#ruby omar brotp

[ericsonclan]

So I've been getting into Charmed again the series that stared in 1998, the original series with Prue Piper and Pheobe. And when watching, I can't help do wonder what charmed power the Ericson kids will have or be whitelighters. I can see my oc Maya, and Violet mirror Piper and Leo's relationship. But instead of a straight couple, it is a lesbian one.

So if anything, what kind of wiccan power do each person will have in the charrmed series can be a powers like the Charmed ones or whitelighter who can heal and orb out.

Sorry we took so long to answer this.

We've never watched Charmed before so these answers are based on our very basic Wiki knowledge of what Whitelighters. From what we understand Whitelighters serve as guardian angels to witches and should have a platonic relationship with them. Though it's inevitable that role gets broken. So we've broken the Ericson kids into witch and Whitelighter pairs.

Louis: Witch (He'd love that witchy aesthetic)

Marlon: Whitelighter (he looks out for his dumbass bestie)

Sophie: Witch (She uses magical spells in her art)

Violet: Whitelighter (Also a tired blonde looking out for her dumbass bestie)

Renata: Witch (She's just a sexy witch gal)

Minnie: Whitelighter (Anxiety driven Whitelighter who tried not to fall for her sexy witch ward and failed)

Aasim: Witch (The nerdiest witch of all time)

Ruby: Whitelighter (Literal embodiment of an angel. The best healer. Also breaks the rules and gets with Aasim)

Brody: Witch (Who specializes in protection spells if that's a thing)

Omar: Whitelighter (He's a god, baby)

Mitch: Witch (The witch that wants to fight the world)

James: Whitelighter (The Whitelighter that has to clean up all of his chaotic witch's messes)

Clem: Witch ( She's the chosen one obvi)

Prisha: Whitelighter (A very dedicated and studious Whitelighter. In love with a certain other blonde white lighter.... NOT MARLON)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

It’s brotp Louis/Omid night, y’all!

So, this is an interesting one. A lot of people compare these two and say they’d get along, so let’s explore that! Think of it like an au where Omid makes it to Ericson with Clem and AJ, yeah? What are your thoughts? Let’s chat about it!

[yellowsugarwords]

What if you headcanon Louis meeting a reader (brotp, of course, this is still Clementine’s man idgafff 💀) who’s extremely supportive of his piano abilities? They make him listen to songs to “piano-fy” it or give him piano sheets to play, etc.

okay omg sorry to be that bitch but me and my roomies watched high school musical yesterday and….i’m getting vibes

I’m adding this to an ask I got asking to make a reader who also has a great singing voice ;-;

Y/N sang with their parents when they were a child.

Their mother would play the piano,

Their father would sing,

And sometimes play guitar,

And they both taught their child how to do all of the above.

But since the world ended, they barely sang.

There was never reason.

There was never any music.

When they were staying with a group that had a radio, they would only hum.

Hum at most.

And only rarely.

If they were in high spirits.

Y/N had been kidnapped by Delta while lost in the woods,

Separated from their group and parents.

They had escaped,

Ran panicked through the woods,

And, with bruises, cuts, and sprained ankles and wrists,

They were taken in by Ericson.

They hid out in their room for days,

Crying whenever Ruby came to redress their wounds,

And looked away whenever Omar brought them a meal.

It wasn’t until 4 days in did they begin to trust the others.

Only then did they come out of their room,

And eat lunch with the others,

Quietly and hesitantly,

At the other end of the table.

Rushing back inside once they were done, they passed the music room,

And froze.

A piano?

They must have been seeing things.

They hadn’t seen one since the world had ended.

Since they had fled their house in a panic.

“Ever seen one before?”

Y/N flinched and whipped around,

Spotting Louis at the music room door.

Y/N turned back to the piano and shook their head,

“No,” they hushed. “I loved to play.”

It was the first time Louis had heard their voice,

So delicate and fragile,

Like if glass could speak.

“Really?”

Y/N nodded, hesitant setting their fingers on the top of the instrument.

They hadn’t realized they were getting closer until they were there,

Flinching,

And finally brushing their fingers along the top.

“It’s so clean,”

Louis scoffed.

Y/N snapped to look at him,

Worried they had upset him.

“I play it every day,” he said through a chuckle,

Leaning against a nearby bookcase,

Trying to look ‘casual’.

Clearly trying to help Y/N feel at ease.

“It’s my pride and joy. I never let a speck of dust hit her.”

Y/N smiled,

Feeling the chill of the surface against their fingers.

They missed that.

The sensation sent a spike of pain through their heart.

“How long have you played?”

“Every day, religiously, until the world ended.” Y/N said,

Refusing to look away from the beautiful sight before her.

“You can play it.” Louis said,

Sensing their connection to it.

Sensing their longing.

Nervously, they stuffed their hands in their pocket and shook their head.

“No,” they hushed,

Then scurried away,

They didn’t poke their head out until later that night,

Sneaking out of their room,

Glimpsing into the room again.

They wandered around the room aimlessly,

Avoiding the piano,

Until eventually they caved and sat down.

Running their fingers over the ivory,

Savouring the feeling.

“Way down upon the Swanee River,” they began singing,

Softly,

Barely above a whisper,

Their fingers tracing along the keys they would hit,

Not wanting to play anything and disturb anyone.

After se finished the song, she sighed.

Her fingers falling into her lap.

And the large door to the room clicked shut.

Y/N jumped and collapsed seeng that it was Louis

Sighing,

Placing a hand to their chest.

He laughed meekly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s the middle of the night.” Y/N said with a raised brow.

Louis drew closer and offered a hand.

“I could say the same to you.”

Y/N accepted his hand but said nothing.

“The door is soundproof.” He said softly once they were on their feet.

And Y/N eyed him hesitantly,

Fingers anxiously knit together.

Hesitant.

Louis took a seat,

His fingers brushing along all the keys before beginning.

It was Swanee River.

He wa playing it just for them.

Y/N smiled and squeezed their fingers tighter,

Clearing their throat,

Gradually beginning to sing.

Their voice started slow and low,

Gradually getting longer as the song continued.

For the first time in ages,

They sang.

Loudly.

Actually sang.

Not in  hushed whispers or muffled hums.

And Louis was stunned.

Utterly speechless at their voice.

“Wow,” he said once the song had finished. “You’re so talented.”

Y/N could only smile,

Then giggle,

And look away.

“Do you know any other songs?”

Louis beamed ear-to-ear.

“Do you know My Darling Clementine?”

Y/N giggled.

“Of course.”

Every day, from that point on, they spent every evening in there.

Each of them returning with new songs to play or sing,

Or even ideas that they could create together.

Music that they could make from scratch.

[ericsonclan]

A Wound Deeper than Flesh

Summary: Omar tries his best to get through each day while dealing with his gunshot wound.

Word Count: 1387

Read on AO3:

Omar stared up at the metal bars that separated the bunk beds. His mind stayed empty as the world remained quiet save for a few groans of walkers outside and the chirping of birds. Moments like this were a godsend these last couple weeks. He could still remember the overwhelming emotions and tension in the air when Louis had brought back Clementine. He could still remember the charred skin that had peeled off of Violet’s face as Ruby tended to her wounds. The sharp hisses of pain as Violet tried to temper the agony that was coursing through her veins, the crying, and worried whispers that Ruby shared with Aasim. It all felt like too much; every single second to Omar felt like he was desperately wading through palpable fear.

Things had finally started to settle a little bit but still the energy around Ericson was tense. Omar stayed in that moment of empty thoughts and fractured silence until he knew he had to get up and help out around the courtyard. Sliding his legs off the bed he worked to get up and immediately felt the consequences of his actions. His left leg stung harshly with pain, the after-effects of the gunshot wound he had received during the raid still prominent. He didn’t want it to slow him down, he couldn’t. Compared to how much Violet and Clementine were going through it felt selfish of him to be on bedrest as well. Omar knew that Ruby didn’t agree with him but he didn’t care. Louis, Willy and Aasim were all going above and beyond to make sure that the daily chores were being taken care of. AJ - with Rosie tagging along - made sure to help out with the day to day tasks that Ruby gave him before going off and working on taking care of Violet and Clementine. Everyone was doing their part and so Omar wanted to do his too.

After a few deep breaths, Omar placed more pressure on his good leg and made his way outside. The act of walking felt painful but he couldn’t let it stop him. It was nothing he couldn’t handle. As he made his way outside he was greeted by the warmth of the morning light as well as a friendly wave from Willy who was on watch duty. Sending a wave back Omar then immediately went to work gathering firewood to start off the day. He made sure to try his best to hide his glaringly obvious limp. He wasn’t sure when or if it would ever fully disappear but for now all he could hope was that the others didn’t pick up on it.

Ruby could see it as clear as day: Omar was limping. She had tried her best to get him to slow down and rest but no matter what, come rain or shine, he was tending to the fire or helping out with the newly regained greenhouse. He was as stubborn as a mule. Ruby knew that but she was determined to get him to take it easier when it came to chores.

No matter what she tried though, Omar kept on working, day after day. Until one evening when everyone had gone their separate ways after chores. Louis had walked off with AJ to go spend time with Clementine while Willy offered to help apply some new bandages to Violet’s face.

“Now remember, when it comes to debridement you leave that to me. All you need to do is change the bandages, is that clear?” Ruby looked at Willy who nodded, taking his role completely serious.

“Good, Now go on, skedaddle, I’m sure Violet is dying for some company,”

“Okay!” Willy scampered off without another word, moving past Aasim who was on his way to watch duty. Omar moved to pick up the bowls and utensils for cleaning when suddenly he put too much pressure on his injured leg. With a sharp hiss he struggled to regain his balance before falling to the ground.

“Omar!” Ruby bustled over to her friend who waved a dismissive hand.

“I’m fine,”

“Like hell you are!”

Ruby’s tone made Omar pause and look over her way.

“You keep saying you’re fine but that's just a load of horsefeathers. The dishes can wait, we’re going to head back to the dorms and I’m taking a look at that leg.” Ruby gave her friend a stern glare.

Omar parted his lips, ready to respond, but Ruby beat him to it.

“I don’t want any phony excuses,”

“I wasn’t going to give any,” Omar mumbled as he accepted the help to get back up on his feet.

“Good,” Ruby let her friend lean on her as she led the way to the dorms.

“Is Omar okay?” Aasim called out to Ruby who gave a short nod.

“Yep! I’ll be back later to deal with dishes,”

“Okay,” Aasim turned his attention back out to the darkened woods outside Ericson, making sure he stayed vigilant.  

Ruby and Omar were silent as they made their way to his room. After helping get

Omar propped up on his bed Ruby jogged off to get the medical supplies she could afford to use on him. Omar watched in silence as Ruby rolled up his pant leg and examined the injury. The two didn’t say a word while Ruby cleaned the area of the bullet wound and reapplied the bandages.

“I think it could take a while to heal, maybe a month or two. From there who knows how long the pain will last or that limp,”

“You noticed the limp?” Omar asked in a softer tone.

“Of course I did. You’d have to be blind not to. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, Omar. You should’ve told me it was hurting that bad,” Ruby shook her head and double-checked to make sure she had done all she could.

“There’s no point bothering you or the others with my own issues. Not when others have it worse than I do,” Omar noticed that Ruby stopped her task to look up at him, a deep frown on her lips.

“We’ve all been through hell these last few weeks. Just because one or two of us is physically hurting the most don’t mean we ignore everyone else’s pain.” Ruby took a long sigh and made sure Omar’s eyes were locked on hers. “Omar, what you went through during the night of the raid, on that boat, it's something no one should ever have to go through.”

Omar glanced away when he heard that; his throat felt tighter with emotion.

“You’re allowed to show your emotions. I know you wanna be strong around the others and emotions are a lot for ya,” Ruby placed her hand on Omar’s arm which made his gaze wander back towards her. “But you don’t gotta show everyone if you think that’s too much for them or for yourself. You can show them around me though, I’ll stick by you and be there for you if you want,”

Omar bit down on the inside of his lip. All of the emotions that he had been suppressing since he had been rescued from the Delta, all the times he pushed them down thinking that he didn’t want to face them or that they weren’t appropriate when Clementine and Violet were suffering more, they all suddenly surged forth as one of the friends he trusted most in this world sat beside him. Inside it felt overwhelming but Omar still tried his best to press those emotions down.

After a minute of thoughtful silence, Omar cleared his throat and gave a shaky nod. “Okay,”

Ruby gently squeezed his arm. “Good, because we gotta be there for each other through thick and thin.” She gave a warm smile until she noticed a few stray tears sliding down Omar’s face. Silently she pulled him forward into a tight hug. The sudden gesture made Omar tense up before he let his emotions run free.

“You’re gonna stay off that leg more. It’s gotta heal properly, okay?”

“Okay,” Omar whispered as he held onto the hug. Everything else faded into the back of his mind save for the emotions he had kept hidden since the day he was taken. Knowing that he was with company that he trusted, he wept.

[ericsonclan]

Unwanted Flashbacks

Summary: Ruby tries to deal with memories of Brody and her death as the flashlight from that night is still in use.

Word Count: 2142

Read on AO3:

Ruby stared at the piece of cloth in her hands, her concentration completely focused on it as she picked up the needle. Slowly she worked on the first stitch then the next and the next. After she did a set she checked her work. It looked like shit. She couldn’t really be surprised, Ms. Martin had only taught her this type of stitch a little while ago. Still she had to learn as fast as possible so that she could use it to help the others. If she took too long then that could be dangerous. If someone got seriously hurt or worse and she couldn't help them… That thought shook up Ruby but she soon pushed it aside. She couldn’t let that mess up her concentration. Yet it did. Her next few sets were even sloppier as she stitched and unstitched the same piece of cloth repeatedly. With each mistake, she could feel her anger bubbling within her. All the work she had put into settling her temper was falling apart at this moment. She kept pushing herself though, constantly, until she pricked her finger and lost her cool.

“Ow! Stupid piece of shit, motherfucker!” Ruby tossed the cloth aside with a huff.

“Well, I choose a bad time,”

Brody’s voice made Ruby glance up and see her best friend walk in.

“What pissed you off?”

“I can’t get this stitch that Ms. Martin showed me. Each time I try I just mess the whole thing up,” Ruby glared at the cloth with a deep frown.

“It’s okay to mess up here and there,” Brody offered a smile as she sat on the bunk bed.

“Not when I’m trying to pick up a skill that can help people,” Ruby countered harshly before realizing she was directing her anger in the wrong place. “Sorry, Sug, I’m just in a mood,”

“That's okay,” Brody took a moment to consider whether she should say what she wanted to.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just came here to see if you could help me add a patch to my pants,” Brody awkwardly showed her pant leg that had a tear in it. “It’s nothing too serious but having it patched would help ease my mind. We can just do it later,”

“No, I can do it now,” Ruby opened a drawer and picked out a patch from her collection. She saved these for everyone but it seemed more and more these days that Brody needed them most.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, a different stitch will help clear my mind. Besides, you’re gonna need it since you’ll probably tear a new hole in those pants soon enough,” Ruby gave her friend a teasing smile.

Brody frowned slightly at that but didn’t argue against it. “Yeah, these clothes aren’t always the best, but I guess that’s what I get for picking last,”

“It’s because you’re too nice, Brody. Honestly, if you hadn’t let people beat you to it maybe you wouldn’t need new patches all the time,”

“Yeah, you’re right. But I like your patches,” Brody gave a soft smile to her friend. “Besides, it hasn't really gotten in the way of anything. I’ve survived for this long and I’m gonna try to for a long, long time,”

“You better,” Ruby gave her friend a look. “I don’t know what I’d do if you were gone,”

Ruby stared in disbelief as she watched Mitch emerge from the basement. Brody’s body rested in his arms as blood slowly trickled down her arm and onto the ground. A cloth had been placed over her face which was now stained a deep crimson red. The world around Ruby seemed to blur into the background as the sounds of Louis’ crying as he collapsed beside Marlon’s body and the others' confusion became muted.

She couldn’t move. Her body was in complete shock and her mind refused to accept the reality before her. Her eyes stayed on the unnatural skin tone of Brody’s hand while more blood splattered to the ground. Mitch tried to move past Ruby, wanting to get Brody to the graveyard and work on a plan with Omar who seemed one of the most levelheaded right now. But as he got close to Ruby she reached out for the cloth. Immediately Mitch grabbed her wrist and locked eyes with her. “Don’t. You don’t want to,”

His tone made Ruby pull her hand free and take a step back. Silently Mitch continued, his expression heavy as he struggled to hold Brody though the rain made his hands slick.

“Omar, help me!” Mitch snapped.

“I need to- hold on,” Omar handed over the flashlight he was carrying from the basement without thinking. Ruby fumbled with it for a second before noticing that it was covered in blood. Her heart sank as she had a good guess who that blood belonged to. Silently she stood there, staring at the object, unable to snap out of the daze.

She had to go into the basement to check for any supplies they might be able to use medically. Ruby knew she had to do it but still. Going down there, seeing the blood that still stained the ground, it weighed on her heart. The fact that it was an extremely windy night and the supply of matches they had was dwindling didn’t help. It all felt too similar to that night that haunted her.

Ruby’s chest tightened as she held onto the flashlight that had been used to kill her best friend. She knew she had to use it to see but just holding it made her feel sick. If she had the option to never hold it again she would but this was their one and only flashlight and it had value on nights like this. As she traversed down the steps and heard the rats scurry by Ruby felt her panic rising along with the overwhelming emotions that plagued her heart. She thought she could power through it though.

