Lupe spent a full month as Negan's wife. It wasn't as miserable as she had hoped, but she still despised the fucker. Luckily for her, she had a thorough past with bullshitting her way through sexual encounters and felt zero guilt about it. Negan seemed happy enough. Still a raging, murderous asshole. He trailed her about every once in a while, showing her off like he did with all the wives. Especially during punishments where they were supposed to stand and watch on. Almost like they were there as proof someone could 'love' him after what he did. She hated that part almost as much as the other worst part, of having to act like she liked him, both in and out of bed.
Alma was still comatose, intubated for air and nutrition, and hooked up in a spare office off of the infirmary. Lupe agreed to that, only if she got to hand pick the guard rotation. She would have done it herself, round the clock, like she was supposed to, but Negan decided her wifely duties were more important. Thankfully, there were a handful of Saviors who weren't complete scum of the earth. Joey and Arat were her top picks. Arat cared about Alma in the time the three got to know one another. Joey was a good dude. He'd helped Lupe find clothes that fit before she was a wife. He also once had a sister Alma's age and understood Lupe's pain. There was a better chance of hearing that Alma woke up right away, because Joey and Arat would come directly to her instead of trying to sneak off to Negan first.
There hadn't been much activity on Alma's end. She was never really reactive with Carson's tests, despite showing signs of otherwise steady improvement. When Lupe would sit with her though, they'd get fluttering under her eye lids and sometimes she'd squeeze Lupe's hands. Whenever Lupe wasn't required by one of the wives, Negan himself, or smoking herself into an early death, she was with Alma. She talked to her, at her, through her. It didn't matter. Lupe just knew Alma was still there. She was still holding on for something. Lupe would be that anchor point. Lupe would stay there for the rest of their lives, even if Alma never opened her eyes again. They just needed to be together.
Lupe pulls on the hand rolled cigarette from Lozano. He was recently upgraded from Janitorial after Negan smoked one of his cigarettes. He got all mad, like she was keeping it a secret, but he stole it from Lupe in the first place, so fuck him. They became urgently popular with the Saviors and Negan couldn't believe he hadn't been trading in them before. Lozano got one of those specialty positions, happily tending to tobacco plants and managing the drying out of leaves and production of cigarettes. He used to do it with his family when he was younger on his uncle's farm, so he had a distinct talent. She was proud of the team he put together and that he was able to take pride in his work again. Sometimes him and his wife, Hortencia, would toddle all the way up the stairs to deliver her a little box of their wares. Lupe had to ask one of the Saviors to keep an eye out and distract them, then they'd radio her. That way she could hurtle down all those floors so they wouldn't have to climb.
Lupe chuckles and exhales, staring at the sunset. Its warm light breaks through the trees, kissing the face of the Sanctuary, though the day is waning. Lupe couldn't wait to share this with Alma. She loved shit like sunsets.
The door to the roof opens and Tanya sticks her rubied head out. Her bright hair flashes around like a halo of flames as she looks around. Her eyes pop wide when she sees Lupe, sitting on the edge of the Sanctuary's roof, her leg swinging off the ledge above the massive drop. "Lupe, what in the hell are you doing? Get down! A roof ledge? You tryin'a kill me?"
Lupe swings back over the ledge so she can hop down onto the roof. "Sorry bebe," Lupe mutters around the cigarette in her mouth. She walks past the expensive patio set and gently stubs out the cherry to save the rest for later. She puts it into the mint tin she uses as a cigarette case, tucking that in her dress' pocket. She had to admit, Negan didn't skimp on the clothes for his wives. He may ask for slinky, sexy, and shiny, but he didn't force the women to wear a specific dress unless he found it just for her. He liked doing that for Tanya and Lupe to make them feel extra special. It was harder to find clothes for people who didn't have standard proportions. Tanya is almost as tall as Negan. Lupe is fat and short. The rest could all manage to squeeze within a size or two of each other. Except Amber was a fucking rail, but she was an adorable fucking rail.
Tanya's big brown eyes widen nervously. "Negan is coming back from a run. He'll want to see us after he showers."
Lupe pouts. "Damn, I could have finished my cigarette."
