𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒚. (𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏)

{43} The Plan

"I don't want a little bitch bringing me my fucking food"

•••

"Dinner time, asshole."

A large clatter echoed around the stone walls as the tray slid across the tiles and into the cell. Negan grunted at the use of the nickname and lethargically stretched out his legs, enabling him to get up.

From where he stood, he couldn't quite see exactly who it was who'd bought him his dinner. It definitely wasn't Michonne, since she'd bought him breakfast and her voice wasn't as low and gruff as whoever this mystery guy was. "You know," he started, settling back on his bed with the tray in his lap, "you are the first person that I've seen since in fucking days who isn't that lovely woman with the fucking sword, yet I don't even get a hello?" Negan felt the corners of his mouth quirk upwards as he slurped his water, "how fucking rude are you people?"

A simple chuckle slipped through the guard's lips. He shook his head and stalked in to the light so that the shadows could creep away and reveal his face. Normally, it would be Negan standing over someone else with the malevolent beam in his eye and the terrifying hint of a smirk, but this time that wasn't the case. He stopped chewing his food and gawked speechlessly at the boy who he'd once been in charge of back at the sanctuary.

"Holy shit," he muttered. His throat burned that time he spoke, still healing from the incident that landed him in this very prison cell in the first place. "Hunter fuckin' Grays?"

There was no sign of Negan's usual humorous self within his expression. After finding out about Brooklyn, he'd tried to forget all about her, block out all of the memories they had together. It wasn't because he wanted to, it was because whenever he thought about her, it bought him pain. Pain so immense that he'd end up punching his cell wall and attacking it like some sort of rabid animal freaking out inside it's cage. Essentially, he was just an animal to the Alexandrians, only he didn't want to look weak in front of them. So, despite it getting him in deeper trouble, Negan would stir things when Michonne came in, wind her up for fun. It was just another way for him to cope, a mask for him to hide his true feelings.

All Hunter did was smile and lick his lips. He was enjoying this far too much, and by the look on Negan's face, he was infuriated by that fact. "Why the fuck are you in Alexandria?" He questioned, a low growl coating his tone, only to reveal a pique of his anger.

"Why should it matter to you?" Hunter retorted, almost laughing at Negan's reaction to his rude comment. In any other scenario, if the man could, he'd punish him or at least scare him enough to shit his pants for speaking to him like that. But then again, it wasn't his place anymore, he was no longer in a position to demand authority.

Instead of barking back a furious response that the boy expected, Negan simply emitted an ominous chortle, "it matters because I don't want a little bitch bringing me my fucking food," he giggled and sloppily stood up. "See, if I ever decided that I wanted an attempt at an escape, it wouldn't even be a challenge stopping you. It'd be too fucking easy."

His knuckles grasped on to the metal bars, whitening as his grip tightened. Hunter, startled, took one step back, which only caused Negan to shrink him down more. "Then again, I guess killing you would be a fancy fucking thrill. I have always wanted to kill you, but I knew Brooklyn'd be pissed off at me if I did." He was getting carried away now, without even realising it, "she'd probably chop my dick off- her words exactly. Hell, she'll get pissed off with me just for speaking to you like this, even though your pathetic ass deserves it."

It gave him a second to finally realise that he was speaking in present tense, as if Brooklyn was still alive. Negan expressed a subtle laugh and shuffled away from the bars, only to slide down the wall and on to the floor. He grasped the tray sat beside him and stared longingly at the contents before launching it wildly at the metal bars. The man was fed up with feeling so weak. It just wasn't him.