That was until the light landed on the bloodstain on the basement floor. Tears filled Ruby’s eyes and slid down her face. Images of that night filled her mind, of that quick second she had seen Brody’s caved in, bloody, unrecognizable face as her grave was being filled. Ruby stood there frozen, her mind heavy with all she was remembering until the feeling in her hand left. The flashlight slowly slid through her fingers and clattered onto the ground causing it to go off momentarily. Rough sobs left Ruby’s lips as she covered her face, longing to forget all the pain and sorrow that came with remembering Brody and that night. After a few minutes she finally recomposed herself and her eyes wandered to the flashlight. She had to stop visiting this place and if there was any way to get a new flashlight she needed to find it.

So Ruby kept going to caravan meeting after caravan meeting. The others at first weren’t so sure about it since it was dangerous to let their doctor go out beyond the safety of the walls but Ruby’s fiery determination and impassioned words made them listen. Each time she went she always tried to find out if that caravan had a flashlight to spare and each time they didn’t her heart would sink a little more. Regardless she kept trying and trying.

Today’s caravan meeting would be no different. That was the fear that Ruby had as she got ready to leave. She watched in silence as Louis said his goodbyes to Clementine. The two shared a few kisses and Louis held her tight.

“Ready to meet the caravan today?” Aasim walked forward and stood beside Ruby. Ruby looked up at her boyfriend who gave a soft, thoughtful smile. “I’m gonna come with you too,” His hand took hers and Ruby could see the worry in his eyes. He could tell something was up with these caravan visits. Ruby kept going on but she hadn’t really shared her reasoning with him. He didn’t want to pressure her into an explanation so instead, he had opted for this.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Ruby felt Aasim squeeze her hand.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Ruby could tell how sincere his expression was. She got on her tiptoes to press a kiss on his cheek. “I know,”

The two took the moment to enjoy each other’s company until Clementine told them it was time to leave. To Ruby’s surprise, Omar decided to come along as well. She could tell it was because he was concerned about her too. It was a fairly quiet walk to the caravan’s location save for the groans of the walkers that were soon silenced by knives and arrows. Ruby silently stared at a walker that she had just plunged a knife into. Its brain matter and blood slipped onto the ground and the image of Brody’s caved-in face appeared in Ruby’s mind. It shook her to her core until Aasim’s hand on her shoulder pulled her out of it.

“You alright?” His eyes searched her face, his concern building with each moment.

“I’m fine, Pookie, promise,” Ruby forced a smile then continued on. Clementine and Omar shared a look but didn’t say anything as they led the way.

Everything was business as usual as Aasim and Clementine took the lead bartering with the caravan. Both of them kept a level head as they discussed what to trade and what they’d gain. After a minute though Ruby stepped forward and added herself into the conversation.

“Sorry to interrupt, but would you happen to have a flashlight you’d be willing to trade for?” The leader of the caravan seemed surprised by the question. It wasn’t exactly a popular item for bartering. “I’m not sure, sorry,”

Ruby’s eyes fell at that and she gave a nod before walking off. Aasim was about to go and check on his girlfriend until Clementine placed a hand on his arm and motioned over to Omar who was already on his way to check on his best friend. Soon the leader of the caravan drew back the pair’s attention and so Aasim decided to trust that Omar could help.

Ruby stood by a tree, her breathing uneven as her hands shook. She tried balling them up into fists but it wasn’t helping and with each failure, she felt her eyes growing mistier. “Damn it,”

“Hey,” Omar stood next to her and stayed silent for a few seconds. “Why do you keep asking about a flashlight? Louis said you did it at the other caravan meetings too,”

Ruby didn’t answer her friend for a while. She wasn’t expecting such a direct approach. Then again that was just the way Omar was.

“Because each time I hold that flashlight it reminds me of Brody,” Ruby took a shaky breath. “I keep seeing that night and start thinking about what Marlon did, what Clementine had to do to Brody and-” Her voice gave out for a second as she sobbed. “I can’t stand it! We had to use bowls to bury her, Omar!”

“I know,” Omar placed his hand on Ruby’s shoulder.

“Flecks of her blood are still stuck in the flashlight and- and-” Ruby started to completely fall apart. Silently Omar wrapped her up in a tight hug, holding one of his dearest friends close as she mourned for Brody and all they lost that night. Omar glanced over to see Aasim’s concern deep within his eyes. He gave a nod to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. Asking the caravan leader to excuse them for a moment, Aasim quickly pulled Clementine over for a discussion. The two spoke quietly, looking over at Ruby every so often.

Omar kept holding onto Ruby as his shirt grew damp with her tears. He noticed some of the caravan members looking over in concern and confusion at the sight. After a while, though they went about their days and Ruby started to calm down a bit.

“Sorry,” She mumbled as she pulled back. “I’ve gone and messed up your shirt,”

“It’s fine,” Omar answered, “If you need another minute, you can have it,”

Ruby shook her head. “No, I’m fine,”

“Ruby,”

Aasim called out to his girlfriend, making her look his way.

“They have a flashlight,”

Ruby’s eyes widened at that news and she made her way over. Quickly she got in on the bartering.

Even though it took a while for all the trading to wrap up she got what she wanted. The four started to make their way back to Ericson loaded down with new supplies. Ruby glanced down at the old, beat-up flashlight with a look of relief. This wouldn’t make all the pain and nightmares go away but it would help. That thought eased her mind.

[ericsonclan]

Dinner Buddies

Summary: Omar and Ruby spend an evening hanging out and being dinner buddies.

Word Count: 1375

Read on AO3:

Omar smiled as he walked through the grocery store, his eyes focused on countless different ingredients. All the colors and smells sparked his creativity and his mind spun with dozens of recipes he wanted to try right then and there. He was nearly tempted to stretch his budget for this week and go ham, grabbing as many ingredients as he could, but he stopped himself. Omar glanced back when he heard the automatic doors slide open and saw Ruby bustling forward.

“Sorry I’m late, it's raining cats and dogs!” Ruby shook the rain off her umbrella, turning it back into its small, compact form.

“That’s okay, ready to shop for dinner?” Omar strolled forward, the basket draped over his arm.

“I sure am!” Ruby was beaming as she jogged forward. “What are we making for our dinner buddy night?”

“Hmm,” Omar studied the produce carefully. His mind ran with several different ideas until he noticed the sweet potatoes. “Let’s make some pork and fontina burgers with roasted sweet potato fries,”

“Oh, that sounds divine,” Ruby smiled happily and noticed the small, excited smile on her friend’s lips.

“Okay, then let's start in this section.Grab  a few sweet potatoes - it's okay if you get extra, I’ll use them,” Omar wandered forward, spotting some onions. Those would be nice on the burgers. Snatching up two onions he placed them in his grocery basket; he could use the extra to make a good breakfast hash. He soon spotted the garlic and grabbed a few of those. With each ingredient he added he saw the recipe materialize further in his brain. His excitement slowly built as Ruby placed the ground pork in her basket. The two friends talked happily as they grabbed ingredient after ingredient.

Once that was done Ruby bustled over to grab the stuff she needed for sweet tea and then they were all set. “Oh, I’m so excited I can hardly wait!” Ruby smiled back at Omar, noticing a smile that was larger than normal on his face.

“Yeah, this recipe should be good.” Omar thanked the grocery bagger and the cashier then held the groceries while Ruby got her umbrella ready. Luckily both of them were rather short, making it easy for Ruby to use the umbrella to shield both of them from the rain. As they wandered about both were trying to find Ruby’s car. It took a minute or two thanks to the heaviness of the rain but soon enough they were in the car.

“Good Lord, it's a raging one out there today,” Ruby shook off the rain from her umbrella.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make us some tea when I get back to my place,” Omar double checked the bags to make sure none of the ingredients were damaged.

“Sounds good to me,” Ruby turned on the car then carefully got out of the parking lot. Driving through the rain, the redhead made sure that they arrived at their destination quickly and safely. Ruby immediately got the umbrella ready and opened the car door for her friend. Running forward, they stopped at the front door where Omar quickly put in the code for his apartment complex. When that was done they walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the apartment door.

“So, where’s Aasim tonight?”

“He’s having a trivia night with Prisha. I think both are raring to go and prove that they’re the smarter one,” Ruby chuckled as she helped get the ingredients out of the bags.

“They’re going to run in circles then,” Omar smiled as he got out the proper cooking instruments.

“Yeah, knowing ‘Sim he’ll probably be in a huff if Prish wins,” Ruby moved to bring over the cutting board and knife to the table.

“Prisha will be the same way if she loses.” Omar set the oven to the right temperature then got out the baking sheet. “Hey, can you wash the produce?” “Sure thing,” Ruby hopped up. Bustling over to the sink, she washed the sweet potatoes. Her eyes soon spotted Omar’s Remy plushie by the stove. “I see our usual cooking buddy will be here tonight,”

“Yep, I always cook with him when I’m at home,” Omar smiled before feeling a bit embarrassed and refocused on another task. Ruby soon resumed her own. After it was done she followed Omar’s instructions to cut the sweet potatoes into bite sized wedges while Omar worked to get the other mies en plas done. Slicing up the onion into one inch rounds he then worked on the cloves of garlic, mashing them into a paste.

“You know, I find cooking with ya so relaxing,” Ruby smiled as she tossed the sweet potato wedges in olive oil and some salt and pepper. “I know we already do this for work but they’re nice, these dinner buddy nights,”

“I agree. I find it calming,” Omar smiled softly as he worked to prepare the  burgers while Ruby placed the baking sheet in the oven. “I’ll handle the burgers and the buns. If you can finish up the cheese and spicy ketchup, then we’ll be set,”

“I’m on the job!” Ruby started humming a happy tune as she continued her work. The two worked in quiet harmony. Omar shaped each burger then went to work cooking them after waiting a minute or two to get the timing right with the sweet potatoes.

“Always the perfectionist,” Ruby teased lightly, making Omar look over.

“You can do it or you can do it right, all it takes is a little bit of patience,” he countered then placed the patties down. While the patties and onions were cooking in the same pan Ruby fluttered around the kitchen to make what she claimed was the best damn sweet tea in all of West Virginia. Omar hadn’t tried every single sweet tea to know for sure but he always gave high praise to Ruby’s.

It only took a few minutes for the burgers to get that beautiful color to them before Omar placed the slices of fontina cheese on top of the pork patties. Covering the pan with a lid, he watched the heat from the steam slowly melt the cheese. The velvety shimmer of the cheese glistened on the patties as Omar turned off the heat. Taking the patties out and placing them on a plate he then poured a splash or two of balsamic vinegar to finish off the onions’ cooking process.

“Hey, Ruby, mind toasting the buns for a minute? I’m going to set the table,” Omar looked over at Ruby who had just finished making the tea.

“Sure thing!” Ruby bustled over, immediately getting to work on the task at hand. She started to hum a new tune, one she always did while cooking at the diner. A few seconds passed before Omar’s deep, calming voice joined in. The two smiled and continued to hum the tune before the alarm went off for the sweet potato wedges. Ruby worked to get the oven mitts on and pulled out the sweet potatoes for Omar to coat with garlic oil.

Once that was done both of them worked together on the presentation of the meal. It was important to them that it was done right. Ruby assembled the burger according to Omar’s instructions while he got the spicy ketchup and sweet potato wedges on the plate. When that was all finished the two shared a high five then washed up for dinner.

“It looks absolutely amazing, Omar. Oh, I can’t wait to dig in!” Ruby beamed over at her friend.

“Thanks, I’m excited for this meal too,” Omar lifted up his drink, clinking it with Ruby’s. After taking a sip his eyes sparkled with delight. “This is amazing as always,”

“Why thank you, Omar,” Ruby’s face brightened with pride. The redhead soon took a bite and swallowed it before giving a compliment. “This is delicious!”

Omar smiled, a gentle warmth appearing in his heart at those words. He loved when his cooking made people happy and Ruby always seemed to have a nice word or two to say. As the pair enjoyed their meal they talked excitedly about what they wanted to make next time they had a dinner buddy night.

[ericsonclan]

It’s Saturday

Summary: Clementine and Violet open up to each other about their pasts and come up with a new idea to make Ericson feel more like home.

Word Count: 3789

Read on AO3:

Clementine looked out from her perch on the watchtower. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Louis to stop freaking out at the thought of her up there. But after some words, many promises and an elaborate talk about the prosthetic with Willy, the others had let her go up to take a shift on lookout duty. Clementine’s gaze moved out past the walls and studied the few walkers roaming the area. One was currently trying to reach for something in a hole of a large tree. Leaves and animal dropping were all that the walker found though. Another was busy running into different trees and rocks repeatedly while one further away was simply staring up blankly at the sky.

Clementine took a deep breath, a small smile appearing on her lips. It was nice to finally have a different chore to do around Ericson. Though she did wish that the prosthetic wouldn’t bother her leg so much. She’d have to talk about that with Willy. Clementine felt bad whenever she added to the young teen’s list of things to work on but Willy always smiled and promised her that he would make the next prototype even better than the last one. She wouldn’t bother him about it till later though. For now she wanted to enjoy this newfound freedom of being on lookout duty. Clementine was suddenly pulled out her thoughts, however, when she heard the creaking of the rickety ladder. Turning around she saw the top of Violet’s head as she blindly climbed up the ladder.

“Violet, grab my hand,” Clementine moved forward and held out her hand. The blonde glanced up and squinted due to the harsh sunlight before grasping out towards where she assumed Clementine’s hand to be. With a small grunt Clementine lifted up her friend the rest of the way.

“Thanks,” Violet muttered and walked forward, her hand brushing against the few wooden boards that covered the watchtower’s side.

“What are you doing up here?’ Clementine looked towards her friend who had finally found a spot she felt secure on.

Violet glanced up then out beyond the walls. “Thought I’d join in. People won’t be as pissy at me if both of us are on the watchtower,” Violet crossed her arms and leaned against the wooden boards. She remained silent for a few seconds, her eyes searching out towards the outside world. “I just wanted a break too.”

Clementine understood where Violet was coming from. Life could get monotonous at points, especially when you were one of the two who were adjusting to permanent injuries. Injuries that made people hover over you and that limited what you could and couldn’t do within Ericson’s walls.

“Okay, but you won’t be getting a break from the worried looks,” Clementine crossed her arms as well and looked back at the courtyard. Violet studied Clementine for a moment and tried her best to follow her gaze. She noticed that Clementine was staring at Louis who was busy carrying some firewood for Omar. His dreadlocks bounced a little with his movement as he tried to sneakily look over to check on Clementine. The worry was clear in his eyes when he glanced up her way, only growing stronger when he noticed Violet up there too. He was so distracted by this that he didn’t pay attention to where he was heading and quickly ran into the side of one of the picnic tables. Louis yelped in pain and dropped a few pieces of firewood.

“Are you okay, Louis?” Clementine called out to her boyfriend who gave a thumbs up.

“Who, me? Yeah, I’m totally fine. Just doing my part around Ericson in style,” He gave a playful smile over towards his girlfriend and leaned aesthetically against the picnic table. Clementine laughed softly at Louis while Violet rolled her eyes. It didn’t matter that she couldn't’ see clearly - she knew the two of them well enough to know what was happening.

“Are you sure it's safe for you two up there?” Louis asked while he placed down the firewood and rubbed his hip.

“We’re fine, Lou. Just be careful not to run into any more tables,” Clementine’s words seemed to do little to calm down the concern in Louis’ eyes but he nodded regardless.

“If you need anything, either of you, just shout and I’ll be there,” Louis waved to the pair then picked up the firewood and walked over to where Omar was setting up the fire pit. Clementine and Violet watched him for a minute before they returned their sights to the outside world. Neither of them talked for a little while. Both of them were enjoying the peaceful silence and the small freedom they had gained.

“It's nice that we can finally do this,” Clementine’s voice made Violet look over her way. She gave a small smile then gazed out towards the woods once more. Something about the sight of the green and brown blurs along with the slowly moving greyish ones was comforting to Violet. Maybe due to the fact that she rarely saw anything outside of what was inside Ericson’s walls.

“Yeah, it took fucking forever but it is nice,” Violet’s smile soon faded and her eyes turned sadder. Her mind slowly turned back to the events of that night. A night that had taken so much from her and the others.

Clementine could feel the mood shift and studied her friend for a minute.

Violet hunched over and stared off into the distance as her eyes continued to get lost in their emotions. “Jesus. Everything is so different now. Me,” Violet glanced over at Clementine and down at her prosthetic. “Us, the school.” She took a shaky breath and turned around to look at the courtyard. Her eyes focused on the flagpole where the black Death Murder t-shirt flew lazily in the wind. “I remember how Marlon described it, what we were gonna turn Ericson into. It’s not the way any of us pictured it.” Violet’s eyes wandered around the courtyard, trying to pick up on all the different tasks that were being done.

Clementine moved closer to her friend and stood beside her. “How did you picture it?”

Her words broke Violet’s focus away from the courtyard and back to her. She gave a small shrug and sighed as she looked at the floorboards of the watchtower. “I guess I couldn’t. I just listened to what Marlon said. How it would be a home, a real one. But I couldn’t wrap my head around it.” Violet’s eyes held a deep sadness to them as her eyebrows knit together.

She never really knew what a home was to begin with. Not with the one she had when she grew up. Violet was silent for a few moments before she spoke up again. “My family lived in a trailer.” Her pale eyes wandered over to Clementine’s golden brown ones. Curiosity flickered in Violet’s eyes. “What about you? Where’d you live?”

