Some morning a few days later, once she'd fully healed her brief illness, they slept together peacefully. There was something about her being content that made Joel more relaxed than he'd been in a long time. Though, about a day into her sickness he was aware that she was most definitely taking advantage of his offered services, and he had begrudgingly made the comment more than a few times that he wasn't her slave, but deep down...he enjoyed it.

There was a certain magical bewilderment that gleamed in her eyes when he obeyed a command that sent a thrill in the pit of his gut. In fact, he had reminded her over and over that sickness was temporary, and that if she thought he would continue to wait hand and foot on her once she was well again, he'd just have to show her who was boss.

Simply put, his feigned annoyance did not fool her in the slightest. But, she played along anyway for his benefit. God forbid both of them admit that they enjoyed one another...that was too easy. No, they much preferred the bickering and the roughness.

After all, Ellie wasn't Ellie if she wasn't a spitfire. When she'd briefly lost the spunk while being sick, it hurt him deeply.

And, as she healed, Ellie came to appreciate that Joel wasn't Joel if he wasn't hiding literally all his emotions, when in reality he was so sensitive and scared that if he expressed it he'd crumble from his own weight. (Except anger...though...that one always had a way of making itself known without fear or doubt.)

So, when she awoke in broad daylight, only to feel him at ease next to her, she instantly knew something was wrong. Usually, if she slept in even until 9:00, he would be on her ass like it was a crime. Joel always had a laundry list of things that could, would, or should be done at any given time.

Instantly, she sat up in bed, and assessed his back.

"Joel," she demanded out of nerves.

"...what?" he finally asked, in a weak, crackly grumble.

"It's like at least 10:30," she stated in disbelief.

"So?" he called from the other side, more annoyed this time.

"So? So...I dunno...I've never seen you sleep this late since we got here, for one. For two...you sound like shit. Joel...are you...are you sick?!" she began to ramble, as it all clicked together.

"God dammit will you please stop yellin'," he groaned, and it was then that she truly heard the gravelly whine in his voice.

"So, the big bad Joel isn't invincible! All this time you were bragging about your health," she continued to accost, until she got up to look at him from his side of the bed.

It almost took the breath from her lungs. There were little beads of sweat lined across the deep wrinkles and the new pallor on his face. It even seemed like his beard had greyed overnight. Instantly, she regretted having been so dramatic.

"Uhh...Joel?"

"What?" he demanded, and looked pained to even speak, and then swallowed hard.

"You...you look like hell. Are you okay?" she asked, fully knowing the answer, but still not enough to help. He scoffed bitterly.

"No, I'm not fuckin'...I'm not..." he choked for a minute.

"Joel-"

Before she could let his name escape her lips, he had effectively scrambled to his feet and was briskly walking toward the bathroom with his hand to his mouth.

"Holy fuck," she whispered, not sure what to do.

Do I follow? He'll probably kill me. Oh, god, that's the nastiest fucking sound I've ever heard! Yeesh, I'm so not good with that...and even I wasn't this sick. Should I just stand here? I mean...he's all alone...and cold...and maybe even a little scared. Ugh, who am I kidding. Get it together, Ellie! Take care of him like he took care of you!

After her moment of debate, she rounded the corner down the hall and found him with his head pressed against the rim of the seat, breathing heavily. Scared as she was, she also figured she should at least take advantage of the situation. It wasn't like he could fight her off in the state he was in...

She entered the bathroom and sat down next to him on the tile floor.

"Go. Away," he demanded, head unmoved; weak, but still somehow incredibly intimidating with the echo from the porcelain.

"...Not likely, buddy. We're gonna get you well again, yeah?" she chirped, voice low, and ever optimistic.

Is this kid fuckin' baby talkin' me?

The silence between them was loud.

Holy shit, did I just baby talk him?

"Now what would you know how to do, huh? Just leave me be," he said, voice more loud.

He had resorted to gesturing with his hands, which proved to her that he was genuinely frustrated with himself and with her, but that he did not know how to move forward. If he wasn't so agitated and sick, she would have toyed with him no doubt, but even she pitied him with the way he looked.

"I can do just what you did for me..." she whispered.

Something about it was almost exciting...if he'd just play along.

"No, you can't-"

"-yes, I can. And I'm in charge now, so end of discussion," she demanded.

It was such a demand that Joel lifted his head out of the bowel to glare at her for a moment. They stared each other down for a long time, but halfway through, his eyes faltered, and he looked away: it was such a show of submission, and a victory for her, that she grinned.

"That's what I thought. Are you done in here? If you are, let's get-" she suggested, but was cut off yet again when he began to retch.

It was an oddly pathetic to hear him be sick, as his stomach contents hit the water. There seemed to be tears in his eyes, and for a moment she panicked that he may be crying, but then she realized it was just a natural response.

Joel, crying? He'd murder you for even thinking that.

