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It’s a new day, and AJ woke up like any other day. He sat up, let out a big yawn as he stretched out his little arms, and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the gunk and the sleepiness of them. He remembered he had a shift this morning with Tenn as watchout, and thought about maybe making pictures with him after that. Yeah, AJ decided, he would like that, and Tenn probably would too.
He smiled to himself. AJ liked this, being in the same place and doing the same stuff and seeing the same people he liked every day. Clem said it’s called a routine– and he decided he liked routines. He liked knowing where he was today, or would be tomorrow, or the week after that. He liked knowing what to expect and planning out what to do throughout the day, and the people he would see, the people he liked and cared about. His friends. This is what home is like, Clem said, and AJ liked home.
Speaking of Clem—AJ glanced across the room, over on Clem’s side. She was still asleep, that’s fine, AJ thought, Clem almost always did wake up later than he did. VI once said it was called…sleeping in, yeah. He didn’t blame Clem though, he noticed she stayed up later than he did, spending more time with Vi and Louis and all the other older kids together.
Vi, especially.
Clem told him about how she and Vi are now girlfriends. “Weren’t VI girlfriends with Minnie? Like you said when we were fishing? You can have two? Aasim only has one.” he remembered asking, and something flashed on Clem’s face. He didn’t know what to call it, but she looked sad and hurt about it. Clem just said it’s complicated, but Vi and Minnie weren’t girlfriends anymore.
So now Clem does girlfriend stuff with Vi, like kissing and holding hands and stuff, but they’re still shy about it around other people, especially around AJ. But he didn’t mind. He liked Vi, she looked out for Tenn and him when Clem wasn't around. She’s kind of like another mom, and he liked that.
AJ tilted his head and raised a brow as he looked over at Clem’s bed. Something was weird today, he thought, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Clem seemed fine, still asleep on her bed, laying on her side, facing away from him with a blanket draped over her, so AJ could only see the back of her head and the blanket bobbing down and up slowly, so he knows she’s still alive and breathing.
So that wasn’t what was weird.
But it still felt weird.
AJ kicked off his blankets—it was getting colder, with the winter approaching and all, and AJ always did like blankets, it made him feel safe, somehow, like monsters can’t grab him by the leg while he’s sleeping, not with a blanket covering it—and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. But before his feet could hit the ground, a knock at the door stopped his train of thought.
That didn’t seem to wake Clem up, so AJ headed to the door—he can check on Clem later— and opened it.
“Tenn!”
“Hey,” Tenn said, and AJ perked up from his previously guarded mood. Tenn did that thing with his hands again, it’s just a habit, Clem told him once. “Have– have you seen Vi? Louis and Aasim are about to head out hunting and VI was supposed to come with them, but I can’t find Vi in her room…”
AJ shook his head, “Nu-uh, I didn’t see her.”
“Oh,” Tenn’s shoulders drop, looking over AJ’’s head and to Clementine, “I just thought maybe Clem would know- oh.”
“Clem’s still asleep, so she couldn’t have seen her,” AJ said, back still turned to whatever Tenn is looking at, oblivious.
Unbeknownst to AJ, someone sat up from Clem’s bed, the blanket sliding down revealing blonde hair and a groggy expression. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up, Tenn,” Vi yawned, rubbing her eyes.
And AJ jumped and shrieked, caught off guard and shocked. He turned around and backed away until his back hit the wall. He didn’t like people coming up behind him, and while…yeah, he didn’t bite or punch people anymore, he still didn’t like unexpected things coming up behind him.
The scream seemed to wake Vi up even more, and remorse flashed in her face. She already knew of AJ’s…thing, of people sneaking up behind him. Ruby and that asshat Marlon could’ve attested to that. “Oh, shoot. Sorry AJ— I’m really sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t know—....shit. Sorry.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated at herself as she felt Clementine stir next to her.
