Chapter Text
It was a very rare sight for Clementine to be sound asleep in her bed. Which is why it wasn’t out of the ordinary that she was lying awake staring at the ceiling. AJ was fast asleep in the bed across the room. He’d been sleeping better at night since the raiders had been taken care of permanently. Clementine, on the other hand, had found it to be more difficult to sleep since the entire ordeal. Maybe it was her phantom pains in her leg that she no longer had. Maybe it was the fact that she had nearly turned the same way Lee had and AJ had almost faced the same fate as her when she had been his age. Usually she tried to ignore that gnawing thought at the back of her head, but some nights she just couldn’t quell the primal fear festering in her epicenter.
She sat up slowly, wincing at the sound of the springs squeaking. The beds were likely far older than Clementine herself and she found the noise to be a little too loud. She looked over at AJ, silently hoping she didn’t wake him. The boy turned over, fussing a bit, before going still as his breathing returned to its normal pace. Clementine let out the breath she had been holding. Anything to give the tyke a full night of sleep was her entire goal. Anything to keep him asleep so he would be able to function the next day.
Quietly and gently, she reached towards her crutches. They had been leaned up against the dresser in an attempt to keep them somehow near her. She held her breath as she grabbed the crutches. The wood clanked against each other causing a slight bit of noise that made Clem pause in fear of waking up AJ. She hesitated before continuing, pulling the crutches to a position where she could properly stand up. She levied herself to her feet, grunting quietly at the force. She took another look at AJ before she turned toward the door, slowly leaving. She didn’t like leaving him alone, even when she knew they were safe. There was something primal about her need to keep him alive and safe. Had Lee been there, he’d probably tell her it was maternal, but Clementine didn’t care to hear about that part of it. She didn’t care what fancy label anyone gave it, it didn’t change how she felt.
Outside the room, Rosie sat curled up. Normally she’d sleep in bed with AJ but the past couple of nights she’d stayed out of the room. Clem wasn’t sure if it was because of all the nightmares that she’d been having or if it was because Rosie was particularly missing Tenn and needed to mourn a bit longer. Clem could understand both of those sentiments. So, before continuing down the hall, she bent down, giving the dog a quick scratch behind the ear. The dog leaned into the touch before Clem smiled and stood back up, walking away again. Rosie settled back down, resting her chin on the hardwood floor that lined the halls of the school.
Clem always found it a little unnerving when the only noise that echoed through the halls was the sound of her crutches hitting the wood. It made her uneasy. What if someone was sneaking up on her? What if someone had their eyes on her? There might be a target painted on her back and she wouldn’t know it. Clem took a quick look over her shoulder, greeted with nothing but darkened hall. She sighed, a mix of relief and worry swallowing her mind. She’d told AJ about trauma, about how it was hard to get rid of, but sometimes Clementine wished she could just erase all of hers.
Opening the door was always one of the hardest things to do for her now. The door would naturally swing shut, so she’d have to open it partially, then shuffle her way between, before quickly shoving it open with her crutch so she could walk through without getting hit or crushed by the door. It was a hassle, but she had to say, she kept getting better at it. Tonight was the easiest it had gone since she’d lost her leg. She shuffled out onto the front deck, the door slowly swinging shut behind her. She took a deep breath of the night air, looking at the serenity of the night. She leaned on her good side for a moment before she looked at the courtyard. On one of the picnic tables a figure was sitting. Not on the bench, no, on the table part of it. She didn’t have to look twice to know who it was.
Slowly, but surely, Clementine made her way down the front stairs. Stairs were another one of her newest challenges, but she managed, she always managed. She approached the picnic table cautiously, not wanting to startle him, but the noises her crutches made were more than enough to alert him to her presence. She could see his neck craned, looking up at the night sky. When she stopped beside the table, she looked up as well. She could identify some of the constellations she’d been taught when she was younger. Orion’s Belt, The Dippers. She could see the ones she’d been taught for navigational reasons. Of course, who taught them to her blurred together much like most of her memories.
“Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” Louis asked, looking over at her, “Recovering?”
Clem snorted, “Yeah, I would if I could.”
