Nothing Left to Burn [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 16 - Detox

When Aven woke to sunlight coming through the window of the tiny office above the garage, something was off. She felt both heavy and too light at once, she was sweating, and her chest felt tight with dread. It wasn't uncommon for her to feel scared coming out of a nightmare, but she didn't have any dreams that she could remember. She started to open her eyes but the light irritated them too much and she groaned, pulling her warm woolen blanket over her head. After a moment avoiding the sun, she realized Negan wasn't there to make a smartass comment.

"Negan?" she tried to say, her throat tight and dry from sleep and a little sore from smoking. She coughed and then called out for him weakly but got no response. She listened for a moment to see if there was movement downstairs but it was eerily quiet and before she could think more clearly, the tightness in her chest grew and she jumped to the worst conclusions. She threw the blanket off and got to her feet, falling forward to lean against the desk as the floor spun beneath her feet.

"Fuck," she breathed, slapping a hand over her face to try to still her sudden dizziness. After steadying herself, she hastily pulled her boots on and rushed out the door and down the stairs to find Negan. She called out for him again and spun around to face their car when she heard the door open, and she let out a breath of relief when she saw Negan sitting in the back. He fumbled around for a moment before opening the door fully and sliding out of the car to face her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticeably flustered and on-edge.

"Oh...nothing," she mumbled, embarrassed at her over-reaction. "I just..." She trailed off and furrowed her brow as she took a moment to observe him, her eyes trailing down his body to his undone belt and the obvious bulge in his pants. He looked flushed and caught off-guard and Aven forgot why she'd even come down in the first place. "Were you masturbating?" she blurted out. A brief look flashed across Negan's face like he was considering feeling ashamed, but instead he just shrugged.

"I was," he said simply, a grin creeping onto his face as she continued to stare at him blankly.

"In the car? Seriously?"

"Hey, you would've ripped me a new one if you woke up to my dick in your face. I left the room as a courtesy. You're welcome."

"Yeah, thanks," she scoffed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I was almost finished. Unless you wanna come over here and take care of this." He held his arms out, pointing down to his crotch. He could tell Aven was purposely keeping her eyes glued to his to avoid looking down.

"Nope, have fun." With that she turned and went back upstairs, hearing the car door close again as Negan got back inside. She dragged herself back to the office feeling sluggish and completely unrested. She had a dull headache that was growing by the minute, and her hands were shaking like she needed to eat but the thought of trying to chew dry almonds right now made her stomach churn. Once in the office, she threw herself down onto the cot, which made her dizziness momentarily worse, and wrapped herself back up in the blanket. A few minutes later, Negan came up and sat on the floor with his back against the cot and his legs stretched out in front of him, sighing deeply.

"Did you finish?" Aven grunted, her face half-hidden in her pillow.

"Nope," he replied flatly. "Turns out the love of your life showing serious disinterest in your cock is a massive boner killer."

"Sorry," she said unapologetically.

"Don't worry, I'll finish up later. Maybe you'll be interested by then."

"I won't be."

"I love you too," he grumbled, and she only grunted in response. "What's up with you today? Are you really pissed at me for jacking off?"