, no matter how much it hurts. They could get married though. Most of the time, it doesn't bother her that Derek hasn't asked. She assumes it's because things have been crazy, because something always seems to be happening, because survival is so much more important than a ceremony that would be entirely meaningless legally because there is no government anymore. She knows it's silly, but she still wants to marry Derek. More than anything that isn't survival.

She tries not to think about ideally because if anything can get Beth down, it's spending too much time thinking about things that she can't have anymore.

And Beth will be happy without what they can have because she loves Derek. He gives her something to survive for.

She laughs a little at him, shaking her head. "Sorry, they were out of boyfriend scented soap at the store." She wishes Maggie were around for a lot of reasons. Derek's reason is a very good one. No, she's got no idea that Hershel had anything to do with she and Derek getting together. It wouldn't surprise her thought. Her father had wanted both she and Maggie to be happy. He'd wanted to make sure they wouldn't end up alone and she is so crazy in love with Derek, she knows he loves her the same way. It doesn't matter that it'd taken a nudge from her father.

She wrinkles her nose a little at the mountain man comment. "I think we both smell that way," she says with a sigh. That sigh turns into a smile as she watches Derek strip his shirt off. She will never, ever get tired of looking at him. She curls her fingers into the palm of her hand, an unconscious little gesture that keeps her from reaching out to touch him. "Of course. You'd wonder if I'd lost my mind if I just jumped in."

She does start to unbutton her shirt as she watches him though.

[duelo]

Derek laughs in spite of himself as he unzips his jeans and drags them down — which only takes effort because they're so thickly caked with gunk that they're stiff. It certainly isn't because he's gained weight lately, in fact, quite the opposite. As a wolf, Derek is a pretty great hunter...but even the greatest hunter can only do so much when the game is limited to damn near nothing. "What kind of store runs out of boyfriend-scented soap? Come on, Beth."

He manages to get the jeans off and smirks over at her before he starts toward the water. "I know you do, anyway," he says with feigned disgust before wading into the creek. "You know, you're probably right. I would wonder who you were and what you'd done with the love of my life. It's nice, come on," he replies, reaching his arms out for her, still only standing about knee high in the water, stripped down to his boxer shorts.

Of course, his assessment of the water, as it always is, is flawed; werewolves run warmer than humans and, on top of that, he's exaggerating to get her in the water. If he told the truth — it's fucking freezing — she'd never come in with him on her own.

[littlefaith]

Yup, she's still enjoying the strip show. They're both too skinny, but pretty much everyone in existence now is too skinny. It's part of living in the world that they live in. She shrugs. "I don't know, but they've definitely lost my business."

She slips her shirt off, laughing as she lets it drop to the ground. She unbuttons her jeans and starts wiggling out of them. They're a little less gross than Derek's simply because he usually does any of the gunk collecting work that has to be done. She suspects that he's lying about how nice the water is, but she can't resist the lure of his arms, or of being clean.

Well, she'll curl up against him in the cold water and eventually she'll get used to the temperature. He can help her get warm afterwards. Stripped down to her underwear and bra, she jumps into the water, squealing and already seeking Derek's warmth. "You're such a dirty liar," she laughs breathlessly.

[duelo]

Beth getting into cold water is maybe one of Derek's favorite things in life. It's impossible not to laugh and be all that much more in love with her. She's not the type to wade in slowly type; she's the kind that likes to jump right in and the way that she always squeals and hurries to the warmth of his embrace never ceases to make him happy.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," he teases her and he pulls her up against him, knowing that she's searching for his body heat to make up for the cold water. He leans down then to kiss her. Derek hums against her mouth, a soft and contented sound. It only life could always be like this. Kisses and playfulness. Derek likes to pretend sometimes that the creeks and rivers and ponds and lakes aren't their only source of bathing, but that they're here because they're young and in love and why not, because it's fun. He wishes that was true.

Parting from the kiss, he smiles. "Warmer now?"

[littlefaith]

She knows that she ought to be quiet, that she ought to avoid squealing, but she also knows that Derek would tell her if there was anything in hearing distance to be worried about. She's never been the type to wade in slowly. Jump in and get acclimated. It's the only way to go. That fact that this makes Derek happy is just a cherry on top.

She's already curling up against him, shivering as he pulls her up against him, his arms wrapping warm around her. She tiptoes up into the kiss, loving the way he hums against her lips. It's the best sound. She wants their whole life to be like this as well. This would be a perfect life. She runs her hands over his shoulders and down his back as they kiss. They are young and in love and it is fun. Maybe that can be enough, though Beth is always going to want more than this. She knows Derek will too. Maybe that's part of being in love as well.

"Much," she chirps, snuggling against him a little more. She lays her head on his chest a moment then looks back up at him. "Soap is still out there."

[duelo]

Beth always feels so small and fragile in Derek's arms, but the good thing about that is that Derek gets to always feel like he's protecting her, even when there's nothing to protect her from.  He relishes the way his girlfriend feels in his arms and with her head on his chest. It makes him feel important and sometimes Derek needs the reminder that he is.

