"An' that is how I managed to bag my one hundredth fucking rotter kill," Negan said cockily, as both he and Blake strolled hand-in-hand into the large open-plan canteen area. "Not bad for a week after the shit-hit-the-fuckin'-fan, huh?"

The place was busy this evening, with a large line of people all queued up, as well as many people moving here and there weaving in and out of the long tables.

Blake rolled her eyes, nudging him.

"What? Are you expecting me to fan myself or something?" she said with a loud tut. "We've all killed walkers, Negan. It's just that some of us are less vocal about it than others."

She allowed her hand to slip from his easily, flashing him teasing smile before strolling off ahead of him.

But as she turned, Blake could feel almost instantly almost every person in that hall's eyes land on her, feeling the top of her cheeks turning pink.

A few Saviours dropped to their knees as she walked by, part of her presuming that Negan was of course at her side, but it was only when she turned around and saw the dark-haired Saviour still back near to the doorway, did she realise that these people…her peers…were actually kneeling for her.

Blake gave a small gulp, a lump appearing in her throat.

She stopped in her tracks, half way through the room, as people all around followed suit, all either bowing their heads or falling swiftly to their knees, as Blake heard Negan's footsteps approach her from behind.

And it wasn't a moment later that she felt his hot breath of her neck, his lips brushing her ear.

"Feels good, don' it?" he uttered in a silky voice, pressing a grin into her hair.

But Blake merely tutted, batting the dark-haired Saviour away gently with her hand.

"To you maybe," Blake quipped back, rolling her eyes. "But me….if I were you, I'd want people to look me in the eyes while they 'cower' before me."

She threw a teasing look Negan's way as they continued to walk, which made the bearded leader of the Saviour's grin widely, looking impressed.

"Now that is what I call a fuckin' kink, Sweetheart?" Negan growled back, dragging his white teeth over his bottom lip, awestruck. "We can try that out later if you'd like…just you, me…and that goddamn knee-bendin' pussy of yours…."

But Blake shot him an amused, yet warning look. Well aware of how close they were to other Saviours right now and how likely it was they some of they had heard that.

"Just….shut up," she murmured back, the tops of her cheeks turning slightly pink, as they made their way over to the head of the queue for food.

"Well, heck, Darlin' I ain't gonna judge if you're into folks bein' submissive to you too," winked Negan, leaning into her as they walked. "Why do you think I like givin' Lucille to Rick, to hold?"

Once again, Negan's lips brushed her ear as he continued in a slow voice. "I mean it's practically like getting' a fuckin' hand-job from him," chuckled the dark-haired Saviour.

But this only caused Blake to give a small smirk as she pulled her head away, eyeing him bemusedly.

"And getting hand-jobs from Rick is something that you're into is it?" she uttered in a sarcastic voice raising an eyebrow in his direction.

But Negan just scoffed, grinning.

"A hand-job's a hand-job, Doll," he said in a goading voice, bumping her shoulder with his, and strutting cockily forwards, up to the head of the line for dinner.

Blake yet again for the second time in a minute, rolled her eyes dramatically, before following him.

"So, what is on the specials board today?" asked Negan to an older woman with curly red hair and watery blue eyes, stood serving behind the counter in a neat white apron, as a short, white-haired man at her side, scratched points out in a large ledger.

The woman immediately mouthed at the air, looking frightened, trapped like rabbit in the headlights as Negan arched his spine, presenting a smug grin and staring back at her.

Negan probably didn't often make polite conversation with the regular, low-ranking Saviours around here. Being nice was not really on his to-do list of a day, Blake assumed.

So it was no surprise, after probably, her only contact with the dark-haired man, being when she witnessed him ironing someone's face, that the woman looked petrified.

"Well?" Negan pressed, blinking innocently, waiting for an answer.

But the woman without another word, suddenly and without warning, burst into tears, right there in front of him…causing Negan's eyebrows to shot up into his dark-hairline.

