Tris & Christina Oneshots {DIVERGENT}

Sick

C H R I S T I N A
Damn flu season. I was always under the impression that Tris has a perfect immune system. I've known her for two years and have been dating and living with her for six months and have never once seen her cough or sniffle. Until yesterday, when she woke up very groggy with a sore throat and a headache. I chalked it up to a simple cold that would pass with some pain medicine and some sleep, but as the day grew, she got sicker and sicker until she spent half of her time in the bathroom emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.
She now has a mild fever. Her skin is very hot to the touch and she's sweating. I want to think her body is fighting the fever, but it's only getting worse. I wanted to take her to the infirmary, but she refused and told me she was perfectly fine, despite the puddle of vomit she left on the bedroom floor.
Tris lays on the couch, with the blanket I had put on her a minute ago kicked to her feet. She claims it is too hot for her, that she'd rather lay naked. She has yet to take off her clothes, but I can tell that she won't hesitate to if her fever spikes. For being former-Abnegation, she sure doesn't care about nudity.
I'm making Tris a small bowl of soup to eat. She won't eat half of it, I know, but I would like her to try. It will probably end up regurgitated all over the bathroom in an hour or so, so maybe it won't be worth it after all, but she has nothing in her system. She's weak and frail. Her skin is pale and her eyes are red.
"Christina," Tris whines from the couch.
"What is it?" I ask as I stir the soup at the stove.
"My head hurts," she rasps through a cough.
"Well, you wouldn't take the aspirin I gave you, so how are you supposed to feel better?" I ask. She says nothing. The aspirin is still waiting on the kitchen island next to the water she didn't want.
I pour the hot soup into a bowl and drop an ice cube in it so it will be cool enough for her to eat. I bring it over to her with a spoon and set it on the coffee table in front of her. She eyes it cautiously.
"I don't think I can handle it," she coughs.
"Just try a bit," I encourage as I sit and bring a small spoonful to her lips. She turns away from it. "Come on."
She takes a bit and swallows with great difficulty. She takes a few more spoonfuls before she rejects any more, and lays back down. I ruffle her hair and take the bowl and spoon back to the kitchen. My heart clenches at the sound of a guttural, painful cough.
I look at the clock. It's been a few hours since I've taken her temperature. I should try again. The first few days of the flu are always the worst. I take the thermometer and try to get her to open her mouth, but she closes her pale lips.
"Don't be difficult," I warn.
It takes a few seconds of protesting before she gives in. Her eyes close as the digital numbers rise and finally halt at 102.7 degrees. I take it from her mouth and stare at it in shock. I don't understand how it climbed two entire degrees in just a few hours.
Before I can say anything, Tris leans over and unleashes a good cup's worth of vomit onto the floor. I gasp, drop the thermometer, and help her lay back again. I wipe her mouth with a tissue and stand to get a towel and disinfectant to clean this up.
"I'm sorry," she whimpers.
"It's okay, it's normal when you're sick," I say as I gather paper towels and a disinfectant spray from the kitchen.
I get on my knees beside the couch and start to clean up the vomit. I almost want to add to it when it soaks through the towels and wets my hands. But I do it for her. She deserves to be taken care of at her weakest point.
Tris coughs some more, a raspy, bark-like hem. After I deposit the soiled paper towels in the trash and scrub my hands with soap and the hottest water possible, I sit next to Tris and lovingly caress her greasy hair. She has yet to take a shower.
"I think you should go to the infirmary," I whisper. Just as I predicted, she shakes her head.
"I don't want to. I'm fine," she says.
Typical Tris. She lives to make everyone think she is always tough and can't be defeated, but I've seen the weak side of her. I've seen her cry and vomit all over the floor. She may fool strangers, but she can't fool me. I take her as a whole, not just for her strong side and her weak side. I take and love her for everything she is.
"You're not fine," I say. She shakes her head once more. "Okay, if your fever rises any higher, I will drag you out of here, whether you cooperate or not."
My smile shows that I'm only joking about dragging her out, but I will if it comes down to it. She knows that much.
"I'll find you some fever medicine," I say, going to the bathroom.
When I get back to her with the bottle of blood-red medicine in my hand, I find her squirming and tugging at her clothes. I frown and peer over the back of the couch. Her eyelids clench together as her jaw sets.
"It's too hot!" She whines.
"Then just go naked. You don't I don't care," I say.
I've seen her nude before. I don't see why it's a big deal for some people, but I've always been honest about it. Some are just not comfortable with walking around with everything showing, but Tris is not one of them. At least, she isn't now.
Tris wastes no time in stripping her clothes off, even her underwear. She lays spread out on the couch, trying to find some comfort that lacks heat. I notice the slick sweat covering her body.
"I'm giving you this medicine," I say without her approval. I crack the top off and pour a bit onto the same spoon I used for the soup. And of course, she refuses it. "Come on, take it."
"No," she protests.
I admit to myself, I'm getting a little annoyed. Deep down, she knows I'm only trying to help her but she won't take it. I want to give up and let her do what she wants, but I realize that would be wrong. She's my girlfriend. Why would I ever want to leave her suffering, even when she is being stubborn with me?
I run a hand across her stomach. She's very ticklish. I tickle her sides, and she throws her head back, laughing. While her mouth is open, I shove the medicine down her throat. She tries to spit it out, but I cover her mouth and look her in her sleepy eyes.
"Swallow," I say. "I'll keep giving you more until you take it."
She obeys. I release my hand from her mouth and set the spoon aside. I kiss her hot forehead, and she relaxes.
"I'm still very hot," she murmurs.
"Yes, you are," I smile down at her.
The idea of a cold bath is brought to me, so I go to the bathroom and fill the tub with near-freezing water. Tris doesn't object when I bring her into the bathroom and help her in the tub. Her body visibly relaxes with the water as she sits and a content sigh leaves her lips.
"Better?" I ask.
"Much," she says, her eyes closed. They open once again and look at me with hope and. . .mischievousness? "Wanna join me?"
My eyebrows raise and my cheeks flush. While I have seen and slept next to her completely naked, I have never taken a bath or shower with her. It's something I feel is a little too sexual, but I wouldn't mind it if that's what she wants. In reply, I take off my clothes and drop them on the floor with a thud. She scoots up so I can sit behind her.
The water is cold, a little too cold for me, but I don't care. I notice my nipples harden a bit but I don't dare to let her see. I sit behind her with her between my legs. She leans back against my chest and closes her eyes again.
I cup water in my hand and gently pour it over her stomach to soothe her. The tips of her golden locks soak in the water and turn a dark color. I keep stroking the water over her arms and chest as we sit in silence. The rasp in her chest is fading out, leaving calm, steady breaths.
I almost forget where we are for a minute. All I can feel is the freezing water around me and Tris's skin against mine. It's perfect. This moment is perfect.
+++
After the bath, we are both dry and laying nude under the covers in bed. We lay breast-to-breast, with Tris snuggled up to me. The bath made her cold but it brought the fever down. She is slowly falling asleep with her rosy lips turning up into a smile.
I softly kiss her lips. I probably just contracted her flu, but it's worth it. She is worth it. And she always will be.
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A/N: I would like to mention that, while I have read the books, I base the characters off the actors' features, in case I don't describe them as they would from the books. Hope you enjoyed!