Once, a long time ago, Luke and Nick's house had been the center of many drunken parties. Laughter once echoed throughout and tables were smashed during numerous drinking games. College students made out on the couches, friendships were made, and there was not a care in the world. But, all of a sudden, it was like a switch went off. It seemed like everyone they knew were moving out, getting married, and making babies- sometimes in that order. For Luke and Nick, the party had never ended! What was going on? Now, there were no parties to be had besides the ones the two celebrated by themselves, but that was pathetic. The only way they all kept in touch was through Facebook, but it got aggravating to see everyone posting pictures of their spouses and children with descriptions so sweet they could cause diabetes. God, when did everyone become killjoys?

"I'm un-friending Chelsea," Luke says, turning his head to Nick, who's playing video games. "I can't do it anymore."

"I'm done with Facebook," the other replied as he reached for his drink. "It feels good to get away from the crazy political posts and the baby photos."

"That's it! She keeps on posting pictures of her baby!" It was a shame that she had to pop out a baby because she was fun once upon a time. What was it with having children that made people obsessed, boring stick-in-the-muds? Like, posting one picture once every blue moon was fine, but thirteen an hour? That's too much! "She just posted the kid's diaper blowout!"

"That's disgusting!"

"I know," Luke cried. "I don't want to see that shit! God, imagine how embarrassed that kid's going to be when they find that in ten years! Imagine if their friends find that!"

"It'd be like if my mom posted the embarrassing baby photos I had," Nick frowned slightly. "Thank God she wasn't big on Facebook or my social life would be worse off than it already is." He took another chug of his beer and sighed.

The brunet turned around in his chair and pouted. "Hey, man, I'm sorry."

"I just can't believe it's been a year already," he muttered. "All she asked of me was to find a job and have my shit together, but I couldn't even do that for her."

"You'll get a job," Luke said.

"I'm turning twenty-eight in a month, Luke," Nick scoffed. "No one's going to want to hire me."

"Now, that ain't true-"

"I also promised my mom I'd get married and give her a grandchild…"

Luke rolled his eyes and his shoulders slumped. "Nick, don't start this on me. Come on, man, I thought you were better than this!" He ran a hand through his wavy locks, hoping that his friend was pulling his leg.

Ever since high school, the two had made a pact- they'd settle down and live the dream as bachelor's in Las Vegas. Yeah, they'd have their fair share of women in their lives, but there would be no babies! Nope, no way! They'd be super rich, successful business men and be just like George Clooney! Being successful business men wasn't really working out- they were almost flat broke and they were stuck scamming Kenny- but they were doing great at being bachelors! Not like a lot of women talked to them anyway (well, Luke always had women throwing themselves at him until they found out about his living situation and that he was jobless).

But, Nick's icy, cold eyes never wavered- he never laughed; there was an expression of pure sorrow and heartbreak on his face that shook Luke to the core. And it was at that moment that he realized that Nick was ready to leave- like a baby bird when they leave the nest- and move on. There was no convincing in the world he could do to stop it.

"Nick, come on, man…" Luke repeated shakily. "What about the plan?"

"That was when we were fifteen!" Nick cried. "Things change… I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life…"

"Y-You got me."

His eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head with that one. "You know what I mean," he replied. "Aren't you lonely, too?"

"Nah," the other shrugged, "I'm happier than I've ever been, dude."

"What in debt with students loans, jobless, and stuck with your best friend?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I am!" Luke paused for a second before smirking. "And, I'm not jobless anymore, Nick! You're looking at Stone Mountain's new art teacher!"

Nick's brows raise. "You got a job, seriously?"

"Yep, I'm going to be teaching today's youth about art history!"

Nick said nothing but cringed- probably disapproving of his career choice. Well, it was paying the bills. To be honest, Luke had never worked with children nor did he have any desire to- kids, especially middle schoolers, could be cruel and downright disgusting- but teenagers were different. He could relate to them on some kind of level. They could understand his references and jokes, not pick their nose and throw their shit around the room, or drive him off the wall. Okay, maybe they'd do the latter, but he was content as long as there was no shit throwing. Any kids younger than ten were barely human.

