Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jasper catches up to thistle. His breath is heavy, his cheeks are darkened by the heavy eye bags he wears from sleepless nights. Thistle has become painfully familiar with all the scars and dips in his face. She takes his hand getting a tight grip in such short time. Pulling him in to the trailer and pushing him back to slam the door shut and close all 7 locks on it.

“You look horrible” She states bluntly turning around to face him with her back pressed up against the door. She eyes his tattered clothing trying to find any new stains or signs of injuries. Red seems to drip from his left shoulder which he was clutching tightly with his hand.
“I'm alright…..i actually left something out there a need to go grab it.” Jasper fails to continue to hide his arm injury. By trying to make some form of motion, only revealing it more. He glares down at her, challenging her to mention it.

Thistle takes a closer look. His breath still hasn't caught up with him. His skin seemed clammy and almost sticky in a way. He looked both overheated and shivering at the same time. He looked on the brink of death in all honesty. Thistle would know, she's seen many tip over the brink before.

Thistle stares right back, meeting his eyes easily. A glare is nothing to fear from him as much as he likes to act like he's tough, Jasper has a heart of gold. He’d proven that long ago and continues to prove it in any chance he can.

“No.” there is not a chance thistle is letting him risk his life further than he already has.

“W-What?! No? The fuck do you mean no?” Jasper sputtered out. His face flashes with concern and panic. “Come on its important i wont be out long” He waves at the door.

“No! No, Your injured , you’re staying here.” Thistle crosses her arms in an authoritative tone. She may be younger but she was just as scary.

“Look, Thistle just because their are one or two scattered about doesn't mean there is an entire horde. I only came in here to grab a water bottle. I thought you would be out of the house. Now let me go back out there.”

“And there is still one or two scattered about?! Thats dangerous! Your arm is bleeding you have to stay here!” She stands her ground as their argument continues.

“Your not going to let me go are you.” He states shoulders falling back and eyes dragging into the floor.

“Nope!” Thistle smiles up at him.”Now, bandages.” She makes her way to the medical cabinet.

“Are you sure?” He sighs somenly, dropping the leather jacket off his shoulders, discarding it off to the side and letting it fall an a heap to the floor. When he does so , Thistle can clearly see the nastier bits of the wound. Swelling and puss covered in flakes of decay. She….she hadnt seen a wound that bad since Saris.

Thistle pauses at the scare, before shaking thoughts from her head to convince herself it will be alright and picking up the jacket. It makes a lot of noises as she does, as Jasper was not a careful person, she often sowed extra padding and armor to the article.

“This is going to be difficult.” she confessed. She looked back at him and notices how the skin that was so desperately trying cling to his bones started to sag.
“You're stubborn ... .too stubborn.”Jasper recalls a bot lost in thought. He has his back turned now.

“Did ... .did you get bit?” Thistle doesn't dare move in that moment glaring holes into the teeth marks on his shoulder.

“Eh, what does it matter? You're already not going to let me go.” He shrugs and down at thistle just in time to see her eyes start to water.

“Can I still care for you?!” She rushes to his side, voice rising in panic. “Come on! You know why this matters.”

Jasper fumbles for words as he is forced down into the nearest couch. “Oh do I now?” he tries to playfully counter. It only adds awkward tension.

“Yes! Now lay down. I'm going to take care of you” She stretches his arm out, it's cold. He doesn't resist her movements, to her surprise.

“Stay here. This is worse than I thought. I need to grab more supplies.” She pins him down with one arm before abandoning him for the medicine cabinet to grab anything and everything she can get her hands on.

She runs across the trailer with things in hand and then sits down on the floor next to Jasper. Who had tried to get up and make a break for the door but she was much quicker in his sickly state. She threw him back down onto the couch.

“Stay here.” she starts cleaning the would with a rag and disinfectant. The edges of the skin around it were turning a vomiting green. He was….he was going to turn to into one of them. And leave her. And for what? Hope she’ll be ok?!

“Idiot.” She chastises under her breath. Shes not sure weather the comment is at him or herself.

“Your talking” He laughs to cover up the twinges of pain.

“Yeah I am,” Thistle scoffs. “I can't afford to lose another friend here., your my last hope. Im going to keep trying until both of us are alive or both of us are dead.”

“I guess living in the middle of a zombie apocalypse will do that to somebody.” Jasper doesn't meet her eyes. “Thistle. ….i don't want to hurt you. Please let me go. I know its hard but….i came back so i would have enough time to write you a goodbye note and tell you what happened. You weren't supposed to see me like this. Thistle you cant save me. I know how much you want to. But ... .neither of us could save charlie or saris or hell even the other band members during that first attack.”
“But we've always managed to save each other. Its been just us for 2 years now you know? I'm not going to give up.”

“You should! Please for your own safety let me go.”

“Can i…atleast bandage you first? If you're going to become a mindless monster i’d rather you be a functional one.”

“Or….i could not be one at all. Thistle….i don't want to be a zombie. I don't want to end up like the others. You want to know who bit me? It was charlie. It was stupid but I ... .I missed them and I saw their faces or rather what was left of it and I froze and I just ... .I don't want to do that to you. I don't want you to see me like that. I don't want to decay and rot please thistle….i know you have your knives on you….”

“Jasper no! I'm not going to-”

“Please.” He gripped her shirt pulling her closer tears in his eyes. “Please……don't let me hurt you….”

“Jasper….” she said his name while pausing, wrapping his arm in a bandage. Her own face had been dotted with tear drops. She wiped them off and took a deep breath. “I…i have sleeping pills you can take. It should be painless.” she mutters. Hesitantly forcing the words out and slowly letting go of the bandage.

“Thank you” he pitifully mutters through a forced smile. She picks up his jacket from the floor and slides it on. She always hated leather but it feels like his warmth. She goes to grab the bottle. There's just enough in there for one person. She honestly planned to use it herself if she ever got bit so she supposes she can't be too mad at him for wanting to do the same.

She returns with the bottle. Silently she gives him a tight hug before slipping it into his hands.

“I love you ok? You're a brother to me.”’

“I love you too.” he pulls her in tighter. Breaks away for a second and thistle closes her eyes she can't watch. She just keeps on hugging him. Her face buried in his chest as the silence from the lack of pills against the orange container filled the room. And the sound of a slowing heart beat breaks her mind. He places a hand on her hair running his fingers through it one last time. She still keeps her arms around him until his finger freezes up and she can no longer feel the soft ups and downs of air entering and leaving his chest.