Rick stared at the tall, lean man in front of him as a hatred boiled in his chest that was more consuming than anything he had previously felt. The man was oblivious to this, or perhaps he actually wasn't, but just chose to ignore the waves of anger emanating in his direction.
Instead, Negan came up close to Rick, his face just inches away, as he repeated, "I'll ask you one more fucking time: where is that shithead, Daryl?"
Gritting his teeth and struggling to maintain his composure, Rick stared slightly down and to the side, trying to project an air of submission and obedience.
"I don't know; he isn't here."
The harsh chuckle that left Negan's lips, in response, sent a flurry of goosebumps down the back of Rick's neck.
"See, the problem with that statement is that I don't fucking believe you, Rick. Not one little bit," he growled, bringing his face in even closer, until his hot breaths puffed against Rick's cheek and mouth.
Continuing to stare off to the side, Rick could feel Negan's intense stare on him, as if he were searching for some hint that Rick was lying. And he was lying, but it would be a cold day in hell before he gave up someone he cared about to this motherfucker. A cold day, indeed.
Realizing that Rick wasn't going to say any more, Negan took a step back and ran a gloved hand down over his beard, as if contemplating his next move. Suddenly, he froze, as if an idea had just hit him.
"Let's go," he commanded, turning and walking towards the old pickup truck that he and his men had arrived in.
When he didn't immediately follow, Negan threw back over his shoulder, "Don't make me say it again, Rick," and climbed up into the driver's seat.
Sighing, Rick looked back at his people, who were all watching him nervously, and gave them what he hoped was a reassuring nod. He locked eyes with Michonne, who looked as though she wanted to say something, but thankfully didn't. Instead, she gave the barest ghost of a smile in return, silently sending him her strength and support.
Turning and slowly walking over to the truck, Rick opened the passenger's side door and hopped up onto the sun-warmed seat. As soon as the door shut, he felt slightly claustrophobic. Being in such a confined space with Negan reminded him of the last time they had been alone together, in the RV during their first meeting. Images from that night flickered through his brain, but he pushed them to the side, not wanting to open those gates and let any of the grief and guilt flood back in.
Negan put the truck in drive and turned it back around towards the gate. Rick wanted to ask where they were going, but decided it would be wise to stay silent and see for himself. He glanced out the window and back at his family, watching as they became smaller and smaller as the truck drove away.
The ride was eerily silent, which increased Rick's tension until he was discreetly gripping the seat and had broken out into a cold sweat. Chances were, Negan knew how much the silence built up the anticipation, which was why he was doing it. He had even turned off the radio, so that the only noise was the rattle of the engine as they cruised down the road. Glancing up at the sky, Rick saw that grey storm clouds had quickly started to move in, almost as if Mother Nature was trying to reflect their current situation.
After about twenty minutes, Negan pulled off onto the side of the road, at the edge of the woods. He turned off the engine, grabbed Lucille from where she had been lying across the dashboard, and exited the truck. Rick opened his own door and got out, following Negan's tall, leather-clad form as it headed off into the forest.
Right as they entered the woods, he felt the first raindrop hit his nose. It started out as a light drizzle, but within minutes had increased to a steady pour, soaking through his shirt and slightly obstructing his vision.
Eventually, they reached a small clearing, where Negan abruptly stopped. As he turned back around, Rick saw that he was getting soaked, as well, although his jacket provided a lot more protection from the rain than Rick's button-down. Both men's hair was slicked down against their skulls, drops of water glistening in their salt-and pepper beards.
They regarded each other silently, Rick with a furrowed brow and straight face, while Negan had his tongue tucked into his cheek and was showcasing a smirk, even though the situation was nowhere near humorous.
"Do you know where the fuck we are?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the hum of the rain.
Looking from side to side to see if the place looked familiar, Rick gave a shake of his head and a firm, "No."