Clementine leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky. “I lived in a house with my mom and dad. Fence around it. Big backyard.” She smiled nostalgically at the fond memories. Her eyes looked back at Violet and noticed the soft smile on her lips. She seemed genuinely happy at Clementine’s nostalgia.

“What was your favorite part of the house?”

Violet's question surprised Clementine for a second. She thought deeply about her response. “The kitchen.”

Violet looked surprised by the answer. Her eyes danced with confusion and curiosity at the choice. “Really? Why?”

“On Saturdays my dad got up early to make us all pancakes. I’d come downstairs and run to the kitchen so I could help.” Clementine smiled warmly at the memories. “Seeing my mom’s face when she took a seat at the table, all laid out with pancakes, syrup and orange juice...” Clementine’s smile faltered for a moment, sorrow overtaking her eyes as she looked off into the middle distance. “She was so happy. We all were.” Her voice wavered slightly and she took a moment before looking at her friend once more. “Y’know, Ericson can still be the home Marlon promised. It’s taking some time but we are starting to rebuild.” Clementine’s words struck a chord within Violet whose eyes grew large before softening. She let out a sigh then locked eyes with Clementine.

“It’s a lot of work but I know it will be worth it,” Violet’s faint smile grew when she saw the joy on her friend’s face. She leaned back further and looked over at the steam that was rising up from the pot Omar was stirring. “The kitchen’s a mess, but we could find some old pans and start a Saturday pancakes routine.”

“Sounds great, but I’m not sure when Saturday is,” Clementine smiled playfully at her friend. Ever since the world ended calendars had become non-existent.

Violet laughed softly, a gentle smile resting on her lips. “How about this: it’s whenever we want pancakes. When we’re having a bad day or life is being too shitty, we’ll make it Saturday and start cooking pancakes.”

Violet’s suggestion made Clementine smile grow and her eyes danced with excitement. “Perfect. It will be our pancake pact.” Clementine held out her hand and Violet grabbed it, shaking it firmly. The two shared a smile.

“So, how soon do you think we’ll declare it to be Saturday?” Clementine asked with a playful grin.

“I don’t know. Life can turn to shit pretty quickly. I give it four days.” Violet answered and kicked off the wall to turn and look past the walls again.

“That’s generous of you. I thought you would say a day or two,” Clementine’s gaze looked out past the walls and at the walkers once more.

“What can I say, I guess I’ve become more optimistic,” Violet smiled and the two continued to watch the world in silence, both of them happy with this new pact they had made.

Violet felt like shit. She hadn’t been able to sleep at all last night due to the same nightmares that always plagued her mind. It didn’t help that for some reason the skin around her eyes was beginning to irritate her too. Ruby said she would make some more ointment to help with irritation but until then she would just have to deal with it. Slowly Violet walked through the halls of Ericson, ready to face yet another boring day of chores. Knowing the group they wouldn’t let her do anything remotely dangerous still and so she would be spending the day picking herbs and cutting vegetables or maybe making rabbit pelts. The blonde grumbled and grumpily pushed open the doors to the courtyard. Her eyes were focused on the ground as she kicked a pebble.

“Damn it all!” Prisha’s angry voice made Violet look up to see her girlfriend angrily hunched over a contraption and scattered notes. Prisha pushed back a few wisps of hair before she began to look over her notes again. She lifted up her right hand and tried to fix the contraption but it seemed impossible with just one working hand. Prisha huffed and swung her body, causing her non-working arm to sway out into the air before whacking against her side. She groaned and let her head fall onto the table.

Violet redirected her path and walked over towards Prisha. She silently sat down beside her and looked at her for a moment. “Shitty day?”

Violet’s voice made Prisha turn her head and look up at her love with sad eyes. “Yes, it just feels like nothing I do today works out,” Prisha gave a tired sigh.

Violet thought for a moment and leaned over, kissing Prisha’s face. The blonde then noticed that Willy had come over to check on Prisha. Violet knew that Prisha was too wound up to focus. She wasn’t doing much better herself. So Violet made a decision and took a deep breath. “It’s Saturday!”

Willy let out an excited gasp and scampered off. He spotted Garbage who was staring off blankly into the distance and munching on some crunchy leaves. The lanky teen picked up the possum and spun her around. “Garbage, it’s Saturday!” Willy laughed as the possum hissed, annoyed by the interruption.

“Holy shit, it’s Saturday?!?!” Louis had just come back from hunting with Clementine, their hands swayed lazily as they walked forward. He beamed over at his girlfriend who looked just as excited as he did.

“It hasn’t been Saturday for a while. I’ll go help Ruby with the ingredients. Can you help with the pans?” Clementine looked over at Louis who smiled widely.

“Leave it to me, my darling!” Louis’ eyes grew wide when Clementine kissed his cheek softly. She gave his hand a quick squeeze then went off to find Ruby.

Prisha watched in confusion. She had no idea why everyone was freaking out about a certain day of the week. Willy had spotted AJ and was excitedly telling him the news. His hands and arms swung around animatedly as he spoke. AJ’s eyes grew large and sparkled with joy.

“It’s Saturday!” AJ did an excited little dance and quickly ran off with Willy who mentioned the oil press and acorn grinder for some reason. Garbage bounced on top of Willy’s head, hissing wildy as the pair ran off laughing and high fiving.

“I’m confused.” Prisha spoke up and looked over at her girlfriend who also seemed ecstatic about this for some reason. “What’s so special about Saturdays?”

“A long time ago, Clem and I made this pact. Whenever someone was having a really shitty day or life was being way too much of an asshole they could declare that it's Saturday. Once they did, everyone knew that it was code for pancakes and we would use pancakes to make the day less shitty,” Violet smiled brightly.

Prisha was surprised by this news. She never could tell what secrets she would discover about her new home. Ericson seemed to be a treasure trove of secrets and hidden joys that those living here had worked hard to obtain and hold onto.

“I heard it’s Saturday,” Omar smiled warmly over at the couple as he fed the fire some more logs to reignite the flames.

“Yeah, it will be Prisha’s first Saturday too,” Violet gently took her love’s hand and smiled.

“Actually, it’s not Saturday.” Aasim spoke up as walked forward with a mason jar full of honey. “According to my internal calendar, it should be Tuesday.”

Violet frowned at Aasim and his know-it all-attitude. Suddenly Ruby appeared and intertwined her fingers with Aasim before tenderly kissing his cheek.

“Pookie, stop being a stick in the mud and enjoy the pancakes.” Ruby’s words seemed to soften Aasim’s expression.

“Yeah, take that stick out of your ass and have fun,” Violet crossed her arms. Aasim was about to speak up when Louis appeared from the admin building with two busted up pans.

“People, people, please. Let us not fight on this cherished pancake day!” He smiled as he walked forward and handed over the pans to Omar. “We wouldn't want to ruin Prisha’s first experience of these end of the world delicacies.” Louis pulled on the sides of his coat with a warm expression.

“Ruby!” Clementine called out. “I need help with Milky Way!”

“I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!” Ruby yelled back at her friend before stealing another kiss from Aasim and bustling off.

“Is there any way I can help?” Prisha offered as Willy and AJ scampered forward with the oil press and acorn grinder.

“Prisha! Prisha! You gotta help with the acorns! It’s the best part!” Willy lifted up a bag of acorns and shook it around. “Alright,” Prisha got up and joined the two youngest members of Ericson. WIlly and AJ took turns animatedly displaying how to use the acorn grinder. Prisha nodded and smiled, listening thoughtfully even though she had used it before in the past.

Once the explanation was done she placed her hand on the crank. With a deep breath, Prisha began to grind the acorns while AJ and Willy excitedly cheered her on. Omar laughed and grabbed a bowl to take the dry ingredients they were making. Meanwhile Louis and Violet were arguing about how the oil press even worked. Louis tried to figure it out but just ended pinching his pinky. While he was blowing on his pinky and rubbing it Violet began to try her best at getting the oil press to work.

“You got this, Vi! Show that oil press who’s boss!” Louis cheered for his friend who wasn’t doing the best job showing the oil press who’s boss. By the time they had figured it out, Ruby and Clementine were back with the goat milk. Prisha let out a shaky breath and used her right hand to wipe off some sweat. She had gotten so caught up in the boys’ cheering that she had used up a lot of strength to make the acorn flour.

“That was so cool !” Willy exclaimed. His words made Prisha’s heart warm and she lifted up a hand, ruffling his hair fondly.

“Thanks. I suppose we’ll have to wait until next time to see if you can beat me, Squirt.” Prisha had a competitive expression on her face.

Willy’s eyes shone with the same competitiveness. “I totally can! Just wait until next Saturday!”

Willy and Prisha shared a smile before looking over to see AJ helping out Louis and Violet with the oil press. The youngest of the three was somehow the best at the device and both Violet and Louis watched in awe as AJ helped make oil. Both of them ruffled his hair and praised his skills once he had finished up.

Omar and Aasim worked together to mix the wet ingredients of honey and goat milk with the dry while Clementine went over with Ruby to place the pans on the low flames of the fire pit. Both of them were happily talking about the anticipation of pancakes.

Soon the batter was complete and the group took turns cooking pancakes. Clementine and Louis giggled and laughed as they hovered over their pan. Louis continued to give Clementine’s cheeks tons of kisses as her eyes focused on making the best pancakes. Prisha glanced over their way before she heard the sizzle of the pan as Violet placed down some batter.

“Y’know our first few pancake days were pretty bad. Our pancakes were all chalky and tasted like dirt.” Violet had a small smile on her face.

“Those pancakes were good though!” Willy jumped in as he helped set the picnic table with Ruby and Aasim.

“They were god awful,” Ruby corrected him. “Thank the Lord we have Milky Way and Comet now.”

“It also helps that we have the oil press and acorn grinder up to the standard we need them now.” Aasim added with a smile.

“The pancakes are really good now,” Omar added as he nodded towards the pan.

Prisha’s eyes followed his gaze and she swore under her breath. Her pancakes had nearly burned.

Soon Prisha and Violet’s turn was done and so was Clementine and Louis’. Ruby and Omar took a turn at one of the pans, the pair working in perfect harmony as they discussed what type of tea they would pair with the pancakes. Both of them spoke happily and ended up making the best pancakes out of the group. Willy and AJ on the other hand had made the worst. They were lumpy, off-looking and somehow ended up both undercooked and burnt at the same time. Neither of them seemed to mind though as they high fived and beamed proudly at their pancakes.

After a while everyone was at the picnic table eating happily. Willy continually snuck bites of pancake to Rosie who seemed ecstatic for pancake day. Her stubby tail wagged joyfully as she moseyed around getting more treats from Louis and Clementine alike. Ruby was busy feeding Aasim a bite of her pancakes while Violet judged them silently for it. Everyone laughed and smiled until they saw that Prisha was taking her first bite of her pancakes. Her eyes lit up as she chewed the food and a joyful smile pulled on the corners of her lips.

“Woooo! Pancakes were a success!” Willy crowed happily and tossed over a piece of pancake to Garbage. The possum sniffed it suspiciously before licking up the pancake crumb. Her beady black eyes sparkled as she hissed happily.

“I’m glad,” Violet smiled over at her love then continued to eat. Everyone congratulated themselves on a job well done.

“Here’s to the first of many more Saturdays with Prisha!” Louis held up his cracked mug that held his tea. The others all cheered with him.

“So, I’m curious why this is attached to Saturdays,” Prisha spoke up and the group looked over at her.

“It was an old family tradition of mine.” Clementine leaned forward and looked at her friend. “One that I really loved. So it’s really nice to share it with my new family.”

Prisha felt her heart grow warm at those words. To find a group like this one that treated her not only as an equal but as family was something she never expected to gain.

“There is nothing like the joys of pancakes and family,” Louis kissed Clementine’s hand softly.

“Clem used to always talk about pancakes before we came to Ericson,” AJ spoke up.

“Goofball over here used to think I was talking about some secret weapon,” Clementine teased and some members of the table laughed as AJ frowned.

“It made sense to me,” AJ huffed and munched on his pancakes. Ruby gave his hair a quick ruffle and smiled which seemed to brighten up his mood. Everyone quickly went back to talking happily as they enjoyed the pancakes.

Soon the food was consumed and Aasim and Ruby helped Omar with the dishes. Prisha watched them for a moment when suddenly she felt something warm wrap around her hand. Looking down she saw that it was Violet’s hand. She glanced up and noticed the calm, gentle expression on her girlfriend’s face.

“I hope that helped make your day less shitty,”

Violet’s words made Prisha smile softly. She lifted up Violet’s hand and pressed a few gentle kisses to it. “It did, thank you.”

“I’m glad,” Violet smiled at Prisha before looking up at the sky. It had made her day feel better too. Her eyes soon wandered around the courtyard and took in the positive energy that the others were radiating. Saturdays always made life a little bit better.

[ericsonclan]

Anyone Can Cook

Summary: Omar has a quiet birthday celebration.

Word Count: 1631

Read on AO3:

Omar was really excited for this evening. He had everything perfectly planned out. All the ingredients were laid out on the counter and ready to be prepped, the TV was playing a beautiful theme as the title screen for Ratatouille stood on the screen. His little Remy plushie stood on the arm of the couch next to a chef’s hat. Omar hummed happily as he began to wash the veggies. He really was looking forward to this quiet, personal birthday night. He knew that Louis had planned a surprise party for him at the diner that would be taking place on Friday when his actual birthday was. But for tonight he wanted to simply enjoy one of his favorite movies and some comforting homemade cooking.

Omar dried off the veggies then began to cut them into thin slices. He made sure they were precise and continued to hum happily as he moved through the kitchen. Once all the prep was done for the ratatouille he could start up the movie then at the perfect time he’d cook up the veggies and put them in the oven. Once all the mise en place was done, Omar made his way back into the living room with a bag of popcorn and some sparkling apple cider. When that was set he jogged back and grabbed a wine glass. Pouring himself a glass of apple cider, he lightly bounced onto his seat as he pressed the play button.

As the movie began, Omar put on his little chef hat and pulled his plushie of Remy close to him. He was immediately pulled into the world of Ratatouille  and the dream of this young rat who wanted to be a chef. As the movie continued to play, his hand absentmindedly grabbed some popcorn to eat and every so often he’d take a sip or two of cider. Not long into the movie one of his favorite lines was coming up; he leaned forward and said it with the movie.

“Anyone can cook,” The words caused the hair to stand up on his arms and he hugged the plushie close to him. A little while into the movie he paused it and rose up to cook the sauce for his dinner. Omar continued to hum happily as he placed Remy by the stove and began to cook. He couldn’t wait to return back to watching the film but in order for it to feel like the special birthday movie experience he needed to time this perfectly. So he worked carefully and continued to hum to himself softly as the smells of garlic, tomatoes, onion and basil drifted into the air.

The smell danced around his nose and made a bright smile appear on his face. Any minute now and he could wrap up the cast iron pan and stick it in the oven. Ever so gently he began to place the assortment of squash, eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini in a circle. Slowly but surely he worked his way to the center of the pan until it was full. He then worked to get the special herb mixture of parsley, thyme, basil seasoned with garlic, and salt and pepper and dressed the vegetables with the oil he’d prepared. Once he had generously placed that on top of the veggies he got the cast iron pan foil wrapped and in the oven.

Just as he closed the oven, he heard a knock on his door. Omar’s nose scrunched up in confusion; he wasn’t expecting anyone this evening. Moseying his way over to the front door he glanced through the peephole and was pleasantly surprised at his best friend, Ruby, standing there with her arms behind her back. Unlocking the door, he opened it with a gentle smile. “Good evening, Ruby.”

“Evening, Omar. I hope I’m not bothering you,” Ruby had a warm smile on her face although her eyes looked slightly concerned that her being there was stepping on his toes.

“No bother at all. Just having a quiet pre-birthday celebration.” Omar had a soft expression on his face. “What brings you by?”

“Well, you see I can't make it on Friday at the diner so I’ll be missing your surprise party,” Ruby paused, her blue eyes widening in realization that she had let the secret slip. “Oh, horsefeathers,” The redhead shook her head angrily at herself.

“Ruby, it's okay. I figured Louis was throwing a surprise party. He loves those things.” Omar’s reassurance made his friend’s shoulders relax.

“Glad I didn’t ruin anything, but let’s keep it a secret between the two of us so that the gift of throwing the party isn’t ruined for Louis,” Ruby gave a wink. “Speaking gifts, I came by to give you an early birthday present.”

Omar’s eyes grew large before softening; this was a surprise he wasn’t expecting but that he appreciated nonetheless.

“That’s kind of you. Please, come in,” Omar stepped aside to give room for Ruby to enter. The short redhead bustled in and thanked Omar. As soon as Omar had closed the door, Ruby extended her arms and held out a medium sized rectangular package wrapped in bright, happy birthday wrapping paper. Omar took it and stared at it with curiosity before he began to gently open it. After a few seconds the wrapping paper was off. Inside was a breakfast sandwich maker. Omar’s eyes sparkled with joy.

“You like it?” Ruby looked at her friend, swaying back and forth due to her nerves.

“I love it,” Omar smiled at Ruby then down at the gift. “I’ve actually always wanted one of these.” “Oh, I’m so glad!” Ruby moved forward and gave Omar a hug. “Happy birthday, Omar.”

Omar wrapped his arms around Ruby, extending the hug. “Thank you.”

After a minute the two friends pulled apart and Omar moved towards the kitchen to put his newest kitchen gadget in its rightful place. “It smells wonderful in here,” Ruby stated. The smell of veggies and herbs covered the kitchen.