Their old, busted doorbell begins to ring. It's screeching going off repeatedly before whoever was at the door decided to just knock- well, bang- and they seemed pissed. Luke and Nick both sit up, glancing at each other and their front door, unsure of whether to answer it or not. Was is their neighbor? Jesus, they haven't had a part in, like, forever so it couldn't be them. Was it Pete? No, what could he be mad about? Luke's parents? They may have owed them money, but they were calm, collected people who never kicked down doors. Unless… it could…

No.

"Open up, you fuckers!"

They know that croaky voice anywhere. Dear God, no! Have mercy! It was Kenny!

"Open up!" The Floridian repeats as he continues to beat their poor door. "You fuckers got a lot of explaining to do!"

"About what?" Luke cried as the two crept slowly to the peephole. Sure enough, there was Kenny glowering at them. Duck was leaning over the railing of their porch and shaking his head. It looked like the teenager was dragged against his will and was probably the one who could save them from the ass beating of a century. Knowing the redneck's temper, they wouldn't put it past the older man to try (though the two friends could easily overpower him).

But, the longer they don't open the door and confront him, the angrier he's going to get and the angrier he is the more likely they're likely to die. So, they both silently prayed and swung it open, hoping for the best in an already shitty situation. Kenny was redder than Nick's cap as he grabbed Luke by the collar- his nostrils flared. Luke bit his lip as he began his tirade.

"I want my money back," Kenny hissed.

Luke nervously grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "But, Kenny, we never said it was a money back guarantee…"

Six years ago, while they were drunk off his ass, their business plans were conceived. It had been in the works since they were teenagers, but they had never made an attempt. Not until Luke grabbed Nick's mom's pen and pad and began to scribble nonsense- nonsense that made perfect sense in their eyes. Both of them had taken out a small loan from the bank and gotten financial support from their families; they had been so proud that their boys were living the American dream. Too bad that they spent all their money on booze, the latest gaming consoles, and a new car before even attempting to get their shit together. By the time they formulated some plan, they were flat broke. They dabbled in everything: auto body work, home repair, even pet grooming, but everything went south. Their latest venture was making and selling outdoor recreation gear- mostly focusing on fishing and hunting, which was only because they knew Pete and his friends would eat that shit up.

They had tried to make fishing wire themselves, but it had ended as well you could expect. It was after Nick cut his fingers the fiftieth time that they decided to just go out and buy some at Walmart instead. They were real cheap- about two bucks per pack- which saved them more money than actually going out and paying extra for materials to make it. At the end of the day, they were getting more of a profit. If they sold the line for five dollars per pack, when they were only paying two, they would be getting three bucks back. All the revenue they were getting from poor chumps like Kenny was enough to easily pay off most of the debts they had from before- and it made them cocky. After a while, it wasn't just fishing lines, but gun cases, fishing poles, and tackle boxes. They were making bank and ran with it. This was all just temporary… It would all end soon and they would mysteriously go 'bankrupt.' No one would suspect a thing.

And that day was today.

Kenny's jaw drops and for a moment he's speechless. Just a moment, though because his brows furrow deeper and his scowl grows. He brings Luke's face close- they're nearly nose to nose- and he continues to huff and puff. Duck's brows raise and he glances at Nick, who's slowly backing up. "You better give me my fucking money back, Pretty Boy." Ah, there was the nickname. Luke was Pretty Boy and Nick was Vanilla Ice. It was weird to hear them with such venom in Kenny's voice. Normally, the guy was as cheerful as could be- if just a little grumpy sometimes. Never was he full of hatred like he was now.

"How much do we owe?" Nick asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"Three-fucking-hundred dollars!"