He turned back to Blake throwing her a confused and incredulous look, before swinging around once again, as the woman pressed both hands over her face, sobbing loudly…

But Blake just tutted, stepping forwards and bumping the bearded Saviour aside with her hip.

"Hey," she said in a soft voice. "It's ok. There's no need for you to cry."

And with that, upon hearing Blake's voice, the woman's tears subsided slightly, as she dragged her hands from her eyes.

Blake gave a kindly smile, as she felt Negan slide a hand around her waist possessively.

Everyone in the room seemed to be staring at the pair of them now…at the closeness between them….and the way the tall, dark-haired Saviour seemed to press a chuckling grin into the side of her hair.

But Blake lifted her chin, not wanting to look like the meek little thing she had once been, upon first coming here with David, all those many weeks ago.

She was far more than that now.

She was a challenger to Negan. A force almost as formidable as him.

The queen he had made her into.

And so Blake tilted her head, staring straight ahead at the red-haired woman, smiling as warmly as she could.

"If you could just plate some of this up for us, that would be great," she said, wrinkling her nose as she spoke.

And at once the woman nodded hurriedly at Blake's words, lifting her ladle and pouring out two large portions of a rich-smelling broth into two bowls.

Blake chewed on her lip, and shot Negan a covert 'I told you so' look, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

And it wasn't a second later that the woman had placed both bowls onto a tray, along with four freshly baked soft bread rolls, as well as a few packets of salted butter.

Blake flashed the woman another smile, as Negan let go of Blake's waist and snatched up the tray with his free hand.

"Thanks," uttered the caramel-blonde woman to the mild-looking Saviour with a kind nod, before turning away and heading over towards a table alongside Negan, who gave a grumbling growl of annoyance.

"Like I said…." began Blake giving an over the top sigh. "…it pays to have your people look you in the eye when they do things for you. And not crying at your feet."

But Negan grumbled. "We'd have both got the fuckin' food in the end, Sweetheart," he muttered darkly, as the pair of them reached a couple of centre seats of one of the long wooden tables. "It's just that my way is a little more hard to fuckin' swallow."

Blake smiled, staring up at him now as he dropped the tray down on the table and eyed her.

"But alright…I admit…." he said after a moment, giving a nod and dragging his eyes away from hers reluctantly. "…..maybe your way was slightly fucking quicker."

At this, Blake beamed and closed the gap between the two of them, allowing her fingers to graze all the way down Negan's t-shirt covered torso, coming to a stop on his belt buckle.

She hovered her face close to his, as Negan blinked slowly, allowing his lips to curve up into a wide, adoring smile.

"So…when all said and fuckin'' done," he murmured in a low, husky voice. "I think you and me make a great fuckin' team, Peaches."

Blake felt her heart pounding in her chest hard now, her breath catching in her throat.

"Me too…." she replied, smiling hazily…so wrapped up in the dark-haired Saviour at this very moment, she couldn't even bare to tear her eyes away.

She knew how she felt about him…but there was no way she was going to be the first to say it.

What if he didn't feel quite the same? What if this was just a fleeting thing? What if it didn't mean quite as much to him, as it did to her?

But these thoughts were pushed swiftly from Blake's mind, as a sudden figure appeared, just over their shoulders.

The pair glanced over, shaking themselves, to see Simon stood there, a couple of feet away, looking a little wary about disturbing them..

"Uh, sorry," he said, cautiously looking between the two of them, as Blake took a blushing step away from the dark-haired man before her, dropping her hand from him and moving to sit down on the bench bedside them.

It was another moment, prompted by a sighing nod from Negan, that Simon continued.

"We found what you wanted," chimed the moustachioed man. "Roy radioed in from one of the outposts. It's about forty miles off, just west of Calreen. Sounds like it's in pretty good shape too."

Blake quirked an eye up.

"What's this?" she asked interestedly, reaching over and tearing apart one of the bread rolls with her fingers.

But Negan pointed in her direction, smirking.

