Walking out the front door of the compound, you were fairly shocked at the amount of activity already happening. The sun was steadily climbing upwards in the sky, the last hints of orange-pink sunrise fading off in the distance. And while the daylight had just gotten started, it appeared that quite a few people had beat the dawn and already been awake for some time. A few armed guards patrolled up and down the tall, chain-link fence, while other random compound members walked to and fro across the front area, some heading around the side of the building to your left, perhaps towards the garden. A group of four young children chased each other, giggling and screaming across the pavement, while half a dozen women stood nearby. The women were keeping an eye on the children while also focusing on the large piles of wet laundry that they were currently hanging up to dry on the multiple clotheslines that ran parallel to one another along the front of the compound.
Dear lord, how early do people get up around here?
As you followed Negan out onto the pavement, you watched as all activity seemed to halt as everyone realized who was in their midst. Even the children stopped their game and became suddenly serious as they all gazed up at Negan. And then, almost as if they were all robots, and someone with the remote had pushed a button that said, "kneel," they all dropped to their knees in unison and bowed their heads in supplication.
You came to a halt yourself at the scene, shocked by the instant reaction Negan had caused. Would it look weird that you weren't kneeling as well? Actually, if you were being honest, you had only kneeled before Negan once, and that was when you had first arrived at The Sanctuary. His men had been the ones to bring you, Maria, and Tim here, and they had forced you to kneel before Negan made his introduction. You had hated every moment of it, and had told yourself that you wouldn't act so submissive in front of any man ever again after that day. True to your word, you hadn't engaged in the kneeling ritual since.
In fact, now that you were thinking about it, none of your dinner staff kneeled when Negan entered the kitchen either. You remembered that everyone in the kitchen had kneeled for him when you first started working there. Right from the start, you had refused to follow the others' particular form of greeting anytime Negan visited the kitchen. The first time this happened, his eyes had met yours across a sea of kneeled bodies and bent heads, and you had been certain that punishment was imminent. That this whole kneeling process was one of his "rules", and you were about to find out what happened when it was broken. But instead, he had just gazed at you intently, face devoid of any hints as to his thoughts. He had then turned his attention to Ben, who was the "head cook" at that time, and carried on with his business as if you didn't even exist.
As you had quickly worked your way up the ranks of the kitchen, you had noticed that the other staff started to look up to you. You had figured that it was a natural reaction for people to look up to the person in charge, and so hadn't thought much of it at the time. Now, you realized just how much they respected you as their boss, for while they might freeze when Negan entered the kitchen, and at times they would even bow their heads or direct their gaze down at the floor, no one had touched their knees to those kitchen tiles in over a month now. Outside the kitchen might be a different story, but inside those four walls, no one prostrated themselves in front of Negan the way all of these people outside were currently doing. You wondered if Negan was aware of the difference in greeting when he entered the kitchen, and if he was also aware that you were most likely the root cause of it.
Either way, you weren't kneeling to him. Not in the kitchen, not outside the kitchen, and definitely not now on the hot pavement.
Forcing your feet to unfreeze themselves and continue to move forward, you tried to maintain a relaxed, yet hurried pace in order to catch up with Negan, who was almost to the fences. You swore you could feel over a dozen gazes on you in passing, but you ignored them, focused instead on the sweet escape of the forest, which was so close you could almost taste it.
As you reached the fence, you saw that there was a large grey bin sitting on the pavement; it was identical to the one that had arrived at the kitchen a couple weeks ago filled with berries. After one of the men who was patrolling pulled the gate open a couple feet, Negan reached down and grabbed the grey bin in one big, leather-incased hand before walking out the gate and towards the forest.
You continued to follow silently, the sound of the gate softly clanging shut again behind you signaling that your first outing had officially started. And thanks to your unwavering luck, it had started with Negan being in a piss-poor mood.
Sighing, you walked a couple feet behind Negan as he marched deeper into the woods, too enamored by your surroundings to overly care at the moment that he was still being a grump. As The Sanctuary faded out of sight, the forest started coming to life around you. The sound of birds chirping created a soothing background noise as you wound in and out of the trees, stepping around large rocks and fallen logs scattered on the ground. Even though there was a light scattering of leaves on the grass, and he was still angrily marching along, Negan's footsteps created almost no sound whatsoever. You had no clue how he was being so silent, seeing as how, even with visible effort, you still felt as if your feet found the crunchiest part of every fallen leaf in your path. While you didn't think you were making that much noise, you still felt like a lumbering bull in a china shop compared to Negan's graceful steps.
