#clem looking for a home and finding one at ericsons. vi never seeing ericsons as a home and even wanting to leave until clem showed up 😭

[spacedlexi]

violentine literally has everything. tension to friends to lovers. i wall myself off from people to keep myself safe but theres something about you. we understand each other. going against your group to stand up for this person and what you believe is right. "i saw that you were in danger and i just acted without thinking". battle team. co leaders. "ive lost so many people and i cant lose you too i wont". struggling single parent finding someone who supports her And her kid. not-so-ex-girlfriend one of the main villains. go to war together. captured together. escape together but lost in the chaos and later reuniting. twice. fighting ex together. twice. making it back (mostly) safe and sound and building a real home worth fighting for together

BUT theyre in a choice game so you can also have: betrayal. manipulated by not-so-ex-girlfriend in a moment of severe weakness into agreeing with the wrong side. fighting against each other (and later apologizing). severe injury? DEATH?? no matter what a sacrifice is Made???

[angelsunflowers-fanfics]

[TWDG] Louis x Female!reader (Reuniting)

“hi!! could you do a Louis (twdg) x fem! reader where they’re dating and they’ve escaped the boat and get separated for a bit and just a real fluffy reunion at the end (pls no tongueless Lou please sksksks) “

Genre: Angst-fluff

Linktree

~~~

Louis kept Minnie distracted while Clementine figured a way out of her cell, though the boy was quickly losing his temper. (Y/n) placed a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him down, but he barely noticed over his rising temperature as the anger flourishes through him.   

"After everything, she’s done? You’re just gonna help her? FUCK You!" Louis screamed.  

Louis gripped the bars tightly in his hands, wanting to rip them off completely. 

Luckily, his little outburst was more than enough for Clementine to slam open the door to knock Minnie to the ground and let herself and Violet out. Clem quickly released the lock on the cell opposite to hers before she turned to the group. Violet kneeled next to her ex-girlfriend, not wanting to go back to school now that she had seen Minnie for the first time in a year, and after all that time she spent mourning.   

Minnie is knocked out as Violet brushed her fingers through her ex-lover’s hair; missing how long it used to be.  

“Violet, we need to go. She isn’t the same Minnie she was a year ago. I’m sorry,” (y/n) said.

(y/n)’s words almost stroke a chord in her, enough to leave the boat and Minnie? Violet only shook her head in response, not knowing who or what to believe anymore. After everything Lily and the rest of the Raiders put her through, she didn’t know if her own thoughts are hers. What was she supposed to believe? (y/n) glared at the floor before she decided to stay with Violet to convince her to go back to Ericson’s with everyone. 

"I'll stay with Violet. You guys should go while you can," (y/n) said. 

Louis took a step forward to say something to convince her and maybe Violet but couldn’t get a word out as Clementine grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the exit, trusting (y/n) to take care of Violet for her. 

Louis hated leaving (y/n) anywhere, but he didn’t have a choice in this scenario. Not when everyone he knew was in danger. He, along with Aasim and Omar immediately headed off of the boat and into a semi-safety zone as Clementine dealt with Lily. 

But (y/n) was stuck with Violet, trying to console her and convince her to come back home. But it was taking more time than they actually had. (y/n) wasn’t even sure when the bomb was actually going to go off, but she had to keep trying. 

“Vi, please. I can’t imagine what Lily and the other raiders said to you but it’s not true. I know how much you loved Minnie, we all did… but she’s not the same person she was a year ago, I’m sorry,” (y/n) softly said. 

Violet was hesitant, it was normal. Nobody but her and the raiders knew what happened to her psyche. 

Becoming mentally abused was just as bad as being physically abused. 

But she gave (y/n) her hand to pull her up and leave the boat. She, and everyone else, just wanted to be rid of the past few days worth of memories. 

Violet didn’t say a word as she followed (y/n) out of the boat, what did she even say to make up for her former actions? It was probably better to deal with it later, maybe when they were all back home, safe and sound. 

By the time the boat exploded, most of the students were on the cart carried by the horse, leaving already. But Louis didn’t feel comfortable leaving (y/n) for the second time that night. It would feel wrong to leave the person he cherished most in the world for raiders and walkers. 

“Louis, come on. She can take care of herself. You can come back for her after everyone else is safe,” Aasim disagreed. 

Another moment of hesitation was all it took for Violet and (y/n) to enter Louis’ sights, making a beeline toward the cart full of injured students. 

“(y/n), babe--” Before Louis could say much else, (y/n) pushed Violet into the cart before she looked to Aasim as he was the oldest of all the former students of the school. 

“Go, I can hold them off for a while, but you need to go now,” (y/n) said. 

Before Louis could gain her attention, she shoved him into the small space as well, not letting him have a word. 

Louis wasn’t able to hop out of the cart by the time the horses took off toward the school. He could only watch helplessly as the love of his life fought for her safety. Though Louis tried to escape the cart to go help, Aasim and the rest of the kids were quick to catch onto his plan and hold him back. 

"No! I have to help her! I can't lose her…" Louis’s voice cracked as he struggled to get out of the grip of Aasim and Violet. 

All of their heart's broke at the broken look on Louis' face, but they knew (y/n) wouldn't be happy with Louis being in danger, so they kept their grip tight on him. 

Luckily, the way back to the school didn’t feel very long with the horses and all the students occupied with keeping Louis away from the dangerous site. But the second the horses stopped in the school, Louis was out of their vice grip and was turned to them, 

“I’m going to find her, I can’t leave her in the woods all alone,” Louis spoke up. 

The group was silent for a few moments, they just wanted everyone to be safe, but Louis wasn’t going to stop fighting until (y/n) was safe in his arms once again. 

Aasim stepped forward and grabbed Louis by the shoulders, giving him a stern look before he spoke, “Okay, stay safe.” 

Louis straightened out his outfit before he gave Aasim a confident smile. 

“Well, Safety is my middle name,” Louis joked. 

Aasim and the rest of the kids stared at Louis with a deadpan look. It was no time for jokes, but of course it was in Louis’ nature.     

“Isn’t it Jamie?” Louis gave Aasim a joking glare before he turned toward the forest and searched for his beloved. 

…

Luckily it didn’t take more than a few hours for Louis to find (y/n) aimlessly wandering the woods. She was never good with directions. 

Louis released a relieved gasp to see his love all in one piece and healthy, or she looked to be from the distance at the very least. 

Louis picked up the speed with his feet until he was only a few yards away from (y/n) before he yelled out to her, “(y/n)!” 

(y/n) pointed her gaze to Louis, happy to see a familiar face in the endless woods. A smile broke onto her face and without any warning, she jumped into Louis’s arms. 

Though he almost lost his footing, Louis wrapped his arms around (Y/n), securing her to him so if they both fell, they’d be falling together.

“Lou. I’m glad you got out safe,” (y/n) said as she pulled away and onto her own two feet before continuing, “Is everyone safe, the children?” 

Louis was hoping that Clementine and the kids would be safe as well, but it looked as if (y/n) had been on her own for the past hour. 

“No, but I’m sure we can find them together. Alright, Babe?” Louis offered.

(y/n) was grateful for Louis’s optimism, she would have lost hope a long time ago without it. She granted Louis a quick kiss on the lips, one of her hands slipped into his before she pulled away. 

“Okay. But I don’t want you leaving my side for a while.” 

Louis leaned in to rest his forehead against (y/n)’s, his tone lowered to one that could be compared to a whisper, “Of course, Baby. I want to be by your side the whole way.” 

Getting onto the task finally, (Y/n) and Louis, hand-in-hand, set out to find Clementine, AJ, Tennessee and James: unscathed and safe. 

[ericsonclan]

His Miracle

Summary: After getting separated from Clementine and A.J. at the bridge, Louis tries to return to find them again, praying they're still alive.

Read on A03: 

Louis felt like he was going to be sick. His legs were shaky underneath him as he made his way through the forest, hoping by the time he reached Ericson Clementine and A.J. would already be there. How could he be so stupid, jumping that fence and getting himself separated from them? Now Clementine was limping through the woods on an injured leg with a whole herd of walkers scattered throughout the forest. He couldn’t think about that right now. He had to focus on making it past the walkers and back to the school so that if Clementine wasn’t there he could turn right around, hopefully with help, and bring her and A.J. back.

It was a long, convoluted route home to the school. With James’ herd and the sound of the Delta ship’s explosion drawing even more walkers, the forest was infested on a level that Louis had never seen before. He had no weapons. Chairles and his dagger had been confiscated when the Delta forced him and A.J. into that cell. Both were now probably at the bottom of the river with the rest of the wreckage. With nothing to defend himself but a rock he’d picked up along the way, Louis skirted round most walkers, kicking out knees and bashing skulls only when absolutely necessary. The fleeting thought to cover himself in walker guts again appeared but was quickly dismissed. Even if he smelled like them, Louis was sure the walkers would notice one that they’d assumed to be their own sprinting through the woods.

After a long, arduous trek back, Louis reached the gates of Ericson. Willy was on guard duty, standing watch. He waved excitedly when he saw Louis. “Ruby, Aasim! Louis made it back!” He leapt down from his perch, opening the gate for Louis.

Aasim was immediately before him, his expression tense. “Louis, you made it! Where are the others: Clem, A.J., Tenn?”

Tenn. The name left a bitter taste of bile upon Louis’ tongue as he thought of the boy he’d seen torn to shreds before his very eyes. He couldn’t tell Aasim yet. If he thought on it too long, he might fall apart. He needed to be strong now. Louis shook his head. “I got separated from Clem and A.J. back at the bridge. They haven’t made it back yet?”

Aasim shook his head. “No, we haven’t seen them. Willy’s been on watch this whole time.

“Then I’m going back out there. I need a weapon. Are there any spare knives I can borrow?”

“Louis, it’s getting dark out. You won’t be able to see anything-”

“Then I’ll take a torch!” Louis snapped, his voice tight. “Clem’s hurt! She and A.J won’t make it out there alone! I have to go, so somebody give me a knife or something I can use to defend myself. 

I have to go!” Louis felt a hand tugging his arm. He looked over to see Willy holding up a hunting knife.

“Here. It was Mitch’s. He’d want you to use it,” Willy’s eyes were downcast, the emotion still thick in his voice.

Taking the knife, Louis wrapped an arm around Willy, pulling him in to place a quick kiss on the top of his head. They weren’t losing any more kids today. He would make sure of that.

“I’ll come too,” Aasim said, his gaze steady. “Just let me tell Ruby and then we can be on our way,”

“Thank you,”

“Of course,” With that Aasim made his way back toward the dorms. Louis wondered if he should go with him so he could check on how Omar and Violet were doing. Seeing Violet’s eyes though… Louis wasn’t sure if he could take that right now. Ruby had told him Vi’s eyes weren’t infected. That was all he needed to know right now. Aasim returned with a torch and his bow and arrows and they were off. Night had fallen and the light cast by the torch Louis carried only illuminated the path a few feet in front of them. They walked in silence, both keeping their eyes and ears out for walkers.

“We should head to the bridge by the shortest route possible,” Aasim spoke softly. “If we don’t find them by the time we reach the bridge, then we double back and cover a wider area until we do,”

Louis nodded.

“Clem and A.J. are smart. They’ve survived outside our walls far better than we ever could,”

Louis nodded again, silent.

Aasim paused before speaking again. “When you said you got separated from Clem and A.J., you didn’t mention Tenn. Is he…?”

Their eyes met, telling Aasim all he needed to know.

They turned away from each other, facing forward. Aasim roughly cleared his throat. “We’ll find them, even if it takes us all night,”

Louis glanced over, seeing the glassiness of Aasim’s eyes. He was barely holding it together either. But he was here. He wasn’t giving up. There was still hope.

As they made their way through the forest, Louis’ thoughts turned to Clementine. She’d walked into his life at one of its darkest points. Finding out the truth of what Marlon had done to the twins and realizing how his own indifference had helped lead to his best friend’s despair were truths that haunted Louis. And the way he had lashed out at Clem and A.J. for what A.J. had done, kicking them out of the school and almost getting both of them killed… but Clementine had forgiven him. After all the mistakes he’d made, she stood by him and accepted his apology.

Then their relationship had become something more, full of a feeling Louis thought he’d never get to experience once the world came to an end. He loved Clementine. He loved everything she was and everything she believed he could be. He wanted to be by her side for as long as she would let him. He wouldn’t lose her now, not after everything they had been through. He’d bring her home, no matter what.

During the walk to the bridge, both boys watched and hoped for Clementine and A.J. to appear at any moment. Instead all they came across were walkers. They avoided as many as they could, only drawing their weapons when all other alternatives had left them. They didn’t want the sounds of a scuffle to bring a herd down upon them or to do the same to Clementine and A.J. if they were nearby. As they got closer and closer to the bridge, Louis’ heart tightened. The tension settled deep within his gut, an immovable knot. By the time they reached the point where they’d been separated, Louis felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Clem and A.J. hadn’t made it back to the school. They weren’t on the trail either. Then where were they? Aasim noticed Louis’ state. He placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him. “Breathe, Louis. We’ve only started our search. Now you said you got separated when you hopped over that fence. Where was the last place you saw Clem and A.J. heading?”

“They…” Louis shook his head, struggling to clear it. “They had to fall back. The road ahead was swarmed with walkers and the bridge wasn’t any better,”

“They must have climbed then,” Aasim scanned the nearby cliffs. “Come on. We’ll see if we can find any trail they might have left. They combed the rocks at the base of the cliff, searching for some sort of confirmation of Aasim’s theory.

“There!” Louis pointed to a small trail of blood leading up the rocks. The boys quickly scaled the cliff, finding more blood when they got to the top. Louis could feel his hand quivering, but he couldn’t stop it. That cut Minnie gave Clem had been so deep. What if she hadn’t been able to walk any further? Had she found someplace to hide? Was A.J. still with her or had she sent him on ahead?

“This is a good sign,” Aasim’s voice was steady. “We know they made it up here, away from all those walkers. And they kept moving. Now we just need to catch up,” Louis gestured to some indentations in the sandy dirt beside the blood spatter. “Clem had Minnie’s axe with her. Maybe she was using it as some sort of crutch,” The markings went a few feet out from the blood spatter, towards the woods.

“It’s our best bet. We’ll keep our search wide to make sure we don’t miss them,” Venturing into the forest together, the boys kept their senses sharp, hoping for any sort of sign. The flickering torchlight gave the lowest branches of the trees an eerie glow. They walked in silence, the only sounds being those made by the forest life. It took Louis a few minutes to realize why that was odd.

“Aasim,”

“Yeah?”

“There’s no walkers up here. The entire way down to the bridge we were practically swarmed by them. Why is this area so quiet?”

Aasim shrugged. “Could be they’ve cleared out, headed somewhere else,”

Louis shook his head. “Walkers don’t move that fast, not unless they have something guiding them. I don’t know if that guy James even made it out alive though,”

“I guess we’ll just have to count it as a blessing,”

Louis felt unsure. If Clementine and A.J. were nearby, there should be walkers too. The trail of Clementine’s blood alone should be drawing them in for the hunt. Unless there was nothing left to hunt. Images flashed through Louis’ mind: the kids they’d lost when the walkers first attacked the school, Brody’s corpse they’d had to pull up from the basement, Tenn’s boots, the only thing visible as walkers descended upon him… what if Clem and A.J. really were gone? Louis could feel his heart racing. He forced down the lump in his throat roughly, trying to breathe steadily. He didn’t know that for sure. It wasn’t true, not until he saw it.

After a few minutes more they found themselves approaching a clearing where a derelict barn stood. Even in the faint light cast by the moon, they could see walker corpses scattered around it. Louis ran forward, Aasim close behind. Maybe Clementine and A.J. had been able to hide in there. The barn doors were open though. Rushing in, his knife drawn, Louis looked round the barn. There were more dead walkers inside. All the stalls along the sides of the barn had been shut and a small fire had been made in the center of the room, trails of smoke still wisping up in the air from the smoldering remains. That was when Louis saw it. A bloody leg lying in a pile of blood beside the hay bales. That was Clementine’s boot. It was Clem’s leg. An unnatural wail left Louis’ mouth. His legs gave out from under him, his shoulders heaving as he vomited, collapsing against the ground.

“Holy fuck,” Aasim whispered, his voice wavering as he stepped toward the leg. Cautiously he knelt beside it, peeling back the badly mangled boot. “She was bitten,”

The worst had happened. Louis had left Clementine alone and the thing he feared most had befallen her. Louis’ head pounded painfully as he felt his shoulders tighten again, vomiting once more. She’d been in here with A.J., injured, afraid, her life fading before her very eyes. Louis’ eyes ventured toward the leg once more. There was so much blood. The barn reeked of it, the dirt soaking it up beneath them.

Aasim walked over, picking up the torch from where it had fallen out of Louis’ grasp onto the ground. His eyes scanned their surroundings. “Neither of them are here anymore. They must have left,” He looked down to Louis, grabbing his arm. “Louis, do you hear me? They left. Clementine must have survived the amputation,”

He was right. There wasn’t a body here. A.J. was nowhere to be seen. He must have gotten Clementine out. They were still trying to get back to the school. But how could they possibly have kept moving? Did Clementine stay awake as her leg was hewed off? There was no way A.J. could have carried her. Looking back toward the hay bales, Louis noticed something. Forcing himself to his feet, he hurried over to where the leg lay in the pool of blood. There was another trail here. Something had been pushed through the blood, leaving faint streaks along the ground. A.J. must have found something he could push Clementine along in. They could still find them. Grabbing the torch from Aasim, Louis hurried out of the building and back into the night.

“Louis, what-”

“I found a trail! They made it out of here!” Louis stopped short as the trail did, barely outside of the barn. There was no more blood. Where had they gone? They had to find them; Clementine didn’t have much time. If that amputation had worked, if it had stopped the bite from taking over, she still needed medical aid. They needed to get her back to Ruby. Looking round the open yard, Louis’ head turned in the direction of the school. They didn’t have time to waste searching the entire perimeter. He had to hope that A.J. had headed off in the right direction. Louis ran.

He could hear the sound of Aasim’s breathing close behind him. Hopefully whatever little luck they’d been given would hold and there were no walkers nearby. Their steps were barely illuminated by the torchlight as they ran, dodging roots and debris along the way. Louis’ could feel his throat burning from his vomit. His head was still pounding, feeling thick and woozy. None of that mattered. He just had to hold out long enough to find Clementine and A.J. and bring them home safe.

That was when they spotted them. A small figure wobbled as he walked, unsteadily pushing a large wheelbarrow in front of him. A single leg dangled from the wheelbarrow.

“A.J.!” Louis’ tone was a whispered hiss as he ran forward.

The boy turned round in surprise, his eyes widening. “Louis!” His face immediately fell as he looked back towards the wheelbarrow. “Clem got bit. We need to get her back to the school,”

Louis circled the wheelbarrow, his heart breaking at the sight before him. Clementine lay crumpled within the wheelbarrow, the place where her left leg had been now nothing but a bloody stump below the knee. Her skin was a sickly grey shade, paler than Louis had ever seen her. Immediately he handed the torch off to A.J. and lifted Clementine into his arms, cradling her close. A small whimper came from Clementine though she didn’t stir.

“Clem, can you hear me? It’s Louis. I’ve got you. A.J.’s here too and Aasim. We’re safe. And we’re going to get you home safe too,” Louis’ voice shook as he spoke despite his best efforts. “Just hold on, OK? Stay with us. We’re going home,” He turned to look back at Aasim. “We have to keep running. We can’t slow down,”

Aasim nodded, looking down at A.J. “You’re going to have to get onto my back. Then I’ll hand you the torch. Louis can’t hold it while he’s carrying Clementine and I need both my hands for my bow and arrows. Can you hold it steady while we run?”

A.J. nodded, determination in his eyes. “You can count on me,”

After a few moments to get themselves sorted out they were off once more, running through the forest in the dead of night. Clementine moaned faintly in Louis’ arms. He prayed for her sake she stayed asleep. He couldn’t imagine how much pain she must be in. Holding her close to his chest, he kept his steps as steady as possible, his breathing heavy. Aasim and A.J. were directly in front of him, lighting the way. They were still a few kilometers from the school. Clementine just needed to hold out till then. Then everything would be OK. She had to be OK.

Louis could feel a wetness spreading against him. Clementine’s leg was still bleeding. The acrid tang of burnt flesh told him what the fire in the barn had been for. A.J. must have attempted to cauterize Clementine’s leg. It hadn’t completely closed the wound though. Would the smell draw more walkers to them? Then they’d kill them all. He’d rip them apart with his bare hands if he needed to.

Their luck didn’t hold out for very long. Three walkers suddenly emerged from the forest and the group was forced to stop dead in their tracks. Aasim was their only defense. Silently, he drew his bow and let an arrow fly. His shot was true. That was one. Repositioning himself as quietly as possible, he took out the other. The third seemed to catch on to his location, approaching them quickly. Dropping his bow, Aasim drew a knife and brained the walker after a quick struggle. A.J. jumped down, helping Aasim collect his arrows, then returned to his back and they were off once more. The journey continued like this: running whenever possible, avoiding and circling as many walkers as they could and relying on Aasim’s bow as a last resort. Every minute was agonizing to Louis. He could feel Clementine stirring in his arms and worried she’d wake before they reached Ericson gates. He couldn’t run with her writhing in agony. She needed to stay asleep. Frantically, he hummed a few notes under his breath, hoping the tune would calm her. He chose the first song that came to mind: the song he had written for her. Clementine’s eyes remained shut. That was all Louis could ask for.

When they finally reached the school, they could see Ruby and Willy waiting worriedly by the gate. Willy opened the gate as soon as he saw them. They ran through quickly, all breathing heavily. Ruby’s eyes were large as she saw Clementine. “What in God’s name happened out there?”

“She was bit,” Aasim answered quickly. “A.J. performed the amputation,”

“You can save her, right?” A.J. asked, his voice quivering. “You saved us before after the car crash,”

Ruby’s eyes softened. “I’ll try my very best,” She looked up to Louis. “Bring her inside. We’ll put her in her room. Aasim, I’ll need your help gathering the necessary medical supplies.

Aasim nodded, hurrying off with Ruby without another word.

Louis could feel his adrenaline flagging. All that had been keeping him going was the thought of getting Clementine behind Ericson’s walls. Being here now and realizing how much was yet to be done… Louis shook his head. C’mon, you can do this. One foot in front of the other. Keep going. He could still run. He’d run as far as Clem needed to keep her safe.

By the time he reached the room, the door was already open. Omar was waiting inside, lighting candles upon the dresser. For a moment Louis thought to Omar’s own injury, wondering how he was holding up. Should he be walking on that leg? Setting those thoughts aside for now, Louis laid Clementine down gently upon her bed. Heavy breathing beside him caused Louis to look down at A.J. He must have had to sprint to keep up.

There was a sound of tape ripping. Omar had taken one of Clementine’s wrist and was taping it to the bed post.

“What are you doing?” Louis asked, his voice wavering.

“It’s just a precaution. Same thing we did after the car crash. We-” Omar’s words were cut short as the duct tape clattered to the ground. He looked to Louis in surprise, noticing how heavily he was breathing.