There was nothing she could give him, for the time being, save for precious silence and the comforting presence of someone who cared. She let her hand gently pat the square of his back, but it was evident to her that the contact was not the least bit comforting to him. Perhaps it would have been for her, but it seemed like he just genuinely wanted to ride out his illness alone. Of course, that wasn't going to happen, but she would allow him at least the peace of mind to do his own thing without interference.

After a few minutes had passed without him being sick again, she stood.

"Please...just go. You don' need to see this," he grumbled from shame.

"Think you can make it into your room...?" she prompted softly, and tried to change the subject.

"Yeah..." he finally said, and with a slow nod, began to get up.

Ellie moved toward him as a means to try and steady him, but he gave her an irritated look. It did not seem to deter her, though, and as he rolled his eyes and made his way to the room, he glanced over to see her walking with her arms ready to swoop in, should he fall.

"Ya know, it ain't like you can catch me, kid," he grumbled, and then scoffed.

"I could try," she simply shrugged.

Maybe a few months ago, his persistent negativity would have rubbed off on her, but she knew him too well now, and simply ignored his efforts. When he climbed into bed, she continued to hover over him, unsure of what to do next.

"Can you get yourself settled in?" she prompted, unsure why, but the words fell regardless.

"I'm not a fuckin' cripple, Ellie," he shot back. In response, she simply rolled her eyes.

He so desperately wanted to get under her skin, so he could suffer alone, but the damn girl refused to give up on him. It was almost...noble.

"Do you have a fever?" she prompted.

"I dunno," he simply deadpanned, and rolled over in bed, pulling the comforter over himself with his back to her.

"Joel...you look a little shaky. Do you have chills?" she prompted, using a sickly sweet variation of herself that she knew would annoy him. Not to get under his skin, but because she knew if she could get him comfortable this way, that when she started to actually care for him, he'd simply have to accept it.

When his silence wasn't enough, she simply hopped over his side of the bed and placed the back side of her hand to his forehead. The contact made his eyes open wide, and he glared into her eyes.

The game was over, for the moment. For a second, a look of fear spread across her face, no matter how she tried to hide it.

"That's a pretty gnarly fever, Joel. Let's get that down, yeah?" she prompted, very softly.

"...Yeah," he finally admitted, after a sigh.

When she came back with a cool rag, she found him already fast asleep. And, even if just for a second, he looked as though he may have been the gentlest creature she'd ever seen. His heavy, tired lids glued together, and the steady rise and fall of his chest, almost took her breath away.

"No matter how hard you try...this is how I know you," she murmured to herself, slipped inside the bed, and placed the rag to his forehead.

A Few Hours Later...

He was almost positive she was playing reverse psychology with him.

The past few hours, he had lost a significant amount of his strength from the constant loss of his bodily fluids. It was so bad that Ellie had just moved a bin next to his bed, as he no longer had it in him to move up and down whenever he needed to get to the bathroom quickly. Luckily for him, he hadn't thrown up in an hour, and she was forcing water into him like a good caretaker should do, but having gone at least fifteen hours without food, she wanted him to get at least something in his system.

It was not so much that he even felt that nauseated anymore...oddly enough, he felt like he could stomach the idea of food, even if it was only from the fact that it was good for him.

Downstairs, he could smell what he assumed to be soup cooking. Briefly, he worried that she may or may not have any idea how to cook, as her attempts hadn't been all that successful in the past, but was too exhausted to worry on it further.

As much as he wanted to call for her...and ask what she was doing...and in turn ask for a little something to snack on...he refused. The last time she'd come into the room, he had gotten pretty aggressive with her in the middle of his own misery, and though he knew he hadn't hurt her feelings, he knew he had pissed her off, which was significantly harder to deal with in the short-term.

At some point, he started to time how long she'd gone without coming to check on him. After all, what was a man to do when he was this weak, with no TV in the room, and when he'd already slept the day away?

Spendin' time with Ellie don't look so bad right about now...wonder what she's doin'...

As much as it was killing him, he just blatantly refused to be the first to make contact. Not after she had annoyed him all day. It made her so damn happy to be useful...and as much credit as he should have given her, he did not want to admit his own weakness. It's not like he had depended on her...he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Or...so he thought.

Then again, the reason he hadn't just walked downstairs by now was because his legs just wouldn't carry him that far. But, if he told Ellie that, and if he made it seem like he wanted to give her a reason to baby him...she'd never let him live it down.

The idea made him want to throw up again.

And, it was for this reason, that he wondered if she knew deep down what his feelings were, and that he was temporarily weakened beyond his control. It wouldn't be the first time she'd tried playing mind games with him to see who could break first.

Why was she so damn stubborn?

Not that...he didn't think he was being stubborn too...but...at least he had an excuse! He was sick for God's sake. It practically gave him a freebie to act like an asshole.

But, as the hours dragged on, and his hunger and actual need for socialization began to knaw at his insides...he not only knew that she had done all of this on purpose, but that he did not mind breaking first.

