A/N: Bit of a warning... This is entirely in Eugene's POV, but the role he plays will use stereotypes toward those who are not neurotypical. Some of the public behavior from this chapter forward between him and Honey is going to be uncomfortable as hell...
June 1, 2017
- Eugene -
The joyous news of Honey's reappearance after seven days missing is immediately overshadowed by Ezekiel's people signalling something's wrong. Honey asked for the King, a role Ezekiel's played less and less over the years, and didn't come inside the gates. On the initial alert, no one was sure what it meant, other than getting the hell out of DC and ending their fruitless search.
The relief fades to a gnawing worry in his gut as another report trickles in thanks to a watch guard relaying what is happening from the confines of the tower. Honey isn't back to stay, instead negotiating supplies for the new group accompanying her. It seems she's staying with them.
"Does she appear to be under duress?" Scout's voice, cool and clinical, seeking answers in clear Chamorro. Eugene envies her that distant calm soldier personality she's worn for days now. It's a state he only achieves while medicated, and he can't do that during the day.
"No, but she greeted Ezekiel as her uncle?" The Kingdom's radio operator sounds puzzled and rightfully so. Honey and Exekiel are remarkably close, but they've never defined their friendship that way. "And she requested Shiva."
The tiger? They're laying something on thick, and Eugene mulls it over slowly.
"She's putting on a show." That's Paul, his own Chamorro as flawless as Scout's, but his voice less remote. He almost sounds excited. "When she saved me from the Wolves, she played gypsy, her and Danny."
Eugene remembers the story, how she 'purchased' Paul for a case of whiskey and another of various supplies. The men didn't live to enjoy their bounty, because Honey's act was a distraction: save the vulnerable, then send in the sniper. Jesus Christ.
He isn't the only one to make the connection to that long ago ploy. Scout curses in several languages, surprising him by having the radio live for it. She calms and adds, "We need more information to be able to help her. Paul, you and Eugene take just your two vehicles toward the Kingdom. Try to get there before they leave. Everyone else pull back for now."
The Marine's assurance that they will leave, and its implication that Honey will be gone with these newcomers, makes the gnawing in his gut turn to full fledged churning. He struggles to breathe for a minute, until his fingers find the leather cover on the watch she gave him the Christmas that he realized he was hopelessly in love with her. Pressing his palm against the watch face, he can feel the ticking of the mechanics.
Kal glances over from the driver's seat, obviously concerned, taking his attention away from the other Humvees being left behind. "It's Honey, right? She's probably got a half dozen plans ready."
Nodding, Eugene feels his turmoil settle. Honey always has a plan or three, thinking up things in the spur of the moment that most people wouldn't manage in days of planning. "We just have to trust her."
As the younger man smiles, Eugene reminds himself that there isn't a fighter at Hilltop his lover hasn't trained. There's a brotherhood there, a sense of loyalty that goes beyond community. Kal will support whatever this is.
The Kingdom radio reports are mundane for a while. Honey requested food in payment for protection Ezekiel's people do not need, and the King agreed, stalling with an impromptu picnic to buy Eugene and Paul more time. Everyone seems genial enough, although Jazz seems to be part of the Ezekiel family deception now. Paul's got to be crawling out of his skin right now.
They're still miles away when the guard's voice is replaced by Jazz's. "They're gone, and Honey went with them. We could only stall so long, although they'll be back for more food in a week. She told Ezekiel that she's found another Woodbury."
Eugene's heart sinks, although he understands now. If there are people at risk among these bandits, Honey would not abandon them easily. None of the Dixons would, because the concept of stranger doesn't exist if the stranger is vulnerable. He hasn't forgotten that Honey jumped on Abraham, a man big enough to dwarf even her tall frame, to save him once, and she knew him for all of fifteen minutes.
"Is that all the information she gave?" Scout asks, back to her clinical calm.
"Based on the amount of food requested, it's a big group. Maybe larger than Homestead." Dammit… that's over three hundred people, the largest Allied community. "She said she is our Daniel."
Eugene's heart sinks. Spying is dangerous in itself, but calling herself their Daniel? The youth nearly died, skin peeled off his chest by a psychotic bastard not fit to live. He's never truly recovered from the damage, not physically or psychologically.
"Is she harmed?" Scout's voice is pure, arctic ice now.
