Chapter 117
Axel didn't knock.
He just pushed the door open, walked in like he owned the place—katana still strapped to his back, a cocky half-smirk on his face like he hadn't just bathed in blood yesterday.
Maggie was sitting up on the bed, a book in her lap, blanket pulled over her legs. She looked tired, still pale from the injuries, but awake and breathing.
Axel leaned on the doorframe, eyes scanning her slowly. "Well, well, look who's still alive."
Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed?"
He shrugged. "A little. I already picked out your grave plot. Nice spot under a tree, plenty of shade."
She chuckled, just a little. "You're an ass."
He walked closer, boots thudding softly on the wooden floor, then pulled a chair next to her bed and sat down with that same shit-eating grin. "Yeah, but I'm your ass."
Maggie shook her head but didn't argue.
There was a quiet moment. The sunlight came through the window, casting soft gold over her skin, and Axel—just for a second—let his smile falter. He looked at her like she wasn't broken, like the bruises didn't matter.
"You okay?" he asked finally, his voice lower now. "For real."
Maggie met his gaze. "I don't know."
Axel nodded like he understood. Maybe he did. Maybe not. Hard to tell with him.
Then, like flipping a switch, the smirk came back. "Well, if you're dying, let me know. I've got practice. I'm real gentle with the blade these days."
"You're awful."
"But I'm entertaining."
Maggie rolled her eyes. "You really forgot about all the killing you did yesterday, didn't you?"
He leaned back, hands behind his head. "I didn't forget. I just don't dwell. You know me. I kill the bad ones, kiss the good ones, and smile through it all."
Maggie didn't smile.
She watched him. Really watched him.
There was something dangerous in Axel. Always had been. That Negan-style charm, the way he smiled when others screamed, the jokes hiding something darker. But Maggie had seen something else too—he cared. In his own screwed up, cocky, stubborn way… he cared.
"You're weird," she muttered.
"I'm sexy."
"You're twenty-one."
"Still sexy."
Maggie looked away, pretending to read her book again. "You're too young."
Axel leaned forward, closer now, his voice barely above a whisper. "Age never stopped me from fighting, killing, or protecting you."
Her hands tightened on the pages.
He wasn't wrong. And that was the problem.
Maggie didn't know if she loved him. Didn't know if it was real or if it was just the way he made her feel—safe, wanted, distracted. Since Glenn died, she hadn't let anyone close. But Axel barged in like a storm, flirting, fighting, bleeding, and laughing his way into her space.
Maybe it wasn't love.
But maybe it could be.
"Get out," she said softly.
Axel blinked, surprised. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. I need rest."
He stood up, smirking. "Fine. I'll come back when you miss me."
He headed for the door, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
"Maggie?"
She looked at him.
"I'm not going anywhere. Just so you know."
And then he left.
The room was quiet again.
But her heart wasn't.
---
The hallway was quiet.
Axel walked through it slowly, his katana tapping lightly against his leg with every step. His mind wasn't quiet, though. Maggie's voice echoed in it—soft, tired, guarded. She didn't ask him to stay, but she didn't push him away either. Not completely.
He smirked to himself.
"She wants me," he muttered under his breath, grinning like a bastard.
Outside, Alexandria was alive. People walked around, working, fixing, rebuilding. The world hadn't stopped just because he went full slaughter-mode a day ago. That's the thing about this world—blood dried fast. People moved on.
Axel didn't move on. Not really.
He lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and stared at the walls of Alexandria. For a second, he doesn't know Glenn.
But he see the way Maggie looked when she spoke of him, even if she didn't say his name.
Axel didn't hate the guy.
Hell, maybe in another life, they would've fought side by side.
But that life's gone.
And Axel? Axel was still here.
"Kid."
He turned his head. Daryl walked up next to him, arms crossed, sweat still fresh from helping out in the fields.
"You alright?" Daryl asked.
Axel shrugged. "Define 'alright.'"
Daryl gave him a look. "You've been smiling since we got back. That usually means you're hiding something or planning something."
"Maybe both," Axel replied. "Maybe I'm planning to hide something."
Daryl snorted. "Smartass."
They walked together now, casually, like they hadn't just painted the woods red. Like they weren't killers at heart.
"You really care about her, huh?" Daryl asked after a moment.
Axel didn't answer right away.
They stopped near the wall, the sun dipping down in the horizon. Orange bled into purple above the trees. It was beautiful in that weird, quiet way this world sometimes offered.
"Yeah," Axel said at last. "I do."
Daryl nodded. "She's strong. But she's hurting."
"I know."
"You can't fix it."
"I know."
"But you'll try anyway?"
Axel smirked. "I'm stubborn like that."
There was silence for a moment. The good kind.
Then Daryl said, "You're a pain in the ass."
Axel smiled wider. "But I'm her pain in the ass."
Daryl rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
They both laughed.
That night, Axel sat outside Maggie's house. He didn't go in. Just sat by the steps, katana next to him, arms crossed, cigarette in his mouth. He didn't need to see her—he just wanted to be nearby. Just in case.
Inside, Maggie stood by the window.
She saw him. Smirking, relaxed, stupid and infuriating.
But she smiled anyway.
She didn't know if she loved him.
But she didn't want him gone either.
And for now, that was enough.
---
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