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adorasbiceps · 6 years ago

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I have so many thoughts on the new episode of TWDG so I’m just gonna write it all here so spoilers for Episode 3 Broken Toys beyond this point:

- I’m gonna start with the heavy shit because I’m still thinking about it now and I can’t stop. Louis. That scene broke me in a way I can’t even describe, the way he fucking hugged Clem and Clem hugged him back, I’m on the verge of tears now just remembering that scene. They cut his tongue out. THEY FUCKING CUT HIS TONGUE OUT. That is beyond fucked. Most of my emotions before this scene had been happy ones, because I was enjoying my Violet/Clem scenes, and then I get kicked in the balls and smacked over the head with this scene? I honest to god cried, I cried during the Lee scene and I cried during this scene, I was distraught and Clem’s response that she never would have let them take him had she known was fucking ME. I love Violet so much but this honestly made me want to go back and save Louis instead because, as far as I know, Violet is fine physically but is pissed at Clem but, at the very least, she can fucking TALK. I have a Violentine and Clouis, save I avoided spoilers all day so I had no idea what happened to Louis in this route, Violentine is my ‘canon’ save so I played that first and it destroyed me. From that point on I was operating on shock and anger.

- Was I the only one who was deeply disappointed (and furious) with Lilly. At the end of episode 2 it said I left her feeling ‘unconvinced’ I had hoped I’d laid the seeds of doubt and could harvest them in this episode to get Lilly on my side. Nope. That never fucking happened, once, she’s a savage from her first scene until her last. She literally doesn’t give a shit, it’s like that scene when you tell her you were once family never even happened, she gives zero shits about Clementine or her friends, I thought maybe we could do something to at least further her doubts to completely break her away from the Delta in episode 4 but she’s irredeemable to me now. I decided to not let AJ shoot Lilly because I still had that one shred of hope I could convince her (also James’ warning of not letting AJ become a killer was ringing in my ears) and she just fucking murdered James. Straight up killed him. She’s dead to me now, irredeemable.

- Also I let AJ take the risk and save Violet, I wasn’t sure at first because I really didn’t want AJ to get hurt but my genuine panic that they were gonna slice Violet’s hand off (I think they only take a finger but I thought they were going for a hand) made me think the risk might be worth it, and AJ ripping an ear off with his teeth, I stan. Yeah, I didn’t want AJ to get hurt but I didn’t want Violet to get hurt or maimed like they’d already done to fucking Louis I was so panicked.

- I thought James’ philosophy on the walkers was interesting. It’s been raised before on the Walking Dead TV show (don’t read the cross out if you haven’t seen The Walking Dead TV show or read if you don’t mind spoilers anyway): Hershel keeping his family/neighbors in the barn in the vain hope of helping them, they’re still in there kind of thing, and also Morgan’s wife, who was a walker walks up to her house and tries the door and stands there and she does it regularly suggesting that perhaps the walkers retain some of their memory or whatever. The thing is that doesn’t really change anything, even if a part of you existed in that walker, isn’t that a cruel fate? I don’t care if part of me would live on in a walker, you’re a rotting corpse that likes to eat human beings I think I’d rather be killed and set free, born anew, than remain a walker. Even so, I can’t confirm nor deny that apart of people do live on in the walkers so I agreed with James that there was something up with them - also that scene was highkey so cool wearing the walker mask and being in first person I was actually scared and the breathing horror level increased tenfold. I also did everything James asked me, I didn’t kill the walkers in his camp, not a single one even though it was terrifying and I almost got eaten. When Lilly killed him my jaw dropped open, I was shookth after I told AJ to spare Lilly she does THAT pissed doesn’t come close to how I felt.

- The scene with Lee was everything (though it didn’t prepare me for the whiplash I was about to get in the cell scene with Louis) I felt comforted. It’s so full circle. Clem is Lee now. He’s her conscious and it just reminds me of the scene with Ava in TNF when Clem says she could hear Lee in her head, ‘helping her, guiding her’ when she was looking after AJ and now we got to see it for real, played out. Lee is apart of Clementine forever. And when he hugs her and then she’s grown up Clem I fucking cried, not going to lie, and Clem’s sniffle like she was going too cry got to me. I miss Lee so much and he really would be so proud of the person Clementine has become. He’s still keeping her alive, even from beyond the grave. Also the fucking ‘I thought I told you to keep this short.’ and Clem’s ‘Do you know how hard it is to find scissors’ bit made me laugh and cry.

- I don’t like the foreshadowing at all, Lee’s ‘you’re in my shoes now’, Clem telling AJ what he has to do if she gets bit, the fact that you teach AJ that sometimes killing is a mercy, my alarm bells were ringing, literally when AJ said all he thinks about is Clem getting bit I was like ‘boi shush that ain’t gonna happen’ They can’t kill Clem off, seriously, if she dies I’ll sue them for emotional distress.

- On to the lighter stuff, Clem and Violet exchanging gay glances and smiles every chance they get is a whole ass mood. The dancing scene in the bedroom is so darn cute, AJ interrupting, I jumped and missed the prompt for the ball and it bounced off of Clem’s head I died laughing, Violet saying that she can’t lose Clem too was adorable and AJ interrupting, yet again, when they kiss and Clem telling him to go look in another direction was precious. Vi: Don’t disappear on me, okay? End of the EP: lol everyone is MIA. I absolutely picked purple because Violet and when Ruby connected the dots too I was chuckling away.

- AJ was absolutely precious this episode, his dancing, his drawing, his banner that says ‘surprise dummies’, I liked how candid he was about his feelings, even when they could be considered :/, like how he admitted he wanted to hurt Willy, telling AJ that he’s a good person was a highlight and I just want him to grow into a good little human and be happy. AJ highkey being protective of Tenn was everything.

- I like to think my headcanon about Violet/Louis brotp was pretty accurate, Vi hated him but in a ‘he’s-so-annoying’ kind of way, because their personalities clash but after Minnie and Sophie he was honest with Vi about his feelings, and was the only one to make her laugh and was just there for her and made her feel so loved, he grew on her and they’re my brotp okay.

- Hearing Violet’s backstory holy shit. Like holy shit. Enough said.

- Rosie is mine now. I highkey considered siccing Rosie on Abel but I didn’t want to be too violent with AJ present and all.

- When Violet hugged Minnie at first I was like 0.o (lowkey so was Clem) but I chilled quickly.

- I wasn’t surprised Violet stayed to help Minnie I mean I would’ve done the same if I was her but that’s because I’m a ‘no-man-left-behind-even-if-they’re-an-asshole’ kind of person. I don’t trust Minnie at all but she doesn’t deserve to die, she’d been well and truly Stockholm syndrome-d, she doesn’t deserve to die because it wasn’t her fault.

- In summery everything was gay and good and then I got decked in the face with feels all of a sudden and could barely function.

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spanimator · 6 years ago

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What's your opinion on Mitch's death? Do you think it was deserved? I personally never saw that much of an issue with it, the character never got any kind of development that didn't go nowhere, it shows that since they started writing the episode Mitch was meant to die, as much as I love Mitch, I don't feel like it's fair to get mad at Telltale for his death, they never really "promised" much more than that for Mitch. Now if Mitch was set-up to be a lot more important, I would be mad too.

I’m fine with the fact he dies in episode 2 ‘protecting Tenn’ at the hands of Lilly but I have issues with how it was executed! (sorry this is long im mad)

First off, I just wanna say I REALLY like Mitch! He can be a dick sometimes but I like the little development he gets in ep 2 where he ends up forgiving Clementine and they even start becoming friends which is sweet.He also has some pretty entertaining lines, I found it insane how he kept making remarks about AJ shooting people, like the dude has no chill!! “I wouldn’t stand in front of him like that, sometimes he shoots.” or “I trust you to put a bullet in the back of my head!” MITCH!!! He’s just really entertaining and funny tbh intentionally or not. I love his obsession with knives and bombs, his voice and his personality. He’s an okay dude he just has a temper I mean I get it, he’s a teenager. I really enjoyed him in ep 2, he really shined! If I would of changed anything, I would of definitely given him more screen time in ep 1. He barely speaks which is too bad because he’s pretty important in ep 2. Its just weird because his character just becomes important out of no where!

Now when it comes to his death, I just found it pretty stupid honestly. I know its part of his character that he can act without properly thinking and be reckless but honestly, running at Lilly yelling at the top of your lungs like a fucking idiot is just ooc to me? I don’t think Mitch would be foolish to the point of doing something like that.

So in my opinion what could of been done instead is after the explosion, I would of had Lilly land A LOT closer to Tenn because from the footage I saw, ??? Tenn was not even close in reach with Lilly which is why it makes the death even dumber because it makes it look like Mitch is running to attack Lilly for no real reason. Then, I would of had Lilly actively try grabbing/capturing Tenn to put him in the cart and in the process, Mitch would attack Lilly WITHOUT YELLING and then a fight would take place between them instead of Mitch just dying instantly which was really lame. Violet mentions Mitch is good in a fight so why not show us that?

According to writers, Mitch’s death is supposed to show us that 1. Shit gets real and the raiders aren’t fucking around and 2. Showing us that Tenn tends to mess up and get people into trouble and show us he did in fact indirectly cause Mitch’s death (for future mentions in ep 3 and 4). BUT IT FAILS. When Lilly killed Mitch it was accidental, not intentional! And it was Mitch’s own choice to attack Lilly, Tenn was not directly threatened by Lilly so its not really his fault for getting Mitch killed lol.

But as Mitch and Lilly throw some punches, Mitch attempts to stab her to show us that he is being threatening. Tenn would then manage to run away back to safety but during the fight Mitch gets distracted by Tenn yelling that another raider is approaching him, getting him stabbed by Lilly in the moment intentionally. THEN Lilly would be like, “KILL WHO YOU HAVE TO, TAKE THE REST!” This would show Tenn truly indirectly got Mitch killed and that the Delta are not to be fucked with. Obviously the ideas here are not perfect but you get my point! The 2 points I made should of been more obvious in the scene.

I agree that Mitch’s death is important to the plot and to other characters’ development like Willy. I just wish it could of been executed better When AJ says “Tenn was messing up again like he did when he got Mitch killed!” (in ep.4), to the players’ perspective, this could of been seen as a one time thing because it was never mentioned prior that Tenn messes up a lot. (its only revealed in the route where you save Violet at the end so?? its just confusing) also uh.. at least a shot of Mitch’s grave would of been nice. Its in the files…

Obviously you could of done something more with Mitch living past ep2, I’ve seen a lot of cool head canons and aus where he lives or gets captured and they’re all real neat! And seeing Mitch and Clem become the ultimate brotp would of been awesome. But at the end of the day I understand why Mitch was killed off and look, at least it wasn’t for no reason at all! Mitch was killed off for a reason, it just needed to be executed better. That’s what I think!

