"I'm not sick Nerd, my immune system is far too strong to let something as simple as a cold take over," Gail said with purpose. She waved a hand to further her point of how silly the accusation was.
Holly shook her head, there was no winning with her girlfriend. Gail had been up coughing all night, in the beginning stages of a bad fever, and her voice was already getting gravely. She was sick, there was no doubt about it. Only thing was to convince her to admit it and stay home to rest.
"Honey, I have no doubt that your immune system bench presses elephants without a sweat, but a cold snuck in through their muscles and you need to rest," she said calmly.
"Rest is for babies and old people Hol, the weak. I need to go to work." Gail shoved her feet into her boots and straightened out, unbothered to lace them, and met the dark brown eyes she signed her soul to.
It clicked then, what Gail's problem was, why she was full heartedly denying her cold. Holly's heart sank and she was filled with guilt for not seeing it earlier. Sickness was weakness, another ex-Peck-tation instilled in her since birth. She took the few steps between them and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, allowing the stoic blonde to nuzzle into her neck.
"It's okay to be sick, Gail," she whispered.
Gail shook her head.
"Everyone gets sick, even Elaine."
Gail snorted but shuffled closer to Holly and melted into the embrace.
"Common, stay home with me," she encouraged the blonde lovingly. "We can get put our pyjamas back on and crawl back into bed, watch Netflix. And later I can make your favourite soup. Hmm?" She gently rubbed her back.
"One day playing sick can't hurt right," Gail mumbled into Holly's skin.
"Not a bit." Holly smiled triumphantly. Gail might not admit to illness but as long as she got her to stay home it didn't matter. She kissed Gail's forehead, half just because and half to check her temperature. She was getting warm so Holly's next mission was to get her girlfriend to take medicine. But first they needed to get comfortable. She gave one last squeeze and stepped out of the embrace, "alright, take off your boots and get your fine ass back up those stairs. I'll call us both off and be up in a minute."