“Don’t you fucking dare. Clem’s going to be fine. She just needs Ruby’s help,”

“Louis, I-”

“No!” Louis cried, kicking the duct tape across the room. “She’s not going to turn! She hasn’t yet! I got her back! She’s home!”

Omar stayed silent, looking sadly at Louis. A.J. stood by Clementine’s bedside, holding onto her hand.

Louis kept shaking his head, his eyes trained on the floor. “She’s home. I got her back. She won’t… I brought her home,”

“Alright, y’all clear out! I need the room,” Ruby marched in, her arms full of medical supplies. “Omar, take Louis and A.J. out of here. Then go find Willy and holler at him that he don’t need to be outside on watch anymore. He’ll be more useful up here. We need all hands on deck. Only Aasim and I are allowed in this room,”

Omar nodded, gently placing a hand on A.J.’s shoulder. “We’ll be back. But right now the best thing we can do for Clementine is let Ruby help her,”

A.J. looked over to Ruby in uncertainty. Something he saw within her eyes must have been enough to convince him. Walking over to Louis, the child took his hand. “Clem told me once that she has magic. At least she said she might. I bet if she does, she’ll use it now to stay safe,”

Louis’ grip on A.J.’s hand tightened. Clementine was strong, stronger than he could ever hope to be. If anyone could survive this, it was her. As Omar gently guided the pair out of the room, Louis looked back one last time to get a glimpse of Clementine’s face. He didn’t want this to be the last time he saw her, deathly pale, brow furrowed in pain. The door closed behind them. Louis felt his heart break.

“You two can rest in my room,” Omar offered, motioning down the hallway.

Louis noticed he was walking with a limp. Would that be permanent? They’d all already lost so much. Couldn’t one goddamn thing go right? They passed Violet’s room and Louis glanced at the door for a second before looking away. He hoped she was asleep. The burns on her face had been so severe and that milky eye… would she ever see again?

Omar’s door creaked as it opened. Omar escorted them in before moving back toward the door himself. “Sleep if you like. I’ll be back as soon as I find Willy,” He looked like he might want to say something more, but he didn’t speak another word. The room was silent once he had left.

Slowly, Louis made his way over to the right bunk, his feet feeling like lead. He sat down upon it heavily, the springs in the mattress squeaking before adjusting to the weight. A.J. had hopped onto the opposite bed, kicking his legs with nervous energy. Louis wished he had something comforting to tell him, but he had nothing. All he could think about now was the pounding in his head and the sour taste of vomit in his mouth. How long had it been since he’d thrown up? It felt like days ago. Louis let his head fall upon the pillow, closing his eyes wearily This whole time he’d felt like he was on the verge of tears, but now he felt nothing, only emptiness and bone deep exhaustion.

“Louis?” A.J.’s voice was small.

“Yeah?”

“If you’re gonna sleep, can I sit by you? It’ll help me guard you better,”

Even now, that’s what he’s thinking about? What a funny kid. Louis patted the spot in front of him, his eyes still closed. “Sure. Hop up, little man,” He heard A.J. hop down from the bed and then hop onto his with a little grunt, leaning back against him. The room was quiet save for their breathing. Louis could feel himself drifting off, his mind a bleary haze.

“We ran out of bullets,”

“What?”

“In the barn. We ran out of bullets so I…” A.J. paused. “I-” He was cut short when he felt Louis’ hand on his.

“Try to sleep, OK, kiddo? We need to be ready for when Clem wakes up,”

That seemed to calm him. Slowly, A.J. lay down as well. Louis scooted back to give him more space though he could still feel A.J.’s afro lightly tickling his nose. Though Louis’ mind was still racing, his body was shutting down. He found himself slipping into a deep, fretful sleep, one from which he couldn’t escape.

He woke with a start, the whisper of a nightmare still drifting through his mind. His eyes felt swollen. That was when the first coherent thought hit Louis’ mind. Clem got bit. It still didn’t feel real. None of that hellish night before did. His first human kill, Violet crawling onto the beach with those burns on her face, Minnie’s screams as she was eaten alive by the herd she had drawn in… there were enough nightmares in that one night to haunt Louis for the rest of his life.

Careful not to wake A.J., Louis got up from the bed. From the light drifting through Omar’s window, it looked like he had at least gotten a few hours sleep. Before he could think further, the door opened and Omar walked in, holding two bowls within his hands.

“Good, you’re up. Then you can eat this while it’s hot,”

“I don’t-”

“You’re not leaving this room until you do,”

Louis met Omar’s level gaze. He was fairly sure he could take his friend in a fight, but they both knew he wouldn’t. Silently, Louis took the bowl and raised it to his lips. Omar had made some sort of light broth. It was tasty. Some part of Louis hated that he could appreciate it. There were more important things right now. He needed to see Clementine, make sure she had made it through the night. Then he would visit Violet. Hopefully she was willing to take visitors. He knew how much she shut down when she was in pain.

“Clementine’s alive,”

Louis’ eyes shot up at Omar’s words.

Omar nodded. “You heard me right. You can ask Ruby about it later. She’s sleeping now,”

Louis briefly wondered if Omar had been able to get any sleep at all. He’d have to check in on that later. He moved to stride forward, but once more Omar blocked his path.

“One more thing. Give me your coat. It needs to be washed,”

Louis looked down at the side of his coat. It was caked in blood, stiff and dry. Clementine’s blood. Louis felt sick at the thought. Not wanting to waste another second, he shrugged off his coat and let it fall to the floor. Then he strode out of Omar’s room and down to Clementine’s. He opened her door softly, afraid he might disturb her. She was still so pale. Clementine lay upon the bed, her wrist taped to the bedpost. She looked so tiny. She’d always been small, but she’d always had the presence to fill a room, at least in Louis’ eyes. Now, looking at her lying broken and frail, she looked smaller than ever. Slowly Louis walked to her bedside, taking the chair that had been pulled up beside it. Ruby must have stayed awake for as long as she could after the surgery, watching for complications. In all truth, it was a miracle Clementine had made it this long. Surviving a rushed amputation by a 6 six year old in a barn… how was she still breathing?

But she is. She’s still here, Louis reached out to brush a stray hair back from Clementine’s face. She moaned in her sleep, stirring for a moment before falling still. That brought the tears back to Louis’ eyes. His own part done, he could finally weep. Louis felt his shoulders shaking as he hunched over, his sobs loud and rough. “I’m sorry, Clem,” he whispered, choking on his own tears. “I never should have jumped that fence. I’m such a fucking idiot,” Unable to hold her closest hand, he reached for the further one, striving to stroke some circulation back into her pale flesh. “I’m never leaving you again. I swear. Not for the rest of our lives,” He pressed her hand to his lips, remembering the last kiss they shared on the beach. He wished he kissed her again when they reunited in the woods. He wanted to kiss her so many more times.

The door opened and Willy stepped in, holding a pitcher of water. He looked at Louis with uncertainty and sadness. “Omar told me to bring by this water in case you needed any. Or for Clem when she wakes up,”

“Thanks,” Louis whispered. He watched Willy in silence as he walked over to the dresser and placed the pitcher down. “Hey, do you know… is Violet up yet?”

Willy shook his head. “No, not yet. She was screaming a lot last night when Ruby cleaned her eyes. I think it wore her out,” His eyes widened as he realized he might have shared too much. “I mean-”

“It’s OK. Could you tell me when she wakes?”

Willy nodded.

“Thanks, buddy. For everything,”

Willy gave a small smile before hurrying out of the room.

Unsure what to do with himself but wait, Louis settled in. He’d sit here as long as he needed to. He’d be here when Clementine woke up.

The day wore on slowly. Morning turned to afternoon. The water in the pitcher stood untouched until Omar came by and forced Louis to drink some. He also told Louis that Violet was awake. Leaving Clementine temporarily in Omar’s care, Louis hurried to his friend’s side. They didn’t say much. Violet was unwilling to talk. Louis didn’t press her. However, when he turned to leave, she grabbed the corner of his shirt roughly, clinging onto him. She needed him to stay, even if she couldn’t stay it. So Louis did. He sat beside her, his hand gently holding hers until the pain and weariness caused Violet to fall asleep once more. Louis hoped her dreams were peaceful.

Returning to Clementine, Louis found A.J. awake and beside her, determined to keep watch. Louis went to find another chair. They would keep watch together. On his way back, he had another idea. With one final trip, he came back to the room, rolling in the gramophone from the music room.

A.J.’s eyes were large. “Are we gonna have a hootenanny right now?”

“Not quite, little man. We’re going to play some more calming music for now. I figure Clem might enjoy it even if she’s asleep,”

“People can hear stuff if they’re asleep?” A.J. asked in confusion.

“I like to think so,” Louis pulled out one of his favorite records, a piano piece called Liebestraum. He’d found a German-English dictionary a few years back amongst the library books since he was curious to know what the name meant. It translated to Love Dream. Louis had always found it to be a beautiful title. He hoped now that it would serve its purpose, reaching Clementine’s dreams and showing her all the things he couldn’t tell her now. It would be his voice until she was awake.

Afternoon turned into evening. Ruby had dropped by a few times, checking on Clementine before bustling off to care for Violet or Omar. Each time she was done, she told them the same thing: Clementine was stable, but it would likely be a while still before she woke. Louis and A.J. simply nodded and continued their vigil. They’d wait as long as need be. Food was delivered to them and absent-mindedly consumed. Aasim dropped off Louis’ coat which Omar had cleaned and dried. Louis shrugged it back on. It was good to have something familiar back. He still missed Chairles. Never mind that, he could make another. He was pretty sure he still knew where the table leg he got the first Chairles from was. Night came round, and after a time, Louis realized it would be best if he could convince A.J. to go to bed. It’s what Clementine would want.

A.J. was incredulous. “What if I’m asleep and Clem wakes up? She needs me! I’m not leaving!”

Louis motioned toward the bed on the opposite side of the room. “You’ll sleep in here tonight. You’ll be ten feet away from Clem. If she so much as sneezes, you’ll know. Trust me,”

A.J. looked over at his bed uncertainly then back at Louis. “Are you gonna be over there too?”

Louis was surprised at the request, though a part of him felt touched. “Sure, little dude. If that’s what you want,” He followed A.J. over to the bed, sitting on the corner of it as A.J. crawled on top.

The kid looked so tiny when he was curled up on top of his covers, his head resting upon the pillow. He was looking up at Louis with questioning eyes, still clearly wondering if he’d made the right choice. “Do you think Clementine is having good dreams?”

Louis nodded. “I do, buddy. She’s got us right here and some lovely ambient music playing in the background. I bet she’s just waiting till she’s all rested up so she can help out as much as possible when she wakes up,” He could tell A.J.’s mind was still too worried to rest. “Hey, how about I tell you a story?”

“What about?”

“Ever hear of Jack and the beanstalk?”

“What’s a beanstalk?”

“I’ll explain in the story,” Louis cleared his throat. “Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack who had a cow who he loved very much…”

The story went on for some time. Louis really got into the story, making all the voices, mimicking some of the events and delivering every line with great aplomb. He wasn’t sure where the energy was coming from. Perhaps the simple act of escaping somewhere within his mind was cathartic in itself. A.J. enjoyed the story, listening animatedly as Jack climbed the beanstalk and met the giants. Eventually his eyes grew heavy though and yawns began to overtake him. He fell asleep in the midst of the chase down the beanstalk. Louis paused with a smile, glad to see the story had worked. It seemed to have calmed his mind as well. After looking over one more time to see that Clementine was still breathing, he let his head rest against the bedpost and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Louis woke with the dawn, his heart bursting with hope that Clementine might already be awake. It took only a moment to see that she wasn’t. No matter, he’d wait once more. After choosing a record to play, Louis settled on one of the chairs beside her bed, ready to wait the whole day out if need be. It didn’t take long for A.J. to wake as well, scrambling into the chair beside him.

The day began to take on a similar rhythm to the last. Ruby dropped by to check on Clementine, and Willy brought food and water again. Aasim and Omar came by as well to see how things were going. Realizing how absent he’d been these last two days, Louis offered that he could help if something needed doing, but they immediately dismissed the offer. They’d worry about that once Clementine was awake. When, not if. She was going to wake up.

Violet dropped by as well. Louis was glad to see her up and moving about. She couldn’t make out much, but she stood beside Clementine’s bedside, asking questions and nodding along to the answers before wishing them a good night and slipping away. Louis was glad to hear her concern. The fight she and Clementine had within that cell had sounded brutal. They’d both suffered enough. He hoped Violet’s visit meant any remaining ill will had been set aside. They all needed each other, now more than ever.

Another night had come, and Clementine still hadn’t woken. Louis settled down with A.J. on the opposite bunk, hoping to distract the kid with more bedtime stories. After A.J. heard the last part of Jack and the beanstalk he’d missed, Louis started in on the Three Billy Goats Gruff. A.J. seemed to enjoy all the voices Louis made for the story, especially the mean old troll’s. He fell asleep gradually, just as the story was wrapping up. This time, once Louis knew he was asleep, he slipped away from A.J.’s side. Going back to Clementine, he sat down beside her once more, taking her hand in his. Hoping that some human contact might bring her back. Please, Clementine… please. I need you. We all do. Louis fell asleep with his head on the dresser, still holding her hand.

He was awoken by the sound of birds twittering outside the window. Groggily, Louis stirred, immediately feeling the crick in his neck from sleeping at such an odd angle. Something was brushing against his hand too. What was he touching?...

Clementine! Louis’ eyes flew open, searching her face. She was moving! Her fingers wriggled in his hand and he could see her eyelashes fluttering. Was she going to open her eyes? Louis watched Clementine’s face, breathless, waiting.

She opened them slowly, as though no longer used to sunlight. Clementine looked up in confusion, blinking. “Louis?” Her voice came out hoarsely.

“Clem! Oh, thank God!” Louis surged forward, capturing her lips in a quick kiss, clinging to her shoulders as his own began to shake with emotion. “You’re back. I knew you’d come back,”

Clementine’s hand came up slowly, circling Louis’ back. “I’m not dead?”

“No! You’re alive!” Louis realized her wrist was still duct taped to the bed post and quickly moved to free it. “You’re here and so is A.J. and-”

“A.J.!” Clementine exclaimed, bolting upright in bed. Her eyes shot over to the opposite side of the room, seeing him still sleeping peacefully. Her shoulders immediately relaxed. “We made it?”

Louis nodded. “You both did. A.J. saved your life. He…” He paused, realizing Clementine’s legs were still covered by the blankets. Would telling Clementine her leg was gone somehow trigger the pain her surprise seemed to be holding at bay?

“He cut it off, didn’t he? My leg,” Clementine looked at Louis, her gaze steady.

Louis weakly nodded.

“I remember the first hit, when the ax fell. Not much after that. I must have blacked out,”

“He rolled you out of there in a wheelbarrow, all by himself! That kid is astounding,”

“All the way back? We were still so far away!”

“Well, Aasim and I found the two of you part of the way back. Then I carried you. It was faster that way,”

“You carried me?” Clementine’s voice was soft.

Louis shyly smiled, feeling his face heat up. That was the first time he’d held Clementine. Not that the circumstances were in any way what he had wanted, but… “I did,”

“My hero,” Clementine murmured. Her hand reached out the smallest distance, intertwining her fingers with his.

Louis wasn’t sure if another kiss was appropriate right now, but damnit, he was going to go for it. Leaning forward, his lips met Clementine’s, his heart doing a flip when the tiniest moan left her. As he pulled back, Louis’ face fell though. “Back at the bridge when I jumped the fence, I never should have done that. It was stupid, and-”

“Louis, no,” Clementine’s other hand came to rest atop his. “You got help. You came back. You saved us. I owe you my life,” She glanced over at A.J. with a warm smile. “You and that little goofball over there,”

Louis’ smile was warm, driving back the tears that were still stinging his eyes. He should tell the others, let them know the good news. But he wanted just one moment more with Clementine, one second where it was just the two of them.

“Clem?” Never mind that. A.J. was awake. “Clem!” A.J. immediately launched himself onto Clementine’s bed, thankfully avoiding her injured leg as he wrapped himself around her in a tight hug. Clementine hugged him back as tightly as she could, her eyes misting up. “Hi there, goofball,”

Louis smiled at the two of them chatting animatedly before his eyes widened in shock as Clementine pulled on his arm, drawing him out of the chair so he’d sit beside them on the bed. He quickly got pulled into the discussion, joking and laughing as his mind raced to take it all in. Clementine was alive. She hadn’t died. She hadn’t turned. She was here and the Delta was gone. They were safe and she was home. Louis watched Clementine, smiling as that same stray curl came to rest against her cheek. Clementine was here to stay. Against all odds, she’d made it.

She truly was his miracle.

[littlesugarwords]

Hey, what if the Ericson Crew was really determined to get Clem a prosthetic foot/leg and somehow all of them ended up in Richmond and Clem’s just like “hey I know this place and these people” and everyone just explores Richmond looking for a prosphetic foot/leg and it draws enough attention as to where Javier is called to deal with/help them? I think it’s a cool idea but I know that you may not agree with that.

IM DOWN AHHHH my heart this is so fluffy and sweet

Clementine was struggling.

She’d never admit it.

But everyone could see it.

She kept trying to do things she couldn’t do with one leg.

Hauling wood.

Hunting.

Fishing.

The crew continued to try and find tasks that would be easier on her.

She refused.

She wanted things to go back to normal.

Even if she knew they never would.

“We need to do something.”

Violet initiated the emergency secret meeting between Ericson members.

To make a plan.

To help her.

“I don’t know what we can do,” Louis said.

“She’s stubborn. She won’t accept any form of help.” Ruby added.

Stubbornness was in Clementine’s nature.

They’d all known it since day one.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be helping her adapt,” Violet began.

All eyes were locked on her.

“Maybe we should be helping her get back to what she knows.”

They cleaned up the wheelbarrow.

Filled bags with food and water.

And organized their search team.

Tomorrow, the search for a leg for Clementine began.

A makeshift one, at least.

Clem woke up the next morning to goodbyes.

To being eased into a wheelbarrow.

To Louis hauling her out the front gates.

She was teary eyed.

Staring back at the few they’d left behind.

They always went so far out of their way for her.

This was yet another one.

Their group consisted of a handful of people.

Louis and Violet.

Clementine and AJ.

And Tenn.

They walked for days and nights.

The group took shifts pulling the wheelbarrow.

And Clem took some shifts walking.

She always got mad at herself, though.

For how slow she was.

For how quickly she got tired.

For how much of a threat she was.

“I don’t know why you guys bother with me,”

They’d taken a pit stop.

AJ and Tenn were leaning against each other, sleeping.

Louis, Violet and Clem were up.

Around their fire.

Violet and Louis’ chests heaved.

“We care about you, Clem.” Louis said.

“We love you.” Vi reached out. “We only want to help.”

Clementine, teary eyed, nodded.

Then broke down.

And sobbed.

They didn’t talk about it the next day.

They didn’t want to worry AJ or Tenn.

They stumbled across a set of gates.

A giant set.

With a cement runway.

With guards patrolling a watch tower.

Clem squinted.

She recognized this place.

And she recognized it even more when the guards let them inside.

When she caught a glimpse of the streets.

All they needed was something to operate as a peg leg.

According to the guards, they could loot through old supplies.

Practically garbage.

But they needed a supervisor.

To make sure they didn’t steal anything.

Louis helped Clem to her feet.

Out of the wheelbarrow.

And AJ passed her the crutches.

A handful of people around the corner.

Clementine could hear them filling someone in.

“A leg?”

“Yes, a leg.”

Clementine recognized that voice.

The one being filled in.

Clearly one of the makeshift town’s higher ups.

“I’ll supervise them,” the voice said.

All nodded and vanished.

Then, Clementine could see him.

Him.

Javier Garcia.

Her eyes widened and lips parted.

And his his eyes settled on her, he did the same.

It took time.

A moment to look past the ways time had weathered them.

But it was him.

And it was her.

“Clem?”

“Javi?”

Louis’ jaw dropped.

Violet and Tenn remained still and waited.

AJ scrunched his nose, confused.

Javi lunged forward, accepting her elbows into his hands.

She abandoned her crutches to let him.

“Oh my God,” he said.

He brushed a hand against her cheek.

And squeezed her arm and shoulder.

“It’s you,” he managed.

Clementine smiled tearfully.

And let out a laugh.

Underlying a sob.

“It’s you,” she said back.

And clung to him.

“Clementine knows Javier Garcia.” Luis gawked.

“Who’s that?” Violet asked.

“An amazingly famous baseball player.”

Violet raised a brow.

Javier had an arm wrapped around her back.

The other wrapped around the back of her head.

Stroking her hair.

And looked up at study those she came with.

Her new team.

Her new family.

Gingerly, he pulled away.

His grip tight on her arms.

Holding her steady.

“What happened?”

Clementine’s eyes wavered harder.

“A walker.” She hushed.

Just barely above a whisper.

He choked.

The tears welling leaping forward.

“Clem…”

“I’m okay,” she said, nodding.

Her own tears leaping forward.

“I’m okay. I made it.”

Javier squeezed her shoulders.

Reassuring her.

He had her.

She had been so close to giving up.

To letting the feeling that she was a waste of space get the best of her.

She felt like a chore.

She knew she was a chore.

And she was so close to letting it control her.

Then, there came Javi.

At the perfect time.

Right when she needed him.

“We’re gonna get you something better.” He said.

His voice wavering.

He waved his colleagues over.

His arm hugging Clem’s shoulders to keep her steady.

“Let’s go get you a leg.”

They didn’t just get her a leg.

They crafted her one.

All thanks to Javi’s command.

They managed to find a large plank of discarded wood.

One they’d used when redoing the watchtower.

Javi got the woodworker to work on it.

As well as with some tools from Richmond’s blacksmith.

“We’re gonna make it the best it can be.” Javi said.

Smiling and beaming.

So excited he could do something for Clementine again.

They stayed the night.

Javi brought them to the dining hall.

And sat with them to eat.

Kate popped in to join them.

From the other end of the room, Clementine spotted Gabe.

Who froze.

Locking his gaze with hers.

He practically dropped his food.

Instead, he ran to their table.

Collapsed as he hugged her.

And they both cried.

He sat beside her.

And kept on her leg all of dinner.

Just above the stump.

They stayed in huddles of makeshift tents.

Louis, AJ, and Tenn in one.

Violet and Clem in the other.

The boys were having a ‘boys night.’

Louis started it.

Tenn and AJ loved the idea.

He did it to keep their hopes high.

Clem appreciated it.

Even it they were giggling and chatting until late.

“Good night, Clem.” Violet said.

Softly chuckling at their neighbours.

“You’re gonna leave here tomorrow with a new leg.”

And Clementine smiled.

Her cheeks pushing out her tears.

Silently crying.