Negan lifted Lucille straight out from his side and slowly pointed her in a half circle, showcasing their surroundings. "Take a good look, Ricky boy, because this is gonna be a pivotal place for you, yes indeed. This is the spot where you will finally realize just who the fuck is in charge around here. And I'll even be a super nice guy and give you one motherfucking clue: it ain't you."
Negan took a few steps closer, Lucille now dangling at his side. Drops of water flowed down her barbed length before dripping off and onto the ground. The sight reminded Rick of before, when she had been dripping blood, instead of water.
As if he knew what Rick was thinking, Negan continued, "I thought I had made myself clear before, when I introduced some of your old buddies to Lucille, but it appears that the message hasn't fully sunk in, yet."
Negan stepped even closer, not stopping until Rick had to slightly tilt his head back to keep eye contact.
"I. Am. In. Fucking. Control. Rick." He bit out the words, his voice turning into a snarl as he said Rick's name.
Fighting not to take a step back and put some distance between them, Rick stayed silent, even though every muscle in his body was screaming at him to retaliate. To grab that stupid bat from his hands and bash his goddamn head in with it. To put an end to that arrogant smirk and cocky attitude that had crashed into his life and flipped everything he thought he knew upside down.
Negan finally took a step back on his own, to better assess Rick's face. Water was trailing down his tan face and beading on the tip of his nose, and at this point, even that leather jacket couldn't be keeping him from getting absolutely soaked to the bone by the steady downpour that was falling from the grey sky above them.
"The sooner you accept that I have all the power here, the easier this will go. Because you not giving me exactly what the fuck I want is a huge mistake. You have no authority, anymore. So, what happens to you? That's my fucking decision. If I wanted, I could just leave you here, and force you to walk back to your precious group, unarmed."
Hefting Lucille up so that she was propped on his shoulder, he leaned backwards and looked Rick up and down while adding, "Or I could just kill you right fucking now, and find someone more amiable to be in charge. Whataya think? Hell, I bet that hot chick who killed the deer could easily be your fucking replacement."
Unable to help his reaction, Rick's body jerked at the mention of Michonne, before he recomposed himself and hopefully maintained a neutral expression. Of course, Negan noticed.
"Yea, you know who I'm talking about. That hot piece of ass you let have a rifle. Damn, but she seems like a handful. Might be that she's even more trouble than she's worth. But she had a glint in her eyes, a fire that is just undeniably fucking hot, you know what I'm talking about? Of course, you do. And if she can fuck half as good as it looks like she can, then to hell with her being your replacement. Instead, I might just have to take her back with me and make her my next fucking wife."
His reaction was instantaneous. Rick saw red flash before his vision, and a second later he had charged across the short distance separating them and slammed into Negan, tackling the man to the ground. Negan flew backwards with Rick on top of him, and they both landed with a loud squelch directly into a large mud puddle.
He must've really taken Negan by surprise, because Lucille flew out of his hand from the impact, landing a few feet off to the side. All of a sudden, the power dynamics were gone. Just like that, they went from predator and prey to being just two men, on equal grounds. Well, maybe not totally equal, since Rick currently had pure rage on his side.
Lifting back his fist, he let it fly, connecting squarely with Negan's cheek and whipping the man's head to the side from the force of it. He pulled back for a second hit, but Negan had recovered from the shock of being tackled and brought up his arms to shield himself.
The two men began to wrestle in earnest, hands tangling in wet clothes and Negan's fingers grabbing at Rick's thighs to try and dislodge the irate man from where he was straddling his waist. Mud was streaked over both men's faces as they grunted and snarled and landed a punch here and there, both giving as good as they got.
It was when Rick had to pause and shake his head, to flick water out of his eyes, that he lost the upper hand. It happened so fast that he didn't have time to process why he was flying to the side, until his back replaced Negan's in the mud and their positions became switched.
His hands were pinned to the ground on either side of his head by the strong fingers wrapped around his wrists, and his lower half was immobilized by the long, lean thighs straddling his own, their crotches pressed against each other in a way that Rick shouldn't have noticed...but he did. In fact, it was in that instant that he made a shocking discovery about himself.
