"An' this," said Negan as he shoved open a door with dull end of Lucille, to reveal a room full of dusty old bookshelves crammed with books. "…is the library."
Blake took a step forwards, her mouth dropping open slightly, as Negan let his arm slip from around her shoulders.
Since they had left the marketplace, Negan had showed her around the makeshift hospital wing, the gymnasium (filled with several punching bags, and some tired out gym equipment) and had now brought her along the corridor here…to the library as he so called it.
Blake looked back at Negan over her shoulder giving a bemused frown. "You have got to be kidding, right?" she said shooting him a look. "A library…seriously. I mean, I'll be looking out for the singing teapot next."
Negan merely chuckled, raising his chin and arching his back slightly and flashing his bright white teeth. Lucille was now swung back over his shoulder lazily, and he had his free hand half stuffed into his pants pocket easily.
"Well, Peaches, readin' is important. I mean, half those sorry sacks of shit out there, are pretty much fuckin' illiterate, and the ones who can read have better fuckin' things to do nowadays….but you are welcome to browse my wares, darlin'," uttered Negan in a cocky voice, as Blake gave a smirk, rolling her eyes at him and turning back to the shelves before her.
"Thanks," she said a sarcastic tone, her eyes drifting over the titles as she wrinkled her nose. "I'll bare it in mind."
She heard Negan give a laugh.
"Well after you're done here, I'll take you on a tour of the kitchens. See if there's anything you might want to eat," he uttered matter-of-factly, scratching at his face. "See if there's anything hot and gourmet you might them to rustle up for you."
Blake gave a shrug, pulling a book titled How to get rich in twenty easy steps towards her, before scoffing and throwing it back onto a nearby pile.
"Hmmm, gourmet dining isn't really my thing," she said glancing back at him over her shoulder. "I'd definitely take pizza and a movie over that any day."
Negan's lips curved up into a smile. His dark eyes drifting across her face, causing Blake's stomach to backflip slightly.
But she turned back to the shelves again, shaking this feeling from her.
What was up with her today?
Right now, she felt so much more conflicted than she had done, say, yesterday.
She had been a part of Rick's group for six months. Of course she was completely loyalty to them….but Negan had, in her short time here, had made her feel strangely…well, at home.
She gave a small inward sigh, picking up a large hardback book on Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos, before putting it down again.
But it wasn't a second later that several footsteps came thudding down the corridor towards Negan and the open door.
"Negan," came a sudden male voice.
Blake turned, to see a tall man with a long handlebar moustache and brown hair appear in the corridor alongside a second, much younger man, carrying a gun.
"Sorry if I'm…uh…interrupting," said the older man looking a little uncertainly between Blake and Negan, as if surprised to see her.
The younger man moved off down the corridor to stand guard.
Negan immediately gave a grin, and pointed suddenly at Blake with his bat.
"Blake, Simon. Simon, Blake," he said in a charming voice.
Blake vaguely recognised his name…banded around the camp. Labelled as Negan's right-hand man.
The man named Simon looked at Blake a little unsurely, before giving a curt nod and turning back to Negan.
"Oh that's right," said Negan cutting across Simon just as he opened his mouth to speak. "You two already met, right? When old Davey-boy knocked her out and made a deal with us. You were the one that brought them in."
Simon nodded, his eyes flitting back to Blake, but he didn't speak further on the matter.
And for a second, Blake was sure she saw the tiniest flicker of guilt crossing his features.
She narrowed her eyes in his direction, a little unsurely, as he turned back to Negan.
"Boss, we've got a problem," he said giving a poignant nod and staring up at the bearded leader of the Saviours, looking slightly perturbed. "With them."
Negan's face became suddenly grim.
"That where you just come back from?" Negan asked in a steely voice, taking a step towards Simon.
The moustachioed man blinked a little but didn't flinch.
"He's being as uncooperative as ever," said Simon, chancing a glance over at Blake momentarily before tearing his eyes away.
At this Blake was sure she knew who he was talking about.
It had to be Rick and his group back at Alexandria…surely.
"Well then let's go pay them a little visit," said Negan, a grin sliding its way onto his face, as he readjusted his grip on the bat over his shoulder.
But Blake took a sudden step forwards, closing the gap between her and the bearded Saviour before she could stop herself.
"Don't hurt anyone," she blurted out hurriedly, her eyes wide and pleading.
But Negan merely glanced her way, before slowly turning to face her fully, looking down at her, now just a foot away from him.
He seemed to stare at her for a long moment, before he ran a sudden hand down his beaded face, letting out a long sigh.
"Doll-face, you know I have a hard time refusing you anything, but I gotta be seen to be standin' up for my people. And if pricks like that wanna go around and try to kill my men, then the hell I'm gonna let those sorry fuckin' sons of bitches get away with it-"
"Please," said Blake suddenly, cutting across him, her breath catching in her throat.
Maybe she could use Negan's fondness of her to her advantage. Maybe she could use this to save lives…save the people she cared for…
She did care for them…right?
But Negan gave another sigh.
"I mean, you drive a hard fuckin' bargain, Buttercup," he said eyeing her. "But I'm not makin' any promises, we clear?"
Blake stared at him hard for a long drawn out second.
"I could come with you," she offered, pursing him lips encouragingly.
Perhaps this could be the opportunity she was looking for her escape…but then again she had David to think about. There was no way she could leave without him. They were a team.