The next morning, Javi and Kate went to fetch them.

Beaming.

“Good news,” he’d said.

Kate helped Violet lead Clementine.

The boys trotted after Javi.

Louis fawning over him the whole way.

There, at their breakfast table, was a leg.

Partially wood, partially metal.

Pristine as could be.

Everything in place.

The metal parts were for sturdier support.

For movement around the ankle.

The rest was wood.

It looked fantastic.

And fit like a charm.

Even though Clementine would need to learn how to walk again.

All day, she fumbled with it. She took lots of breaks.

And the group would take turns holding her hands.

Helping her up.

Guiding her as she attempted to learn to walk again.

They stayed for a second day.

While Clementine fumbled to get accustomed.

While her and Javi teased each other like old times.

While her and Gabe caught up.

While her and Kate gossiped.

They stayed while Louis and Gabe bonded.

While AJ and Tenn met up with Richmond kids.

While Violet and Kate bonded.

While Javier tried to teach Louis how to play baseball.

And later, AJ and Tenn too.

While Violet found a role model in Kate.

The next day, they all woke up knowing.

They needed to leave.

They had a family elsewhere.

Ericson.

They couldn’t leave them behind.

Louis asked for an autograph before they left the next day.

“I’m never taking off this shirt,” he said.

“You haven’t in like 5 years.” Violet countered.

But as they were packing up to go.

Examining their now-empty wheelbarrow.

Clementine and Javier gave each other a look.

That look.

The look of new beginnings.

Clem and Javi cracked a deal.

Richmond and Ericson would share food and supplies.

Richmond’s young would migrate to Ericson.

Where they could train, grow, and learn in peace.

Without risk of an attack.

Ericson was less known that Richmond, and far more secluded.

Safer.

Richmond provided more security.

Ensuring the school stayed protected.

Then, when older and trained enough, all went back to help Richmond.

The bigger, overarching group.

That way, they could stay family.

They could stay connected and supported.

This way, they could stay alive.

Together.

Then, with her new leg, they started off.

Holding onto Louis and Gabe.

With Violet keeping a hand on her back.

With AJ and Tenn leading the way.

Hauling a wheelbarrow full of supplies.

The first of many Ericson would receive from Richmond.

They were on their way home.

The first of many groups of young people heading to Ericson.

Together.

Feeling whole and complete.

The way it should’ve been.

The way it would now always be.

[maybemitch]

LETTERS FROM THE DEAD

DESCRIPTION: Folded pieces of paper, littered the top draw of Y/N’s desk.

WARNING: Implied character death. Mentions of deceased characters (Brody, Marlon, Mitch). Just a whole lot of death. Swearing.

WORD COUNT: 2252

━━━⋆☆⋆━━━

When the news of Y/N dying broke, everyone in Ericson was in a sense of mourning. Everyone which was a member of the school - apart from Clementine and AJ - knew Y/N.

Y/N was a member of the school just as the dead started to work, yet their parents came and collected them right away. In a sense of protection. Therefore, because they came and collected them, the students left at Ericson didn't see Y/N for a while. That was until two years into the apocalypse. Y/N had remember their way back to the school and found themselves standing in front of the gates which were ever so familiar to them. Marlon was the one which saw them at the gate, his jaw drops. Marlon never thought he'd see Y/N again, but there they were standing, blood, sweat and dirt coating their skin, their weapons (which was a knife) in their hands. Most of the kids were surprised when they saw Y/N but welcomed them right back into the school wall.

Everyone in Ericson was in a sense of mourning because they always thought that Y/N would be one of the people which made it to the new world, they always fascinated about. They never expected them to get bitten. But then again, no one could control what happened in the world.

Violet was the one which suggested that they should bury Y/N's things like they did with Tenn's sisters. This would allow those in the school to go and mourn properly. Therefore, Violet and AJ were collecting Y/N's things and placing them into a box.

AJ opened up the draw to the identical desk he had in his dorm room, white folded pieces of paper slide side to side in the draws. Curiously, he reached for one, unfolding it, noticing, black and blue scribbles on it. Writing.

Violet noticed AJ's confusion when she turned around, her arms folding across her chest, "What you got there AJ?" her voice was soft. She was in pain for losing another friend.

AJ held the piece of paper up in the air, twisting it around, as if it was something unfamiliar to him, "It's some writing," unfortunately, the small boy couldn't figure out what was written on the paper, the handwriting was sloppy. Therefore, he held it out for Violet, "Can you read it?"

Violet walked over slowly, gently taking it from the boys hands. She inspected it. It definitely was Y/N writing. She knew that from the way which the letters were conjoined, it was something Y/N use to do in the class they shared together.

A small smile plastered on Violet's lips, before folding the piece of paper back up. The words left unread. How it should be.

AJ looked at her in confusion, "Why didn't you read it?"

"Its an invasion of privacy," Violet explained, the piece of paper clenched in her hand, "Y/N wrote them for themselves. I... I couldn't read their thoughts."

AJ nodded his head. He somewhat understood why Violet didn't want to read the letter. It was similar to the situation AJ was in when he first arrived at the school and tried to read Aasim's journal. The words which people write are sometimes private and only should be read if the person reading them allows it.

AJ looked back into the draw, noticing more folded piece of paper, before casting another look to the blonde who had her eyes closed. "Hey, Vi. What shall I do with the other letters Y/N wrote?"

Violet open her eyes, looking into the desk draw. There was around four folded piece of paper inside. All probably scribbled on with thoughts, with feelings which Y/N felt. Each one of these letters absorbed every piece of pain which lingered in Y/N's conscience. Violet couldn't bring herself to invade that.

"Past them here," Violet held out her hands. She didn't know where to put them. She didn't want to burn them - she might not want to read them, but someone in the future might. She didn't want to hide them away in the cupboard, they might be completely forgetting about then. Violet just didn't want to disrespect her deceased friend, they might have not been close when they were alive, but they were basically family.

"What are you going to do with them?" AJ asked as he placed the last one into Violet's hand.

Violet sighed, "But them somewhere safe, most likely. I can't get rid of them."

AJ continued to pack up the room, Violet had her hand on her pocket, ensuring that none of the papers fell from her pocket. The zip was broken, that the reason she didn't just zip them up. Whilst the two were packing up the room, they didn't speak much. The occasionally question came from AJ and the answer came from Violet.

Eventually, the room was packed away. It was as if the room had never been used before, not a single trace of human existence present inside the room.

Violet took a deep breath when she stood at the door, taking in the room. The curtains danced with the slight breeze which fluttered through, but that was all the movement in the room. For now and most likely for good. The blonde slowly shut the door, the click of the lock made her hear sink further into her chest.

"I'm going to find Clem," AJ announced to the girl which had her back pressed up against the shut door. "You can come with me, if you like. That's if you don't want to be alone."

Violet shook her head, pushing herself of the door, making her way towards her room, "I'm alright, little man. I'll come catch up with you in a little while? How's that sound?"

AJ nodded his head, lingering in his spot for a moment. He didn't want to leave Violet, he didn't want her to hurt by herself, but he couldn't connect to the pain which Violet felt, considering he only knew Y/N for a few weeks. A few weeks is nothing compared to years.

Violet waved AJ off, before opening her door and stepping inside. She didn't shut the door, she allowed the wind from the window to do it for her, the clock echoed in the room. A signal that she was now alone.

The first thing which she did was take out the letter scraps she had bunched up in her pocket. She lay they astray on the desk, not knowing where else she could put them. Whilst she paced around her shared room, her eyes kept drifting over to them.

An urge inside of her wanting to read them but the other half does not. Violet ended up bringing her hands to her mouth, nibbling slightly at her dirty nails and the skin around them, before caving into the temptation of wanting to know what ran through her friends mind.

"I'm sorry Y/N," Violet mumbled into the room, looking up at the sky, "Please forgive me."

She snatched the five notes on the table, before sitting down on her floor, her back pressed up against the metal bed frame. She unfolded them timidly, her hands shaking as she did so. Some letters were long, some were short. But Violet could already tell that each letter was written from the heart, that emotion had caved it's way into the writing.

Letter One:

We're not living in this world, its were surviving it. And that's the thing... surviving this world had (that’s the key word; had) been my plan. To outlive the dead had been my plan from the very beginning. But now, my main priority is making sure my friends survive. That's all that matters to me now. I couldn't care less what happens to me. If I get bit (which is a likely scenario) then I get bit. I don't want my friends to worry about me. Yeah, maybe somewhere in the world someone has survived an amputation to the infected limb, but I don't want to give them hope. If I get bit. Then that's it for me. That's the end of the line. With most all of my friends I have promised them that they'd get to see the new world. Some laughed, saying that it was a ridiculous assumption and that was never going to happen. My optimism seems to be funny to some, but that’s doesn’t bother me. Whilst some laughed. Some held hope that maybe I was telling the truth. But the things is, I am telling the truth. They’re going to make it to the new world. However, I won’t though. The new world isn’t for me.

Letter Two:

We welcomed new people into our home today. Their names were Clementine and AJ. They seem like nice people. They seemed to know how to survive the world. I don’t know how long they’ve been outside for, in the open world. But I know it’s been longer than me, longer than the other kids. Clementine and AJ seem like the people which would also make it to the new world. They both seem to know how to make it around this world. I would be envious of them, that they know how to survive, that they would make it to the new world. But in all honesty, I don’t mind at all.

Letter Three:

The small boy, AJ. He shot Marlon. And Brody. She's also dead. Apparently, Marlon killed her? I don't know what to believe. I thought they were nice. Fuck. We held a funeral for our friends. And afterwards, we held a vote for the two new comers. Violet, Tenn and Aasim voted for those to stay. I refused to vote. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. What Marlon did was wrong, trade the twins, accidentally kill Brody. And what AJ did was wrong, killing Marlon. [a section which was unreadable] Clementine came back. AJ was wounded. They came across people in the woods which were looking for the school. We're preparing for a war. Maybe no one will see the new world after all? I know for a fact I wouldn’t be.

Letter Four:

Death came knocking on Ericon's door again, claiming the life of Mitch, after he heroically saved Tennessee. He didn't deserve it. The people which are at war with are called Delta. They took Omar, Aasim and Louis. Clementine promises to bring them all back from Delta. She promises that we will win.But what's the point of a victory if no everyone can celebrate? Either way. We’ve already lost.

Letter Five:

Fighting a war of tiring. I can’t do it. Fighting humans is different than fighting the dead. Humans. At the end of the day; humans are a dying race. Were being overpopulated by the dead. So why should we try and kill one another? There is no point in doing it. Clementine. She promised that we’ll get our friends backs. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Hopefully everyone comes back, so they can see the new world i’ve promised them. Delta. They’re evil fuckers people. What they did to my friends. What they did to Louis. They deserves to fucking burn. What I said earlier about us humans being a dying race, doesn’t matter. Delta. They. Fuck. Minerva was there. I saw her get bit on the cheek - I remember promising her the new world. After all, she did get one. But not the one which was meant for her. Not the one I promised. I suppose what I’ve been doing, giving promises out to my friends has been foolish? Selfish? I just wanted them happy. I didn’t want them panic. I just wanted them to be happy. But i’ve been meaning what i’ve been saying. About me not making it to the new world. I know that because... i was bit. Trying to escape the walkers on the beach. It was only a small graze on my ankle, a small bite. But it’s still infectious. I’m just sorry to my friends. I understand that this is going to cause them pain. But i’ve always vocalised that I wasn’t going to make it. And if they didn’t believe me, then they were foolish.

Violet placed down the letters. Her throat clenching from fighting the tears. She obviously knew that Y/N got bit. Violet was one of the people which didn’t believe what they said. She didn’t believe that Y/N wasn’t going to make it. So she was foolish.

Violet smiled, her eyebrows knitting together when she noticed something sprawled in the corner of one of the piece of paper. She wonder how she didn’t see it. But it was small writing.

Violet picked the paper back up, brining the paper close to her face, so she could read the rough writing.

Maybe I did make it to the new world? Maybe that’s what peace is? Maybe peace is the new world.

Violet smiled sadly at the words, a small tear falling. She quickly wiped it away, crying was never her thing, but after all, if she’s hurting, she’s going to let her emotions show.

“Of course,” she smiled, “Of course only you’d say that, Y/N.”

━━━⋆☆⋆━━━

I don’t know how i feel about this piece of writing. I haven’t wrote in a while. But still.

[nozomijoestar]

 I had an idea for Violentine eventually getting married and because society as we know it has been dead so long they just get creative about the whole thing

Also time jump from the end of the game and Texas Two is now Big, AJ is a preteen, Clem and the older of the former kids can now pay their taxes if those were still a thing

BGM if you like that when you read, lyrics here

“Been a while huh Tenn? Everything’s so busy these days I haven’t had the time. I’m sorry.”

She sat cross-legged on the partly overgrown ground. A small wreath of fresh flowers hung from the top of a cross. The wood was faded and weather-beaten, but the name carved there could never leave her memory.  From her pocket she pulled a paper, unfolded it, then placed it. Violet sighed, even her smile seemed exhausted. Her eyes threatened to brim over with tears she thought she’d long left behind.

“AJ made that for you. He’s gotten a lot better at drawing you’d probably love it. He’s a little past your age now. Shit I’m, I’m taking too long to get to the point aren’t I?”

The breeze picked up making the trees rustle as though they communicated the will of ghosts. She looked around. The crosses had multiplied through the years, each one a new nick on her heart. She chewed her lip and fiddled with her bun. Now wasn’t the time for death. Her stomach churned butterflies. A genuine smile bled into her voice.

“I wanna ask Clem to marry me. Just saying it out loud feels weird and amazing all at once. I honestly didn’t think she’d want me this long but life kept happening.”

In one motion she laid spread eagle and stared into the pink clouds that signaled dusk. She closed her eyes as another sigh fell from the trees. The sound of people beyond the graveyard drifted in voices, laughter, and song. Though the years since there’d been largely silence were gone she could never shake a need to be prepared. Even if the walls had expanded far past the former Ericson gates, danger never slept. It was something Clementine loved to reinforce. 

The thought of the way her face went stern and her voice deepened made Violet chuckle. She rose to her feet and dusted herself.

“I should get a move on. It was great talking to you again.”

After a final readjustment of the wreath she passed through the yard. A flag decorated with many stitches flapped in the wind reading ‘Texas Two’. Sometimes she looked up at it and still laughed at its ridiculousness. Though since she’d been responsible for it, that was the same as laughing at her old self. Her old self, she pondered, the Violet who hadn’t dared to entertain the thoughts she did now. When had that person changed? She didn’t think she’d ever know.

Inside the old admin building echoed a section of Chopin’s ‘Winter Wind’ in A minor. The anxious dance her nerves were doing calmed. Louis would be finished teaching piano lessons for the day. Her stride became confident. If she was going to make a sappy fool of herself it would be out of public view. Of her old mannerisms she could at least keep that one. 

He sat continuing to play though he knew she’d come by the pattern of her gait. His lack of a tongue elevated a need to pay notice to the finer things in other ways. She leaned against the doorway and folded her arms. They carried on in silence. Violet closed her eyes again, taken by her imagination. The shrieking highs and nervous lows seemed to pull every worry she’d ever had like threads off a loom. 

She saw Clem’s head bashed open like a ripe fruit, or the paling of her bite ridden skin and its missing chunks. Right behind it came the thought of AJ’s neck dyed red as he took Tenn’s place at the bottom of a herd and picked clean. Their home at the bottom of smoldering ashes. Worst of all above the extremes, she would bare her soul for Clem greater than she already had to see her spirit fall. In one moment for some reason or other everything they’d made of love would fracture, and Violet might as well quit the venture entirely. 

As if reading the tone of her thoughts the music stopped. Her eyes reopened to find Louis scribbling on a scavenged notepad. With a grin he turned it to face her. His eyes twinkled with their unquenchable charm.

‘That get your attention?’

She tucked her raw feelings back into their cage. The processed version rolled off her tongue.

“A little too hard Lou. Guess that means you’ve graduated from sucking.”

She finished with a soft laugh seeing him flip her off. The way he wiggled his eyebrows told her he found it funny. He gestured for her to come over and made room on the piano seat. She sat with her hands folded and stared nervously into her lap. Her stomach churned while the words she wanted to find were slow to come. At the touch of his hand on her shoulder she shook her head.

“It’s nothing bad I’m only overthinking again. I just...tonight I’m gonna propose. I want to. What do you think?”

He smiled and stared wide eyed filled with glee. A rush of air she guessed equated to a gasp came as he clapped. It made her blush and seem sheepish curling into herself. The sound of Louis scribbling excitedly refocused her attention.

‘About damn time! I almost thought you’d never bring it up. My advice, take her to a spot important to you guys. Get her thinking about all the deep stuff you’ve done together. If you’re really feeling it serenade her. That’s what I’d do.’

“I want her taking me seriously not laughing her ass off. By now my singing’s gotta be shitty.”

‘Oh come on Vi, live a little. Singing or not the point is you may never do this again. Make it a memory. You two were doing just that all this time anyway.’

Violet sighed and rested her forehead against the piano, defeated. The keys she pressed let out a wail. Another note was put before her.

‘Don’t sulk tell her how you feel. Clem’s gonna love you more than she already does.’

“...How do you know she won’t say no?”

He cocked his head and interrogated her with a bewildered stare. Her stomach sank; her voice had been whiny like a child’s. In the end, she was being silly. It made the confidence she’d mustered drop in shame.

‘We don’t know Vi but if she’s stuck around this long it means something. Clem’s the kind of girl to take off if she really didn’t believe in what she sees.’

She groaned and the keys played an ugly sound. 

“You’re right. I’m being a coward. I fucking hate it. I thought that side of me was done with.”

‘It’s ok to be scared. This is a big deal! You know how you’re guaranteed to fuck it up though? Having a negative attitude. Positive vibes Vi, positive.’

“Yeah yeah. You’ve given me an idea. If you see her tell her to come to the bell tower tonight. That it’s urgent.” She said with a lazy smile.

They bid each other goodbye leaving Louis to start up the piano solo of Kreisler’s ‘Liebesleid’. He’d reached halfway using a laser-focused concentration when another, larger presence filled the door. His deft hands stopped. Clementine smiled and clapped as she walked towards him. Without a moment to waste he ripped out the used pages of his notepad; they were stuffed into his coat pocket. It didn’t go unnoticed when Clem raised an eyebrow but gave no comment. 

She stood balancing her weight on her natural leg and leaning against the piano. Were she anyone else, even Violet, Louis would’ve sooner scolded her for lacking manners. He looked down to find her prosthetic ( a newly improved design of Willy’s built with higher mobility in mind ) still in good condition. 

“Caught ya.” She said giggling.

He looked up at her strong face, thick eyebrows, and overwhelming mane of curly hair. She had a stern beauty that always caught him by surprise for its rarity and strength. Violet sure knew how to pick ‘em. 

‘Wanted to make sure your foot was ok. Doubt Willy would screw it up but still y’know?’

“Thanks. Listen Louis...are you free for a little while? There’s something I wanna talk about. I want your honest opinion.”

A glint in his eyes betrayed his excitement. His gut instinct gave him an inkling of what hovered unsaid. He almost laughed at the coincidence of it all. She slowly sat at his invitation and fiddled the keys. After a meandering pause she cleared her throat; he wore a grin.

“You know Violet and I have been together a while now. Longer actually than I ever thought possible. I’m grateful for it everyday. It’s sadly not something a lot of people can say. That’s why...I don’t know if this is still the right word but, I want her to be my wife.”

She stared at him and twiddled her thumbs. Rarely had he seen her hesitate, much less be meek. The sight made him sit up straighter, listen harder. From the corner of her eye she caught his expectant stare. 

“I guess regardless of what it’d be called these days that’s what I want. She’s too important for me to lose. It’s time she really knows it and how I feel.”

For a moment she gauged his face for the slightest reaction. The intensity radiating as if a conjured aura from her body reminded him of someone constipated; he again fought a laugh. It was as though she resigned herself to a do or die mission. A determination not a far cry from what she summoned up before a supply run. In his opinion, they both were taking this to lengths so ridiculous it bordered on comical. That however would remain a secret.

He nodded with enthusiasm and that seemed to lighten her worry. On his notepad this time he thought hard before writing. 

‘It can mean whatever you want it to Clem. You love her, that’s the most important part. I say go for it. Any plans on how you’ll ask?’

“Well there’s really only one way right? I have to tell her outright, just not sure where to do it.”

‘Y’know she asked to meet with you tonight on the bell tower. There couldn’t be a better spot if you ask me.’

“Did she? That makes this easier.”

She sighed in relief and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I love her Louis. More than she might know.”

‘Tell her not me.’ he said with a smile.

After dinner the night air blew warm embracing the essence of summer. Clementine found Violet pacing in front of the ladder they’d once helped construct. She remembered seeing her like this then too, anxious over everything turning out right. Her suspicion turned on and her eyes narrowed in concern. She had yet to be noticed from a distance. 

In seconds that weighed like minutes she sighed and mumbled to herself. 

“Alright Clementine all you have to do is talk. Sure Clementine, like it’s that simple. You’re stalling now. Get yourself together.”

“You sure don’t mind keeping a girl waiting.”

Violet’s voice seized her attention from the grasping hands of her thoughts. Before she could say another word laughter filled the silence. It made her blush even as she frowned in mock irritation. 

“I didn’t think you’d notice.”

“I wouldn’t have if we weren’t the only ones here. Feelin ok?”

“Yeah just was wondering what’s on your mind to have us meet at this place.”

She smiled feeling a kiss on her cheek. Violet wore the look that always came when an idea longed to burst out before it drove her mad. Clementine slowly trailed her eyes up and down as though they were meeting for the first time anew. The demure air in her posture broke the obscuring fog of Clementine’s own nerves. Her expression softened into a look of curious wonder. 

The streaks of moonlight cast across Violet’s face bent her grin toward the mysterious. She ran her thumb over Clementine’s knuckles and gestured at the ladder. 

“Come with me and you’ll find out.”

Above them the stars filled the horizon into an infinity none would ever measure. The moon aided their brightness and bathed all it touched in an ethereal glow. The ground beneath her feet shined as though she walked on a river of silver; as though she were weightless. A breeze carrying the scent of flowers and wood-smoke, of life below, rustled Violet’s hair. Clementine felt her heart thud louder. 

The bell tower had remained untouched through the years save for a few new cracks and crumbling bricks. Vines entangled a section of broken stone railing, the same as the first night they’d sat together. She dared to imagine the ghosts of their old selves caught in a roller-coaster of teenage emotions; each burning more intensely than the last into love. They stopped and leaned against the railing beside the spot. 

They were gazing at the sky when Violet spoke first; her thoughts tumbled from her like a waterfall. A part of Clementine was relieved. 

“So uh, Clem, I wanna be real honest with you. These past seven years went by so fast some days it feels like my head’s spinning keeping track. All this below us? All these people? If you’d told me before we’d be dealing with this I’d have called you crazy. Hell, if you’d told me there’d be a time where I could have nights not having to worry something would break into the school, I’d never believe it.”