“I’m making ratatouille,” Omar gave a short nod in approval to the spot he’d chosen for the gift then looked back at Ruby. “I’m also watching Ratatouille . You can join me if you want. Or are you busy tonight?”

“Oh, I have no plans but I don’t wanna impose.” “You’re not imposing at all. I think it would be fun,”

Ruby looked over at Omar and saw how genuinely he meant those words. “Alright,” Ruby smiled and the pair made their way to the back once more after Omar had been sure to get his Remy plushie from the kitchen and another glass for Ruby.

Within minutes the movie was started back up and the pair of friends watched as Omar gushed about all the different details in his favorite movie. It felt as though no time had passed when Omar paused the movie once more to do the final step for the dish. Ruby offered her help and the duo worked seamlessly in the kitchen just as they did at the diner. Once that was done they went back and continued to enjoy the movie’s tale. Just as the movie was reaching the pivotal scene the timer went off in the kitchen.

“Perfect timing,” Omar paused the movie and got up with Ruby. The two went into the kitchen. Omar immediately put on his oven mitts and pulled out the cast iron pan that held the simple yet delicious meal.

“It looks divine,” Ruby’s statement made Omar beam with pride.

“Just wait until I finish plating,” Omar reached up and grabbed two plates. He ever so delicately picked up a serving of ratatouille and began to plate it for Ruby then worked on his own plate. Once the chef was pleased with his work, the pair of friends made their way back and pressed play. It was the iconic scene where the ratatouille was being presented in front of the famous food critic. Omar waited patiently until the critic lifted up the bite of food to his lips. He nodded to Ruby, signalling that it was time to eat.

It was in perfect sync; just as the character on screen ate the food so did the two watching the film. The delicious taste of the roasted vegetables infused with the herb mixture overwhelmed the pairs’ taste buds. It was the perfect comfort food just like what was shown on screen. As the critic was brought back to his childhood so was Omar as he remembered the first time he ever watched the film. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he watched the movie to its conclusion. As the credits rolled Omar brushed his eyes before looking over at Ruby.

“Did you enjoy the movie?”

“Yeah, it’s such a fun and pleasant story,” Ruby smiled warmly over at her friend. “Thanks for the food and letting me watch.” Before Omar could respond Ruby’s phone buzzed with a text. The redhead checked it and got up to her feet. “Oh, I better be getting home.”

“Okay,” Omar walked over to the door and held it open for Ruby. Ruby gave him one final hug then stepped out the door.

“Happy birthday, Omar.” Ruby turned back to look at her friend who gave the softest smile.

“Thank you,” He said one final goodbye then after closing the door returned back to the living room. He immediately pulled his Remy plush close to him and looked up at the ceiling. The evening had been everything he had hoped and he even got to spend it with his best friend.

“Happy birthday, Omar,” he whispered to himself with a gentle smile as he let his happiness wash over him and make his heart all warm and fuzzy. It really had been perfect.

[ericsonclan]

Unending Love

Summary: Violet works to memorize one of Prisha's favorite poems to surprise her on her birthday.

Word Count: 2,921

Read on AO3:

Violet paced back and forth in her room as the morning light started to pierce through the boarded up windows. She wanted to get this perfect. It felt like the least she could do for Prisha.

“In life after life, in age after age, forever. My spellbound heart has made and remade the-” Violet’s brows furrowed and she started to motion aimlessly. “What is it called again? Why the fuck can’t I remember the word?”

“Necklace,” Aasim calmly answered, his eyes focused on the piece of paper in front of him.

“Shit. Fuck. I’m gonna screw this up. Give me that,” Violet took the paper and slowly reread the poem. It was at times like this that she was thankful for the glasses or else this would be pointless.

“You’ll get it eventually.”

“Yeah, well ‘eventually’ isn't worth shit if I don’t memorize it now.” Violet took a shaky breath. God, why did she suck at memorizing shit sometimes? She tried her best to pull herself out of her self depreciation. It didn’t matter if she fucked it up now as long as she didn’t tonight.

“You’re being too hard on yourself. Prisha will love this regardless if you stumble a bit,” Aasim got up to his feet and took back the paper before motioning for Violet to start again.

She took a few deep breaths. She knew Aasim was right. Prisha would love this but Violet still wanted to not fuck up her wife’s favorite poem. Especially not on her birthday.

“Okay,” Violet took one last centering breath. “I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…”

After many, many more attempts Violet finally settled on her last one. It would have to do. She had other stuff that needed to be done to make today a great birthday for Prisha.

“Thanks, y’know, for helping me memorize this and for keeping track of the days. I don’t know how your brain works like a calendar but I’m glad it does.”

Aasim smiled at that. “Glad to help. Want to go over it one more time?”

“Nah, I can’t. I need to help Ruby in the greenhouse for dinner tonight.”

“Okay,” Aasim handed over the paper and Violet folded it and placed it in her back pocket. With a quick goodbye she was off towards the courtyard where she saw that everyone was already hard at work on today’s chores. Omar was busy tending to the fire while Willy scampered back and forth to get more firewood. AJ was busy talking to Clementine while they did watchtower duty together and Louis was strolling out of the admin building with Prisha. It seemed like it had paid off to ask Louis to help distract Prisha for most of the day. Both of them were excitedly talking about the latest song they had worked to preserve in written form when Louis suddenly noticed Violet. As soon as he did so he gave a wink that was anything but subtle. Pulled from the conversation Prisha followed her friend’s gaze and spotted her wife. Immediately a soft smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m going to go but it was really fun.” She started to make her way towards Violet when Louis quickly jogged over and held onto Prisha’s arm.

“Nope. Sorry, but you’re on fishing duty with me today.”

“But it’s my birthday and you don’t even enjoy fishing.” Prisha looked over at Louis who was struggling to find a good excuse to get Prisha to go with him.

“Yeah, well those fish are too fast for just me. We should just make a giant net or something.”

“Hmm, a fishing net would be nice. I’ll bring it up with Willy. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Prisha tried to take another step forward but Louis blocked her path.

“Nope.”

“Why not? It’s my birthday. Let me talk to my wife.”

“But the chores.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, I don’t care about the chores right now. Besides, I can take off one day of chores. It’s not like you don’t do the same.”

“Yep, but I’m me and you love chores. So too bad,” Louis tugged Prisha away and while Prisha was grumpily picking up a fishing bucket he snuck a thumbs up over to Violet. God, he sucked at this distracting thing sometimes. Violet could feel her annoyance grow. The whole point was to distract Prisha, not make her upset. Still she couldn’t change Louis’ plan and so Violet watched silently as he strolled out the gates with Prisha. After a few waves goodbye the pair were off towards the fishing shack.

“Hey there, Vi, ready to head over to the greenhouse?”

Violet glanced over and spotted Ruby then nodded. “Yeah,”

“Okay then let’s get a move on,” Ruby led the way, baskets in hand while Violet kept on the lookout just in case a walker had breached the wall. Her hand stayed gripped to the handle of her meat cleaver, ready to unsheath it from the protective case by her hip. After she was sure it was safe though she relaxed a bit and held open the door to the greenhouse.

“Thank you,” Ruby smiled then made her way over to one of the planters. “First we’ll grab all the spices we need then head out towards the garden to get the tomatoes. Omar told me we still have some onions and garlic so we don’t gotta worry about that.”

“Okay,” Violet grabbed one of the baskets from her friend and started to search for the right planter. It was crazy to think how much they were growing now. It didn’t seem like that long ago they didn't do anything to help really flavor the food much at all. It had been years since then though and Violet knew that both Omar and Ruby fought to make sure they got the best plants possible for the greenhouse from visiting caravans over the years.

“So, Aasim told me you’re memorizing a poem for Prisha,” Ruby smiled over at Violet. The lilt in her voice held an air of anticipation. It didn’t take an expert to see that Ruby wanted to hear it.

Violet sighed and crossed her arms. “I told Aasim to not tell anymore.” “Well I’m his wife so I don’t count. Now come on, let’s hear it.”

“I suck at it.”

Aww, Sug, I’m sure that ain’t true.” Ruby kept pushing and Violet knew she wouldn’t stop.

“Fine,” Violet grumbled then took a deep breath before she started to recite the poem. She worked alongside Ruby, picking the necessary spices and veggies needed for dinner tonight. The poem felt like she didn’t get a good rhythm on it and she forgot a word or two occasionally but after a while she finally finished.

“Wow, that’s grand,” Ruby sighed. “Oh, Prisha is gonna love it.”

“You think so?”

“Oh I know so. Any gal would fall head over heels hearing those words but knowing that it’s one of Prisha’s favorites…” Ruby shook her head with a happy smile. ‘She might just faint.”

“Yeah right,” Violet glanced away and worked on picking tomatoes that looked ripe. A smile stayed on her lips though for the rest of her time with Ruby. She could feel her self confidence rising back up again. Maybe she wouldn’t fuck it up after all.

Time seemed to be working against Violet as she helped Omar with dinner prep. He kept being snappy about how things needed to be done. How in order to make this fish curry taste the best it could, it needed time to cook so the flavors could marinate together. Violet didn’t really get it but she just let Omar keep talking about the flavors and how he’d make sure it was better than the last time he had gotten a chance to cook Indian food.

“We’ve come back bearing fish aplenty!” Louis grinned as he held up a bucket that was filled to brim with the catches of the day.

“I can help with dinner prep,” Prisha offered as she set down her own bucket.

“Ah, ah, ah you’re the birthday girl so that means no helping out with dinner or other chores.” Louis tutted his finger before he caught the annoyed glare of his friend.

“Oh really? Because that didn’t seem to apply to me earlier.”

“Aww, who can remember things that happened earlier? It’s in the past,” Louis waved his hand dismissively despite Prisha’s expression.

“Alright well can I at least keep you company while you work?” Prisha looked over at Violet who nodded.

“Sure.”

“Wonderful,” Prisha moved to sit down when suddenly she heard her voice being screamed,

“Prisha! Prisha! Prisha!” Willy screeched to a halt and gave a toothy grin. “Come and see the invention I made for you!”

“Right now?”

Willy nodded enthusiastically. Prisha knew based on the way he was smiling and how he swayed as he bounced on the balls of his feet that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Alright. I’ll see you at dinner?” Prisha glanced back at her wife who nodded.

“Yep.”

Prisha gave one final smile before she was pulled away once more. Willy was talking a mile a minute while Prisha was struggling to keep up with him.

“William. William, this is really nice but please slow down.”

“Oops, sorry! I’m just really excited to show you the surprise!”

Violet watched them for a minute as they disappeared into the dorms before she looked back and saw Louis’ wiggling eyebrows.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…”

Shit. Violet had put together the pieces.

“I wanna hear the poem too.”

“No.”

Louis looked shocked. “What? Why not? Aasim got to hear it!”

“He was helping me. How the hell do you know about the poem anyway?” “Aasim told Ruby who spilled it to Clem and there’s no secrets between me and Clem,”

Violet sighed in annoyance as she sliced through the last tomato. While Clementine walked across the courtyard she caught Violet’s gaze and mouthed a small apology before helping AJ with something.

“Soooo,” Louis leaned on his elbows and smiled over at his best friend.

“Not happening.”

“Why not?”

Violet didn’t answer that and instead worked on some of the onions. “Help me cut veggies or go bother someone else.”

Louis pouted at that. “Fine. Wow. On a birthday too,” He got up and dramatically sulked away.

“It’s not even your birthday, dumbass!” Violet yelled then grumbled as she returned to the onions. After a few seconds she used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away some tears. Shit, cutting onions sucked.

“I can see you’re already regretting not sharing with me. I see the tears!”

“They’re from the onions! So shut up!” Whatever, he could be a baby about it if he wanted to. She’d just block him out and go over the poem in her head again.

It felt like dinner took forever to cook. Violet had been worried about the day going too slowly but now the time for her birthday surprise for Prisha was quickly approaching. She kept wishing it had already happened so this pit of nerves in her gut would leave.

“It smells wonderful, Omar,” Prisha smiled as a bowl of fish curry was placed in front of her.

“Thanks, I’m hoping I’ve improved since the last time.” Omar worked to dish up the rest of the servings then sat down himself. Dinner became as lively as it ever did but this time it all centered around the birthday girl. Louis had come up with the tradition to go around the dinner table and share things you loved about the birthday person whenever their birthday rolled around. Some of them got more invested in sharing as many things as they could while others were more reserved and quiet. While Willy was going on and on about how cool Prisha was - especially when it came to inventions - Violet was busy going over the poem again.

“Okay, your turn, Violet!”

“What? Oh ummm,” Violet rubbed the back of her neck and stared down at the picnic table. “I love how kind you are. Y’know, with your words and actions.” She was already overwhelmed and this was making it spike. She didn’t like being put on the spot much. Still she could tell that what she said had meant a lot to her wife.

“Okay, back to Omar! Go!” Louis pointed to Omar who looked up from his food.

“I like how hardworking you are.” A buzzer sound emitted from the other side of the table.

“Nope, Aasim already said that.” Louis shook his head and crossed his arms.

“Yeah he already said it,” AJ mirrored Louis which caused Omar to sigh.

The rest of dinner felt like a blur to Violet who was ready for it to be over with. Eventually she got what she wanted as Clementine and Aasim gathered the dishes to wash.

“So, what would you like to do after dinner?” Prisha rose up from her spot which made Violet do the same.

“I actually have a surprise for you.” Violet instinctively held her arm to the side with one of her hands and looked down sheepishly.

“Oh?” Prisha’s eyes shone with curiosity.

“Yeah, let’s go to the bell tower,”

“Alright,” Prisha followed alongside her wife, casually taking her hand in hers. The two of them slowly made their way over then worked together to pull themselves in the basket to the top.

“Here, let me,” Violet got out first and held her hand out to help Prisha. Prisha took her wife’s hand with a playful smile.

“My, you’re being quite the romantic tonight.” “Yeah, I guess.” Violet held onto her wife’s hand and led the way. “It’s just the beginning though.” She caught Prisha’s eyes light up again the way they always did whenever her curiosity was piqued.

“Now you’ve intrigued me. What kind of plans do you have?” Prisha asked as she sat down with Violet.

“It’s a surprise. I just need a minute,” Violet took a deep breath and felt Prisha’s thumb rub against her hand. “It’s really pretty tonight.”

“It is,” Prisha looked up at the night sky and all the stars that shone within its depths.

“I’m glad. It’d suck if the stars weren’t out for your birthday.” Violet stayed quiet after that. Prisha didn’t seem to push for an answer on what the surprise was even though her curiosity was practically palpable. Both of them were silent as they stargazed, letting the space between and around them rest with a calmness that naturally came with each other’s company.

“I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times…” Violet continued to keep her gaze on the stars as she gently held her wife’s hand. “In life after life, in age after age, forever. My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs, that you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms. In life after life, in age after age, forever.”

“Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, its age-old pain, its ancient tale of being apart or together. As I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge, clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time: you become an image of what is remembered forever.” Violet glanced over and held her wife’s gaze. It was then that she noticed how surprised and touched Prisha was by this surprise. It helped her have the courage and confidence to continue.

“You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount. At the heart of time, love of one for another. We have played alongside millions of lovers, shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell-

Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.”

“Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you. The love of all man’s days both past and forever: universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life. The memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours –

And the songs of every poet past and forever.”

Violet finished the poem, her face only a few inches from her wife’s.

“Violet,” Prisha whispered and lifted up her hand to caress her wife’s face as she captured her lips in a tender kiss. The kiss felt like it lasted forever and yet when it ended it felt like it hadn’t lasted long enough.

“Time and time again you surprise me. Although this very well might be the most romantic thing you’ve done yet,” Prisha smiled as she rested her forehead against Violet’s.

“So you liked it?”

“I loved it. You memorized one of my favorite poems for me. How could I not love that?”

Violet smiled at that and let out a shaky breath. “That’s good because I was scared shitless that I’d mess up.”

“It was perfect,” Prisha felt tears well up in her eyes. Words couldn’t seem to do justice on how much this meant to her. To have Violet in her life, to have someone who would surprise her with a romantic gesture like this for her birthday. It was priceless to her. She was so overcome with emotion that she initiated another kiss that turned into many more short and sweet ones. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Violet returned to resting her forehead against her wife’s. “Happy birthday, Prisha.”

[ericsonclan]

Setting up the Pins

Summary: Clementine takes a moment to realize the joys of day-to-day life at Ericson.

Word Count: 2097

Read on AO3:

Clementine felt content and safe as she continued to sleep. The feeling of Louis’ arms wrapped around her, the peace she always felt near him. How it seemed like they fit perfectly when they held each other. Long gone were those nights struggling to find warmth within the cold of the night and the feeling of fear that consumed every ounce of her being as she stayed up to watch for any sign of danger. Now when she slept she could relax and embrace the moment, allowing herself to bask in all it had to offer.

As the sun started to creep up, its sharp light sliced through the wooden planks on the window, dancing upon the floor in a union of orange and soft yellows. The world was beginning to wake up, starting a brand new day and with the sun rose Clementine. Slowly her eyelids fluttered and she worked to blink away the sleepiness that still remained.

Once she was fully awake her gaze turned upwards to see her husband peacefully resting. The sunlight highlighted his freckles, drawing Clementine’s attention to them as she counted one after another. She had done this act many times, each time hoping to finally find the answer to the mystery of how many freckles dusted his face. Each time she came up with a different number but she was determined to get an answer. Clementine wasn’t sure if she ever would get a definitive number but a part of her didn’t mind. Counting Louis’ freckles always seemed to have a calming effect on her.

