keptmyhairshort:

     even if she feels security with
     his arms around her, she’s still
     shaken up. so much so that she
     begins to sob.

             ⎡ ☣ ⎦;;   His grip on her shoulders
                                                        only tighten as the sobs    shake   her
                                                        entire frame,      and he tucks her head
                                                        [ under ] his chin.     What a world they
                                                        live in now;   where dreams as  ʀ ᴇ ᴅ as
                                                        the   ƀłøøđ   that stains their flesh and
                                                        ¢σαтѕ the   walls   that surround them
                                                        plague even the  ѕмαℓℓєѕт  of children
                                                        and [ smiles ] are but a distant memory
                                                       of  a  life  that  was  not  THEIRS  to live.

                       Fingers run through her hair, carefully
                       working their way through the tangles
                       and knots as he continues to whisper.

                                                                     ❝ I’m right here, Clem. I’m right here.
                                                                         I’m    not    going    to    leave    you. ❞

keptmyhairshort:

inessco [ ✗ ]

     she just woke up
     from a nightmare.
     and immediately 
     she’s looking around
     for a certain someone.

     ❝ glenn ?! ❞

                  ⎡ ☣ ⎦;;   And he’s by her
                                             side in an instant,  steady hands wrapped
                                             around [ quivering ] shoulders, pulling her 
                                             close               to               his                chest.

                                                              ❝ – Hey, h e y. I’m right here. ❞

keptmyhairshort:

     _{[ her face grows somber.
       it is too soon to speak aloud the horrors she witnessed. ]}

     _{❝A lot of things, Glenn.
        A lot of things.❞}

                      _{⎡ He doesn’t push the topic any further,
                           his expression settling into one of ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴ 
                           as he turns his attention back to her wøᵾnđ. ⎦}

                                     _{❝ Okay.
                                         Well, let’s get that cleaned up first, yeah? ❞}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{[ oh, but the sudden hug is too soon for the young Clementine. because after all that has happened in Carver’s group, the wound on her cheek is probably the worst part. and as she turns her head to rest it upon his chest, she forgets for a moment that she still has an open gash on her face. and so, she hisses, and quickly pulls away. ]}

     _{❝Be careful!❞}

                                    _{❝ Sorry —– ! ❞}

                  _{⎡ He immediately drops his arms and takes a step back,
                       eyes f i n a l l y dropping to the [ open wound ] across her cheek.
                       Crouching down into a squat before her,
                       he checks the wound,
                       the corners of his lips twisting into a frown at the sight of the gash. ⎦}

                                      _{❝ What happened to you, Clem? ❞}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{❝Glenn. Glenn!
             I’m f i n e.❞}

                                   _{❝ —— Clem! ❞}

                     _{⎡ Digits shake as they reach out for the young girl,
                          gripping her shoulders as if to check that she was, in fact, a l i v e.
                          A short, breathy laugh is exhaled through chapped lips when
                          he is [ reassured ] before he quickly envelopes her in his arms. ⎦}

                                   _{❝ I was so worried. ❞}

            _{【 A smile breaks through his stiff exterior as she runs back into sight, her excitement contagious 】}

                                           _{❝ Well, bring it down, Clem! ❞}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{❝Glenn?…
           You can fall asleep if you want. I’ll make sure nothing hurts you or Maggie.❞}

     _{[ that’s probably a lie because holy shit is she tired. but she wants her friend to get comfortable. she knows how much he’s been through. and now that they know how they feel about each other, well, she trusts him with her life and she hopes the feeling is mutual. ]}

          _{【 He shakes his head, eventually allowing himself to smile faintly at her 】}

                                    _{❝ I’m good, thanks.}

                                           _{You should get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow. ❞}

          _{【 Note that his refusal doesn’t mean he doesn’t trust her – he does with his life; but she looked like she’d be out cold within the next five minutes nonetheless, so he’d let her rest as long as she could. 】}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{[ ‘Baby girl’.}

          _{It’s the first time she’s been called that. Not even by her biological parents had she ever been called that. In any other circumstance she would have gotten mad at being called a ‘baby’ girl. But this time; this time she’ll take it with open arms. She’ll rest against her guardian, letting her eyes close and humming softly. She feels safe.}

                       _{The next time it thunders, she doesn’t jump. ]}

         _{【 He hadn’t realized what he’d called her either until it was too late, but before he could say anything else, she curls closer to him her voice travelling through the constant pitter-patter of the rain that surrounds them easily.}

             _{It’s only then that he finally feels himself relaxing completely, letting the sound of the rain sooth strained shoulders and his stiff back. 】}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{❝D’you promise, daddy?❞}

          _{[ It takes her a few moments to catch up with what she said. Shit. Fingers tighten their grip on his shirt, and she takes a shaky breath. She should have known it would happen; these days Glenn has been reminding her of her own father in many ways. ]}

     _{❝I’m sorry, it slipped. Please don’t be mad.❞}

          _{【 Already tense muscles seize up even more upon being called daddy. He’s completely silent for a long moment, unsure of how to react to it. It’s no lie that the girl had quickly become someone he cares for deeply – she’s part of the family now. It shouldn’t have come to such a surprise for him when it slipped – but it did. It’s only when he feels her grip on the thin fabric of his shirt tighten that he snaps out of his daze, allowing himself a few deep breaths before he leans down to press a kiss atop her head. 】}

                                            _{❝ …… I promise, baby girl. ❞}

keptmyhairshort:

     _{[ she’ll move to sit on Glenn’s lap and place her head underneath his chin, light trembles growing more and more intense whenever another thunder approaches. ]}

          _{【 Arms wrap around her trembling frame, tucking her head beneath his chin as he envelopes her in his embrace. Fingers run through unruly hair in his attempt to calm the young girl down. 】}

                            _{❝ —- It’ll pass soon enough, Clem. ❞}