Home (Clementine x Female Reader)

Chapter 40 ; Keep Moving Forward

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You've all been walking so long the sun has finally risen.

You're so tired.

Your fatigue reminds you of the morning after you met James, carrying AJ's frail body back to the school. Things were different then. Part of you would even say they were easier, but you know you shouldn't compare the situations. Not like this.

You're bitten. It's definitely different now.

Clementine is slung against you, her leg dragging against the ground and axe in her free hand as you both trail after AJ.

In your bad arm, you're holding her knife, though even the slightest odd movement makes you bite your tongue to stop a cry of pain.

All around you are sounds of eerie growls and snarls of zombies.

As you all walk amidst the trees you can even see some wandering yards away from where you all are. Thankfully they don't see any of you, honestly, you don't know if any of you could handle more of them attacking you.

You and Clementine look at each other, and she can't even manage a smile as she peers up into your low eyes. She looks exhausted, a sheen of sweat on her forehead and dark rims around her eyes. You know she's going to lose too much blood if you don't deal with her leg soon.

You look away at the thought, your eyes catching AJ's ahead of you. He turns his head back around, his shoulders slumping as he walks with the gun in his hands.

"Hey. We love you," Clementine speaks up, picking up on his sadness too.

He slows to a stop at her words, prompting you both to do the same. Your body isn't sure whether to thank you for the brief stop or ache even worse.

"Don't ever forget that, kid. We love you so much," you say softly, meaning it with every fiber of your being.

You can feel Clementine tremble in your hold. She's only spoken to you once, and that was when you accidentally fell along the way.

-

"Y/n please, I need you," she whispers, her voice wavering and cracking in pain as she mutters the words.

You pull her closer to you without a word, and your smile doesn't go unnoticed as you lean your forehead against hers.

The entire world feels like it's slowly crashing down onto you, but your eyes can't seem to look away from Clementine's shaking figure, oddly enough, that's the only thing that's causing you pain right now. And the pain coming from your shoulder would've been hard to miss, but as Clementine's hands rub the sides of your face you start to wonder if she was a healing balm to all your pains and worries.

With her, it's so easy to forget.

"I'm sorry Clem," you mutter, stroking the side of her face with your thumb. "But I'd always rather it be me than you both. I'm so sorry you both have to see me this way."

She lets out a heartbreaking sob in your lap, hiding her face in the crook of your neck as she does her best to contain herself. You push her back with no ill-intent, just enough to see her face once more, and oh, you fucking crumble when you see it; Tears run down her face seeming to no end, her eyes dark and the only emotion you recognize in them is pain, her eyebrows furrowed and her bottom lip pouting and trembling as she tries her best to stop another sob from escaping her.

"None of that, now, c'mon." You tilt her head up slightly to meet your gaze. You give her the softest and widest smile you can manage, and that only seems to make her expression even worse. "I love you."