-Rest in Peace i’ll miss you big knife boy

#long post #the walking dead game #twdg mitch #ask #twdg

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ericsonclan · 2 years ago

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Unending Love

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

Word Count: 2,921

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

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

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

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

“You’ll get it eventually.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope.”

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

“But the chores.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I suck at it.”

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

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

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

“You think so?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sure.”

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

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

“Right now?”

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

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

“Yep.”

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

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

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

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

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…”

Shit. Violet had put together the pieces.

“I wanna hear the poem too.”

“No.”

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

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

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

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

“Not happening.”

“Why not?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, your turn, Violet!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, let’s go to the bell tower,”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the songs of every poet past and forever.”

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

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

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

“So you liked it?”

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

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

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

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

#twdg #twdg violet #twdg prisha #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg omar #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg willy #twdg privet #louis violet brotp #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

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Big News

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

Word Count: 2000+

Read on AO3:

Read Ch.1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How long is a trimester?”

“About three months,”

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

“Feeling great,”

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

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

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

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

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

“Nothing I can’t handle,”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s alright. I-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Clem!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Violet is an adult,” Clementine countered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Fastidious. That’s quite a word,”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Like I said. Many times,”

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

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

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

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

Louis nodded, eyes bright with anticipation.

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

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

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

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

“I know. I love you too,”

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

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

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg aj #twdg willy #twdg violet #twdg omar #twdg ruby #twdg aasim #twdg prisha #clouis #rusim #twdg privet #willy aj brotp #clem ruby brotp #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

Text

Inseparable

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

Word Count: 3138

Read on AO3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You did. Good job, AJ!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg ruby #twdg aasim #twdg willy #twdg rosie #twdg omar #clem aj brotp #clouis #rusim #louis violet brotp #willy aj brotp #clem rosie brotp #aj rosie brotp #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

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Weird Looking Cat

Summary: When AJ and Willy check the traps they find an animal and mistake it for a cat.

Word Count: 1564

Read on AO3:

AJ felt his shoulders tense as he got up from his bed. That nap had gone as well as all the others had before. He didn’t know what it was about naps but he could never seem to relax well enough to take them. This became even more clear with each year he got older. AJ couldn’t help but feel like he could be using that time to patrol instead. With patrolling he was using his time efficiently and the walking helped him relax. Knowing that the school was safe always helped him recenter.

Silently AJ strolled over to his desk, rolling his arm to help loosen his muscles before grabbing his hatchet and knife. Just as he finished securing the weapons on his person he heard a knock on the door. Without waiting a beat, Willy stepped inside.

“Hey, AJ, ready to check the traps with me?” The tall teen gave a bright smile and placed his hands on his hips, causing the bow on his back to shift slightly.

“Yeah, let’s go,” AJ moved past his friend and led the way down the hall. Willy jogged up beside him and walked with the usual pep in his step. Soon a casual conversation sparked between the two of them as they gave friendly waves to the others they spotted along the way.

“Heading out?”

AJ turned around to see Louis standing there. Sleeping in the wrap-around his chest was Lee Kenny who seemed to have finally settled down for a nap. The movement of Louis’ walking and being near one of his parents helped the little guy out a lot.

“Yeah, we’re checking the traps,” Willy smiled as he checked his quiver to make sure it was full of arrows.

“Okay, just be careful,” Louis’ voice took on a softer tone.

“We’re always careful,” AJ replied but saw the look in his dad’s eyes. He knew as well as Louis that when Willy and AJ got together things tended to get a bit hectic. But that was always within the walls, not outside of them.

“Okay, well, why don’t you take Rosie with you,” Louis gave a quick whistle, causing the pitbull’s ears to perk. Slowly Rosie got up from her spot by the picnic tables and trotted on over. Giving a small woof she sat in between the pair of friends.

“Sounds good to me!” Willy’s energy was pretty chipper today. After giving a few more reassurances the boys left outside the gates.

“Alright, let’s check those traps,” Willy gave a wave to Prisha who was on watch duty then took out his bow and notched an arrow. AJ immediately followed suit, unclipping his hatchet and preparing for any potential threats.

It didn’t take long for them to stumble upon one as a walker let out a low groan and stumbled forward.

“I’ve got it,” AJ spoke casually as he guided the walker a few paces away before kicking out its leg and embedding his hatchet into its skull. Silently AJ worked to free his weapon but paused when he heard the sound of an arrow flying through the air. A muffled thunk made him look to the east of his position to see the walker Willy had shot downfall to the ground, lifeless. Giving a sharp whistle, Willy directed the pitbull’s attention to the right. Rosie immediately spotted the threat and with an audible growl she lunged forward, piercing through the skull of the walker and making blood and brain matter splatter on the ground.

“Good girl,” Willy scratched the top of Rosie’s head who basked in the praise before Willy jogged over to retrieve his arrow.

After making sure the path was clear, they continued forward, always vigilant for more walkers until AJ paused. Faint critter sounds came nearby the first tree where the trap stood. “Do you hear that?” AJ looked over at Willy who nodded.

“Yeah, whatever is making those noises sounds like it’s in pain,” Willy cautiously took a few steps forward to investigate. AJ quickly followed with Rosie right on his tail.

“No, Rosie, stay there,” AJ instructed and waited until the pitbull had listened before going over to join his friend.

The two of them searched for a minute or two until AJ spotted something. His eyes landed on a creature with black and white fur. The white of its fur that covered a portion of its head and went all the way down its back was spotted with red flecks. AJ knelt down to look for any signs of life. He waited a moment until the critter continued to make small sounds as it gave shallow, labored breaths.

“Willy! I found the animal!” AJ called out and heard his friend scamper on over.

Willy looked back the way they had come. “Shit, we need to get it back inside. Ruby can help it!”

AJ nodded and carefully picked up the creature who felt sticky with blood. Silently the two made their way back to Ericson, trying to be as quick and careful as possible.

“What even is it?” AJ studied the creature that was tucked in his arms.

“I think it's a cat,” Willy commented, glancing over briefly. He tried his best to make sure Rosie didn’t get too close.

AJ’s nose scrunched up at the answer. “Really?”

“Yeah,”

“Okay,” AJ had no reason not to believe Willy. Besides, Willy knew tons about animals so he had to be right. AJ immediately grew attached to the creature in his arms. As he ran he tried to think of a name to help convince Clementine when he asked to keep it.

His attention quickly shifted from the animal to making it home safe. Luckily there weren’t too many walkers on the way and Willy and Rosie made quick work of them. As soon as they got back inside the gates they were greeted by Clementine.

“You two got back quick,” Clementine strolled forward followed by Aasim who she had been making plans with for the next caravan trade. Her eyes picked up on the creature resting in AJ’s arms. “What’s that?”

“It’s a cat and it got hurt so we need Ruby,” AJ explained.

Clementine nodded along, “Huh, that’s a weird-looking cat.”

Her answer made Aasim blink in confusion. How could she assume this was a cat when it was clearly a skunk? “Actually it’s a sk-”

Before Aasim could finish his sentence the skunk’s eyes shot open. Immediately the creature tensed up and he gave a warning sound.

“What are you doing, Shiv?” AJ asked as the skunk turned around, facing its backside towards Aasim and Clementine.

“You already named it?” Clementine quirked an eyebrow. She never got a direct answer though as the skunk sprayed them, hissing and stamping its little feet. The smell of spray was overwhelming, making the four who got hit reel in disgust.

“Ew! Shiv farts worse than Willy!” AJ choked on the smell.

“Hey! My farts aren’t this bad!” Willy swatted the air in front of him, trying to get the spray away from his face.

“I was trying to explain that this isn't a cat but a skunk,” Aasim plugged his nose causing his voice to get nasally.

Clementine coughed roughly, trying to speak but someone else beat her to it.

“Good Lord, what is that smell?” Ruby bustled forward, her hand on her baby bump.

“My dove, get back! A skunk sprayed us!” Aasim’s voice was still nasally from his plugged nose which made Louis snort as he strolled forward.

“Why does your voice sound so funny, Aas-” Louis’ nose immediately scrunched in disgust from the smell. “God, did you fart out rotten eggs, Aasim?”

“It wasn’t me, it was the skunk!” Aasim answered with a huff.

“Good heavens, what is that putrid smell?” Prisha walked forward while carrying Zachariah in her good arm and Maisy on her back having just come back from the music room. Allison and Violet weren’t far behind, returning recently from fishing.

“Prisha! You won’t believe it, we found a stinky cat!” Willy beamed. Clearly, the effects of being sprayed had no fighting chance against his optimism.

“That’s a skunk,” Prisha corrected.

“That’s what I was trying to say!” Aasim shook his head.

“Cat, skunk, whatever! It’s hurt!” AJ shouted. “Ruby, you gotta help it!”

“ I’ll do what I can but y’all need to deal with that stank. We have some tomatoes ripening in the greenhouse. I heard my old man talk about how tomatoes helped. If we press them into juice then hopefully we can get the smell off you four,”

“Alright, I can make the tomato juice with Aasim,” Clementine offered.

“Oh, are we taking tomato baths? Then I want Allie’s help!” Willy chimed in.

“Okay,” Allison shrugged with a small smile and wandered off towards the garden with Clementine to help out. Soon everyone worked on ways to help with this situation, each lending a helping hand.

“Hey, Ruby,” Louis called out and walked over to his friend while still carrying Lee Kenny. “Are you sure tomatoes will work?”

“Yeah, my old man was never wrong about his wilderness tips,” Ruby replied, gently carrying the wounded skunk. “Just watch, that stink will be gone in no time. Tomatoes will do the trick!”

They would all soon learn that Ruby’s Pa had been wrong. The smell lingered for weeks.

#twdg #twdg aj #twdg willy #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg violet #twdg allison #twdg prisha #twdg lee kenny #twdg shiv #willy aj brotp #twdg wallie #clouis #rusim #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 4 years ago

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It’s Saturday

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

Word Count: 3789

Read on AO3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What was your favorite part of the house?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

Text

Changed for the Better

Summary: Clementine finds Louis practicing his archery skills and decides to hang out with him.

Word Count: 1758

Read on AO3:

Clementine carefully walked down the staircase of the admin building, making sure her footing was firm on each step. Her fingers brushed against the dusty staircase railing, staying there in case her prosthetic decided to crap out. It wasn’t a common occurrence - in fact it grew rarer and rare with each improved version that Willy made - but still. Clementine knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

After a minute or two she was done with the stairs and on her way to the door. With a heavy push she opened it, revealing the sounds and sights of the courtyard. Willy was busy trying to get some sort of tool back from Garbage who was determined to add it to her little den. AJ was right beside his friend, giving chase and hurling sharp insults at the possum.