He was hard.
Most likely, it was a result of the adrenaline flowing through him during the fight, coupled with the friction of their bodies against each other as they wrestled. Or maybe, there were some underlying desires coming to light that he was nowhere near ready to acknowledge. Either way, whatever the reason, Rick's traitorous body now decided to give him the mother of all erections, and he bit back a gasp as his pants became almost painfully tight from the rush of blood that had flowed to his cock.
"Well, look at you," Negan said, his face showcasing amusement and surprise, rather than the rage Rick had been expecting. "I didn't think you'd have the fucking guts to come at me like that. I'm almost impressed."
Rick couldn't even think of a response, due to him frantically sending his cock mental pleas to calm the fuck down. When Negan shifted slightly above him, he had to bite his cheek to hold back a groan at the sensation, his soaked pants plastered to his skin in a way that amplified the friction.
Any chance that Negan wouldn't notice, at this point, was hopeless. With the man plastered so closely on top of him, it would be impossible to miss what was happening below Rick's belt. They both were panting heavily from the fight, but he still knew the exact moment when Negan felt his reaction to their contact, by the hitch in his breathing.
Negan stilled, his eyes burning down into the other man with violent heat. Rick should've been terrified, and he was...but he was also aroused as fuck
"Well, I'll be damned," Negan said, as if in awe, his eyes widening and a muscle ticking in the side of his jaw. "You might be more personally useful than I had previously fucking thought."
At that, Negan rolled his hips downward, and Rick sucked in his breath at the feel of something hard rubbing against his throbbing cock. It took him a second to realize that he had just felt Negan's own erection...that he wasn't the only one affected by their current situation.
Adjusting his body, so that it was pressed more firmly down into Rick's, a cruel grin flashed across Negan's face when Rick involuntarily twitched his hips up, as if searching for more contact. Shocked at his body's traitorous response to the movement, Rick had to bite back a groan as his dick twitched in response to the pressure and friction from the man above him.
"Looks like Rick the Prick is living up to his namesake," Negan taunted, an arrogant grin spread across his face. His hands loosened from Rick's wrists as he rolled his hips again, tauntingly.
It was in that moment that Rick acknowledged what both his mind and brain were screaming at him: he wanted to fuck Negan. And, yes, that thought brought about some shame, but the shame was overshadowed by the utter desire to dominate this powerful man. He wanted to fuck Negan into the wet ground, do it hard and fast, and make him really feel it...make it hurt.
Give him just a small taste of the pain that he'd given Rick.
He reached up and roughly curled his hand behind Negan's head, his fingers tangling painfully in the dark, wet hair. Giving a rough yank, he pulled the man towards him. And, to his surprise, Negan acquiesced, his face slamming down into Rick's.
Teeth knocked together, the faint, coppery taste of blood appearing from a split lip. And yet, this only spurred Rick on, only made him grip tighter and push forward more, until he'd forced Negan's mouth open and claimed it as his own.
He had never felt like this before, never had such an all-consuming desire to dominate someone, and while he couldn't say that it had never entered his mind to fuck another man, he definitely hadn't ever expected to be in a situation where he would go through with the thought.
But here, in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to fuck Negan into the mud, to show that he wasn't going to bow down completely, and that he was nowhere near defeated.
Shoving Negan off him, he was only vaguely surprised at how easily the man was dislodged, at how pliable he had become. He fell to the side, his hands and hip hitting the ground hard enough to splash muddy water up onto the front of his jacket.
Pushing himself up off the ground, Rick stood over Negan, who was still half sitting in the mud, looking up at him. It was the first time Rick had ever seen any hint of uncertainty on the man's face, as if he were waiting to see if Rick would go through with this, or if they would go back to blows.
Huffing a few heavy breaths, as if to prep himself up for what he was about to do, he pointed at Negan and commanded, "Get on your knees."
