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into-crazy · 1 month

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don't wanna miss a thing

》 chapter 1

Negan Smith x Female Reader

Non-apocalyptic AU // The Walking Dead AU

Other Characters: Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes, and Carl Grimes

Summary: You move back to your hometown after being away for a few years, and reunited with your long time neighbors/friends.

Warnings- mature language, alcohol consumption, age gap(reader's in her early 20s), slow burn, ages 18+

Other chapters & info -> RIGHT HERE

💕divider by @saradika-graphics

It felt great to be back home. After hours of driving, you finally come up to your destination. The sight of your house gives you a sense of familiar comfort. You've been away for too long, longer than you probably should have. Truth be told you had certainly missed your hometown.

Your aunt Rena greets you as your car pulls into the driveway. Waving at you with a huge smile on her face.

It's been a while since you've last seen her, a little over a year. Though you've kept in close contact through phone calls and text messages. She is pretty much the only close family member you have left in your life.

Your parents had passed away from an accident three years ago. You'd already been living out on your own by then. Aunt Rena was living with them at the time, she was the one to call you and deliver the tragic news. It shattered your heart. You remember dropping to your knees and sobbing for hours. You loved and cared for your parents so much. It took a lot to bring you back together, and your aunt was there to help you through it all. You were an only child so your parents had left you everything. The house, you felt it was best to share with your aunt. After all, she's like a second mother to you. Plus there was no use in going through the trouble of selling the property and having the two of you deal with that mess. So instead you'd both agreed that the house would remain in your name, and Rena would continue to live there.

"There she is- my favorite girl!" Aunt Rena exclaims as you get out of your car.

"Hi aunt Rena." You greet her back wholeheartedly before going in for a hug.

She throws her arms around you and squeezes tight. "Ah, I missed you so so much!"

"I missed you too."

"How about we go inside, get you something cold to drink. Then we can come and get the rest of your things after." She suggests, taking the bag from your shoulder.

"That sounds great." You sigh with relief before following her inside. It was a long drive and you could definitely use a break.

You sit and take the time to tell her about your drive. After that, you get to work on getting settled in. Your aunt helps out with carrying your bags inside. Which wasn't too many, yet she insisted on offering a hand. She takes the two you give her and takes them into the house. You sling the last bag over your shoulder, then close and lock up your car. At that moment, you see a couple figures out of the corner of your eye.

"Y/n, is that really you?"

Looking at them, you recognize it to be your neighbors. It's Lori Grimes and her son Carl. They live right next door along with Rick Grimes- Lori's husband. They were good friends with your parents. You used to babysit Carl for them when he was a toddler. He's a little older now, by a few years. From the looks of it the two of them had just gotten home.

"Mrs. Grimes, hi! Gosh it's- it's been so long. How are you guys?" You wave and go over to give her a quick hug.

"Honey for the hundredth time, call me Lori. And you know us, always busy." She replies. "Hey, you remember our son Carl."

"Are you kidding, of course I do!" You look down at Carl. "Hey little man."

She pats Carl's hair, "sweetie, do you remember y/n?"

Carl looks up at you and smiles once he recognizes you. "Yes, hi y/n!"

He runs up and gives you the biggest hug, it's clear that he is excited to see you again. You're not all too surprised that he still recognizes you. You doubt he'd forget his favorite babysitter.

"You're back! Are you here to stay?" He looks up at you without letting you go. "Please say that you're staying."

His mother feels the need to save you from Carl's embrace, even though you don't mind it at all. "Come on sweetie, let her go. Don't you see her hands are full?"

You laugh at her playful teasing. "Ah it's okay. And don't worry, I'll be staying for a while so we'll have lots of time to catch up. What do you say, that sound good?"

Carl nods his head gleefully in response.

"Oh, well actually this weekend we're-" Lori's sentence is interrupted by the sound of a car horn.

The sound belonging to a sheriff's car pulling up to the curb. Looks like it's Rick, who's also just getting home from work. "Is that who I think it is?" He asks while exiting the vehicle.

"Dad!" Carl exclaims before running over to him. He grabs his father's arm and excitedly guides him over. "Come on, look who's here."

"I know, I see her." Rick acknowledges with a smile. "Y/n. When did you get back?"

"Just today." You reply. "My aunt and I are finishing up bringing in the rest of my bags. I'll be staying for a while."

Rick nods. "That's great. Well we're just glad you're back. I'm sure Rena's very happy. You know she was always talkin' about how much she missed you."

You shake your head, "sounds like her."

"Hey," he continues, "we had already told your aunt but we're having a party for Carl this Saturday. A barbecue. You're more than welcome to come on over."

Lori elaborates, "yeah I was going to mention before- he's going to be turning ten and we're throwing a small party for him."

"You're going to come, right?" Carl asks you. "You've got to, it's going to be the best."

"You bet I'll be there." You assure them.