“Get back here, stupidhead!”

“Hey, don’t call Garbage stupid!” Willy jumped over some supplies that had been taken out of the basement. “She's just excited about her new den!” The two friends continued to argue as they pushed themselves to the limit to chase the feral creature. The pair did a circle, passing by Omar who was on the watchtower being ever diligent while his mind was consumed with new ways to flavor the food better. Willy and AJ continued the wild chase, sliding under the joined hands of Prisha and Violet who had just returned from fishing.

“Be careful, boys!” Prisha called out to the rambunctious pair who gave thumbs up before going off like shots again. Prisha and Violet shared a look then started up their conversation once more as they passed by Ruby and Aasim who were preparing Molly for a ride. The horse seemed just as excited as them at the thought of a nice ride around the courtyard.

As Clementine wandered down the steps she couldn’t help but smile and feel her heart bubble with warmth. It really was amazing finding a place like this, a home with people she cared about deeply. Her eyes wandered round the courtyard once more in search of her husband. But it wasn’t her sight that drew her to him first but her ears as the steady thunking of arrows appeared to her left. Clementine felt her heart flutter excitedly when she spotted Louis practicing his archery. It took him a few seconds to notice Clementine walking over as his focus was primarily on his shooting. But as soon as he did his face lit up with joy and he placed down the bow to greet his wife with a hug. Immediately his arms wrapped around Clementine and he spun her around once before setting her back down on the ground and planting a big kiss on her cheek.

“Come to see my amazing archery skills?” He gave a playful smile down at Clementine.

“Yep, I need to see if I’m going to be replaced as the master archer around here,” Clementine placed a small kiss on his nose before intertwining her hand with his. The simple gesture filled her heart with excitement even after all this time but it also held a depth of security and safety within it. Clementine knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was happy and safe whenever she was with Louis.

“Uh oh, better not say that in front of Aasim,” Louis grinned and leaned forward, his warm breath tickling Clementine’s ear. “I’m sure he would get his goatee in a twist if he heard a claim that he wasn’t the best archer,”

“Eh, let his goatee twist,” Clementine smirked, causing her husband to laugh.

“Have I told you how much I love you yet today?” Louis swayed their joined hands as he walked back to the bow.

“Only about a dozen times so far. I’ve definitely got some catching up to do today,” Clementine brushed her thumb on the top of his hand, finding herself lost in the brightness of Louis’ eyes for a second.

“Well, you’re gonna be chasing me all day because I’m gonna keep saying it. I love you, my darling,” Louis placed a kiss on Clementine’s hand and looked at her with a loving expression.

“I love you too,” Clementine smiled when she saw how happy those words made Louis. His joy radiated off his face as bright as the sun as his classic dorky smile shone through. Pressing a kiss to Clementine’s cheek he let go of her hand and strode forward, his confidence building as he picked up the bow. Notching an arrow, Louis pulled back the bowstring and steadied his breathing. After a moment he released the string, causing the arrow to go flying and land fairly close to center. Clementine smiled at that; Louis had really improved over all this time. Louis caught sight of her proud smile, making one form on his own lips as he notched the next arrow.

“Speaking of the goateed man, it seems like him and his lady are about to go on a romantic horseback ride together,” Louis nodded back at Ruby and Aasim. Clementine turned around and saw Ruby getting up on the horse before holding out her hand and hoisting Aasim up onto the saddle as well. Aasim’s arms quickly wrapped around Ruby’s waist and the two shared a smile before kissing. Soon they were off, guiding the horse around the courtyard at a casual pace as they spoke soft, tender words to each other.

“Yeah, we should go horseback riding again,” Clementine saw the excitement twinkle in Louis’ eyes and she immediately reacted to that, her nose crinkling with happiness.

“We should, and we’ll still be better than Prisha and Violet on horseback,” Louis took another shot, the arrow hitting a bit closer to the center this time. “Last time they tried to ride a horse it was a disaster,” Louis chuckled at the memory and Clementine couldn’t help but laugh as well. It had lasted all of two seconds before it went disastrously wrong. Although she supposed it couldn't have gone too well considering that with Prisha’s one working arm and Violet’s limited sight they were at a huge disadvantage. Louis seemed to have read her mind in that moment as he spoke his next words. “Prisha is too stubborn to let horseback riding not be a possibility for her and Vi though. She’ll keep on trying until she masters it. Such is the price for being a stubborn romantic,” Louis shook his head good naturedly. He knew that Violet was going to be the same way though; it was definitely a similarity between her and Prisha.

After a few moments the conversation shifted and the couple began to talk about this and that: chores that needed to be done, dreams for improving Ericson, dates that needed to be had. All great conversations but it wasn’t until many, many arrows in that a new topic came up that stuck out. As Louis pulled back the drawstring once more, he said something that made Clementine’s attention pull away from the target.

“Thanks, Clementine,”

“What for?” Clementine focused on Louis who released an arrow then let the bow fall to his side. He looked back with a warm smile. “For inspiring me to change for the better,” Those words made Clementine’s heart warm as she stood frozen by them. Louis turned his attention back to the target and prepared another shot.

“Because of you I finally stepped up and realized that Ericson was a place worth protecting and that I was a person who could do that.” An arrow thunked into the red line right outside the center. Louis slowly notched another arrow. “You made me want to give myself another shot and I did. It took me a while to believe in myself like you did but I got there. Because of you, I became a better version of me,” Louis’ fingers let go of the bowstring and the arrow flew true, embedding into the center of the target. He glanced back at Clementine and noticed that she was making her way towards him.

“Louis,” Clementine took her husband’s hands in hers and gave a tender smile up at him. “You’ve inspired me too. You challenged me, showing me that it's important to enjoy the everyday moments that life brings. It's thanks to you that I’m standing here today, being the person that I am,” Clementine reached up a hand and gently cupped the side of Louis’ face as his eyes shimmered with emotion. “ You helped me become a better version of me,”

A tear suddenly slid down Louis’ face, making Clementine panic.

“Shit, Louis-”

“No, no, this is a happy tear,” Louis smiled at Clementine before kissing the palm of her hand and placing it back on the side of his face. His own hand pressed against the top of hers as he leaned into her touch. The two of them looked deeply into each other’s eyes before their lips met in a warm kiss. Deepening the kiss, the couple held onto it for a few more moments then pulled apart. Their foreheads rested against each other as the feeling of love flowed through their veins, both of their hearts overflowed with their feelings for each other as they took in this moment. But the moment eventually passed and Louis shifted the topic.

“Did you see that bullseye I made?”

“I did,” Clementine smiled at how happy her husband was.

“Heh, eat your heart out, Aasim. Turns out I am the greatest archer of all time,” Louis grinned as he pulled on the sides of his coat. “I’ll be sure to tell him that at dinner tonight,”

Clementine chuckled at those words. “That’s going to really ruffle his feathers,”

“Especially if you agree with me,”

“Okay, I’ll do it, but I want a foot massage tonight. My foot is really getting sore,” Clementine glanced over at her husband who pretended to be weighing out his choices.

“You drive a hard bargain, m’lady. Deal!” He smiled and shook Clementine’s hand before stealing a kiss. Clementine smiled into the kiss and held Louis close before pulling back.

“Well that’s a new way to seal a deal,” Clementine held a playful smile on her face which Louis instantly mirrored.

“True, but I like it,”

“Me too,” Clementine stole one more kiss then let go of Louis as a new conversation started, both of them falling back into the casualness of conversation as their hearts happily swelled because they were near the one they loved.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg ruby #twdg aasim #twdg violet #twdg prisha #twdg willy #twdg garbage #twdg aj #willy aj brotp #clouis #rusim #twdg privet #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 4 years ago

Text

The Courtyard Aglow

Summary: Prisha thought it would be an ordinary day at Ericson when she starts noticing that everyone is acting strangely.

Word Count: 2952

Read on AO3:

Something seemed different about today. That was the thought that stood in the forefront of Prisha’s mind as she worked with Ruby in the greenhouse. She had first picked up on it when she had gone out to the courtyard. Willy avoided eye contact and made up some sort of excuse that made absolutely no sense. Even though he had defended his statement that he had to go water Garbage, Prisha knew that wasn’t the real reason why he scampered off. But she also knew it wasn’t out of annoyance or anger since he had grabbed AJ who seemed overly excited when he spotted Prisha and began whispering stuff to his friend.

Louis kept giving big grins her way and even Omar was smiling more than usual. Violet was acting odd too, telling Prisha that she had to help Louis with something important and that she had switched greenhouse duty with Ruby. Prisha didn’t mind spending time with Ruby though, that wasn’t the issue. She found the redhead to make pleasant company. The two of them seemed to share appreciation for maintaining the simple beauties of life even when the world had ended. Still, even she was acting extra chipper today. Prisha couldn’t quite place why but there had to be some reason why all the others were so overly excited. But what could it be?

“Oh, don’t pick those yet!” Ruby’s voice snapped Prisha’s attention back to the task at hand and she saw that she was pulling at some unripe herbs.

“I’m sorry!” Prisha apologized as she quickly pulled back her hand from the planters and picked up her small basket before heading to the next one. She recalled that Ruby said they needed to harvest the jerusalem artichokes today. Her eyes scanned around for the root vegetable. She quickly spotted the yellow buds that grew on the top of the jerusalem artichokes. Prisha began to pull the vegetables out from the earth, careful not to damage the buds so that she could bring them to the courtyard for the others to make some flower crowns together.

“Oh Sug, don’t worry about it.” Ruby looked over at her friend with a warm smile as she picked up her own basket that was filled with today’s herbs. “We just gotta make sure not to waste any food.”

“Absolutely, the last thing I would want is to do that,” Prisha returned the smile and began to take the buds off of the earth-colored lumpy root vegetables. Ruby was about to add to the conversation when suddenly the door shot open. The door whacked against the wall of the greenhouse making Willy flinch as he stood in the doorway.

“Shit, I’m really sorry!” Willy glanced around to make sure there were no hidden walkers nearby that had somehow been drawn by that sound. “Ruby, have you seen the mason jars?” The young teen looked at the redhead who was dusting off some dirt from her hands. Willy’s eyes shot over to Prisha and grew large. “Oh, hi Prisha!” Willy beamed.

“Hello, Willy,” Prisha smiled at her friend. Willy’s gaze soon returned back to Ruby.

“Willy, you have to be more careful with that door. All that ruckus could draw anything near here. Besides we don’t wanna have the door come off its hinges,” Ruby scolded but soon saw the look of guilt in Willy’s eyes. “That being said, the mason jars should be in the admin building behind the staircase.”