She took a break to breathe and look over the dozens of smaller lights in varying buildings that stretched into the pushed back treeline. Each one signified a condensed hope and dream from those it kept warm. Their numbers lifted Violet’s spirit to continue. Clementine stood mesmerized, her eyes trained to Violet and Violet alone. It was as though each word revealed a deeper truth than the last.

“We wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for you. I know you can say it was a group effort, it’d be true, but you’re our motivation. I don’t think I’d be half the person I am today if I hadn’t met you and AJ. Point is...remember when I said once I couldn’t imagine life without you?”

“...Of course. It took me completely by surprise.”

“I still feel that way. Clem, I want you in my life till it ends someday.”

The breeze stirred into a mild wind as Clementine’s eyes widened softly. She stumbled to speak then went silent when Violet leaned closer. Her entire body pleaded a need for recognition, as if another chance would never come again.

“Marry me.”

Without hesitation Clementine pulled her into an embrace as their lips met. Her hands wandered to cup Violet’s face and not let go. They pressed together and sunk slowly to their knees. When at last they separated neither cared if anyone below had seen. Violet’s eyes shut in bliss feeling a gentle stroke on her chin and kisses peppering her face. There came a whisper on the verge of tears into her ear when Clementine hugged her tighter.

“You beat me to it you ass.”

“Heh, I can still keep you guessing.”

“Troublemaker.” came the reply with a grin.

AJ stood watching Ruby arrange bundles of wildflowers with the same care she gave all things. Though only twelve he’d nearly reached her height. He’d lost some inches shortening his hair to a buzz cut hidden beneath Clementine’s faded baseball cap. It was something he continued to be reminded of when Ruby’s motherly presence loomed so large. 

“Hey there shorty could ya give me a hand? These bouquets can get real messy.”

“Sure, but it’s Alvin Junior.”

“I know I know. Reminding me ain’t gonna help us no faster. I’ll tell Clem if you do good.” 

That made the hint of sourness in his expression bloom into an excited smile. Around them a small team of five busied themselves with the same task. They moved as Ruby directed to arrange each in a circle open only at the northern and southern sides. A myriad of colors blue, white, orange and so on occupied the center of the restored sports field. AJ sweated hoisting another bundle for the ring and nearly dropped it. Wordlessly Ruby caught it before it hit the ground and with that the last of it lay in place. 

They stepped back performing a final check several times until Ruby proved satisfied. On a clear spot amidst the flurry of activity around them (an army of chefs led by Omar; Willy’s team arranged benches) AJ rested. A sheen of sweat covered his face and exhausted eyes. The first clue he’d received for what lay ahead came when Louis slipped him a note and a wink at breakfast one morning. ‘Congrats on the new mom kid!’ he hadn’t understood what it meant; a part of him still felt he didn’t even when Clementine explained that no, weddings weren’t something you ate. 

As he felt the day’s work burn in his muscles he concluded whatever it looked like had to be worth the aches. He spotted Aasim approaching with a squirming bundle in his arms; AJ sprung to his feet. Every lecture he’d ever received on slacking echoed in his mind in unison. Aasim towered over AJ’s stature exuding an almost regal air were it not for the slight gruffness of his beard. In his shadow AJ straightened himself and stifled a laugh when a baby’s hand swatted his chin. His stare spoke of a sense of urgency matched in his baritone voice.

“Have you seen Ruby around AJ? It’ll be her turn to look after Susanna during the ceremony. Seems like that’ll start any minute now.”

“We worked on the flowers together but after that I’m not sure. Maybe she went to check on Clem and Vi-”

“The brides are ready Aasim, just had to go fetch ‘em after their fittins’.”

From behind them Ruby appeared with a blushing Clementine and Violet in tow. She pressed a kiss to Aasim’s cheek before reaching for the baby. 

“Guess everything’s ready. I’d have come sooner but we had to finish cataloging that cache of recovered books in the library.”

“It’s alright I’ve got her, you just focus on those two. Lord knows they’re eager to get started and I don’t blame ‘em.”

Susanna piped up in her mother’s arms and stretched a hand toward Clementine.

“Ba!”

“Hey there Susie you doing ok?” Clementine cooed as she let her nose be patted.

“Guuu-ba!”

“Looks like you’ve got a way with kids that aren’t AJ too.” 

“Well Vi she’s not Auntie Clem for nuthin’. Go on and say bye to Auntie Clem and Violet, Susanna.”

“Baaba.”

They waved in parting as Ruby left for the quickly filling crowd. Dozens well over a hundred sat chatting among themselves; more than a few stole curious glances to center stage. A hundred and so on more joined soon after. Clementine felt Violet graze her arm and gesture at a dazzled AJ. His eyes held awe that grew when Clementine pet his head. 

“Ruby told me you were a real help goofball. I appreciate it.”

“You guys...you both look amazing...”

“Thanks kid. The rest of it’ll blow your mind if you stick around and watch.”

Without needing to be told further AJ nodded and made way for the benches; he looked back only once wearing an encouraging smile. The field was bare save for its key players, and the crowd fell into silence. Aasim signaled to take places then addressed those seated with a wave of his arms. Clementine and Violet stared at one another on opposite ends of the ring; Clementine’s grin made Violet blush and stare at her feet.

“Good afternoon everyone! We’re here today to witness the ceremony of a union; one long in waiting. This couple wishes to affirm their love for one another through a promise of lifelong devotion. You may both enter the ring.”

They obeyed having eyes only for each other; it formed a safety net against the pressure of so many others upon them. Softly Violet mouthed “It’s ok.”

“We’ll begin the professions of love. Clementine you may start.”

She cleared her throat and traced over every inch of Violet, of her flowing hair and single braid that whipped up from the back of her tunic in the breeze. The blue fabric lined with white threaded patterns complimented her pale green eyes. A crown of flowers adorned her head. Every detail was memorized.

“For as long as we’ve known each other you’ve supported me; even if you took time to open up. There’re so many moments, so many close calls where I’d never have made it out if it weren’t for you. Each day makes me feel more alive than the last. Not just because of our friends, or because of all we’ve done, being able to know you’re there is enough. I dedicate this dance to your affection.”

Slowly she took a step forward then pivoted into a practiced twirl. A dance of passion sent her traveling about their arena. Sweat flew from her brow and splattered in places on her belt’s spinning tassels. One misplaced step threatened to topple her but slyly she recovered before worry could disturb Violet. 

With a grin she launched into a new phase. Her arms spun and, where able, her legs kicked. The movements blended so fluidly few could pinpoint the moment aggression gave way to softness. To even fewer it revealed its heart; a reflection of her lover’s metamorphosis. 

There were moves describing sarcastic defenses, cowardly silences, sections mapping the rush from kind words and intimate quiet. As if anew they were pulled into the haze of honest kisses, the whirlwind of lovemaking that went deep into sleepless nights. On occasion they were plunged headfirst before icy fear and protective worry that pricked to the bone. Those moments would be quickly broken by a return to memories of the warmth in living.

Almost instinctively the full result of a week’s practice strengthened its control as she neared the end. Her mind sank into an empty plane, speaking only what little remained unsaid through her rhythm. When it was done the sight of Violet brimming with tears told her everything. Wordlessly she gathered herself then bowed.

Aasim stood in entranced silence. The edges of his solemn eyes had grown misty, defying his self restraint. He gestured and caught Violet’s attention away from her thoughts.

“Feelings have been expressed that require an answer. Violet, you may give your reply.”

“I’ve heard them. Clementine you taught me it’s alright to feel; that holding everything in and running from help is what makes a coward. Choosing who I want to be in life by learning from others is a gift that takes courage. You kept trying even when I wanted to shut you out. I’d never seen anyone so dedicated. Because of you I remembered the people who care about me, away from the ghosts I wanted to chase. I dedicate this dance to your strength.”

This time the was an elegant start defined by tight turns and precise footwork. Each move linked firmly to the last and the next. Clementine’s chest tightened as she watched; her breath caught in her throat. Within the dance she felt herself be peeled back. There was the Clementine she saw herself as, steel willed and cautious, in places fragmented. It morphed to show the rare moments of worry and the storms that wracked her in anxiety. In a few moments that still churned her stomach she felt a lurking shadow of the cruelty that’d tumbled so easily from her whenever she’d been cast astray. 

Her body grew hot, her shoulders heavy before she saw the dance shift and the feeling passed. There was a return to gentleness and the power in mercy. Like glittering bubbles memories flooded her mind fresh as they days they’d been reality. She’d cried and screamed and torn her hair each time someone had been lost; yet she pressed forward hopeful. She’d witnessed distrust seize people’s eyes as they coveted rather than strive for understanding; yet never closed her ears to humanity. She’d cried awake sunken to the floor and teeth grit replaying each life she’d taken, each selfish need she’d served; yet her remorse was proof she retained a soul. 

Tears trickled down her face, and she felt not a care to stop them. The sensations of the present returned only when Violet had finished. In an instant that moved in her vision like slow motion she was embraced. Aasim’s voice grounded her beyond the sensation of Violet’s heart beating in time with her own. 

“We have witnessed them speak to each other’s deepest self. In this they have found unity, and taken hold of that which they seek for themselves in another. It is time for the final step. Let them now dance together and display the bond when two become one. Music for them, if you’d all please.”

Clementine felt Violet shift against her the crowd clapped a beat. 

“You ready?”

“Yes.”

They took up position smiling through their flushed faces. The dance moved slow and contemplative as if longing to savor each moment. All else began to fade replaced by a rhythm that held a peaceful trance. Neither kept track of how long they swayed until Clementine said,

“Why don’t we show them what we’ve got?”

“Ready when you are partner.” Violet replied grinning.

In one motion they separated still holding on by one hand, throwing themselves into a spin that ended in a twirl. Violet laughed finding herself again in Clementine’s arms then out once more. She took her turn twirling Clementine, her eyes sparkling and heard racing. They spun holding each other then separated to link arms each facing the other’s back but continuing to lock eyes. It prefaced another separation as they spun alone only to jump back together. At this they laughed.

Violet’s vision was filled by the bright sky when Clementine dipped her then leaned close. Violet wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed their foreheads together.

“I love you.”

“Love you back.”

“Promise?”

“Hell yeah.”

Their kiss found Clementine with hands roaming her hair but she didn’t care. A ways away the roar of the crowd filled their ears. Beside them Aasim clapped and wiped his face. He turned one last time to project his proud voice.

“I present to you all a married Clementine and Violet! May they have a happy life together.”

“That better not have jinxed anything Aasim.” Violet teased with a snicker.

“Shut it and go have fun with your wife. You guys deserve it.”

“Thanks for all this, really.”

“Keep treating her right Clem.” he replied smiling.

The after party blew quickly into a spectacle. Louis had attracted a cheerful gathering as he played pieces back to back. Clusters of people filled the admin building to the seams; further groups had piled into the school yard. The campus in its entirety lay at the heart of town from which hundreds of simple houses, storage, and shops fanned out. The multitude of guests had been guaranteed with more passing colorful banners AJ had overseen. 

A few carried weathered but functioning instruments, guitars, harmonicas, large and small drums. They formed a small band that led the tune of those dancing in the yard. A sizable banquet had been prepared from their surplus; beside Ruby chatted with Aasim while Susanna sucked on her bottle. From the balcony at the admin building’s face Clementine stood observing. Out of her regal wedding attire she nearly blended into the revelry were it not for her commanding presence. 

Any tension soon melted from her when she felt Violet’s arms around her waist. She smiled and leaned into the nuzzle against her neck. 

“How’s it feel? Thinking of anything?”

“I was wondering how things are closer to the wall and that group we sent out a day ago.”

“You mean Randy.”

“None of us can afford him screwing up. He’s been very...vocal lately. It’s giving me bad thoughts.”

“Hey none of that ok? Today’s our day to celebrate, we can worry about later when it comes.”

Clementine closed her eyes and pressed their foreheads together. 

“Where’s AJ?”

“With the other kids. Us grown ups are too intense for him right now. I don’t blame him, he seemed happy though.”

“I can think of one reason to justify that.” Clementine teased in a husky voice, her hand wandering below Violet’s waist.

“Clem not while everyone’s around.” came the reply followed by a giggle.

“Just teasing. We can go over it all later.”

“In that case you’ve got my interest.”

“Really? How about something like this to start.”

She pulled Violet closer and leaned her back against the railing. She studied the way Violet tilted her head as their lips met; saw the beauty in how her hair framed her face. Slowly she traced her fingers along her jaw, welcoming the feel of Violet grabbing a fistful of her shirt. They broke off at the whistles thrown at them from below. One glare and eye roll from Clementine silenced them. Violet chuckled. Her arms wrapped lazily around Clementine’s neck. 

“I’ll never forget today.”

“I hope not. If you ever do I’ll remind you.”

“Heheh, yeah.”

The music and chatter came to a sudden halt with a banging at the yard’s iron gates. Shocked dancers parted a pathway for a team in neat ranks, their boots marching in step. A man with a thick trimmed beard and thicker hair led them and adjusted the grip of his spear. It had a long curved edge akin to a beast fang and tassels that jiggled in time with the pistol on his belt. The well kept armor he wore, decorated in the motif of a cougar as his rank allowed, enhanced his bulk. His burly arms were defined by gnarled scars that betrayed his continued Old World hobby of rigorous exercise. 

He signaled a stop by raising his fist and was immediately obeyed. His beady eyes stared at Clementine without faltering. She read the challenge within them clearly and stood stiff backed,unwavering. From the crowd she felt multitudes looking to her in surprise that yielded to fear. Beside her Violet’s expression hardened and simmered with open disgust. The man spoke, his voice embed by a natural cunning.

“We’ve returned from our expedition with a generous offering from the community to the west.”

“Welcome back, I trust everything went well along with it.”

“Yes, yes of course. Nice to see we’ve been missed.” he said letting a sarcastic bite slip into his tone as he looked around.

“C’mon Randy we can talk about this anywhere but in front of everyone. There’s no need to put on some kind of show.” Violet added. 

His eyes studied her in frayed patience then flit back to Clementine. He made a gesture and his group dispersed.

“Sure I can be civil and play house with those wearing the big pants. Let’s have a private chat.”

He disappeared into the admin building. Clementine sighed deeply and let herself slacken. Tenderly Violet touched her hand, she took it without hesitation. She stared into the sky gathering herself until at last all her courage was summoned. With a nod she followed Violet’s lead into her office, something more animal than man fast approaching.

[the-walking-memelords]

Allegiances: Chapter 14

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 |Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 15

Series is rated M

Word Count: 4464

Mitch has a plan to stop Lilly for good, and Ruby has a plan to raise morale.

Read it on Ao3!

Read it on Wattpad!

As soon as the pair re-entered the safety of the school walls they split off from each other, Louis headed to find Mitch somewhere in the admin building, leaving Clementine alone to her own devices.

Clementine took the moment she had to herself to survey the damage. The smell of smoke and ash still swirled through the air as piles of charred debris littered the ground. Bullet holes from the previous night’s war dug holes into the toppled picnic tables.

Clem wondered what they had done with the bodies. She couldn’t bring herself to enter that basement again to see if he was still there. Dead or alive she relished in never having to see his face again. Yonatan’s crumpled corpse would have no doubt been moved from the hallway by now, dumped for walker food somewhere outside the walls. Then, of course, there was…

Marlon.

The blood had long dried on the ground but even without touching it she felt as if it would never leave her skin. The stain of her plan going to hell. Her eyes wandered from the crimson pool to the mounds of dirt aligning the graveyard.

One grave stuck out from the others. Grass had grown over the previous graves yet the dirt of one laid loose and fresh. The quiet whines of Marlon’s loyal companion broke Clementine’s heart as Rosie rested her body on the mound. Clem reached her hand out to the dog, letting her give it a sniff before she gave her a scratch behind her ear.

“Thank you for saving me.” She said to the dog as she ran her fingers over her warm rust-coloured fur.

Rosie gave her hand a lick as if to say “You’re welcome.” before leaving Clem alone with the grave.

A ring of golden flowers hung around the simple cross, the carefully twisted stems no doubt Ruby’s handiwork.

This grave shouldn’t be needed.

Clementine slowly sank to her knees as the name carved in wood stared back at her.

“I’m sorry, Marlon.” Sorry didn't even begin to describe how she felt about everything that had happened.

“I should have stopped this. You shouldn’t have died.”

Nothing but an eerie silence filled the air as she sat in silence among the graves. She didn’t know if he could hear her, or if he was even anywhere, but she hoped that somehow, he could.

“This isn’t going to happen again. I’m going to bring everyone home.” AJ included.

“Your death won't be for nothing. I promise.”

---

Clementine’s feet carried her a little too anxiously to her dorm room. Turning the corner suddenly, she nearly collided Ruby as the short red-head peeked over the pile of pillows in her arms.

“Oh! Sorry I didn’t uh… didn't see you there.” She nervously laughed in her southern accent.

“What are those for?” Clementine pointed out the tightly clutched pillows, trying to remain casual.

“I was… thinking we could have a fun little hootenanny before we go rescue our friends. To raise spirits, y’know?” Ruby truly had a heart of gold. Even with her face still puffy from mourning her lost friend, she was still here going out of her way to make sure no one gave up hope.

“Tenn’s helping me set up the music room I was just grabbin’ these so we ain’t all just sittin’ on the floor.”

“That sound’s like a nice idea.” A moment to distract them from tomorrow.

“You can come if you want.” Ruby invited, giving Clem a warm smile.

“You don't have to if you don’t want to, but y’know.”

“...I’ll think about it.”

---

Clementine leaned against the door as she closed herself off inside her room.

A party, huh?

The emptiness of her dorm felt more inviting. Perhaps it was no longer her place to sit among them so casually. Curling up with her dusty pillow alone might save everyone the awkwardness of her acting like a wallflower, picking at the vines that poured in from the broken window, or spending her time just letting Rosie lay on her lap.

I doubt they’d really want me there.

Clem ran her hands through her hair as she flopped back on her bed, the old springs digging into her spine as she bounced slightly.

I just need to focus on tomorrow.

Tomorrow. The day the fight continued. They get their friends back and then for the kids of Ericson’s, the fight ends. Clementine couldn’t bring herself to include them in her own personal rescue attempt. Even if she succeeds, when all is said and done, when Lilly has gone and AJ is by her side, what would become of her? Would the others really be able to trust her again? Or would they decide it best for her to take her little boy and leave?

Clementine squeezed her eyes shut tight, too frustrated to think of the tomorrows yet to come. The days that don’t exist yet. The days she couldn’t touch. The only thing she really had? This moment.

Who better to remind her than the boy who came knocking at her door?

Three calm knocks caught the girl’s attention as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“Come in.” She said, barely loud enough for him to hear her.

Louis quickly shut the door behind him when he entered. Clementine looked at the freckled boy expectantly as she stood.

“There’s uh… something I wanted to talk to you about but I wanted to wait until we got back.” The boy’s shoulders slouched as he leaned against the bookcase, arms folded and face deep in thought.

“You saved me last night. You shot that raider I was fighting… but you saw them dragging Violet away, too. She needed your help more than I did, but you still picked me. Why?”

Louis’ words became weaker as he spoke, his voice growing uncertain with himself. By the time the final word escaped his lips, it was barely above a whisper and the way he slouched made it look as if he was trying to cave in on himself.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have picked me. Hell, I don’t know anyone who would have picked me.” This time his words flew out in a frenzy, eyes glued to the floorboards.

Haven’t I made it obvious?

“You were in trouble, too. I saw it and I couldn’t risk Lilly getting her hands on you”

God only knows what she would have done to him.

“You’re too important to me, Louis.” Their eyes finally met.

“I can’t lose you.”

Louis left his spot against the bookcase, pacing over to the boarded up window. He looked longingly through the cracks at the outside world.

“I know I’m always teasing her, trying to get her to do that one eye roll she does -you know the one- the one where it’s like ‘You’re such a dumbass’ she has to do a full-bodied eye roll.” Louis wasn’t one to be afraid to say how he felt about the people he cared about.

“I do it because when I do manage to make her laugh… It’s worth it.”

“We’re going to bring her home, Louis.” Clementine knew Vi was smart enough to keep her head down.

“Aasim, Omar, Brody. We’ll bring them all home.”

“I hope so.” The fear in his voice was poorly hidden.

“I’m going to make this right, Louis.” She promised.

“We sneak on, get the others out, and then I go after AJ myself.”

“Wait, you’re going back?” Louis spun on his heel, shock mixed with horror swirled in his eyes.

“Clem they’ll kill you!”

“I don’t have a choice. I couldn’t live with myself if I just let him go.” Her nails bit into her arms.

So many people died to get us this far.

I can’t give up on him now, not while I’m so close.

“He’s my little boy. I’ve gone through hell to keep him alive, I’m not giving up now.”

My little Goofball.

“Well, you’re not doing it by yourself.” Louis took a step towards her, lightly grabbing her shoulders.

“I’ll help you save him. We can bring him home together.”

“I can’t ask you to do that for me.” This final battle was hers. It didn’t feel right for her to ask any more of her friends.

“If they caught you and didn’t just shoot you, they’d do things that would make you wish they would.”

“Which is exactly why I can’t let you go alone.” He refused to drop it.

“It’s exactly why you have to.” Clementine knew what to expect, how to be careful. Louis had no idea what he was getting himself into.

“I told you, I can’t lose you.”

“Well, I can’t lose you either.” Louis slowly closed the gap between them, his breath just brushing her lips as if debating if he should or not. Clementine could only stand frozen, waiting for his decision as she closed her eyes. Louis gave in, letting his lips crash into hers. Clementine’s fingers gripped his shoulders, bringing him as close as possible as she melted at his touch. The two only broke away when their breath ran out. Clem sank into the soft fur of his coat as he pulled her close. A soft smile refused to leave her face as she felt his lips press against her forehead.

“Glad you didn’t secretly hate me.” She chuckled, a warm feeling in both her heart and face.

“Thought about it, couldn’t do it.” He rested his chin on the top of her head.

“It felt way too damn wrong.”

“You’re still not coming with me.”

“Guess we’ll have to talk about it later then.”

Clementine let the topic rest for now, but she knew she couldn’t let him risk himself for this. She stepped back from him. She couldn’t help but match the smile on his goofy face.

Dork.

“So, shall we head out?” Louis smirked as he held his hand out to her.

“Ruby could probably use a hand putting the party together.”

Clementine bit her lip nervously, still feeling uncertain about her attendance.

“Are you sure everyone would want me there?” Her chest tightened with anxiety.

“I mean, I’m pretty sure Mitch is still pissed at me.”

“Mitch is always pissed about something.” He joked, waving his hand dramatically.

“If Mitch has a problem he’s just gonna have to deal with it. You’re one of us. Nothing’s changed.”

She couldn’t begin to tell him how much that meant to her. All Clementine wanted was a chance to fix what she had broken, but it seems she had underestimated how much they cared about her.

One of them

Part of their family.

