ELEANOR . NEGAN

094.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey—"

Negan couldn't even finish his sentence because in one quick millisecond, Elle managed to grab a plastic bottle and threw it at him. It wasn't successful though since he started to laugh and dropped it back on the ground.

"Did you seriously catch it?" She mumbled into her makeshift pillow. "I hate you."

"You love me." He quipped back before standing up with a groan. He wiped the dry mud specks into his trousers and ran a careful hand through his tousled hair. "I need a goddamn haircut."

"Let's hope these flats got hedge shears for you, then."

Negan let out a laugh because, shit — it was funny. But then he grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder before leaning down to Elle to be eye-level with her. "Come on, Sunshine. Get your sorry ass up."

"Nuh uh."

He narrowed his eyes, tauntingly almost. "You can't nuh uh me-"

"Nuh. Uh." She then pulled her sleeping bag closer to her body and let sleep take over her, or try to at least. Negan's stare was like a hawk on a piece of meat. "Do you always look at me like that?"

"Like what, doll?"

"Like you're gonna eat me-"

He let out a snort, "That's not the look."

"So what is the look?"

"Hm, that I'm about five seconds away from swinging you over my Goddamn shoulder."

"Okay, that makes sense."

With one more grumble, she got out from the warmth of her sleeping bag and rolled it up to put it her camo bag. Negan was now believing she was going to get up, so he pulled out his crowbar and started to head back to the concrete road and ward off any walkers who might be in their way.

"Does it not freak you out we haven't seen any walkers?" Elle asked absentmindedly. "Like none at all." Aw, shit. Negan's hold on that crowbar got tighter and suddenly, Elle wasn't in the jokey mood anymore. "What, Nelly?"

"Maybe they've been beaten to Holy Hell." Elle screwed her face up on a border of laughing and seriousness. "Someone could be watching us."

"No one's watching us."

Yeah, remember those words.

"Okay... then there's a massive horde of walkers somewhere." He scratched his beard while they kept walking along the road. "Whatever the damn outcome is... it ain't gonna be all sunshine and lollipops-"

"You're such an old man."

"Well, you're a Goddamn brat."

She pushed him, he nudged her back, then they continued to walk down the concrete road like nothing happened. Maybe leaving Alexandria was a good thing... they weren't completely on edge anymore. No villains, no skin freaks and especially no Reapers.

And now it was just them, maybe there was less worry. Eleanor would never let Negan die and she knew for a fact that Negan would do the same. Only because he finds me awesome... right?

"Negan?" The man instantly turned to look at her - yep, he does. "You got my back, right?"

There was a silence and it was fucking scary. Undecided words in the air, Negan flickering his stare from her green irises to his jumper she was still wearing. "I'd do anything for you, Eleanor." Then he looked back at her. "So, yeah, doll... I got your back."

Eleanor. He called her Eleanor.

"Negan?" He looked down at her with raised brows but an ultimate straight face and she was staring at him, just staring. Like he was some sort of art piece she longed to find. See, Eleanor had so much to say... but she couldn't put it into words. Negan was more than words; he was so much more. "I- I..."