Although, to be fair, your legs were working faster than usual to try and keep up with his long strides. And you were starting to get annoyed that he was trudging ahead with no hesitation, considering that one of the terms and conditions of the bet was that you were to be in control of where the two of you wandered. Your annoyance was building with every begrudging step; annoyance at both his attitude and the fact that you were almost jogging to keep up with him. Just as you were at the point of giving some snarky comment about this entire situation, Negan came to an abrupt halt, causing you to almost run straight into his broad back, your nose stopping inches from the leather.
Peeking around his shoulder, you saw that he had dropped the grey bin in front of a large bush which was full of hawthorn berries. Eyes widening, you saw that there were also two more hawthorn bushes about a foot or two to the left of the first one. Hundreds of the little red fruit glistened happily in the rays of sunlight that were streaming down through the trees. It was like a god damn berry goldmine.
"How did you know this was here?" you asked in awe.
Negan just shrugged in response before turning his head, eyes roving all around the surrounding area for any potential threats.
He obviously had known that the bushes were here, which meant he had either been somehow involved with picking the berries used for the dessert crisp, or he had found these bushes ahead of time in order to show you today.
Deciding that he probably wouldn't answer if you asked which assumption was correct, you turned your attention from Negan to the bushes, excited at the prospect of filling the tub with berries and perhaps using them tonight to make a dessert.
Thoughts of various recipes swirled in your head as you walked over to the bushes. You bent over and plucked a couple red orbs off the bush, fingers delicately avoiding any of the thorns that you knew from past experience were sharp as hell. A strange sense of déjà vu hit when you glanced over your shoulder and saw Negan standing there behind you. The situation seemed so similar to the first time you had met him out here in the woods, and yet at the same time it was so different. Now you weren't terrified to within an inch of your life at the look of annoyance on his face. Sure, he was still an intimidating man, and his anger still caused you to inwardly cringe, but part of you instinctually knew that no matter how mad he was, he still wouldn't hurt you.
Also, you were about 90% sure you had caught him staring at your ass when glancing back at him, even though he had quickly flickered his eyes up and away.
Giving a tiny smirk before turning your attention back to the bushes, you lay Ricardo down on the ground so that you could use both hands to pick berries one at a time with the tips of your fingers, gently tossing them into the bin sitting in the grass to your right. The berries made a tiny dunk sound as they hit the bottom of the container. The actions soon became almost rhythmic. Pick, toss, dunk. Pick, toss, dunk.
The bin was coated with a thin layer of berries when you were finally unable to stand the silence any longer. Without looking back at him, you jokingly threw the words over your shoulder, "You going to act pissed at me the whole time we're out here or what?"
Silence was your only answer.
Gritting your teeth and trying unsuccessfully not to roll your eyes, you stood up, brushed your hands clean, and turned to face him. Humor obviously wasn't going to crack his stone-cold façade, so you decided to poke the bear, so to speak.
Putting a hand on one hip, you asserted, "It's not like I purposely overslept, ya know. It was an honest mistake. I think you're taking this whole thing way too personally."
Negan clenched his jaw and glared at you while quietly growling, "Is that fucking right?"
The fact that he spoke so softly and evenly should've warned you not to further prod him, but in all honesty, you almost preferred his anger over the previous silent treatment he had been doling out. Therefore, you firmly replied, "Yep, that's right. You'd swear it had been my plan all along, to make you stand around waiting. Well, newsflash, sometimes accidents happen. I have no clue why you're acting so butthurt about the whole thing, but standing there moping isn't helping the situation."
That did it. You could practically see his anger rising to the surface, almost as if his skin was glowing with it.
Negan took a step in your direction, his voice rising as he barked out, "I was standing there waiting like a fucking fool for fifteen fucking minutes! How the fuck do you think that makes me look to the rest of the compound? I'll give you a mother fucking hint: not cool!" His voice lowered almost to a snarl as he added, "You have no idea how not fucking cool that shit is."