Tanya shakes her head, her tight coils flickering iridescent in the sunset. "Seems like there might be something going on. Saviors are on edge. Might be new scavengers in the area or somethin'. He gets real tense when new people come into his territory."
Lupe rolls her eyes. "If that's not obvious," she snickers as she swings an arm around Tanya's waist. Tanya giggles against her too, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You know that oil shit you made me has been fabulous for my skin and hair. Like, done wonders! I don't think I even used products this good before the end of the world. You'd've put Lush out of business."
"Really?" Tanya smiles tightly, always so shy. "I always wanted to run my own business."
"Shit, you should! You can!" Lupe grins. "Have you asked Negan about selling in the market?"
"I thought about it once." The smile drops from her face. "I wanted my mom and Henry to help me. He used to help me with all of the stuff I made for my friends and family before. I just thought we'd work well together. He — he understood what I had to do. But Negan —," she sniffles and Lupe pulls her closer.
"Ah shit, I'm sorry, mi amor," Lupe murmurs as they step through the door. "Maybe the wives could learn and help you. That way your mom can rest and you don't have to worry about putting Henry or yourself in danger."
Tanya turns her reddened eyes towards Lupe as they started their way down stairs. "You think they'd do that for me?"
Lupe shakes her head, admonishing Tanya with a look. "Hell yeah, of course we would." She squeezes Tanya tighter. "And if Frankie doesn't help, I'll hold her down while Amber unteases her hair."
Tanya giggles furiously as they find their way to the common room. It's a bit like a porn lounge. Lupe could tell Negan had control of decorating this space with all its leathers, dark woods, and deep maroons. It has a classic looking teak bar that takes up nearly the entire back wall. Frankie and Lisa are already pouring everybody shots to put up with whatever Negan's mood is going to be. Tanya practically drags Lupe straight there.
Amber reads on the couch, sitting unceremoniously in her cocktail dress, one leg hooked up on the top of the backrest the other on the floor. She doesn't have to look pretty until Negan decides to show himself, so she gets comfortable. She snacks on almonds and is already sipping on her heavily alcoholic beverage through a straw.
"Good read?" Lupe asks over her shoulder, trying to spot the title.
"Depends on your definition of 'good.'" Amber shrugs and pops another almond in her mouth.
"Drinks on the house!" Frankie shouts with a smile that pinches her face in the cutest way. She starts handing out double shots. Tanya goes through two right quick.
"I can't have shots." Lupe laughs x-ing her arms in front of her face. "I'll fall asleep right on top of Negan if he chooses me tonight."
Lisa chuckles. "More for me. I prefer blackout fucks." She downs the shots only slightly slower than Tanya, but with no less determination. Everyone laughs, sobers slightly, and secretly agrees.
Amber snorts as she comes scooting around the table, sucking her drink dry. She puts her glass on the bar top and pushes it pointedly at Frankie. The honorary bartender rolls her eyes, but complies with a pursed lip grin, fixing Amber another.
"Your loss I suppose," Amber says to Lupe. "He might not notice if you're on the bottom." She snickers and pulls her shots closer.
Lisa murmurs, "What I wouldn't do for some weed though…" Everyone groans in arduous agreement.
Chatter starts up and maintains in a friendly way for a while. There's a sudden sharp three knocks on the door. Frowning, Lisa walks over and opens it up, revealing a pale, skinny, bobbed brunette with bird-like features. A blonde pixie stands there too, looking almost identical to the woman next to her, just smaller.
"We, uh," the brunette looks around, gaping, "we came back this morning with a new group. I'm Sherry and this is my baby sister Tina." They both smile tentatively.
Tina waves a wiggly fingered wave. "We were sent up here for you!"
"For us?" Lisa asks. "Why?"
"Sorry we're still kind of — shocked, uh, culturally. This place is enormous." Sherry laughs, looking around the room again. "My sister and I are manicurists. We'd been living out of our house and salon with my husband, Dwight, until the Saviors picked us up and brought us back."
Tina nods her head while eying her sister. "Your boss husband guy was like super stoked cause we still had a lot of our products and some of them might be ok to use still."
