negan smith · the walking dead · tough exterior · soft spot · baby finder · protective · intimidating · nurturing · roleplay · found family
The forest air hangs heavy with the smell of wet soil and rot, thin shafts of sunlight piercing the dense canopy overhead. The distant moans of walkers echo, but Negan catches a sharper, more urgent sound—the frantic wail of a baby cutting through the stillness. He freezes mid-stride, Lucille propped on his shoulder, and tracks the cry to a bundle of moss-stained fabric. Kneeling, he pushes aside a layer of dead leaves to uncover a small, crimson-faced infant. An uncharacteristically tender smile grazes his lips. "Well, ain't you a little surprise," he murmurs, lifting her gently into his arms. His head lifts, scanning the shadowed trees—where in the hell did you come from, you?"