Author's Note: Hi guys, I'm back! I really missed writing about these guys, so I thought it'd be cute to write a lil' sequel that takes place after the main events of Teenage Dream, but before the epilogue. And in case you're wondering, yes! My writing is rusty! Gimme a chapter or two and I promise, I'll be making mediocre content once again!
One last thing, had I know that I would be writing a sequel I would not have named the damn kid "Lucas". It's a huge pain in the ass.
A loud, high-pitched wailing fills the walls of the apartment, driving all who hear it into madness. It wouldn't stop. It couldn't stop.
Not until Clementine and Luke found Lucas' goddamn stuffed bear.
The home looked like a hurricane has passed through. The couch was bare and naked, cushions thrown about, all the closets had their junk pulled out, anywhere the bear could fit, it had been hallowed out.
"I! Want! My! Bear!" Lucas sobs in his bed, gasping every word. His face is red and tear-streaked. He's ready for bed: his teeth are brushed, astronaut pajamas on, nightlight plugged in, and he's all tucked in. The only thing that's missing is his fucking bear.
Clem looks over at Luke, a wild, crazed look in her eye. She was a woman on the edge of losing her fucking mind.
"I don't know what to do," She whispers, "He's never acted like this before."
Luke wasn't sure what to do or say. He's only been living with Clem and Lucas for a month, he couldn't say what was normal for his son. In the short time he had known him, the little boy seemed like an angel.
"Maybe he's possessed?"
"That's not impossible. Maybe there was a demon in that bear you bought him, and he moved into Lucas' body." Clementine grins.
"Oh shit," Luke feigns worry, "what do we do?"
Clementine shrugs, "I don't think there's much we can do. We just have to throw away the whole kid at this point."
They're on the floor of Lucas' room, going through his massive toyboy for the hundredth time. They've stepped on so many Lego's and action figures, their feet have swollen and turned red.
Clementine didn't understand her son's newfound obsession with this bear. About two weeks ago, Luke had taken Lucas to the zoo, bought him that bear, and then Lucas decided that he couldn't live without that bear. It wasn't even particularly cute, it was a generic bear with a green t-shirt that said, Athens City Zoo.
Clementine stands up and walks over to her son's bed, taking a seat next to him. She hated seeing him like this, puffy-faced and sad. He looked up at her, hopeful.
"Walk me through your day, my love," She say, softly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. She was in full-mom mode.
"M-me and Teddy woke up, we went to school, we played with my friends, we came home, and… I don't remember where I put him!" Lucas kicks his feet underneath the covers, "What if he's lost forever, Mommy?"
Luke makes his way to Lucas' bed, crouching down to look his son in the eye. They're the same color as Clementine's.
"I can always buy you another one," Luke offers, hoping it will remedy the situation.
Lucas shakes his head, almost violently, and the wailing begins again. Clementine bites her lip to keep from screaming herself. Most days, being a parent was a breeze, but today was the exception.
She wanted to rip her fucking hair out.
She wanted to rip Luke's head off. He didn't do anything to deserve it, but it was either him or Lucas, and she'd do more time if she were to attack her own son.
"I'm going to go look in our cars, okay?" Luke says.
The possibility of Teddy being found quells the demon within Lucas, his wailing reduced to sniffles. Clementine unclenches her jaw.
Luke grabs the keys to both his and Clementine's cars. He takes the elevator down to the lobby, saying hi to the receptionist. She was still star-struck whenever she saw Luke, even though she saw him everyday.
The garage for the apartments that they lived in were underground and you needed a four digit code to even get in. Luke isn't sure why Clementine insisted on living somewhere with such intense security, it's not like she was famous.
His footsteps echo against the concrete walls of the garage. It's eerily quiet, but it's better than listening to a wailing child. Even if that was his wailing child.
He checks Clementine's car, a compact silver car, first. Her car was immaculate, it made his look like even more of a sty. It smells like cherry from the red air freshener she has hanging from her rear view mirror.
He checks under the front seats, around the backseats, and in the trunk.
Nothing.
