A World In Which There's A Power Couple Of Sorts

                                    

                                          
Daryl Dixon and Kathryn Johnson. They were the most talked about couple in Jefferson High for all of the wrong reasons. They were what many people would call an “Anti-Power Couple”. Most of the people in the school weren’t even sure if they were together. All they knew was when you saw the two walking down the hallway, you looked the other way. The two had a perfect system. Daryl was the muscle. You looked at him or Kathryn funny and you got one hell of a shiner; maybe two if you looked at Kathryn funny. Kathryn, who everyone knew was perfectly capable of also taking someone out with a single punch, was the brains. She had a tongue as sharp as any knife, and her words were a deadly venom.
                          
“Come on, Kath,” Daryl whined. “Skip with me.”
                          
“Dare, I have honors chemistry next hour,” Kathryn said in the same tone of voice.
                          
“So?”
                          
“So, I will be absolutely lost next class if I don’t go,” Kathryn said, bending down to open her locker. “And, I know for a fact that you have calculous next hour.” Kathryn raised an eyebrow. “Now, what’s one of the only classes you're failing?”
                          
“Stop paying so damned good attention to me,” Daryl said. Kathryn then got her locker open, which Daryl promptly shut.
                          
Kathryn sighed and straightened. “Why don’t you wanna go?”
                          
“There’s a test,” Daryl muttered.
                          
“Fine, I’ll skip,” Kathryn said. Daryl grinned in victory. “But, we’re studying for that test.”
                          
Daryl’s grin dipped down into a frown. He weighed his options. Take a test he had absolutely no idea how to take and be miserable, or spend time with his Kathryn. “Deal,” Daryl said holding out a hand. Kathryn shook his hand and the two walked towards his locker.
                          
Daryl Dixon and Kathryn Johnson. Oh, the stories that are spun about the two. From some poor fella who had tried to ask Kathryn out, to the two being expert marksmen secretly working for some spy agency. While most of the stories were no where near reality, Daryl and Kathryn didn’t really try and put out the flame. People would always talk, and better that they talk about how badass the two were rather than how weak. Who cared if people turned to whisper to each other as they saw the two walk towards the door? Daryl was honestly lost in whatever Kathryn was saying. She could go on and on about some random topic that she had read about, and Daryl could just listen to her all day.   
                          
Kathryn sat up against the tree that had a small ‘KJ’ and ‘DD’ carved into it. Daryl sat next to her and handed her his textbook. Kathryn thumbed through the book until she found the page she last remembered Daryl working on. “Is this right?” Daryl nodded. Kathryn opened her own bag and took out two notebooks and two pencils. She handed one of each to Daryl.
                          
Daryl was smart. Kathryn had always known this. It was getting Daryl to believe he was that was the trick. “No, no, you got it,” Kathryn said as she saw Daryl hesitate and almost erase the series of numbers he had written.
                          
He looked over at his friend and narrowed his eyes at her. “No, I’m not.”
                          
Kathryn frowned at him and pointed at his paper. “You have everything right, except you multiplied wrong. Eight times thirteen is one hundred and four.” Daryl looked down at his paper and saw he had only been two numbers off.
                          
Kathryn grinned as she saw Daryl’s shoulders loosen slightly. “Alright,” she said, flipping to the next chapter. Daryl put his hand on the book. “Daryl, you’re going to have to face this sometime.” He slowly removed his hand from the book.
                          
Narrowing her eyes at the problem, Kathryn tried to recall what she had learned her junior year. While the two were both seniors, Kathryn was a year ahead in math, opting to skip geometry to take more advanced classes. “Oh! I remember now. Okay, here’s what you do.”
                          
Daryl watched and listened intently as Kathryn explained how to do the problem. He found himself lost whenever teachers opened their mouths, but when Kathryn spoke, everything would click in Daryl’s mind. She was a breath of fresh air to him.
                          
“Now you try,” Kathryn said.
                          
Daryl timidly started working on the problem Kathryn had written down. She smiled to herself as she saw the different emotions flutter across her friend’s features. She loved the way his nose twitched when he was thinking hard about something. Kathryn brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees. She gazed up at Daryl. She laughed as a piece of his hair fell in face, causing him to jump slightly. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair, further disheveling it. Kathryn scooted closer to him, and her nimble fingers ran through his hair, combing it back into place.
                          
Shuttering slightly at her touch, Daryl tried to focus on the problem written in Kathryn’s superb handwriting. After a moment, Daryl decided it was impossible to focus with her so close. He could smell her shampoo, something that smelt like it does right after it rains. “Kath, you’re making it rather hard to think.”
                          
“Sorry,” she said with a laugh.
                          
Daryl Dixon and Kathryn Johnson. The biggest speculation on the two was if there was something more going on between them. Were they simply friends? Only partners in crime? Was there something more happening? Considering Kathryn and Daryl never shared anything publicly besides timid smiles, it didn’t help to settle the matter. Many thought they were a thing, especially now that Daryl’s brother was amongst the missing. It was a common assumption that Daryl and Kathryn had a very physical relationship behind closed doors, if you know what they mean.
                          
“I don’t know what you were so worried about,” Kathryn said, looking at the problems. “These are all spot on.”
                          
“Only because you explained it,” Daryl muttered.
                          
“You would’ve gotten it either way,” Kathryn said in a firm voice. Daryl rolled his eyes. “Hey,” Kathryn scolded, catching the eye roll, “you are way smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
                          
Daryl looked over at his friend. A serious expression was painted her sharp features. Daryl found himself almost believing her. His gaze flickered down away from her intense green eyes. Kathryn wrapped two fingers around Daryl’s chin, forcing him to look back at her.
                          
A smile crossed Kathryn’s features. “Always have been.”
                          
Daryl sighed and leaned forward so his forehead was resting against Kathryn’s, eyes closed. “What would I do without you?” Daryl muttered.
                          
“You’d be fine,” Kathryn whispered, her own eyes fluttering closed.
                          
“Nuh-uh.”
                          
“Yuh-uh.”
                          
Kathryn jumped slightly as a soft pair of lips were pressed to her own. She soon kissed Daryl back. Daryl grinned slightly as Kathryn ran a hand through his hair, undoing what she had previously done. Daryl sweeped the schools supplies off his lap and replaced the space with Kathryn.
                          
“Ain’t this better than chemistry?” Daryl teased, backing away slightly from Kathryn.
                          
“Shut up,” Kathryn said, grabbing the collar of Daryl’s plaid shirt, and pulling him back towards her.