Ruby’s words made a toothy grin appear on Willy’s face. “Awesome! Then me and Rosie are on the case!” It was in that moment that Prisha and Ruby noticed the pitbull happily laying in some dirt behind Willy. “Come on, Rosie!” Willy gave a whistle and the pitbull lifted up her head, her stubby tail wagging ecstatically as she barked and chased after Willy. The teen was soon sprinting off in the direction of the admin building, leaving the greenhouse door wide open.

“That boy, honestly. The least he could do was learn to close the door behind him,” Ruby shook her head and lifted up the basket. Prisha didn’t respond though, her mind focused on her curiosity as to what was so important about some mason jars.

“Prish?” Ruby’s voice made Prisha glance over at her friend who was in the doorway. “Ready to head back?”

“Oh, sure!” Prisha quickly grabbed her basket and held it on her hip as walked forward. Ruby immediately noticed that the basket was too heavy for her friend to carry with just one hand so she placed the smaller herb basket on top of Prisha’s before she bustled over to one side of the basket and held it, evenly distributing the weight. Prisha smiled appreciatively and the pair walked back to the picnic tables in content silence.

Prisha and Ruby walked through the courtyard and past Aasim who was tending to Molly’s mane. He gave a wave over at Ruby who gave a more playful one back. Prisha gave a teasing look to Ruby who was about to return the teasing but they’d already reached the picnic tables. The two friends set down the basket, causing a small thunk to emit from the table which made Omar lift his head from his spot by the fire pit.

“Dinner should be ready soon,” Omar smiled warmly at them. “Which means another hour or so,” Louis playfully joked as he sat at the picnic table with Clementine. Their fingers intertwined for a few seconds more before they focused on preparing the vegetables.

“You can’t rush perfection,” Omar looked over at Louis who nodded in agreement.

“True, true, and with all this time I have while cutting up veggies I think it's time for another episode of Stew With Lou!” Louis’ statement made Omar groan but he didn’t stop his friend from continuing. Prisha looked around and noticed that AJ, Violet and Willy were nowhere to be seen.

“Looks like I’ll take a shift on lookout duty,” Ruby bustled over, quickly stopping by Aasim to share a few quick kisses and loving words before she got up on the watchtower.

“If you’re wondering where Vi and the others are, Violet is busy grabbing some more firewood and Willy and AJ are grabbing something for tonight,”

Prisha took a spot at the table across from her friends. “What are they grabbing for tonight?”

“That's a secret,” Clementine smiled then quickly turned her attention towards her boyfriend’s commentary about stew, giving him soft kisses every so often as they worked. Prisha’s eyes wandered over to the admin building, still wondering what the conversation about the mason jars had to do with anything.

“They should be around here somewhere,” Willy poked his head into an old box behind the staircase and coughed roughly when he inhaled dust.

“Did you find them?” AJ asked as he worked to try and move a heavy box down to examine its contents. Rosie barked and hopped this way and that in concern for AJ’s safety.

“No, I can’t find them,” Willy frowned before he looked at AJ, a smile forming on his face.

“What? Do I have something on my face?’ AJ wildly moved his hands around his face in confusion.

“Nah, you just have some spiderwebs in your afro,” Willy laughed as AJ began to try to get them out of his hair only for them to end up stuck on his hands.

“It’s not funny,” AJ frowned at Willy who was laughing at his friend’s struggles against the sticky webs.

“Yeah, it is! I-” Willy paused when he saw the metal lids of the mason jars shimmering in the dimming sunlight. The young teen jogged over and lifted up the box which held more than enough mason jars for what they had planned.

“This is going to be so cool! I love lightning bug season!” Willy gave a toothy grin. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Me too! Fireflies are really cool!” AJ moved to help his friend in checking all the mason jars to make sure they weren’t cracked. “I remember when Clem and I first caught fireflies here. It was like the whole courtyard was covered in little fires.” AJ smiled nostalgically at the memory.

“It's going to blow Prisha's mind when she sees the whole courtyard lit up with lightning bugs!” Willy exclaimed a bit too loudly which made AJ reach up to cover his mouth.

“Careful, we can’t have the surprise be ruined!” AJ peeked his head out from behind the staircase but no one seemed to have reacted to his friend’s loud voice.

“Sorry,” Willy spoke after AJ pulled his hand away. “I hope she's never done this before, like how it was with you and Clem.”

“Me too!” AJ checked the last few mason jars. “All clear. No cracks.”

“No cracks on my side either!” Willy and AJ smiled before high fiving. The two of them excitedly began to carry out the box when suddenly Willy skidded to a halt.

“Oops!” He ran over and picked up Garbage who had been fascinated by a dusty empty box and was considering it for her new den. “Almost forgot Garbage,” Willy jogged forward with the possum who made soft hissing sounds. The friends soon wandered outside to prepare for a fun evening.

It had taken nearly an hour before dinner was ready which meant that Omar was worn out from the extremely long episode of Stew with Lou as he helped serve dinner with Ruby. Soon everyone was at the table and eating happily. Rosie happily made her rounds around the table while Garbage chilled on her back and enjoyed the ride. Louis spoke animatedly about the hunting expedition he had gone on with Clementine who added in some details here and there, bringing down the exaggerations in the story.

“Then I saw a rabbit as big as AJ!” Louis exclaimed as AJ stared at him in awe.

“It wasn’t that big, but it was fat,” Clementine smiled as Louis took her hand and smiled at her.

“And where is this fat rabbit?” Aasim asked as he looked over at Louis.

“I had a heart and decided to let it roam free,” Louis smiled heroically and looked around at the table, wanting them to praise him for his heroic deed.

“You missed the shot, didn’t you?” Violet smirked over at her best friend.

“Maybe,” Louis’ eyes focused back on his stew and soon the conversation shifted to another topic. As the conversations continued to change so did the sky. Its warm orange hues shifted into the cool dark blue of evening as the stars began to emerge from their hiding places in the sky. Everyone was finished with their meal and Prisha was about to ask Louis if he wanted to work on writing down some more show tunes that she’d remembered when suddenly Louis stood up, causing everyone to glance over at him.

“I think it’s about time!” Louis declared with a smile. Willy and AJ looked at each other with huge grins on their faces and got up to gather the mason jars.

“Okay.” Aasim stood up and slowly started to collect dishes. “Ruby and I can get the dishes done while the rest of you set up.” Ruby soon followed suit as she picked up the bowls around the table. Aasim and Ruby worked together quickly and began to steal small kisses here and there while they worked.

“Wait. What’s going on?” Prisha asked as she walked away from the picnic tables. Her eyes looked towards her girlfriend but for some reason Violet wasn’t meeting her gaze.

“It’s a surprise, but a really good one,” Violet took Prisha’s hand and smiled gently.

“Vi is right. You’ll see soon enough.” Louis gave a playful wink then spun around, his tailcoats fluttering as he ran to help Willy and AJ. The three of them returned shortly, their arms full of mason jars. They placed them down on the picnic table that Ruby and Aasim had cleared. A few minutes later everyone gathered around the table and started to grab a jar for themselves. Prisha stood, still confused by what was happening. When suddenly she felt something tap against her arm.

“Here you go.” Violet offered her girlfriend a mason jar.

“What is it for?” Prisha held up the mason jar and studied it out of curiosity. There was nothing special about it.

“Patience is a virtue, Prisha.” Louis smiled over at his friend before he looked over at Clementine who seemed overjoyed at whatever was about to happen.

“It will be clear in a minute, I promise.” Violet reassured Prisha before motioning for her to sit down by the flagpole. Prisha decided to trust Violet and followed her and the others who were already sitting there. Everyone was silent as they glanced around this way and that. A few minutes passed. All of a sudden lights started to brighten the courtyard as fireflies filled the area. Their small, bright lights made the courtyard radiate a glow that felt nostalgic even though Prisha had never witnessed fireflies in person before. Her eyes widened in awe as she saw the courtyard aglow, sparkling with childlike joy at the wonders of these small creatures. Prisha looked around for a few more moments before turning to Violet who had a soft smile on her lips.

Violet gently intertwined her fingers with Prisha’s. “Sorry I didn’t tell you. We all wanted it to be a surprise.” Violet rubbed the back of her neck while looking at Prisha.

“Surprise!” AJ and Willy simultaneously yelled before running forward to start trying to catch the fireflies. AJ studied the fireflies carefully before trying to snag a few while Willy wildly spun round in circles and laughed with joy. Garbage hissed at the fireflies, trying to intimidate them, but soon found them to be pleasant and so she chilled on Rosie’s back once more. The pitbull lay beside the flagpole and enjoyed the simple beauty of the courtyard.

Willy skidded to halt for a moment and dashed over to Prisha. “Prisha! Prisha! You gotta join us!” He grabbed her arms and pulled her up.

“Alright, alright,” Prisha laughed as Willy continued to excitedly drag her forward. She shared a smile with her girlfriend before she became lost in the competitiveness of firefly catching. Clementine got up and soon was by AJ’s side. The two of them strategized the best ways to catch the fireflies while Prisha and Willy ran around the courtyard, laughing and throwing competitive words back and forth.

After a few minutes Prisha took a break and noticed that the others were having fun as well. Ruby and Aasim were sitting with Omar who took the patient approach and let the fireflies come to him, the bugs curiously investigating the mason jar themselves. Prisha’s eyes wandered over to Louis and Violet who were starting to get competitive as well though their efforts also seemed collaborative as Louis was giving Violet a piggyback ride in order to catch even more fireflies.

“It’s a tradition here at Ericson.” Clementine walked over and stood beside Prisha. “Every year during the summer, fireflies fill up this entire courtyard. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Clementine smiled up at her friend.

“Yes, it does. I’ve heard of fireflies but never saw them personally. It really is something special,” Prisha’s heart grew warm as she took in the beauty of the courtyard.

“The courtyard looks so divine. Aasim and I always spend evenings like this enjoying the view.” Ruby glanced over from her spot at her friend.

“And see who can catch the most lightning bugs!” Louis called out as he stood by Violet. “You ready to get your butt kicked, Vi?” he asked with a competitive smirk.

Violet rolled her eyes. “Even with my shitty sight I'm still going to beat you.”

“I don’t know, I beat you last summer in the lightning bug catching contest. I’m a master at it!” Louis pulled on the sides of his coat with a grin.

“That year didn’t count,” Violet moved past Louis before he could comment on that and began to try and catch fireflies. It became clear that Louis would win this round too as Violet tried her best to catch the fireflies but with her limited sight often failed. The soft, happy smile on her face never left though and she laughed alongside Louis as the pair continued to catch fireflies.

“Care to have a competition with me?” Clementine smiled over at Prisha.

Prisha looked at her friend with a warm smile. “I’d love to but be warned, I predict I have a hidden talent at this,”

Clementine’s eyes flickered with excitement at that declaration. “We’ll see about that.”

Soon the two of them were busy using different strategies to try to catch the most fireflies while AJ and Willy had dragged Ruby, Aasim and Omar into running around the courtyard to catch the glowing critters as well.