As if he was getting ready to draw a pistol out western style, Nick cautiously reached into the pocket of his old camo pants and pulled out his wallet. He opened it up, searching through the contents like a mad man before pulling out about a hundred dollars. He hands the cash over to Kenny before turning to Luke. "Dude…" He began and his eyes narrowed.

"Nick…"

"One of y'all better give me the rest of my money before I lose it!"

Luke groans and takes out his wallet, handing the rest of the cash to the older man. The Floridian inspects it all carefully- counting the bills multiple times out loud as his son rolls his eyes- his brows are still furrowed and he looks ready to kill. Slowly, he stares up at the two friends, letting out a grunt. "That's everything," he frowns. "If you're going to scam me at least take the fucking Walmart logo off the wire, you fucking morons!" He's ready to smack them upside the head, and Nick seems ready for the blow too, but he stops. "You took advantage of my trust."

God, he the way he says it is like Pete when he's disappointed. There's a hint of hurt in the older man's brown eyes that makes them both want to slither away. "I believed in you," he continued. "You know, everyone told me 'Luke and Nick are losers! You're being scammed!' But, you know what? Every great man needs a greater man to stand behind them and give them the support they need!" He grips Luke's shoulders. "I trusted you two! I thought you cared about the American dream, but you were using me! I believed in you!"

Oh no, he believed in them! Luke stares at the ground while Nick just gapes like a fish. When was the last time anyone truly gave them complete and total support for anything? Sure, Kenny pulled their leg sometimes, but he had faith in them. He thought they could be successful and look what they did! They ruined everything! Not even Pete took them seriously anymore; he sounded defeated any time he came over and saw the state they were in. Luke's parents had stopped asking about their business and he was sure his mother cried at night.

Luke glances up at him, his expression similar to a kicked puppy. "Kenny…"

"You two need to get your shit together! You're almost thirty-fucking-years old."

"Actually, I just turned twenty-nine and Nick's twenty-eight, so we're not-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Kenny snapped before pouting. "You two are missing the goddamn point!" He turned to Duck and pointed at the teenager, who was very uncomfortable by the whole experience. "If my son grew up to be as big of a failure as you two are, I'd die from a broken heart! It'd kill me."

Nick's ready to cry now and Luke realizes this is getting a little too close to home. But, Kenny continues on unaware. "You know what I was doing when I was your age? I was working! I was on that boat working my ass off nearly every damn day and doing the best I could! I had a beautiful wife," he wrapped his arm around Duck, "my amazing son on the way-"

"Dad…"

"And I was living the dream! The American dream!"

Luke rubbed his arm. "I-I did get a job…"

"Oh," the Floridian's eyes widen and he crosses his arms. He's got an incredulous expression on his face- no doubt disbelieving the younger man's word, which, he had every right to after being lied to already. "Are you pulling my leg here or are you telling the truth?"

"I'm telling you the truth!" Luke cried. "I'm going to start teaching art at a local high school-"

"Oh…" Kenny repeats, shrugging. "Well, at least you're working." He then turned to Nick, frowning when the other didn't even give him eye contact- instead, looking down at his shoes with a blank stare. "Can't say the same thing about Vanilla Ice here." Duck's already starting to make his way back to their pickup when his father wraps his arm around him, pulling him into an awkward side hug. "Didn't even know you could get a job with a stupid, liberal college degree like that besides Starbucks. Duck, learn from this knucklehead here and don't take useless, basket-weaving courses or you'll never find work!" He says to the teenager in a hushed whisper, making sure it's loud enough for Luke to hear.

"I'm teaching at Stone Mountain, so it'll be fun having Duck for the year. Art is a requirement for sophomores," Luke says with a smirk, watching Kenny's smirk fall faster than the stocks during Black Thursday. Hell, Kenny's face is reminiscent of a stock broker right at the start of the Great Depression. If Luke had a camera he would've taken a photo and made it art.

