ELEANOR . NEGAN

091.

Capacity of air was depleting slowly, and surely, but she wasn't ready yet. No, she fucking wasn't. She wasn't welcoming this shit, not now, not after her freedom — no. Eleanor is better than that; knows how to survive and keep going even if her stamina is running out.

She knows.

"Fucking hell!" She moaned, grasping into a tree for dear life. "For an old man, you know how to keep going."

Negan let out a deep chuckle, raspy and cold as his breath moved as a cloud against the icy air. "Brat," he called her.

She narrowed her eyes, "Oh, bite me-"

Instantly, his large hands pulled her flush against his front as he acted hungrily on the smoothness of her neck, his beard tickling her to the point she was squirming against him with laughter. Her fists bashed against his chest but he took no notice, he kept going — looking like a lunatic if anyone walked by and saw that. 

"Negan," She breathed, a slither of a smile still on her features. "Get off me, you lanky bear- ow!" He slapped her ass when she called him a bear, or maybe it was lanky, she didn't know. "Negan!"

He let out one more guttural groan against her skin before pulling back with a frown, "What?"

"Don't what me." He rolled his eyes but she saw his smile, the same grin that showed off his perfected dimples. "Heads or tails or do you want to pick?"

At first, Negan had no idea what she was talking about until she looked at their current predicament. They were at a crossroads, one leading to an abandoned city/town with rusted train tracks and empty train cars; the other leading to an empty apartment block in the middle of the forest. Elle already wanted to go right towards the flats but she thought she'd let Negan choose. At least that way, she could blame him if anything bad happens.

"Which is the longest?" He asked, eyes lingering on her side profile. She was looking better now. Her gash was now closed and replaced with a bulge of shiny pink skin and her bruises from the Reapers (Carver) were gone. Her cheeks were rosy from the harsh cold and her skin paler than before, Snow White-esque, he thought.

"The flats," She admitted with a small frown. "But it's one building."

Negan watched as she eagerly and carefully looked over at the right path, scanning for any predators or humans of that matter. He was just watching her. "Do you wanna go right?"

She scoffed, "Your choice, Nelly-"

"Right it is."

Elle let out an exasperated groan but he didn't have a single care since she was smiling nonetheless. With a passing wink, he started to walk down the concrete road as Eleanor rushed over with a pout. Even though, the truth was that Elle wanted to go this way.

The further they walked, the more they got tired. It didn't help that they did a race at the start of the day; sprinting from their old camp in a crook of the forest to the crossroads. Both were equally tired but they couldn't stop. Autumn was passing, winter was coming — it was getting colder and they had no shelter.

"Should've stayed until winter passed." Elle groaned, her body tucked under his arm like a shield from the harsh colds. "I swear to fuck — it better not snow."

Negan let out a snort, or a groan, it was something. "It always snows, Doll."

She just whined and tucked herself closer into his side.

It was weird seeing this shell of a woman always on her guard and prepared, dim down to this carefree girl who relishes in comfort in the middle of a road. Negan saw the difference; a good difference, he didn't care. If it meant she was touching him 24/7? Then he's a happy man.