It Has Always Been You || Regan • TWD

Chapter 1

Rick let the TV in the background drift him off. The 24 year old man didn't have anything better to do as 8 year old Carl lay asleep on the leather couch.

He and Lori got divorced and Carl only gets to spend weekends with him. Carl also loves Shane more. He always talked about Shane.

Carl coughed in his sleep and scratched his stomach. "Carl." Rick started. But he didn't finish. He wanted someone to talk to. But he couldn't say shit because he was too scared.

Carl woke up though and turned around and laid his head onto Ricks lap. "What, Dad?" He asked innocently.

Carl sat up when he saw his dads eyes fill with tears. "What happened, daddy?" He asked.

Rick just hugged him. "Dad?"

"Carl... I'm so sorry. I ruin everything." Rick started. Rick was 16 when Carl was born. Because him and Lori fucked up. Because of him. First of all Rick didn't even love Lori but they got married for Carl. And then Lori got with Shane and is happy.

Carl pushes off. He doesn't say anything. He just looks at his dad with a sadness. He was 8 but he still understood.

He thinks the reason Lori left Rick is because of him.

So he just cuddles up to his dad and watches the TV despite his bedtime being hours ago. Rick enjoyed the company of his son.

THE NEXT DAY
Negan's POV

I flip my hair from my face. It's usually gelled back and looks badass but I don't really care. I'm to busy trying to get to work on time. And deal with some edgy teenagers who hate him because of PE.

"Negan. Before the next class starts we should eat breakfast together." His coworker says. I like to call him Fat Joseph.

"Too busy, damn kids don't make this shit easy to read." I say. The boy across from me is new here. But that doesn't mean I have to be nice just because he's new. Nothing changes, I'm an asshole.

"Oh. Okay."

Finally a sheriff comes in with an aroma of 'don't look at me, I'll kill you.' I bite my cheek. Because hot damn.

He reads his name: R. Grimes. I stare at how good that guy looks in that uniform, and then those fierce eyes meet mine. It was like looking at dark blue flames.

"What." He says. And his voice. All deep and the littlest hint of a British accent and a southern drawl and it is really hot in here all of a sudden.

"N-nothing." I say. I'm sweating to death all of a sudden. This guy has to be like 21. Too young for me.

He shakes his head with a small smile. "You think I'm little?" He asks with an amused smile.

"No, I mean you're like 21 right?" I guess. He raises a brown eyebrow.

"Nope. 24 actually." He says. I look at his hands that are on the desk. He has nice hands. He looks down at me Innocently. He looks so young. Much younger than what he actually is.

"How old are you? 30?" He asked me. I laugh.

"28. Officer Meany Head." I say. He giggles. Fucking giggles. When have you seen a sheriff giggle? Like he covered his mouth and giggled.

He smiles at me with his pearly white teeth. His smile is gorgeous. When my students come in Officer Grimes stands up.

"Stupid assembly. I like PE." He hears a kid say.

Grimes stands tall and proud as he rants on about drugs and alcohol and how the consequences won't be just jail and things on your state record but how it effects your body.

We spend the whole day together. We also go get lunch out which is just Sonic. But whatever, I fucking love the fact that he got whipped cream on his nose. And a little chocolate fudge.

"What's your first name?"

"Rick." He smiles. "Yours is Negan right?" He asks like a little puppy dog. I nod.

"You got something on your nose." I laugh. He wipes it off and takes a bite of a mozzarella stick.

"You don't eat it with the marinara?" I ask. He smiles.

"I hate tomatoes." He says. I smile.

"So, you got a girlfriend?" I ask.

Ricks smile disappears. "No." He takes a sip of his drink.

"I had one. We didn't love each other. We actually hated each other. We accidentally had a kid so we got married for him. So he didn't have to go between us. But we were 16 when he was born." Rick says with a shiver.

I could tell he regretted telling me. But I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I think it's nice for you to care that much for your son. Whether it was an accident or not." I say.

He smiles. We spend the rest of the day at school with the rest of the classes.

Finally when I follow him out to his police car I shake his hand. I leave my phone number in his hand and watch as his head goes to the side like a dog. I wink and watch his face go red before leaving.

I hope he'll call.

SATURDAY

"Dad!" Carl hugs him and kisses his cheek.

"Hey bud. How are you?" Rick asks him. He smiles really big.

"Me and Shane went hunting and I shot a deer in the eyeball!" Shane confirmed that with a nod.

Shane and him were best friends. Why did Lori have to do this to them. Hell, Shane taught him how to make out. Shane and him messed around once. Rick lost his virginity to him because Shane wanted to lose his. But he didn't have a girlfriend.

They were still friends after that too. They never became more than that.

Rick nods hello at him and is surprised Shane came up and gave him a side hug. "Chill dude. We are here to have fun."

He watches Carl grab a flower. 2 wild daisies. He puts one in Lori's hair and then runs over to Rick. He puts it behind his ear.

"Now you look like mommy!" He jumps into Shane's arms and he lifts the boy in the air.

"Come on! Flap your wings!"

Lori stands next to him. "You good?"

Rick nods. Him and Negan went out for dinner last night and kissed him. Negan was really sweet. Besides the asshole part.

"You look as pretty as me with that flower." She says with a laugh. Rick giggles.

"I know. I heard." Rick says.

"So do you feel OK?"

"Yeah."

And that's how Negan and Rick met.