Work Text:
Clementine didn't want to admit it, but she could feel herself getting sick.
The stress of hunting for Delta, fast paced work and very little rest were beginning to catch up to her. From her years on the road, she could usually stick it out a little longer, but it all seemed to pile up at once in this case.
AJ gave Clementine a curious glance when she sneezed for probably the millionth time in the past ten minutes. “Are you sick, Clem?”
Not wanting to worry him, Clementine gave him a comforting smile. “It's nothing, kiddo. It'll pass soon.”
“Okay…” AJ looked skeptical, looking back on the map he and Clementine were working on. “Just don't get me sick.”
Clementine laughed. “No problem.”
---
It was most certainly not nothing. That much became apparent when the sneezing turned into coughing and a fever. And more sneezing.
Clementine didn't want to worry anyone, but she didn't want it to get worse. When she got a moment alone, she went to see Ruby, who was more than happy to give her a couple antibiotics that were left over in the nurse's office.
“You ought to talk to Violet about taking some time off,” Ruby said as Clementine swallowed the pills she had been given. Clementine quickly shook her head.
“I'm okay, it'll go away soon enough. If I can be helpful, I'm going to be helpful,” Clementine said, her voice sounding raspier. Now a sore throat to go along with everything else. Great.
Ruby narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. “If you keep overworking yourself, you actually will be useless.”
Clementine chuckled. “Fine, I'll take it easy.”
“Clem-”
“Ruby,” Clementine said with a firmer tone, but not a harsh one. “We don't know what could happen over a span of a few days or even a few hours. The quicker we find Delta, the better. And I need to help so Vi doesn't have to take the workload.”
Ruby, knowing she wasn't getting anywhere, sighed and let her hands fall back to her sides. “Fine. Just don't be stupid. And keep taking those pills once a day.”
“Noted.”
---
That night found Clementine in her room alone, as AJ was on watch with Tenn. She was surveying the map that they had marked on possible locations of Delta, based on the little information Abel had told them. There was too much that was tentative, and too little that was certain. Clementine sighed and shoved her head in her hands, another round of coughing raking her body.
The knocks on the door caused Clementine to snap up, quickly trying to ease her coughing fit with a drink of water. “Yeah, come in.”
The door pushed open and Violet tentatively poked her head in, and Clementine relaxed a bit at the sight of her girlfriend. “Hey,” Violet greeted, shutting the door behind her and shoving her hands in her pockets.
“Hi,” Clementine said, a little breathlessly. Either she was sicker than she thought, or Violet just had that effect on her. “Is there something you need?”
“What, I can't just come see you because I want to?” Violet said with a soft smile, crossing the room and leaning into Clementine slightly. “There actually is something I wanted to ask you.”
“Shoot.”
Instead of speaking, Violet moved her hand to Clementine's forehead, pressing her palm flat against it. The smile faded from her face, replaced with a scowl. “I knew it.”
“What?” Clementine asked, even though she already knew. When Violet gave her a slightly irritated look, she sighed. “Who snitched?”
“Does it matter ?” Violet snapped, crossing her arms. “I thought it was just a cough.”
“It is just a cough.”
“A cough you're feverish from and taking pills for?”
“Vi-”
“I don't want to hear it,” Violet said firmly, taking Clementine's hand and leading her over to her bed. “Lay down.”
Knowing she wasn't going to win this battle, Clementine complied, crawling onto her bed and shuddering when another fit of coughs racked her body. Through the coughing, she could her Violet mutter, “Jesus Christ, Clementine.”
Clementine laid her head on her pillow, looking up at Violet. “You don't have to worry about me, you know.”
Violet's brow furrowed. “Of course I do. It's kind of part of the whole girlfriend package.” When Clementine didn't reply, Violet gently took her hat off her head and placed it on the dresser. “Scoot over.”
Clementine obliged, and when there was enough room Violet laid down next to her. They laid there for a moment, enjoying the stillness and quiet of the room, listening only to the other breathe.
Violet turned her back to Clementine after a while, and Clementine wrapped her arm gently around her waist, pulling her closer. The warmth of the other girl combined with the fever were starting to make Clementine sweat, but she couldn't bring herself to care. “Isn't it kinda counterproductive if you're worried about me being sick, but you're sharing a bed with me?” Clementine mumbled, running her fingertips gently up and down Violet's side.
Violet just hummed in response, curling deeper into Clementine. Clementine smiled, settling her arm on Violet's stomach and pressing an affectionate kiss to the crook of her neck. “I have watch in a couple hours-"
“Shh,” Violet shushed her softly, placing her own free arm over the one Clementine had wrapped around her middle. “Don't worry about that right now. We do enough worrying in one day.”
Clementine just smiled. “I didn't take you for the ‘let's take it easy and not care’ type.”
“I'm not, usually,” Violet agreed. “But when I'm tired as all hell and my girlfriend is overworking herself to the point of getting sick, I could use a couple hours of relaxing.”
“Is that a hint that you want me to shut up and sleep?”
“No, but this is. Shut up and sleep.”
Clementine giggled, settling down next to Violet and slightly tightening her hold on her middle. “Vi?”
Violet sighed. “Yeah?”
“Goodnight.”
She didn't respond for a moment, but right before Clementine succumbed to sleep, she heard a quiet, “Goodnight, Clem.”
The next morning, when Violet awoke with a cold, Ruby nearly beat the two girls over the head with a spatula.