Despite how awesome this ship is, I don't see it very often.

I love these two, so here's a one shot I wrote during school!

...um...there's poetry in this...I'm super bad at poetry so I'm very sorry if it offends anyone with how bad it is...

Anyways, please be aware of the bad poetry!

Warnings: There are kArEnS in here wHo CaN't ApPrEcIaTe OuR zOmBiE gIrL-

Word count: About 1600

Cleo remembered what it was like to be a human.

She could walk in the streets without people glaring at her, she was warm instead of freezing cold, she could be acknowledged as an actual living being...

But things are different now.

Cleo had been bitten by a zombie, and although she is completely healthy except for just looking the part of one, no one treats her the same way anymore.

"Howdy, Cleo!"

Cleo smiled to herself. Well, at least all except one.

Cleo turned around and grinned. "Hey, Joe! What's up?"

"I am feeling quite exhilarated after finalizing my poetry!" Joe nodded. "And how are you doing on this fine day?"

Joe was a poet. Or, as Cleo liked to put it, a conductor of an orchestra of words.

His pen was his baton, his words his instruments.

He always knows what to say.

"Nothing much." Cleo replied. "Can I read the poem?"

Joe's happy expression faltered. He said shyly, "I do not mean to come off as rude, but I would appreciate if you'd wait a little bit before I show my writing to you."

He looked away, looking a tad bit embarrassed. "You do not mind, do you Cleo?"

"Heck no." Cleo shook her head. "Anyways, let's go grab a coffee or something."

As the two walked in the streets, Joe talked nonstop about all sorts of topics that Cleo could honestly care less for. But when Joe talked about them, strangely enough, she was intrigued.

Joe always talked so elegantly, his sentences so fruitful. That was special about him, and Cleo thought it was cute.

Cleo felt someone glaring at her.

She turned her head and saw a mother with a child scowling at Cleo, pushing her kid away.

Cleo felt herself sink into her coat, trying to cover up the dips in her body, the stitches and green skin.

Joe seemed to notice this.

"Hey. Ignore those people." Joe said softly. "They don't know how great of a person you really are, Cleo.

Cleo smiled, but her heart wasn't in it. "Tch, yeah."

Joe bit his lip and hesitantly intertwined his fingers with Cleo's.

Cleo didn't like physical contact with other people. She hated hugs or handshakes, and Joe knew this more than anyone.

And yet...when she held hands with him, it felt safe. Warm.

When Cleo didn't say anything, Joe started to loosen his grip on her fingers, pulling away, but Cleo tightened her grip.

The two continued walking, not saying a word.

They made it to a local coffee shop, where they sat at a table, ordering their drinks.

"Cleo, what are profession are you hoping to obtain?" Joe asked.

Cleo sipped her mocha and answered, "I dunno...I might become an entrepreneur and make an armor stand business. How about you?"

Joe beamed, "I hope to become a writer! I've read so many amazing pieces of literature, I am quite inspired. I submitted that poem I mentioned before to a university and they are interested in me!"

Cleo smiled. "That's sounds great, Joe!"

Joe grinned, his two front teeth a bit crooked, which Cleo found endearing.

Cleo noticed small things like that about her best friend.

The way he scrunched his nose up to push his glasses up when they slid down his nose.

How he would tilt his head to the side and stick out his tongue when he was having writer's block.

Small things like that just made Cleo adore her poetic friend.

Cleo sighed with content, leaning back in her chair.

Joe always let her sit next to the window in the coffee shop, as he knew she was always cold.

Suddenly, a snarky voice was heard from the other table.

"Ugh, look at her. She's a danger to this town, why does she even come out in public?!"

Cleo felt her smile fade, and she glanced back at who said that.

There was a woman and a man, who had three children at their table. The woman was giving Cleo a dirty stare while the children and man kept stealing glances at her when they thought she want looking.

The woman went further. "Doesn't this place have a no zombies policy? I'd kick her out within a second."

Cleo turned away from the woman, putting her hood over her head, burying her face in her hands on the table.

She saw Joe's eyebrows narrowing, squinting angrily at this woman.

