When The Camellia Wilts | The Walking Dead Fanfiction

When One's Strength is Tested

They grew quite distant for the past two weeks because of the same issue. Arden was treating her like she was a toddler or a cripple, always 'Just stay there, I'll do it', 'I got it', or 'Leave it to me'. She knows that he meant well but it was mentally exhausting to always be muted or discouraged by him. He could only watch her with a wince, he didn't realise that he was being suffocating. 

He was almost out of the kitchen when she called out, "I'll be doing that run." He wanted to protest and disagree but he knew that it wasn't the time to do so. He could only sigh and comb his fingers through his hair in frustration, before going to the bathroom to do his business. They will speak again in the morning, when they're both cooled down. 

==+==

He stayed hot in the morning. "Shit, Arden. You're running a fever." Arden could only hum a response to her, weakened by his own body. She sighed and plopped down next to him, wiping his forehead with cold water, trying to ease his discomfort. "You need soup or something other than protein bars, Arden. You can eat both of our shares of noodles tonight but I'm going on that run by myself." When there was no response, she stood up fast to check on the noodles and to get the meds. 

After carefully placing down the food, the meds, and the water, she wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him up with her teeth gritted. He could barely stay up so she had to use her own body so he can have somewhere to lay on. "You need to eat so you can take the meds, Arden." It seemed as tho the life was sucked out of him when his head suddenly dropped. Aliya immediately put the food away and checked on him. 

Her heart was beating as fast as the light travels, it seems. Her hands were shaking in worry and fear. "Uh..." Words seemed to escape her mind as well as all rationale. There was a pulse, thank the heavens. But Arden didn't look....alive. "Fuck!" She angrily whispered to herself, wiping away a stray tear. "Aliya." She whipped her head up, scooting towards him in a flash. "Arden! How are you feeling?" He weakly smiled at her, "It's okay, I can eat now." She nodded solemnly and fed him in silence. 

He watched her while he was being fed while she stayed emotionless. She was still shaken up about seeing him like that earlier, it scared her that he was gonna die. When Arden refused to eat more, her forehead creased. "You have to eat too." But she didn't back down, she only glared at him until he finally cracked and opened his mouth to be fed. 

"Here." He took the medicine with ease before nodding at her, "Thank you." Aliya nodded and tidied up. Even though shit has inevitably hit the fan, they were still trying to live somewhat normally. They bathe, they cleaned up their things, they read books and stargazed. "You scared me to death!" He scoffed a laugh rolling his eyes at her over reaction. He smirked when she came back with a cup of glass and a bucket of glare. "Are you being mad at the sick man?" She gave him the glass or water, ignoring his teasing. 

She insisted on sleeping on the floor next to his bed instead of the room that she was situated in. She wanted to be able to check on him every so often to check if the fever has gone down as well as his temperature. It was what her parents did for her when she would fall ill as a child.