Author's Note: I am extremely excited to write this! I mean, who wouldn't want a Negan, Rick, Simon, and Shane crossover of some sorts?! For now, it is a one-shot, but I am most likely going to develop it into a series of some sorts. I always wanted to know what it'd be like if these four men met before the apocalypse. I'm also changing up a few things (only in terms of Negan's occupation). I hope you enjoy!
Warning: Domestic violence, abuse, and of course, Negan's colorful language.
It was ten o'clock at night. You were staying late at the coffee shop to finish the essay that was due in a couple of days. You always liked to get ahead of your assignments; it gave you more time to relax once it was done with and out of the way.
Though, with the nonstop phone calls and text messages, you knew your boyfriend wasn't happy that he had come home to an empty apartment. You feared him. You feared what he was capable of – you had bruises and stitches to make up for it, too.
But every time he hit you, you always realized it was your fault. He made sure to make it known that he didn't want to hurt you. You had made him that way.
You believed that every time he laid his hands on you, it was because of you.
Your friends couldn't help you. Your family couldn't help you. You didn't want to leave. Despite the pain your boyfriend put you through, you still loved him. He still cared for you.
He always apologized afterwards, anyway.
If he didn't love you, if he didn't care about you, he wouldn't apologize… Right?
You finally made it back to the apartment. You noticed his car in the designated parking spot and the light was on from the living room. You could see it from the outside. You saw his shadow – he must have been sitting at the dining table.
Damn it. You knew you should have cooked for him before you left.
Quietly walking into the apartment, you set your bag down on the couch and dropped your keys onto the small table near the door. It was quiet, but you could feel his eyes on you.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"I was finishing my essay. I lost track of time. Are you hungry?" you replied, walking towards him. You were just about to sit on his lap when he shoved you to the floor.
"What did I say about coming home late? I expect dinner on the table once I get home from work."
"I – I'm sorry, David. I didn't mean to stay out this late. I swear."
"Oh, I'll make sure you're sorry, all right. Get the fuck up, you pathetic dumb bitch."
You began to lift yourself onto your feet before you felt him grasp your upper arm in a tight grip. You knew there would be bruises later.
"David, ouch… Stop… You're hurting me, please. It won't happen again." you pleaded.
"I'm hurting you?" he laughed, "I was the one who starved the entire night because you couldn't get it through your stupid mind that I should have dinner waiting for me after a long day at work!"
David pushed you roughly, causing your hip to come in contact with the small table near the couch. The lamp fell to the floor, shattering the lightbulb onto the hardwood floor.
"Look at that! You made a fucking mess!" he yelled.
Once more, he pushed you, causing you to land onto the shattered glass as it prickled your hands. You yelled out in pain, noticing the blood from the shards of glass that penetrated your skin.
"David… I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise!"
"You know what, I don't accept your apology."
He picked you up by your upper arm, bringing his other fist to connect with your jaw. You cried out loudly, covering your cheek as you felt blood rush down your nose, tasting the liquid that ran down to your lips.
"I don't want to do this, but you're making me! I have rules!" he yelled.
"David, stop! Please!" you yelled, trying to run away from him.
You felt him grab onto the end of your hair, slamming you roughly down onto the floor. He straddled you from above, his hands moving to your neck.
This was it. You were going to die. You felt the oxygen disappear from your body as his hands tightened around your throat. He was going to kill you.
After what felt like forever, he released his grip and you continued to gasp for air, trying to regain your breath.
"Are you sorry?!" he yelled.
"Y – Yes! I've been sorry! I said I was sorry!"
"Are you talking back?!" You could see the veins protruding from his temple – that usually meant he was livid and you were the cause of it all.
"N – No! I'm sorry! David, please!"
He shook his head and slapped you across the face, tears flowing down your face in the pain that you were in. You couldn't fight back. He was stronger than you and you didn't have the courage or bravery to retaliate anyway.
Your next-door neighbor heard everything through the thin walls. Living in an apartment complex had its perks. Hearing the loud crashes, constant yelling, and cries of pain, she decided to call the police.
