Ok, first of all, can we agree never to talk about that Negan and Alpha scene? I have tried to include some smut in this chapter to cover the foul smell that one scene has left behind.

Enjoy!

Today was a good day. And 'good' is better than everything that was thrown at them this winter.

It took a while, but Negan and Maddie have established themselves in a very secure shelter. Barely any wind reaches the room now. They have candles for light, and the door is bolted shut most of the time. There are no people in the city, so that makes it much easier to survive the winter.

And of course, they have their wolf hides. It took a couple of days for Negan to make them into these enormous capes, which can not only be used as blankets at night, but also coats for when they go outdoors. They have so much fur that they even made themselves a carpet.

From all the wolves came the meat they have made into stews. And the meat that was leftover went into storage outside. Negan crafted this genius refrigerator out of ice. No need for electricity. Mother nature keeps it frozen.

There is also the canned food. And their water source is boiled snow and ice.

Everything seems to be going great. So great, that the ice queen has started to show her smile.

Negan smirks back at her, poking at his wolf chunks with a fork, "How 'bout that ice cream they had?"

"A McFlurry?" Maddie quirks an eyebrow.

"If that's what you kids call it nowadays."

Maddie releases a soft laugh, which makes him shudder with pleasure. It's been a while since he heard that sound.

"That is literally what it was called on the menu," she scoffs, chewing on a bone, "Have you ever ordered it and called it ice cream?"

"Well, yeah," he scratches his beard, "I was afraid I'd get the name wrong."

"God, you're so old inside, aren't you?"

"But not on the outside?" he smirks.

"Oh, yeah," Maddie nods, gesturing to his beard, "You still need to shave that. You look like Santa."

He chuckles, licking his bottom lip, "Santa, huh?"

Maddie grins at him, taking a sip of her water.

"I promise to shave it when I find a razor."

"I think we have a dagger you can use," she suggests.

"A dagger?" he laughs, "You really hate me that much, doll?"

Maddie laughs along with him, setting down her bottle near some of the candles.

Negan hums, running his fingers through the gritty beard, "Maybe we can use it to make another carpet."

"Maybe," she smirks, before sighing.

He isn't comfortable with long silences but the phase they went through taught him to hold back his words. Otherwise he might say something that is not needed, and ruin the mood. And he likes this mood. They've not talked like this in ages.

He closes his eyes to concentrate on the howling of the wind outside. He hears a soft yawn, and opens his eyes again.

Maddie stretches one of her arms upwards, turning her wrist in slow circles. She moans slightly, "I think I'm gonna head off to bed."

He nods, watching her stand up, "Goodnight, darlin'."

She steps towards the tent and stops, turning on her heel. He looks up at her, keeping his arms crossed at his knees as he rocks backwards and forwards, "You coming?"

Negan's heart starts to race with excitement. Fuck. She has not waited on him like this since… well, since the mansion. Lately, she didn't even declare that she was going to sleep. He gulps quietly, deciding to shake his head.

"In a while," he says, regretting it instantly. Fucking fuck. Why does he always fuck up?

He can go as far as to say that he saw the corner of her mouth twitch, as if disappointed. Why did he say no?

Oh, yes, playing hard to get.

Throwing himself at her would seem a little desperate. Not that he has been hiding it well in the past, but still. He gives her space even though she doesn't think she needs it anymore.

With a curt nod, she ducks into the tent. He hears her shuffle around before finally going still.

Negan runs a hand down his face, watching all the candles flickering against the walls. He finds comfort in the fact that they are moving forward. Every conversation they have, he tries to avoid certain topics, like Kate and Annabelle, the Sanctuary, being a leader, and anything to do with the period from when she was taken by Simon up till now.

At least they are moving forward. Baby steps. Maybe she has already forgiven him.

He walks around the room, blowing out most of the candles after cleaning up all their pots. After double checking the door and all the windows, he takes off his coat and leaves it by the tent. Then he goes inside.

It's pitch black apart from the little orange flickers outside, but they are not enough to illuminate anything in here.

He lays down on his sleeping bag and quietly kicks off his shoes. Fuck, he misses proper beds.

He closes his eyes against the dark and sighs waiting for the sleep to take him.

Just as he starts to drift off, Maddie bumps into him. She doesn't move away.

He feels her snuggling into his side, so he takes his arm and wraps it around her, confirming that he is awake. It feels nice to have her this close again. He leans in to nuzzle his nose in her hair.

Is she sleeping?

"Are you sniffing my hair?"

Fucking fuck. That answers that question.

"Erm… no," he whispers, instantly regretting it. Why has it become so hard to talk to her? It's like he is a fucking teenager trying to impress his first real crush.