So that was why he was being such an ass: he had been forced to wait for you in front of other people, and felt as if he'd been stood up. So basically, his ego had taken a hit, and now he was projecting his own insecurities back onto you. Typical alpha male, you thought angrily. Well, two can play that game.
"So, because waiting made you look not cool" -you lifted fingers to form air quotes around those last two words- "you're going to take it out on me this entire trip now? Nice. Real mature."
Taking another angry step towards you, Negan opened his mouth, probably to spew more curse-filled bullshit that would only infuriate you both more. So instead, you quickly interrupted him before any words could tumble out.
"So I guess you were lying when you made that comment the other night, then?"
This effectively caused him to snap his mouth shut, brows lowering as he gazed at you in angry confusion.
"What exactly was it that you said?" you asked, tapping one finger against your chin a couple times while pretending to look pensive. "Oh, that's right! You said that you had all the time in the world, and that you didn't mind waiting for me. Remember that?"
Negan was still glaring at you, but he appeared momentarily at a loss for words, as if in shock that you would throw his words from the other night back in his face with such ease.
Still annoyed, and internally preening that you had effectively gained the upper hand of the situation, you continued, "So I take it that was all a lie, then? Or better yet, perhaps you think I'm only good enough to wait for when the end result is me taking my clothes off for you, is that it?"
Raising one eyebrow cynically, you gave him a cocky look that clearly said "well, how you like them apples, big boy?" You were extremely curious to know how he was going to respond to that accusation. And, if you were being honest, deep down you did indeed question if that was how he saw you: as only worth any effort or time if it meant getting you naked and underneath him. Sexy as that last thought may be, you'd like to think that at this point he thought of you as a little more than a piece of meat to crawl on top of…
Both your train of thought and any potential response from Negan were cut short by the sound of a garbled moan coming through the trees to your left. You and Negan both turned your heads sharply at the sound, and you felt a tiny spark of fear run down your spine at the sight of movement in the trees a few yards away. Walkers! your brain screamed, right as a small herd of four decomposed corpses came into view, lumbering clumsily through the brush towards where you and Negan were standing.
Most likely it had been your raised voices arguing that had alerted them to your presence. Later on, you'd look back and think it strange that both you and Negan, but especially Negan, lost your cool to the extent of making so much noise outside the safety of the compound. Apparently anger and annoyance had gotten the upper hand of logic and self-preservation, and now this was the consequence of that mistake.
Reaching down, you grabbed Ricardo off the grass and hefted him up in front of you. However, before you were able to take a step towards the walkers, Negan stepped forward, directly blocking your path.
Annoyed, you tried to move around him, but he sharply commanded, "Stay the fuck back."
Seriously? He was really going to choose now to play some macho bullshit and treat you like a helpless damsel in distress? No fucking thank you.
Stepping around him again before he could block your movement, you walked forward to the walker leading the pack and jammed Ricardo up under its chin so hard that the tip poked up out the top of its head. Yanking Ricardo back, you watched in satisfaction as the walker dropped to the ground like a stone.
Turning, you saw Negan had moved in front of you again, which caused annoyance to flare your nostrils. However, you became a bit distracted when he lifted Lucille and swung powerfully, taking one of the walker's heads clean off, so that it landed with a muffled thud a few feet away. Negan in action was a sight to see, and you were only partially ashamed to feel a tingle of arousal dart down your belly and between your thighs as you watched him. He walked up to the third walker and swung Lucille with enough force that he released a low grunt as the deadly wire connected with the walker's skull. If anyone were to look up the phrase 'beautiful brutality' in the dictionary, they were sure to find a picture of Negan holding Lucille mid-swing.
Finishing off the fourth and last walker, he then turned to you, a murderous glint in his eyes. At first you assumed it was just the aftereffects of adrenaline, but when he locked those storm-cloud eyes onto your own, you realized that he was pissed.
"I thought I fucking told you to stay motherfucking back!" he roared. "You could've gotten yourself fucking killed trying to swing that fucking stick around!"
Stick?! TRYING?!