He sighed for a moment, and glanced outside, noticing that the sun was setting. They had at least spent half the day doing this ridiculous shit. It was so childish.

With one last sigh, he bid adieu to his pride, and swallowed hard.

"Ellie...?" he called, ever so slightly, to grab her attention downstairs.

He could have sworn he heard her snicker, but hoped it was his mind playing tricks. After a few seconds of silence, he rolled his eyes, and braced again.

"Ellie...!" he called a bit more loudly.

Then, he actually heard it. Ellie cleared her throat condescendingly downstairs.

You gotta be fuckin' kidding me, kid.

"ELLIE!" he finally yelled, and then had a bit of a coughing fit from the effort.

"What is it, Joel?" she finally answered.

"You...uh...you got any food down there?" he called, a bit more meek.

"Food? Are you hungry, Joel?" she taunted.

"Uh, yeah, a little bit," he mumbled, but still loud enough to hear.

"I'm sorry Joel, I'm having hard time understanding you...?" she continued to toy. He gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, the feeling of being played was overwhelming.

"Ellie, I'm hungry!" he finally admitted, and threw his head back in exhaustion.

"You're hungry? Well...there's food down here. You'd better come grab some! It's great," she all but giggled.

"Ellie, I..." he stammered, and then sighed. "I...I can't come downstairs," he offered slightly.

"You can't? Well what ever are we going to do, Joel...?" she taunted for the last time.

"Ellie...can you please...come up here...and bring some food?" he asked through gritted teeth, as sweetly as he could muster.

"Well sure, Joel! All you had to do was ask!" she called with glee, and quickly bounded up the stairs with a trey full of his requests.

When she reached his room, she found him glaring at her with his arms crossed in bed.

"Really?" he deadpanned.

"Joel, do you want the soup, or not?" she asked, suddenly defensive.

"Yeah, yeah...I want the damn soup. Can I have some or not?" he asked, willing to literally do anything to eat and then go right back to sleep.

"Absolutely...I made it specially for you, silly," she said with a shrug, then sat the tray on the bedside table, and she settled down next to him. But, when he reached to start eating it, she shook her head. He paused in midair, and looked at her defensively.

"You're sick, Joel. Save your rest and keep warm under the blanket. I'll feed it to you," she said effortlessly.

He simply glared at her.

"Ellie, I swear to Christ, you're gonna be the damn death of me," he grumbled, and she grinned.

"I don't know what you mean. Now, open wide. Let's get some food in that tummy," she intentionally babied.

After one last reluctant glare was thrown her way, he obeyed, and she slipped the spoon into his mouth without much fuss. At first, he wasn't eager, but as the brothy liquid continued to fill his mouth, his face began to look almost pleasant. And, for a man who rarely smiled, that meant all the world. She continued to feed him, until the sides of his mouth were almost completely turned upwards.

"Is something funny, Joel?" she prompted after a moment, and did her best not to look entertained.

When he didn't answer, she finally looked into his eyes, and though pale and weak, there was a joy in their light that, accompanied with the loving look on his face, was enough to make her break the cool act and smile too.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't the nicest today..." he led in.

"You aren't the nicest any day...just...especially not today," she urged.

"I know, I know. But, you put up with me anyway. Thank you, ma'am," he added, just about as sincerely as he could.

"And, you put up with me," she added.

"That's the damn truth...more soup," he then demanded, but his acknowledgment of his own need thrilled her, and she continued to feed him.

"Say no more. Maria gave me the recipe...I might have a skill, Joel," she prompted.

"Other than annoying the hell out of me?" he asked.

"It's not a skill, it's a hobby. Totally different," she admitted, and he smiled again.

"Okay, kiddo, that's about all I can take. Think I'm gonna sleep the rest of the night," he finally murmured, and she nodded.

"All right, just let me know if you need me," she collected the trey and almost turned to walk downstairs, before he cleared his throat.

"Uh, where you goin'?" he pretended to be offended.

"Going to let you rest..." she said, dumbfounded. When she turned around completely, though, she found Joel patting his hand on the side of the bed.

"You're not gonna tuck me in and wait until I fall asleep?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled brightly.

"Jokes over, Joel, I won't mess with you anymore. Thanks for entertaining me, though..." she trailed off, when she realized he was being serious.

"Come on over here and get me warm," he demanded again, and she obeyed with excitement.

"You're getting a little bossy, don't you think?" she asked.

"Nope, just lettin' you get me better. Make sure you stay until I fall asleep..." he called over his shoulder, where she had snuggled in behind him.

"Until you fall asleep?" she asked, now confused.

"In case I get a nightmare, Ellie. Jesus, you're bad at this," he taunted again, and began to drift.

"I've created a monster," she deadpanned.

But he hadn't heard, as he was already fast asleep.

To be honest, I feel like this was mostly to be funny, but I actually do think it could happen like this between two incredibly stubborn people. I needed some lightness. Thanks for reading!