He hears a sound that could be a chuckle.

Maddie places her hand on his chest, running her fingers along the fabric of his sweater, "I'm not tired."

"Is that why you were the first to call it a night, darlin'?"

She pauses, trailing her fingers across his collar, "I was hoping you'd follow me."

Negan turns his head, trying to make out her eyes in the dark, "Shit, doll. You did not make that clear."

He sees her eyebrow raise through the blanket of darkness, "I literally asked you."

"Fuck, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. It's not that deep," she retreats her hand, placing it on her stomach.

Fucking shit. It's like he effortlessly pushes her away. In a panic, he scrambles for words, trying to find some soon enough before the moment is completely gone.

"I'm sorry that you're stuck with me."

She scoffs, "I'm not stuck with you. I can leave whenever I want."

"Yeah, right," he grins. Fuck! The way she props up on one elbow and looks down on him says everything. He has fucked it this time.

"You don't think I can handle myself?" his balls retreat because he feels like she is about to punch them. Wait… she is smiling. He squints in the dark, seeing her lips pursed to the side.

"Oh..." he panics, licking his lips, "You'd be useless. You'd go through all those cans in a day."

She laughs quietly, which makes him feel ten stone lighter.

"I don't eat that much!"

"You eat constantly, baby," he smirks, "And when you're not eating, you're talking about it."

She giggles, and then goes silent, "Say that again."

Negan licks his lips, thinking back a second, "Erm… when you're not eating, you're talking about it."

"No!" she slaps his chest gently, keeping her hand there, "Call me baby."

He pauses, considering his next move carefully, "Come here, baby."

To his surprise she leans in closer, pressing a soft kiss onto his lips. If he could melt into the floor right now, he would. Because that's what he feels like. A puddle.

Her lips feel so fucking good. Warm and soft. And her scent. So fucking close again. Her hair tickles the side of his face as it drops.

He wraps his arms around her gently, keeping her against him.

His dick grows ten times its size in seconds. Fuck. He hopes she doesn't notice. It's fucking embarrassing. The hold she has on him.

She pulls away slowly, kissing the side of his mouth. Her lips are hot. Her whole face is radiating warmth, except from her nose. It's cold when it presses into his cheek as she straddles him.

What the fuck is going on right now? This is the best day ever. Yesterday, he would have been lucky if she smiled at him. Maybe she is having mood swings. Fuck it. He will take his chances.

He slides both of his hands down to her ass, thrusting his hips upwards.

Maddie gasps, before chuckling against the side of his face, "Steady."

"You feel that, baby?" he teases, knowing that her love for that nickname is probably the only thing keeping him in the game right now.

He sees her nodding in the dark, and then she starts to grind her hips against his.

Negan can't hold back his moan as he tips his head back. She runs her hands up his chest, cradling his head and leaning in to kiss him.

He responds straight away, catching her lip between his teeth. Maddie gasps, hissing slightly as she pulls back.

"Fuck. I'm sorry. I just…"

"Stop apologising," she insists, "Do it again."

He goes to bite on her lip and misses it, accidentally biting her chin. He nearly opens his mouth to apologise but holds back when she moans against him. So he does it again, all down her neck and through her sweater, stopping at her chest.

Maddie feels the pain race up to her ears, as she fights the urge to jolt back.

"You like it when I hurt you, baby?" Negan whispers into her neck, "Dirty girl."

She moans softly, going for his belt buckle. Her hands shake as she tries to un-do it, almost afraid. Not of Negan. But of the pain that she wants.

"Mm, please," she tugs on his pants.

His large hands take over as he frees himself from his jeans, and he has never felt relief like that before. He groans as he flips them over, pulling her pants down her slim legs.

Her hands follow his, shakily helping him get these clothes off. He is smart enough to leave her sweater alone, because it is way too cold to get fully naked.

She whimpers as his fingers dig into her thighs, leaving trail marks. Next, she feels them at her core, pressing down on her bundle of nerves. It's enough to send her over the edge and she buckles her hips, moaning his name.

"Shit, baby," he groans, "Is this all for me?"

"Yes!" she throws her head back as he slides his fingers into her, which are being squeezed by her rippling orgasm, "Fuuuuuck, Negan. Just fuck me!"

He doesn't need any more confirmation that that. He slides into her without any hesitation, burying himself balls deep.

"Goddammit," he grunts, "Fuck, I missed you so much."

It doesn't last long, but Maddie doesn't care. She got what she wanted and managed to surprise herself with her new need of physical pain. She doesn't yet know whether to be terrified or go along with it.

"Fuck, fuck!" Negan groans into her neck, pounding into her for the last time.