"911, what is your emergency?" the operator asked.
"There's a domestic disturbance… I think her boyfriend's trying to hurt her. She sounds pretty hurt. Please, hurry…"
"Okay, ma'am. Stay inside your home. What is your address?"
Your neighbor told the emergency operator all the needed information and within minutes, the officers were en route to your apartment.
You felt your vision become blurry with the constant punches that David was throwing at you. You had tried to defend yourself by covering your face, but that only angered him even more.
Just as he was going to wrap his hands around your throat again, he looked over his shoulder at the sound of the front door being knocked open. Instantly, he rose to his feet and tried to cover your body with his own.
"Officers… What seems to be the problem?"
Two of the sheriffs walked in, narrowing their eyes at the place. The noticed your feet sticking out at the end of the couch, but decided to remain quiet just in case the man in question decided to make a run for it.
"We had a call about a domestic disturbance. I'm Sheriff Deputy Rick Grimes. This, here, is my partner, Shane. Is everything all right?"
Shane gave a half-smile, waving briefly to the other man.
David smiled, turning on his charm almost instantly. "Of course. Just a little foreplay with my girlfriend and I. You know how that goes," he winked.
Rick tightened his jaw, nodding slightly. Shane narrowed his eyes. He didn't see you moving and he subtly nudged Rick to speed up the process.
"She likes it rough," David added.
"I see… May we speak with her?" Rick asked.
"I'm afraid not. She's recovering from the Earth-shattering orgasm I just gave her."
Shane looked at David with disgust. Before Rick or Shane could respond, Negan and Simon walked into the apartment, dressed in their usual clothes.
"My, oh my, what the fuck do we have here?" Negan smirked.
"What are you doing here?" Rick asked.
"We got a call. Figured we'd stop by and see what the commotion was about," Simon replied.
"Yes, well, we're here already. You both are free to go," Rick responded.
"We've got this under control, fellas," Shane spoke.
Simon stepped further into the house, obviously trying to look interested with the decorations and interior design.
"Wow. Mighty nice place you've got here." Simon said, pointing towards David as he glanced around the walls. He walked further into the room, inching his way closer to you.
David immediately stepped in front of Simon, flashing a nervous smile.
"Thanks. Now, if there really is no problem, I would like to get some sleep. My girlfriend had a tiring day and all. I'm sure she'd love to get the rest."
Negan stared at David, an obvious grin lining his lips. They all knew he was lying and when they heard the quiet groans coming from you, they stepped forward.
"Like I asked, sir, I would like to speak with your girlfriend. Just to make sure everything's okay and that this wasn't just some prank call," Rick said.
"I said she's fucking fine," David growled.
"Well, can we see her?" Shane asked.
"S – She's uh, she's not wearing any clothes right now. I doubt she'd want you men to see her that way," David stuttered.
Negan narrowed his eyes. "Then why the fuck does she have her pants on?"
"She's without a top." David replied quickly.
Simon narrowed his eyes. He glanced between his colleagues. They needed to get to you now.
"Rick –" Negan began.
"Fine. Damn it," Rick replied.
Shane and Negan grinned. "Finally."
Instantly, Negan took a large step forward and grabbed David by the back of his neck, pushing him against the wall. Shane and Simon stepped forward, moving the couch aside to notice you lying on the floor with a lamp and a desk shattered nearby.
"Call an ambulance!" Shane exclaimed, kneeling onto one knee with Simon next to him.
"She's breathing," Simon said, removing the two sets of fingers he placed onto her neck.
Negan placed the handcuffs onto David's wrists, tightening it painfully.
"Ouch! That's too tight!" David complained.
"Yeah? That's too fucking bad. You think you can put your hands on a woman just because you're a man? You're going to deal with the fucking tight handcuffs for a while. Let's hope it doesn't cut off your fucking circulation because hell, that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" Negan smirked, tossing David onto the floor roughly.
Rick called in an ambulance, walking towards Shane and Simon.
"She doesn't look too good," Shane said.