It was a bad idea, Vi thought at the time last night, to sleep in the same bed together with Clementine. But she admitted she felt a little lonely and a bit sick of her own room that night, and Clementine, the same forward charmer who speaks with her kisses instead of her words sometimes, insisted that Vi should spend the night in her and AJ’s room for a change.
“Are you…sure? What about AJ-”
And, like Vi said, Clem sometimes speaks more with her kisses than her words, and she leaned in, chapped lips to chapped lips, just a quick peck that ended as quickly as it started, yet it left Violet as breathless all the same.
“I’m sure he won’t mind. We’re just sleeping….so it’s like a sleepover, I guess.”
“What? With the party games and truth or dare while we talk about who we ‘like-like’?”
A scoff and an eye roll. “Oh, stop.”
“What happened?”
Speak of the devil.
Clementine must have heard the commotion, especially since AJ screamed. She’s already up and at it, still groggy and confused, but ready to take on what danger AJ’s in if he was in any. But she looked around the room, and didn’t sense any danger. No walkers, and the morning peaceful and quiet, save for the sound of piano playing, no doubt Louis’ doing. AJ and Tenn were by the door, and Vi…right, she remembered now, she invited Vi to spend the night with her in her and AJ’s room.
“Hey, sorry, I just-uh…surprised AJ by being here, I guess,”
AJ stiffened. Was Vi mad at him? Like Ruby and Marlon were? He didn’t want her to be mad at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”
“No, no, it’s–it’s not your fault,” Vi shook her head. She originally planned to wake up way earlier than AJ and Clem and leave the room to avoid this situation in the first place, but she guessed Clem’s habit of sleeping in had rubbed in on her. Well, she can’t help that the bed is warm and cozy, especially with her human heater of a girlfriend. “It’s fine, AJ, it’s on me.”
“It’s my fault,” Clementine said once she got her bearings and grasped the situation. “Sorry, goofball, I should’ve let you know that Vi was staying with us last night.”
AJ’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s…it’s okay. I forgive you.”
Now that it’s all cleared up, Tenn took this as an opportunity to do what he originally set out to do. “Hey, Vi–”
“Yeah, Tenn, I know,” Vi said as Clementine shifted in the bed to make way for Vi to get out. “I can still hear Louis with that piano so I don’t think we’re in a hurry anyway. But thanks for reminding me.”
“I’ll see you later?” Clementine smiled as she watched her girlfriend stand up. Vi returned the smile and nodded, before leaning down, leaving a quick peck on the lips.
AJ watched as Vi smiled at him as well, before walking past him and out the door, presumably to help Aasim pull Louis off the piano and go hunting already. He heard Tenn clear his throat and turned to him.
“I’ll be off now too. Wanna come with?”
Clementine saw AJ turn to her, and she just nodded. “Go ahead, kiddo, I just need to freshen up. Let’s, um, talk about it later.”
AJ smiled, and turned back to Tenn as they walked out of the room.
“So…girlfriends sleep together too?”
The question halted the entire group at the table and whatever conversation they could’ve been having. It was night now, torches lit the schoolyard and they were enjoying another one of Chef Omar’s fine meals. Everyone stared at AJ, he didn’t like it. It reminded him of the time he shot Marlon, and that wasn’t a good memory, not really. But right now…he didn’t do anything wrong, did he? So he continued.
“I know girlfriends kiss and hold hands and hug and stuff. But do they sleep together too? That’s what Clem and Vi did.”
Now, all eyes shifted from AJ to Clem and Vi, who were sitting next to each other, and who tensed up. Clementine was midway through bringing the spoon to her mouth, but she froze, and a piece of meat ended up falling out from her spoon back to the bowl. Violet outwardly groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, aware of the endless teasing to come.
“No way,” Louis laughed, his tone tinged with disbelief and amusement. He turned to Clem and Vi and leaned in their direction, resting his chin on his palm like a giddy teenager about to receive juicy gossip. “Did you guys do it? Like, do do it? The thing? You know.”
