Weakness (Gone, Astrid)

[purpleninja]

Hey, guys! This is a new couple I'm trying out from Michael Grant's Gone series, which I HIGHLY recommend!!! I'd love to see some sneezy Astrid, so I made it myself. Enjoy!

“Mother” Mary Terrafino was having a good day. After her morning exercises and an exhausting day of work with the Littles, she’d returned to the house she shared with Astrid and, usually, Sam, only to have him comment on her weight loss as she ascended. Mary had beamed, even though a voice in the back of her head told her that having bulimia in a severe famine wasn’t something to smile about. But now Sam was off doing…what, exactly? She didn’t know, but probably something important. Astrid was probably with him, meaning she had the house to herself. That was, until she passed Astrid’s room and saw something out of the corner of her eye.

“Astrid?” she asked, puzzled, into the darkness.

“Yeah.” Her reply sounded…off. Nothing Mary could put a finger on, but just strange.

“I’m going to bed, ok?”

“’Kay.” The response was a very odd one for Astrid. No perfect grammar. No questions. No condescending tone.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah,” Astrid replied, sounding dazed. Once her eyes adjusted, Mary could see that she was lying flat on her back, stretched out like a starfish, on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Ok. Um…goodnight.”

“’Night.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Astrid “The Genius” Ellison woke up the next morning knowing immediately that something was wrong. Her room was filled with a strange noise, something wet and raspy and that sounded almost like…wheezing? As she opened her eyes with noted difficulty and cataloged her physical state, she became aware that the sound was coming from her. Astrid swallowed, regretting it immediately. Her throat hurt. Her chest hurt. Her head hurt. She struggled to remember if she’d gotten beaten up or injured in the past few days; she hadn’t. Plus, the pain was unlike that from an injury. Astrid Ellison was sick.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

“Astrid?? Are you here?? What are you doing?! Sam told me to get you,” Brianna said at superhuman speed as she blurred into Astrid’s room.

“Shut up,” Astrid croaked, but with none of her usual conviction.

“What happened to you?” the Breeze asked, her tone cocky, as per usual.

“Just…shut up. Tell Sab I’ll be right there.”

“Tell who?” Astrid tried to sniff as inconspicuously as she could.

“Sab.” Giving up, she sniffled and huffed out a distinctly wheezy sigh.

“Sam.”

“Oh my God, you’re sick,” Brianna said.

“Doe…No. It’s allergies,” Astrid covered, trying to sound as healthy as possible, even though it was a struggle just to stay awake. She knew that even a simple virus like this could knock someone out for good if they were as malnourished as everyone in the FAYZ was. Her body wasn’t strong enough to handle even a cold. That would explain the distantly familiar tightness in her chest. She’d suffered from Asthma as a child, but could’ve sworn she’d grown out of it. It couldn’t just come back, could it??

“Astrid? Did you hear me?”

“What?”

“Do you want me to get Sam?”

“Dod’t you dare. Tell hib add I’ll kill you,” Astrid said, somewhat able to manage a glare, even though her eyes were rimmed in red with dark circles underneath and her nose and cheeks were a bright, rosy red. Brianna stared at her for a minute, then shrugged, turned, and blurred out of the room.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

“Something’s gotten into your girlfriend, Sam. Must be the time of the month,” Brianna huffed as she flew back into the plaza, where Sam and Edilio were discussing what to do about the increasing threat of hunger.

“What?”

“She was being pretty…Astrid yesterday,” Edilio noted, nodding. Sam sighed, like this was the last thing he needed.

“Do I need to go check on her?”

“With all due respect, Boss, we have more important matters on our hands than your girlfriend’s menstrual cycle.” Sam nodded, sighing wearily.

“True.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Astrid wheezed wetly, her head in her hands. She’d just barely managed to sit up; the virus was hitting hard and fast. She coughed, her weak, now fevered body shaking helplessly with a string of congested, wheezy coughs that threatened to choke her. This was very quickly getting much stronger than the average cold, and Astrid didn’t know if it was because of the FAYZ or her malnourished body.

“Heh’ISSH’ iew!!” Before she could think, Astrid ducked her head to her chest as the second sneeze of this miserable virus burst out of her. The stunning blonde wheezed out a soft sigh; this was the last thing she needed. With even toilet paper in short supply, Astrid sniffled back the congestion. She’d had to find a way to keep this from getting to Petey…Petey!! She’d forgotten all about the severely autistic boy, barely five years old, one of her most important responsibilities. Astrid leapt out of bed, having to stop immediately as the room spun, sending her into a tailspin of awful, racking coughing that only tightened her airways further. Once she got downstairs, she found Little Pete as he most always was: spaced out on the floor playing with his Gameboy. To her surprise, though, he looked up when she came down, cocked his head slightly at her, like he thought something might be different, then let his eyes wander.