When Beth looks up, Derek feels the movement and looks down. His expression drops with her words. "Really, Beth? Really?" he asks, feigning upset — some days it would've been genuine annoyance; they're not perfect and of course they fight once in a while. But he has a good feeling about today and nothing is going to get him down — as he sighs. "Who's the worst, now?" he teases as he starts to disentangle himself from her to go get the damn soap.

"Stay there, I'll be right back," he promises, moving back toward the bank to get out of the water.

[littlefaith]

By contrast, Derek always feels safe and strong when his arms are wrapped around her. When Derek is holding her, Beth can believe that they might really live to see old age. He is so very important and maybe he's only important to Beth, but he is the most important thing in her whole life.

Everyone fights, but today is too good to ruin with a fight over something so petty. She raises her hand. "Me. I'm the worst," she says, not sounding terribly upset about this. As soon as he starts disentangling himself, Beth's arms wrap around herself to hold in that warmth he left behind.

"You know," she says as he gets out of the water. "I just do this so I can look at your butt!" She's even going to forget about the shivering for a moment so she can admire her boyfriend's good qualities.

[duelo]

Her willingness to almost gleefully admit to it makes Derek laugh as he makes his way out of the creek and toward Beth's bag.

At her comment, Derek barks another laugh and looks over his shoulder. "That a fact?" he asks and bends conspicuously and intentionally — unnecessarily so — to get the soap out of her bag before heading back to the water again. "I'll remember that," he points out to her with a smirk as he hands the soap to her. Derek always lets Beth wash first because he's always a lot more disgusting. Now that she knows he's a werewolf; that he can do things that humans can't, he tends to do more of the grunt work and more of the walker fighting and killing, simply because he can't be infected. He heals too fast. They can try to kill him, but he's stronger than people; he's sure as shit stronger than dead people.

If Derek dies in the apocalypse, it won't be because of a walker.

"Next time, I'm making you get the soap," he says, but he never will; he always says that.

[littlefaith]

She knows what she's doing here. She loves making Derek laugh.

"Absolutely a fact," she tells him, grinning at the way he bends over. She is so absolutely in love with Derek. Just seeing him makes her feel giddy. She takes the soap with a murmured thank you, and stretches up to kiss him quickly before she crouches in the water, braving the cold water so she can get her entire body wet and later up with the soap. It's not until she scrubbed her whole body that she ducks her head under water to get her hair wet. Once upon a time she wouldn't have dreamed of washing her hair with soap, nor would she have dreamed of washing it without following up with conditioner. Now, she practically salivates at the idea of getting her hair clean no matter how she does it. Once her hair is soaped up, she passes the soap over to Derek and works her fingers through her soapy hair.

Before she ducks her head back under the water to get the soap out, she takes a deep breath. Just a few more minutes and she'll be on the bank, wrapping up in a blanket.

[duelo]

Half of the reason Derek lets Beth bathe first is because he's always more grimy than she is and he'd rather her get to use the soap before he gets it all gross — soap is not self-cleaning, in Derek's opinion — but the other half is because the water is always so cold and if she washes first, then she can get out and get warm while he's washing rather than the other way around. Being warmer-blooded than a human has plenty of uses and not freezing his ass off waiting for Beth to get clean before he can even start is one of them, because Derek will always, always put Beth first.

He waits for her to finish and then reaches a hand out for the soap. "Go get warm, beautiful," he tells her. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Do you want to take a break and eat something before we go?"

Not that there's much to choose from. They'd found a house about a week ago and they'd stayed for a few days. Long enough to filch what little was left in there that was non-perishable. Long enough for them to dry out some of the meat from the deer he'd killed them for their meal. There's jerky and there's...canned food. Those are pretty much the options they have at the moment, but it's still something, after all. Something is better than nothing.

[littlefaith]

She appreciates both of those things. Sometimes she feels bad about letting Derek take care of the dirty work, but he's better at it and it's safer. She knows both of those things. She also knows that Derek is more interested in keeping her alive than he is making sure the work is split evenly. Besides, she helps out in other ways. She helps to set up camp and to scavenge for the both of them. She tries to make Derek's life better every day. She hopes she succeeds because he makes her life better simply by existing.

She can't help but smile at his compliment. She leans in to brush a kiss against his cheek as she hands the soap off. She shakes her head at his question. "Let's keep going. We can have a late lunch." She's still hoping they'll find a house as well.

Without any more procrastination, she dashes for the bank, scrabbling in her pack to pull a blanket out and wrap it around her then parks herself on the bank to watch Derek.

[duelo]

As far as Derek is concerned, Beth could sit on her ass and look pretty for the rest of their lives and he would be just as happy as he is when she's doing her part. He really never asks her help unless he needs it, but he never rebukes her when she offers. Derek doesn't want her to feel like she's under-appreciated. But just being there, that's enough for Derek. Knowing that she loves him is more than enough to keep him happy.

"Sounds like a plan," he agrees, watching her fondly as she scurries up out of the water to dry off. Derek slips beneath the surface of the water to wet his hair and comes back up shaking the excess water out of it before rubbing the soap over his head to start a lather. It's easier for Derek with his shorter hair.

He gives his girlfriend a smile when he sees her watching him. "I haven't smelled a walker in like two days…" he realizes aloud. "Maybe we finally found the sweet spot."