"I killed one of the fuckers, didn't I?!" you shouted angrily. "I'm not some helpless woman who needs an arrogant man to save me!" You weren't sure if him trying to take charge of the situation had just been his way of trying to protect you, the same way he would anyone out here in the woods with him, or if he had assumed you wouldn't be strong enough to hold your own because you were a woman. Either way, he could take his condescending words and shove them right up his annoyingly adorable ass.
Pissed off seemed to be the mood of the day for Negan, who glowered at you while replying, "And what if it hadn't fucking worked? Have you even tried to fucking poke anything with that stick before now, or did you just decide to hope it would be fucking useful and wait 'til it was a life or death situation to find out?"
He had you there. You hadn't tried to stab anything with it before today, mainly because you had just made it last night and so had lacked anything stab-worthy to practice on.
Your face must've given away the answer, because he continued, "While we're out here, you follow my fucking orders. If I say stay back, that means you stay the fuck BACK! Otherwise, the bet is off and you can kiss the two other outings fucking goodbye."
You opened your mouth, intending to argue, but a rustle of movement over Negan's right shoulder caught your attention instead. Pure, cold fear swam over your body like a glacier as you saw a fifth walker, previously unnoticed, pop silently out from behind a tree not even five feet from where Negan was standing. It was heading straight for him, its rotting mouth wide open in anticipation of a fresh meal.
Negan was so busy being pissed about your not following his orders that he didn't even hear its footsteps behind him. Your vocal cords felt paralyzed, unable to form the words to yell a warning. However, your body acted instinctually, rushing forward to cover the short distance. The glare on Negan's face turned quickly to confusion, and then to shock, as you knocked him out of the way with your shoulder before bringing Ricardo up and forward with a speed and accuracy that surprised both you and Negan.
You stabbed Ricardo at the spot where Negan's shoulder had been just a split second ago, accurately spearing the animated corpse right in the middle of its forehead. Due to the momentum, and also perhaps due to fear causing your palms to be slick with sweat, Ricardo slipped out of your hands as the walker slumped to the ground, motionless.
Turning, you saw Negan staring at the now twice-dead walker with a look of complete shock still on his face. Reaching down, he grabbed ahold of Ricardo and jerked him free, showcasing a hole where the walker's upper face had previously been.
Taking Ricardo from him, you couldn't help a grin of triumph from crossing your lips as Negan looked at you, still speechless.
"Well," you joked, "Still think Ricardo and myself are incapable? Because I think it's safe to say that we just saved your ass."
His eyes darkened to the color of rich espresso and his mouth tightened into a thin line, which you first thought signaled that he was well and truly pissed and about to give you the mother of all lectures. However, it wasn't just anger that was fueling his expression, you later realized. Oh no, there were other emotions mixed in there as well, ones that you weren't sure you were ready to fully comprehend yet.
But at the moment you only saw anger, so a furious, loud response was what you were expecting. However, what happened next was surprising, to say the least. The thunderous scowl on his face coupled with his forward motion in your direction almost caused you to take a defensive step backwards, but you held your ground. Barely.
The expected explosion of anger never came. Nor did any yelling or swearing. Instead, his arm shot out, wrapping around your waist and jerking you into him. A gasp tore out of your throat an instant before he slammed his mouth down onto your own.
The kiss was one born of lust and anger, and even fear. It was both a thank you and a punishment rolled into one toe-curling show of passion that would've blown your socks off, if you'd had time to put any on this morning.
Your tongues slide against each other, teeth nipping at lips and hands clutching roughly at the other's shoulders, back, waist, hips. It was a damn good thing no other walkers showed up, because you didn't think either one of you would've noticed until it was too late. It was possible that an earthquake could rock the entire forest and you wouldn't be able to stop, not with Negan's tongue deep in your mouth and his hands grasping you tightly. At one point he gave a low, rumbling groan that you felt more than heard, and it caused you to shiver and wrap your arms around his neck in a death-grip.
You had never known a kiss could feel like this. Never before had you felt such a powerful urge to strip a man of his clothes and have your way with him just because he had his mouth fused to yours. And never before had you felt as if you couldn't get close enough to a man, couldn't mold your body tightly enough to his to satisfy the burning need coursing through your veins. It was as if the only way to be satisfied was if you could somehow crawl inside him and meld your bodies into one. It was terrifying and yet thrilling at the same time, and you wondered with the few functioning brain cells that were left if Negan was feeling any of this, as well.