"Not that I could tell. I checked, as best I could without being obvious, when she hugged me." Jazz sounds lost and defeated. "The leader…" There's a pause for the younger man to clear his throat. "I think he's obsessed with her, and she's feeding it. Ezekiel said something about alliances being sealed by personal means, and that bastard's expression…"
Jesus fucking Christ. Eugene presses harder against the watch face, making the metal bite into his wrist. The minor pain anchors him, barely.
"It's a Black Widow," Scout replies. He can't decide if she sounds scared or impressed. Probably both.
Trying to wrap his mind around it, some obvious phrase from the military training Honey's received, Eugene has to go further afield than military to make the connection. Black Widow… a term adopted by comic books because of being used in espionage. Kal's made the leap of logic, too, because he looks uneasy as he glances at Eugene.
Before Eugene can comment, the radio crackles to life again with Jazz's deep voice. "She was asking about Eugene. Wants him with her, I think. But she's calling him the engineer, not by name."
The connections link together so fast that Eugene can't breathe. How many times over the years has he made the joke about being Q to her James Bond? He reaches for the radio mike. "If we can intercept them, I'll join them."
The radio is silent for a bit, and just when he worries that Scout will order him not to, she speaks. "Can you handle that, if she's planning a Widow? That's a lot to ask of you." Her voice isn't cool anymore. She sounds concerned for him, but there's a note of warning, too.
He understands the warning. If he can't pull off his part, if he shows any inappropriate jealousy, it could endanger them both. But he doesn't think anyone understands just how fluid their relationship is. Out of everyone possible, they're the one couple he knows with practice at managing this regularly.
"I can handle it. She wouldn't ask for me if she didn't think I could." Of that, he is confident. Honey would never risk him. Some men might have a problem with their ladies being the protector, but for him, it's just their reality. And now, she needs him there, so he will go.
"Please be safe, Eugene." The warning is gone, leaving only concern. "Try to get some communication established that doesn't rely on traveling to the Kingdom, if you can."
He agrees, but there's no more time to plan. "Strangers sighted that match the Kingdom's description."
Discarding the mike, he starts stripping away his body armor and any obvious weaponry that gives away anything other than geeky engineer. Kal watches a bit wide eyed as he drops his third gun behind the seat to join his armor, then tosses the shoulder holster to join it.
Honey has always been thorough in teaching him to go armed, and he hates leaving the Bond Arms derringer behind she drilled him on. But if he's searched, there's no mistaking he's carrying a deadly weapon, even if limited to less than seven yards. The only clear weapon he leaves is his belt knife. Even children carry those, these days.
Hesitating about rebuttoning his overshirt as Kal pulls over and stops, he asks, "Do I look non-threatening enough?"
The other man nods. "Be careful. Help her figure these bastards out."
Nodding, Eugene steps out of the Humvee, hunching his shoulders and slouching. It's almost too easy to pull up the old world version of himself, making him feel a little sick to be that man again, but for Honey? He can do it.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite engineer," Honey calls out, striding toward him after leaving the driver's seat. He catches a glimpse of a tall, well-built older man, but deliberately keeps his attention rivetes on Honey instead. His reward is her hand landing on his shoulder with a pat, before moving to pet his hair as if he was much younger. He revels in finally feeling her touch after days without, and the fact that she seems healthy and in control, like Jazz surmised.
The petting is a gesture she uses for Jazz, when her brother is struggling with his sensory issues. Jazz doesn't have as many problems as he once did, but Eugene thinks it's a signal. Not sure how to respond just yet, he smiles uncertainly, letting his gaze move to her companion. "The radio said you wanted me."
Soft and meek, Eugene allows none of the bluster he used with Abraham and Rosita to leak into his voice or posture. Thinking of what most people assume about autism, he mentally sorts through the stereotypes as rapidly as possible. The bastard with her is already smirking, the smarmy idea of being a better man than this defective thing in front of him already evident in his posture.
"Why don't you introduce us, princess?" There's enough of a wary note in the man's voice to tell Eugene he's not a complete idiot.
Honey keeps petting his hair, before finally reaching out to straighen his rumpled overshirt. It settles into better lines, still haphazardly buttoned from him yanking the shoulder holster out from under it. "Look at you, pet. No one's been looking after you while I was gone, have they?"
When she finally answers the other man, she's sorting his buttons, carefully settling his green plaid shirt back into place over the Star Trek shirt he wears underneath. "This is Eugene, one of the smartest engineers I've ever met, but he needs a bit of a keeper, I'm afraid. Eugene, this is Negan. We're going to be living with his community now."
