hi guys!! this is one of my first fanfics. it's an au where brody and marlon confess in the basement and aj never shoots marlon. this chapter is a modified version of the bell tower scene in the walking dead: the final season with clem and violet. i'll definitely be continuing this story soon, and don't worry, it won't be exactly like the game!
if you haven't watched/played telltale's the walking dead series i'd seriously recommend it! if you'd like to just continue reading, check out my profile for the twd seasons recap to understand what took place before this au.
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"God, I'd give an eyeball for a chicken nugget right now," says Violet.
I shake my head and laugh. "A chicken nugget?"
"No, no, two chicken nuggets."
I smile to myself, digging my fingers into a notch in the rocks of the bell tower walls. We were climbing up to get a better view of the school after a hearty game of Truth or Dare. Violet mentioned that she always came to the bell tower to decompress.
I find myself hoping that maybe Violet's bringing me up here for something else, and not just to survey the school. I keep pushing away the thought of liking her- she seems so distant sometimes that it's hard to think that Violet's capable of liking anyone. Nonetheless, she seems to be warming up to me and has even complimented me a few times. My heart flutters at the thought of Violet having feelings for me.
I test a brick in the wall by pulling it slightly to see if it'll give. It doesn't, and I use it as leverage to pull myself up to the metal beams that support the bell tower. I plant my feet on one of the beams. I cringe at the thought of falling from this height. It would be embarrassing, not to mention that I'd probably die.
I pull myself up again, using the tower's frame as support. Almost there.
I reach the window, surprised to see that Violet's standing there waiting for me. She holds out her hand, and I take it. She hoists me up, and I let out a sigh of relief when my feet are firmly planted on Her fingers are warm and soft, despite the years of work they've been put under. I meet her eyes and smile.
She smiles back, green eyes bright and shiny in the bright moon's afterglow. Her hand lingers on mine before she turns around, walking towards the steps leading to the top of the walls. We walk along the railing and stop near the middle of the wall where the railing is broken.
"It's beautiful up here," I say softly, craning my neck so that I could take in all the stars.
She follows my gaze. "Sometimes I need the quiet. Just to get away for a while."
She sits down, letting her feet dangle off of the edge of the wall. I do the same, but not as daringly.
"Do you know any constellations?" I ask, trying to make out shapes in the stars.
"Nope. You?"
"I learned some in school, but I can't remember them."
"Let's make some up." She shifts a little closer to me, gesturing at the sky. "If I remember right, everyone's born under a special sign, right? It determines your personality."
"That's astrology, not astronomy," I point out with a smirk.
"Whatever, let's just make up our own," she says quickly. "Rules, signs, what it says about you. It's not like anyone remembers the old way."
She has a point.
"Okay, let's do it. There, see? It's a fish." She points at a cluster of stars in the night sky.
I follow her finger, making out the crude shape of a fish in the midst of all the stars. It was a gorgeous night. The air was cool and crisp, and the soft bouts wind washed away the smell of the walkers. "Now it needs a personality."
"Bright, pretty, good with other people. Always moving, tons of energy. Sounds like anyone we know?"
I think for a minute. "Sounds like you."
"Weren't you listening?" She looks at her lap shyly. "I said 'good with other people.'"
"Well, maybe not that part." It sounded better in my head.
"I spy with my little eye a... knife. See it?"
"Mm..," I try to find the shape of the knife in all the clutter.
"Right there, right above your head."
I roll my eyes and laugh. "Yeah, they're all above my head." I find it, tracing an imaginary line with my finger to connect the stars in the shape of a knife.
"This one's easy," she says after I turn to her. "Smart, clean, vicious, dependable. Someone you want with you in a fight."
"Okay, now that one's you," I reply.
She laughs softly. "That's more like it. Okay, one more time. I spy a bird."
"Like a real bird?"
"No, a star bird."
I manage to find it with ease, tracing the outline of a bird in flight with my eyes. I turn to her with a smile. "I see it."
She smiles back, then turns towards the sky. "It could go anywhere it wanted to. Up and up and up, and never come back. Go south, east, west, doesn't matter. You could fly straight into a sunset, and see where it ends."
"It's all of us." I think of everyone at Ericson. Marlon, Brody, Mitch, Ruby... even Tenn. Everyone wanted an escape. Everyone wanted anything but this. "Everyone here wishes they could fly away from all this."
"Maybe we'll learn to fly together, someday." She brings her feet up from the edge of the wall and hugs her knees. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just... talk so much." She looks at me and pauses, then shifts her position so that she could turn to me and rest her arm on one knee. The other hand plants itself on the ground to support her weight. It brushes against mine as she does so. "It's just, I've watched people leave before. Family, friends. They never come back. But, you did. And now I can't imagine what it would be like if you weren't here."
I look away, heart pounding. Did she mean it as if...?
"Um, shit, that sounds so much dumber when I say it out loud." Her voice trails off, and she lets out a nervous sigh. "You know what I mean."
I swallow, turning to her. "I think- I mean, I hope.." I look at my lap, heart pounding. "I hope we're more than friends." I meet her eyes. I feel as if my heart is pounding so hard that even she can hear it. Her eyes are wide. She almost seemed as nervous as I was.
Swallowing again, I open my mouth to say more. "And, I want..."
My eyes trace the shapes we found in the sky. The knife, the fish, the bird. I cared about Violet, a lot. The way she spoke... It was so genuine. Like she really meant it.
Without thinking, I lean over and let my lips meet hers. It was a brief kiss, but it was almost electric. My whole body grew warm, and I found myself not wanting to pull away. But when I do, I do it slowly. She looked as shocked as I was, and I quickly look at the stars again, eyes wide.
She draws in a sharp breath. "Holy shit."
I let out a nervous laugh. "That's romantic."
"I mean.." She smiles, shifting her gaze back to the stars. "Holy shit," she says, softly this time.
Smiling, I shift closer to her slightly. Holy shit is right.
She places her hand on mine. Wow, I can't stop smiling.
I open my mouth to say something witty or sarcastic, but nothing comes to mind. All I can think of is Violet. Not the color, not the flower, but the person. Violet. My Violet.
"Clem? Vi? Where are you?" calls out Ruby from below.
"Shit sticks. Probably time for your lookout shift." She sighs. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Despite not wanting to, I remove my hand from hers, getting up. She does the same, and we stand there for a moment facing each other.
I take both of her hands in mine. She smiles in return and tilts her head towards mine and kisses me. I kiss her back, longer this time. Yet again, I don't want to pull away.
Ruby calls out again and we can hear her start swearing in frustration. Typical Ruby.
We both step back and laugh.
"Shit, Ruby always finds a way to ruin a moment." She squeezes my hands before letting go.
I shake my head with a smile. "Yeah, she does."
We stand there for a moment, neither of us wanting this moment to end despite it having to.
"Thank you," she says quietly, looking at her feet.
I laugh and tilt my head. "For what?"
"For tonight. It was...," her voice trails off, and her lips curl up at the edges ever-so-slightly. She turns to me, and our eyes meet. "It was amazing."
I nod. "Yeah, it was."
Her eyes linger on mine playfully before she turns away and makes her way towards where we came from.
I stand there for a moment, trying to process everything that had just happened. I shake my head and, with a smile, jog to catch up to her.