She stayed in the comfort of her thoughts until the rays of light flickered against Louis’ eyelids, making him close his eyes tighter in response and hide his face in the crook of his wife’s neck. The warmth of his breath tickled her making Clementine softly chuckle.

“Mmm,” Louis stirred in his sleep. “What time is it?”

“It’s dawn,” Clementine whispered and started to trace her hand up and down Louis’ back. “I should probably get up,”

Louis held her closer in response to that. "Let’s just sleep in today,” He pressed a kiss to Clementine’s shoulder and then settled back into a lazy sleep.

“Someone is going to come and force us to get up,”

“Mmm, let them come. If it's Aasim then let me handle it,” Louis continued to give small, sleepy kisses.

“And if it's anyone else?”

“Then they’ll have to deal with my badass wife,”

“Really?” Clementine pulled back to look at her husband. “Even if it’s Willy?”

“You can take him,”

“And you can’t?” A playful smile tugged on Clementine's lips.

Louis paused for a second. “He’s gotten really tall, okay?”

“I’m shorter than you,”

“And it's adorable,” Louis chuckled at the small frown that appeared on his wife’s face and he held her closer. “Adorable isn’t a bad thing,”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, we can sleep in for just a few more minutes,” Clementine got comfortable again and rested her face close to Louis’. “But only a few, alright?”

“You’ve got it,” Louis yawned, smacking his lips lightly before falling back to sleep in the warm embrace of his wife.

It had been more than a few minutes.

Ruby made sure to make that a clear point when she came bustling into their room. Her Southern accent bounced around in the sleepy couple’s minds as they struggled to get up for the day.

“Shake a leg, there’s chores to be done!” Ruby gave Louis one last look, knowing he was the cause for this late start.

He gave her a bright, playful smile which she rolled her eyes at and left.

“Uh oh, someone’s in trouble,” Clementine pressed a kiss to her husband’s cheek then scooted over to grab her prosthetic.

“Looks like it but I think it's going to be both of us,” Louis knelt before Clementine and helped her get on her prosthetic like always. “If I’m dealing with sweet Ruby’s wrath, then so are you,”

Clementine matched Louis’ playful smile and cupped his face. “Deal,” She stole another quick kiss then got up to her feet. It was time to get to work.

Louis went off ahead to be on watch duty and continued to give little flirtations to his wife until he disappeared down the hall.

Clementine shook her head good-naturedly; life was always fun with Louis. As she pressed the door to the dorms open she was met with the bright light of the sun, feeling the rays bask her skin with warmth. Walking forward she spotted Violet by the entrance to the admin building looking lost. The blonde kept swearing under her breath as she searched for something.

“Where the fuck are my glasses?” Violet kicked the dirt angrily while she continued to scan the area to the best of her ability.

“Something wrong, Bright Eyes?” Prisha strolled forward, a gentle smile on her lips as she looked at Violet.

“Yeah, I can’t find my fucking glasses,” Violet crossed her arms and sighed deeply.

Prisha’s eyes slowly wandered up, noticing that the glasses were resting on Violet’s head. After a moment an idea sparked in her mind. “If I find them, could I get a reward?”

Violet’s brows furrowed “ A reward? Like what?”

“A kiss,”

“Sure, if you help me find my glasses you can have as many kisses as you want,” Violet waved her hand dismissively, clearly still lost in her thoughts.

“Alright, then I shall find them immediately,” Prisha strode forward and Violet was curious to see if her wife would be able to be true to those words.

As it turned out she was as she carefully plucked the glasses off Violet’s head and placed them on her properly. Prisha’s face came into focus for Violet, along with her smug smile.

“You knew all along, didn’t you? You just made that deal for kisses,”

“Guilty,” Prisha leaned forward and planted a kiss on her wife’s nose. “So about those kisses...”

Violet felt her face heat up and she glanced away for a second before stealing a quick kiss.

Prisha hummed in approval. “Y’know, it would probably be for the best if you used that cord I made for your glasses. Just to be safe,”

“I know, I just don’t want to look like some kind of grandma,” Violet huffed and crossed her arms. “Louis would never let me hear the end of it.”

Prisha was about to give a response when Willy appeared around the corner of one of the buildings and dashed forward.

“Prisha! You’ve gotta see this new idea I came up with for the school!” The lanky teen skidded to a halt in front of his friend, towering over her.

“Oh, alright, just give me a few minutes-”

Prisha was abruptly cut off as Willy grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. He was moving at such a fast speed that Prisha was struggling to keep up.

“Willy! Willy, slow down!” Prisha called out but it wasn’t getting through to him. “William!”

That caught Willy’s attention and he slowed down, creating a cloud of dust. “Oops, sorry, got too excited again,”

“That’s quite-” Prisha coughed sharply due to the dust. “Quite alright, just be more careful,”

Willy nodded and hid his eyes for a moment.

“Now what was it you desperately needed to show me?”

In an instant, Willy’s enthusiasm was back and he led the charge towards the run-down playground.

Clementine watched them for a little while more before she walked off to help Ruby in the greenhouse.

The day soon turned into one like any other as she sat beside Ruby, picking out the weeds that had sneakily grown beside the herbs. The two of them found a rhythm with ease and enjoyed each other’s company. That is, after Ruby had given Clementine a bit of a hard time for sleeping in super late.

“It wasn’t that long,” Clementine glanced over to see Ruby’s look. “Okay, so maybe it was, but everyone deserves to sleep in now and then,”

“Yeah, you’re right and I know I have a bee in my bonnet about this sort of stuff. So let’s focus on some gardening,” Ruby rolled up her sleeves and grabbed something from one of the baskets. “Look what I was able to get at the last caravan,” Ruby smiled as she held up a small pouch. Clementine gave a puzzled look.

“A pouch?”

“Nope, seeds for flowers. Turns out they had grabbed them a while back in some town and since they’re constantly on the move they figured it would be something we’d be interested in,” Ruby’s eyes shimmered with excitement at the possibilities of which flowers it could be. When she glanced over she saw that Clementine was just as interested in the mystery. Soon the two of them got swept up in a conversation about where and when would be the best time to plant the seeds and the day quickly moved forward as the daily chores were completed.

In what felt like no time at all the sky turned from a warm orange hue into the cool dark blue of the night. The warm, comforting smell of Omar’s cooking drifted through the air as people took this opportunity to unwind and have some time for themselves. Everyone except for Omar who was stuck with Louis and AJ while they revisited a routine they hadn’t done in a while.

“Well, well, my perfectionist friend, are you ready for Stew with Lou and AJ Too?” Louis grinned as he pulled on the sides of his coat. Immediately AJ mimicked the action, wanting to mirror the man he looked up to most.

“No,” Omar replied with a monotone voice and continued on with his cooking, only to be greeted by the familiar routine.

“Mmm yes, redolent of rosemary, lemongrass, and possum meat,” Louis started out but quickly got a small nudge from AJ.

“No possum,” He nodded back over to the table where Garbage had found a perch. The possum had a blank stare off into the middle distance but Louis swore it looked like she was watching him as she munched on a weird mixture of berries and leaves. Considering how past events have played out, he decided to edit himself.

“Good catch there, little dude,” Louis gave a thumbs up to AJ who was pleased with the praise. “Wanna take a turn?”

AJ nodded excitedly and stood up tall. He had heard this routine so many times that he had mastered it too. “If you can’t find fresh possum in your nick of the woods,”

“Neck,” Louis whispered the small correction.

“Oh! Neck of the woods, squirrels can work in a pinch. Every bite tells a story.”

“We’ll be right back with Stew with Lou and AJ Too,” Louis added and shared a quick fist bump with AJ while Omar sighed deeply.

“Clem, can you take them away for a bit?” Omar looked over at his friend who smiled and gave a nod.

“You heard the chef,” Clementine walked over and got Louis and AJ to come with her to sit at the table after Louis had left with a dramatic flair.

It felt like so much time had passed and yet none at all when dinner was finally ready. Everyone enthusiastically dug in and the conversations at the dinner table were lively. Louis was retelling one of his favorite stories about Violet while she kept giving him glares and eye rolls when he went over the top with some of the retelling. As the stories continued on, Omar seemed busy combating both AJ and Willy’s pleas for more food, scolding them for not savoring the meal. Ruby and Aasim were in a world of their own, booping each other’s noses and being extremely lovey-dovey with each other. It was a chaotic and loud dinner like always but that was one of its charms.

As Clementine watched Louis keep trying to get the full body eye roll from his friend and have her crack a smile. Looking around at all the happy and content expressions, she couldn’t help but feel at peace. Even after all these years she sometimes still couldn’t believe that this was her life now. Each day brought along its own challenges and joys as they went through the same routine tasks. It was all worth it though.

As it grew late into the night, Clementine wandered back to her room with Louis, ready to sleep in their warm bed. She couldn’t wait for the memories of a new ordinary day.

[ericsonclan]

Hi, it's me again, said I'd come up with some new questions for you, here I am xD

Alright, I really don't want to overload you two, I already got way more from you than I ever expected, so I'll keep this short.

What do you think the Ericon Kids would draw if Tenn asked them to spend some time with him?

What do you think their biggest fears are?

That's a really weird one I know, you don't have to answer any of these of course, but... what do you think they would smell like? Every human being has an individual smell, even after spending years in the forest. This one I'm actually asking because my sister forced me to, she loves to tease me about Marlon and Louis (is a Violentine fan, that little traitor xD)

To make it easier, I'd say the questions are only for Louis, Marlon, Violet, Mitch and Brody. Of course if you want to add more, feel free to do that, I just really don't want to pressure you or anything, have been asking you a lot xD

Greetings from Germany and have a nice day!

Dang! First off, thanks for the questions, always fun to discuss different things for TWDG!

Also warning that this is a long post so get ready to read. Maybe grab a cup of tea first.

Alright, so this question is super cute! Art time with Tenn, our little hearts <3

Louis: We feel like it would depend on his mood. He would draw whatever came to mind. Maybe a doodle of him and his friends, maybe the music room. This would only be after Tenn is gone so not quite what the question asked. But when Clementine shows up and after they get together I'd say Louis would have fun drawing them as little doodles maybe him as a prince and her as a warrior princess. Both of them take down a dragon with AJ. Stuff like that.

Marlon: He would always be pretty exhausted but he'd make time to draw with Tenn here and there. His mind would blank easily on what to draw and would more like than not end up drawing some of the buildings of Erison. They are right there and he can't think of anything else. Although after a while he might doodle a dog or two.

Violet: She would be one of the ones to draw with Tenn the most and would agree pretty much anytime he asked. As for what she draws I'd say she'd draw stars a lot, birds would also be something she'd doodle too. Lots of time her mind blanks for what she wants to draw so she draws whatever. Clouds, grass, the gate, anything since to her its more that art makes Tenn happy and she gets to spend time with him.

Mitch: Well, we get to see a bit of what he draws in his notebook so I'd say he does similar art to that when with Tenn. So he draws cartoon bombs, walkers some on fire, some not, and some critters too. He wouldn't really show this to many of the others but he enjoys drawing flowers. Makes him feel happy.

Brody: She would probably draw the beach for starters but what she would work on time after time with Tenn is her dream road trip map. She would take way too much time making the lettering look right and the colors. She'd add any stops that Tenn or the others wanted. It would help the others get away from the intensity of reality and slip into this hopeful dream. Just them together on a road trip, no walkers, no worries.

Ruby: She would probably draw cowboys and flowers. She would get really into the narrative with Tenn when he asks about the cowboy's backstory and Willy ends up getting invested. So now they have a cowboy character that the three of them like to draw adventures for. Besides that, Ruby would probably try to draw her family and get emotional hoping that her mom, dad, and four brothers are okay.

Sophie: She would spend any and all time she could with her brother, especially if it's art. What she draws depends on the day, sometimes its cartoon looking animals or clouds and flowers. But when they start losing a lot of the Ericson kids before the events of TFS Sophie made it her duty to do portraits of them. She wanted them not to be forgotten and she wanted it so that if someone ever brought up someone like Therissa they could use Sophie's portrait of her to remember what she looked like. Maybe the drawing would even help them recall some memories too.

2. As for biggest fears some of them are in the game and get explored a bit like Louis and Violet.

Louis: Having to kill someone. We believe this was the answer one of the writers gave when asked this question. But we also believe he would fear that eventually everyone will just completely ignore him and he'd disappear into the background. This plays heavily into his low self-esteem issues.

Marlon: Failing the others as the leader, losing friends, and them finding out the secret of what happened with the twins. As it turns out his worst fears end up coming true in the game.

Violet: Being abandoned. You learn more about this on her route but she has deep abandonment issues and for good reason too. With how her grandma passed away along with the poor home life she had growing up, being sent away to Ericson then having Minnie disappear as well as one of her best friends, Sophie. It was a lot and she fears that if she gets abandoned once more she'll just completely shut off from the others and the world.

Mitch: Willy dying would probably be his biggest fear. He has been protecting him since the apocalypse started so since Willy was around 4. Willy is like a little brother to him, he's family. Also, we would add any of the younger kids dying as well so that includes Tenn too.

Brody: Most likely it's the others all dying or being taken away. She worries about that a lot, which gives her lots of panic attacks in the middle of the night, She fears the idea of being alone and being too weak to help keep those she cares about safe.

3. Huh, smell, okay, this is an interesting question. Okay well right off the bat let's say regardless of how much we love the Ericson kids to pieces they would all smell godawful. Eight years into the apocalypse would definitely make them stinky. So let's exclude that layer of smell they would have as well as the smell of blood and the potential walker guts on them.

Louis: We say that he smells like pine cone or evergreen trees, so he smells like a forest. But he also smells of dust, paper and candle wax since he spends all his time in the music.

Marlon: He smells like Teen Spirit (lol). Okay on a serious note, since he sleeps in the headmaster's office and Rosie is always with him and extremely cuddly he would most likely smell heavily of dog.

Violet: She smells of moss and vines. This is due to how frequently she climbs up onto the wall and lays down on it. With how many years of the apocalypse have occurred, those walls are vine-filled and mossy so that's what she smells like.

Mitch: He smells like fertilizer due to all the bombs he works on.

Brody: She smells like rain, there is something really nice and calming about it (We joke that after Mitch catches feelings for her he tends to not shut up about liking rain).

Omar: He smells like smoke from the fire and like rabbit and fish. This is the price for being a chef you wind up smelling like the ingredients and materials you work with.

Aasim: He smells like deodorant because of the deodorant stash he keeps but he also tends to smell like smoke as well. That boy loves his flames.

Thanks for the ask!

[ericsonclan]

Ericson kids as mha characters 👉👈

OOO! This is fun! We decided to not include Tenn, Willy, or AJ since they wouldn't be in the same superhero classes as the others.

Okay, let's go!

Clem: Deku- main character, strong desire to be a hero, would sacrifice her safety for others

Louis: Kaminari- He's goofy but is also powerful, would also fry his brain with his powers

Violet: Todoroki- tragic backstory fits, hates dad, powerful but controls it well

Marlon: Ojiro- Idk we think Marlon would have being a sort of monkey dude and he would kick ass by whacking people with his tail

Mitch: Bakugo- explosion powers, a hothead Mitch would be a lot nicer though and have more of a friendly rival with Clem

Brody: Uraraka- gravity powers, a sweet kind person who wants to help others, Although when anxious she might have some trouble with her powers

Omar: Tsuyu- easy going but blunt plus Omar would vibe with having the frog-like abilities

Ruby: Ibara- she has plant abilities and Ruby would like that

Aasim: Iida- both nerds, serious but caring and we think Aasim would enjoy having that hero ability

Minnie: Kirishima- she vibes with the ability and would want to give her all as a hero

Sophie: Ashido- bubbly, friendly, and Sophie would have a lot of fun with her acid powers

James: Tokoyami- he would look dark and mysterious but is a pretty chill dude. Also, the shadow and James would be besties

Adding some of our ocs too!

Prisha: Momo- she enjoys inventing things and is a huge nerd so the ability fits her

Renata: Aoyama- she is just as over the top, she would love the belly button beam and would always be smiling

[ericsonclan]

Countries/States that each of the ericsons would like to go ???

Ooo, good ask! Okay let's see

Clem: She would probably enjoy driving aimlessly and seeing what all the states had to offer. Outside of America, she'd probably look up the best spots to check out and go there. Definitely going to go to Paris too to spend time with a special someone.

Louis: He wants to go anywhere and everywhere. He would have a blast going to all the different places and the funds to comfortably do so. Probably one of his favorite spots would be Paris.

Violet: She'd want to see the Grand Canyon so that's where she'd head. She would go on along with others if they set up a road trip. Besides that, Russia would be cool to visit and India too but she'd probably go with a certain someone. It's Prisha.

Marlon: He seems like the all-American boy so he'd probably focus more on the states and would point out that he'd like to visit LA, New York, probably North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota (that's where we think he was born so it's home to him)

Brody: She would dream about going to all fifty states and doing this big road trip. That would be her goal. Mitch would help soup up an RV and get it all set to go. Brody would probably take along anyone who wants to come with so Louis is definitely going to be a travel buddy of hers. After the road trip, Louis would get Brody to go with him on the tour of the world.

Mitch: He would be down for all the weird attractions with Willy. Both of them are the most hype about that. Plus Mitch gets to spend time with Brody so he's going to all the states. Outside of America, hmmm not sure but if Louis is footing the bill for the world trip he'd probably tag along.

Aasim: He probably has one of those maps of all the States with slots over each state for the state coins and he will get all those state coins. He needs them. Outside of America, he would probably like to see Greece and Rome and also India.