After what could've been a few seconds or an hour, you didn't know and didn't care, Negan finally lifted his lips from yours. His chest rose and fell sharply with his labored breaths, as did your own. Looking up at him, you couldn't help a tiny whimper from escaping at the look in his dilated, lust-darkened eyes as he gazed at you silently. He appeared as if a man starved who had just been set down in front of a 5-star buffet with all his favorite foods. No man had ever looked at you in quite that manner, as if you were the answer to all his prayers and the relief to all his wanting. It excited you, and at the same time, utterly terrified you.
Wanting to break some of the intensity of the moment, you smirked, "It's about damn time you kissed me first."
Instead of adding humor to the situation, your comment caused his eyes to darken even further, until they looked almost entirely black. There was a moment where you were certain he was going to pull you back against him and pick up where he had left off. Images of him tearing off all your clothes and fucking you up against the nearest tree flashed through your mind, almost causing another whimper. You weren't completely positive, but the look in his eyes hinted that he was having very similar thoughts.
However, that look only lasted for a few fleeting seconds before Negan stepped back from you, dropping his gaze once again to the walker still lying on the grass nearby, then over to the four other corpses spread around the clearing. Previously, you would've thought that making out with five decomposing corpses haphazardly strewn around you would be a total turn off, but apparently you were wrong. There had been something almost primal about killing this herd of walkers and then engaging in a no holds barred kiss with the most powerful, attractive, and infuriating man you had ever met.
Unsure what to do next, you looked around, realizing that Ricardo had once again been discarded on the ground during the kiss. And he wasn't the only one. Both Ricardo and Lucille had been dropped by their respective owners during the kiss. You couldn't help the giggles that escaped as you saw that they now lay crisscrossing each other in the grass, almost as if to say 'X marks the spot'.
Reaching down, you picked up both weapons, handing Lucille over to Negan before turning back to the hawthorn bushes, where the bin of berries lay temporarily forgotten. You hadn't picked nearly enough berries to make a dessert for the entire compound tonight. However, previous events had made you utterly exhausted, and the last thing you wanted to do was take the time needed to fill the bin with hundreds of berries.
Turning to Negan, who still hadn't uttered a word since the kiss, you sighed, "I guess the berries will have to be put on hold until next time."
Negan's gaze moved from you, to the bushes, to the bin, as if considering his options. Finally he said, "Just leave the bin out here. You can finish tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" you asked, unsure if you had heard him correctly.
Negan nodded. "Unless of course you fucking object to outings two mornings in a row."
Happiness built in your chest and leaked out in the form of a huge grin as you replied, "Tomorrow morning sounds perfect!" After what had happened out here today, you had almost feared that Negan would try to cut the bet short, saying that it was too dangerous to continue coming out here like this. You definitely hadn't expected him to want to come back again the very next day. Maybe he's just trying to get all three outings out of the way as soon as possible so he can get you out of his hair.
You pushed aside the intrusive negative thought, not wanting to let anything dim your current glee. The excitement must've been slightly contagious, because Negan's lips curled up into a small grin at your bright-eyed, wide-grinned expression. It was the first time all day that you had seen his lips curl upwards, and even though the grin was a shadow of his usual one, it still caused a tingle of heat to curl warmly in your stomach.
"Alright, Red, let's call it a fucking day and head back," he said, his voice gruff but his eyes twinkling enough to let you know he was teasing.
Still grinning, you replied, "Aw come on, I think I proved today that I'm not some helpless damsel who only wields a basket of sweets."
Eyes still twinkling, he teased, "I don't know, doll. I'd say, what you had, tasted plenty fucking sweet to me."
You felt fire hit your cheeks at his words, at the same time as that warm sensation in your stomach split in two different directions. One half slithered downwards to spark the embers of lust in your nether regions, while the other half moved upwards to settle in your chest, suspiciously close to where your heart was located.
This time, you walked side by side through the forest, as equals. You both meandered in and out of trees and bushes, but not once did you feel as though he was leading you or trying to charge ahead. This, more than anything, let you know that the earlier conflict had been resolved. After almost getting his shoulder ripped off by a walker, perhaps Negan realized that waiting 15 minutes for someone wasn't really that important in the grand scheme of things, after all.