He locks her car and shuffles over to his. His car was a little more showy, but what did anyone expect? He's a rock star! What was the point of making all that money if he couldn't treat himself every once in a while?
He pushes around different fast food bags, empty chip bags, candy wrappers, and cups. He grins mischievously, noticing a few condom wrappers. Using the flashlight on his phone, he lights up the area beneath the backseat.
He notices a pair of dark brown, marble eyes.
He reaches out and his fingers come in contact with soft, fuzzy fur.
He lets out a sigh of relief and he pulls Teddy out from under the seat. By some amazing feat, he had been unaffected by the sticky, fucked-up messed in Luke's car.
As fast as he could, without looking like some kind of weirdo, Luke heads back to the apartment.
He finds Clementine sitting on Lucas' bed, his head on her lap, as she runs her fingers through his soft, downy hair. His face is still puffy, but he's no longer crying. He looks like he's fighting a losing battle with sleep.
"Look who I found," Luke says, pulling Teddy out from behind him, making him do a little dance. Clementine lets out a deep sigh of relief, her shoulders falling as she relaxes.
Lucas' face lights up and he races to Luke, grabbing Teddy from him and holding him close.
"Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you!"
Lucas hugs Luke's legs as tight as his little arms would let him. Luke feels an odd swell within his chest, and he realizes that he's proud. This is the first time he's really shown Lucas that he can count on him.
Lucas lets out a big yawn, his eyes tearing up. Screaming his fucking head off had really taken it out of him. He waddles back to his bed, and wiggles under the blankets, tucking Teddy in right besides him.
He smiles contentedly, waiting for the very last part of his bedtime routine. On the inside, Clementine wants to grab her son by the shoulders and shake him. Or maybe just scream at the top of her lungs. But instead, she bends down and kisses him on his forehead.
"Nighty night, Lucas Handsome Pants."
"Night Mommy. Night Daddy."
Clementine takes Luke by the hand and leads him out of Lucas' room, leaving the door open, just a crack. She leads him into her room, just down the hall.
"Are you rewarding me for finding Lucas' bear? And if you are, is it with something that rhymes with snowjob?" Luke grins, shutting the door behind him.
Clementine rolls her eyes, "After the hell we just went through, the last thing I want is any part of you in my mouth."
"Rude, but understandable," he concedes, "If having sex results in another one of those, maybe it's best to just keep it in our pants."
"Good luck with that," Clementine teases him.
She strips down and slides into an old brown shirt, one that Lucas recognizes as the shirt he gave her when he left for Chicago. He couldn't believe that she still had it. He wonders if she had worn it even during the five years that they didn't speak.
They climb into bed together, like an old married couple. They had only be reunited for a month, but they had adjusted to each other's presence immediately.
"So, Lucas told me why his bear is so important to him," Clementine says.
"Cause it's cute?"
"No," She says, rolling her eyes, "You bought him that bear the first time you two spent time together. It's special because it was the first gift from you that he had gotten. He was brokenhearted."
Luke shakes his head, running his hands through his hair, "Don't fuck me up like this."
"That little boy loves you."
Luke pulls his shirt up to cover his face, which was becoming hotter and hotter. Maybe it was something in the water, but since he reunited with Clementine and became involved with Lucas, Luke himself had become a huge crybaby.
"Stop crying, you wuss," Clementine teases, shaking Luke's body.
"If I could, I would," he whines, wiping his face on his shirt, "I'm a sensitive artist type."
"All your songs are about sex."
"Sex with you," Luke retorts, "Cause I'm in love with you."
Clementine shoves him lightly, embarrassed, before pulling him close, and snuggling into him. The literal push and pull that was ironically accurate in the representation of their relationship.
They weren't in high school anymore, they're parents now. They didn't need to worry about school and grades and sneaking around. Their worries centered around Lucas, and keeping him from becoming the screaming hellion he proved he could be.
Well that, and the fact that Lee's health was rapidly deteriorating, Nick and Sarah had broken up (again), and somebody was watching the little family as they slept.
Of course, they didn't know any of this, yet.