"Now you, Doll-face…" he began in a tone of faux-scolding. "…have got to start mindin' your own fuckin' business."

But Blake just threw him a tutting look in return, raising her eyebrows curiously.

"Funny. Because I thought you just said we were a team?" she said in a simpering voice, pointing up at him too, a hint of a smile drifting across her lips.

But Negan grinned, turning and leaning over her, before moving a single digit to her slender chin and lifting her face until her green eyes were level with his own.

"Oh I did, Princess," he said in a devilish tone. "But on this occasion, I've got birthday surprises to be fuckin' plannin'."

And with that, before Blake could gaze up at him needily any longer, Negan had dropped the contact between them with a knowing chuckle and pulled away….

….completely aware of just what effect he had on her.

She gave a pout, turning half to face the table now and picking up her spoon, taking a small mouthful of the hot rich vegetable broth, that immediately warmed her insides.

Just as Negan gave a sigh, dragging a hand down his long face.

"It's gonna take a while by the time we get there and get back, right?" he uttered to Simon conversationally in a low voice, before giving a drawn out huff. "Alright. Round up Arat and the others, and I'll see you outside in five."

And with that Simon gave an obedient nod, waking swiftly off.

But Blake pursed her pink lips and stared up at Negan.

"You're leaving?" she asked, giving a tiny frown.

But her concern was not being apart from Negan yet again. It was more to do with the fact that, even from here, she could see just how tired he was. Running now, on no sleep after last night's antics.

"Quicker I'm gone, quicker I can come back and we can start celebrating your birthday, Darlin'," he said arching his long back as he spoke.

But Blake tilted her head slightly, staring at him carefully.

"You're gonna kill yourself at this rate," she reprimanded, shaking her head. "I was kidding with what I said about a birthday gift, you know. I don't need anything. I haven't celebrated my birthday in like six years, Negan. So I really wouldn't worry."

She threw him a half smile of encouragement, patting the seat beside her and crossing her legs.

"Stay," she implored. "That way you can be there to help me ring in my birthday….and maybe we can have some naughty fun up on that bed of yours while doing it too…"

She bit her lip and smiled, throwing the salt and pepper- bearded Saviour a suggestive look. And at this Negan gave a heavy, groaning sigh of want….but he still shook his head.

He leant down into her once again, and pushed back a long strand of caramel hair from her face now, before sliding his fingers to her chin once more.

"It'll be worth it, Peaches," he growled seductively, before suddenly and without waring pressing a gentle kiss to her swollen lips.

And Blake could do nothing, but feel herself smiling into his mouth. Knowing full well that there was a good chance that the dark-haired Saviour was likely to end up in collapsing from exhaustion if this was the way he was going to conduct himself.

But Blake knew that she could lecture him all she wanted, but he wasn't likely to listen to her. He knew his own mind.

And so, Blake gave a soft sigh as he eventually pulled away, knowing that they had likely both drawn the stares of practically every person in the room now.

But Blake was past caring.

But before Negan could turn on his heel and leave, she had reached over grasping for the bowl of broth.

"Here, at least take this, if you are going to go," she said, pressing the bowl into Negan's middle.

And it wasn't even a second later that Negan took it, no questions asked, his face completely lit up with a wide, beaming, doting grin, but for once in his life, he didn't even utter another a word in retort, as he turned on his heel and strutted off, throwing one last wink in her direction as he went….

…..bowl of food she had given him clutched tightly in his hand, as he disappeared through the parting crowd.

And Blake couldn't help but smile affectionately, giving the smallest of inward sighs as he watched him go.

Well, after all….a Queen did have to look after her King.…

Sorry, if that was kind of a crappy filler chapter.

Thanks to sreid045, l0velylexx, Keward2592, JudithMosalii (happy birthday!), CLTex, Hmc09, DaniChapp, purplemonkey36, MisfitCarter, Xmidniteangel15X, Fried Rice and srosal1 for commenting.

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