Clementine slipped her hand into Louis’, intertwining their fingers.

“Let’s go then.”

---

Ruby and Tennessee busied themselves planning decorations for their little party idea. The redhead held her hands up, framing an area she wanted for a banner. The two of them greeted Clementine with warm smiles.

They’re really not angry.

“Need a hand?” Clem smiled back.

“Sure, these damn candles have been givin’ me trouble forever” Ruby furrowed her brows.

“I wanted to light this place up all pretty but I can’t decide on a colour.”

Clem examined the three dyed mason jars in front of her, something about the purple standing out to her from the red and green ones.

“Purple was my dad’s favourite colour, so how about this one.” She carefully held the glass jar in her hands, the calming purple brought back memories of the small garden her dad kept in the front yard. The glistening jar held the same hue as the tiny petals of the flowers she helped him plant.

“I heard purple’s the colour of royalty.” Ruby enthralled.

“And that describes us exactly not at all.” Louis piped up with a snide joke. He leaned an arm against a dust-covered gramophone as he flipped through the record selection.

“This old thing used to belong to the headmaster. Dug it out so I’m not stuck on piano duty all night.”

“Got any classical in that pile?”

“A woman after my own heart.”

Hell yeah.

“Hey, Clem” A small voice called from behind her. Tennessee greeted her kindly with a paint can hanging from his left hand.

“Wanna help me make the banner?”

“A banner?” Tenn nodded to her as he held up part of a long sheet of fabric.

“I was gonna paint something motivational on it.” He spread the rough sheet flat across the floor as Clementine kneeled down next to him.

She wasn’t one for arts and crafts, at least, not in recent years, but the feeling of the brush in her hand as she swirled the paint across the banner was freeing in a way.

We’re bringing them home.

It was a simple message, but a hopeful one.

“I think that’s all I need for now.” Ruby confirmed seeming pleased with the plan.

“By the way, Mitch and Willy wanted to talk to you up in the office. Said they had an idea to stop them raiders from coming back.”

---

The door to Marlon’s old office hung open upon her arrival. She stood hesitantly in the doorway, lightly knocking on the wooden frame as she peered inside.

“Come in.” Mitch barely looked up from his spot on the floor across from Willy, the two of them fiddling with a suspicious looking plastic jug. The floor was scattered with open books turned to various pages.

Knowing Mitch and Willy that thing’s another bomb.

“Ruby said you wanted to see me?” She stepped into the room but kept her distance from the probable explosive.

“We were tryna figure out how to stop those fuckers from coming back after we rescue the others, and Willy here came up with an idea that just might work.” Mitch smiled proudly as he ruffled the boy’s hair.

“We’re gonna blow up the boat!” Willy cheered.

“We stick this baby into the boiler and BOOM! No more raiders.”

I fucking knew it.

“I’m noticing an explosive trend going on at this school.” Clem smirked with her hands on her hips.

“You bet your ass there is.” Funny how Mitch’s hobby seemed to match his anarchist personality. A trait that certainly rubbed off on Wily.

“Bombs are epic, and this little dude is a goddamn prodigy.”

“Aw c’mon, I’m not little.” Willy’s objection only earned him a playful noogie from the older boy.

“You’re shorter than me, kid, that makes you little.”

Clementine giggled at the exchange. A lighthearted moment in the midst of all this careful planning.

“Hey Willy, how ‘bout you go see if Ruby needs any help.” The younger boy caught the older one’s hint, giving him a nod before exiting the office.

Clementine felt her nervousness grow as Mitch returned to his serious demeanour. He gazed at the floor as he crossed his arms, letting out a sigh.

“I’m sorry.” His face softened as he looked up at her.

“For y’know… knocking you out, and tying you up. Everything felt so damn hectic I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I lied to you all, and your friend died because of it.” Clementine wished she had had the strength to tell them sooner, no matter how much the lies rotted in her stomach, the truth remained frozen in her throat. Lilly exposing her was something she kicked herself for allowing to happen.

“You had every reason not to trust me.”

“That doesn’t make it feel any less shitty. You risked a lot to save us, I get that. You had your reasons for doing what you did. Hell, If I had to pick between a group of strangers and Willy...” He scratched the back of his neck as he paced, gazing through the shattered balcony doors.

“I’m mostly worried about Brody. Like, if you just mention the possibility of someone coming to attack us she has a panic attack. I doubt she’s holding up okay.”

“I’m still going after AJ once we get the others back.” She declared.

“I won’t involve any of you, but once I get him back… Can… can we both stay here at the school?” Her confidence drained as soon as she began to vocalize her question.

“What the hell kind of question is that? Of course you can.” Mitch chuckled.

“I’ll even take him on as another student.”

“You are not teaching my kid to make bombs.”

Mitch shrugged his shoulders before kneeling to pick up the mess of books.

The sound of music drifting through the halls caught their attention, signifying the party had started.

“Go on, I’ll catch up.” Mitch waved her away as he continued stacking books into his arms. Clementine gave him one last thank you before following the music to rejoin the others. She hadn’t even arrived to Ruby’s party yet her spirits we’re already feeling lifted.

---

The elegant tune of the classical record she’d chosen blared from the gramophone, decorating the air with a graceful melody.

She caught Louis spacing out next to his prized piano, eyes closed, nodding his head along with the tune. His lips parted in a lively grin as his dreads swung with his movements. He seemed at peace. Naturally, Clementine decided to interrupt him. She managed to move closer unnoticed to the point where she now stood only a foot away from him. She raised an eyebrow, before giving him a light tap on the tip of his nose. The startled boy jumped at the sudden touch, his eyes widening to meet her mischievous grin.

“The party just started and you’re already half asleep.” Clem smirked.

“Please, I was just resting my eyes.” He gazed around at their friends, smiles adorning the face of every kid. The soft light of the candles reflected in his eyes as it bathed the entire room a brilliant purple, mingling with the moonlight spilling inside.

Louis slipped his hand in hers as they wandered to around the room, their bodies slightly swaying along to the music as they walked. She glanced back over her shoulder at the “potato” carved into the piano. It wasn’t exactly small. Clementine didn’t care if the others noticed it. It was probably pretty obvious to the others at this point about how she and Louis felt about each other.

The two said nothing as they moved with each other, clasped hands swinging between them. Louis twisted to stand in front of her, slipping a hand around her waist. The moment felt so whimsical, like something from a fairytale her mother would read her before bed. The prince and the princess dancing together as one during a grand ball. Though royalty they were not, no fancy clothes or pristine ballrooms, this moment was one she’d remember as magical for a long time.

“Alright everyone, gather ‘round.” Ruby set a bunch of steaming mugs on the floor as the others assembled themselves sitting in a circle amongst the pillows.

“I got a game for us.”

Clementine slowly sniffed the dark contents of her cup. The sweet aroma brought a warm feeling in her chest.

Tea.

“What kind of game?” The first small sip scalded Clem’s tongue but she didn't mind as she enjoyed having a hot drink.

“A guessing game. Since we’re all goin’ on this crazy rescue mission tomorrow, you should know who we really are.” Ruby slapped the top of a box stuffed with folders. “These are our official Ericson’s psych evaluations and probationary reports! Basically, all the bad shit we did to get sent here.”

“And all the bad shit we kept doing that got us stuck here.” Louis added.

“I’ll make sure it’s someone you’ve actually met.” Ruby opened up the first file and cleared her throat.

“‘While otherwise a remarkable student, Blank continues to be plagued with fits of anger, uncontrollable cursing, and repeated altercations with the senior faculty…’”

Well, that really narrows it down.

“Come on that's like, all of you.” Clementine could name three off the top of her head that would fit that bill.

“Hey, I am the most mild-mannered troubled youth ever.” Louis nudged her playfully.

“That’s Ruby’s file!” Willy blurted out in a fit of laughter.

“Holy shit, seriously?” Ruby always seemed like the mother of the group. The sweet one who looked after everyone.

“Our sweet Ruby here was... Kinda a nightmare when she first showed up.” Louis laughed nervously.

“She used to chase the adults all around the school. They were terrified of her.” Mitch added

“It was badass.”

“That was a looong time ago.” the redhead laughed.

Holy shit.

Don’t underestimate the nice ones I guess.

She sat patiently as Ruby continued to flip through the box searching for another file. Her face slowly fell as she flipped on and on, looking for someone who was still with them.

“I… I hadn’t realized how many we’d lost…” Her fingers slowed as she let out a sad sigh.

“Remember that Justin guy?” Willy asked.

“And Therissa. And Jasper…” Tennessee continued naming their lost friends.

“That one girl with the coloured braces. And Joey. Maddie. Lamar…”

“Erin.” Louis’ sombre voice seemed to struggle to find volume.

“She had the braces.”

“Alex. Dewey. Trey. Stephanie.” Willy’s list seemed never-ending as the names continued.

“Holy crap, how many of us died?”

“Thirty-two.” Ruby’s number caused the kids to grow quiet as the feeling of loss hung over them.

All the friend’s they’ve lost.

So many kids, abandoned for no reason.

Ruby had scrolled all the way to the end of the alphabetical list when she carefully pulled out a file of someone gone, but hopefully not lost.

“Whose is it?” Clementine’s tone grew quiet.

“Violet’s.”

Vi…

“Should we read it?” Willy asked with hesitancy.

“I could tell you my story instead. What got me sent here, I mean.” Louis interrupted quickly, turning to Clem.

“Only if you want.”

Why Louis was sent away.

The look on his face told her it wasn’t a great story. Most likely his deepest, darkest secret. Clementine tried to guess in her mind what he could have done to be sent so far away from home. He wasn’t violent. He wasn’t mean. He was nice and sweet. What could he have done to deserve any of this?

“I was hoping you’d tell me one day.” She gave him an encouraging nod as he began to speak.

“So, my family was stupid rich. Parents gave me everything I wanted when I wanted it. Except for one thing: singing lessons. God, I begged my dad. Told him I wanted to be a real musician. But all he said was ‘You get to be happy, or you get to be rich, can't be both.’ I know now that he was just trying to teach me some dumb "dad" lesson... but I hated him for that. So I decided I teach him a lesson.” Louis bit hard on his lip as he paused.

“I thought, ‘I'll break up my parents' marriage. That'd hurt real bad, right?’ So I broke into my dad's credit card accounts and made all these purchases in his name. Did this for over a year. This is how rich we were: he never noticed that he was spending a fortune on a mistress that I'd made up for him. But I made sure my mom did. Sent her all the receipts for the hotel rooms, the jewelry... all of it. They had a fight all night long. He denied it. She wouldn't have it. I sat in a corner and cried to help it feel more real. When their divorce was final... I told them the truth. I said: ‘You get to be happy or you get to be rich. You don't get to be both.’”

Louis’ eyes became glassy as he choked out those final words. Clementine sat almost frozen in shock.

He did that to his parents?

Louis always seemed afraid of hurting the people close to him. Always making sure they smiled and laughed, even at his own expense. Clementine now knew why.

“You know, those two would've been happily married forever. But then I had to go be a vindictive fuckhead.” His face contorted in anger, but only at himself.

“I came here... the week after”

“I can tell you regret it.” She said sympathetically.

“They told us we were bad people, Clem.” His voice broke.

“They weren’t wrong.”

“That person you used to be, that’s not you anymore, Lou.” Clementine knew he was just a kid who made a mistake, no matter how bad that mistake may have been.

“You’ve always been nothing but kind to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. You’re a good person, and I believe that whole-heartedly.”

The smallest of smiles appeared on his lips as if to say “Thank you”

“I’m sorry. This was supposed to be fun.” Ruby packed away the box.

“I guess I’m not really a ‘game’ person.”

“You said it yourself, Clem should know who she’s heading into battle with.” Louis picked at a loose string in the rips of his jeans.

“Hey, Louis...” Tennessee spoke up from behind the pillow he was hugging.

“Do you remember when Minnie used to sing us ‘Don't Be Afraid’ when we all used to get scared?”

“Of course I do. I helped her compose it.”

“Could you maybe… play it for us? If Violet was here, she could sing the words. But…”  The scarred boy only grew more nervous.

“Yeah.” He said quickly.

“Yeah, I’d love to, Tenn.” His voice lacked enthusiasm but he moved towards his piano anyways.

Clementine saw him stare at their hearted initials for a moment before turning to the ivory keys. He ran his fingers lightly across the smooth buttons as he adjusted his position.

“This is for you, Minnie.”

The way he played was just as elegant as ever. Clem swayed from side to side as the notes filled the room A soft, gentle tune. A song written by a girl who once fought for these people, but now only worked against them. Surely it wasn’t too late for Minerva to come home. The Delta’s conditioning was brutal, but if Clementine could break free, so could Minnie. Right?

Soon the song faded out, the noise of the crickets outside filling the silence. Louis got up from his piano and rejoined the group, and picking up his mug.

“I think that deserves a toast.” He said, raising his cup into the air.

“To our last night alive!”

That’s encouraging.

“How about…” Clementine raised her own mug.

“To bringing everyone home!”

“Yeah… I like that one better.”

“To bringing everyone home!” The group all raised their forgotten cups, clinking them together as they drank its cooled contents.

To bringing everyone home.

[scullyy]

Anyway The Wind Blows

Title: Anyway the Wind Blows

Word Count: 1070

Pairing: Clementine x Louis

Summary: On the eve of Marlon’s death, Louis grieves the only way he knows how.

A/N: I don’t mean to hurt Louis :(

-

His teary eyes bore into the piano keys, all his years of training had up and vanished. What was the point of playing? It never brought him any good in the past. The lightning outside crackled, almost as if it was laughing at his grief.

"You could have saved him," It hissed. "You didn't try hard enough."

Louis shook his head of such thoughts. "Stop it," He whispered into the cold night. There was nothing that could be done, right? The rain hammered against the window, some of it even leaked through the cracks. “It’s not your fault, it’s not your fault, it’s not...your fault,” He said it like it was a spell, one to keep the monsters away.

Marlon was really gone. Ten years of friendship just whisked away by a single bullet. Their youth was filled with days playing Tag under the sun, drawing pictures of their favourite superheroes in art when they were supposed to be learning about Van Gogh. What went wrong?

Oh right, the world went to complete shit.

-

The teacher dialled through the channels, going through all of them before reluctantly landing on one. Louis noticed how the kid sitting next to him tapped his foot along to the song, a classic. However, he still didn’t seem too thrilled to be in the eerie room.

He was ‘the new kid’, a shiny toy the other kids gathered around. His scruffy blonde hair was poking in every different direction and his head was buried in the crook of his elbow.

Louis leaned over, making sure not to get the teacher's attention. “Hey, psst,” He whispered sharply, the blonde boy instantly raising his head. “You okay? Is this your first time in detention?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just tired. And missing home.” He mumbled the part about home to himself as if it was taboo.

“I’m Louis.” He smiled, an attempt to comfort the anxious boy.

“Marlon.” The blonde boy returned the smile, eager to finally make a decent friend.

-

Her body twisted and turned, trying to find a spot on the bed that was decently comfortable. Clementine looked over at AJ, somehow the kid had managed to find sleep. His simple mind wasn’t aware of the damage going on, all created by him.

The power of one fucking bullet.

Clementine sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the image of Marlon from her mind. His blood had dried on her hands, her skin a sickening shade of red. She had witnessed death before, far too many times, but this time felt so much worse.

And when the ghostly sound of a piano filled her room she understood why.

Louis. 

God, he didn’t deserve this.

She found herself jumping to her feet when she heard his voice, it was as faint as ever, but it was his. And the pain it carried travelled throughout the whole school.

-

“C’mon Vi, be nice. The kid’s new.” Louis threw a grape at Violet, she deserves it after glaring at Marlon. However, with her talents, the girl caught it in her mouth.

Violet glared at him. She had only been friend with Louis for a few months and he was already annoying. Jeez. “I am being nice Lou, I just want to get to know him,” She turned her attention back to a nervous Marlon. “Why are you at Ericson?”

Marlon danced his fork around the scraps of food on his plate. “Uh, my step-dad said it’s cause I annoy him, but mom said it’s cause I just get angry sometimes. ‘Too passionate’ she says.” It was his step-dads idea to send him to the school after a particular issue with Marlon. The poor boy didn’t do anything, he was only trying to protect his mom.

“Sorry dude. You’re welcome here though, this is our lunch table. Our kingdom!” Louis shouted, slamming his hands against the wooden table.

Aasim rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to do that every time.” He just wanted to enjoy his sandwich in peace, was that too much to ask?

“But it’s fun,” Louis whined dramatically. “Don’t worry Marlon, we’ll be friends forever.”

It was a beautiful promise that made Marlon’s heart glow. “Cool, I like that.”

-

Clementine took slow steps down the hall, following the music. It was a familiar tune, a song she was certain that her mom had played in the car before. Before she knew it, Clem was standing out front of Louis’s piano room, the song escaping through the gap in the door. She took a peek inside, seeing him hunched over the piano, his fingers dancing along the keys.

“Too late, my time has come.”

She stopped in her tracks, her selfish side wanting to hear more of him, wanting to bask in the passion he delivered.

His eyes were closed, his fingers moving without hesitation. “Sent shivers down my spine, body’s aching all the time,” Louis tried to erase what he saw outside. The blood, the way Marlon's body fell like a ragdoll. He wanted it all gone, all of it. “Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go. Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.”

He slammed on the keys, his desperation growing and growing. Clementine saw the way his fingers were clenched, how he was now standing over the piano, controlling it.

“Mama, ooh, I don't want to die,” Tears welled in Louis’s eyes as he felt himself start to come back down to earth. A world without his best friend, without his guidance.

“I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all…” He whispered with a crackly voice that could bring the thunder to his knees.

Clementine stood breathless behind the door, her own tears running down her cheeks. He sang with such determination as if the song would show him the way to go. There was power in it, raw anger that Louis buried long ago. He slowly sat back down on the creaky seat, his fingers slid off the keys and hung lifelessly beside him. She wandered into the room, being pulled by a force that continuously brought her back to Louis. He let her sit beside him, not wanting to be alone anymore.

“It was his favourite song.” He whispered.

All Clementine did was give him a soft nod. “I’m so sorry Louis.”

“I know.” He accepted her truth, but it wasn’t enough to set him free.

[xeocx13]

The Feeling of Home

The first time Violet had asked Minnie to dance with her, her heart drooped like a flower longing to see the sun.

While Violet had known Minnie most of her life, the aspect of dating was still a huge adjustment yet one she could get behind. Finally, she found someone she could confide to; share her deep secrets to, and to able to rely on. So many people had left her that finding someone who was stable and trustworthy was hard to come across and couldn’t be more happy or grateful.

It was late morning when Violet strode into the twin’s bedroom, holding some coloring supplies in one hand. Minnie was sitting on her bed, strapping on her boots. The sight made Violet smile. She closed the door behind her.

“Hi,” Violet started quietly.

“I’m going out hunting with Brody. Can you even believe this?” Minnie said, smashing her foot into the boot and adjusting the strap.

Violet walked to the twins’ desk and dropped the art supplies.

“What’s wrong with hunting?” she asked.

Minnie scoffed, full attention on tightening her boots. “Of course you don’t get it. You like hunting. It’s so vile.”

Violet frowned. “Minnie. I could switch with you—“

“No, no, don’t bother. Marlon hates it when we swap shifts.”

Violet was quiet as Minnie finished getting ready and stood from her bed. She noticed the staring and frowned slightly at the shorter girl.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

Minnie scoffed. “Don’t bullshit me, Vi. What’s going on?”

Minnie could read her so easily. Nothing ever got past her and if it did, it never went far. Minnie was always one step ahead of her. Even as little girls before Ericson was in the picture, Minnie called decided for her sister and Violet where they were going, what they would eat. She seemed to have an innate ability to read a situation and see what would be best for them. While intimidating, Violet was in awe, even as a child. The clip in pocket suddenly felt heavy as Minnie stared her down. It was unnerving.

“Minnie, it’s nothing,” Violet smiled quietly. Approaching the taller girl, she suddenly felt smaller than what she already was.

She grabbed Minnie’s hand. “Just make it back safe, okay?”

Minnie rolled her eyes. “Vi, you’re such a sap. I’ll be fine.” Minnie dropped Violet’s hand. “Now, if you aren’t going to what’s bother you, I’m going to leave.”

“I didn’t know you were in such a rush,” Violet quietly teased.

Minnie sighed. “Vi—“

“I wanna try something.”

This stopped the taller girl. She blinked at her outburst and stood up straighter. “Oh. Okay.”

Violet took a deep breath. “Remember that spring formal? Back before the outbreak?”

Minnie groaned as a small smile tugged across her face. “Oh god! The one where Andre was trying to grope every girl he could spot?”

“Yep,” Violet smiled, “And Shelly punched him so hard it broke his braces?”

“Poor Shelly. I think she might’ve broken her wrist from that. Andre was fucking predator though,” Minnie replied, a nostalgic look on her face as she looked up at the room covered in Sophie and Tenn’s drawing. Violet wrung her hands together.

“If I had known any better, I would’ve asked you,” Violet said, taking another step to the ginger. Minnie raised a brow in question.

“Asked what?”

“To dance.”

The room suddenly stilled, the breeze from the battered window stopped momentarily as if someone had ceased a breath. When did the room get so small?

“Vi—“

“I know we’ve only been dating for a few months but—“

Minnie shook her head. “No, no. It has nothing to do with that.” She sighed and dragged a hand across her face, like a mother dealing with an intolerant child.

“Vi, do you even know how to dance? I mean, that’s not you! That’s not us!”

Minnie sighed again when she Violet shrink into herself again, hands digging into her pockets. She brought a freckly hand across her face and swept away from stray blond bangs.

“Look, you’re cute and all. But Violet, you know that’s not you. Don’t be a sap. We can make out later if you want, if I’m up to it.”

Violet’s eyes lit up slightly as Minnie’s lips ghosted a kiss across her cheek.

“Now get your ass in gear, those plants aren’t gonna grow themselves.”

“Well, they kind of do.”

“Shut up.”

The raid was over, their friends taken, and everyone was looking to fight back. The courtyard was a disaster as Willy mourned over his friend’s corpse. Rosie would occasionally catch a scent, Ruby trying to clear up the clutter and put out the fires.

Violet helped all she could, finally emerging from the basement after she helped AJ drag Abel and tie him up. She frowned when the boy insisted that he stay until Abel woke up or when Clementine came to see him.

Clementine was taking time for herself, processing the events from last night and was nowhere to be found. As much as Violet ached to see her. . .girlfriend(?), she knew that if Clementine wanted to talk to her, she’d seek her. Still, that did not stop her from going to Tenn’s room and asking for his art supplies and disappearing for the next few hours.

She found herself at Clem and AJ’s shared bedroom a few hours after they returned from scouting out the boat. She raised a fist to knock on the door before it suddenly burst open and AJ sprint past her.

“What’s with AJ?” she asked, closing the door behind her.