“Munchy munchy.” He declared, shocking Astrid with how much he was relating; this was a rare occurrence.

“Yep, budchy budchy,” Astrid croaked, holding on to the countertop as she fixed Pete a measly lunch of some canned asparagus and a little bit of leftover cabbage.

“Budchy budchy,” she announced, bringing him the food, deciding it wasn’t worth the struggle to try to get him to eat at the table or with a fork. She whimpered softly as she set the bowl down next to Pete, trying to stem the flow from her runny nose and avoid making any sudden noises or movements. Before she could even think, though, she turned her head away from Little Pete, cupping a hand over her mouth as she suffered through another wet, crackling, raspy coughing fit. The fits were getting worse as the day went on, as was her fever, but this was the FAYZ. There was nothing she could do about it. She thought for a blissful, fevered second that she could just go to her own house and grab her likely-expired inhaler, only to realize that this was the FAYZ; there was no way the medication was still there. She breathed wheezily for a few minutes, struggling to calm her irritated airways, before she struggled to her feet, making it only a few yards to the couch before her tired body collapsed.

“NGXT’shiew!!” She stifled the sneeze, finding she didn’t have the energy to do anything more. After a few minutes, Astrid Ellison drifted into a feverish sleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As Sam Temple returned “home” that evening, just as the sun was setting, the first thing he noticed in the house was…silence. Little Pete was sitting Indian-style on the living room floor, staring intently at his game. Astrid was nowhere to be seen. Sam frowned; something wasn’t right about this picture. Nobody but Brianna had seen or heard from the usually-interactive girl, and while Sam had been kept busy all day, the slightest bit of worry that had nagged at him all morning and afternoon flared now.

A noise.

Sam listened intently, hearing it again, a wet swishing noise. He started for the steps, stopping as the noise became obvious.

“Heh’PZSH’iew!!” Sam frowned. Had he ever seen Astrid sneeze before? He didn’t think so. He’d overheard Brianna saying something about allergies; maybe she was talking about Astrid? He silently ascended the steps, peering into Astrid’s room, lit up with the last bit of sunlight. She had her back to him, one delicate hand braced against the bed, the other cupped to her face.

“PPZZSHH!! Ugh.” Astrid sounded annoyed- and congested. She sniffled thickly, and Sam cringed. His cringe deepened as she began to cough, deep, rattling, congested coughs that shook her like a rag doll and stole her breath, leaving her breathing heavy afterwards, making a sound that Sam definitely didn’t like. Even though she was wearing jeans and a button-down top, Sam could see that she was trembling.

“Babe?” He called softly. Astrid spun around, her eyes wide, and almost fell. She looked at him, and his heart dropped. Her normally-bright skin was pale, her eyes were red and puffy, she had bruises under her eyes, her nose was red, her cheeks were red, her lips were chapped and a little swollen-looking, and her eyes looked glassy, like she wasn’t completely “there.”

“Sab,” she said, or tried to. All that came out was a raspy, nasally croak.

“Babe,” Sam said again, melting as he closed the distance between them. He was shocked when she let him hug her, and even more shocked when he felt the heat pouring off of her.

“Id’s ogkay. Id’s probably jusdt allergies or sobethigg,” she said.

“Mmhm.”

“Baybe I’b sick, bud id’s jusdt a cold.” Sam laughed without humor.

“I have trouble believing that anything in here is “just” anything.” But as his still-gorgeous girlfriend’s body tensed and jerked in his arms, her face buried in his chest with what he knew to be a barely-suppressed sneeze, he couldn’t find it in him to convict her.

“I guess we dod’t have ady dissues adywhere, do we?”

Continue??

[Hovercuke]

Yes! Thank You! This was perfect!

[purpleninja]

@DyingSpooks I'm glad you liked it!!!

Sorry for the delay, I didn't like how this part came out, so I rewrote it! Edilio looks even better here than usual...

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam sighed, rubbing his temples. He was trying not to be worried about Astrid, but she was so sick, especially her chest… As time went on, the blonde was experiencing increasing difficulty in breathing, and between the fever keeping her loopy and the congestion, Sam couldn’t understand how to help her. Now came the difficult part: trying to convince her to sleep with him, just for one night, just so he could keep an eye on her. Sam didn’t want to do anything- he would have to make that clear – he just wanted to be able to keep a close eye on her and be there if she needed anything. He ascended to her room, bringing a mug of boiled water with some lemon juice in it; the best he could find in the famine-racked world they lived in now.