Lupe has a hard time looking at Tina. She's young to Sherry like Alma is young to Lupe. Tina has an exuberance and a sweetness that somehow hasn't been burned out of her yet. It breaks Lupe's heart to think of the day it'll come.
"You do nails?!" Frankie screeches. She charges right at them, grabbing their free hands and tugging them inside. "Oh my god, I can't believe it. I thought I'd die before I could get my nails done by a real professional again. Look at my cuticles! They're shit!"
Tina has a waist high rolling caboodle behind her. Sherry is already engaged with Frankie and Lisa about their favorite products. Amber helps the little sister get set up, asking questions since she'd never gotten a manicure before. Tanya and Lupe stay at the bar, refreshing their drinks for a little bit and then join in.
Negan comes in not much later. The new comers are right in the middle of a group of the wives who all have hands stretched out while they test different nail polish colors. He doesn't look especially pissed as he enters. He has enough of a mind to check out the two new people. He throws his body into eying them a bit before he strolls right over to the bar. He snuggles himself between Tanya and Lupe who ended back where they started after their polish trials.
Tanya hands him a drink and Lupe takes the opportunity to take a step back from him. Negan immediately foils her plan by wrapping an arm around her and tugging her flush against him. His hand curves down to her hip and his fingers dig into her flesh to keep her there. "I feel like I've been missing you Dita." He leans down and kisses her hard. She responds in kind until he pulls away, smiling.
"Strange. Seems I see you everywhere I go." She smiles thinly. "Perhaps it's the cult mindset finally kicking in." Lupe sips on her drink. Gently, she swishes the alcohol in her mouth to purge the taste of him.
Lupe didn't much appreciate how rough and aggressive Negan always liked to be with her. Negan pulled Tanya to his side, but he didn't throw his weight around. He likes to save the really physical stuff for Lupe. She hates it. She couldn't pretend she didn't like a nice hard fuck sometimes, but Negan had a way to make a person lose themselves. And not in a good-orgasmic-way, more like a forced-dissociation-way.
Tanya leans into Negan's other side, rubbing his chest and subtly trying to take some of the attention off Lupe. Tanya just does her best to edge Negan away from goading her. All the wives see how he treats her. They do what they can to buffer.
Negan kisses Tanya's temple, then adjusts between them. He sighs heavily, pleased. "Blonde one is a cutie. Nice little Tinker Bell looking thing."
"She's a kid. She looks like she's twelve. Jesus," Lupe spits. "I'll bite your dick off myself if you keep looking at her like that."
Negan looks down at Lupe with a grin and jostles her into his side. "Awww," he rumbles with sarcastic affection. "The brunette's cute then."
"Married," Tanya interjects before taking a sip of her drink.
Negan's lips flap on his dismissive exhale. "Is that supposed to stop me?" he laughs.
Lupe smacks him in the stomach with a flat hand. He bent to the hit, delivered only slightly too hard. Eyeing her, he unwraps the women from his arms. "You getting fresh, Dita?" He licks his lips and bites into his lower one. "I know you like to get ridden hard and put away wet doll, but you're getting me excited."
"You know if you kept your mouth shut, for just, like, one shitty minute, I might be able to fuck you without an ounce of disgust," Lupe hisses.
"Heh…" Negan grins at her. "Give us a mo' Tanya." She nods. Negan turns towards Lupe and leans an elbow on the edge of the bar, tilting his body as close to hers as he can get. Tanya gives Lupe a pointed look from over his shoulder like 'he's in a good mood, you better be cool.'
Lupe sips on her drink and Negan just takes his time to take her in. He likes to do that. Stare at people disconcertingly. No one can really tell what the looks mean. He could be sizing up someone's head for a batting range or thinking about fucking them over a desk. Negan is a simple, shitty man, but indiscernible.
"You know, I think it turns me on more when I know you hate my guts." He leans in and presses his lips against her neck. "Looking at me with disdain, but cummin' on my cock anyway."
"Don't," Lupe snarls, anguish on the back of her tongue. He's crossing a line into dangerous territory. "Don't goad me about this arrangement. We both know what it is."