“You too?” Louis said softly. They locked eyes and the look in his eyes told Clem everything she needed to know. Louis scooted over, giving her space to sit. He extended his hand to help her up and she didn’t hesitate. She climbed up, letting her crutches crash to the ground. She looked down at them, but Louis just wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest and he rested his chin on the top of her head.
“You know I think about it sometimes,” Clem sighed, “What would’ve happened if AJ had listened to me.”
Louis squeezed her gently, burying his face into her hair so he could breathe her in, “I’m glad he didn’t. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Clem nuzzled into his chest, allowing him to pull her closer. She didn’t know why, but he was exactly what she needed at that specific moment. And, somehow, Louis knew that. He kissed the top of her head gently before rubbing her arm. Clem pulled away from his chest, seeing that he was pointing up to the sky. She followed his finger that was pointing at two stars shining brightly.
“Those are us,” Louis smiled, “ Obviously , I’m the bigger one.”
“The bigger one doesn’t shine as much as the smaller one,” Clementine murmured, staring at the two stars. Louis smiled, looking at her, then back at the sky.
“That’s the point, Clem,” Louis noted, “You shine brighter, and I’m okay with that. Not a lot of guys would be.”
“Are you trying to make yourself sound more appealing to me?” Clem raised a brow. Louis had this habit of trying to impress Clem more than he already had. Clementine didn’t really understand it, maybe it was because he was overcompensating for his past, maybe it was because he thought he wasn’t good enough. Clem thought he was good enough, she thought he was great. She could spend hours with him, just sitting. The impressiveness hadn’t ever really worn off for her.
“Maybe,” Louis said smugly with pride before following it up with a weaker, hushed, “Is it working?”
Clem giggled, shaking her head and looking up at the sky. She rested her head on his chest again, allowing Louis to scoot in closer to her. She smiled, sighing softly. Never in a million years did she think she’d be in this position. Definitely not safe from the walkers, with a home, a family, a kid– that’s what AJ was to her, wasn’t it? Her kid? –Someone she loved with her whole heart. Of course, she hadn’t told him that yet, she didn’t think he was ready for that. She didn’t want to make him feel rushed or pressured or anything. She… hadn’t been in a relationship before, clearly. She didn’t know the protocol. Was there protocol? Lee would’ve known.
“Thank you for picking me,” Louis whispered softly, “I mean, of everyone in the camp, you chose me for… everything, and I appreciate that. I mean it.”
Clem was taken aback. She had neer considered any of this a choice that she made. She didn’t choose to catch feelings for him. It sort of just happened naturally. Of course, Clem had no issue with that, she was very content with liking Louis. Well, content wasn’t the word, that seemed to undermine what she was feeling. She didn’t know what she was feeling, she wasn’t even thinking or anything. She was staring at the dirt, eyes wide as she thought about this. Louis must’ve noticed.
“Whoa, reel it back in there,” Louis said, “You were doing that thing again where you start to overthink what I'm saying to you.”
“I’m sorry,” Clem whispered, pulling away. She averted her eyes from Louis, in fear of making eye contact and upsetting him. Or worse, upsetting herself.
“No, hey, don’t apologize,” Louis gently placed a finger under her chin, pulling her to look at him, “I just want to be here with you.”
Clementine smiled, leaning into his touch. They both closed their eyes, leaning in for a kiss. Clem wrapped her arms around Louis’s neck as they kissed deeper. Louis leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her waist gently. When they broke the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together, staying together. Sometimes in war or devastation, a light can be found. And Clementine had found her light in Louis. She opened her eyes, looking into his. He looked back into hers, smiling as the light glistened in his eyes.
The two proceeded to spend the rest of the night on the picnic table. They both layed down long-ways, their legs hanging off the edge. Clementine was curled into his body, nestling into him as he pointed out the stars and constellations, naming even more than Clem had learned when she was younger. And as the night carried on, the both of them reached a point where they fell asleep on the table, holding one another. They wouldn’t be found like this until the next morning when Willy was getting ready for watch duty, but it didn’t matter to either of them because for the first time in weeks, both of them were able to sleep peacefully without the interruption of any nightmares. And it was blissful stargazing.