Friends before Lovers {NUKE fanfic}_@Mintgal2

44

Nick
I sat beside Luke, and saw Kenny tirelessly trying to set up the half makeshift tent he found up, which would be difficult without the right amount of rope. And without a mallet or hammer.
"Sure we can't help?" I asked, and Kenny waved me off.
"How could you help me, shit bird?" Kenny asked, out of breath. I rolled my eyes. I was getting used to his common use of insults to name me.
"Don't know, just offering so you don't get annoyed like an idiot." I returned the favour. Clementine sat away, near the small flame, which was dying in the cold snow, with AJ, who whimpered in the distance. I saw her smile at the baby, as she comforted him. Kenny just scoffed, and shook his head, as he continued to set up the poor excuse for a tent.
"I can't believe we have to sleep in that tonight." Luke said, and sighed.
Kenny just rolled his eye.
"Well, clearly, some of us won't be sleeping." A smirk tugged on Kenny's lips as he said that, and I blushed. I noticed that my ankle overlapped Luke's by just the tiniest bit. I moved my leg away, and he laughed. "What? I called it!"
"Shh." I hushed, and looked over at Clem, who was already intruiged in the conversation. Luke laughed.
"I think she's already got an idea, Nick." Luke smiled, and I remembered that we had kissed right in front of her.
"Oh." I said, and shook my head. Fuck. Guess our cover was blown completely now. "Right."
With that, Clementine moved closer to us, where we were sitting on logs faced around the poor excuse of a tent Kenny was working on. She sat down with AJ, and sighed.
"I wish we could build a bigger fire." She said. "It's freezing."
"We will once I get this goddamn tent up." Kenny said. "But even then, snow will cover our work."
"Better than walking in the dark and in the cold." I said. "How far away is Wellington?"
"About three or four days at least." Kenny said. "We'll be fine. Just Alvie here we need to please."
Luke looked over to where AJ had started to cry, Clementine shushing him from any bordering of walkers.
"Shhh, shhh." She said, and rocked him slightly. The baby only quieted down a little. "We need food for AJ, and maybe for ourselves."
"We can't hunt." Luke said. "Too cold. I say we try looking through any further buildings on the way."
"That's all we got." Kenny agreed. I looked at them both.
"Can I really believe what I'm seeing?" I asked sarcastically. "You two...getting along?"
"Oh, shut up." Kenny said, as Luke laughed. Clementine looked at me, and narrowed her eyes.
"I didn't know two men could kiss eachother." She changed the relevancy of the conversation. Kenny shook his head at us.
"They can do more than kissing, Clem." Kenny said, and I used my foot to shove him.
"Shut up." I said, and Clementine wrinkled her nose.
"Gross." She said. Kenny and I laughed harder, as Luke looked away awkwardly. The laughter died down, and I felt guilt twinning in my stomach.
We could ignore this for as long as possible, but it seems like I won't ever forget shooting Jane. I mean, I shot her to protect Kenny. The thought of the amount of people dying made me shake, and now I'm responsible for some. Even though I really hated Jane, I felt bad.
"I know what you're thinking about." Clementine said, as darkness overlapped us. I looked up, and sighed. "Please don't feel bad. She didn't have to start that, and she could've killed Kenny."
"Still." I said. "Shouldn't have done that."
"You saved me." Kenny said, stepping back at the tent, which was surprisingly bigger than he let on, and it stood successfully. "There. And you guys thought I couldn't do it."
"Now can we build a fire?" Clem nagged. Kenny sighed, and gestured for Clementine's match. She handed it over.
"Like I said, you saved me." Kenny said. "You regretting that already?"
"No, I'm not regretting that I saved you. Just regretting how I saved you." I said, and took a deep breath. "I've killed three people now."
"I've killed more." Clementine said.
"Is this even a competition?" Luke asked. "Wow. Didn't think I'd end up in a place where every one was comparing the number of those they had killed."
"I didn't think I'd end up in a place where I'm creating a useless fire for two assholes and two kids." Kenny said. "But here I am."
"I was just saying." Clementine said. "That I've had to deal with what you're dealing with right now, and worse."
I remembered that Clem had mentioned something about killing a man, as well as Sarita. And I can only imagine she's killed more before she met us.
"But you're just a kid!" I said. "You...shouldn't be."
"I don't want to!" Clementine exclaimed. "I wish I didn't have to."
"Can we just put all that behind us?" Luke asked. Clem nods, and AJ whines in his sleep. "Here, I'll take him."
Luke takes the baby off of Clementine, and holds him gently.
I hear a crackle of flame, and we all turn our heads to where Kenny was knelt by the fire which was low, the embers burning snow around it.
"There." Kenny said. "Now, anyone have any food?"
We shook our heads.
"Fuck!" Kenny said. "I guess we're starving for another night."
Clementine groaned quietly.
"We'll be okay." She said. "We just need to keep looking."
"Damn right." Kenny stood up, and sighed. "You all need to get your winks. I'll take first watch."
"No." Luke stood up. "I can--"
"Shh, boy." Kenny said. "I'll take AJ, and you three can sleep."
"You literally always do this." I complain. "Please let us--"
"Tell you what, tomorrow you guys can share watch, okay." Kenny said. "Now c'mon. I promise the tent won't fall on you."
Luke handed AJ to Kenny, and sighed.
"Whatever." Luke said, and I stopped myself from smirking. That's usually what I say when I'm defeated. Mostly to Pete. I stepping inside the tent, and shivered. It was nice and warm in here, the side warm due to it being close to the fire.
"You can sleep there, Clem." I said, pointing to the warmest side. Clementine sighed, and layed down on the ground. She took off her jacket, and used it as a blanket, as she rolled over.
I bit my lip, and layed on the other side, and I could feel the wet snow through the material. Luke layed beside me, his arm shifted underneath my body as he curled up toward me, his head laid against my chest. I smiled.
I had almost forgotten that we had fucked the night before. I tried to use that thought to wash over the fight between Jane and Kenny.
And it worked.