Clementine sighed and raised a hand to her face in distress. “He just…needs some space.”

The two chatted for a bit, Violet quietly admitting her confusion over reuniting with Minnie in the woods and though how much she despised Louis, she missed his presence.

“We will get them back, Vi. Louis, Aasim, all of them. I promise you,” Clementine said, bringing a hand up and resting it on her shoulder. Violet shuddered at the younger girl’s touch and felt the pin tap the inside of her rib. She shrank a little and took a step back.

“Um, I, uh, made you this,” Violet said quietly, reaching into her pocket and holding out the pin for the girl. She didn’t look at Clem but felt the pin be removed her palm.

She smiled and chuckled under breath. “Stars?”

“Yeah, so you, you know, never forget the night,” Violet finished awkwardly, finally looking up to the girl who was admiring the pin. She watched as Clementine moved her fingers across the pattern. She gasp quietly but didn’t look away when Clementine caught her eye and smiled.

“I never will.” And she clasped the pin on her jacket.

Violet continue to stand there awkwardly and looked down at her feet. She had asked Minnie this before and was shot down, almost immediately. Why wouldn’t Clem do the same? Minnie was right in some way; dancing was vulnerable and intimate, two traits Violet never actively expressed.

“Vi?”

She looked up as Clem watched steadily, smiling still. God, she was so pretty…

“What is it?”

Violet sighed and awkwardly fiddled with her hands. Here goes nothing…

“I wanna try something. And you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I mean, because it’s a really stupid idea now that I think about it, and—“

“Vi.”

Violet stopped and held her breath, scared that if she let go, Clementine would not catch her. She had not left yet so that meant something, considering her nonsensical rambling. She reluctantly held out a hand and took a step back, braving herself to meet the younger girl’s eyes

“Do you wanna dance? You know, with me?”

The room suddenly stilled. Violet felt everything slow down and suck back up into her head, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. All of it was too fast, too similar to when she had asked Minnie the very same question a little over a year ago. She didn’t, couldn’t, admit it then but Minnie’s stare and scoff at the offer hurt more than she had thought. Clementine and Minnie were so very much alike and yet, so very different. Clem searched her eyes as if not believing what she was hearing yet behind the brown hazel pools bloomed into something powerful, intense even.

Her blank and intense stare that only might’ve lasted a moment disappeared as a smile etched across her face. Stepping forward, clasping the blonde girl’s grimy hand, and drawing in close. Violet felt Clem’s hands settle naturally at her hips as her own hands rested on her shoulders, the two began to sway in sync.

It was daunting, seeing and feeling Clementine this close. She could see every mark, every scar and speck across the girl’s face, almost like a painting. Her eyes dropped down to the girl’s lips for a moment, remembering the previous night. This feeling, Clementine’s smiling face and eyes, the way her hands would adjust every so often on her hips as if wanting to feel the shape of Violet, it was overwhelming perfect. So this is what it’s like…

Violet smiled back at the girl, now causing Clementine to look away almost bashfully. It was only for a moment before she decided to return the smile back in full force.

It wasn’t enough though. Violet, feeling brave all of a sudden, drew in close and engulfed the girl in a warm embrace, continuing to sway back and forth. The way their bodies almost slipped into each other as easily and perfectly as a puzzle piece.

This, this, felt like home. Finally, here was someone she rely on and count on. The disbelief and awe that shook Violet to her core when Clementine returned the next day after they kicked both her and AJ from their school. Though her heart ached for Minnie every so often, seeing the girl in such a skewed state of mind and now, feeling Clementine pull Violet even closer, the starry night sky pin brushing against her skin, none of it seemed to matter.

The first time Violet had asked Clementine to dance with her, her heart swelled like a flower in full bloom.

[sweeetie-demon-blog]

Bad Boy // Clouis Oneshot

Description: Clementine has been dying to meet this big bad troublemaker ever since she got to her new school.

Who’s giving Louis an angsty backstory again? This gal.

———-

This was stupid, she knew it was, yet here she is. Standing in an empty hallway, waiting. She couldn’t believe that she was waiting for his kid, who she never even met before.

Louis was his name. Clementine had heard people talk about him many times before. She’d transferred to Ericson High about a month ago, yet she still hadn’t met this mysterious “bad boy.” She was doubting if he even existed.

This guy was apparently seen destroying teachers’ cars and tagging things around the school. Some have even said that he goes to the roof of the building Clementine was currently on, and smokes until the day is over.

She had sneaked off inside the halls during lunch time, since people wouldn’t suspect a thing. It wasn’t unusual for a student to roam the hallways during any break at school, though it was almost always empty. Clementine was on the second floor of the building, her back leaned against an unfamiliar locker. Lunch was almost over and she was starting to think that everyone played a huge joke on her. This kid isn’t real and she just looks like a fool leaning here waiting.

A sigh escaped her lips as she was starting to leave her spot. The girl checked her phone for the time once again, her head shaking as the bell rang the next moment. She should leave before these halls become impossible to walk through. Clementine was heading for the staircase leading to the floor that she needed to go, when a loud slam of a door echoed through the hall. It was still empty where she was, so the loud noise scared her.

Her head turned in shock, seeing exactly who was running in her direction.

It was him, he was real. This wasn’t a joke.

The boy was running, a metal baseball bat resting on his left shoulder, and an amused smile on his face.

He slowed down, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Clementine, who was still standing in shock, and smirked.

“I see you were admiring my running. Was I fast?” His voice was a bit raspy but oddly soothing. The boy got closer to Clementine, his breath still uneven. Now she was able to get a closer look at him. He was dressed in a black tee and slightly baggy jeans, a pair of beat up converse barley visable, with dreadlocks adorning his head. Clementine had to admit, he looked kinda hot.

“Why are you running anyways?” She had a few reasons on why he could have been.

“Was being chased by a security guard. He wasn’t that far back so he might bust through that door any second.” The teen quickly turned his head towards the door he came from. “I should bounce before I get caught again.” He was starting to leave, but he turned again. “See ya around, girly.”

The mysterious boy disappeared into the swarm of students that were starting to flood the hallway. A security guard came barging through the door seconds later, only to be faced with loads of kids and realizing he lost the boy.

———-

“You were right Vi, he’s real. I thought you guys were messing with me.” Clementine and Violet, as well as a couple others, were walking home.

“What? Oh, Louis? Why would you think that was a joke?” Violet chucked.

“I don’t know, I guess cause I’ve never seen him. And I’m new to the school, maybe it was some prank that kids do to new kids.” Clementine shrugged.

“Well, that would be kinda funny, but nope. It’s all true.”

“Are you guys talking about that one guy? The ‘bad boy’.” Their friend, Aasim, scoffed. “He’s just a trouble maker, and also annoying.” He crossed his arms.

“Oh sure, what happened to that little crush you had on him?” Brody, a red haired girl, butted in. She giggled at his blushing face.

“Shut up Brody!” Aasim’s face turned red, a blush forming all the way down to his neck. The girls giggled.

“Wait you had a crush on this guy?” Clementine asked. “When?”

“Last year. That was when he was still hanging out with us, but he stopped. They weren’t my proudest moments.”

The golden-eyed girl frowned. She wondered what he meant when he said he stopped hanging out with them. It was no wonder they knew a lot about him.

“Why did he stop being around you guys?”

“We don’t know exactly. Something happened in his personal life and he just wanted to be alone all together. Not even Marlon knew, and they were best friends.” Violet gave her friend a sad smile. This Louis kid must have meant a lot for her to be this sad.

———-

Here she was again, waiting. The same building, same hall, same locker to lean against. The girl couldn’t help the urge to come back to see if she saw Louis again. All she wanted was to see what he looked like and that would be the end of that, but here she was with the intention of being friends. Something about this dreaded haired boy left her wanting more.

Clementine checked her phone, he had to be here right? She didn’t want this to be a repeat of yesterday. The girl started to leave again, but if on cue, the same door busted open. Her head turned quickly and there she saw the mysterious teen again. He was dressed in something similar than yesterday, except his dreadlocks were pulled back in a messy pony and he wasn’t running. Louis was surprised to see this girl again, surely she would have just thought he was some trouble maker with no future. He smiled however.

Never let them know what you’re feeling, was his motto. It was dark, but that’s how he lived.

“Hey you’re back, miss me?” He had a charm that Clementine was afraid of. She didn’t want to be with someone like this, if what she heard about Louis is true, she can’t be dating a quote on quote “bad boy.”

“You could say that.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes. He had charm and was super cute, she couldn’t. “I heard you like to smoke.”

Louis raised an eyebrow. “Where did you hear that from?”

“People. Around school, ya know. Is it true?” She looked at him, finally. His face seemed to have a permanent smirk. She blushed and she wished she hadn’t.

“Well I do, you aren’t gonna rat me out right?” Louis searched his back pocket for his pack of cigarettes and his red lighter.

“No, I was actually hoping to join you. Been needing something to take the edge off.” Clementine ran a hand through her hair, it was usually tied up in pigtails, but she wanted it loose today.

“And you came to me? Listen, uh, do know who I am? I mean, people call me a trouble maker, don’t see you being into that.” He leaned his bat on the wall next to him. That thing was heavy. “But if you really want to, then sure. I usually go up to the roof. No one ever finds me there.” Louis put his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer.

“Okay, lead the way.”

———-

By the time the two teens made it to the roof, the bell rang. Clementine didn’t really care if she was late, she was late all the time. But don’t let that fool you, she at least tried to get a B in every class. Today was different because she was actually going to skip her last few classes. She didn’t have to, but damnit she was drawn to stay.

Louis led her to a spot near the front of the building. The school was surrounded by all kinds of trees and plants, the view was already pretty cool. They stopped when the boy sat on a platform that was half his height.

“I always sit here and just watch the world. C'mere.” He patted the spot next to his figure, before taking a cigarette and bringing it to his lips. He inhaled. Clementine saw how Louis visably relaxed after a puff. She went over to him and took the cigarette and lighter that he held out for her. She did smoke, but not as regularly as this guy. The girl usually partook in the action when the stress was too much for her. Today was one of those days. Where she woke up and knew it was going to be a bad day.

“It is beautiful up here.” Although it was no where near sunset time, the landscaping still had beauty to it.

“Sure is. Hey, I never caught your name.” Louis turned to the girl next to him, taking another inhale.

“Oh, right. I’m Clementine.” She smiled. The teen felt his eyebrows come together, he felt something for this girl. They were just introduced but he can already feel himself falling for her.

“Nice name, that’s a fruit right? Well you probably already know who I am by now.”

“Louis.”

“You got that right.” They both turned to look at the view again. It was silent for a few minutes, both their cigarettes being basically finished.

“Why do you do this?” Clementine broke the silence.

“Do what?”

“Come up here, destroy stuff, ya know. That stuff.”

Louis took the final drag of his cigarette, holding in the smoke as he closed his eyes. He let it out, his black beat up shoe stepping on the butt on the ground.

“Escape, I guess.” He shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve met Violet and Brody. Marlon, Aasim, Mitch. I used to hang with them, it was great ya know? But something happened, and I just wanted to be alone.”

That smirk he wore had faded. It was now just a frown that marked his face, an odd sight to see even though Clementine just met him yesterday. She knew she wasn’t supposed to ask what happened, Violet said that not even Marlon knew. What makes her think Louis would tell a stranger?

“I know you want to know. Everyone wanted to.” It’s like he read her mind. “Clementine, it’s weird-”

“Clem, call me Clem.”

“Clem.” He chuckled sadly. “It’s weird, I feel like I can trust you. Maybe cause you’re basically a stranger.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Did something happen between you and the group?” Clementine had turned fully to face him. She had a leg on the platform and her other dangling off it.

“Not exactly.” A sigh escaped his lips, a hand coming up to his face to rub his eyes. “Alright I’ll tell you.” Clementine had worry in her eyes. She hoped this wasn’t too bad.

“Around a year ago, I was kicked out of my house. I didn’t want anyone else to worry so I bottled it up. It was awful, my parents kicked me out for no reason. Well, I guess they did have a reason.” Tears filled his brown eyes.

“What?” She put a hand over his trying to comfort him. Louis looked her in the eyes and Clem could see the pain and hurt passed the tears.

“They didn’t want me. Mom said she never wanted a kid and dad didn’t have the patience. For years I lived with it, trying to make jokes so they can laugh and like me. Playing piano, both my parents’ favorite instrument. But it never worked. They hated me Clem.” A single tear rolled down his freckled cheek. Clementine’s heart broke in two. How could someone not love their child? They had to be complete monsters to do that.

“You know, I started using it as a cover right? The goofy persona I had before this edgy one. A cover. For the pain.” He subconsciously held Clem’s hand. “Now this brings me to why I stopped being around my friends.”

“You’re okay Louis, I’m here.” Clementine offered a smile and hand rubbing his back. “Take your time.”

His tears blurred his vision. He hadn’t cried this hard since the day he was no longer apart of his parents’ life. The boy cleared his throat.

“The last few months before I got kicked out, my dad, he. He would say awful things to me Clem. Mentally and verbally abusing me. It fucked me up, to the point I believed everything he said.” He took a deep breath. “And I stopped being around my friends because I also believed they didn’t like me. They would joke about me being annoying and childish. I knew they were joking but, at the time I believed it was true. And I kinda still do.”

Clementine had leaned her head on Louis’s shoulder, and he rested his head on hers.

“What about the destroying teacher’s cars and graffiti?” Her voice was small and soothing.

“Out of anger. Like I said I was trying to cope with it. It’s stupid I know, but those are the only ways I know how. Just focus my anger on destroying things and my sadness in graffiti.”

“Can’t you play piano?”

“Yeah I do that too, but not like I used to. I actually love piano but I don’t want to be seen by anyone while I’m in the music room.”

“I can be with you if you want ya know. I wouldn’t mind hearing you play.” It was silent again. A bell can be heard in the distance, the bell for the final class of the day. The courtyard filled with students of different ages, some running to their destination, others having conversations with others. It died down a few minutes later. It was completely silent again.

“A neighbor took me in after I spent days on the street alone. His name is Kenny, lives with his wife and kid. I owe him a lot.” Louis smiled at the mention of his current home. Kenny was a good man, had a temper, but was better than the way he was living before.

“Kenny? I think one of my dad’s friends is named Kenny.” The girl chuckled.

“Small world.”

———-

“C'mon Louis, I’m sure they don’t hate you. I’m pretty certain that they miss you.” Clementine was dragging the boy by his jacket sleeve towards her group of friends. It has been about two weeks since they had that talk up on the roof, and none of her friends knew.

“Um, I highly doubt that statement ma'am. I completely abandoned them without any explanation.” Louis stopped in his tracks before pulling the short girl close to his chest. She could hear his heart racing. In the weeks they’ve been seeing eachother, you could say that they were getting close.

“I’ll be by your side no matter what, and if they do hate you, which they won’t, I won’t leave you. You’ll be stuck with me forever.” Clementine stood on her tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. A blush formed on his face. They didn’t say they were together, but they both knew they had something.

“Can’t say no to a face like that.”

The girl was giddy, taking her “boyfriend’s” hand and leading the way to the group of teens sitting on one of the schools picnic tables. Mitch was the one who spotted them first, a hand rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly. He hadn’t seen Louis in about a year, now here he’s walking with Clementine over to them.

“Guys, is that Clem with Louis?” The group stopped mid conversation to look in the direction Mitch was looking. Louis caught sight of them now staring, stopping in tracks once again and pulling on Clementine’s hand.

“Clem..”

She didn’t listen this time, only squeezing Louis’s hand tighter.

It was silent when they walked up. Each teen had a different expression on their face. Marlon and Mitch both looking surprised, Brody with a frown and Aasim with an annoyed face. Violet wasn’t even looking at anyone, her gaze pointed towards the grass.

“Uh, hey guys.”

Marlon was the first to do anything. He engulfed his friend in a bone crushing hug.

“Dude! Oh my god, you’re here! Where were you asshole?” Louis chuckled and shook his head as Marlon finished his sentence. He was brought into another hug by Mitch, who started laughing as he did.

“You’re back!” Mitch smiled. “Clem did you make this happen?”

“Guilty.”

“I’m sorry I abandoned you guys, guess I have to explain.”

———-

It was getting dark, the sun was barely visable anymore. The street lamps were bouncing of the two teen’s faces as they walked down the cracked sidewalk. It was a good day. Louis reconnected with his old friends. It was awkward at first, not knowing how they would react to his situation. But they all understood.

Now here they were, Louis walking Clementine home, hand in hand. They knew. They knew they had a connection. How could Louis not fall for this girl? She was perfection at its truest form. A golden-eyed beauty. Not only did she see past the destruction he did and the vandalism, which was wrong to do, she’s also helping him get through this rough patch. He really, really, really, likes this girl.

Clementine stepped up on the porch leading to her front door, Louis following behind her.

“Thanks for everything Clem.” And without thinking, this dreaded haired boy that Clementine fell for, leaned in and kissed her right on the lips.

[spacedlexi]

it honestly frustrates me when i see people reduce the ericsons cast down to "just some teens in the woods" acting like theyre no different than any other group of lone teenagers from other existing properties and treating them like an overused trope

it is sooo important to acknowledge the "troubled youth" aspect of the whole equation. theyre not just some random teens in the woods clem stumbles across. these kids were abandoned by their families for their various "difficulties" and fucked up by The System before the outbreak even began. and then once zombies started roaming the streets their familes never came back for them and the adults that were in charge of taking care of them just left them there to rot in that old boarding school (except for ms martin who was like their lee 🥺 the only person who ever saw them as the scared traumatized kids they were and died protecting them)

the whole aspect of them already being fucked up by the adults that controlled their lives is like.....kind of important when discussing the whole "delta is stealing kids to force them to fight in a war they have no real part in and want nothing to do with" aspect of the season. and its important when comparing them to clem and her journey of also suffering at the hands of the adults around her forcing her to become self reliant. AND its important when discussing the "just trying to build a safe home (and future) worth fighting for in this world that wants them dead" aspect of the season as well

these kids were forced to come together to survive. and a Lot of them didnt... theyre the only family they have left and you can tell that even when they argue with each other theyre still a close knit group who looks out for each other. theyre a Real family before clem even gets there (and its why what really happened with the twins and brody and marlon hits them all so especially hard)

all of this is what REALLY makes ericsons such a perfect home for clem. its a Real community of her True peers. theyre not Just teens. they mightve had a layer of safety clem never had by at least having walls to keep them safe. and having the benefit of the school being hard to find. its the only reason theyre still alive when clem shows up. but theyre also some of the only people who can Truly understand where clem and aj are coming from. and its why it hurts so much when they vote to kick them out. but its also partially why she merges back into the fold so easily when she returns. plus the fact that shes Really the only one who has any idea what shes doing. shes their rock and she makes them feel safe because underneath it all theyre still just those scared traumatized kids ("EVERYONE is scared, clem..." vi was Definitely including herself in that 'everyone'), and on some level, so is clem

they saved clementines life. and she saved theirs. "the school was supposed to help them with their trauma, now they help each other" its about the LOVE the COMMUNITY the SUPPORT!!!! and thats the shit that makes good zombie media honestly 👌

[agirlinhell]

💭

Send 💭 for five or more headcanons between our muses. | ALWAYS ACCEPTING!

I. They kiss long and hard before they separate, knowing that it could be the last time they could see each other. They could die at any moment in time, so they love each other as if it’s their last day in this world together.

II. Louis knows all the places where she’s ticklish, and having a significant difference in height certainly helps his advantage. He often sneaks up behind her and tickles her sensitive sides and the poor boy almost got punched on accident several times.

III. Every date they ever have post-The Final Season, Clementine always makes sure to make herself look pretty - even though in Louis’ eyes she would always be beautiful. She applies lipstick, nailpolish, perfume and a flower in her hair, things she’s collected from the endless rooms with art supplies and the greenhouse. On many dates, Louis teaches her how to play the piano, and he’s really gentle with her. In truth, Clementine doesn’t truly care what they do on a date - as long as they’re together and they’re having a good time, she’s as happy as can be.

IV. Clementine learns flower language from books from the Victorian era and often gives him messages via flowers with their own respective meanings. Louis finds this very heartwarming and tries to keep the flowers alive for as long as he can.

V. Their next round of batting practice ended up Clementine swiping a walker’s head clean off with a ruthless swing of Chairles. Louis was gaping the entire time afterward.

VI. After the events of The Final Season, Clementine becomes a pagan witch and a beginner in witchcraft, and as a result, she begins performing love and happiness spells in the hopes that they get to live a long and happy life together. So far, it’s been working quite well.

VII. Louis proposes to Clementine on her nineteenth birthday and they wed shortly afterward on Halloween. In a world as cruel and chaotic as this one, they’d have to make their memories last. Their wedding wasn’t anything too extravagant, but at the time, Louis had made secret arrangements with a company from The Commonwealth to give them the things required for the ceremony.

VIII. Late at night, when neither of them can’t sleep, they talk about things that have hurt them in the past, things that confuse them, their deepest fears amongst many other deep topics while they’re vulnerable with each other. Afterward, they watch the stars together and return to the school by sunrise. Louis first kissed her underneath the stars.

IX. In concern for AJ’s mental health, they often check up on him and make sure that he’s doing alright especially after the events of The Final Season. They truly do always try to be there for him in any way they can.

X. In the winter that followed The Final Season, Clementine made a fur cloak for him made of the pelts of bears, wolves and seals so that he could wear it over his own jacket. Louis has been grateful to her ever since as he’s never been the greatest fan of winter. On bright days, they often made snowmen together and slid down snowy hills before engaging in snowball fights and eventually settling down with some hot chocolate. Clem often steals his jacket as it’s really warm and it smells like him, but she always makes sure to bring it back to him.

XI. Clementine comforted Louis when he was paying respects to Marlon’s grave. The poor boy began crying in the middle of saying his goodbyes and even though he’d tried to hide his tears from her, she held him closely and comforted him throughout the whole thing.

XII. Louis comforts Clementine whenever she has nightmares. After he soothes her, he plays with her hair and coaxes her to sleep, which makes her fall for him so much harder.

XIII. They have a daughter together named Aaliyah; Clementine gives birth to her at age twenty-one. She truly is the light of their lives and she’s growing fast and strong with each passing day.

XIV. Louis and Clementine once performed in a Les Miserables play for the school as Marius and Cosette respectively and they absolutely killed the A Heart Full Of Love scene. The crowd stood and gave a round of applause because of just how breathtaking it was.

XV. Before they began dating, Louis made sure to call Clementine at exactly 12AM to wish her a happy birthday without fail every single year. He literally records himself singing the Happy Birthday song while playing his Super Fun Times Friends Song while he’s at it. It makes Clementine blush and think of how much of a cutie and a dork Louis really is.