"What'd you do to her?" Rick asked.
David smirked. "Just taught her a lesson, that's all."
Negan tightened his jaw, delivering a hard punch across David's jaw.
Shane walked towards Negan and David, bringing his foot to connect with David's abdomen roughly. David slumped forward, coughing at the pain that he was currently feeling.
"I – I could press charges against you all!" he yelled, spitting out the blood that leaked from the corner of his lips.
Simon laughed, "Heh. You could try, pal. I don't understand how far you'd get, but if you'd like, we'll even give you our badge numbers, our boss's name, and everything."
Suddenly, they were broken out of their reverie when they heard your quiet voice.
"D – David…" you whispered, your head throbbing in pain. You opened your eyes to the best of your ability to see two strangers standing before you. One was dressed in a sheriff outfit while the other was sporting a leather jacket and a red scarf.
"W – What happened?" you asked.
"Shh, take it easy, doll…" Negan cooed.
"We've got your boyfriend in custody, miss. He won't be hurting you anymore." Rick said.
"He didn't – It was my fault. I should've been home. I should've made him dinner before he came home from work…"
David grinned. "You see, boys, everything is just fine and dandy. Can you release me now?"
"You fucking kidding me? Shut your mouth before I make you," Shane threatened.
Simon walked back to the living room with a wet towel, sitting on his knees to gently wipe the blood from your nose. There was a cut just along your cheek and he gently padded the warm, soft cloth against it. You flinched, looking up at him.
When you noticed his mustache, you giggled which caused all the men to furrow their brows.
"Why are you laughing?" Simon asked.
"Your mustache is – Are you in porn?"
Negan chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, she's got a sense of humor."
Simon smirked, "Well, no, darlin'. But, I can assure you that I'm just as good as those pornstars."
"Hey, that's my fucking girlfriend!" David yelled.
Shane laughed, looking over at you. Now that the blood was cleaned from your face and aside from the cut and bruises, you were beautiful.
Rick arched a brow. He was married, but that didn't mean he couldn't think a woman was beautiful.
Negan was currently in a relationship, but he didn't know how long that would last due to his wandering eye and vulgarity.
Shane was never one to commit and settle down – that was Rick's personality, but never his.
Simon was also single. He had a few relationships here and there, but never serious enough where he thought long-term.
All the men seemed interested in you, though. But all you cared about at the moment was David.
"Is David okay?" you asked.
"He's peachy, doll," Negan responded.
"No, I'm not! They've got me in cuffs, baby!" David interrupted.
"W – Why?"
Rick sighed, gently helping you to your feet. "Come on. I'll show you. Where's your bathroom?"
You led Rick to the bathroom. Shane, Simon, and Negan followed. Shane had a tight hold on David, making all the men watch you stare at yourself in the mirror.
"He did this to you. Your boyfriend is supposed to protect you, keep you safe, make you feel loved, but instead, he does this." Rick began.
"I didn't – It was my fault, though…"
You didn't recognize yourself. You were beginning to realize that you didn't look happy, at least not anymore. Your lip was busted open and your cheekbone was swollen with a bruise and a cut along it. You noticed the light bruising of his fingers along your throat.
Enough was enough.
"You were going to kill me…" you mumbled, tears filling your eyes.
"Baby, no… It's not like that. I just got angry. You know how I get. You know that I love you…" David pleaded.
"Don't lie to the girl," Shane said.
"Why would you hurt me then?" your voice was quiet. You looked down and lifted your shirt to reveal the lightened bruise along your ribs. It was now just finally healing.
"Holy fuck, doll…" Negan shook his head.
Your eyes were focused on the one bruise on your ribs that you didn't notice that there were others. Rick, Shane, Simon, and Negan looked sympathetic. They didn't know how long this was going on for, but they knew that it needed to stop.
"You know I would never hurt you," David said. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"T – Then why do I look like this?! Why do I have bruises all over me?! Y – You said you would take care of me, David!"
You dropped the end of your shirt, covering your bruises.
