ELEANOR . NEGAN

073.

Alexandria was falling apart with every second that went by. The fading of secured walls and the wilting of crops — tomatoes falling into themselves and infested with insects. Mud became dry, water became sparse. Ammo low, food low, everything was low.

The solar panels were chipped and unwired with zero ounce of electricity and the only piece of normalcy left was the still working showers. Lukewarm but not freezing and that was good enough.

"What'd you think?" Negan murmured, his salt and pepper beard grazing her warm skin with a tatted hand with those long fingers sprawled across her stomach. "It's getting worse?"

Elle threw her head back against his shoulder, humming in content. All she could take in was his gentle touches against her naked skin, nothing sexual but just intimate. "They're getting restless," Elle admitted. "Wont be long until they crack... and then?" She shrugged.

The woman wasn't wrong. It won't be long until Gabriel gives a council meeting and begin to state the factor of rationing whereas the people working on building the walls back up grow angry and snide under the pressure.

Elle twisted her body under the patter of warm water and laced her arms around the back of his neck. Already, Negan had that lazy smile and soft eyes, hazel under the sun-soaked rays captivating his face in a heavenly glow.

"Let's not talk about it, okay?" Negan raised a brow and she chuckled, sweet and low as she moved her face closer. Bodies pressed against each other under the warmth of a shower-head with teasing grins and suggestive eyes. "Can't be assed to babble on about how we're gonna starve."

"You're not gonna starve," He objected.

She laughed, a snort almost, her fingers dancing across the nape of his skull. "I know." She then leaned forward, lips brushing against each other like a perfectly placed puzzle piece. "I won't let that happen."

"Damn straight." He raked a hand down her waist, gripping onto her hips and pulling her closer. Even though the space between was already closed, but whatever. Negan would use any excuse to hold onto her hips. He trailed his lips to the curve of her jaw and dragged his other hand to the small of her throat. "Fuck me, Sunshine. You know how Goddamn long I've been thinking of this?"

"Us starving?" Elle mumbled in retaliation but nothing except pure euphoria reached her face.

Negan chuckled against her skin, a throaty one at that. Before he lifted his hand and brought it right back down on her ass, "Smartass."

"Perv."

"Brat."

"Prick."

Negan just groaned in faux annoyance before he captured her lips. All tongue and clashing of teeth, holding breaths as they explored each other's mouths and bodies. Hands everywhere — grabbing at any part that would only emit pleasure.

A once casual shower turned sexual in minutes. Wispy moans filled the air with delicate begs and needs and each complied. It was pure ecstasy between two people, conjoining together as if they were the sun and the moon: a solar eclipse.

If only they knew this was their last piece of wanted normalcy.

Their morning was cut short soon after as Negan was sent to work on the broken huts and cabins, affected by the controlled horde that trampled through Alexandria by the hands of Beta.

Eleanor liked to believed she worked hard that day. Her and Jerry converted mistakenly useless rubble into recyclable materials. The wobbly planes of metal being used to reinforce walls and rocks and rubble from torn down buildings used to lace the outside for extra strength.