Ruby: She would probably want to go to Texas and some of the southern states. Outside of that, honestly, she'd probably just go along with places Brody is excited about. She'd be happy to have a bestie road trip with her.

Willy: He would probably be more focused on the "coolest" state attractions. World's Largest Buffalo Monument in North Dakota? Um Yes. Fremont Troll in Seattle? Let's go! The Corn Palace in South Dakota? He's already in the car and bouncing in his seat impatiently.

AJ: When he was asked this question he just answered with Legoland and Disneyland then got upset that they weren't states or countries. Luckily, on the all states road trip they would stop there. As long as he can be with friends and Clem he's chill with wherever they go. Just make sure Legoland and Disneyland are on the list of stops.

Tenn: Tennessee, obviously, lol. Nah, well, he probably would like that but honestly, Tenn would like to go wherever his sisters go. He'd probably love all the music and art experiences he would have with them.

Omar: Omar would join the all states road trip and just focus on all the different types of food. Outside of America, he would enjoy visiting Tokyo, Japan, Lyon, France, Barcelona, Spain

Sophie: She would totally be down for a road trip of all the States but outside of America, she'd want to visit some art centers of the world. So Paris, Venice, Berlin, London, Shanghai. Honestly watch Louis foot the bill for all these trips for his friends.

Minnie: Based on the calendar we see in the room that Clementine wakes up in TFS and it being the twins' old room Grand Canyon is a must of what both Sophie and Minnie want to see. Besides that, she'd want to go to the most musically talented or states/cities known for music. So New York, LA, Chicago, Nashville, Tennessee, spots like that. Also would be down with going to Mexico.

James: He would probably just go where the wind takes him in terms of States so he's fine with going to any of them. Besides that, South Korea would be on his list of places to visit.

Long story short it looks like the Ericson kids are all going on a road trip together and it starts off something like this

Louis, on the phone which has the speaker on: Vi, come out!

Violet: I'm gay

Brody: No, to the car.

Violet: Car, I'm gay

Everyone:

Sophie: I've got her

Five minutes later

Sophie: *walking out of the apartment with Violet held up like a cat in her arms* I've got the grumpy one! Roadtrip time! :D

Everyone: *cheers*

[ericsonclan]

I Like You The Bestest

Summary: Louis waits impatiently for Clementine to arrive at school

Word Count: 1941

Read on AO3:

The sun was warm today as it peeked through the clouds, its rays pushing through the leaves and highlighting the veins on them. The cool breeze helped with the temperature, making sure it wasn’t too hot or too cold but a happy medium. Not that it mattered much to the kindergartners as they jogged towards the front door, their backpacks bouncing as they got ready for another day of school. One kindergartner seemed keen on waiting outside though. Louis bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet, his hands firm on the straps of his backpack as he waited.

“Hey Louis, wanna head inside?” Marlon asked with a smile but Louis shook his head.

“No, I wanna wait for Clem.” Louis spotted the frown on his best friend’s lips. “Buuut we can play superheroes during recess today.”

Marlon’s eyes were big as they shimmered with happiness. “Deal!” He grinned and dashed off inside, ready to get the boring stuff out of the way and get to recess already. Louis watched his friend bump into Minnie who gave a small frown before brushing off the collision. A moment later though Louis’ gaze returned to the parking lot and he waited. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. Time seemed to drag on like molasses and each second felt like a year to him until finally, he spotted the girl he was looking for. Clementine strolled up with a purple backpack on, the little pink and yellow flower sticker standing out proudly on it. She seemed to be in a tired mood as she kept walking.

“Clem!” Louis grinned and waved excitedly when Clementine spotted him. Immediately her entire expression brightened and she picked up her pace.

“Hi, Louis!” Clementine smiled as he ran towards her, his hug making her smile grow as he swayed them back and forth.

“There! Now that I gave you your morning hug we can go inside!” Louis grabbed onto Clementine’s hand and walked towards the entrance of school. He swayed their hands back and forth as he hummed a happy tune. His day always seemed brighter with Clementine by his side.

As soon as Louis held onto Clementine’s hand he was determined not to let go but his first obstacle appeared fairly quickly. The little kindergartener stared at the nameplate on the desk next to his: Therissa. He didn’t want to sit next to her though, he wanted to be next to Clementine. After brainstorming and letting the gears spin around in his young mind he stomped on over to Therissa who looked to be about to eat a glue stick.

“Therissa, I want you to switch spots!” Louis demanded, trying to be intimidating as possible. It wasn’t very effective though and Therissa just looked at him casually.

“Okay, I want the candy in your bag though,”

“What?”

“I saw candy in there yesterday. So we’re gonna trade: candy for a seat with your girlfriend.”

“Wife! She’s my wife!’ Louis corrected with a huff. Therissa didn’t seem fazed again nor did she respond to that outburst right away.

“So, candy?”

Louis frowned deeply. “Fine.” He rummaged around in his backpack and got out a single partially melted packet of Skittles which Therissa pocketed gratefully. She immediately disappeared though when Ms. Martin went over to ask Louis why he was being so loud and gently reminded him what happens when you misbehave in the classroom. Louis kept nodding along and said he knew that when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Therissa sneakily switching nameplates.

“Louis? What’s with that big smile?” Ms. Martin asked and watched the kindergartener look up at her with a wide grin.

“Because it's a good day!”

Ms. Martin blinked at his response then smiled warmly. She was glad to hear at least one student was excited for the school day. After a minute she went over to talk with Mitch who seemed to have gotten into a stupid fight with Aasim over something, giving Louis the chance to walk over with Clementine to the table. Both of them couldn’t stop smiling as their plan had worked and due to Ms. Martin’s busy schedule and more than energetic class she didn’t notice that the table placement had changed.

The day went by quickly. Louis worked hard to get his assignments done, wanting to impress Clementine who seemed just as eager to show off to him as well. She was going to show counting who was boss and look like the coolest kindergarten in the whole class.

That didn’t turn out to be the case when Clementine declared loudly that she had five beans and Ms. Martin said she was wrong. Instantly the wind left her sails which only made what happened next sting worse.

Mitch gave a small laugh which made Clementine shoot a look over his way.

“What?”

“Nothing,” He smirked. “I can count more beans than you can.” Mitch stuck out his tongue and Clementine stood up abruptly, her chair clattering to the ground as she stomped over to Mitch and threw an eraser at his face. Ruby gasped softly at the violent scene before her but it only escalated. Mitch quickly picked up the eraser and threw it back then proceeded to toss his beans at Clementine. Her eyes flared up at that and she reached out for him.

“You have a stupid face!” Clementine wrestled with Mitch who fell to the floor and started fighting back.

“Oh yeah? Well look in the mirror,” He spun around on the ground with Clementine. Some kids like Violet and Minnie seemed chill with the fight. Others like Brody and Ruby, on the other hand, were worried about it. The fight was long, vicious, and cutthroat in the kindergartners’ minds. In reality, though they rolled around three times for two minutes before getting picked up and separated by Ms. Martin.

“That's enough, you two. How many times have I told you not to fight?” She looked back and forth between the pair.

“I wouldn’t fight her if she wasn’t stupid,” Mitch grumbled and frowned deeper when Clementine stuck her tongue out at him. Those last actions the kindergarteners displayed had been the final straw. Within seconds they were in their timeout corners and watched as the rest of the class got to go outside for recess.

Louis stood there in shock. He hadn’t moved at all since he’d almost got in trouble while switching the nameplates earlier and was worried he wouldn’t get a second chance. But now Clementine was in the timeout corner. They were separated.

While Louis was stuck in his guilt about not helping Clementine, Brody was happily walking away, pretending not to hear Mitch calling out for her. She was obviously not a fan of what he pulled just now. “Let’s go, Louis,” Brody grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled him outside.

“Brody! It was Clem’s fault!” Mitch called out but it was too little too late and those words weren’t what the auburn wanted to hear.

Once she was outside Brody was ready to ask Louis if he wanted to play in the sandbox with her and Ruby but Marlon quickly scampered forward. His jacket was wrapped around him and fluttered like a cape. “Ready to be heroes, Lou?” He beamed as he placed his hands on his hips.

Immediately Louis mirrored his best friend’s expression and mannerism. “Yeah!”

“Awesome! See ya, Brody!” Marlon gave a wave as he ran off, Louis right behind him and working to get his jacket on like a cape.

Both boys owned the playground, making large leaps and cool sound effects as they saved imaginary citizens. Louis sent out cheesy quip after cheesy quip while Marlon settled on the generic superhero phrases. The two of them were having the time of their lives, inseparable when together as they stood back to back.

“Evil better watch out!” Louis looked over at his best friend with a grin.

“Yeah, we’re gonna kick its butt!” Marlon jumped down and landed with a heavy thud. Louis scrambled over to the monkey bars and swung wildly as he gave a never-ending commentary.

Recess was over before they knew it and soon Ms. Martin was calling them back inside. It took Louis no time at all to spot Clementine, frowning and slumped in her chair.

“You doing okay, Clem?”

“No. Mitch is a stupidhead,” She sent a look over at Mitch who stuck his tongue out but as soon as there was the possibility of Ms. Martin spotting them, they both stopped. Clementine was still bitter though long after the break and she held onto her grouchiness until she felt Louis tap her shoulder.

“I got some stickers from the treasure box last week. You want one?” He held out his hand secretly and looked over to see where Ms. Martin was. She was currently busy explaining to Omar why he had to partner up and the importance of teamwork. Louis quickly glanced back and held up a cat sticker, turtle, and a rainbow. Clementine studied them for a few minutes then tapped the cat one.

“That one for me and this one for you. We can put them on during lunch,” Clementine whispered conspiratorially.

“Ooo! Okay,” Louis whispered back and giggled with excitement. He couldn’t wait for lunch break.

As the seconds ticked by, his legs kicked enthusiastically under the table until Ms. Martin finally announced that it was lunch. Without waiting a second longer, Louis grabbed Clementine’s hand and ran outside but suddenly stopped. His eyes were wide as he redirected and went back inside. He didn’t bother asking for permission as he grabbed the little toy piano then ran outside with Clementine. Both of them made their way towards the tree and sat down by the patch of wildflowers. Silently, Louis worked to get the backs off the stickers while Clementine picked some tiny flowers.

“Come on, don’t be a meanie!” Louis scolded the stickers as he worked on them, completely unaware that Clementine was putting little flowers in his dreadlocks. A minute or two later Louis let out a little victory cheer at getting one sticker free. With a dramatic flair, he placed the cat sticker on Clementine’s shirt then worked to get his turtle one on. “These stickers are so cool!” Louis beamed and bounced excitedly on the ground until a small flower fell down onto his lap. His brows furrowed, his hand silently reaching up and feeling the different flowers in his hair.

“I wanted you to look extra pretty today,” Clementine explained as she swayed back and forth. Louis was silent for a second, his eyes wide before he reached over and wrapped Clementine in a hug.

“Now I am extra pretty, Thanks, Clem!”

Clementine returned the hug and held on tight. “You’re welcome.”

Louis kept going on and on about whatever he thought of until he redirected the conversation back to Clementine. “Wanna know a secret?” Louis whispered and watched Clementine’s curiosity grow. She gave a short nod and Louis leaned towards her ear.

“I like you the bestest,”

Clementine’s mouth went slightly ajar at that and she saw Louis grin big.

“I like you the bestest too.”

She was sure Louis’ smile couldn’t get any bigger but it did and he excitedly reached for the toy piano.

“We gotta celebrate this with a song!”

“Okay, I’ll get our lunches set up like a picnic,” Clementine grabbed the lunch boxes and began to work while overly enthusiastic music notes filled the air. Both of them were far too excited from their mutual confessions and neither wanted lunch to ever end.

[ericsonclan]

Big News

Summary: Clementine and AJ come back from a hunting trip when all of a sudden Clem's stomach takes an unexpected turn...

Word Count: 2000+

Read on AO3:

Read Ch.1

Clementine felt her brain short circuit at that. Pregnant? She thought Ruby was going to tell her she was dying or something. This was what pregnancy felt like? Clementine’s voice was weak as she croaked out a single word. “How?”

Ruby look incredulous. “Clem, you do know how babies are made, right? You and Louis have been together for years now and I did give you that talk back when-”

“I know how they’re made,” Clementine raised a hand in protest, adjusting her position on the bed. Another wave of nausea hit from the movement, and she quickly leaned over to let another mouthful of stomach fluids fall into the bucket. Clementine wiped her mouth with the spare rag she’d been using then leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

Ruby watched her worriedly. “You and I have never really talked about pregnancy, not at length that is. I know when I’ve brought it up in the past you thought of it mostly as something different, a “maybe someday” sorta matter.”

“I did,” Clementine kept her eyes closed, trying to recenter herself and suppress the queasiness. “I sort of just put it in a box with all the other things I thought I wouldn’t have to deal with for a long time. Like there was always the outside possibility but… damn,” She glanced down at her stomach. It looked the same as always. Was there really a baby growing in there? Ruby stayed silent, as if unsure what to say. Clementine couldn’t blame her; she wasn’t sure what the right words were either. She was still trying to wrap her head around what this would mean if she was really, truly pregnant. Varying emotions clashed within her: shock, fear, excitement… hope,”

“I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news for ya, Clem, but no matter what if this is really what I think it is, I’ll be there for you. We’ll get you to the other side of this,”

Clementine met Ruby’s eyes, studying them intently. There was danger in this. So much danger. Their painkillers at this point were pretty much nonexistent. They’d been able to bring medical books back from Johnstown but how much use would those be if they didn’t have the equipment to employ the techniques inside? What if something went seriously wrong? What if she started bleeding? What if she lost the baby? Clementine’s gaze fell back down to her stomach, flat and achingly empty after all the vomiting. Her eyes drifted to the stump that once held her leg. Was her body strong enough to carry a baby?

“Tell me your thoughts, Sug. Don’t get caught up in your own head,” Ruby’s hand had taken Clementine’s and her thumb gently brushed against it.

“It’s just… a lot. Fuck, I thought I had stomach flu and now you’re telling me there’s a little life inside me? I…” Clementine’s hand came down to gently rest on her stomach. “I don’t know what to do with that,”

“Do you want this baby?” Ruby’s tone was somber. “I know you said you wanted to wait till you were sure and, well, this is sorta hitting out of nowhere,”

Clementine pondered the question. A “someday” had suddenly become “today” She’d thought this was still years away. But then again, she’d thought marriage was a “someday” too and instead she’d proposed out of the blue just a few months ago, surprising Louis and surprising herself even more plans changing wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But a baby was a lot different than marriage. It was another human life in the mix.

As Clementine looked at her hand as it rested atop her belly, her thoughts drifted back to a memory many years ago: the first time she’d help AJ. He hadn’t been hers then. Raising him as her own had never been part of the plan. It was something that had happened as everything in Clementine’s life slipped away. Through it all she’d had AJ. And even when he was lost to her for a time, she’d got him back. She’d fought and bled and risked her life itself for him to be safe, no matter the cost.

This child would ask the same. It took more than grit to raise a child in this world; it took everything. But as much as it took, it gave back in kind; it gave everything. To see AJ smile was worth all the trials and fear and pain that life brought each day. It was what made life worth it in the end: family. AJ was her family. Louis was her family. Life had taken from Clementine again and again, but it had also given her them. Now it had led another life her way, a new life to experience all the joy and grief, the pain and wonder of this world beside her. As Clementine sat with her emotions, letting the initial chaos within her slowly subside, one remained steady amidst it all: hope. This could be a good thing. It could be something truly wonderful.

Lifting her eyes to meet Ruby’s, Clementine smiled softly. “Yes. I want them. It’s a lot to take in, mind-blowing, earth-shattering news…. But it’s good news. Louis and I are having a baby,”

Ruby’s expression softened, shifting into relief then joy. “Oh, thank goodness! I didn’t want to pressure ya one way or another on how to take this, but I had a feeling you’d be happy about it once the initial shock wore off. You’re having a baby!!” Ruby clapped excitedly before slipping into doctor mode and correcting herself. “Well, the chances are good you’re having one. All the symptoms match up and if things hold steady I’d say we can be sure of it within the next few weeks,”

“Hold steady… does that mean I’m going to be puking day in and day out for the rest of this pregnancy?” Clementine felt another wave of nausea rise at the thought.

“Oh, heavens no! Just for the first trimester. At least, that’ll be the worst of it. But now that we know what we’re dealing with I’ll use all the powers of the greenhouse and gardens to boot that nausea right in the tush and get you back on your feet! Speaking of which…” Ruby handed Clementine the tea she’d poured earlier. “Ginger should help do the trick! Drink up, we need to keep you hydrated. I’ll go ask Omar to add some of those peppermint leaves to the soup he’s been making for you then I’ll go and check the infirmary. We don’t have prenatals but there should be enough regular vitamins for both-” Ruby caught herself but Clementine had picked up on her words too.

“Both?” Clementine eyed Ruby over the rim of her cup. “Ruby, are you…?”

Ruby’s hand drifted down to protectively cradle her stomach. As she looked up at Clementine, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. “I think so. I know I gave a false start before so I’m being real careful before I say anything to ‘Sim… but yeah. I think I’m pregnant too,”

“I can’t believe this! Ruby!” Clementine sat up in excitement, setting her tea aside. “That’s amazing! How far along are you?”

“A little farther than I think you are, maybe a month ahead or so. I’m trying to hold out through the first trimester seeing as that’s the most dangerous time for something to go wrong. Then I’ll tell him,”

“How long is a trimester?”

