𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒚. (𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏)

{59} Weakness

"Maybe, part of me needs to be weak to make me stronger"

•••

Trying to work alongside Negan when he was stressed was merely impossible to deal with. Hunter and Austin knew that first hand. Everything had to be done his way when he wanted it, and the brothers were beginning to feel pretty irritated by it already.

"We should just go there," Negan argued, pacing up and down outside the small bungalow that he and Brooklyn had stayed in these past months, "just burst in to their camp guns a-fuckin-blazing! They won't know what's hit 'em!"

Hunter sighed. They'd been through this twice already. "No! There's only three of us you dumb asshole!" He fumbled with his fingers as a distraction from Negan's hardened glare, "we have no idea how many of these people there are! Shit, we haven't even scouted the area yet! There could be hundreds of them!"

In defeat, the former saviour leader huffed and threw his hands tiresomely in to the air, "well what do you fucking suggest then? It's been a few days since they took her already!" He sat down on the porch steps with his head buried in his hands. Knowing that Brooklyn was out there somewhere, most likely in danger, was causing him to forget things and think unclearly. It was the thought of something bad happening to her that made him feel like it. And if he was honest, it wasn't a nice feeling.

Austin could see how much the older man was hurting, it was plain obvious just by the broken expressions that were often on his face. He gestured for Negan to scoot over so he could sit down beside him, "guys, we need to stop arguing." The youngest glanced between the two men, frowning and narrowing his eyes like a parent would do when they were telling off two bickering siblings, "we won't find Brooke if we're constantly fighting! We need to work together!"

Both Negan and Hunter dramatically groaned. They hated each other, it was a well known fact that they'd grown to accept. Plus, now that Hunter was no longer a saviour, he had no reason to be afraid of the man that he used to work for.

"You're right kid," he patted Austin's shoulder, "It's just, you're brother's an asshole. He is an asshole who can't seem to understand that I am the guy calling the fucking shots!" By this point, Negan had jumped right up, marching over to the older Grays brother with his fists bawled and his teeth clenched, "we do whatever the fuck I say!"

A belittling laugh was heard from Hunter's lips. Unafraid, he took one step closer to Negan and arched one brow in mockery, "you really think I'm scared of you?" Their chests were barely apart, both of them so fed up of getting taunted by the other that all they wanted to do was beat the shit out of each other. "You're not the leader of the sanctuary anymore! You don't scare anyone like you used to. All people see now is the guy who lost the war and turned soft. The guy who showed his true colours whilst he was locked up in that cell... the guy who is and always has been weak..."

Weak.

That one word. It was the one thing that Negan had always tried hard not to become. Okay yeah, ever since he'd met Brooklyn, he had become weaker and he didn't mind that because he loved her and would change anything for her. But he didn't think his terrifying ego had all been poured away down the drain just like that. Surely it couldn't be true.

Nostrils flared, Negan growled threateningly at the boy's statement. He didn't think that the word weak could damage his perception so much or that he'd really be as bothered about it now than he would have been before. Yet, he was wrong. It did bother him. "You got no idea what you're talking about." He tightened his jaw and took a deep breath. There was no need to start something now.