"Okay then," Lori speaks, "we'll let you get back to settling in. See you this weekend. Oh- and don't forget your swimsuit."

It didn't take you long to unpack. By the time the sun was starting to set, you had already gotten fully situated.

You're wrapped in a silky robe as you enter your bedroom. Fresh from a nice shower. After tossing your dirty garments in the hamper, you go over to the window and look out.

There it is, the house directly across the street from yours. Negan Smith's house.

All the memories of sitting beside this windowsill and waiting to see him flood back in. Parked in the driveway, you see that he still has his '67 Camaro. Red, with the black racing stripes. Of course he still has it. He's always had a thing for classic cars and the color red. How your heart use to flutter when you heard his car coming down the road. You'd sprint to the window like an excited child so you could catch a glimpse of him.

Negan had moved into the neighborhood around the time you turned eighteen. He easily became friends with your dad and Rick, as his charm and strong confidence made it hard not to like him. The first time you met Negan, your dad had casually introduced the two of you. He was definitely older, mid to late thirties. With his jet black hair slicked all the way back and a clean shaven face. He wore a black leather jacket with dark jeans. His whole look definitely gave off greaser vibes and somehow it worked for him. At least you thought he looked good. Handsome, even. It surprised you when you'd found out that he wasn't married or in a relationship. Although you thought that Negan was an attractive guy, there was nothing more to it. He was your dad's friend. That's how you saw him and that was it.

Until later on.. that changed.

Flashback:

You were nineteen and it was the middle of crisp September. It was an eventful night, your dad was hosting one of his football viewing gatherings.

You'd just come down the stairs to join everyone, and Negan was there. Relaxed on the couch, with one arm draped across the top and a beer in his hand. His leather jacket was placed beside him, which you figured he must have taken it off at some point. That was the first you'd ever seen him without the jacket on. He wore a white fitted tshirt underneath that hugged his toned torso. On his arms, there were a few tattoos. When he looked over and waved at you, you realized you'd been staring too long. You politely waved back then turned away to greet everyone else. The Grimes were also there. Lori and your mom sat in the kitchen, sipping wine and having their own conversation. Meanwhile the guys all sat in the living room, drinking beers and watching the game. You stood in the middle, unsure of which group to join.

"Want to sit down?"

You blinked a few times, having realized it was Negan that asked you. "Huh?"

"You want to sit down?" He repeated, motioning to the spot next to him.

Looking around, you had realized that there wasn't anywhere else to sit. Though the space beside him looked like a tight squeeze. "Um, no it's okay. I'll go get a chair." You replied with a slight shyness in your voice.

Negan slid over, making more room beside him. "Why do all that when there's enough room over here?" He pat the spot. "Come, sit down."

Your cheeks warmed at the thought of sitting close to him. Admittedly, you felt a bit shy around him. But only because you didn't know him that well yet, as your previous interactions have been rather brief. Such as greetings and some small talk every now and then. Still you thought it might have been rude if you didn't accept his invitation, so you went right over.

"Thanks, Mr. Smith." You expressed your gratitude as you sat down beside him. Instantly you were met with his scent- a mixture of aftershave, cedarwood, and something else that you assumed was his natural musk. It was pleasant, you liked it.

He nodded at you. "Sure thing. And just call me Negan, alright sweetheart. Mr. Smith makes me feel old as shit. Bad enough that I gotta hear it every day at the school."

You laughed as he took a sip of his beer, "okay, sure." Seeing how he was a middle school gym teacher at the local school, you figured it was a way to separate his work life from his personal life. Also, something about the way he called you sweetheart made your chest swell with delight.

As the night went on, you unwittingly paid attention to Negan. You noticed that he wasn't quite as passionate about the football game as the other guys were. Though he showed interest and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. He loved to talk, a lot. He'd crack jokes and talk back and forth with everyone so easily, like it came naturally to him. You admired that about him. Even if about every sentence he spoke contained at least one curse word. His smile was really something, the mere sight of it was enough to make you melt. You'd get butterflies when he let out one of his deep, gravelly laughs. It was a sound you wish you could capture and play on repeat over and over. Somehow he was becoming more attractive the more you would notice about him. Plus you really liked being this close sitting next to him. Something about it felt right. Very inviting.

Okay.. maybe you were developing a teeny, tiny crush on Negan. So what? There's no harm in that. It's not like you were going to act on it or tell anyone. It would just be your own little secret.

Well it turns out that you've been holding on to that secret for a long time. Because ever since then, you've been hooked on him. Your attraction to Negan had grown stronger over the years and it hasn't dissipated. Even when you had moved away, it always lingered and you'd think about him from time to time. You've also never told anyone about your feelings for him, which was probably for the best. It was difficult, and you've really wanted to blurt it out on a few occasions. But you didn't. You couldn't. Because once it's out there, there's no taking it back.

You sigh wistfully before moving away from the window to get ready for bed.