After a while everyone was calming down from their wild chasing of fireflies. Prisha wandered over to Violet and effortlessly took her hand. Violet glanced up and the smile returned to her face. The two stood in front of each other as the fireflies danced around them. A look of wonder covered their faces as they watched the small orbs of light illuminate the area around them. Prisha gazed at the courtyard filled with fireflies for a moment longer then at the smiles of her friends. Her heart felt a new sense of peaceful joy in that moment as the fireflies continued to dance around her. This truly was a magical sight.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg aj #twdg prisha #twdg violet #twdg willy #twdg rosie #twdg garbage #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg omar #willy aj brotp #clouis #rusim #twdg privet #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

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The Freedom of Freckles

Summary: Clementine feels her anxiety building as more and more issues for the near future arise.

Word Count: 3153

Read on AO3:

Clementine could feel her anxiety rising slowly but surely. Her eyes stared out towards the balcony, noticing the little details on the doors that lead out to it. Most of the glass was shattered on all the small square panels within them and it made her wonder if there was a story behind it. Or maybe she was wrong and they had just shattered due to weather or something else uninteresting. Then again with all the tales she had heard from the residents of Ericson she highly doubted that there wasn’t a story behind it.

“Clem?” James’ soft, whisper-like voice snapped Clementine out of her train of thought and she glanced over at the ex-Whisperer who was sitting on a chair by the desk. On top of the desk was the map of Ericson and a few pebbles that represented walkers. Clementine’s mind turned back towards the conversation at hand. James was here to discuss how best to guide walkers away from the school.

It wasn’t something unusual; it had become a fairly regular routine ever since Clementine had offered James a place at Ericson. He had accepted but not in the way that Clementine had anticipated. James stayed every so often behind the walls of Ericson and in more recent times his boyfriend Jesse had stayed as well. But it was never for long and soon enough the pair would travel outside Ericson to herd walkers away or to gather intel on nearby communities that may be forming. Clementine was extremely grateful that the two of them had been willing to do this for them and continued to do so. But occasionally James didn’t simply drop by to let Clementine know that things were running smoothly. Instead he would bring more troublesome news. Today was one of those days.

“Sorry,” Clementine leaned back in the headmaster’s chair. “I guess I got lost in thought.”

“That's okay, it's never easy to hear that a herd is coming towards Ericson. Especially since winter is fast approaching,” James fidgeted with his walker skin gloves and took a deep breath. “Jesse and I will do our best to make sure they don’t get nearby. If any of them reached you and the others...” James paused for a moment, his eyes sad for a multitude of reasons. “I’d rather save as many lives as possible.”

“I understand,” Clementine looked at her friend’s eyes then down to the map where the pebbles representing the walkers stood on the westernmost edge. The sight made her gut twist with anxiety. This hadn't been the first time that a herd threatened to reach the walls but still, bad memories were attached to herds. Memories that Clementine didn’t want to add to. She’d make sure that every single person at Ericson was unharmed to the best of her ability. “When would you and Jesse leave?”

“As soon as possible. We have to go by foot to reach this point,” James’ finger rested on the spot by the pebbles on the map. “Then we’d have to redirect them as far north as possible. All of this takes time and I’d rather have more time than less.”

“Right,” Clementine took a shaky breath as she rose from her seat. “Ruby will be sad that Jesse will be gone. Those two could talk about horses all day long.”

James softly chuckled. The ex-Whisperer rose from his spot and double checked to make sure his walker mask was still in his back pocket. “True, but we’ll be back sooner this time.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Clementine smiled and walked forward, giving James a hug. James was surprised by the friendly gesture for a moment but soon returned it.

“Okay,” James pulled back and gave a shy smile. He wanted to say more but was forced to put that to the side when the door to the headmaster’s office opened. Aasim walked in, his expression too worrisome for Clementine’s liking.

“Aasim, what's wrong?” Clementine walked forward and placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Aasim took a deep breath before responding. “Milky Way is sick and Comet is restless. I normally wouldn’t be too worried about this but-”

“But with winter coming it makes this worse,” Clementine finished Aasim’s statement. Normally a cold would easily be dealt with thanks to Ruby’s natural remedies she had concocted with the help of Omar and Aasim but the chill of the winter made even the heartiest animals at risk if they were already sick. Clementine turned back to her visitor. “James, was there anything else you needed to tell me?”

James shook his head. “No, that's all. If you want, Jesse and I can head out right now.”

“You should at least stay for dinner. I’m sure food while traveling isn’t that nutritional.” Aasim offered.

James’ eyes enlarged slightly. It was clear he wasn’t expecting that. Even though his friends at Ericson had always offered him kindness, James supposed still wasn’t used to it at times. “Okay. Thank you.” He gave a soft smile towards Aasim who returned it.

“Think nothing of it. Clem,” Aasim looked over at the leader of Ericson.

“Right, can you show me Milky Way? If I can see how bad she’s doing, I’ll have a better understanding of the situation.” Clementine walked forward towards the door and Aasim quickly opened it.

“Of course,” Aasim soon took the lead and the three of them walked out of the headmaster’s office and down the stairs towards the entrance of the admin building.

With each step Clementine could feel her anxiety rising. Not only was a herd heading this way but Milky Way was now sick and to add to the stress of the situation winter was nearly upon them. All of it was overwhelming Clementine and no matter what she did to try to recenter herself and steady her heart she couldn’t get rid of her fear. In fact all of her thinking only made her anxiety grow worse by the second.

Soon Clementine was outside in the courtyard and noticed that Ruby was standing beside Jesse who was absolutely in awe of Molly. It didn’t matter how many times he saw that horse, his love never wavered and the wonder in his eyes never left when he was around her. He turned to Ruby and began to gush once more about how amazing horses were while gently brushing Molly’s mane.

Ruby seemed just as invested in the conversation as she fed Jesse’s horse Adsila a carrot. The appaloosa snorted happily as he munched on the treat. How those two could talk about horses constantly and for such long periods of time Clementine had no idea but she was glad that they were friends. Jesse seemed to be a fairly closed off type but with a few residents of Ericson he got out of his shell and showed that he had a softer side to him.

Jesse continued to talk with Ruby, a kind smile on his lips before he noticed James out of the corner of his eye. Looking over at his boyfriend, he gave a loving smile and wave which James instantly returned.

“I’ll see you later,” James gave a quick wave towards Aasim and Clementine then ran off towards Jesse. After a moment he had reached his boyfriend and gave him a soft kiss then wrapped his arms around him for a moment. James soon let go of the hug although it seemed that neither of them had wanted that and began to explain the plan to Jesse.

Jesse nodded along as he reached out for James’ hand. A small smile appeared on his lips as James told him that they’d be staying for dinner. It was obvious that Jesse had wanted to spend a bit more time here so he’d gladly take any time he could get.

Clementine watched them for a moment longer then followed Aasim who walked off towards the pen where Milky Way and Comet were.

As they walked they soon passed by the picnic tables where Prisha was jotting down some adjustments to her latest projects to better this school. Violet sat beside her and enjoyed the simplicity of the moment with Prisha. After a moment Prisha paused in her task and reached for Violet’s hand, giving it a tender kiss before returning to her work. She would’ve loved to continue to give Violet little moments of affection but with the limitations of only having one working hand and with winter fast approaching Prisha had to prioritize work. Violet didn’t seem to mind though as her head tilted over and rested on Prisha’s shoulder for a moment. Prisha gave Violet’s forehead a small kiss then another and was about to resume her task when a voice appeared to her left.

“Are those doodles?” Allison asked as she reached out for the notebook on the table.

“That's irrelevant,” Prisha tried to get to the notebook before Allison but failed.

Allison studied the contents for a moment then gave a faint laugh. “Is this the three of us?” She held up the notebook and revealed the small doodle beside the copious amounts of notes and blueprint sketches. It was drawn in a somewhat cartoonish style, nothing special but which had a sort of charm to it. The doodle consisted of Prisha, Violet and Allison all standing side by side with fishing spears.

“Yes. It is.” Prisha snatched back the notebook. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, I think it's nice,” Allison sat down beside Prisha and reached in her pocket for her knife. Slowly she began to move the knife from finger to finger. “So, are there more?”

“I don’t remember,” Prisha returned to jotting notes down in her notebook. Even though she was happy to hear that Allison thought her doodles were nice it was still embarrassing to go around showing her doodles that were amuetur at best.

“She has a ton of them,” Violet had a small, playful smile on her lips.

“Violet!” Prisha was shocked by her betrayal.

“What? Allison wants to see them so what's wrong with that?” Violet asked.

Prisha thought about it for a moment then handed back over her notebook. “Fine, you can look for five minutes but then I have to get back to work,”

That made a small smile appear on Allison’s lips and she began to flip through the notebook. Clementine watched the small family for a few more seconds.

“Here we are,” Aasim’s voice made Clementine snap her focus back onto him. Her eyes immediately spotted Milky Way who was laying on the ground in somewhat of a daze. Comet frantically bleated and was clearly concerned for his mother. The older mountain goat looked up at her child then rested her head on the ground once more. “Ruby said that she would do all she can but isn't sure how long it will take Milky Way to get better.”

Clementine knelt down and examined the mountain goat as Aasim continued to go on about what they figured it was and the natural remedies Ruby and he would try on the mountain goat. She listened silently for a few moments, feeling the steady sensation of anxiety start to rise further and overwhelm her body.

It felt like it was reaching Clementine’s lungs, making her breathing feel more forced. Wintertime was always scary but why had all these issues arisen just before this upcoming winter? Clementine took a few deep breaths and listened on but Aasim seemed to pick up on the tense aura.

“Clem, if you need a minute I can wait. I-”

“Clem!” AJ’s happy voice cut off Aasim as the youngest of the Ericson residents barrelled forward with Willy in tow. Both of them had huge, excited smiles on their faces.

“What's up, kiddo?” Clementine noticed the little frown that appeared on AJ’s lips for a moment. She knew that he was outgrowing that nickname but it was tough to let it go.

“We want you to help us with something!” Willy hopped into the conversation; his tall, lanky body towered over Clementine. “AJ and I are gonna do a tree climbing contest and we want you to be the judge. We’re gonna climb that sucker!” Willy pointed to a tree outside the walls of Ericson.

That fact made Clementine’s anxiety boil over. There was too much on her plate to worry about to have the dangers of some silly competition be added on.

“It’s super close to the watch tower and with you-”

“No!” Clementine snapped, causing AJ and Willy to grow quiet. Aasim seemed just as shocked by the force with which Clementine had shut down this idea. Clementine wasn’t finished though. “You want to go outside these walls for some stupid competetion where walkers could reach you? Your safety isn’t something you can just throw around so easily. People have died because of dumb decisions like that!” Clementine’s words made Willy and AJ turn their eyes away from her and Clementine instantly regretted the harshness of her words. She had lost her cool with some of the youngest among them yet her anxiety remained the same .