"Dear God!" He held onto his son tighter, gasping. "No!"

"What, I thought you were happy about me getting a job."

"I'd be happier if you were polluting other people's kids with that liberal nonsense- not mine! Christ, I got to pay for this shit and if my boy's taking a useless course I want someone who isn't a lazy loser like you!"

"Thank you, Kenny. I appreciate that."

Clementine had dug through most of her closet- clothes were strung out all over her bed, dresser, and chairs- and she was growing more frustrated by the second. Something as simple as picking out clothes shouldn't be so difficult! Why was it so difficult? Before, she was never worried about her outfits. If it fit, was comfortable, and kept her warm, then that was the only thing that mattered. But, now she was unsure. People judged when it came to your appearance and she felt pressured to look her best. Not just for Duck and Katjaa, but also for Lee if she bumped into him in Macon. It was unlikely, but there was always a chance…

Eventually, she narrowed it down to two outfits; a black and white jersey and shorts, and a hoodie with the Marsh House logo and yoga pants. Fuck, she liked both of them! It was too warm for yoga pants, though, but she didn't want to seem like a try-hard with the jersey. It didn't even have a team on it- just an American Eagle logo- and it made her look like she had no knowledge of baseball. God, why did she care so much?

"You're really growing up, you know that?"

Ed's standing at the doorway, leaning back with a smirk as he watches his daughter. He chuckles when she pouts and makes his way inside the bedroom. "What's the problem here, Clem?"

"You wouldn't understand…"

"What? Clementine, I'm an engineer. It's my job to solve problems." He says and Clementine can't help but chuckle. Her dad was always good for a smile. When she was younger, whenever she and her mother argued, Clementine would always run to her father for support. Ed was more lenient much to his wife's annoyance sometimes. "Alright, tell your old man what's up."

"I don't know what to wear for Saturday."

Ed glances at the clothes on her bed and puts a hand to his chin. Clementine rolls her eyes when he continues to alternate between the two outfits for a good minute- he hums in concentration as if it's a mathematical equation. Then, he points to the jersey and shorts and nods with assurance to his daughter. "Yep," he said, "go with this one."

"Are you sure?" Clementine asked, beginning to regret not just asking her mother instead.

"Who wears hoodies in the summer?" Ed replied. "You're going to get hot out there."

'I could always wear a t-shirt over it and put on shorts." She crossed her arms, exhaling loudly. "I just don't want to seem like a try-hard with the jersey…"

"How would you be a try-hard?" He asked.

Of course, why did she think he was going to get it? She groaned and ran a hand through her curly, black locks. "Because he plays baseball, dad!"

"So?"

"So? So, if I go there wearing a jersey for American Eagle and not a real team, it's going to look like I don't know anything about baseball and that I'm kissing everyone's ass!"

Ed is silent; his eyes narrow as he makes several facial expressions that Clementine can't even describe, but they're of disgust and befuddlement. "I-I… What?" He asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?" He paused for a second, his mind running like a hamster on their wheel before the lightbulb went on. He slowly turned to the teenage girl and smirked.

"What?"

"Oh…" He begins, raising his brows over and over, which aggravates her even more. "You like this boy, don't you?"

"N-No!" Clementine stammers, turning beet red. "No, I don't!"

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm not mad."

"I don't like Duck!" She cried. He may have grown up a bit, but Duck was still the same annoying, gross boy from the Motor Inn! No way would she ever like him! God, she just wanted to look nice and now everything was snowballing out of control! Is this what Gabe meant when he complained about his parents? Clementine had never experienced it before until now. "Dad!"

"You're at that age, Clem. It's okay… I'm going to support you."

"Dad!"

Ed relents after she gives him a glare, but he still has that annoying smirk. He picks up the shirt and stares down at it. "I'm a guy, obviously, and I'm going to tell you as a guy that no one is going to care if you wear the jersey or not. What they will judge you for is wearing the hoodie because it's going to be ninety degrees in Macon tomorrow… They also might call an ambulance for you cause' you'll definitely get heatstroke."