Suddenly, another set of officers walked and noticed the altercation. Rick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before instructing that the two men take David back to the police station. Once they left, you quickly walked to your room and grabbed a duffle bag.
"Miss…" Shane said, gently resting a hand on your elbow.
You flinched, looking up at him before he smiled softly.
"We're not going to hurt you, okay? But we need to bring you to the hospital to have the doctors there take a look at you," he added.
"Shane's right. You could have a concussion," Rick interrupted.
You ignored them, continuing to pack your bag with countless clothes and undergarments before you felt your knees give out. You cradled your face into your hands and cried quietly, your body shaking with the sobs that escaped your lips.
Negan kneeled next to you, gently wrapping his arm around you. You immediately leaned against him, taking comfort from the men that saved you.
"Come on, doll…"
"I don't want to go to the hospital… Please…" you pleaded.
"The doctors need to –"
"Would you feel comfortable if we did the check-up ourselves?" Simon interrupted.
You pulled back from Negan, looking up at Rick, Shane, Simon, and Negan. You didn't if it was because they saved you that gave you the courage to say yes or if it was because for the first time in a really long time, they looked at you like you were beautiful.
Like you were something special.
David always made it his mission to tell you that you could look better, that you could lose weight to look sexier, or wear more make-up to make you look beautiful. But the way these men were looking at you now, it made you feel like David's words weren't true.
Slowly, you nodded yes.
Rick narrowed his eyes before cancelling the ambulance through his walkie-talkie.
"All right. We're just going to do a quick check-up. Make sure nothing is broken, okay?" Shane said.
You nodded, biting your lower lip and instantly regretting it. You had forgotten that your lip was busted open.
Negan stepped forward, gently hooking a finger under your chin to lift your head slightly. He inspected your features. You couldn't help but blush at the close proximity. His dark brown eyes raked over every inch of your face; you felt ugly, but he surely wasn't looking at you like you were.
"You've got beautiful eyes, you know that, doll?" Negan whispered.
"I – Oh…" you mumbled.
Rick rolled his eyes, "Is that really necessary, Negan?"
"What? You angry because you've got a wife at home and I'm here, flirting freely with this beautiful gal?"
"Hey, you've got a girl back home too, Negan," Shane interrupted.
"Oh, shut the fuck up," Negan replied.
"We're not doing anything wrong…" you defended Negan, looking up at him. "He's got a nice smile. He's even got dimples."
Negan smirked, "See? No harm, no foul."
Simon stepped forward, gently running his fingertips across your cheek. You flinched from the pain, but stared up into his eyes.
"Hi, Mr. Pornstar," you giggled.
"Negan's right. You do have pretty eyes," he smiled.
You cleared your throat. All of a sudden, you felt a wave of tension enter the room. You felt a heat pool at your abdomen, causing you to squeeze your legs together in hopes that neither of the men noticed.
"Okay, hold on. You do realize that you both aren't even supposed to be here, right? Rick and I got the call and we arrived here first," Shane said.
"And your fucking point is?" Negan replied.
"She's our responsibility. Not yours, so kindly back off," Rick responded.
"Whoa, whoa. Listen. We're all here now. No need to argue," Simon interrupted.
"Great. So, it's settled then. She'll be riding back with Shane and I," Rick nodded.
"Like hell she is. She's going with us." Negan said.
"And what makes you think that?" Shane asked.
"Because we said so," Simon said. "Plus, we can get ice cream on the way. You do like ice cream, right?"
You nodded slowly. You didn't know what was going on nor why these four men were fighting over you.
"You can't bribe her!" Rick exclaimed.
"Not bribing her. Convincing her. Who can turn down ice cream?" Simon shrugged.
"I can handle myself," you whispered.
"Doll… No offense, but you just got the beat shit outta you. If that douchebag makes bail, which I doubt he will, he can come back for you," Negan replied.
"And what do you propose we do, Negan?" Rick asked.
"Well, she can stay with one of us until this entire thing blows over." Simon said.
"She can stay with me," Shane quickly added.
"What? No. She can stay with me," Negan responded, "She can't stay with you, Rick. You've got a wife and kid back home."
