Man with the Bat || a Negan novel

Chapter 16: Oh How the Tables Have Turned

"Against the grain kid," Negan instructs Carl, "Always against the grain."

He skillfully pulls the razor blade along his chin. Carl, Judith and I sat observing as he did so. 

"My dad taught me when I was just a kid," he lifts his chin, scraping off the last bits, "And since you're dad is hardly a man at all, might as well teach you so you know." He chuckled at his own joke, Carl glaring in return.

I was proud of Carl for not losing his cool, but Negan had no room to undermine Rick's manhood. Perhaps he was just trying to make himself look better, that was a common trick of his. He built himself up and tore down those around him. It was simply his view on life.

Negan finished his shaving, splashing the cool water droplets onto his face once more, then drying his face with a soft towel. I observed him as he observed himself in the mirror, bringing his hand up to admire his freshly shaved face.

"Damn, been too long since I've seen that guy" he chuckles, "I'm a completely different person when you take away the scruff."

And it was true, he did look different. Not too out of sorts, but different. I couldn't tell if I liked freshly shaven Negan better or scruffy Negan. 

"What do you think Mia?" he asks my opinion.

I tilt my head in observation, "I mean, you look good, but I really was quite fond of your beard" I wholeheartedly admit, himself smirking at my response. 

"Well, good thing it will grow back over time then" he teasingly eyes me in the mirror, "Now, how about we go make some food since ol' daddy-o still isn't back yet?" 

Negan grabs a hold of his jacket, hung on the door frame.

"Be a dear will you Mia and grab little Judith there" Negan instructs.

Even though I would've without Negan telling me, I grab a hold of Judith who is just quietly observing everything around her. I smile at her as I lift her up, balancing her on my hip. I followed behind Negan and Carl.

"Alright, we'll make some dinner and hopefully Rick will be back by the time it's finished" Negan pulls open some pantries, examining the contents within, "If he ain't, well at least we'll have some good old fashion quality bonding time."

Negan went on to make spaghetti, whistling away as he sauteed the tomato sauce and minced garlic. I sat with Judith, just watching from the side. Carl rolling the bread, Negan stirring the sauce, myself bouncing a baby on my leg. It felt like a moment from one of those everyday sitcoms, the family all cooking together in the kitchen. Except nothing about this scene before me was normal. 

"Damn that smells good!" Negan admires the smell of the sauce he slaved over, he lifted the wooden spoon to his mouth, testing the flavor. "Mmm!" he admires of his own creation, crossing over to me, "Want a taste?"

I obliged, actually surprised at how good it tasted. 

"That's actually really good" I praise, Negan smiling a pride driven smile.

"My grandma had a spaghetti sauce to die for, passed that on to my mom, who passed it on to me" Negan told me, returning the his sauce, "Been years since I made the damned stuff, but evidently I still got it."

He turns and smirks at me, his smile contagiously affecting me. It was so odd to see him without his typical scruff, but I'm sure I would get used to it over time. What was even odder was seeing him in an apron, looking like an actual father preparing a meal for his family.

I heard the low murmur of voices, my neck craning in the direction of the front porch. I could see through the window that Olivia and Tara were conversing, clearly about Negan. They both looked enraged and annoyed.