"So, I won't be a try-hard?"

"Clementine, honey, you're sounding like your mother here," Ed replied. "It's just a shirt." He grinned and pulled her into a hug, his eyes crinkling. "Besides, you could be wearing a garbage bag and you'd still be the most beautiful girl in the world."

She softly smiled and buried her head in the crook of his neck. She had forgotten the smell of his cologne, which had always made her feel safe when she was younger, and she closed her eyes. Even after a few days, Clementine still expected to wake up back in Richmond. Back in hell. She could have stayed like this forever if she had the choice- safe in her daddy's arms. "You're just biased because you're my dad," she murmured.

"You got me there," Ed laughed, "but you're still beautiful. You look more like your mother every passing day, and you know I ain't bias about her! She is the most beautiful woman in the world! And that's a fact! How did I get so damn lucky?"

"Because you're an awesome guy and the best dad in the world…"

"Aw, Clem… Now, that's ass-kissing." Both father and daughter giggled. "You're right, though. I got to build my self-esteem up before you inevitably bring me down in one of your teenage mood swings." Clementine glared up at him as he began to rustle her hair. "See, there we go."

"Dad…"

Ed chuckled. "I finally got the pool open," he began. "And I was wondering- if you could stomach your old man in a bathing suit- would you to go swimming with me? Your mother's going at out for the night and leaving us alone, so I was thinking I could cook up burgers on the grill-"

"And have our own barbecue?" Clementine asked cheerfully.

"Exactly!"

"Of course!" She ran to her drawer and pulled out her bathing suit. Ed had already begun to make his way out. "And we can catch fireflies, right?"

"Well, duh? That's our tradition, isn't it?"

"And we can walk around the block afterward… during the sunset, but before it gets super, super dark?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Hey, if it makes you this excited to spend time with me we'll do whatever you want."

"I love you."

Ed grinned as he shut her bedroom door. "I love you, too."

"Adieu, Kenny! Parting is such sweet sorrow!" Luke cried before closing the front door. Kenny responded with a loud 'fuck you', but it was muffled. Duck had been sitting in the car for fifteen minutes at that point- their quarrel lasting longer, yet less violently than he expected. The only thing broken was his pride, but that would surely recover now that his gig was starting up. Oh, he'd have fun with Duck this year.

"Alright, the asshole is gone," he turned to Nick. "Now, if you're not going on the PS4 I'm gonna play some Elder Scrolls. The new DLC just came out and…"

The other man is sitting on the couch- his hat is low, nearly covering his face- and he takes a large swing of his beer. He says nothing, but Luke can tell he's upset.

"Nick…"

"Kenny's right," he says, almost in a whisper. "We're pathetic."

"Hey, we're not pathetic! Kenny's pathetic!"

"He believed in us… Pete believed in us… believed in me."

Luke sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. And Nick was doing so good with his depression, too... "Hey, Pete still believes in us!"

"He told Kenny not to buy our stuff. He knew we were scamming him-"

"Everyone knew we were scamming him!"

"Luke, I'm tired. I'm tired of this."

"Hey, I got a job, though!" Luke replied. "We can pay the bills, do fun shit, still be single-"

"You don't get it!" Nick snapped.

"What do I not get? We're going to live our dreams-"

"Your dream… not mine."

Luke froze. "I… I… what?" His eyes widened. "But… our plan…"

"I'm not fifteen anymore, Luke," Nick replied. "I'm almost thirty and I want a family."

"Well, you got Pete and me-"

"I want to meet that special someone and I want to settle down and have a kid or two." His almost glowing blue eyes narrowed at his now empty beer bottle. "My dad sat on the couch like this, you know?" He began, tempted to chuck it across the room. "He sat on the couch, drank his beer, and did nothing all day while my mom worked her ass off. The only time he got up was to eat, shit, or use us as punching bags…"

Luke crossed his arms. "You're not your dad, Nick. Come on, cut that shit out."