There was a pause, a moment of utter stillness where both men stared at each other, sizing the other up. Even the rain picked that moment to stop, as if Mother Nature knew that her job was done, and the stage was set.
Finally, Negan shifted from his position on the ground, pushing up onto his knees right in the middle of the puddle, and looking up with a smirk.
"Well, Rick, we've come full circle. Last time, I showed you my dirty girl. So now, what the fuck are you gonna show me?"
Not allowing himself to think back again to that night, Rick's hands moved to his belt, as if they had a mind of their own. Before he fully realized what he was doing, he had his pants unzipped and was pulling out his swollen cock, so that it hung inches away from Negan's face. He didn't even need to give him the command; Negan only looked for a few short seconds before moving his head forward and taking the head of Rick's cock into his mouth.
Giving an involuntary groan, Rick's eyes rolled closed at the sensation of a hot mouth and swirling tongue teasing at his tip. Not in the mood to play games, he reached down and tangled his fingers tightly in Negan's mud and rain-slicked hair, before roughly jerking the man forward.
Negan gave a slight choking sound at the abrupt move, but swiftly recovered. Rick duly noted that Negan must've done this before, but the thought was quickly swept away by the sensation of his cock being swallowed whole.
Fuck, but he had never considered the differences between how a man and a woman would suck him off. It should've been a surprise to discover that Negan was immediately more proficient than any woman in his past had been, but it wasn't. He knew just where to lick, how hard to suck, and exactly how much pressure to exert with his teeth, to push Rick to the edge within mere minutes. When Negan reached up with one mud-covered, gloved hand and started to fondle Rick's balls, he was certain that he wouldn't last, the unique feel of leather on his sensitive sac more erotic than he ever would've guessed.
Panting heavily, he clenched his thighs against the impending climax. He almost let himself go, the image of forcing Negan to swallow down his cum one that filled him with primal glee. But no, that wasn't enough. He wanted more, wanted to push this man into the rawest form of submission that he could think of, and see if perhaps it would restore some of the broken pieces of his ego that had been stolen from him weeks ago.
Using his grip on the man's hair to jerk him back, Negan's mouth released Rick's cock with a pop, and Rick watched, mesmerized, as a string of saliva hung between Negan's tongue and the tip of his cock, before it broke and fell to the ground. He noticed that Negan had unbuckled his belt, and that his pants were unbuttoned. He wondered if Negan had been stroking himself while sucking Rick's cock, and the thought caused a shiver of pleasure to dart down his spine.
Negan, noticing the reaction, gave another one of his signature smirks, and taunted, "Well? You think the fucking deer chick can suck cock half as good as I just did?"
Rick gave what could only be classified as a snarl, the mention of Michonne bringing up too many emotions, including guilt over his current situation. Instead of dwelling on it, he channeled all those emotions into anger, and growled, "Shut the fuck up, and turn around."
Raising an eyebrow in amusement, Negan gave a chuckle as he turned around, putting his back to Rick. The chuckle was cut short when he was shoved forward onto his hands and knees, and his pants were jerked down over his hips and down to his knees, where the muddy water quickly soaked through any dry patches that had been left.
Rick took a second to pause and take in the view: Mr. All Powerful Negan, on his hands and knees in the mud, hair mussed, clothes soaked and filthy, with his bare ass exposed and ready. If only his Saviors could see him now.
There was zero ounce of affection or caring between the two men, only hatred and a mutual desire to one-up the other, so this wasn't going to be slow, or gentle. No, it was going to be quick, an act of pure dominance...a way for Rick to get revenge and regain some control, after weeks of feeling as though he had none.
Without even pushing down his pants or taking the time to really consider the potential consequences, Rick lowered to his own knees behind Negan. One hand gripped tightly onto the man's hip, while the other languidly stroked his own dick. Moving closer, he lined himself up, not even bothering to prepare Negan with his fingers, or add saliva for lubrication. He wanted to make sure that Negan fully understood that he was being fucked. That he felt the painful burn as his ass stretched to accommodate Rick's dick inside him.