“We didn’t do shit,” Violet rolled her eyes, elbowing Louis on the arm to get him to stop the teasing. “I just fell asleep on Clem’s bed. Big fucking deal.”
“Even if they did, it ain’t our business,” Ruby remarked, and Clementine sighed in relief, at least someone had their back. “But say, if you did, it’s probably best you don’t do it around the boy. Just sayin’.” Nevermind. It’s probably payback for when they teased her and Aasim a while back too. Bitch.
“But we didn’t. And that’s that.” Clementine insisted. She just wanted the conversation done and over with, god, this is so embarrassing.
AJ frowned, “None of you guys answered my question. Is sleeping together like…a girlfriend thing? Or something?”
“Please don’t say it like that, AJ,” Clementine sighed. If she could melt right at this moment and fuse with the earth and not have to deal with this conversation ever, she would. And she doesn’t doubt Violet felt the same way.
He tilts his head, “Why not? I don’t think it’s a bad word...is it?”
“It’s not, don’t worry, little dude,” Louis chuckled, “it just means…something else.”
“What does it mean, then?”
“Hey, AJ, I think Tenn needs help with coloring his picture,” thank god, Ruby thought of a distraction for AJ to drop the topic, noticing how uncomfortable the couple was. It was fun at first, to tease the two of them, Ruby thought, but now it’s venturing to territories she doesn’t think Clem or any of them is anywhere near ready to explain to AJ. Ruby threw her thumb over her shoulder, where Tenn had been sitting alone, pencils and coloring materials all over the table as he went to work with his latest piece.
AJ glanced at Tenn, then back at them. He seemed hesitant, engrossed in the conversation as is, but he nodded and jumped off the bench, heading over to Tenn. He always did like watching and helping Tenn draw, it helps him be a better artist too, observing how Tenn draws people and other stuff.
“Oh my god, thank you.” Clementine sighed in relief as she felt Vi relax her posture, and Ruby could only smile in response.
“Thought y'all looked a bit uncomfortable there. It’s no worries,” Ruby waved it off, “But, god, speaking of all these sleeping talk…it reminds me of slumber parties. We haven’t had those in a while, huh?”
“You mean dumping all our mattresses together in one room and drawing on the face of whoever falls asleep first?” Violet scoffed.
Louis laughed, “Why, Vi? Scared? Don’t worry, I’m sure Clem’ll just draw hearts and butterflies all over your face.”
Ruby laughed, and Clementine rolled her eyes, but she laughed too, and Violet…she liked that. She liked hearing Clem’s laugh, seeing her smile…god, just everything about her. So Vi smiled.
“Anyways, what about a slumber party, everyone, how about it?” Ruby asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone looked up and seemed open to the idea, immediately approaching the table to shoot out suggestions and ideas. Louis being in charge of the music, Tenn with decorations and AJ helping him out, Omar could whip up some snacks, and Willie suggested he make fireworks, to which everyone insisted he not do.
Everyone’s laughing, and joking around, and overly enthusiastic at their upcoming slumber party. It’s nice, AJ thought. He didn’t witness much of this before, back when it was just him and Clem. She was too stressed and focused on finding a home for them both, having to always look over her shoulder and out of windows in case walkers or monsters came to ruin their makeshift homes, always teach lessons about survival, always making sure they had anything to eat.
But now Clem was smiling more, and laughing more. He’s smiling more too, and laughing, discovering new things in the school, and doing things kids his age were supposed to be doing. It’s fun, he thought, he loved fun. He loved being here.
AJ glanced over at Clem and Vi, watching Clem place a hand over Vi’s from under the table, on the bench between them, and Vi, as if from instinct, rested her head on Clem’s shoulder.
He still didn’t quite get the whole girlfriend thing, but he knew Clem is happy, being with Vi, and Vi is happy being with Clem, and because of that…yeah, he’s happy too.