XVI. Louis was infatuated and mesmerized with the new girl in town who’d just arrived at the school from another state. Marlon still remembers the day Louis first saw Clementine, when she was walking past them with a group of giggling girls she’d befriended - Violet, Minerva, Sophie, Ruby and Brody. Marlon, Mitch, Louis and the rest of the group on the football team had been in an avid conversation on who was going to win the next match when they noted Louis staring at the new girl. Marlon kept waving his hand in front of him and calling “Earth to Louis!” and then Mitch teased him with, “He’s hooked, boys.” They first met in a theatre class and he serenaded her with the classic “Oh My Darling Clementine” just as in canon, and she giggled at him, thinking he was such a sweetheart. Unfortunately for poor Louis, he finds out that he wasn’t her only admirer, much to his dismay. Several of the boys - and even some of the girls - in their class took quite a liking to Clementine not only for her appearance but her kind heart and free-willed spirit.

XVII. When Louis finds out that Clementine’s been “dating” James in the middle of the first year, the poor boy was sulking in misery for about a week or two. This changes when Violet tells him that James is actually gay and had a boyfriend in Charlie and that Clementine being his girlfriend was only an act to appease his strict, traditional relatives. Louis was over the moon at hearing the revelation but unfortunately there were still quite a few individuals who sought her affections.

XVIII. When Clementine first meets Louis’ parents, she has never before seen his house (more like a mansion) and is absolutely astonished and blown away by the sheer size of it. She takes pictures of it and posts it on Instagram and sends it to her friends in private messaging while driving with a bunch of “WTF” gifs and emojis. She meets Louis at his doorstep before she’s intercepted by his personal guards and Louis politely shoos them away. Clem had no idea that he was this rich even though they’d been dating for half a year at the time. At the same time, it makes her appreciate and love him all the more as he never boasts about his wealth and kept himself humble. Later, at dinner, his parents are relieved and are taken with surprise at Louis’ girlfriend, after having previously been worried about his choice in a partner - she was a kind, polite and beautiful young girl with good grades and parents with well paying jobs. 

XIX. When Louis meets Clementine’s parents for the first time, Diana is absolutely amazed at just how kind and charismatic he is and is delighted that her daughter selected a fine young man for a partner. Edmund, however, was slightly more wary of him, as he didn’t want his only daughter to be heartbroken by such a promising partner, yet he treated him with courtesy nonetheless. Louis really likes Clementine’s home as it’s small - or at least in comparison to his home - and cozy.

XX. Clementine and Louis stayed up in her treehouse one time on one numerous occasions when he visited her house. It was pretty small but it was cute and humble, filled to the brim with drawings Clementine’s vivid imagination from her childhood.

XXI. When the school’s talent show at the end of the year came to pass, Louis was cheering Clementine on when she and a group of other girls were dancing from the crowd. He was one of her loudest supporters.

XXII. Modern Clementine is a fulltime College student at Ericson’s and works as a singer at The New Frontier bar in West Virginia and babysitting CJ, AJ, Tenn and Willy when their parents are away on the side. She sometimes brings Louis along to work as a pianist. They’re quite the musical duo. Her voice is noted to be dreamy and calming. Despite being dressed up in sequins and glitter, Clem has a dreamy appearance on stage with a soulful voice and spirit that is far older than her, twirling and dancing without a care in the world, even tossing her heels off when it becomes too painful to stand in them. She picks people out to sing duet parts with her from women to men. She ties a single flower onto her microphone every night and as she twirls, it’s like watching crystal suncatchers in the window. Louis thought she looked like a painting come to life when seeing her perform for the first time. Violet remembers how her friend was staring at Clementine for too long and began playing off-key for a few seconds before focusing again. That’s why she is so beloved, not for her allure and beauty but the charm she has just like a siren.

XXIII. Louis was the one that inspired Clementine to love her natural hair. She used to hate her hair, despising how it was always messy but since Louis - and her friends - loved it so much, she began experimenting with her hair and began liking it as her hair was a symbol of her African heritage. It’s uncommon, but not rare, to see her with her hair let loose. Her hair length when loose reaches down to her shoulders and further down. She is a lot more varied in her hairstyles, choosing several traditional African hairstyles such as box braids and cornrows, but she also straightens her hair on occasions, and she does a bunch of hairstyles with it. She dyes it several times - black, blonde, blue, red, pink, purple, orange, turquoise, silver and nebula colored. And Louis loves every style she does.

XXIV. Louis teaches Clementine the French language and culture. She was a bit messy at first but at the moment she’s an intermediate. She’s a quick study; Louis was definitely impressed.

XXV. They’re promoted as Prom King and Prom Queen together after the class’ graduation ceremony at prom. The party was held at Louis’ house (more like a mansion in truth) and it was… quite the party. Louis had been a fan of Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and had wanted to replicate the feeling of Jay Gatsby’s feeling and he managed to pull it off after managing to convince Louis’ parents and the Garcia siblings who’d been their classmates to convince their famous uncle for support.

XXVI. On late nights, they spam each other with memes and cheesy pickup lines. They make contests on who sent the funniest memes. It’s… quite something.

XXVII. Clementine and Louis make a very amusing pair when playing videogames together. Clementine was wheezing by the end of a Mario Kart match because of how many amusing jokes and meme references he was telling her at the top of his lungs.

XXVIII. When watching an episode of Planet Earth one night, Clementine compares a bird of paradise and his mating call and mating dance to Louis and his reaction is utterly priceless. When Clem returns from getting more snacks, Louis mocks the bird of paradise and does a mating dance just for her and for the life of her, she couldn’t stop laughing and crying.

XXIX. A few months after they begin dating, they have their own vlogging channel on Youtube and they’re quite popular. They both have their own separate channels but they often collaborate on their own channel. They post memes, Vines (before the site tragically shut down, R.I.P Vine), covers of songs and dances that they perform among many other things. Some of their most popular videos are a cover of All I’ve Ever Needed by Paul MacDonald and Nikki Reed, a cover of “lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid and Louis and Clementine doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, and the pair playing Hide and Seek in Louis’ mansion and doing a vlog series of their end of their year long roadtrip with their entire class after the graduation party.

XXX. Louis often serenades her with song covers on special occasions and posts them on Youtube. There are far too many to mention herein but a few examples are “I Won’t Let You Go (Darling)” by Hedley, “Just The Way You Are” by Bruno Mars and “Make You Feel My Love” by Sleeping At Last. In turn, Clementine posts her reaction and on most occasions she tears up because of just how much she loves him.

XXXI. Clementine wholeheartedly supports Louis’ decision to become a singer despite his parents’ wishes. She’s actually quite the inspiration for many of the songs and the poems that he writes and he makes sure to let her read them even before they began dating, in thanks for her kindness and for all the times she showed him her poetry and drawings in her notebooks that she was too shy to reveal to anyone else.

XXXII. Louis and Clementine dressed up as a Voodoo King and Voodoo Queen respectively at a Halloween party held at his mansion. James often steals them away as guinea pigs for his experiments as a makeup artist in the making and James supplied them with the makeup. They looked absolutely glorious.

XXXIII. Louis and Clem get matching tattoos on the right arm with the following: “You move me like music.” in elegant cursive writing with musical notes all over it. Louis had to hold her hand the entire time because she was concerned about the pain.

XXXIV. Louis is genuinely surprised of just how cheesy Clementine is when it comes to romantic dates, but he’s definitely not complaining. They enjoy candle lit dinners at fancy restaurants, making sweets, stargazing on the rooftops with blankets wrapped around them, taking walks along the beach, winning a stuffed animal for each other the local carnival, and writing poetry and love letters for each other while they’re away.

XXXV. They made their own playlist on Spotify a few months after they began dating. On many nights they’re snuggled up somewhere with one earbud in Clem’s ear and the other in Louis’ as they listen to their playlist.

XXXVI. They’re quite the fashionable duo, and Clementine is a fashionista in her own right especially while dating Louis. Yet no matter what she wears, Louis still loves her for who she truly is and vice versa. Sometimes they’d walk into a room and Louis would announce their arrival like a herald presenting their sovereign. It’s golden.

XXXVII. Every summer, they go surfing on the beach and they make sure to invite their friends and AJ often. AJ’s a big fan of Louis and he gets ecstatic every time he sees him and gets really sad whenever he has to leave.

XXXVIII. They got engaged and married in their early twenties. Louis’ best man was Marlon and his attendants were Aasim, James and Mitch. Clementine’s maid of honor would be Sarah and her bridesmaids would be Ruby, Brody, Mariana, Minerva, Sophie and Violet. She carried a bouquet of roses and wore butterflies and flowers in her hair. By the time the wedding vows were said and done, Louis picked her up bridal style and twirled her around. Louis made a song for Clementine for their wedding and he played it during the feast - it drove Clementine to tears because of how beautiful it was.

XXXIX. The newlyweds went to Marrakesh, Morocco for their honeymoon. On their anniversary they make a habit of going to Hawaii to swim with dolphins and turtles.

XL. A few days after Clementine gives birth to Aaliyah at age twenty five, Louis posts a cover on Youtube of “Light” by Sleeping At Last. It easily reaches thousands of likes a few hours later.

 @morefinesse​​ 

[ericsonclan]

You Done Tattooing That Piano?

Summary: After missing her chance to tell Louis how she really feels, Clementine comes up with another way to reveal her affections.

Read on A03:

Notes: Wrote this after playing Louis' friendship route and being convinced the entire time that those two were just fooling themselves by labelling what they have as "friendship". Those crazy kids... <3

Clementine was in trouble. Here she was, nearly two months into meeting Louis, and all she seemed to be able to think about in every spare moment was him. This shouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, she’d never expected she’d even get a chance to feel like this again. The last time anything even approaching these feelings hit her, she’d been young, alone and too focused on her mission to pursue anything further. Now she had a home, a family, a boy who made her spine tingle every time he smiled at her from across the picnic table... she was finally in a place where she could start a relationship. The only problem? She was pretty sure she’d already turned Louis down.

She hadn’t known what to expect that night she decided to accompany Louis to the piano room. Hearing the music fill the room as Louis sat alone in the candlelight had stirred something within Clementine, a feeling that at that time she couldn’t quite place. Sitting beside Louis at his beloved piano in the dead of night had driven one truth home for Clementine: she cared for this boy, deeply. But when the knife was placed in her hand and she’d finished carving her initial next to Louis’, Clementine had frozen. Everything was happening too quickly. She’d only known Louis a little over two weeks. Were these emotions bubbling up inside her something permanent or a side effect of the nerves she had from waiting for the raiders to attack. Could she really take a leap like this when any second the Delta could tear down their gates and all this could be taken away from her.

She’d handed the knife back to Louis. Then Louis had opened up to her, thanking her for the times she’d listened when no one else had, how she understood him as someone beyond the jokes he told. Clementine hadn’t known what to say to that. How could she encapsulate the admiration she held for Louis, the gratefulness she felt that he’d forgiven her and A.J. after everything had gone so wrong? She went with what she knew. “Friends are all we’ve got, and I’m glad we’ve got each other,” Louis had offered her a fist bump which she’d returned with a bit too much force, the song Louis composed was named “Super Fun Times Friend Song” and they’d shared a few more laughs before Clementine was called away to watch duty. It had been nice, but something in the back of Clementine’s mind left her feeling that things could have gone in a different direction.

The weeks following the attack on the Delta had confirmed this for Clementine. Every step of the way, Louis had been there for her. During the battle to rescue their friends, when he’d circled back to help her and A.J. find their way to the school, and when he’d run breathlessly through the forest with Clementine cradled in his arms, desperate to get her to Ruby before it was too late. He’d sat by her bed for weeks as she recuperated, playing music on the gramophone since he couldn’t bring the piano to her. He’d helped her navigate the school with her crutches, saved her from many a spill, and was always there to cheer her up when she was feeling down.

Every time her eyes met his, Clementine saw something in them, a look that no one else gave her, one that sent her heart tumbling within her in an instant. She knew there was something between them. But Louis went no further than those looks. He never took the next step, never asked or said anything that did more than proclaim their undying friendship for each other. Three weeks out of bed and on her crutches, Clementine was forced to face an uncomfortable fact: that night at the piano room had been Louis’ move. If she ever wanted anything more to happen between them, the ball was in her court.

Considering how spectacularly she’d flubbed a verbal confession to Louis, Clementine doubted she’d have much more luck with a second attempt. Should she write a letter? No, her writings skills and penmanship had basically dried up at a third-grade level. She wouldn’t be able to express all that she wanted to say on paper. Perhaps a gesture then: taking on his chores, offering him some of her stew at dinner, picking flower from the greenhouse. Clementine quickly decided none of those would work. Louis wouldn’t accept her taking on any extra chores or giving up her food so soon after losing her leg and as for the flowers, Clementine could just hear Louis’ voice in her head as he told everyone at the school about the lovely “friendship flowers” Clementine had gotten him. No, it had to be something undeniably romantic.

Clementine was lying on her bed one morning when inspiration finally struck. Of course. She didn’t need to come up with something new at all. What she should do to prove her feelings was the very thing she’d been too afraid to do that night. Grabbing her crutches, Clementine snuck down the hall as quietly as she could, making her way to the music room. On her way there, she spotted Louis standing on watch duty. Good. She didn’t want to risk him walking in on her. She wanted to keep it a surprise. As soon as Clementine reached the piano, she plopped down on the bench, casting her crutches to the side. Pulling out her own knife, she tattooed the piano once more, adding a heart around her and Louis’ initials. Next time Louis sat down to play, he would see the heart and know what it meant: that Clementine was willing to give something beyond friendship a try if he was. Her work done, Clementine pocketed the knife and picked up her crutches, making her way out of the room before anybody could spot her there. Her heart beat excitedly within her. She wondered how long it would be until Louis visited his piano again.

That evening, things seemed to be going normally at Ericson. Omar had ladled out the stew and almost everyone had sat down to eat. Ruby and Aasim were sitting by each other with Willy to their right, Violet sitting across from him. A.J. sat to Clementine’s left while her right side, the spot normally taken by Louis, remained open. Clementine wondered where he was. It wasn’t like him to miss out on their biggest meal of the day.

Suddenly the doors to the admin building burst open. Louis strode out looking angrier than any of them had seen in some time. Making his way over to the picnic table, he stood at the head of it, his hand on his hips. “Alright, whoever thought it would be funny to graffiti my piano better own up right now,”

“What are you talking about, Lou?” Violet asked, placing down her spoon and squinting at him with her good eye. “That piano’s already been graffitied more times than I can count and you never cared before,”

“I’m not talking about the old graffiti. I’m talking about the new addition somebody made today. Now who thought it would be funny to draw a heart around Clem and I’s initials?”

Clementine’s heart dropped into her gut. He’s angry about it? Maybe she’d been misreading things this whole time.

“Louis, this is silly,” Aasim stated dismissively. “Why in the world would any of us want to do that?”

“Bold words from one of my primary suspects!” Louis declared, jabbing a finger in Aasim’s direction. “If you feel the need to get back at me for all the times I’ve teased you, leave Clem out of it. Our friendship isn’t a joking matter. It’s something I take very seriously, and I thought you of all people with all your talk of “privacy” would respect that!"

“It wasn’t me!” Aasim’s eyes narrowed at the accusation.

Ruby tried to place a comforting hand over her boyfriend’s arm. “Now let’s not fight about something so silly-”

“Silly? Don’t act as if you’re not a potential culprit too, Ruby,” Louis interjected.

“Now why in the world would I be a suspect?” Ruby challenged, her lower lip jutting out as she frowned.

Clementine wished she could disappear into the ground right about now. This wasn’t how she’d expected things to go at all.

Louis rolled his eyes. “You’re always complaining about how everyone’s teasing you and Aasim for being so lovey-dovey around each other. Did you think pretending Clementine and I were a thing would get some of the heat off of you two? Clementine is my best friend, that’s all! You can’t go spreading lies to make yourself feel better,”

Ruby gasped, clearly insulted. “You think you can just go around making claims like that? Well, let me tell you-”

“This is all fucking stupid,” Violet grumbled. “Someone just ‘fess up,”

“Was that a deflection, Vi?” Louis challenged, his eyebrow raised. “Did you-”

“Alright, enough!” Clementine shouted, her volume bringing everyone to a standstill. “I was the one who left the heart, OK? It was me,”

“You?” Louis asked, looking utterly lost.

“Yeah,” Clementine looked down at the table, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. “It wasn’t a joke or anything. I thought it’d be an easier way to let you know. Guess I was wrong,”

Everyone at the table was silent. Willy and A.J. were watching in confusion, their faces still covered in leftover stew. All eyes were on either Louis or Clementine, waiting for either of them to speak. Neither did.

Louis was the first to do something. Without a word, he turned around, heading straight back to the admin building.

Shit. I fucked up. Clementine didn’t have to raise her head to feel the heat of the stares upon her. Silently, she picked up her spoon and resumed eating her stew. I don’t get it. Would it be that bad to be with me? There’s not a single other available girl his age anywhere near here. Everything I thought I saw though... I must have made it all up myself.

“Clementine…” Ruby’s voice was soft, almost sad.

She couldn’t stick around for this. Grabbing her crutches, Clementine rose to her feet. “I’m gonna call it a night,” With that she made her way back toward the dorms, unwilling to look back and see the pitying gazes following her. I can’t believe it went down like this. Here I was so confident it was a sure thing, and then…

Clementine paused in her journey, looking toward the admin building. Louis was in there right now, probably trying to figure out a way to scratch out that stupid heart from his piano. Did he hate her now? Clementine couldn’t bear the thought of that. Did she owe him an apology for what she’d done, humiliating him in front of all their friends when he could have turned her down in private if she’d just had the guts to confess? Maybe there wasn’t anyone to blame here. It was all a misunderstanding. Still, she didn’t want to go to bed thinking Louis was angry at her. Steeling her resolve, Clementine switched course and set out for the admin building.

Everything was completely silent as Clementine entered, slowly turning down the hall to the music room. She tried to keep as quiet as possible, her crutches softly tapping the floor and her foot lightly scuffing it each time she took a step. She could feel her gut twisting in dread. She didn’t know what she would say to Louis when she got there. Perhaps he wasn’t even in the music room after all. No sound came from it now. As she neared the ajar doors, Clementine peered through the crack, trying to get an idea of what was happening inside.

Louis was in there after all, sitting at the piano. He wasn’t playing though. Instead he was staring at the carved heart. He reached out to touch it, his other hand coming up to cover his mouth. What was going on? After a minute of reflection, Louis reached inside his coat pocket, pulling out his dagger. He’d decided to scratch the heart out after all. As he dug his knife into the wood of the piano, Clementine looked away. It was a mistake coming here. She should go.

When she turned her crutches to leave though, one ran into one of the empty cans scattered throughout the hallway. Clementine winced as the sound echoed down the hall.

“Who’s there?”

No escaping now. Clementine pressed open the doors, too ashamed to meet Louis’ eyes. “Louis, I just came by to apologize. I never meant to embarrass you like that. Whatever you want to do to get rid of that stupid heart is fine with me,”

Louis looked confused for a moment before a soft smile crossed his face. He patted the spot beside him on the piano bench. “Care to sit with me for a minute, Clemster?”

Clementine was puzzled but complied. Sitting down beside Louis, she leaned her crutches against the piano before turning to face him.

“Guess I shouldn’t have run off like that,” Louis scratched the back of his neck, not making eye contact. “I wasn’t really thinking that clearly after I heard you say you were the one who left the heart. I had to visit again to make sure it was actually real. And it is,” He looked back to where the heart with their initials lay. “Then I wanted to add something of my own,”

Clementine glanced up in surprise, her eyes locking on the carving. It wasn’t scratched out after all. The heart was still there, and their initials, but something new lay between them. Where before there was simply a C and an L, now there was a plus sign connecting the two. Clementine’s eyes shot over to Louis. She saw that same look there that had been making her heart flutter these past few weeks.

“It’s complete now,” A small grin formed on Louis’ face.

“I can see that,” Clementine felt a smile tugging at her own lips, a giddiness bubbling up inside her. “So I guess that means… we’re more than friends now,”

“Definitely,” The grin had widened, covering Louis’ entire face now. “More than best friends too! Man, who would’ve thought after that card game where you denied having feelings for anyone that you were in fact lying. You do have feelings for someone, someone named Louis. Which just so happens to be my name!”

Before Louis could say anything more, Clementine leaned upwards, capturing his lips in a quick kiss. Screw caution, she was going for what she wanted.

Louis met the kiss eagerly, his own lips pressing against hers, causing a small moan to escape Clementine’s lips.

Clementine immediately drew back, her face overheating as she realized the sound she’d just made. She glanced up to see how Louis was taking it, but he seemed to be in some sort of blissful haze, giggling excitedly as he looked over at her.

“God, how lucky am I? I’ve got the coolest best friend in the world and now it turns out she likes me too? That’s the dream,”

Clementine smiled up at Louis, basking in the moment. This was what she’d wanted all along. She’d just been too scared to let herself admit it until now. Thinking of the others, she turned her head to look back, hoping that none of them had thought to come check on them. “Do you think we ought to head back? We did stir up a lot of drama back there,”

“Ah, it can wait till tomorrow,” Louis waved his hand dismissively. “A moment like this calls for celebration. I’ll have you know I did not plan to call the song I played for you that night “Super Fun Times Friend Song”. I hereby retract that title so I can assign it one more befitting,”

“And what exactly did you have in mind?” Clementine asked, her eyes crinkling in amusement at Louis’ excitement.

“’Clementine’. Y’know, because I like fruit. And I like you even more so… there,”

That had Clementine blushing. She felt her face heating up as Louis began to play the song, the beautiful melody filling the room and dancing around them. Clementine let the music seep into her bones, taking in how much this song meant to Louis. It was the first thing he’d ever composed and he’d named it after her. That was the greatest gift she could ever imagine.

Slowly Clementine let her head rest upon Louis’ shoulder. She felt him flinch for an instant, but he didn’t miss a beat, continuing on with his music without dropping a single note. Clementine closed her eyes. She could see why Louis had gone to double check the piano. She didn’t quite believe this was real herself. But it was. She was home, she was happy, and her best friend was now something so much more to her. She felt complete.

[ericsonclan]

I Lost My Head When I Met You

Summary: Louis tries to figure out what sort of gesture to make to celebrate his one week anniversary with Clementine.

Read on A03:

Louis stood on Ericson High’s roof, hands on his hips, surveying the grounds proudly. This was a brilliant idea. He couldn’t wait to see it all play out. He and Clementine had been dating for a week now to the day and though he knew that wasn’t a very long time at all for people, every day had felt special to him. He wanted to celebrate this first milestone with something big, something that would knock Clementine off her feet.

Footsteps on the staircase drew his attention back to the roof. Violet emerged, sniffing curiously. She was probably trying to figure out why she’d been called up here.

“Vi! Over here!” Louis waved her over excitedly.

The werewolf approached the young frankenstein with caution, glancing over the edge to see if he’d put anything crazy in place yet. “When you texted me that you had ‘the greatest idea of all time’ I was worried, but it looks like you haven’t done anything stupid yet,”

Louis put his hand to his heart in mock indignation. “Why, Violet! I will have you know that I do indeed have my plan in place and it involves this,” He held forward a long black rope proudly.

“Violet raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to kidnap Clem?”

“What? No! It’s bungee cord!” Louis lifted up the end where there was a loop. “I stick my legs through here and jump right off the side of this building! You’re waiting down there with Clementine, timing it just right so that when my head pops off from the force of the fall it plops right into Clementine’s hands. Then I tell her, ‘I lost my head when I met you!’ Brilliant, right?”