After turning off all the lights and shutting your bedroom door, you finally plop down on to the bed. The countless times you've spent lying awake at night thinking about Negan. Imagining what it would be like to be wrapped in his arms. Wondering what his kisses tasted like. Wishing you could be with him.

Oh well. Maybe you'll get to be with him again in your dreams, tonight.

The next morning, you mentioned the barbecue to your aunt Rena. It's three days away. She informed you that she was invited as well, however she wasn't going to make it. She's scheduled to go into work early that evening and wasn't able to request it off in time. You felt bad about attending without her. Though she strongly suggested that you should still go even without her. After all, the Grimes are long time friends of yours too.

With that in mind, you still needed to get a birthday gift for the Carl. However you hadn't seen the kid in a while so you had no idea what to get him. Your aunt had mentioned that Carl really enjoyed playing games on his handheld gaming device. When you asked what kind of device it was, she said that it flips open and has two screens. So you figured it must have been a Nintendo DS. They seem to be extremely popular handheld consoles, especially for young kids. After a few more questions from you and some suggestions from her, you'd finally decided on what to get him.

It's now a quarter to noon, and you've just come out of the video game store. Shopping bag in hand, you are pleased about your purchase. You're confident that Carl's going to love the games you got for him.

You're looking down at your phone while walking along the sidewalk towards your car, not paying much attention to your surroundings.

"Holy shit, well if it isn't y/n!"

Suddenly you are halted in your tracks. That voice.. you know it all too well. It's been so long since you've heard that heavenly voice if his. You look up, and there he is.

"Negan?" It takes you a moment to realize that this isn't your imagination playing tricks on you. It's really him. Walking closer to you with that irresistible grin on his face. Be still your heart- he's grown a beard. It's short, neatly trimmed, salt and pepper in color. He looks even better than you ever thought possible. "Oh my god, Negan- hi!" You greet him ecstatically, still unable to believe your eyes.

Negan chuckles heartily. "I thought that was you. Damn, I didn't know that you were back in town. Why wasn't I informed?"

"I had just got back yesterday."

"Oh alright. I guess I'll let it slide then." He jokes around with you. "How've you been, sweetheart? And how's that job in Chicago going?"

You melt inside from him calling you sweetheart again. How you've missed it. Missed him. "I've been okay. I actually quit the job and left Chicago. So I'm going to be staying for a while."

He looks surprised at the news. "Really? What happened?"

"Well um.." It takes you a moment to gather your answer. "I grew tired of living there. Couldn't get used to it and it was starting to become too much for me. And I missed home a lot. So I decided to quit the job and move back. I think it might be good for me to stay, pursue a career here."

He sighs after paying attention to what you had said. "I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you. But hey, at least you went and tried something different. Doesn't hurt to. Even though it didn't work out, at least you can say you tried. Right?"

"Yeah, of course." You incline your head in agreement.

"Good that you're back. I sure missed you and I know that everyone else has." He must be referring to your aunt and the Grimes. "It's been what- a year now?"

"Just over a year." You confirm. That's how long it's been since the last time you've visited.

It means a lot to hear from him that he missed you. Makes you wonder if he's thought about you while you were gone. Surely it wasn't even remotely close to how much you've thought about him. Nor would the thoughts have been similar in nature. However, the notion that he might have thought of you at all made butterflies swirl in your stomach.

After a few more lines of exchange, Negan swiftly checks the time on his phone. "I need to get going, but we should definitely catch up more sometime."

"Sounds good to me." You respond coolly, even though you're squealing internally.

"And listen, if you need anything don't hesitate to reach out. I'm still across the street. Oh shit- that reminds me- are you going over to Rick's this weekend for Carl's birthday?"

Once again you give him a nod. "Yeah I'll be going over. In fact, I have Carl's gift right here." You quickly open the bag to show him the video games inside.

"He'll like those. I got him one of those foam dart guns. Little wussy looking, but that's what the kid wanted. I suggested a BB gun but Rick said no to that." He shakes his head at the recall.

That's Rick. You thought to yourself.

"Well it looks like I'll be seeing you there then. I really have to get going now. Tell your aunt I said hey."

"I will." You wave him off as he walks in his own direction and you in yours. Clutching your chest to try and calm the rapid beating of your heart.

That encounter was completely unexpected. He caught you off guard. Thankfully you'd took the extra time to make yourself look presentable today.

Somehow Negan still manages to make you feel this way when you're around him. Even after being away for so long. A year might not seem like a long time. But the way you see it, a lot of things can change over the course of a year. One thing's for certain, your feelings for Negan haven't changed. He still makes your head spin and your heart race. Seeing him again only amplified that. Guess the question on your mind now is- what are you going to do about it?

#into-crazy #negan smith #twd negan #negan au #negan smith x reader #negam smith x y/n #negan imagine #the walking dead #fanfic #jeffery dean morgan #twd

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