“Hey there, dudes,” Louis placed a hand on both Willy and AJ’s shoulders. “How about we talk about a tree climbing contest later?” He gave a warm smile to the two of them and they nodded before walking off. “Aasim, mind if I steal Clem for a little bit?”

“Not at all. I need to talk to Ruby anyway,” Aasim quickly walked off to find his wife, leaving Louis alone with Clementine.

Slowly Louis moved forward and took Clementine’s hand. “Follow me,” He began to gently guide his wife who still seemed lost in her own thoughts.

“Where are we going?” Clementine looked at her husband who was making his way towards the dorms.

“We’re going somewhere where we can take a break from work,” Louis’ statement made Clementine stop right before they turned to walk down the hallway towards their room.

“Louis, I can’t take a break right now! There’s a lot to do around here and I need to check in on like fifty different things and-” Clementine paused when she felt Louis squeeze her hand.

“Just a small break, okay? We can give ourselves that and then we’ll be back fighting the good fight to make Ericson the best home ever. It won’t all fall apart if you step away for five minutes. Everyone is working on different things and Omar is keeping an eye on Maisy and Lee Kenny and all the other kids.”

Louis’ words seemed to calm down Clementine’s overwhelming emotions for a moment and she gave a short nod. A bright smile quickly returned to Louis’ lips and he continued to guide them towards the room.

Once the door was shut and both of them were sitting on the bed, Louis decided to go for his idea. He could see how antsy and nervous Clementine was. So he gently cupped her face and looked directly into her eyes.

“We’re going to start with a few deep breaths,” Louis instructed and Clementine listened, following her husband’s slow inhales and exhales. After a few of those she felt some of anxiety slip away but not enough. It was still clawing at the inside of her body. “Y’know, my darling, you still have never been able to guess the true number of my freckles.” Louis gave a playful smile. “How about we play a game during this break? I bet you can’t count every single one of them.” Louis grinned as he saw the playfulness in his wife’s eyes return for a moment.

Clementine mirrored his smile. “If I do, what do I win?”

Louis’ eyes grew large for a moment. He wasn’t expecting that question. “Ummm, uhhh...” Louis fidgeted with one of his dreadlocks as he tried to think.

“How about this: if I get the correct number of your freckles, then you owe me a date,” Clementine’s statement made Louis smile once more and he leaned forward, kissing her lips for a second.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, m’lady,” Louis reached down and took his wife’s hand, his thumb gently rubbing circles along the top of it.

Clementine gave a small smile then lifted up one of her hands and started to count, her finger lightly tracing along Louis’ skin. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,” Clementine whispered as she carefully counted her husband’s freckles.

As time continued on Clementine found herself becoming lost in the game, her competitive side taking over as she meticulously counted Louis’ freckles. Her anxieties and worries slowly began to melt away and slip to the back of her mind as she continued to record each and every one of those freckles she adored so much.

Suddenly Louis scrunched his nose in amusement and joy from seeing his wife’s concentration face; he always found it adorable.

“Hey, no nose scrunching. That’s gonna hide some freckles,” Clementine gave a frown but soon a playful smile reappeared on her lips.

“Oops, sorry, my darling,” Louis leaned forward and kissed her lips.

Clementine immediately became distracted by the kiss and deepened it. Her mind was completely on the kiss as she cupped Louis’ face and melted into the warmth of his lips until she remembered she was in the middle of a competition. Pulling back, Clementine glared at her husband.“That was all a trick to make me lose count, wasn’t it?”

Louis chuckled at his wife’s accusation before he placed a hand over his heart in mock shock.

“Me? Using kissing as a means to win a game? I would never!”

“Uh huh,” Clementine crossed her arms. “Because that's outside the realm of possibility?”

“Okay, so it's not outside the realm of possibility, but! This time it really just was because I wanted to kiss you.” Louis’ confession made him grow flustered and Clementine could feel a soft warmth appear in her heart.

“Well, I’ve lost count now,” She scooted further onto the bed and leaned her back against the wall. Louis soon followed suit and sat beside her, his fingers intertwining with hers like it was second nature.

“How terrible,” he teased and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Clementine shook her head before she shifted closer and leaned her head onto Louis’ shoulder. Being with Louis always brought her comfort and because of his idea to take a break her worry and fears had settled down. At least in this moment she was at peace, free from mulling over all the concerns that came with being a leader. Louis tilted his head over and rested it against hers. The two of them took a deep, cleansing breath and let the world outside of just the two of them disappear for a little bit, escaping from the worries of life even if only for a moment.

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ericsonclan · 4 years ago

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The Eye of Captain Kidd

Summary: Louis and Clementine go on a double date with Ruby and Aasim where things don't go according to plan...

Word Count: 5407

Read on AO3:

Louis’ boots thunked gently against the wooden steps as he made his way above decks. The bright afternoon sun made the pirate captain lift up a hand to shield his eyes as a warm smile overtook his face. The gentle sea breeze brushed through his hair, causing his dreadlocks to sway this way and that as his gaze traversed the upper deck of Ol’ Kickass. Willy and AJ were in the midst of a rather lively duel. Each young pirate threw around piratey insults with such heart that none of the older members of the crew wanted to let them know that their insults made little to no sense. Willy hopped up onto the edge of the ship and wrapped his arm around a rope while he gave a toothy grin to his friend.

“Hey that’s not fair!” AJ gave an angry pout, his nose scrunching in annoyance as he looked at his older friend.

“It’s totally fair! Right, Tenn?” Willy’s question made the gentlest of the pirates glance up from the sketch he was doing of their duel with a small smile.

“I feel like it's a bit unfair,” Tenn’s words made Willy give a groan, a small frown pulling on his lips.

“Fine,” Willy hopped down. “I’m still gonna kick your ass though!”

“Heh, you wish, stupidhead,” AJ lunged forward with his wooden sword which Willy blocked with a laugh.

Louis chuckled softly as he shook his head. He was glad that the youngest of the pirates were having fun and not feeling a care in the world. His eyes wandered over to Marlon who was sidestepping this way and that as Rosie wagged her short stub tail and panted happily. A worn-down, twisted series of old clothes that formed the pitbull’s makeshift toy was in Marlon’s hand before he gave a hefty toss towards the wheel. The drool-covered rag toy landed beside Omar’s feet, causing the cook to stop his conversation with Brody about the favorite locations they had discovered thanks to their life of piracy.

Brody looked confused for a moment until she saw Rosie bounding forward and lunging at the toy with a playful wag of her tail. The pitbull happily munched on the toy while Brody and Omar crouched down and began to shower her with many loving pats. Louis glanced over towards the center of the deck where Prisha and Violet lay in a hammock. Violet’s arms dangled over the side while Prisha’s arm was protectively wrapped around her love. The hammock gently swayed from the wind. The two seemed to be in a serene state of peace now that they were in each other's arms.

“Are you prepared?” Aasim’s voice made Louis turn his attention to the starboard side of the ship where his friend and cartographer stolled forward in his sharp red pirate coat. His fluffy shirt collar and lacey wrists always made Louis chuckle internally but after being berated by Ruby a few times about teasing Aasim on this topic, Louis felt it best to just leave it be.

“I sure am!” Louis gave a big grin to his friend. “A date with my darling and two of my dear friends in the fair town of Silvermoon. Nothing could make me happier!”

Aasim’s eyes flickered with an emotion Louis was unsure of when he said the name of the town but it was gone in an instant. Before Louis could pry, the warm, comforting voice of their ship’s healer appeared. Ruby walked beside Clementine who shared a kind smile with Louis as she made her way towards him. “What are y’all talking about?”

“Simply the joys of being able to share this splendid day with our loves,” Aasim leaned over and placed a tender, soft kiss on Ruby’s cheek. The romantic gesture made Ruby’s already red cheek grow brighter as she looked over at Aasim.

“Aww you’re too sweet, Pookie,” Her hand reached for her love’s, intertwining it with her own.

“So where are we heading today?” Clementine asked with excitement in her eyes.

“I say we grab some grub in the finest establishment,” Louis played with his captain hat for a second before jogging forward and interlocking his hand with Clem’s. The gesture made Clementine’s smile grow.

“Sounds good to me. Should we head out?” She looked over at the other couple who both nodded.

“Yes, let��s.” Aasim led the way with Ruby down towards the docks while Clementine and Louis followed close behind. Clementine leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Louis’ cheek, causing the pirate to give a goofy grin before his eyes grew large as his love snatched his hat and placed it on her head.

“You’re quite the sneaky one,” Louis smiled over at Clemenitne who had a smug expression on her face.

“True. I just thought that the hat would look good on me,”

“You look beautiful,” Louis whispered, causing both pirates to blush. Louis quickly cleared his throat and looked back toward Ol’ Kickass. “We’ll be back before sunset. Make sure to keep the ship safe.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Mitch gave a smirk from the port end of the ship before he turned his attention back to the younger pirates. “I’m gonna show you how to fuck up some bandits.”

Clementine shook her head and continued to walk beside Louis. The two couples made their way into the town.

“I saw that Prisha and Violet were conked out of the upper deck hammock,” Ruby spoke up as she led the way with Aasim.

“It seems they stayed up all of last night working on a new fighting technique for Violet to help with her blindspots.” Aasim stated, his eyes looking a little sad at the last part of his sentence.

“So that’s what all the noise was last night. Now wonder they passed out,” Clementine exclaimed.

“Yeah, I got up for watch duty on the crow’s nest and I saw them practicing.” Louis added. The four were silent for a moment, taking in the loss their friend had received to heart. Louis glanced down, worried about Clementine’s peg leg.

“Caught ya!” Clementine’s playful voice startled Louis as he looked up at her.

“Shit, sorry.” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Clementine’s smile faltered for a second when she saw that her words did little to lift up Louis’ mood. “Hey, I’m going to be careful. If I feel like the pain gets to be too much, I’ll let you know.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, Louis,” Ruby looked back at her friend. “With the three of us here we could drag Clem back to Ol’ Kickass if we needed to.”

Louis gave a short nod.

“Let’s focus on the double date,” Aasim’s voice drew the others’ attention. “I happen to know of a great place here called The Lost Cove. Surprisingly, even though it bears that name it has awful seafood but their chicken dish with rosemary and garlic potatoes is phenomenal.”

“Sounds delicious,” Clementine’s stomach practically growled at the thought of the food.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Louis stopped in his tracks causing the other three to do the same. “How do you know about good food in this port town? We’ve never set foot in Silvermoon before.”

