@wrathfulmercyā continued from here
Right... of course Rick hesitated. It was probably for the best anyway; too much had happened, years had passed and he'd been a fool to think that offering Rick some help would change anything, even if he only meant well with it. Wishful thinking that was... stupid.
You'd think he'd learned by now not to hope for good things to come his way.
Swallowing thickly Negan cast his gaze to the ground and breathed a barely audible sigh, resigning himself to the fact that this was just the way things were, and he had no one to blame for it but himself-
That one word was enough for Negan's head to snap back up, eyes widening in slight disbelief and for a moment he wasn't sure if he'd heard Rick correctly, or if it was just his brain playing tricks on him and making him hear what he wanted to hear. Rick sure as hell didn't look like he was agreeable to this, the frown on his face spoke volumes... but no... yes, he meant it.
Huffing in relief Negan felt a smile, a real smile, push the corners of his mouth up and he nodded, quickly turning around to open the storage compartment of his bike to remove the spare helmet he kept there.
āYes, sir.ā he grinned as he turned to face his approaching ex. Yes of course of course, no games whatsoever. āLoud and clear.ā The helmet was all but yanked out of his fingers and Negan watched as Rick put it on before climbing onto his bike, a strange feeling swirling around in the pit, one he wasn't quite sure he liked or not. He could understand Rick's standoffish attitude and his apparent mood swings, shifting from almost friendly to borderline hostile at the flip of a dime. It was okay, really, forgiveness wasn't easily earned... but against his better judgment, he hoped.
Wordlessly he handed Rick the bouquet to hold, trying not to think about how that would look to bystanders passing them by and reached for his own helmet, putting it on and clasping it in place before pulling the leather gloves over his hands.
āNo funny business, I promise.ā he assured, swinging his leg over the bike, careful to not kick Rick in the face in the process, and settled down in the seat in front of him. It was strange, despite the bike being a two-seater, he could count on one hand the number of times he'd actually had a passenger. It used to be more common, back in college he and Rick often went on rides on rented bikes and he'd always enjoyed the feeling of strong hands clamping around his waist, holding on for dear life. And sometimes... sometimes those hands would slip a little lower than they were supposed to.
Little chance of that happening now, but still... āBest hold on tight.ā he mused, glancing over his shoulder as he flipped the kickstand back with his foot. Didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy this nonetheless.
The ride to the bank was a short one, barely more than five minutes of weaving through mid afternoon traffic. Stopping in front of the imposing building, Negan was content to wait for Rick here on the curb, taking the bouquet back for the moment while the other finished his business inside the bank. It had been... nice, the feeling of another body pressed close to his back, even though there had been nothing sexual or intimate about it.
You deprived as fuck, man. Sad.
The next stop was Auntie Isabelle's house, a ten minute detour before he could take Rick back to the flower shop he apparently lived close to.
Negan slowed down as he turned right into the street and leaned forward slightly, peering at the houses up ahead. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if she still lived here, considering he hadn't seen or spoken to her in so long. Maybe she'd moved. That was a real possibility. Hell, she could be dead for all he knew, but just as the thought settled into his brain and worry gnawed at his stomach, he saw it. The various garden gnomes in all shapes and sizes that littered the front yard, colorful wind spinners along the fence while a few wind chimes near the pink front door gently swayed on the breeze, softly clinking against each other.
It hadn't changed one bit, it was exactly like how he remembered.
Bringing the bike to a halt in front of the gate Negan reached up to flip open his visor, pushed the kickstand in place and rose up from his seat to get off. āWon't be long, just gonna drop it off.ā he said as he took the bouquet back, and breathed in deeply.
Yeah, that was the plan. Walk up to the door, place the bouquet down on the doormat, ring the bell and get the fuck out and away before Auntie could answer the door because truth be told, despite it all he didn't actually want to talk to her. She'd ask questions, questions he wouldn't want to answer. She would ask him to stay.
Nope. He was just gonna do this and leave. Easy right?
Still it was impossible to ignore the sharp pang of nervosity he felt, his heart loudly beating away in his chest as he pushed open the gate as gently as he could to keep the old hinges from creaking too harshly and quickly made his way down the short cobblestone path and up the steps, reaching out to ring the doorbell with a hand that shook-
And nearly jumped out of his skin as the front door suddenly opened and a loud voice screeched āNeegy!!!ā
Frozen in place, his feet wouldn't move while his mind frantically screamed at him to run, watching as a pair of hands adorned with many rings reached for his face to tug him down. Auntie Isabelle was a good head and a half shorter than him, maybe even more, and with his brain still trying to catch up Negan didn't resist as he was pulled down and she planted one, two, three kisses on his cheeks, brightly smiling up at him. Were those tears he saw shining in her eyes. Shiiiiiiiiiit. This wasn't part of the plan!
āGood lord, I haven't seen you in so long! Where have you been? How are you?ā
Yeah, fuck that. Not answering that one. āUh... happy birthday. I was in the neighborhood.ā he muttered, shifting the bouquet in his hands to draw attention to it and gratefully rose up to his full length when she let go of his face to look at the flowers he'd gotten her.
āYou remembered! Oh these are beautiful, Neegy. Thank you. Won't you come in, I've been baking and cooking all day.ā
Nooooooooooo! āI can't, sorry.ā Pointing over his shoulder he forced an apologetic smile, secretly relieved that he had a legit excuse for refusing her offer, as much as it pained him to disappoint her. āI promised I would take him home.ā
Isabelle turned to follow Negan's gaze, a soft smile settling on her face when she spotted Rick still seated on the bike, and she nodded. āOf course.ā Honestly she wasn't surprised by his answer. The whole family knew about the difficult troubles Negan had struggled with ever since he'd come home from his time in the army, and how he had left and seemingly disappeared, breaking off all contact with everyone. This was the first time anyone had heard of Negan in years, and the fact he'd come to seek her out on her birthday just to give her a gift, even if he wasn't planning on staying, filled her with so much relief and warm happiness she couldn't make herself to push and ask him to stay anyway.
He looked good, thinner than she would've liked to see but otherwise healthy, even though he seemed more nervous than expected... she remembered how he always used to walk around with such a confident strut, ready to face the whole world... and now he looked like he wanted to sink into the ground and be invisible.
Mind made up she took the beautiful bouquet from her nephew and stepped back, āWait here, I'll be right back.ā and quickly disappeared into her house, leaving the door wide open.
Negan blinked, confused, and shot Rick an uncertain stare of his shoulder with a shrug. Isabelle returned mere moments later, holding a square tupperware container which she pushed into his gloved hands with a bright smile. āHere. I remember my red velvet cake was your favorite. Two pieces for you to share with your friend.ā
Fuck. Staring down at the container he held Negan felt his throat close up and exhaled with a shaky breath, eyes beginning to sting before he leaned down and wrapped his hands around his aunt. āThank you.ā
She patted his back, biting back her own tears and didn't fight him when he pulled back after only a few seconds. āYou be well, Negan. You're always welcome here. Thank you for the flowers. And... try to give your mother a call if you can, okay? She worries and misses you.ā
Negan managed a small nod and turned around, clutching the tupperware box close to his chest as he walked down the path and closed the gate behind her. His mind still reeled, still not sure if this had been a mistake or not, and wordlessly handed the box over to Rick.
Slipping back onto his bike and flipping the visor down he glanced to the side, seeing his aunt still standing in the doorway, watching and waving at them with a small sad smile. Kickstand pushed back the engine roared to life beneath them both and Negan turned them away from the curb and sped away, back towards the store.
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