Her touch is soft as she cups his cheek and gently turns his head toward Negan. Eugene gets his first good look at the man, catching the moment the man accepts the deception. He's a pet, intelligent, but incapable of basic self care. It's brilliant, hiding the danger Eugene can pose among the prejudices so many have about those not neurotypical.
Drawing from more than autism stereotypes now, Eugene blinks a few times, looking at Negan and his disgusting smirk, before turning back to Honey. "Okay. You won't go away for days again?"
The relief in her expression is well hidden from someone who doesn't know her well, but Eugene catches it. Smiling, she pats his cheek. "No, I'll be right there to look after you. Who let you go into the capital instead of leaving you with my brother?"
With her voice dropping into a protective growl, he thinks she's about to sell the disguise further. None of the others can adapt fast enough except Paul, and technically, the other man is their group leader today. With Paul having hearing like a damned bat, Eugene also knows he's listening through a rolled down window. "Paul said it was okay."
Honey sighs, a deep expression of discontent, even as Negan chuckles. "Someone about to get an ass whipping?" he drawls.
"He's only safe because he's my brother-in-law." Donning that forbidding expression she often uses when training people, she pats Eugene's shoulder. "You go sit in the back seat, pet. We'll get things sorted out for you when we get home."
Nodding, Eugene trots off to the truck Honey was driving, climbing into the seat behind the driver's seat without a backwards glance. It takes every ounce of self control to do it, but breaking character right now will ruin all her hard work. He has no idea how much groundwork she's laid that he risks tripping up.
Through the windshield, he can see as she summons Paul, but he can't hear what is said. As he expected, Paul plays his part beautifully, going from anxious to eager to please to ashamed of himself. There's a reason the family jokes that the man is Honey's long lost twin at times. From the shelter of the vehicle, Eugene watches the bandit leader as the man watches Honey.
Jazz is correct. This man is obsessed with Eugene's lover. He's seen milder versions of it before, especially in the earlier years of his relationship where people didn't comprehend why a woman who looks like Honey would deign to be with a man who looks like Eugene. It's something she stamped out by lurid descriptions of their sex life to any idiot dumb enough to question her.
That's not going to work with this man, and he suspects the usual bedroom ban Honey maintains on anyone who questions his importance to her probably isn't going to come into play. He's fine with that. It's time he protects her in that arena.
When Paul finally walks away, shoulders slumped in pretend shame, Honey and Negan return to the truck. She looks up at him in the rearview mirror. "Put your seatbelt on, pet."
Eugene buckles in, head bowed as he listens to their conversation. His hair is loose enough from the tie to let him use it as a shield to watch Negan covertly.
"Holy shit, gorgeous. I almost felt bad for the man. Might have been kinder to smack him around."
Honey shrugs, taking a deep breath. "You have your rules. I have mine. Eugene doesn't go into the city where it's dangerous. We can't replace his brain, not like all the damned muscle can be."
"And yet you fucked him? Probably more than once, if you got a baby out of him." Negan sounds puzzled, but also intrigued.
Catching the smirk on Honey's face in the rear view mirror when he peeks upward, Eugene refrains from laughing at her nonchalant reply: "He's pretty."
The actual conception didn't even have Paul in the same room, but Negan doesn't need to know that. Eugene isn't entirely sure it wouldn't titillate the man just as much as the idea of Honey having sex with Paul does.
"I hope he was more goddamned interesting than a blow up doll," Negan says at last. The comment seems a bit odd, but Eugene will figure it out later. Negan's hand snakes over, sliding along Honey's thigh. It confirms Eugene's idea that the man is either sleeping with her or doing his best to get there. He can deal with that.
Alpha males think with their dicks too much for their own good. All this supposed bandit leader is doing is handing Eugene and Honey the detailed directions to his downfall every time she lets him touch her. He can almost feel the countdown in his head. Secure in the thought, Eugene's fingers find his watch again, feeling the mechanism tick softly beneath them.
Tick, tock, asshole.
A/N: Okay... Now I gotta go write the happy last chapter of my Eugene/Beth story to bleach my brain...
I really do mean the warning. Her calling him a pet? Negan will see Eugene as a bit of Honey's possession like the wives are his. He will sleep in Honey's room even with Negan present... Just keep that in mind. 😳