The woman kept talking, purposefully loud so the whole shop could hear her. "That girl thinks she's fooling anyone, acting like a human? Poor young man next to her, she's probably plotting to infect him!"

The coffee shop started snickering, laughing at Cleo.

The woman gave a smirk, her husband sighing, the children looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Why don't you go back to the caves where you came from, honey?"

Tears pricked at Cleo's eyes, when she suddenly heard Joe slam his hands down on the table.

She lifted her head in surprise. Joe looked infuriated, something that hardly ever happened.

Joe aggressively pushed his chair back, storming over to the woman.

He huffed, "Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to apologize to my friend."

The woman didn't falter. "You should run from your 'friend' while you still have the chance, honey."

Joe snapped, "You are a selfish, judgmental jerk! She the most amazing, caring, sweet, beautiful young woman I've ever met! She'll do more in an hour than you'll do in your entire life!"

Joe's voice rang in the coffee shop, everybody silent.

The woman looked furious. She opened her mouth the speak, but the eldest child tugged at her sleeve and sighed, "Mom, leave it."

Joe stomped over to Cleo, grabbing her wrist. "We're leaving."

Just as he opened the door to walk out, the woman said one last remark. "Wait 'til that boy turns into one of her kind. See how he likes that."

That was the last straw.

Joe whipped around, and before anyone knew what was happening, Joe kissed Cleo.

She felt the warmness his lips brought to her own, the feeling of his embrace so amazing she couldn't describe it.

Cleo hadn't realized how touch starved she had been, since not a lot of people wanted to touch a "zombie".

They broke apart, adrenaline pumping. The customers started slow clapping, gradually getting louder.

Cleo felt her lips buzzing, happy to see that to woman was speechless, though her children were hiding grins.

But when Cleo turned to face Joe, his body was frozen. His cheeks were bright red, embarrassment clear in his eyes.

Cleo started, "Joe-"

He bolted away.

Cleo gasped, chasing after him. The sun was setting, a brilliant sunset across the sky.

She caught him underneath a tree, hugging his knees, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cleo, I know you don't like when people touch you and that were just friends...I'm so sorry...I just got so mad at her..." Joe rambled quietly.

Cleo sat next to him and hugged him.

Joe whispered, "I meant it." Blush spread across his face. "I mean, about what I said about you. I really did mean it."

Cleo smiled, feeling herself blush too.

They sat there together for a while, just enjoying the silence and each other's company, hand in hand.

Joe cleared his throat and said hastily, "I would suppose you want to read the poem I wrote. It's nothing really..."

He looked so flustered, something Cleo never seen him as.

Joe handed Cleo a piece of paper.

She read the writing.

Through the silence of the night,

And the tedious routine of the day,

There is not much to write,

Nothing at all to say.

Yet when I see her face,

Nothing can compare.

I want to feel her embrace,

Her green eyes, I'll stare.

Her skin is pale, her lips are smiling, her hair of flames.

She says she's not special, she'll believe what they claim,

I wish I could show her how I see her,

I wish I could give her the world.

Then I look back at my paper, and then I am sure,

Perhaps my words will be enough to give her what she deserved.

My Cleo, I wish to be yours,

But we are worlds apart,

And can love endure?

All that life throws, trying to break my heart?

Through the silence of the night,

And the tedious routine of the day,

All though you don't see your light,

Your beauty is everything, it takes my words away.

I wish you could see yourself in the way I see you.

Cleo's eyes went back and forth across the paper, not believing what she was reading.

She looks up at Joe, eyes wide, tears in them.

He smiled sheepishly. "Do you like it?"

Cleo didn't answer. Instead, she wraps her arms around him, kissing him again, the warm sensation filling her again.

Joe laughed softly, "I'll take that as a yes."

His voice grew softer, perhaps more serious.

"Cleo, don't ever listen to what those small minded people think of you. You are beautiful...and I love you just the way you are." Joe said gently.

Cleo smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Somethings were worth living for.

And that thing, or person, more accurately, was right beside her.

AHHHHHHH POETRY IS HARD TO WRITE MINE IS SO BAD DONT JUDGE MEEEE

Okay but Jleo is ✨i c o n i c✨

Ima leave, I'm tired and need to regain my writing abilities.

-Veggie