ELEANOR . NEGAN

085.

Nerves ran through her body as Negan held her hands in his, cupping them with dear strength and warmth; never wanting to forget her soft skin and delicate bones. He brought them up to his lips and kissed them, soft and sweet - weird.

"You're fucking scaring me, Nelly." Elle mumbled under her breath, her green eyes penetrating through the darkness to grab his distressed face. "Spit it out, you wanker-"

"I need to leave."

Shit, shit, shit.

"Okay, okay, don't- don't spit it out." Elle said urgently. The worry and fear was soon replaced with utter confusion and disagreement. She looked discontent; she wasn't fucking happy. "What do you mean you want to leave?"

"Doll," He chuckled, matter-of-factly, "Maggie's gonna kill me."

"You're being dramatic-" When he gave her a pointed glare, she shut herself up. "Alright, yeah... she's gonna kill you."

The man sighed and dragged his hand up her body, rolling them along her upper arms and stopping at the base of her throat. He looked perplexed: in his mind he really didn't want to leave. "I know you, Sunshine. If she kills me, shit, I- I'll come back some way somehow just to make sure you don't goddamn blame it on yourself." He raised his hands to the curve of her jaw. "If I leave now? At least you know I'm alive."

"I'll know if you stay with us." Elle fired back. Her voice was quiet, soft, scared. "They can't just... not if I say something. They won't-"

"Ellie, Maggie quite damn literally refused to help you 'cause she knew you would stop her." Elle raised a brow. "Oh, you know, me kickin' the ol' bucket."

A cute little snarl (he thought it was cute, Elle thought she was an inch away from screaming) escaped her bust lips as she slammed a hand flat against his chest. "You're not dying!"

"Alright... that means I have to leave, doll-"

"I won't let her kill you." The way her words fell so effortlessly made it so believable. So firm and strong, and fucking powerful. "Just stay, please."

"I can't."

"You can!" She was frowning now, he was so scared that she might cry – he didn't want that. "You promised, remember? You can't just break a fucking promise."

"Fucking hell, doll, we ain't in high-school-"

"No!" Elle fired quickly, cutting him off. "Don't pretend you don't care."

Negan poked his tongue along his lips and sighed. "Alright, shittin' hell." He grasped his beard. "What do you fucking think I should do? They're gonna kill me."

"Don't die?"

The man rolled his eyes and pulled away from her, "Fucking useless." He mumbled, his back now resting against a tree. "I can't stay, I can't go, I can't die — what other fucking option do I have, Eleanor?"

And Elle really should've thought about this. Deeply, with some length and intricate thinking before opening her mouth and blurting out something she really shouldn't. It was a bad idea; such a bad idea, but it was the only idea that worked and she wanted to make sure that Negan stayed sane and nice and not dead or missing.

"We leave." There it is, Elle couldn't tell if she regretted it or loved it. "You, me, together." Elle cleared her throat and stepped closer to him, "We go."

And Negan could've had a heart attack. "Are you shittin' me, doll?" He let out, pushing himself off the tree and grasping her shoulders. "I can't- you can't."