Ashes (Clementine X Male Reader Book 2)

Accord-A Flower?

You're lying on your back, staring at the sky. The clouds make images, and Marina and Diana lie next to you, trying to pick different things out. Marina sees an elephant. Diana sees a face. You smile.

It's been about two weeks now. Marina seems happier. Diana is unphased and has started to interact with you more. She's opted to call you Daddy instead of Dad to match Clementine.

When you slipped a knife into your dad's head after he asked you to be a better father than him, you never thought you'd be a father. Being a father was too difficult because what if you lost your kids? What if you lost your partner? What if they lost you? You think about being a father often. Especially at times like this. What do you want for your kids? You want them to be happy. To have a stable life in a stable community. You want to be there for them until your body fails. You want to see them grow. You don't want anyone to hurt them. You'll protect them because you love them. You'll do what you're meant to do as a parent and then do more. Because that's what they deserve. They don't deserve a half-assed effort from you. They deserve everything you can give them. Because they're perfect.

"Dad, what do you see?" Marina asks.

"I see puffy, white clouds." You tell her.

"That's stupid," She points. "That one is a plane."

"You've never seen a plane." You have never taken her to see one.

"I've seen pictures."

"Plane?" Diana asks.

"They used to fly in the sky. We built them, and they would carry people all across the world really fast." You explain to her.

"People fly?" She sounds amazed.

"Not much anymore. Not since the walkers." You tell her. You point at one of the clouds. "Marina, that one is just puffy and white. You can't see anything in it."

"That one is a whale, Dad." Marina corrects you, sounding annoyed that you couldn't figure it out. "You can see its tail, mouth, and fins."

"You're right." You don't see it. Whales don't look like that.

"Is Mommy coming back?" Diana asks.

"Yes. Any minute now." You tell her. You tilt your head back to look at the others. They've started to worry. It's been a while since Clementine left with Cas, Emma, and Aasim. If they take any longer, you'll have to go looking for them. If they were captured by William's people, everything would turn wrong very fast. You may regret agreeing to come back to your community. "What do you see in that cloud, Diana?" You point to one of them at random, trying to distract her.

"Um... A flower?" She says.