BLOODLINES [twd]

{6}

"Tell me, son," Negan said, now talking straight to Lucas. "Ain't she a beaut?"

Lucas could feel Rick tense beside him. He took the cue to stay silent.

"This is Lucille. And she is.. awesome. Not as beautiful as the original.. and not even close to the successor.. But, she's just fucking great in her own special way," Negan continued.

Lucas tilted his head a little. He didn't want to seem weak. He didn't want to seem like some pushover.

Negan chuckled and brought the bat back up to his shoulder. "All this.. All this just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor."

He walked back up and down the line. He looked each and every person in the eyes. He even took a moment to talk one-on-one with Carl, though it didn't last long because Carl stayed silent.

Negan eventually trailed back to where Lucas was. Lucas kept his jaw tight and eyes firm as Negan stared down at him. He waited for the older man to push him more. Test him. He could take it.

Negan's eyes trail down Lucas' chest, arms, and the interlinking of limbs between he and Maggie.

"Jesus.. You look shitty," Negan told Maggie.

Maggie poked her tongue in her cheek and avoided his eyes. She was trying to stay strong. Unbothered. But, Lucas could tell the pain was getting worse.

Negan locked eyes with Lucas. He needed information out of the group. And judging by how Lucas was carrying Maggie and refused to let her go now, clearly there was a bond between them.

"I should just put you outta your misery right now-"

For a split second, Negan was caught off guard. Rather than getting just Lucas' reaction, he got one out of another man further down the line- Glenn.

Glenn jumped from his spot at the very end of the line, though he was tackled by Dwight. Lucas jumped to his feet and stood eye-to-eye with Negan, putting Maggie between them.

"Stop it!" Maggie cried as Dwight punched Glenn.

Negan poked the tip of Lucille to Lucas' stomach, his free hand holding Saviors off from grabbing the younger man.

"You gonna make a move, son?" Negan asked as Dwight pointed a crossbow in Glenn's face.

"Lu!" Maggie begged, tugging at Lucas' pant leg.

"Get him back in line," Negan said, waving Glenn off.

Glenn cried and begged the whole way back. Once he was in place again, he screamed in frustration.

"Don't.. Please, don't," Glenn begged Negan- both for his wife and brother.

Lucas didn't waver in strength. He kept his shoulders back and eyes hard. Maggie was still behind him. Glenn was left alone.

Rick whispered Lucas' name as well. Lucas never looked away from Negan's eyes. Though the man was older than him, Lucas was roughly the same height, maybe even taller if Negan didn't have on such bulky boots.

Negan smiled more. He liked this guy. He was still a kid in Negan's eyes- probably the same age or so as Bailey. He could almost see a hint of Bailey in this boy. The defiance. The anger. That same look that his own daughter held to him.. hatred.

"Lucas," Glenn choked out.

Slowly, Lucas backed away from Negan. He watched the younger man as he listened to Glenn. Clearly, they were family.

A piece of Negan felt.. jealous? How come someone else could still talk someone like that down from rage?

He didn't have that control over Bailey. Yet, Glenn had that over Lucas? What was so different? How come Glenn was listened to while Negan got ignored?

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

it's the fact that bailey and lucas are already hella intertwined and mentioned together despite they never met for me
it's the soulmate agenda for me