Work Text:
Astrid wakes up, opens her eyes, and immediately throws up all over herself.
“That’s why I don’t drink on weeknights,” Ruffnut mutters from her bed, but she rises and walks over.
“I wasn’t drinking,” Astrid coughs, grabbing a tissue and spitting into it, weakly dabbing at her hoodie with another. Her head spins, and she blinks several times.
Ruffnut freezes halfway to the bed. “You weren’t? You’re sick? Are you sick?”
Astrid feels shame burning inside her chest. Her first instinct is to deny it, but she knows she has to be truthful when it’s stuff like this. “Uh… yeah, I – I guess so.”
Immediately, Ruffnut turns on her heel and grabs a mask, pulling it on and pinching the nosebridge. “Okay. Ew. Get up, your sheets are gross.”
Astrid pulls herself out of bed, leaning on her nightstand, unsure of where to sit. She doesn’t want to sit on Ruffnut’s bed, that’s just poor manners, but her desk chair spins, and she’s dizzy enough as it is. She eventually settles on sitting on the floor right next to the trash can, just in case.
She watches as Ruff pulls the sheets off, bundling them up and dropping them in the laundry basket. Thank God it’s hot at the moment and she only had thin sheets on the bed – comforters are difficult to wash at the best of times, vomit is even harder.
After about three minutes, Ruffnut approaches her and sits down opposite her. “So. What is it?”
“What is what?” Astrid mumbles, and Ruffnut shrugs. “I don’t know. The illness.”
Astrid frowns. “Uh… norovirus, probably.”
“Mm. Makes sense.”
They sit there awkwardly for a moment, Ruffnut picking at her nails and Astrid trying to pretend she’s not still incredibly nauseous. Eventually, Ruff opens her mouth to say something – at the exact same time that Astrid leans over and vomits into the trash can.
She feels a hand on her back, and between retches, she glances up to see Ruffnut right beside her, her other hand holding Astrid’s hair out of her face. In that moment, Astrid feels a certain, deep kind of love for her roommate, one she has never really felt before.
After a few minutes, it finally stops. Astrid coughs a couple of times, wiping her mouth with a tissue Ruffnut hands her. “Th-thanks,” she manages, and Ruffnut clicks her tongue. “Shit, you’re actually sick, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m actually sick,” Astrid sighs, and then she freezes. “Oh. No, oh, fuck. No, I’m actually sick.”
Ruffnut frowns, looking slightly concerned. “It’s okay, girl, you’ll be fine in a few days. Don’t worry about it.”
“No – fuck, I can’t – I can’t be sick right now! This is not an okay time for me to be sick!”
Ruff tilts her head, and then she groans in realisation. “Oh. Oh, yeah, we have Heather’s play…”
“Yeah,” Astrid whispers. “Fuck, I – I told her I’d be there.”
“It’s okay. She’ll understand.”
Astrid swallows, suddenly feeling a lot like she wants to cry. “I-I know. I just – God.”
They sit in silence for another minute until Ruffnut says quietly, “Do you want me to stay home with you?”
Astrid immediately shakes her head. “No. No, it’s okay. You should still go. Actually, you should go now, and stay with Heather tonight. I don’t want you to get this.”
Ruffnut looks away, rubbing her wrist. “I – I mean, I guess I can stay with Heather… if you’re sure? If you don’t need me to stay?”
“I’m an adult, I can take care of myself,” Astrid mutters
“… Okay. If you’re sure.”
Ten minutes later, Ruffnut has put new sheets on Astrid’s bed, packed a bag and left the room. Astrid lays in her bed, staring at the ceiling, the trash can next to her, and all she feels is a profound sense of guilt and shame.
That’s all.