“About three months,”

“Three months? You’re going to go three whole months without telling him?” Clementine paused. “Also, why aren’t you sick? You haven’t barfed once these last few weeks. But you just said that’s what happens in the first trimester,”

Ruby noncommittally shrugged. “Well, y’know, different bodies, different reactions. Every pregnancy is different. Anyhoo, I’m gonna go let Omar know about the peppermint,” With that Ruby was off, bustling down the hall before Clementine had a chance to say anything more.

Clementine was left alone once more with her thoughts. There were so many of them too. Would the baby be a boy or a girl? Would she give birth right here in this bed? What would she dress them in? Should she start knitting? But one question soon rose to prominence in Clementine’s mind: When was she going to tell Louis?

---

After deep thought and consideration of the manner, Clementine decided to follow Ruby’s lead in waiting a while longer before telling anyone else of her pregnancy. Like Ruby had said, she was only probably pregnant. Clementine wanted to be sure of the matter before she let the rest of her family in on the matter which would make everything surrounding the pregnancy all the more chaotic.

And so Clementine remained silent on the cause of her sickness, a sickness which greatly concerned Louis despite Clementine’s attempts to brush the whole thing off. Now that she knew the nausea wasn’t a symptom of something far worse, Clementine felt an inner resolve to get back to her regular life. Sometimes this worked and she could push through the nausea and sometimes even forget it once enough of the day had passed. Other times she would puke out of nowhere and sometimes this would lead to her needing to lie down again which always frightened Louis and AJ to no end.

With each visit they made to her room, each night AJ slept over or Louis held Clementine even closer in his arms at night, Clementine felt her guilt grow. At first she told herself that her silence was necessary in order to ensure that Ruby’s verdict of pregnancy was accurate, but after two weeks with no changes either to her nausea or menstrual flow, Clementine began to wonder if something else was holding her back. She wanted this baby; she knew that for certain. Most of her thoughts were consumed by it no matter what she was doing. Yet the thought of telling Louis she was pregnant always sent a tremor of fear down her spine. It couldn’t be his possible reaction that warranted the fear – she knew it would be positive. Perhaps then it was the simple truth that as soon as she told him, the baby would no longer be an idea, a possibility inside Clementine’s mind. It would be real.

She knew she should tell him. Knew it was only a matter of time. But every time Clementine tried to muster the courage she would freeze. Being pregnant would change everything. Once she told Louis, all their thoughts, all their actions, would be directed toward the baby and every emotion would be determined by its welfare. Babies were frail, helpless. They could get sick. They could die. Right now, in this moment, everything was perfect. As perfect as Clementine had ever known within this world. Everyone was safe, happy, healthy. Sure she puked her guts out in the mornings, but when the nausea settled and things returned to normal each day, Clementine felt as if she couldn’t ask for any more in life than sitting by the firepit with Louis and watching AJ and Willy chase fireflies in the soft glow of the evening. If she opened her heart to this baby, if she told Louis and made it real and somewhere along the way their baby died, what would happen to the perfect life they shared in this moment. Would it all crumble to naught?

Clementine tried to tell herself that she was being silly or selfish or cowardly, anything to quiet the fears stirring in her heart. But she knew those fears were very real. People died. Family could be lost. She’d told Ruby she was ready to let this baby into her life, to love it with all the passion and dedication that she loved AJ, but growing a new life, starting from the very beginning, held so much danger. And amidst the joy and hope of what could come to be, Clementine also felt the terror.

---

On one particularly miserable morning, Clementine tried to drag herself out of her morning miasma earlier than normal. She’d already coughed up everything from last night; there was no point dry heaving for the next hour or so and making her whole ribcage sore. Willing herself to focus on anything but her stomach, Clementine shakily slipped out of bed and onto the floor to put on her prosthetic. She had to start getting up earlier if she wanted to convince the others that she was getting better. Louis was about ready to launch an exhibition out to one of the more remote trading posts in search of meds if Clementine continued on like this.

Feeling woozy and with her legs more than a bit shaky, Clementine headed out of the room and toward the courtyard. There she found everyone already busy with their daily tasks. Prisha was on watch with Violet keeping her company, Louis sat at the table with Omar skinning rabbits for the evening meal, and Ruby was on her way to the greenhouse with Aasim. AJ and Willy were nowhere in sight which probably meant they were off somewhere else playing with Garbage. As Clementine emerged into the sunlight, Louis spotted her and got up to help.

Clementine refused to believe she needed it, but she was thankful when Louis provided a steadying hand, an arm around her waist and the other holding her hand as they walked.

“Are you alright, my sweet?” Louis’ tone had its usual playful ring to it but Clementine could see the concern in his eyes. She smiled, hoping none of her nausea showed on her face.

“Feeling great,”

Louis didn’t seem to believe her on that front, but he settled with simply placing a kiss upon her forehead and remaining silent the rest of the way to the picnic tables.

Omar smiled and nodded in greeting as Clementine sat down before his eyes widened and he quickly grabbed the half-skinned rabbit off the table. “I can do this somewhere else if you like. I know certain smells have been bothering you lately,”

“No, that’s fine. I-” Clementine felt her words catch in her throat as the smell of raw meat hit her. “Actually yeah, if you don’t mind,”

“Of course,” Omar quickly gathered up the skinning materials and rabbits and moved over to another table.

Louis rubbed Clementine’s back gently, his eyes worried. “It’s still bad, huh?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,”

“Y’know, I can head out to the Pendleton outpost and be back the next day. James said the herds in the region were pretty thin last he checked,”

“No fucking way,” Clementine internally winced at the forcefulness of her words, her eyes softening in apology. “Shit, sorry. I just want you here right now. That’s all I want,”

“OK,” Louis’ voice was soft and his eyes turned down, looking at the weathered table.

Clementine felt guilty. She couldn’t keep going like this. She had to tell Louis soon. But not now – she needed to wait until her head stopped spinning. Sighing, she laid her head upon her husband’s shoulder.

Ruby’s laugh drew Clementine’s attention over toward the greenhouse. Ruby and Aasim were doing some weeding in one of the outdoor gardens. Clementine couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at the sight of Ruby, as rosy cheeked and joyful as ever. Pregnancy didn’t seem to have affected her in the least. Meanwhile Clementine woke each morning after a shitty night’s sleep feeling as though a semi had run her over. It wasn’t fucking fair.

She shouldn’t hold her friend’s happiness against her though. With a low groan, Clementine stirred slightly, her head titling up to look at Louis. “Do you know where AJ is?”

“He and Willy went down to the basement a while ago to test out one of the new ‘inventions’ with Garbage,”

“I knew it,” That poor possum. Willy loved her but he certainly put the creature through her fair share of frights.

Louis chuckled. “Yeah. They’ve been down there a pretty long time. I can go check if you want,”

“That’s alright. I-”

Suddenly the door to the basement burst open and Willy and AJ ran outside, Garbage held high above Willy’s head. “C’ mon, Garbage, it’s time to test this out for real!” Willy declared as the boys ran toward the outer wall.

“Boys, what are you up to?” Clementine called, having half a mind to get up and investigate if not for her shaky stomach.

“We’re making an elela- an evala… we’re making something to lift Garbage onto the wall!” AJ responded.

“Garbage can already get onto the wall on her own, can’t she?”

Willy nodded as he pulled a sling out with one hand while holding a struggling Garbage in the other. “Yeah, but this way we can take her up whenever we want instead of waiting for Garbage to want to go herself,”

“Well guys, it might be better to just respect what Garbage wants-” Louis began before standing quickly. “AJ!”

The youngster was already halfway up the wall though his approach was worryingly precarious. Using only one hand while the other held the ropes and gears needed for the “elevator” to work, AJ grunted with determination each time he leapt a few inches further up the wall.

Clementine moved to get up as well but Louis put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before heading over himself. His expression shifted to a sterner look than Clementine almost never saw and his voice took a lower tone than usual. “Little man, if you don’t get down and come up with a safer plan right this second-”

It was already too late though. As the words left Louis’ mouth AJ’s hand missed the next brick and the boy came tumbling to the ground, hitting the ground with a harsh thud.

“AJ!” Clementine screamed, leaping to her feet and rushing over. The nausea hit her like a truck before she got a dozen feet though and a wrong step had her prosthetic twisting underneath her, sending Clementine tumbling to the ground.

“Clem!”

Clementine heard the terror in Ruby’s voice at her fall, but she shook her head, gesturing blindly away from herself. “Check on AJ first!” The surge in her emotions was overwhelming and before Clementine could try to hold it back she was puking again, her shoulders hunching in agony as a watery pink mixture fell to the ground. A moment later Aasim was by her side as well as Prisha. The two of them helped Clementine to her feet and began guiding her back toward the dorms.

Looking back towards the wall, Clementine could see that Louis had AJ in his arms while Ruby carefully cradled his head. The fall had knocked him out. Clementine felt tears pricking her eyes and she swallowed roughly, the taste of bile still fresh in her mouth. “I need to be with AJ. I-” She was cut off by another wave of nausea wracking her body and the trio paused for a moment before leaving the latest watery discharge behind them.

“We need to get you back in bed,” Prisha said simply, “And get some fluids back in you,”

“Prisha’s right. Louis and Ruby have AJ. Violet’s helping too,” Aasim’s grip was steady as he helped Clementine up the stairs even as her own legs felt weak.

Minutes later they were in Clementine’s room helping her into bed. As soon as she laid down Clementine insisted that they leave her and go check on AJ. Aasim agreed to go check for her while Prisha stayed by her side, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher on Clementine’s bedside table and gently guiding her to drink. She wouldn’t let Clementine speak until half of the glass had been drunk and Clementine’s racing heart had somewhat stilled. She took a last grim swallow then handed the cup back to Prisha. “It was a bad fall. He was out when I looked back. What if…”

Prisha placed a hand upon Clementine’s arm, the pressure warm and reassuring. “We aren’t dealing in ‘what ifs’, we’re dealing with what we know. AJ’s in good hands. Ruby got to him right away. We’ll hear an update any minute now,”

As though summoned, Aasim appeared in the doorway. “He’s awake,”

“Oh, thank God,” A choked sob escaped Clementine and the tears she’d held back till now spilled out.

“It looks like AJ dislocated his shoulder and he might have sprained his wrist as well. Those are both things we can fix. Louis is right by his side helping him be brave,”

“What’s the treatment going to be?” Clementine tried to sit up but gave in when her nausea almost tipped over the edge again. “Is he going to need a cast? A sling?”

“Definitely a sling. Ruby’s resetting the bones in place now which will reduce the pain but first we’ll likely hear-”

A scream echoed from the floor above but it was short-lived. Clementine looked down to see her hand was clasping Prisha’s, her knuckles pale from the tension.

Prisha looked over with sympathy, her thumb brushing against Clementine’s hand soothingly. “She just popped it back into place. That will reduce a great deal of AJ’s pain,”

As Clementine strained to listen for any other sound from the room above, she picked up a faint tune drifting in through her window. It was one she instantly recognized: a song Louis and AJ had made up together to sing when you felt mad, sad or scared. She couldn’t make out the words but she could hear both their voices singing together. The panic of the moment softened into a lingering worry. The crisis was past. Now she just needed her nausea to dissipate enough to let her go upstairs.

---

It was about an hour before Prisha and Aasim agreed that Clementine looked stable enough to get out of bed provided they stayed beside her. They didn’t need to support her arms this time but both made sure Clementine didn’t go above a brisk stroll as they made their way to the nurse’s room. There AJ lay upon a cot, his arm in a sling, with Louis sitting on the edge of the cot beside him while Ruby made a note in their inventory log of the pain meds dispensed. She looked up with a warm smile as the trio entered. “Well hey there, Sug. I was about to come check on ya but you look like you could fight a bull one-handed if need be so I’d say you’re just fine,”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Clementine smiled gratefully at her friend before joining her husband in sitting on the cot beside AJ.

AJ gave a brave smile as he looked up at Clementine though the pain was still visible in the tension between his brows. “Sorry I scared you, Clem. Louis said I did real good during the bad part though. We sang “Fuck Off to Fear” three whole times!”

“I heard,” Clementine reached forward, lightly brushing a hand through AJ’s afro. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the wall is off limits for a long time now, even after your arm gets better,”

AJ nodded sullenly. “Yeah, Louis said that a bunch of times. But as soon as I’m better I’ll be real careful so I’ll never fall again!”

“As soon as you’re better you’re grounded from any climbing for a month,”

“A whole month? That’s no fair! Violet climbs up that wall all the time and she’s blind!”

“Violet is an adult,” Clementine countered.

“And I’m only half-blind,” Violet added, appearing in the doorway with Willy looking awfully ashamed as he slunk behind her.

“Alright, there’s far too many people in here. Now scoot,” Ruby gently pushed her husband through the door, Prisha following behind the pair after she gave a parting wave. Violet nudged Willy’s shoulder to get him to step in the room then headed off hand and hand with Prisha.

Willy’s eyes were red as he looked at the little family; he’d clearly been crying. “I’m so sorry that my plan got AJ hurt. I promise I’ll never do it again,”

“We know, buddy. Hey,” Louis gently put an arm around Willy as the teen sniffled. “We know neither of you meant it. The important thing is that AJ’s gonna be okay and both of you know to be more careful in the future,”

Willy nodded though his head was still downcast. AJ looked at his friend worriedly before his face brightened. “Hey, do you wanna sing ‘Fuck Off to Fear’ with us again?” His eyes quickly shot over to Clementine for confirmation. “That’s ok, right? Cause I’m still hurt,”

Clementine couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, one more time,”

AJ and Louis immediately launched into the song with Willy soon joining in. After a minute Clementine sang along as well. Their music lilted down the hall, dispelling the fear of the moment with some good, old-fashioned swearing.

---

The nest morning, Clementine awoke with a deep-seated conviction. Today was the day. She was going to tell Louis the big news. He was on watch this morning so she’d have to get out to the courtyard first. Moving with careful intention so as to avoid any further spewage, Clementine got out of bed, put her prosthetic on, and slowly made her way toward the courtyard.

She was scared to finally share the secret but Clementine wasn’t going to let that stop her. Something about the events of yesterday had finally pushed her to not wait any longer. Maybe it was something about the terror of that moment AJ fell. It had shaken her out of the theoretical. A bad thing happened. And they had made it through alright, together. They’d do the same with this baby. Clementine felt her stomach lurch and paused a moment, breathing slowly and intentionally to dispel the nausea before she continued.

Louis had been there for AJ even when she couldn’t. He had run to AJ’s side the second he got hurt and carried him to safety, just as he had years ago when Clementine had collapsed in front of Ericson’s gates with AJ in her arms, feverish and bleeding. Louis had stayed at AJ’s side and helped him through the hardest part, giving him the courage to face the pain. And as they’d sat there together after everyone else had stepped away, just the three of them, Clementine imagined the moment there would be four. Their family was growing. She wanted Louis to know it too.

Entering the courtyard, Clementine saw Louis on watch, his dreadlocks swaying slightly in the breeze as he kept watch from the tower. Making her way over, Clementine paused when she saw Ruby and Aasim taking a morning stroll. “Ruby!”

Ruby’s brow knit slightly in concern as she and Aasim changed course and headed over to Clementine. “Everything alright, Clem? I checked on AJ this morning but I was going to drop by again soon to make sure he’s not moving that arm too much,”

“Everything’s fine. I could hear the two of them laughing in their room so the pain doesn’t seem to be bothering him too much. I actually wanted to ask if you know how soon watch duty is going to switch. There’s something I need to talk to Louis about,”

Ruby’s eyes widened in understanding. She nudged her husband in the ribs. “Hon, go ahead and take over for Louis a few minutes early. It’s important,”

Aasim looked disappointed to be sent away from his wife’s side but he nodded. “If that’s what you want. Hey, Louis!” Aasim turned round, heading toward the tower. “Clem wants to talk with you!”

Louis’ attention immediately shifted at those words and he hurried to the ladder, practically sliding down it in his haste to get to his wife.

Ruby gave Clementine a knowing smile before heading off herself. “Good luck,”

“Clem! Are you feeling OK? Is it AJ?” Louis skidded to a halt in front of her, his eyes large.

“It’s nothing like that, Lou. I just wanted to talk,”

Louis looked a bit confused at that but a smile soon returned to his face as he took Clementine’s hand. “I appreciate whatever you told Aasim to get him to take over early. That dude is fastidious when it comes to the schedule,”

“Fastidious. That���s quite a word,”

“I learned it from him,” Louis guided Clementine over toward the picnic tables, his grin turning mischievous. “He can’t really blame me for calling him a name he came up with himself,”

Clementine chuckled at that. She let Louis guide her to a seat on the picnic bench and sit down beside her before she began to speak. “So I know you’ve been really worried about me lately what with the puking and all,”

“Did Ruby figure out the cause of it?” Louis’ grip on her hand instinctively tightened.

“Yes… she actually figured it out a few weeks ago. A theory at least. We agreed it was best to wait a few weeks to see if she was right before we told anyone,”

“Is it something serious? Does she think you’ll get better soon?”

“Oh, I’ll get better. It’ll still take a few months though. Maybe longer,” Clementine’s heart sank as she saw the worry in Louis’ eyes. Fuck, she was totally messing this up. She clearly sucked at beating round the bush. She’d have to just say it outright. Taking a slow, deep breath, Clementine closed her eyes. She could do this. This was real. And it was going to be OK. “ Louis… I’m pregnant,”

Louis blinked. Then blinked again. “Sorry, what?”

