New or Old Love?

Negotiations

“Oh thank fuck you’re dressed this time” Negan sighed, wiping a hand down his face and licking his lips; you watched curiously as he strode around Alexandria. It had been a week since you broke his nose, and you noticed the small white bandage that sat across the bridge of his nose.
“I want to negotiate a peace” you held yourself strong, despite the overwhelming urge to do things that only Prince would sing about. Negan looked at you curiously before slowly nodding and raising his eyebrows at you - indicating that he wanted you to speak.
“So, you leave me the fuck alone, you leave Alexandria the fuck alone - and in return I won’t break the dick on your head” you shrugged, Negan laughed and shook his head before sitting down on the steps of one of the empty houses.
“Fiery today, huh, y/n? Well, let me tell you this, princess. You know better than I do that that ain’t never gonna happen, I can’t just fuck off and leave you alone when I’m so madly in love with you - the fucking Hank Williams way, not the fucking George Michael way. Look, I get it, you’re with Rick Grimes now - not that I can see why, but whatever floats your boat - you want me out of the picture like a shitty ex-husband. Fine. But this community? It fucking belongs to the Saviours, it belongs to me. Y/n, princess, you gotta understand that you have no power - not even when you’re fucking Rick Grimes. Besides, why would I give up my only hope of seeing you once a week? I won't fuck off, y/n, not when there's still a chance to win you-”
“I am not a fucking prize to be won, Negan!” you didn’t care that you interrupted him, you couldn’t stand the sound of him saying that he could “win” you back - like a carnival prize,  something of so little value that a child could hold possession of it by doing something as simple as pulling a rubber duck out of a small swimming pool.
“Woah there Miss ‘I’m Fucking Rick Grimes’, I never said you were a prize to be won - I simply fucking said that I just want to win you back. I’m sorry if I objectified you, y/n, but fuck me you just drive me bat shit crazy. Now I know you’re good friends with Dwight, John, Dean and Scotty, but you gotta understand that they are my men - they’re Saviours, not fucking Alexandrians or whatever the fuck you call yourselves here. Y/n, I fucking love you, honestly, truly, I do, but no matter how much I fucking love you, I will never be willing to sacrifice the Saviours’ work - their mother fucking lives - for shit.” his hazel eyes bore into you, and you could feel the rising tension - both sexual and otherwise - in your bones. Was Negan actually in love with you? Or was this just him trying to manipulate you?
“Fuck. You” was all you could bring yourself to say before you stormed away, careful not to let the tears fall, and went to find Rick.

"What happened?" Rick asked, seeing the dew in your eyes.
"Negan. He... He said that he loves me. Rick, I'm not sure what to say to that." you flung yourself into Rick's arms and sobbed. You didn't doubt your love for Rick, not by a long shot, but you still had a small inkling that maybe you did feel something for Negan - even now, after weeks of trying to move on, to forget him and what he did. You still wanted to be with him.
"Y-you don't love him still, do you?" Rick asked, anxiety flooding his voice and his beautiful cyan eyes. How were you to answer that? After all you and Rick had been through, even before the apocalypse, you couldn't just throw it away and run back to Negan - the very man who had cheated on you - could you?
"No" you shook your head, unsure of what you felt. Was it love? Or was it the idea of love?
"I love you, y/n" Rick whispered, putting one hand at the back of your head to pull you in for another embrace, you gripped onto his shirt right between his shoulder blades and sighed heavily as his other hand snaked onto your back to rub it gently and reassuringly.
"I love you too, Rick" you mumbled into his shoulder, you closed your eyes and inhaled Rick's scent: grass after rain, the very scent you had loved for so long.

"Got your shit together, or are you gonna run off again?" Negan growled, still sat on the step he had sat on, you joined him and sighed deeply.
"You got a cigarette on you?" you asked, Negan smirked and produced a almost fully in tact cigarette from his pocket, you put it in your mouth and waited for him to light it before relaxing slightly and staring out at the scene before you: Michonne practicing with her katanas and Carl practicing various weapons - probably to get his skill level up to the point where he was as good, if not better, than anyone with two eyes.
'How often do you smoke, y/n?" Negan asked, trying to steer the conversation into a different direction from where he knew it was headed. You took a drag.
"Only at night. When Rick's asleep, I sneak out and have one or two at about three in the morning. But we ain't here to talk about my habits, Negan, we're here to sort this mess you made out" you growled; in all fairness, it was Negan's fault everything had started, as he was the one who cheated.
"I get it, y/n. I fucked up, I royally fucked up. Just... Tell me what I can do to win you over" he pleaded, you took another drag and shook your head before letting out a sigh that was so long you almost felt your lungs shrink inside of you.
"You can't. But we gotta be civil, for Dwight, Dean, John and Scott. They can't stand the constant fighting, and if I'm honest, neither can I" you admitted, Negan looked at you sadly before nodding. You stubbed out the cigarette.
"Well, fuck, y/n. What do we do?" he asked, hooded oak eyes flicking over to you for a brief moment before they landed on John, who was striding towards you.
"Father-ed one! What are you doing here?" you grinned, pulling the cockney doctor into an embrace and sitting down with him between you and Negan.
"I'm the third party, love. Gotta make sure whatever you two agree on benefits all of us involved" John smiled kindly, you nodded and gave him the run-down of what you and Negan had already discussed.
"So, what do we do?" you asked, trying not to shudder as you quoted Negan, who was listening intently.
"Well... For one, you two can stop screamin' at each other ev'ry five minutes, that'd work. Maybe... Nah" John shook his head and ran a hand through his incredibly dark hair.
"Tell us" you urged, eager to try anything that would help create a peace.
"Alright, so when me and my brother weren't gettin' along, our ma used to tie us together with a bit o' rope-"
"We sure as shit ain't doing that" Negan protested, but was quieted by you slapping his arm.
"Alright. Fair enough, what do you 'ave in mind?" John asked, Negan looked away before turning back to you and John.
"What if every time I visit Alexandria, y/n has to stay inside?" he proposed, you scoffed.
"Fucking bullshit! How does that benefit me? And what if I'm teaching Carl something outside, huh?" you challenged, Negan sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Draft a contract. A treaty, if you must. Me, Dean, Dwight, Scott, Rick, Jesus, and you two'll come up with rules, and we'll all sign it. 'Ow does that sound?" John raised his eyebrows and you and Negan both slowly nodded.
"Great. I'll run it by ev'ryone and then you two can sign it.