“Astrid?” he called softly, not wanting to wake her up if she’d succeeded in falling asleep. As he walked into the room, though, he could see that he already had. She’d jerked awake, her eyes darting wildly around the room until she found him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Sam breathed, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her back and handing her the mug. She sniffled weakly.

“Astrid-“

“Will you sday with be? Todight? Jusdt ode dight, I probise, thed you cad go back,” Astrid pleaded earnestly. Sam was taken aback.

“Of course, love, you know I will,” he said softly, stroking her face and feeling the fever rising from her cheeks.

“Is Petey okay?” Astrid asked in a rare moment of clarity.

“He’s fine, babe, just rest.” Even woozy and feverish, Astrid must have understood that she needed the fluids, because she downed the mug of crude “tea” before letting Sam hold her close.

“PPZZSH!!” Astrid decided that the moment was sufficiently ruined when she pitched forward into Sam’s chest, loosely cupping a hand haphazardly over the nose before she sneezed into his t-shirt.

“Bless you,” Sam chuckled.

“Ew, oh by God,” Astrid groaned, and Sam had to laugh.

“There is dothigg fuddy aboud this.”

“You’re right, it’s more cute.”

“This is dot ‘cute,’ Sab.”

“Yes, it is.” Astrid turned into him with a whimper, her hand still covering her face.

“I dod’t kdow what to do,” she whispered, and Sam felt a pang of pity. He gently took her hand away from her face.

“Oh my God, Astrid, it’s not even bad!” he smiled lovingly at her, gently swiping his thumb under her pink nostrils before wiping his hand on his shirt. Astrid stared at him for a second, like she might say something, before she dropped her head onto his chest, snuggling closer to him and coughing wetly into his left pec. Sam rubbed her back, feeling her body struggle against her own lungs. As soon as she calmed, Sam remained completely still, knowing she was near sleep. He held her tightly as she slept, reminding her even in sleep that he was right there.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Drake. Astrid had been dreaming about Drake and his awful whip appendage when she woke up suddenly, her heart pumping wildly, the room pitch black, her chest making horrible wheezing noises as she tried and failed to catch her breath. Her chest was tight, full, like it used to be when she’d have an Asthma attack. Even though it was a long time ago, Astrid recognized the symptoms.

“Doe,” she moaned softly, rubbing at her chest, hoping to massage her lungs open.

“Babe? You okay?” Sam asked, awake now. Finding he couldn’t see her, and not enjoying the dark much himself, Sam held out his right hand, effortlessly creating a floating, glowing bulb of green-white light.

“Heh’PPZSH’iew!!” Astrid sneezed as soon as the light hit her face.

“Bless you, sorry,” Sam said, sitting up. Astrid shook her head, dismissing it.

“Are you okay? Do you want to go to Dahra?” Astrid shook her head again, calming down and taking a slow, tentatively deep breath.

“Doe, I’b ogkay. Jusdt a bad dreab,” she said, forcing a small smile for him.

“Are you sure? You looked like you couldn’t breathe, like you have Asthma or something,” Sam said, looking worried.

“Doe, doe, jusdt a little freaked out,” she lied. Sam reached out and felt her forehead, frowning when he felt the feverish heat still there.

“Are you supposed to get a fever from a cold?” Astrid shrugged.

“It’s possible. Could be the flu,” she said, swallowing and cringing against her sore throat. Sam admired the way she could be logical even when her own brain was clouded with fever and illness and fatigue. Convinced after a few minutes that she was ok, if not a little shaken and sniffly, Sam extinguished the ball of light and cradled her again as she fell asleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Shouldn’t you be in bed or something? You look…” Howard stopped, knowing that he probably didn’t want to finish that statement. Astrid glared at him with as much menace as she could summon.

“I’b fide,” she spoke, icy and…congested. The rest of the Town Council filtered in slowly, each of them pausing to say something about Astrid’s condition. Edilio looked at Sam, frowning in obvious sympathy. Sam nodded back. Sensing that she didn’t want the attention, Edilio took his seat next to Astrid and politely acted like she wasn’t pausing to sniffle thickly every few words.

“I still thidk we deed to bake laws add-“ Astrid paused suddenly, her brow furrowing in what looked like confusion. Sam knew better, though, smiling affectionately at his girlfriend as she reared back from the table, ducking into herself as she cupped a hand quickly over her nose and mouth.

“PPZZSH’iew!!...BBZZSSH!!” It was still weird watching Astrid, of all people, lose control like that to something as simple as a sneeze.