You widened your eyes, turning your attention to the blue-eyed sheriff. "You have a kid?"
Rick smiled, "I do. His name's Carl. He's ten."
"That's great. You and your wife must be really proud of him."
"Okay, enough of this sappy shit. Doll, how about you decide where you want to stay? Rick's out of the goddamn question, so that leaves Shane, myself, and Simon."
"I don't even know your names… You don't even know mine," you replied.
"I'm Negan," he smirked.
"Simon, or you know, Mr. Pornstar," Simon winked.
"Shane," he smiled.
"And I'm Rick."
You nodded, watching each man introduce themselves in their own way. You were in big trouble. You always had a thing for older guys and it just so happened that you had four candidates standing in front of you.
"I'm [Y/N]…"
"Well, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Shane smiled.
You blushed, dropping your eyes. It had been so long since you were complimented. It also had been a long time since you felt all hot and bothered by a man. After the first year with David, the intimacy had become boring and you had begun to stop wanting sex.
That only led to more problems.
"I can just get a hotel…" you suggested.
"You know what? That's a good idea. That way, we can all stay with you," Simon nodded.
"What?" you asked.
"Do you really think we're going to leave you out of our sight, [Y/N]?" Shane asked.
"Well, no, but –"
"It's settled then. Rick, Shane… We'll see you both at the hotel." Negan grinned, helping you with your bag and leading you out of the apartment with Simon walking alongside with you.
Shane and Rick quickly followed, watching as you climbed into their truck. Once you were seated, you buckled your seat belt and patiently waited for both men to get into the car.
"Negan…" Rick called.
"Yes, Rick?"
"Don't touch her," Shane said.
"What about me? Can I?" Simon smiled.
"Come on, guys. She's vulnerable right now," Rick reasoned.
"What do you take us for, Rick? We're police officers. Right now, our number one priority is to keep her safe. We're just teasing," Negan replied.
"I see the way you're looking at her, the way you both are looking at her," Shane added.
"And you're going to tell me that you both aren't looking at her the same way? She's beautiful. A woman like that who has dealt with that amount of abuse deserves to know that she's beautiful, okay?" Simon said.
"Just don't take advantage of her," Rick responded.
"You know, I thought we knew each other by now, Rick. Do you really fucking think that we would do that?" Negan tightened his jaw.
Rick stepped forward, tilting his head. "Just because you have a girlfriend, Negan, doesn't mean that you'll stay faithful."
"Fuck you, Rick," Negan spat.
"Okay, okay. Break it up," Shane said, separating both men.
"Just meet us at the hotel and make sure you two aren't arguing when we all get there. We need to make sure [Y/N] is comfortable," Simon replied.
"Right. We'll see you at the hotel," Rick tightened his jaw, turning on his heel to walk to his own car.
Once Negan and Simon climbed into the truck, you noticed that you were sitting in the middle of the both of them. Simon started the car and pulled onto the main road, glancing over at you.
"You doing okay?" Negan asked.
You nodded, "I guess so. I just never thought it'd end."
Simon tightened his grip around the steering wheel, "Well, he's never going to hurt you again."
The ride to the hotel was quiet and you felt your eyes begin to droop shut. However, once you finally allowed yourself to succumb to a light slumber, you felt the truck stop moving. You opened your eyes to see that Simon had parked the car in the lot of the hotel. Negan helped you with your bag and extended a hand for you to take. You eagerly took it into your own before following them inside.
You allowed Negan and Simon to do the talking and after a few minutes, they were leading you to the elevators. Stepping inside and clicking the designated floor number, you watched as the doors began to shut before noticing an arm sticking through the small space to allow it to open.
Suddenly, Shane and Rick stepped inside and looked between Simon and Negan before their eyes settled onto you.
"Hi," Rick said.
"Hello," Shane added.
You suddenly felt the safest you had ever felt before now that you were standing between these four men, these four officers.
They were staring at you with soft, interested eyes and you couldn't help but feel like you were finally worthy of someone's attention.