As you saw the compound start to become visible through the trees, you felt a pang of sadness hit. You didn't want the outing to be over, didn't want to go back through that gate and have to put your emotional mask back on. The mask that would have to showcase to others only indifference and annoyance at being in Negan's presence. The mask that would have to act as if that kiss back in the woods had never happened.
Turning to glance over at him, you saw that he had already been staring at you, and from the look on his face, you wondered if he was currently thinking the same thing.
Giving him a soft smile and bumping his shoulder playfully with your own, you teased, "So, do I get to tell the whole compound the story of how Little Red Riding Hood saved the Big Bad Wolf?"
You felt as if you were floating when he gave a full-fledged grin back and joked, "Only if you really want to see what big, nasty teeth I have."
It was at this time that you exited the edge of the woods and stepped onto the path leading up to the gate. Both of you had automatically wiped your faces clean of any non-neutral expression, so as not to attract any attention. The same guard, who had opened the gate before, now did so again. The women who had been out here earlier were gone, dozens of pieces of clothing left flapping on the clotheslines. The children were gone as well, probably to the same place as the women. There weren't any people currently walking in front of the compound at all, which you guessed meant that they had all gone to their respective work areas and were currently plowing away at their tasks, trying to get as much done as possible before the late morning heat arrived.
You were thankful for this, since you knew seeing a group of people once again bowing as you and Negan walked by would bring you back to reality faster than a slap in the face. You didn't want to completely accept that reality yet; wanted to hold onto the fairytale for just a little while longer.
Maintaining your neutral expression, you quietly and calmly asked Negan, "And what would happen if I wanted to see them?"
You swore you felt more than saw his brows lower in confusion as he replied, "See what?"
"Why, your big nasty teeth, of course."
Understanding dawned, because he easily slipped back into the fairytale as well, even if externally he would appear to anyone else to be the same formidable, glowering leader he always was.
"Why, I'd show you how they're all the better to eat you with, my dear," he growled. His husky, sin-filled voice caused goosebumps to scatter across your arms.
If anyone walked by and happened to notice the fire-engine red blush that heated your cheeks at his words, you hoped they would just attribute it to over exertion from being out in the heat.
You refused to look over at him, so instead kept your gaze forward and locked on the front door that was slowly drawing closer. If you made eye contact with him right now and saw any of the hunger on his face that he had shown out in the woods, you would give your thoughts away for sure.
Instead, voice low and raspy, you flirted back, "But I thought you already did, seeing as how you said I tasted sweet."
You heard the smirk in his voice as he whispered back, "Careful, doll. A taste is one thing. If you're not careful, the Big Bad might just decide to gobble you up, instead."
With that, he turned away and walked off to your left, heading around the side of the compound and towards one of the outposts where he ordered men to keep continual watch of the surrounding woods.
Trying unsuccessfully to maintain your calm expression, you could feel heat still flaming on your cheeks, lips fighting to curl upwards into a smile as you opened the front door and stepped inside. Glancing at the clock hanging in the main hallway, you were shocked to see that it was only 8:40am. Despite everything that had happened, you had only been in the woods barely over the agreed-upon hour.
It was almost shocking to think of the wide range of emotions Negan was able to bring out in you over such a short period of time. Heaven forbid you ever had to spend an entire 24 hours in his company. You both would probably kill each other way before the time was up. Or fuck each other's brains out repeatedly. Ah, there was your subconscious. You had almost wondered if it was ever going to wake up and join the party. It had appeared to be dormant during most the outing, which was surprising, since it tended to jump to the forefront quite frequently when you were around Negan.
Laughing wickedly, your subconscious whispered, Who do you think encouraged you to call Negan out on his behavior? And who do you think pushed your brain out of the way when he kissed you, so that you could be free to respond instinctually and kiss him back? I was more active out there in the woods than you think. You just didn't realize it because deep down you didn't want to fight my suggestions this time.
You gave a mental hat tip to your subconscious. Even your brain added a resounding chorus of touché, touché.
Your subconscious just responded with a large grin and a deep bow.