But Negan leaned back, looking at their ceiling and shaking his head, giving a laugh.
"Sorry, Doll," he said finally looking down at her once more. "This one's not for you,"
Blake felt a frown find its way between her brows and it took all her strength not to give a huff.
But Negan could obviously sense her utter frustration, flashing her a wide grin, his tongue reaching his teeth.
"Next time, Peaches," he uttered in a gravelly tone, suddenly leaning forward and bumping his shoulder with hers. "I promise."
Blake narrowed her eyes, staring up at him.
Was Negan really making her promises right now?!
"I just want to make sure people are safe," she said tilting her head slightly, gazing up into his chocolate eyes, looking concerned.
At this, Negan gave an approving grin, glancing up at Simon and gesturing in Blake's direction.
"An' that is why she is an utter fucking queen, in the guise of a hot-as fuck, goddamn fox," he said in a faux-tone of sincerity to his right hand man, giving a bemused chuckle. "I mean shit, you should have seen her thirty minutes ago, trying to tear me a fuckin' new one. She has. got. some. balls I can tell you that."
Simon looked back and forth between Blake and Negan for a long moment, before his face suddenly cracked into a large smile to match that of his leader.
Blake let out a small frustrated huff.
She had no idea how one man could annoy her so much, but Negan somehow managed it. Every single time.
The tall, bearded Saviour stared down at her, with something in his brown eyes that she could not quite put her finger on, when he finally gave a whistle, beckoning over the second man with the gun, standing a little way down the corridor.
"Gavin," Negan yelled in calling voice, as the man looked eagerly up and marched instantly over to him. "You wanna escort, Doll-face here, back to the main hall, 'case she gets a little lost and finds her way 'accidentally'…"
At this Negan raised both hands, making air quotes at the word, leaning back as he did so.
"…to our weapons cache, and machine guns through most of my men. Which I wouldn't put it past her to do."
He shot Blake a knowing look, which she merely rolled her eyes at, pursing her lips irritably.
Gavin at once, gave a hurried nod, puffing out his chest and looking over at Blake.
He seemed around Blake's age, perhaps a little older, with messy strawberry-blonde hair and a gun clutched to him.
He looked cocky, his lips pressed into a sub-conscious sneer. And as he stared over at her, she noticed his eyes almost immediately travel down to her breasts without even an ounce of shame.
At this, Blake crossed her arms across her torso huffily, obscuring her boobs from view.
But of course, as always, Negan was not stupid, he had obviously caught exactly what she had, and he turned back to Gavin, his eyes blackening and his jaw now clenched tightly.
Blake could almost sense what was coming.
Negan suddenly gave a sharp whistle, drawing Gavin's eyes back to him instantly, and took a sudden step forwards, looming over the younger, already pretty tall guy, intimidatingly.
"Gavin, Gavin, Gavin," Negan murmured, barely moving his lips as he spoke. And with that he dropped Lucille suddenly onto Gavin's shoulder.
It couldn't have hurt him, but the act alone was enough for Gavin to let out a sharp, visible gulp.
Simon at their side, surveyed the scene grinning, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, rocking back of his heels as did so.
"Now Gavin," continued Negan, in soft voice, giving a pout and staring directly into the younger man's eyes. "You obviously were not present when I explained to all those other assholes in there that Blake, here, is off-limits. So if you feel yourself getting hard lookin' at her titties, and think that by slidin' that skinny, piece-of-shit hand of yours, down to her ass and givin' it a nice, hard squeeze, she's gonna be into you, then you've got another thing fuckin' comin'. Because on my orders, if you even give her any sort of look that ain't one a guy would give his own fuckin' grandma, then I will get her to cut those tiny, little balls of yours, off of you herself."
Blake felt herself rolling her eyes, looking away, trying as hard as she could not to laugh.
There was no way she was going to do any of that, but if it stopped idiots from trying to grope her, then all the better.
"We understandin' each other?" finished Negan with a whisper, his face hovering just an inch or two from Gavin's unnervingly.
And from the look on Gavin's face he certainly did understand, giving a shaky nod and letting out a whimpering-"Y-Yes, Negan."
Negan gave a sudden grin, stepping back and withdrawing Lucille from the younger man's shoulder.
Behind him Simon gave an impressed chuckle, catching Negan's eye and shaking his head bemusedly.
But Negan merely arched his back, turning once more to Blake.
"I will see. you. later, Sweet-cheeks," he said flashing her a wicked smile, before waltzing off down the corridor with Simon, swinging Lucille from his arm causally, whistling as he went.
It was a second before Blake turned to Gavin and raised her eyebrows.
"So…back to the main hall?" she said brightly, not helping the smirk that seemed to plaster itself across her features, as she walked neatly past Gavin, out of the library as he bowed his head, his eyes falling immediately to the floor.
Ok….so having Negan have a soft spot for you did have its perks, she supposed, smiling to herself as she headed back down the long corridor, poor old Gavin now following in her wake.
I'm so so overwhelmed by the response to my last chapter and just want to say a hug thank you to JudithMosalii, whereshadowplays, Guest, elljayde,bhanna, Xmidniteangel15X, Guest, FriendsWithTheMonster, Lilsuccubus , Shadowlover1222 and Guest for reviewing that last chapter.
Would love to know what kind of stuff you are looking forward to reading in this fic and what you like about it so far.
I might not have another chance to update over the weekend, but if not, I will see you all Monday for another update. Hope that's ok?
Please review! :)