“I’m pregnant, Lou. That’s why I keep puking all the time. It’s morning sickness,”

“You’re not sick?” Louis looked at her incredulously.

“No, I’m fine. Or I’ll be fine once I’m through the first trimester. Ruby said that’s about three months,” Clementine felt her confidence faltering. Was this something Louis didn’t want to hear?

“Holy shit,” Louis whispered, his gaze lost in the middle distance. Then he looked up, realization fully sparking in his eyes. “HOLY SHIT. I’m gonna be a dad?”

“That’s right,” Clementine smiled shyly as she saw the grin on Louis’ face grow.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe… you’re pregnant?”

“Like I said. Many times,”

“You’re pregnant!” Louis leaped to his feet, spinning around in exultant joy. “We’re gonna have a baby!” Vaulting from the picnic bench onto the table itself, Louis cupped his hand round his mouth and crowed. “You hear that, world? I’m gonna be a DAD!” Immediately he flinched, looking down at Clementine apologetically. “Shit, was I supposed to keep that a secret?”

“I mean, now that you know I guess everybody else can,” Clementine shrugged before her eyes suddenly widened. “AJ. We should tell him in person,”

“Shit. Maybe he didn’t hear that?” Louis looked toward the dorms worriedly but there was no sign on movement. “We can head over there right now and tell him in you’re up for it,” His hand took Clementine’s then he paused, sitting down beside her once more. His other hand hovered hesitantly before he withdrew it. “Is it…. Can I?”

It took Clementine a moment to understand. “You want to see if you can feel it?”

Louis nodded, eyes bright with anticipation.

“You can try. I don’t think you’ll be able to feel anything yet; I don’t. We can ask Ruby when to expect that to change though,”

Tenderly, Louis extended his hand and placed it upon Clementine’s stomach, silent in his reverie. He stayed like that for a moment before leaning forward and placing a kiss upon Clementine’s belly.

Clementine felt her heart race at the gesture. She’d been so afraid of this moment, so petrified of what it would mean to tell Louis and make this pregnancy real. Now that the moment was here she wondered why she’d waited all that time. Seeing Louis’ smile, the joy in his eyes at the news that he would be a father, made all her fears drift into the background. They were having a baby. Together. It felt amazing.

Drawing back, Louis looked up into Clementine’s eyes with utter adoration. “Clem…” his voice cracked and Clementine could see that his eyes were misty with tears. Leaning forward, she placed her hand upon his cheek.

“I know. I love you too,”

Louis’ eyes drifted shut as he closed the distance between them, his lips meeting Clementine’s in a warm, perfect kiss. When he pulled back, the tears had fallen, freely travelling down his cheeks. His voice was soft. “Let’s go tell AJ. He’s about to be a big brother,”

Clementine nodded, her heart too full for words. Taking Louis’ hand, she got to her feet, a bit shaky but determined. Hand in hand, the couple headed to the dormitories. Clementine could feel her anticipation grow with each step. She couldn’t wait to tell AJ the big news.

[ericsonclan]

Inseparable

Summary: Clementine heads out to hunt with AJ looking forward to spend some time with the one she loves most.

Word Count: 3138

Read on AO3:

Clementine glanced down at the worn-out map of Ericson and gave a long sigh. Things were really starting to come together around here. It had taken a lot of work and time to process all that had happened but after what felt like countless months they had finally reached it. A new normal.

Clementine’s eyes studied the map once more, her fingers tracing the different markers until they paused on the marker for the traps. Today was the day. She’d finally go out and get to help with hunting again instead of being stuck with indoor chores. She knew exactly which partner she wanted to take with her. Clementine smiled softly to herself then folded up the map and tucked it away in the headmaster's desk.

With a deep breath Clementine turned sharply on her heel and opened the door. Her fingertips brushed against the hallway wall as she moved forward. For some reason she was swept up in a feeling of nostalgia; maybe it was because things were finally truly looking up. She had been cleared to help out on all chores now. She had gone hunting a handful of times already. Louis had always jumped to volunteer to go with her and each time they went out he’d been extra protective of her, making sure that the coast was clear each step of the way.

But today she wanted to give Louis a break, let him focus on other things and go with the person who was the nearest and dearest to her heart. All she had to do was find AJ. He wouldn’t be hard to spot with his afro and never-ending energy and determination to help protect the school.

Clementine moved down the stairway carefully since she was still getting used to the newest prosthetic that Willy had made her and headed toward the door. With a strong push she opened it and was greeted immediately by Rosie. The pitbull happily wagged her tail and moseyed over to Clementine, giving her hand plentiful licks.

“Hey, girl,” Clementine laughed and wiped the dog's saliva off her left hand before giving Rosie some much needed head scratches. The pitbull soaked up the love and happily panted, her tongue drooped out of the right side of her mouth as she enjoyed this simple bliss. Clementine chuckled once more then looked up. Her eyes scanned the courtyard and noticed that Aasim was helping carry some fertilizer over with Ruby, their joined hands lazily swaying back and forth as he whispered sweet words into Ruby’s ear. The redhead’s rosy cheeks turned rosier as she stopped for a moment and got up on her tiptoes to surprise Aasim with a tender kiss. Aasim was shocked for a moment but immediately deepened the kiss before leading the way towards the greenhouse to store away the fertilizer. Omar waved towards the pair from the watchtower and exchanged a few words then resumed his lookout duty.

“That's bullshit!” Violet’s voice made Clementine glance over to see her friend crossing her arms as Louis gave a shrug.

“The game is the game,” Louis offered his best friend a playful smile as he shuffled the cards with a bit of a flamboyant flair.

“The only reason you're winning is because I’m fucking blind,” Violet grumbled and leaned her arms on the table. Her eyes tried to follow Louis’ movement as he started to deal the cards.

“Partially blind, and no, I’m winning because I’m the best at card games,” Louis’ statement made Violet roll her eyes. “In fact you might say I am the greatest card player to ever live! I-”

“Just deal the damn cards,” Violet groaned and waited until all the cards had been dealt before picking them up. She was acting like this game wasn’t fair and that she was just doing this for Louis’ sake but the small smile on her lips showed her real feelings. Based on the grin on Louis’ face, he had picked up on that too.

Clementine’s eyes moved away from the pair and over towards the loud laughter nearby. Willy was happily chasing AJ who kept bobbing and weaving through the courtyard to avoid his friend. Stretching his arm out, AJ grabbed the flagpole and spun around to dodge Willy as he tried to tag him.

“Gotta be faster, dummy!” AJ smiled back at Willy who frowned for a second before a confident smile appeared on his face.

“You’re gonna be the dummy when I finally tag you!” Willy sprinted forward and began to close the distance between the two of them. AJ’s eyes grew large and he quickly sidestepped to avoid Willy, laughing smugly when he was successful.

AJ was about to run off again but he stopped when he noticed Clementine. His eyes immediately shone with joy and he scampered forward. “Time out!” AJ yelled as he ran up the steps of the admin building, jumping over steps to reach Clementine faster. His arms stretched foward and he tackled Clementine in a loving hug. He had put so much force into it that it caused Clementine to stumble back a bit.

“Whoa there, kiddo! You gotta give me some warning next time,” Clementine teased as she ruffled AJ’s afro fondly. AJ looked up with a big smile, only a flicker of apology in his eyes.

“Sorry. Oh! You wanna play tag with me and Willy?” AJ asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

“Not now, goofball. I was going to go out hunting and I was hoping I’d find you because I needed to ask you something,”

That statement made AJ’s nose scrunch up. “What?”

Clementine knelt down in front of AJ to be more at his level, a warm smile on her lips. “Want to be my hunting buddy today?”

AJ’s eyes grew large and he nodded excitedly. “Yes! Are we going now?”

“Yep, just gonna grab my bow and I’ll be all set,” Clementine smiled when she saw AJ’s little happy dance. She loved whenever he got excited enough to do that.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep you safe,” AJ’s expression turned serious and he met Clementine’s eyes. “I’ve been working hard.” He patted his hip which had a sheath with his knife in it, a gift that Clementine and Louis had bartered for with a caravan not long ago. Clementine had wanted to make sure that AJ had a weapon all his own so he wouldn’t have to rely on shivs anymore.

“I know you will,” Clementine pulled AJ in for another hug then started to walk towards the targets where the bows were kept while AJ went to explain to Willy that their game of tag would have to wait.

Clementine’s eyes searched the pile of bows and landed upon Marlon’s old bow. Her hand grasped it and she examined it closely, her mind being drawn back to the day it had been fished up from the stream by the fishing shack. Even though Clementine had mixed feelings about Marlon and what had transpired she still found it fitting that his bow would continue to protect the school.

“I heard you’re heading out,” Louis’ voice shook Clementine from her inner thoughts and she looked over at her boyfriend whose eyes held love and concern for her.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Clementine took one of Louis’ hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. “AJ and I will be safe. I promise.”

Louis still seemed worried but he nodded. “Okay, you better be because if anything happened to you or that little dude-” Louis’ throat became tight and he took a deep breath. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with? Because I totally can.” “No, it's okay. I think it's good for you to have some down time. You’ve been pushing yourself so hard lately and besides I think some one on one time with AJ will be good for me too,”

Louis nodded and gave Clementine a quick, warm kiss that soon turned into many before he wrapped her up in a hug.

“Be safe,” he whispered into Clementine’s ear and she immediately returned the hug.

“Always,” Clementine held on tight then slipped her hands free and gave Louis one final goodbye kiss.

“Clem! I’m ready!” AJ declared proudly as he barreled forward with Rosie in tow. “Rosie wanted to come too. Is that okay?”

“Sure, I think that's a great idea.” Clementine ruffled AJ’s afro once more then started to head over towards the gate. Giving their final goodbye waves, the trio set out towards the traps.

“So, you gonna be my eyes and ears to make sure no walkers get near me?” Clementine smiled over at AJ who nodded determinedly.

“Yeah, those monsters won’t get near you,” AJ’s grip on his knife tightened and Rosie gave a small bark in agreement.

Clementine smiled at that; she really was lucky to have AJ beside her. He had kept her going throughout all those hellish years on the road, had always been by her side and had kept her safe just like she did for him. Now they’d continue to be the inseparable duo they always were excect now they had a forever home to come back to. After all those years of searching they had finally found their home. The thought made Clementine’s heart swell with pure happiness as she notched an arrow to prepare to snag any rabbits that came their way.

The two walked side by side down the trail, the leaves and twigs crunching and snapping underfoot as they were on the lookout for both walkers and rabbits. An unnerving groan to Clementine’s left drew her attention and she pulled back the drawstring, releasing the arrow and hitting a walker right in between the eyes. Walking over, she pulled out the used arrow and brushed the blood off on the side of her pant leg.

“I get the next one,” AJ commented as he jogged over to Clementine, Rosie right on his tail.

“Alright,” Clementine nodded, then led the way forward. It wasn’t long before another walker was spotted. “Okay, AJ, now remember-”

“Kick out the leg then aim for the head,” AJ finished Clementine’s instruction then moved forward to take down the walker.

“Hey, stupidhead!” AJ yelled, getting the walker’s attention. The walker roamed forward, its milky eyes staring blankly at AJ as it extended its arms to grab its next meal. AJ easily dodged its attempt to grab him though and kicked out its leg. The walker fell with a groan and AJ lifted up his knife and plunged it into the walker’s skull. His blade became slick with blood and brain matter as he yanked it out, causing the walker to fall over dead. AJ took a deep breath then looked back at Clementine with a smile.

Clementine returned the smile, her eyes shining with pride as AJ ran back towards her. “That was great, AJ. You’ve really gotten better with the knife,” Clementine knelt down. “You’ve definitely grown.” “I’ve always been this tough, Clem,” AJ corrected and Clementine gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, you have. Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?” Clementine asked as she led the way once more.

“Yeah, all the time,” AJ jogged forward along with Rosie, his eyes peeled for any signs of threats.

“Well, I’m gonna tell you again. I’m super proud of you, AJ.” Clementine smiled over at AJ who beamed at her praise. After a moment of them sharing a smile both focused back on the trail, making sure the path was clear. Soon the two got into a rhythm along with Rosie, clearing out walkers. There weren’t that many today which was nice and with how capable all three of them were it was easy to clear the way.

“Do you need a break, Clem? Is your leg hurting?” AJ stopped and looked at Clementine, his hands on his hips. “You gotta make sure you don’t push it.”

“I’m not. My leg is okay for now. I promise that as soon as it's too much I’ll tell you,”

AJ thought about Clementine’s words for a moment then gave a nod. “Okay, promise?” He held out his pinky.

“Promise,” Clementine intertwined her pinky with his. The two shared a smile then continued forward.

After a minute they had reached the traps and then began to undo the ones that had been triggered, taking the game and then resetting them once more. It seemed like a fairly good haul today. They didn’t need to gather as much as before now that they had the rabbit pen but still it was good not to abuse that and grow cocky in thinking it was unlimited.

Clementine handed over some more of the rabbits to AJ who had offered to carry some more then began to walk towards the next trap, careful to avoid setting off another. Suddenly though her balance shifted due to her still getting used to this newest prototype and her foot gave out, leading it to get snagged in the trap. A small, startled yell left her lips as she immediately flipped upside down as the trap pulled her up into the air.

“Clem!” AJ’s voice was frantic as he ran forward with Rosie who gave a worried bark.

“I’m fine, kiddo. Just lost my footing for a second there. Mind helping me get down? I-” Clementine froze when she saw a group of four walkers roam forward. Low, gurling moans left their hollow throats as they approached. “AJ! Behind you!”

AJ spun around, his knife drawn as his eyes grew big. Rosie growled protectively and got ready to take down the walkers before her.

“Don’t worry, Clem, I’ve got this,” AJ took a deep breath and tossed the rabbits to the ground then shuffled over to the right to take down the walker that was furthest away from the others. Picking up a rock, AJ tossed it against a tree to draw over the walker.

The walker’s head tilted as its jaw flapped due to it being loose and decayed. Stumbling forward, the walker went for its new target. AJ used that to his advantage and harshly kicked out its leg before embedding his knife into its head. He grunted as he struggled to pull out the knife. His sounds of struggle drew one of the other walker’s attention who wandered towards the child.

Clementine felt her fear rising and she tried to lift herself up to cut the rope and get free. Unsheathing her knife, she leaned up and was nearly at the rope when her knife dropped. “Shit! Fuck!” Clementine whacked against the tree due to the force of her swaying. Her eyes immediately went back to AJ who had successfully gotten the knife out of the first walker’s skull but the other walker was nearly upon him now.

Suddenly Rosie dashed forward and jumped onto the walker, pushing it down. The walker groaned, its arms flailing about until Rosie’s maw pierced into its skull and crushed it into a bloody pulp. Brain matter and blood coated the pitbull’s mouth as she moved to attack another walker, her teeth ending its existence in mere seconds.

AJ took a deep breath and picked up the rock. Using the same tactic again, he guided the last walker over to a secluded spot and kicked out its knee. With a sharp jab AJ’s knife ended the walker’s hollow life and soon the monster was on the ground, limpless and lifeless. AJ let out a shaky sigh and gave Rosie some head pats then ran over towards Clementine. “I did it!” He smiled proudly and Clementine returned it, her heart relieved that he was okay.

“You did. Good job, AJ!”

AJ’s smile grew at that praise before he turned his attention towards helping get Clementine down. Studying the tree for a moment, AJ proceeded to climb it carefully while holding the handle of the knife in his mouth. He’d have to cut the trap, destroying it in the process, but he’d make up for it by helping Willy whenever he came out with Louis to replace the trap. Holding onto the tree with one hand, AJ spat out his knife into his other hand and worked to cut down Clementine. The edge of his blade slid back and forth on the rope, slowly cutting through each thread until finally it snapped and Clementine came crashing down. Clementine gave a pained groan as she landed, causing AJ’s eyes to widen with worry.

“Clem!” AJ hastily climbed down the tree and placed away his knife before running over to check on her. “Are you okay? I was trying to help and- Did I do a bad?” AJ had a guilty pout as his sight turned to Clementine.

Clementine took a shaky breath and got up then kneeled in front of AJ. Without a word she wrapped him in a hug. “No, you did good. You helped make sure I was okay. You and Rosie both,”

The pitbull barked happily at the mention of her name, her stub tail wagging back and forth.

AJ held tightly onto the hug. “Told ya I’d keep you safe,”

“You did,” Clementine pulled back and gave AJ a smile. “Now how about we take what we caught for the day and head back home.”

“Okay,” AJ ran over to pick up the game and separated it evenly while Clementine retrieved her knife and bow, glad that both weapons were still in good condition. She paused for a moment and looked at AJ.

AJ felt her staring and his sight turned towards her. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad I have you, that's all.”

Clementine’s words made AJ’s heart warm with happiness. “Me too!” He smiled as Clementine wrapped her arm around him and planted a kiss on the top of his head. “Bleh, a kiss!” “Hey now! That was to show that I love you,” Clementine defended her gesture as AJ walked forward.

“I already know you love me,” AJ looked back at Clementine, waiting for her to catch up. Clementine sighed and ran forward to catch up with AJ before the two wandered back down the path with Rosie in tow.

“Well, even if you know it, I’m gonna keep showing you that I do and keep saying it. I love you, AJ.” Clementine’s eyes locked with his.

“I love you too,” AJ smiled brightly up at Clementine and he led the way forward. His heart was warm with those words and his pulse had settled now that Clementine was safe. As AJ walked forward through the woods towards his home he knew that no matter what they’d always look out for each other and would always be together. They were inseparable.