“That just might be the worst plan I’ve ever heard in my life. No, wait, it definitely is,”

“Aaw, why?” Louis pouted, crossed his arms to mirror Violet.

“Louis, c’mon. Even you can see there are a million reasons that’s bad. First of all, you’ll probably get detention of pulling this stunt,”

“Clem’s worth getting detention for,”

“Your dad will be pissed. He’ll blame Clementine for your bad behavior and say you can’t see her anymore,”

Louis looked down at the ground sadly. She had him there.

“Besides, none of that matters because the main reason it’s bad is that it’ll scare Clementine. She won’t think it’s cute, she’ll be freaked out,”

“Clem doesn’t think I’m a freak,” Louis argued, his tone growing defensive. “She likes me just the way I am,”

Violet’s ears dropped, realizing her mistake. “Lou, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…” she sighed. “Clem is always doing her best to look out for you and make sure you don’t get hurt. Putting yourself in harm’s way - even if it’s for show - will only stress her out,”

Louis’ confidence deflated. “Yeah… I guess you’re right. Plus, I’m just kidding myself that we could get the timing right on that fall. Knowing me, my head would probably end up flying into someone’s bicycle basket or a trashcan or something. But… I want to do something. To show how much she means to me,”

Violet’s eyes softened. “I think she already knows. But if you want to do something special, just go the classic route. Flowers, chocolates, a note. She’d love any of that stuff,”

Louis nodded thoughtfully. It wasn’t that unique, but he didn’t want to waste his time trying to form some sort of grand plan and come up empty instead. There was still enough time in study hall for him to sneak out to the woods and grab some wildflowers. He turned to Violet with a determined smile. “I can do that. I’ll see you later, Vi!” With that he was off, leaving Violet on the rooftop, her tail softly wagging as she watched her friend go.

There wasn’t much time to find the best flowers of all. Louis could only manage to quickly grab a handful of wildflowers before running back inside to his locker, dumping out his pencil holder, pouring the contents on his water bottle in it and setting the flowers inside, hoping they’d stay fresh till school was over. For the rest of the day whenever there was a lull in his schoolwork, Louis would scribble in the back part of his notebook, trying to come up with a note to give to Clementine. He wanted to write something that would encapsulate everything that he felt for her, but that was a tall order.

The first time he’d met Clementine was when she saved him from some Delta High bullies. As she held his head safely in her arms, Louis had felt like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Later interactions with her had only served to drive that idea home for him. Clementine was a human, but she wasn’t like most of the others he had met. She’d never looked at Louis strangely or gotten freaked out when parts of him fell off. She was patient with him as he learned about the brand-new world around him, and best of all, against all odds Clementine liked him too. Somehow the same admiration he held for her was reflected in her eyes when she looked at him. She believed he was special, that he could do anything he set his heart on.

In the end, Louis settled on a very simple note, one he could tuck amongst the wildflowers before he handed them to Clementine. It read: Clementine, thank you for always believing in me. I love you. Louis read the note over and over a million times as he waited for the last school bell to finally ring. When it did, he bolted out of the classroom, sprinting to his locker without thinking of any strange looks that might draw. Opening the locker, he found the wildflowers still mostly fresh to his relief. He shook the excess water off them lightly before tucking the scrap of notebook paper within the bouquet and running off to find Clementine.

He was out of the front entrance before her. Seeing that Clementine clearly hadn’t made it outside yet, Louis ended up awkwardly pacing as he waited, glancing up to the front steps every five seconds.

Violet made it outside before Clementine. She approached Louis with a knowing smile on her face, shaking her head as he jittered with nerves. “You don’t need to worry, Lou. It’s not like she’s gonna turn you down. She’s your girlfriend,”

“Oh, yeah? Then why do you get so nervous every time you reach for Prisha’s hand? You two have been dating way longer than me and Clem,”

He did have a point. Dating someone didn’t mean all your fears immediately went away. If anything, they somehow increased them. Violet glanced at the bouquet. “So you went with flowers?”

Louis nodded. “And a note,”

“What does the note say?”

“Just ‘thank you for believing in me’ and that I love her,”

“Wait, you guys are already to the ‘I love you’ stage?”

Louis quirked his head in confusion. “Don’t all couples say that?”

Violet shook her head. “No way. Prisha and I have been together for months and we’re not there yet,”

“But… I thought…” Louis looked down at the ground helplessly. There was still so much about life and relationships he didn’t know. Sometimes he hated being seven months old.

“There she is now,”

Violet’s words had Louis’ eyes shooting up to see Clementine making her way down the school steps, waving goodbye to Sophie and Minnie. Shit. I need to get rid of this note. Destroy the evidence. His eyes frantically searched the area for somewhere he could hide it. The trash can by the steps was his best bet. Louis made a bee line for it, not looking out for where he was going.

“Look out!” The words came too late. The skateboarder whose path Louis had crossed crashed into him, sending Louis crashing to the ground, his head flying off.

“Louis!” Clementine’s voice broke through the air as she leapt forward, catching him and holding his head safely in her arms. She looked down at her boyfriend with concern, brushing a stray dreadlock back. “Are you OK?”

“Y-yeah. Man, that skateboarder came out of nowhere!” Louis glanced over to where his body lay on the ground, blindly reaching out for the flowers scattered across the concrete.

Clementine caught on to what was happening too. Walking over, she gave Louis’ body a hand up, still cradling his head in her other hand. She then proceeded to help retrieve the flowers, pausing when she saw a note addressed to her and picking it up. “What’s this?”

“Uh, nothing. I mean, it was just something to celebrate our first week together, but-”

“Really?” Clementine’s eyes sparkled with an excitement that made Louis feel like he was melting. Before he could remember to finish his warning to not read the note, she had already opened it and read it in an instant. She remained silent, her eyes scanning the paper repeatedly.

Louis closed his eyes, not wanting to see Clementine’s face when she told him he’d gone too far, that he was moving too quickly. Instead, he was surprised to feel his head being lifted up. He opened his eyes to find Clementine on her tiptoes, placing his head back on top of his body. Her hands cupped his face as she made sure his head was securely on. Then, as though on impulse, she raised herself a bit higher, placing a kiss upon his lips.

Louis’ hands carefully came around her waist, pulling Clementine closer as the kiss deepened. When they pulled away, both of them looked flushed.

Clementine bit her lip, glancing away before her eyes returned to Louis. “I love you too. Happy one week anniversary,”

“Happy one week anniversary,” Louis murmured, still staring at her in wonder. He shook his head suddenly, clearing his thoughts. “Can I walk you home?”

“I’d like that,” Clementine’s smile was warm as she intertwined her fingers with his.

Realizing he was still holding most of the remnants of his bouquet, Louis handed them to Clementine who took them gladly. They walked together, hand in hand, talking animatedly each step of the way.

Watching from a distance, Violet shook her head good-naturedly, amused by how the whole event had worked itself out. Louis had lost his head after all and Clementine had caught him just like she always would. They really were a perfect match.

[ericsonclan]

Pancake Day

Summary: Clementine wakes up on Pancake Day to find a surprise visitor at her house <3

Read on A03:

Clementine woke up to the sounds of classical piano music coming from down the hall in the kitchen. She was somewhat confused by the choice. Lee was usually a jazz man, and if A.J. got his hands on the radio first he’d be bopping along to country music in no time. Still, there was no harm in change. In fact, she quite liked it. Sleepily, she emerged from her bedroom, ready to enjoy a Saturday morning with her family. It was good to have a weekend off for once. Time to enjoy their traditional Everett pancake breakfast!

It was to Clementine’s complete surprise when she turned the corner and saw it wasn’t Lee manning the pancake station as always, but Louis. He stood over the pancakes, nervously checking under each one of them again and again. Lee was beside him, giving a guiding hand while A.J. sat at the table gulping down the first round of pancakes. When she entered the room, they all turned to greet her.

“Morning, sweet pea,” Lee said with a warm smile. “Your boyfriend here was just taking his first round at the helm. He’s not doing bad for his first attempt,”

“No pancakes will burn on my watch, sir!” Louis said with a grin. Then he looked at Clementine. “Sorry I didn’t mention I was coming by earlier. Vi and I are trying this thing for the week where only one of us is at the restaurant at a time, y’know, to be prepared to handle things on our own if the other is sick or something. Vi decided to take the first shift, so I figured I’d see if you were free. Your dad graciously opened his home to me as soon as I arrived and offered to teach me the secrets of a master pancake chef. I couldn’t very well say no,”

“No, it’s cool. I’m glad you’re here, Louis. If you’ll just excuse me for a second…” Clementine turned to scurry back to her room to fix her hair and get out of her pajamas.

“Ah ah ah,” Lee scolded, waving a spatula in her direction. “The dress code for Pancake Day is non-negotiable. We all wear PJ’s. I even let Louis borrow some of mine so he’d fit right in,”

Now that she looked closer, she did recognize Louis was wearing Lee’s pajamas. They were a little baggy on him, but fit well enough.

Louis eyed Clementine playfully. “Didn’t know you were such a big fan of Donald Duck,”

“I bought those PJ’s for her!” A.J. piped up his mouth still full of pancakes. “I picked them ‘cause they look just like her when she’s grumpy!”

“A.J.!” Clementine’s eyes narrowed. She could feel her face heating up.

“Swallow first, A.J.,” Lee directed.

“Sorry,” A.J. said, finishing his mouthful of food.

Clementine rolled her eyes. That wasn’t what he should be apologizing for. Suddenly an acrid scent reached her nose. "Is something burning?”

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Louis exclaimed, frantically turning down the burner and flipping over his pancakes. In the process of their conversation he’d forgotten to maintain an eye on them and now one side of each pancake was burnt a solid black. Louis let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slouching in defeat.

Lee patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. I was the same way when I was your age. Couldn’t do anything right when a pretty girl was in the room,”

“Lee!” Clementine exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

It was Louis’ turn to feel his face grow hot. “You know, sir, I would never- I mean, Clem-”

“It’s alright, boy, I’m just joshing you,” Lee said, dismissively waving his hand as he directed Louis to take a seat. “And no more of this ‘sir’ business. If anything, you can call me professor,”

“O-ok then,” Louis answered. His nervousness was still clear. He was always so earnest, even when he tried his best to play it cool.

Clementine smiled as she sat down across from him. She reached over to A.J.’s plate, snagging one of the pancakes and scarfing it down.

“Hey!” A.J. cried out. “No fair! You gotta wait your turn,”

“You should learn to share your food, not hoard it all to yourself when others are waiting to eat,”

“Louis said I could,” A.J. retorted, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I did say that,” Louis admitted.

“Did you make those pancakes? They’re really good,”

“Alas, I was only a humble assistant in the first round. Your father here is the real pancake genius,”

Lee lifted his spatula to acknowledge the compliment, not turning around from the current round of pancakes on the griddle.

Clementine poured herself a glass of orange juice. “So, what did you have in mind for today?”

“Nothing that special. There’s a free concert in Greyson park this afternoon. They’re playing a lot of Tchaikovsky. Thought you might like to go,”

“Sounds great,”

“Louis tells me he’s an aspiring musician,” Lee commented, bringing some fresh pancakes over to the table. Clementine lightly slapped A.J.’s hand when he reached for the entire plate. “Guests first,”

“You can go first if you want, little man,” Louis offered.

Clementine shook her head. “Believe me, if we waited for A.J. to be full before we started eating, we’d be here till evening. Go ahead and grab a few,”

A.J. nodded begrudgingly. “Guests first,”

“OK, then…” Louis grabbed a couple pancakes, leaving the bigger ones for Clementine. “Bon appetit,”

“What’s that mean?” A.J. asked.

“It means ‘good appetite’,” Lee answered, taking a seat at the head of the table with some pancakes of his own. “I must say I’m impressed, Louis. Starting a business at your age and getting a second degree on the side? That’s quite a lot of work,”

“It’s not much really,” Louis replied sheepishly. “My staff are the ones who really keep the restaurant going. And the music degree’s just a passion project for me. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it anytime soon the way things are going,”

“Louis has a bad habit of not accepting praise,” Clementine put in. “He’s an excellent musician. One of these days we’re going to fit a piano into the dining room at the restaurant so he can play for the guests. I’m sure that’ll be a huge draw for Ericson’s Diner,”

“I’ll be first in line to see his performance then,” Lee offered.

“Me too!” A.J. chimed in, bouncing excitedly in his seat.

Louis was beaming, “If you’d all like, you could drop by my apartment sometime and I’ll give you a private concert. You’ll be the first to hear some of my latest stuff,”

“Let’s do it!” A.J. leaped up from his chair.

“Hold on, kiddo,” Clementine warned. “I think he meant later on, not today,”

“Oh,” A.J.’s face fell momentarily, then brightened. “Tomorrow then?”

“I, uh… sure. Tomorrow works,” Louis said, charmed by A.J.’s excitement.

“Tomorrow it is then,” Lee stood to clear his plate, offering to take the others’ as well. “For now though, you two have a date. Go on and get changed; A.J. and I can handle the dishes,”

“Thanks, Lee!” Clementine jumped up, ready to get out of her frumpy pajamas. Louis followed suit, stepping into Lee’s room to get changed.

As they stepped out the front door, they both told Lee and A.J. goodbye before linking hands and making their way over to Louis’ car.

“Your dad’s pretty awesome,” Louis observed cheerfully. “Or… do you not want me to call him your dad? I know he adopted you when you were like fifteen, so…”

“No, he’s my dad. Just my second one,” Clementine took a seat, buckling herself in. “So, if the concert’s in the afternoon, what are we doing now?”

“This may sound crazy, but how about… Chuck E Cheese?”

“I love it,” Clementine grinned.

“A woman after my own heart,” Louis replied with a smile.

“Floor it. I’m gonna kick your ass at skeeball,”

“You’ll hear no argument from me there. Onward then!” With that Louis started the car and they were off, fueled by pancakes and ready for a day of laughter and fun.

[ericsonclan]

Took Your Cherry

Summary: Louis' poor choice of words lead to a day of pranks.

Notes: Everybody’s in their 20′s here and it’s pretty much just innuendo XD

Read on A03:

Clementine was sitting at the bar, taking a short break after finishing preparations for what they expected to be a busy day. She had a Shirley Temple in her hands that Prisha had made for her. Violet sat beside her with her own Shirley Temple, chatting with Prisha as she wiped down the bar. Mitch was kneeling on the floor nearby, working on some sort of wiring issue. It was nice to share a quiet moment before the craziness of breakfast rush began.

Louis ambled over, a clipboard in his hands. He must have just come from a meeting with Aasim. No way would he be carrying a clipboard of his own volition. After noticing the girls sitting together at the bar, he changed direction to join them, plopping down on the barstool between Clementine and Violet. He gave Clementine an easy smile which she returned in kind. Glancing over at her drink, he plucked the maraschino cherry from the rim, downing it in one gulp. He’d always had an insatiable sweet tooth, and they both knew Clem wasn’t planning to eat it. “Took your cherry,” he said with a playful wink.

Violet spat her drink across the bar. “What the fuck, Louis?”

“What?” Louis asked with an innocent shrug.

Prisha sighed as she started her cleaning again. “That was honestly vulgar, Louis,”

“I don’t think he meant it like that…” Clementine cut in.

Mitch let out a snort. “Seriously, Louis? Everyone knows what that means,”

“What does it mean?” Louis asked helplessly.

Violet took hold of his coat, pulling him in so she could whisper in his ear.

Louis’ eyes widened in horror. “Clem!” he spun around to face her. “I am sooooo sorry. I had no idea, I swear!”

“It’s OK, Louis. I know you didn’t mean it like that,” Though the statement was true. No point confirming that to the world though. She returned to her drink, eyes lowered so that no one would notice the rosy flush her cheeks had taken on. The others also returned to their tasks, leaving Louis to slink away in embarrassment, hoping the entire conversation would get swept under the rug. As the morning shift began, it seemed that was exactly what happened.

Until a Shirley Temple mysteriously appeared in the pickup window. Louis was picking up the slack since one of their waitresses had called in sick. When he came up to get his order, a Shirley Temple was standing beside it. What was it doing here?

“Umm, Omar? Is this yours?” Louis asked, picking it up.

“Oh, that’s mine!” Ruby exclaimed, coming forward and taking it from him. “Sorry, I shoulda kept a closer eye on my cherry,”

Louis’ jaw dropped. “Who told you?”

“Told me what?” Ruby asked innocently.

Omar loudly harrumphed. “Food’s getting cold,”

This conversation would have to wait for another time. Louis strode away sulkily, his face burning. How many of them knew?

The next Shirley Temple appeared at the booth that had just been vacated. He’d turned around for a minute to grab something to wipe it down and when he returned there it stood, looking at him smugly. Louis snatched it up in exasperation, ready to throw it in the trash.

“Wait!” A hand grabbed his wrist. Violet took the Shirley Temple from his hands, downing it in one gulp. “Now that’s the good stuff,”

“Did you do this, Vi?”

Violet walked away without bothering to answer.

“That’s very unprofessional!” Louis called lamely as he watched her disappear into the back room.

The third one was in the staff room. Louis walked in without looking around, his phone holding all his attention. When he sat down though, he heard something jostle on the table. He raised his gaze and locked eyes with the culprit. The Shirley Temple was still ice cold, the condensation on the outside of the glass slipping down the side slowly. There was more to the prank though: three maraschino cherries rested on top of the icy beverage. Louis’ mind reeled. Did the last Shirley Temple have two cherries? He couldn’t remember. He stalked out of the room, deciding to take his break in the storage closet.

Throughout the day they continued to appear before him, each with more cherries than the last. By the dumpster as he took the trash out, on the hood of his car when he went to grab his checkbook, even in the stall he walked into to use the restroom. Who was pranking him and how could they predict his every movement? Was it all of his staff? How were they so well-coordinated? Louis watched his employees warily, trying to figure out who the guilty party was; they all went about their jobs as if nothing had changed. The only one acting somewhat differently was Violet, who was always more than willing to take the latest Shirley Temple off of his hands. Even if she’d planted some, she couldn’t be moving around that quickly.

Eventually Louis had to admit the bitter truth to himself: they were all pranking him. Prisha drank a Shirley Temple as he walked past the bar, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. Brody returned to the kitchen with a pile of dirty dishes, a Shirley Temple resting on top of the stack. Aasim went through the food locker with him and handed him each and every Shirley Temple inside without a single word: there were seven. Violet acted as a Shirley Temple vacuum throughout the entire day, sucking down each and every one she came across, a plate of nuggets in her hand. He didn’t know how she tucked them away like that. It would be impressive if the looming feeling of shame didn’t overshadow his entire day.

At one point, he thought he caught Prisha in the act. She was quietly assembling a Shirley Temple at the bar, right as he was about to start his next shift.

“Aha!” Louis exclaimed, running forward and plucking the drink out of her hands. “Thought you could slip this one by me, did ya? Well nice try, but I caught you red-handed this time!”

“What are you talking about?” Prisha glared at him in annoyance. “This is for a customer, not you. Clementine! It’s ready!”

Clementine came over, a serving tray in her hands. “Thanks, Prisha!” She gave Louis a sympathetic glance before grabbing the drink and hurrying over to a waiting family, placing the Shirley Temple in front of the little girl who bounced in excitement at her food’s arrival.

“Tsk, tsk,” Prisha scolded, picking up the jar of maraschino cherries and tucking them back under the bar. “Someone’s getting paranoid,”

“I- well-” Louis had nothing snappy to say in reply. He turned around with a huff, getting back to his work.

It was a long day, both literally and emotionally. Louis continued to be surprised with the variety of places the Shirley Temples showed up. Inside the freezer, on top of the fuse box, On the corner of the Ericson’s Diner roof. They never stopped coming. He was pretty sure their next food order would include a complete resupply of Maraschino cherries as well. He was too tired to ponder that for long though. He sat inside the staff room, his head laid on the table.

He heard the door open and close behind him. Who was even still around at this hour?

The soft clink of a glass being placed on the table. Not again.

Louis raised his head, his brow furrowed in annoyance. “Look, I’m getting real tired of your-” He froze.

“Hey,”

“Clem,”

She sat down beside him, a soft smile on her face. “Looks like you had a hell of a day,”

“You have no idea,”

“I saw a lot of it,” Clementine gestured to the Shirley Temple in front of him with a nod. “Bet you don’t want to see another one of those for the rest of your life,”

“Where did you find that one? In the oven? On top of the display case?”

“Actually, I made this one myself,” Clementine picked up the glass, slowly swirling the drink around. “I was trying to think how I could make you feel better. All I came up with was…” She paused, setting the drink back in front of him. Then she reached forward, taking the maraschino cherry and popping it into her mouth. She swallowed it with an audible gulp. “Took your cherry,”

Louis felt his face heating up as he looked at his girlfriend smiling so sweetly at him. “Holy shit,” he breathed.

Clem’s face wrinkled in concern. “Did I take it too far?”

Before he could properly articulate himself, Louis found himself chuckling. Laughing at how ridiculous this whole day had been. Who’dve thought things could go down like this from one little comment? Clementine started giggling too, joining him as the two of them laughed over the course of events that had brought them here. As they quieted, they looked at each other in silence, reading the other’s face before going in for a gentle kiss.

“I’m glad it was you,” Clementine whispered, looking down as shyness overcame her.

Louis’ face was starting to hurt with how strongly he was grinning. “I’m glad it was you too,”

Suddenly, a hand emerged from under the table, grasping around blindly before landing on the Shirley Temple and pulling it down below.

“What the shit?” Louis exclaimed, he and Clementine both back away from the table in shock.

A loud burp emanated from under the tablecloth. “Worth it,”

“Vi, is that you?”

“Just pretend I was never here,”

“What are you doing under there?”

“Sleeping off my Shirley Temple coma,” She paused. “I may need a ride home,”

Louis shook his head though she couldn’t see it from underneath the table. “Nuh uh, after the shit you pulled today?”

“That was mostly Prisha and Mitch! I just got the benefit of free drinks,” Vi crawled out from under the table, her clothes and hair rumpled. “Does this look like the face of a liar?”

“Fine,” Louis sighed. He turned to Clementine. “See you tomorrow?”

Clem nodded. “Can’t wait,” She leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “Goodnight,”

“Night,”

As Clem exited the room, Violet took her place beside Louis.

“Need a hand?”

Violet let out another belch. “Nah, I’m good,”

They made their way silently through the empty restaurant. Once they reached the parking lot, Louis fished in his pocket for his keys.

“You guys are cute together,”

“I swear to God, Vi, if you tell anyone what happened-”

“Aaw, don’t get your panties in a twist. I won’t,” Violet waved her hand dismissively. “But I’m serious. Clem’s special. I’m glad you finally found someone who makes you feel like that,”

Louis was thoughtful as he unlocked his car. “I am too. Thanks, Vi,”

“Don’t mention it,” They were almost out of the parking lot when Vi spoke again. “Lou, don’t hate me for this,”

“What?”

“We have to go back and unlock the restaurant,”

“What? Why?”

“I have to pee,”