Aasim’s eyes grew slightly large before he glanced at the ground. “Well, you see,” He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, “This was one of towns I pulled a con in,” “Really?” Ruby looked surprised at that as did the other two before they burst out laughing.

“Better watch out for the guards then or they might recognize you and think you’re itching for another good con!” Louis gave his friend a teasing smile.

“No, they won't. He didn’t have his goatee back then,” Clementine’s words made Louis chuckle harder.

“Holy shit, you’re right!” “No, she isn't’!” Aasim gave an angry huff. “I did have my goatee back then.” His words did little to stop the couple from laughing though until Ruby spoke up.

“Now, wait a gosh darn minute. Aasim is a different man than he was back then. He’s changed.”

Aasim smiled lovingly at Ruby then looked back at the pair. “That’s right.”

Louis and Clementine quieted down before the pirate captain spoke up. “True, he’s a pirate now which is a far more respectable profession than con artist,”

Clementine snorted at Louis’ words until she saw the look that Ruby was giving. With a nudge to his ribs Louis glanced up, the smile disappearing on his face as he cleared his throat.

“Chicken sounds good. Lead the way,” Louis’ words closed off the teasing and they continued through the town. Aasim led the way, pointing out different spots and shops that he said were good. Clementine and Louis shared some looks, knowing that they’d tease Aasim later when they had the chance.

“Ah, here it is,” Aasim’s voice made the group stop as their eyes wandered up towards the sign. It read “The Lost Cove” is faded golden letters. One of the hinges on the sign had broken, leaving it dangling awkwardly towards one side. “Don’t let the sign fool you. This place has good food. You have my word on that.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s head in,” Ruby took a step forward before Aasim opened the door and held it open for his love. His hand that still held hers guided her forward. Once Ruby had made it inside the cartographer held open the door for the other two who gave their thanks as they entered.

Entering the tavern, the group was hit with the smell of ale and the lingering aroma of food roasting on a fire somewhere nearby. The scent made Clementine’s stomach growl which led the pirate to give a small, embarrassed smile.

“That table looks nice,” Ruby walked toward a corner table. Aasim jogged forward and quickly got the stool from Ruby, pulling it out for her to take a seat. Louis soon followed suit, giving a small bow as he pulled out the chair for his lady. Once Ruby and Clementine were seated the two remaining pirates took their spots around the table.

A girl with black hair and piercing green eyes walked forward towards their table with a welcoming smile. “What will you be having today?”

“Two of the crowned chicken specials,” Aasim held up two fingers with a friendly smile. “And four tankards of ale.”

“Sure thing,” The girl disappeared within seconds. The four pirates sat around, their eyes quickly checking to see if any wanted posters of them or their crew had made it to this small patch of the seven seas. After a thorough examination proved that no wanted posters were anywhere near they began to relax just as the tankards of ale showed up. The four of them drank and made small, simple conversation while they waited for their meal to arrive.

Louis was in the middle of one of his favorite tales that he had in his repertoire from his years as a pirate. It was about the time that Mitch accidentally smooched a sea creature and ended up catching his pants in the rigging. It was around then that the two platters of food arrived. The serving girl put down the platters filled with chicken roasted to perfection. The crispy skin shone lightly with grease and juice trailed down the roast birds’ sides. The smells of the different spices that brought out the chicken’s mild yet tempting taste made their mouths water. Surrounding the roast chicken were small fingerling potatoes cooked with herbed butters and sprinkled with salt. After the girl had placed down the plates and wished them a pleasant meal the pirates began to eat. Louis and Clementine tore apart the chicken, each of them tossing food back and forth and bartering for different parts of each other’s meal while Ruby and Aasim took their time, delicately slicing the meat and giving balanced, fair servings, only eating once they had gotten enough of everything on their plates.

“Honestly,” Ruby shook her head, “Would it kill you to have some table manners?”

“Sowwy,” Clementine apologized with her mouth full. Specks of chicken and potatoes shot out, causing Louis to snort, getting ale up his nose and into the back of his throat. Clementine gave her love a few whacks on the back before they both continued to eat. Aasim tsked in disapproval but that seemed to do little to improve the pair’s eating habits. After a while though Louis and Clementine restrained their hunger and worked on showing basic table manners. That made a small, appreciative smile to appear on Ruby’s face that remained there for the rest of the meal.

After the chickens were picked clean, the potatoes demolished, the tankards dry of ale and the meal paid, the four pirates decided to head out. “Gotta say, Aasim. That was really delicious,” Clementine gave a warm smile to her friend who seemed proud that his memory had served him well.

“Yeah! Man, if our luck remains, maybe the others can get a share of this food too,” Louis gave a grin before intertwining his fingers with Clementine’s once more. Ruby moved forward and held the door for them.

“Thank you, my treasure,” Aasim walked out and held the door so that Ruby could step through. The two shared a loving smile then proceeded to catch up with the other couple. They walked through an alley to return to the center of town. Clementine was about to speak up and ask what they should do next when a voice appeared in front of them.

“Excuse me,” A frail voice called out, making them all look forward. A person with a dirty grey shawl moved forward and stopped before Louis. “Have I seen you before?”

The four shared a concerned look for a split second.

“I don’t think you have, “ Louis gave a charismatic smile. “I have a pretty common face so I bet you’ve just seen someone like me,”

“I don’t think so,” The elder shook their head, their face scrunching up in concentration. “I think I would remember a face like yours.”

“Oh! Thank you,” Louis gave a smile, showing that he was genuinely touched. “But sorry, you have the wrong person.

“Hmmm, well I’d still like to give you this.” The person reached into their pocket, withdrawing a necklace with a leather chain. The centerpiece of the necklace was a translucent stone which held a deep blood red splotch in the center of it. Something about the necklace drew Louis’ eye, mesmerizing him as he got lost staring in its depths.

“How many ducats do you wish to sell it for?” Aasim raised an eyebrow, thinking that the elder would surely spout some tale of this necklace and say it was worth far more coins than it truly was.

“None,” The person’s statement made all of them look shocked, taken aback by that response. Before any could speak up the elder reached for Louis' hand, placing the necklace in his grasp. The stone was cold to the touch as Louis’ grip tightened round it.

“Why-” Louis paused when he looked up and noticed that the shawled person was nowhere to be seen.

“That was… odd,” Clementine glanced around left and right for any sign of the person.

“They sure were a speedy fella,” Ruby responded, her mind still trying to figure out how they disappeared so quickly. “Louis? What are you doing?” The redhead’s question drew everyone’s attention to Louis who had fastened the necklace around his neck. He turned around dramatically, his tailcoat fluttering in the wind.

“I thought I’d give it a try. It was a gift after all. It would be rude to not wear it,” He gave a big grin.

“Idiot,” Aasim shook his head. “What if that necklace has some curse on it?”

That made Louis’ eyes widen for a split second before he waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, you worry too much. So, Clem, how do I look?”

“You look great. I think it adds to your looks,” Clementine’s smile grew when she saw how flustered that compliment had made Louis.

He cleared his throat and gave a goofy smile. “Well if my darling loves it, what more confirmation do I need,” Louis pulled on the sides of his pirate coat. “So, where to next?”

“Well, I saw a cave on the beach a walk west from Ol’ Kickass. We could head there.” Ruby offered.

“A cave?” Clementine tilted her head slightly before an excited smile overtook her features. “Sounds interesting. Who knows what we could find there.”

“Sea glass, shells, maybe even treasure,” Louis beamed at the thought.

“I highly doubt it,” Aasim added dryly.

“Aww come one, Pookie. There’s no need to be a wet rag. Let’s go and explore it,” Ruby gave Aasim’s hand a gentle squeeze. The cartographer looked down at his love with a warm smile. “Alright, my dove. Let’s explore the cave.”

“Hear, hear!” Louis cheered and led the way, taking long strides and chatting happily with the other three about what they could possibly find. Ruby and Clementine chimed in here and there adding their own guesses while Aasim very occasionally added his input. The warm white sands covered their shoes as they made their way towards the cave. The aura emitting from it made all four pause for a second in awe. An eerie yet tempting feeling came from inside. Whatever lay within the cave was calling to them and the four pirates listened as they made their way within. Once inside, however, they were filled with disappointment. All the cave held was a few rocks and pebbles and a small, measly body of water. Droplets fell down from the ceiling of the cave, making the water ripple as the sound echoed throughout the cave.

“Well, this was a disappointment,” Aasim gave a sad sigh. Clearly he had been excited about the impossible possibilities too.

“Well, it’s still a cool-looking cave,” Clementine took a step forward. “I think I see something sparkling on the walls.”

Ruby joined her friend at those words and held out her hand to one of the cave walls. Her fingers brushed against small crystals that were embedded within it.

“It does look pretty,” Ruby shared a smile with Clementine.

“True, at the very least this makes for a cool date spo-” Louis’ smile disappeared and his eyes were filled with fear as he lifted up a shaky finger. “What the shit is that!”

The others’ eyes shot over to where he was pointing. There hidden halfway in the shadows was what looked to be a pale white creature that was slowly struggling to get up. After a few more seconds it became clear it was something unearthly. The being’s body groaned and creaked as it dropped its foot forward with a thud. With a few more steps it was fully in the light, revealing that it was not some creature or beast but a skeleton.

“What in tarnation?!?!” Ruby took a step back while Aasim moved forward, protectively putting a hand in front of Ruby.

“Let’s get back to the-” Clementine turned around and stopped her sentence, her golden brown eyes shaking with disbelief. “Ship….”

There blocking the exit were more skeletons, alive and armed with sabers and cutlasses.

“What the hell is going on?” Aasim placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, his eyes hardening.

“Who knows, but it looks like we gotta fight our way out,” Louis drew his sword and rushed forward. With a cry and a mighty swing his sword came crashing down on one the skeletons in hopes he could shatter its defenses.

-----

“Fuckin’ A!” Mitch crowed happily. “Bet you can't beat that,” The pirate flashed a smug, cocky smile over at the blond.

Marlon returned the expression and gave a short laugh. “That spit shot wasn’t worth shit. I’ll easily be able to beat it.”

“Oh yeah?” Mitch moved forward. “Prove it. Put your money where your spit is. Five ducats says you can’t.”

“Heh, deal,” Marlon shook Mitch’s hand and was about to prepare his saliva for the long travel out to sea when a voice appeared behind them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Prisha peered out from her comfortable place on the hammock.

“Spitting contest,” Mitch replied simply. “I’m gonna whoop Marlon’s ass at it.” “Spitting contest?!?!” Willy scampered forward along with AJ. Both boys looked intrigued by the statement.

“That’s right, but you can't join this round. I need to get Marlon’s coin first.”

Marlon scoffed. “Watch this,” With a deep, throaty sound Marlon produced as much saliva as he could before taking a deep breath and spitting. The hefty amount of saliva flew through the air and landed a little ways away from Ol’ Kickass with a soft plunk.

