rome and clem

part twenty-two

rome kept swishing under his bed sheets. he just couldn't find the right spot to sleep. it seemed to be an impossible task. instead of dwelling on that fact, he ducked his arm under his bed and reached for the bottle of whiskey he hid.

when the remaining drop fell back into romes throat, burning it temporarily, he chuckled it across the room and leaned back into his pillow. still trying to find shut eye.

a knock on his bedroom window, pulled rome out of his hazy feels. he shifted his head towards the curtain clad window and just waited. maybe it was his drunk mind playing tricks on him.

but when another knock hit the window, he knew it was real.

with a sigh, he climbed out of his sheets and walked towards the window. in all his shirtless, sweatpants glory. he was preparing himself to incase the knock was coming from a not so friendly person, a robber possibly.

finally reaching the window, he extended his hand out and pulled the curtain back. hesitantly gasping when clem's shadow filled the space outside. he could barely see her face, but he knew it was her. he could find the real clem in a huge room filled with fake clems.

"clem?" he called out on instinct like she could hear him. when he got the hint she couldn't, he opened his window and moved out of the way as she began climbing inside.

her sobs became more evident, sniffling too. it properly made rome feel weak and futile.

"clem, whats wrong?" he asked, shutting the window, turning to face her.

"I'm so stupid!" she shouted through her cries. throwing her arms around rome and crying into his chest.

rome wasted no time in pulling her even closer to him. secretly taking pleasure in their close proximity. he hated himself for thinking so selfishly as this happy, happy girl cried in his arms.

"you're not stupid, clem. don't ever say that. you hear me?" he muffled into the top of her head and absently kissed her hair.

she didn't reply, just kept weeping in his arms. becoming limp and raw. her eyes weren't bright when she came into his room. they were cloudy and red and dark. and it hurt rome. it hurt rome to even look at her and not be able to find clementine.

"come here." he murmured and brought her to the edge of his bed.

clem sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her wrist. her dreary eyes glimpsed at his bed and then back to rome, like she was weighing out her options.

she ended up picking the space beside rome. letting her dainty fingers lightly caress his hand.

rome tilted his head towards her, staring at her rundown cheeks, her sad eyes, the trembling of those damned rosy lips. it literally hurt him to see her like this.

he felt sick.

"clem?" he softly whispered into the silence that enveloped the room.

she raised her head slowly towards rome and gave him a sad blank stare. a silent 'what'.

he sighed and reached his arm out, gently raking her knotted curls behind her ears, lightly grazing her cheeks when he retracted his hand.

"what's wrong?" he whispered, twisting his lips.

she took in a shaky breath, her chest rising and then slowly falling. her eyes found the floor, giving too much attention to the wood underneath their feet. and then she scooted closer until their thighs were touching. rome winced at the sudden friction of her flowered pajama print pants against his raggy sweatpants.

slowly, rome raised his arm and carefully caressed clems back in small reassuring circles.

"god, I'm such a mess." she said, her voice so hoarse it was almost impossible to recognize it as clems.

"you are not a mess, clem." he whispered sternly. his free hand lifting on its own accord to brush against her soft cheek. the tears disappeared under his touch.

her eyes found his. quiet and deep. something you can't name behold itself around them. something enchanting. mesmerizing. something neither of them wanted to let go. maybe it was hope. or happy. or okay. or maybe something else. something bigger than both of them.

"you're not a mess." he repeated, his hand lowering around the nape of her neck, pulling her face gently closer to his. "you're beautiful."

her breath suddenly hitched, rome heard it, and he couldn't breath. it felt like he was in some type of dream, like this was all in his imagination, all fake. suddenly the room felt too small. clem was too close. and she was on his bed.

his hand quickly retreated from her back, and the other from her cheek. eyes darting towards the floor, he realized how attention grabbing the wood actually was.

a sob escaped clems lips.

"what's wrong with me!?" she squealed, jumping up from the bed and covering her mouth.

"what? nothings wrong with you." he reassured, fucking his pride and standing up.

"no one likes me. you won't even touch me!" she cried, her shoulders going limp. "he-he kisses her! no one loves me. no one l-" her weight caved in on her, knees buckling and butt slamming on the ground as she pooled her body on the floor.

rome cursed and crouched down next to her. his hands gripped her shaking shoulders, he had to bit his own lip, hard enough to taste metallic, to contain his own cries. he wanted to so badly cry for her.

"clem..what happened?" he asked.

"fuck, rome!" she shouted, yanking her shoulders from his grip. viscously wiping the tears from her swollen cheeks, she narrowed her gaze at him. lips pursed and eyes sad she spoke, "carter fucked elliot. and I fucking saw everything. I hate him and i hate elliot and I hate myself." she spat, her face contorting into something broken.

her words cut through layers and layers of romes skin. digging even deeper into his layers of his persona. everything he was holding, everything from his past, bugging to escape, all because of this girl with glistening dark skin and vibrant curls.

"clem. i know this might sound so shitting superficial but fuck him. fuck elliot too. look at you! clem, you are so beautiful. you are so smart. and so happy. you are always smiling. always enjoying life and making sure everyone else is as well. it goes beyond me why you even try with this horrific world. but you do, you do try. try to make it at least manageable. and that makes you clem. just because this dickhead, whom you won't even remember his name ten years later, took advantage of your trust don't change. don't change your happiness. don't ever stop smiling clem. your smiles they save me." he said, panting at the end of his speech. chest rising as clem stared blankly with wide shocked eyes.

"rome-" she started

"he never deserve you." he interrupted though and strutted towards her, stretching his arms out and shoving his chest against hers.

in her arms, rome didn't feel alone.

—

unedited gah