So, without hesitation, Rick gave a twist of his hips and firm thrust...and slid right in.
Both men groaned at the sensation, Rick gasping for breath at what had to be the tightest grip he had ever had around his dick. Not even giving a pause for adjustment, he drew back his hips and slammed back in, the momentum propelling Negan from his hands down onto his elbows.
He hadn't expected it to feel so goddamn good, or to be so overtaken by the pleasure. Both men were flushed from the adrenaline and exertion, and Negan gave a whine as he felt Rick thrust impossibly deep. The smell of the rain-soaked forest and wet ground was overpowered by the stench of sweat and sex, as both men grunted with eyes closed and teeth clenched against the pleasure coursing through them.
Their hips smacked against each other loudly, Rick slamming his body into Negan's, hard enough to leave bruises...hard enough so that he'd still feel Rick's cock there, days later.
It wasn't long before Rick felt his climax build up to the peak again, and this time, he wasn't going to pull away or stop it. He continued to pound into the man below him unmercifully, sadistically pleased when Negan's groans sounded tinged with the sharp edge of pain.
Rick dangled there for a few harsh thrusts, looking down over the edge of pleasure, before he leaped off and into the abyss.
His hips stuttered and jerked, as thick ropes of his cum shot inside Negan's ass, causing the dark-haired man to groan loudly and shudder, as his own orgasm hit. Rick's mouth was open in silent pleasure as the shockwaves went through his body, and it was a few long minutes before he was able to stop trembling and come back down to earth.
Once they had both settled, and Rick had caught his breath enough that he wasn't afraid of collapsing if he tried to move, he withdrew his cock from Negan and shakily got to his feet. Looking down, he felt a dart of pride at the sight of the muddy handprint he had left behind on Negan's hip, and the small trickle of cum that had escaped Negan's ass to trickle down the back of his thigh. He also saw the white streaks on the ground from Negan's own release, which was mixing into the muddy water in swirls that appeared almost artistic.
Shoving his softening dick back into his pants, Rick turned and walked a few feet away from the large puddle, before fastening his button and re-buckling his belt. Looking at his front, he saw that his clothes were now completely covered in mud; there were also streaks across his arms, and probably on his face.
How the hell am I going to explain this to Michonne and the others, when I return?
Making a split decision, he turned around to Negan, who had pulled up his pants and was just getting to knees, in preparation to stand. Walking back over, Rick reached down and grasped the man by the hair, in a similar fashion to earlier, when he had pulled him onto his dick.
Looking down at the same red, shining lips that had been wrapped around his cock just minutes earlier, he gave himself a mental slap before putting on what he hoped was a convincingly commanding persona. It had been so much easier to act in control before, but now that the adrenaline had ebbed, and the blood had returned to his brain, he felt almost unsure of himself. Not that he'd ever let Negan know that.
Jerking the man's head back, so that he was looking up at Rick, he slowly drawled, "I'm going to go back to the truck, and take that knife that I saw sitting in the console. And you're going to let me. You'll take the truck back to Alexandria, get your men and the supplies we owe you, then get the hell out. Tell them that you made me walk back on my own, if you want. But either way...you better be fucking gone by the time I make it back."
With that, Rick released Negan and started back into the woods, in the direction from which they had arrived. Glancing over, he saw Lucille still lying on the ground. She was soaked from the rain, and some mud had splashed onto her, tarnishing the gleaming metal barbs.
Fucking bitch, Rick mentally spat at the bat, before continuing on his way.
He had just reached the edge of the clearing and stepped past the tree line into the woods, when he heard the unmistakable sound of Negan laughing behind him. Goosebumps popped up along his arms and back of his neck at the sound.
He didn't need to look back to know that Negan was smirking at his retreating form. And he didn't need to ask for clarification to know...that this fight, between the two of them, was far from over.