Negan pulls back. His gaze is cold above a grim smile. "I don't like when you ruin the fantasy doll face."
"Then don't push me all the fucking time," she snaps.
Negan chuckles, grunting as he swings his body around, wedging her against the bar, and caging her in with his arms and legs. He leans in, body pressing entirely into her. "I think you like it when I do though." He rolls his hips against her.
His mouth presses against hers. There's tenderness in the touch curling up to cup her cheek. His mouth is soft as sin, humming into hers with his tongue. Her stomach burns and she hates when he touches her like this, with the facsimile of care. His hands run carefully along her curves, reveling in each inch.
His fingers return to her cheek, but his thumb hooks under her jaw. His words are spoken into her lips, "I'd fuck you right here, right in front of everybody, if you said yes."
"Don't…" She grits her teeth, trying to lean away. She hates this rule of his.
"You remember, don't you?" He pushes against her further, her back bending painfully against the wood. He murmurs into the spot just beneath her jaw bone, "You know the vows. Love. Honor. Obey." His voice is husky in her ear. "Just say yes…" His hand is already moving up between her thighs.
"Negan —," she clamps her knees shut, her throat seizing just the same with despair.
The door bursts open. Lupe has a tangled hold on Negan. One hand grips the wrist between her thighs and the other scrunches in the lapel of his jacket. She isn't sure if she was holding him back or getting ready to pull him closer. On her worst days, sometimes she was desperate for someone to touch her like they meant it, didn't matter what they did mean. Screw her shitty insecurities, damn her hormonal sludge, and this fucked up Stockholm shit.
"What!?" Negan snarls, eyes shut tight and not even looking at who is behind him. He still has Lupe pinned, but they're frozen. One of his hands grips the edge of the bar, white knuckled. The other slides from her skin to the hem of her dress, fisting in the flimsy material.
"She's awake!" Arat smiles, looking directly at Lupe.
The decision is made. Lupe throws Negan off of her and starts running towards Arat, skidding out the door into her arms. They laugh and then bolt down the hallway, ignoring whatever was going on back in the room they abandoned.
They both reach the Infirmary within record time. Joey is on guard, his large cheeks bouncing as he smiles and waves Lupe over with glee. She pulls Arat after her by her hand.
Joey leans in. "She's pretty lucid. Been asking for you. She seems to remember all that happened and is just really glad you're okay."
Lupe's face flushes, tears stream down her cheeks. She pushes through the door and sees her. Alma. The bruises are nearly all gone, but she still had the bandage around her head. Her eyes are open, but narrowed with exhaustion. She smiles bright, but weakly when she sees Lupe.
Lupe launches herself over the bed much like the first time she saw her sister in it. She's sobbing and kissing her sister's hand, muttering Spanish nonsense, rapid fire. Alma strokes her sister's head replying with beloved nothings in response.
Lupe finally raises her head, capable of breathing and speaking again, "Pequeñita!"
"Ho-la mayor-a," Alma jokes in a bad English accent and they chuckle softly.
"That scared the shit out of me…" Lupe mumbles, her head pressing into her sister's knuckles. "You've been out for weeks."
"Wow," Alma croaks. "Weeks? Really?" She shifts in the bed curiously and Lupe jumps up to help her. "It's okay, I'm not a baby."
"You're my baby sister, I take that seriously okay?" she sniffles with a strained smile through her tears.
Alma chuckles. Sarcasm is heavy in her tone, "¿Neta? No me di cuenta." She leans back into her bed with a smile and closes her eyes for a few beats. Her face screws up oddly in thought as she adjusts. Her eyes suddenly pop open. She sits right up with only a slight grimace and very closely looks Lupe up and down. "¿Que es —?" Her face screws up in confusion at the draping black material. "Why're you—?" She huffs. She grimaces, putting a hand to her bandaged head.
"Querida, por favor…" Lupe tries to still Alma's shaking and shuffling. She looks back at Arat and Joey with a question they knew was coming. Neither of them told her. She looks back at Alma pleadingly. "Lo necesitaba —,"
"No!" Alma snaps knowingly, but their small squabble is cut short by the sound of the door opening and shutting. By the look of incensed fury spreading across Alma's face, Lupe can easily figure out who it is.