"I'm not, yet," he said. "But, I know I'm going down that route… of being a lazy piece of shit. I know Pete thinks I am, too."

"You don't need to knock a girl up to prove you're a man to Pete, dude."

Nick scowled. "It's not to prove anything to Pete, jackass. Maybe, for once in my life, I'm deciding something for myself. I want to get married and I want to have a family." His expression softened. "Luke, don't you ever think about that?"

"Like making it official with Bonnie or somethin'?"

"Just anybody…"

He shrugged. "No, not really. Listen, I'm happy having some flings here and there, but I ain't willing to give away my freedom. I mean, unlike you, I'm perfectly content with still having fun!"

Nick stood up, gripping his beer bottle with such intensity that Luke was sure it would break. "Grow up, Luke," he hissed as he stomped past him, brushing against him. He made his way to the steps and fidgeted with his hat before glowering down at the other. "You are pathetic." And with that, he stormed up the steps, slamming the door to his bedroom.

Luke cursed under his breath. This was just a phase. Nick would be back to normal in a couple days, and then they would put this behind them. Why throw your life away? Once you have kids, you're done! They consume your every waking moment, any time you could just fuck up their lives and your partner's, and you change- you're not fun anymore. He'd seen it happen to too many friends- well, ex-friends, and it was killing him to see Nick go down that same route. This was how it always started. Besides, what if he did get together with Bonnie (which was highly unlikely) and it fell apart? It's better to think of everything as temporary, so you save your time, money, and avoid heartbreak. It's easier to just move on- which he was very good at doing. Oh, Nick was just opening himself up to get hurt.

As Luke looked around their dark, messy living room, he continued to lie to himself. The beer bottles, wrappers, plates on the tables, the eery silence of the room, and how empty he felt was normal. This was fine… This was living the dream! He held onto the game controller and forced a smile as the title screen of his game came on. Oh, yeah! Nothing was better than this! Sure, he may have hurt Nick's feelings, been roasted to hell and back by an old man with a shitty mullet, and may be going through an existential crisis, but this was heaven! He wouldn't trade this for the world!

A/N: Don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but I had to get it out here. It's been nearly a month since the last chapter and that is not okay! Funny enough, it's also Valentine's Day where I'm at, so I guess Luke and Nick's character arc introduction chapter makes sense.

This chapter was going to be a lot longer at first. I mean, it already is, but it was going to have Javier's introduction as well. But... woot... he needs to a chapter to himself. Spoiler: He's a train-wreck, but I love him anyway. So, let's discuss this chapter...

Kenny's telling it like it is (in his own Kenny way). Poor Duck's realizing that he missed pizza with his buddies for this. I feel bad if you thought Luke and Nick were going to have their shit together... It's pretty much canon in game that they were broke assholes before the apocalypse, so let's add some existential crises in to the mix. They're at that age where everyone around them starts getting married and having babies, and when you got one guy who doesn't want to move on and another who wants to prove he's a man, you got disaster coming.

Looks like Nick is ready to start his 'Love Quest' (the wise words of Chris-Chan), but Luke's terrified of commitment. Oh, Luke... Luke, Luke, Luke... little do you know my plans for you. Also, yay! Luke's going to be a teacher! Let's see how fast he loses his goddamn mind and cry in the bathroom in between classes!

I wanted to add a Clementine scene since it's been 4ever since we've seen her. It's hard being a teenage girl... It's hard having low self-esteem and a fear of being judged. Thank the Lord we have Ed Marsh here to save the day! He may not have any fashion sense, but he's smart enough to know that wearing a hoodie in 90 degree weather is not a smart idea. Ed Marsh is an amazing man and I love him.

We're getting close to the big trip to Macon! Get hype for Uncle Javi and his party entourage, y'all! They're getting a chapter to themselves!