“Damn it!” Mitch grumbled, a frown pulling on the corners of his lips.

“Told ya,” Marlon gave a smug smile then held out his hand. “Pay up.”

Mitch swore under his breath and tossed the coins forward which Marlon caught with ease. Prisha gave a soft laugh which made Mitch’s eyes shoot up and glare at her.

“What? Got something to say, Prisha?”

“Nothing that you would want to hear,” Prisha had a cocky expression on her face as her arm pulled Violet closer towards her.

“You’d just say a bunch of shit that isn’t true anyway,” Mitch’s words made Prisha’s smile falter. She never liked it when someone insinuated that she had done something she hadn’t. The change in her expression made Mitch’s smile grow. “That’s what I thought.”

“I won’t fall for your weak attempt to goad me into a spitting contest.”

“You’re doing the spitting contest?” AJ looked over at Prisha with large eyes.

“Umm, well,” Prisha started but Willy interrupted her before she could continue.

“Are you gonna do it?” Willy looked at her with such sincere excitement that it made Prisha hesitate in saying no.

“Guys, she’s kind of stuck in the hammock,” Marlon pointed out which made both of the younger pirates’ faces fall.

“I’ll join the competition,” Prisha stated, making AJ and Willy look excited once more. Ever so carefully, Prisha untangled herself from Violet. The others offered to help but Prisha insisted that it would definitely lead to Violet waking up. Once she had successfully slipped out of the hammock and made sure that Violet was secure she moved forward to join the contest. Marlon was up first, giving his best try as his saliva flew in the air and landed around the same spot as before. Mitch was next. After gathering up a rather impressive amount of spit he took his turn and surpassed Marlon’s attempt.

“Ha!” Mitch was relishing in his victory when Prisha pushed him aside.

“I’ll show you how it’s really done.” Prisha took a deep breath then positioned her feet in what she deemed the best position. After gathering a fair amount of saliva she tilted her head and spit. Her saliva flew through the sky and landed past the other two by quite a fair distance.

“What the fuck?!?!” Mitch grabbed the ship’s side and leaned forward. Marlon looked just as surprised, his eyes blinking in shock.

“That was awesome!” AJ hopped up and down in glee.

“So cool!” Willy agreed, stomping his feet excitedly.

“How did you get your spit to go that far?” Marlon turned and looked at his friend.

Prisha had a proud look on her face. “It's quite simple. If you balance the amount of saliva in your mouth and tilt your head at the right angle you can get a trajectory that will surely clinch you the win.”

Marlon and Mitch looked lost about that explanation while AJ and Willy both pulled on Prisha’s arm, begging her to teach them the secret spitting technique.

“Hey,” Brody’s warm voice stopped the excitement for a moment as the auburn pirate strolled forward. “Do you know if Ruby said when she’d get back?”

“She didn’t give a time,” Marlon replied.

“They said they would be back by sundown,” Prisha added, her eyes narrowing for a second when she saw the concern on Brody’s face. “Why?”

“Oh, it's no big deal. Omar just burnt his hand a bit and I was wondering where the ointment is.”

“I know where it is. I can go with you if you’d like.” Prisha offered. Brody looked surprised for a second that Prisha knew of the location but when the realization of why hit her, the auburn pirate felt a bit bad.

“Okay, that would be great,” Brody walked alongside Prisha and quickly changed the subject. “Think they’re having fun on their double date?”

“I’m sure they are,” Prisha gave a soft smile. “Knowing them, I’m sure they’re enjoying the time away from the ship.

-----

“God, I wish we could go back to the ship,” Clementine groaned as she swung her cutlass out at another skeleton, knocking its head clean off. She knew that it would do nothing to stop them though. As they had discovered after Ruby delivered the first decapitation, the skeletons wouldn’t die. No matter how hard Louis hit or how strategically placed Aasim’s attacks were it did nothing to deter the skeletons from attacking once more.

“They just keep getting back up!” Ruby grumbled in frustration, blocking an attack from a rapier that a skeleton wearing pirate garb sent her way. Curling up her free hand, the fiery redhead sent it crashing against her opponent’s skull. The head bounced off with her punch and cracked against the wall. Aasim stared in awe of his love, completely taken in by the badassery of Ruby. He was so entranced he failed to notice a new skeleton had made its way over to him.

“Better keep your eyes on the fight, good buddy.” Louis playfully wiggled his eyebrows at Aasim before blocking an attack and sending a swift kick towards his opponent. The skeleton was sent flying, knocking over three others in the process. “I am the greatest pirate of all time!” Louis pulled on the sides of his coat when suddenly Aasim gripped his collar and yanked him backwards. That move saved Louis from serious harm. Aasim disarmed the skeleton before grabbing it by its collarbone and tossing it against the wall.

“Any plans, guys?” Clementine stood back to back with Ruby as they faced the next onslaught of opponents together.

“Nothing comes to mind,” Louis ducked an attack and sent a flurry of his own. “What about you, Aasim?”

“I don’t recall-” Aasim paused for a moment, his face scrunched up in concentration when his eyes lit up with an idea. “I may have something,” Aasim’s statement made the other three smile at their newfound hope. The cartographer sidestepped another opponent before continuing. “Prisha and I found these old scrolls a while back from a seller off the coast of the western bank of Deadman’s Bluff. He was a rather odd fellow who-”

“Pookie, I love your stories, but I need you to hurry along with it,” Ruby crushed a bone under her heel then proceeded to link arms with Clementine and spin her around.

“Sorry, my treasure. My point is we found scrolls talking of cursed objects.”

“Cursed objects?” Louis looked confused for a split second before his eyes grew wide. “Oh, shit!” Louis spun around and dodged the attack.

“Your necklace!” Clementine stumbled, her peg leg getting caught in one of the eye sockets of a skull. The skull shuffled around before a headless skeleton picked it up, causing the pirate to lose her footing.

“Clem!” Louis ran forward and caught her while Ruby and Aasim worked together to push back the swarm of enemies.

“I’m fine,” Clem gave a reassuring smile which seemed to ease Louis’ fear for a moment.

“Aasim, hurry up with the solution!” Louis snapped which made his friend frown.

“I’m trying to remember!” Aasim shot back a look of annoyance before slamming a skeleton into the cave wall. The four continued to fight off the incoming attacks for a few minutes when suddenly Aasim let out a small gasp. “I got it! The scroll that Prisha and I studied spoke of a blood sacrifice that would break the curse on certain objects. There’s no guarantee it will work, but…”

“We don’t have time for buts,” Ruby’s sword pierced through a skull that she flicked off with annoyance.

“Rubes is right. Here goes nothing,” Louis grabbed the necklace and tore it off his neck. Taking his blade, he pressed the sharp edge to his palm and slid it across an inch or two. Pressing his fingers into a fist, he let his blood drip down and splatter against the stone on the necklace. The thick red covered the delicate translucent stone and soon the whole stone matched the red splotch in the middle. It seemed as though it did nothing at first. But after a moment the skeletons stopped their attack. All their skulls turned and looked towards Louis as though waiting for an order.

“What's going on?” Louis whispered over to his love.

“I have no fucking idea,” Clemenitne whispered back, still gripping the hilt of her cutlass.

“Remarkable!” Aasim walked forward and studied the skeletons curiously. “It seems as though that old tale was true.”

“Old tale?’ Ruby asked. Her hand wrapped round Aasim’s arm and pulled him away from the opponents in case they suddenly attacked again.

“There was a tale going around a tavern that Marlon and I visited a few stops ago speaking about an object known to command a group of skeletons. They were said to be the remains of those that sailed with Captain Kidd.”

“Really?” Louis whispered. He and Clementine glanced down at the blood-soaked necklace. “If that’s the case... I, Louis Mason, captain of the Ericson Pirates, demand that you stop fighting and, um… shit,” Louis didn’t really know what to say next. “Just rest and don’t go hurting people anymore.”

The skeletons stared blankly at Louis before their bones shook around violently, causing them to drop their weapons. After a second the bones fell to the ground, clattering against each other until there wasn’t a single skeleton left standing.

“Good lord,” Ruby sheathed her weapon and let out a long sigh of relief. “That sure was one hell of fight,”

“No kidding,” Aasim took a shaky breath.

“We did good, though. Right, Clem?” Louis smiled over lovingly at Clementine when he noticed that her weight was shifting. “Clem!” Louis grabbed onto her waist as her knee buckled.

“Sorry, guess I’m at the limit for my peg leg,” She gave an apologetic smile.

“It's understandable,” Aasim stated simply. “Shall we head back to the ship?”

“That would be for the best,” Ruby looked over and saw that Louis had swept Clementine up into his arms which she protested against for all of five seconds before enjoying it.

“We’ll have quite the tale to share with the crew when we get back,” Louis led the way with a smile.

“We sure will. But after I patch up your hand,” Ruby added.

“True, true. As far as double dates go in the life of piracy, I’d say it wasn’t our best but hey, maybe in the future we’ll look back and realize this isn't even our worst double date,” Louis gave a grin but that didn’t convince the others.

“Don’t jinx it,” Aasim shook his head with a small frown.

“Louis,” Clementine placed a hand on his arm, “How about we try to make this the worst date out of all our double dates, now and in the future.”

“Hear, hear. Here’s to not getting our asses kicked by skeletons in the future and to many more double dates.” Louis crowed. “So, wanna double date in the next port town?”

Ruby and Aasim shared a look then glanced back at Louis.

“I think we’ll take a rain check on that,” Ruby offered a warm smile towards her friend.

“Okay, well I’m sure that Prisha and Violet would love to go on a double date with us anyway,” Louis continued to chatter as he led the way towards Ol’ Kickass. The four pirates smiled and laughed as they made their way to their seaworthy vessel, looking forward to being back with their crew.

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ericsonclan · 2 years ago

Text

Setting up the Pins

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

Word Count: 2097

Read on AO3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“And if it's anyone else?”

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

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

“You can take him,”

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

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

“I’m shorter than you,”

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

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

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

It had been more than a few minutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A kiss,”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Willy nodded and hid his eyes for a moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A pouch?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Neck,” Louis whispered the small correction.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg prisha #twdg willy #twdg aj #twdg omar #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg privet #clouis #louis aj brotp #fanfic

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ericsonclan · 3 years ago

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

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

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

What do you think their biggest fears are?

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

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

Greetings from Germany and have a nice day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for the ask!

#twdg #twdg louis #twdg marlon #twdg violet #twdg mitch #twdg brody #twdg ruby #twdg tenn #twdg willy #twdg omar #twdg aasim #twdg sophie #violet tenn brotp #sophie tenn brotp #mitch willy brotp #twdg moody #twdg aj #twdg clementine #clouis

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