“Howard, shut up,” Astrid spat after Howard began trying to mock her. Edilio, on the other hand, noticed the sniffling had increased drastically in frequency and cringe-factor and reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded square of cloth.

“Here. It’s clean. I’ve never used them much, but my mom always made my siblings and me carry at least one around,” Edilio offered with a shy smile. Astrid smiled back, blushing, suddenly shy with embarrassment.

“Thadks,” she said softly, accepting the handkerchief with a trembling hand, a testament to her fever.

“It’s not that we don’t need you, but maybe you deserve the day off? Rest, maybe?” Edilio asked, cringing like Astrid was about to rip his head off.

“Doe, I thidk I’b good. Thadks, Edilio,” she said sincerely. Edilio nodded, turning to Sam and giving him a shrug as if to say “I tried!”

“Don’t worry, brah, I’ve been trying all morning to get her to stay in bed. It’s a lost cause.”

“In that case, then, we should probably focus less on your snot and more on the topic at hand, shall we?” Astrid glared at Howard, but most of its intensity was lost in how feverish and miserable she looked.

“Howard.” Sam spoke in a warning tone, making it clear that any further attempts to berate Astrid would end with him. Howard shut up.

“You were saying something about laws?” Sam prompted, trying to get the meeting somewhat on track.

“Ub…yeah…” In an extremely rare occurrence, Astrid The Genius completely lost her train of thought. Edilio ran his eyes over her, lingering on her neck. He knew what the frantic dipping in of the space just above her collarbone meant. He had a younger sister with Asthma; he’d seen retractions all too well.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Edilio asked quietly, looking at her and making a slight gesture towards his chest that only she could see. She nodded, lips parted, eyes wide like a deer in headlights, a sheen of feverish sweat glistening on her face and neck.

“Yeah. But I bight take you up od that day off offer,” she admitted, and Edilio smiled sympathetically. Astrid got up, swayed a little, and Sam got up as well.

“Doe, I’b ogkay, hodest. The house isd’t far,” Astrid said, and Sam gazed worriedly at her for a few moments before backing off and sitting back down. Something about the way Astrid forced a smile, gathered Little Pete, and walked a little too quickly out of the room sparked a tiny flame of worry and suspicion deep inside Sam, but just like everything else, he ignored it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sam smiled from across the table as Astrid paused from picking wearily at her dinner, leaned back from the table, ducked into the right side of the cardigan she’d managed to find, and wait for a few tortured seconds. The smile faded as soon as he heard the rattling wheeze that accompanied her pre-sneeze gasp.

“Heh’BBZZSSH!! BBZZSH!!...PPZZSH!!” Sam and Edilio, who had secretly wanted to keep an eye on Astrid and joined them for dinner, shared a glance as the blonde kept her head tucked into the sweater, obviously not done yet with the longest string of sneezes either of them had ever seen from her.

“BBZZSH!! Oh by God! PPPZZSSH!!” Astrid paused, wheezed slowly, then lifted her head up, shaking her head in confusion.

“You okay?” Sam asked, cocking his head like a concerned puppy. Astrid laughed wheezily.

“Yeah. That was…weird. That’s dever happeded before,” she noted, chuckling at herself before it turned into nasty, rattling, racking wet coughs that forced her into exile in her cardigan again. Edilio turned to Sam, about to cave and spill Astrid’s secret about her obvious Asthma when someone knocked tentatively at the door. Edilio got up, answering the door after looking through the peephole.

“Hey, Dahra! Come in!” Edilio was warm and kind, as per usual, but there was a definite tone of surprise and confusion in his voice; Dahra was not one to make regular house calls. Dahra walked in, making pleasant small talk until she spotted Astrid, who got up to greet her.

“Hey, I figured you might like these, with there being no Kleenex anymore or anything,” Dahra shrugged with a smile, offering Astrid a stack of square scraps from a t-shirt that was about as clean as anything could be. Astrid smiled.

“Thadks, that’s really dice,” she said. Dahra then pressed the Albuterol inhaler into her hand.

“You know how to take that, don’t you?” Astrid nodded diligently.

“I figured, but I had to make sure. I’m sure you know the drill; I trust you to come get me if it gets bad.” Astrid nodded again, steadfastly ignoring Sam’s shocked look. After a few minutes, she thanked Dahra as the girl left to return to the makeshift hospital. It wasn’t until he closed the door that Sam turned to his pale, shivering, feverish girlfriend.

“When were you going to tell me about this?!”

[purpleninja]

Do y'all want me to continue this?? Because I have the next part written. Or I could do sick sam or (even better!) sick Edilio??

[Strong_and_Wild]

Gone is one of my favorite series! I'd love to see some Sam as well ?