Walking Dead Game Collection 2

"Joyous Pride"

Title: Joyous Pride
Characters: Clementine, Lee, Violet
Summary: In an AU, Lee sees Clementine come home from school one day in a blinding joy. When asked what happened, Clementine confesses to dating her classmate Violet.
Author's Note: here's a cute little one for you guys :)
Requested By: Anonymous
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It had been a year since Clementine had entered Lee's life. It felt sudden, and almost irrational at the time, but to date, adopting Clementine was the best life decision he'd ever made.

Being in foster care had been a nightmare for Clem. After losing her parents in a car crash while they were on vacation, Clementine — like many children moving through tragedy — struggled with adjusting to her new life. It was made all the more difficult thanks to how different she was from the other kids in foster care.

She was the only girl with frizzy hair. Seeing as their foster home didn't have great funding, Clementine was forced to use the same hair care products as her white foster-mates. Needless to say, the results weren't great.

But, when Lee came across Clem outside her home one day, crying after foster kids had routinely tugged at and upset her hair, he felt his heart ache for the child as he assisted her. As days turned into weeks, and as his visits to check on the young girl became more and more frequent, he took her under his wing and signed the adoption papers.

Then, with time, they became inseparable.

Lee cleaned up his small spare room for her, assuring her that she could decorate it however she wanted. He bought her art supplies to keep her busy, and would gently brush through her hair after washing it, treating it as he knew how.

It was the one moment he was thankful to have grown up with several sisters.

"How does it look?" Lee asked, holding a mirror out to her.

Her eyes lit up like stars. "It looks amazing." She whispered. It hadn't looked that soft and full in years. Then, Lee knew he had done something right. Something special. He knew she was something special.

He would sweetly make and package her lunches, popping them into paper bags and sweetly walking her — hand-in-hand — to the bus stop.

"Have a good day at school, sweet pea."

And every day, Clem would smile and say the same thing: "I will."

In a year's time, growing more into their family role, Clem would plant a single kiss to Lee's cheek each morning, and Lee would plant one on her forehead. Their conversations never wavered, and her classmates — aware of her situation — never judged. Like her, they found it sweet.

Lee and Clementine were a family to be reckoned with, and had a bond like no-other.

Maybe that was why, when Clementine skittered through the front door of their apartment one day after school, Lee knew that when he asked what happened, she'd tell him.

He smiled, turning from where he was washing dishes, waiting for water to boil on the stove, to study her. "What's up with you?"

"I had a great day today!" She beamed, tossing her backpack onto the floor and scurrying to her father's side.

He smiled, passively drying his hands on a nearby dish towel, so he could properly focus on her. "Oh yeah?" He chuckled softly, briefly checking on his boiling water. "What happened today?"

"Something big."

"And what's that?" Lee asked, his attention fluttering back to her. Without looking, he swiped another dirty dish off the top of the pile, ready to dunk it into the warm, soapy sink.

"I'm dating someone!"

Lee fumbled, dropping the plate in the water. Clem flinched at the sound. "Dating?" He asked, scrambling to try to play off his shock as though it was a simple slip rather than a shocked fumble.

Clementine studied him, confused as to his reaction, but shrugged it off and continued on. "Yes! It just started today." She beamed, cheeks rosy and bright. Despite his shock, Lee couldn't help but feel his heart warm up at the sight of the giddy girl. Her happiness gave him a spike of joy he couldn't get anywhere else.

"Ah," Lee said, absentmindedly dunking his hands into the sink, but not focusing on it. Instead, his attention was stuck on the girl in front of him. "So, it's brand brand new." Lee couldn't help but be on edge; feeling tense rather than excited. He didn't want his little girl getting hurt. He didn't know what he'd do if someone hurt her.

Well, he did know what he wanted to do. He just didn't wanna beat up a kid.

Clementine smiled, nodding. "It was really sweet. She brought me a little flower after school today and asked me, and I said yes! Duh," Clem giggled, pulling the tiny daisy out of her back pocket, twirling it between her fingers.

Lee paused, set down the soapy glass he was fiddling with, then snagged the drying towel off the counter. "She?" He finally asked.

Clem nodded. "Her name is Violet."

Lee hesitated, then sighed, leaning into the counter. His eyes closed, his shoulders released, and his body eased. "Thank God."

Clementine blinked, confused. She hadn't been expecting this to be his reaction. What a strange roller coaster of emotions. "What?"

Lee took a breath, pushing himself upright. "You're too young to understand."

Clementine glared, arms crossed and glare growing. "What does that mean?"

Lee shook his head, focused on vigorously scrubbing the plate in-progress. "It means I'd feel bad telling you what that means."

Clementine raised a brow, staring him down, as though hoping her 'menacing stare' would result in a confession.

Finally, Lee sighed. He held out his hands, as though he was sheepish to make the 'obvious' statement. "Men are pigs."

After a brief, confused pause, she burst into a fit of giggles, her hands cupping her red cheeks, the daisy brushing against her ears and hair. "That's why I chose Violet."

Lee smiled, turning to her with a soft smile. It complimented her mood perfectly. "I'm happy to hear that, sweet pea." He leaned forward, tucking the flower behind one of her ears. "I can't wait to meet her one day."

Clementine's eyes lit up, hands clasped together, her entire body emitting energy and light. "I can't wait for that too."

Lee chuckled to himself, finally turning back to the stove to work on dinner. "Go wash up for dinner, sweet pea. We can talk more then."

Then, without a word of debate, Clem grabbed her backpack and darted for her room. Her excited little breaths and frantic footsteps bounced off the wall, giving their home the life it lacked for so many lonely years.

She was growing up so fast and, as Lee tossed pasta into the now-boiling water, he realized just how much had changed in the year he'd been able to call the little girl his. While she maybe wasn't his little girl anymore, but she would always be his girl. That would never change.

The only thing that would change is that Violet could become one of his girls too.
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