"How's the ol'sister-in-law looking, honey?" Negan's voice cuts through the terrible silence and, true to form, makes it worse.
Lupe drops her head into her sister's lap.
"¡Que te den!" Alma screeches. "¡Eres hijo de la grandísima mierda!"
Lupe is torn between trying to stop Alma and laughing. She waves and begs, "I had to baby, I had to — please — por favor — lo siento — please — escuchame,"
"You don't deserve to breathe near her, you smoldering fuck-pile!" Alma shouts, trying to get out bed. "I'll fucking kill you if you ever put your hands on her again!"
Negan couldn't help but be a bit amused. The little sister is not so meek after all. She's showing a lot of strength in the way she tries to get past her coddling sister and a frantic Doctor Carson. He chuckles softly and shakes his head. She is going to be thrilled to hear about sharing a floor with him and the rest of his wives.
"¡Voy a cagar en tu boca!" Alma screams, thrashing against Lupe and slapping Carson's hands away. "I'll skin you alive you pasty piece of shiiiiihh—,"
Negan looks up with a smile on his face, curious to how his wife finally got her sister to shut up. The smile drops off fast.
"¿Cariño?" Lupe is holding onto Alma tightly as her sister goes silent and completely limp in her arms. "¿Mi Alma?"
"¿¡Querida!?" Lupe's voice grows increasingly frantic. Alma's eyes roll behind her fluttering lids, her body suddenly starts getting stiff. Doctor Carlson tries to get them separated.
"¿Querida, que es —?" Lupe is trying to keep her sister stable and get her back on the bed. Alma's body starts thrashing. Carson scrabbles on top of Lupe, shouting at her, but she can't hear a thing. Alma violently flails.
"¡Pequeñita!" Lupe wails. She holds her sister in one arm and pauses to punch Carlson for trying to pull Alma away.
"She's seizing!" Carlson says, stumbling back as he holds his nose.
"Get them apart!" Negan growls, stepping forward with the two men that followed him in from outside. He grabs onto his wife while the others try to unravel her grasping limbs.
Someone grabs onto the back of her neck, clasping her braid. Lupe goes belligerent. "No!" She's yanked back, but she surges against the grip, writhing in their arms like she's slicked with oil.
"¡Te quiero Alma!" Her screams are grating. She won't let them get separated again. Everything always goes bad when they're apart.
Tears choke her words. "¡Te necessito!" She punches one of the men near Alma in the throat and he crumples against the wall.
"¡Estoy aquí!" Lupe wails. The other grabs her forearm and she immediately twists his grip off of her. While she slipped his grasp, her hand slides down to his wrist and extends his arm. Slamming the outside of his elbow as hard as she can against the side of the bed, it results in an obscene pop. The man screams and doesn't stop.
She stomps on the foot of whoever tries to wrap their arms around her which results in a string of curses being growled in her ear.
She can't stop looking at Alma.
"¡No te dejaré nuevamente!"
Negan tears her away from the bed as Carlson does his best to pry them apart.
"No! Forgive me! Don't leave me here!" Lupe's screaming and wailing in his arms, her body thrashing wildly. "I'm right here! I won't go!"
Negan drags Lupe out of the room with Arat following. Joey goes to go help the doc and the other guys that got injured. Negan flings Lupe on the floor of the hallway. She slides across the tile in her soft dress, rolling into a crouch before she launches herself back at the door. Arat's able to grab her, murmuring in her ear.
"Pequeñita!" Lupe screams at the top of her lungs. "No puedo vivir sin —!"
Negan pistol whips her and Lupe immediately crumples in Arat's arms. Arat looks up at him like he just kicked a puppy. He figures he just about did. He glares sharply at her.
"Get her in a cell," Negan snaps and starts walking back towards the infirmary. Arat doesn't move right away. He turns sharply and roars, "Get her in the fucking cells! Lock her in there so the doc can work on her sister and not her fucking victims!"
Arat glares at him tearily, but nods. She scoops up Lupe in her arms and starts stalking towards the cells.