A little something written for fun and experimentation, because it never hurts to challenge yourself a little bit. And besides, these two are just too cute together to NOT write about, seriously.

- Hemoptysis

I do not own the Left 4 Dead series, the Hunters, blahblahblah, all that legal jazz. Only Hyena belongs to me. Cobalt (from whose perspective this fanfic is written) belongs to a very good friend of mine!

oOo

Small Steps

I've never exactly been an "open-hearted" person. I prefer to keep to myself, really. Always been that way, even before all of this started happening. It's much better. Easier. Easier when you only have to worry about yourself. No point worrying about others, anyway; not in the middle of a so-called "zombie apocalypse". Only "others" there are now are the "Infected". What we're usually called. Not that they matter. Too far gone. Little more than animals now. Stumbling around in the streets like a pack of drunks… snarling, fighting amongst themselves. Killing, eating each other. Probably the best food source now, admittedly. Most of them aren't the "lucky" ones, though. The ones who caught the weakened strain of the virus, kept a fraction of their minds, their previous lives, their memories. Ones like me.

Guess we're rare, because I only know one other, kind of like myself. Keeps a bit of thought, apparently. Wears a black hoodie, black pants. Closest thing I've got to a friend, a sense of normalcy. A welcome distraction from the surrounding carnage, used to it as you get. He's more active where I'm more slowed-down. A better, more proficient killer. Downright vicious. Not as easy for me. I'm strong, but not fast. But that's okay. We get along well enough. No choice but to if you want any sort of company.

Strange as it sounds, we have our fair share of fun, when we're not busy eating, stalking, whatever. More devious than anything. A lot of it typically involves taunting the other Infected, simply because there's nothing else to do. It's pretty easy; they're not as bright. Like teasing a bunch of rabid dogs. Females, especially. They're the most fun to mess around with. Nastier tempers than the males, but not quite as strong. They're easier targets for me to steal kills from. Elicit the most amusing responses, at that. So long as you steer clear of the claws of the pale ones that cry, you're fine. Just gotta move fast. Or try. I have difficulties there sometimes, too. Which is why it's easier to just steal another's kill. I'm tough enough that they don't think twice about trying to steal it back. Usually.

Never knew a female to hold her ground. Especially not against someone like me, bigger than her. But, then again, she wasn't like most females.

Everything got a bit more complicated when I met her. And I still don't really know why.

The nearby sound of a pained shriek moments later choked off by a gurgle and then silence made me open my eyes, sit up a little straighter. Sun's setting; night would be here soon. Unconsciously I swipe my tongue across my lips, taste only the usual blood and drying saliva. It was a good sound; it usually meant some other Infected had just made a kill. Good thing, too. I can already feel the hunger gnawing at my insides. It's always there. The virus makes it so.

I push myself up and start moving, hunched, keeping low to the ground. Isn't long before I'm breathing harder than should be necessary for the slower pace. Low, wheezing gasps. Got the bullet wound in my side to thank for that. Product of being just a little too slow, clumsy. Inattentive. Bullet's still lodged inside. Can't reach it. I've tried. Hurts too much.

I listen closely and keep going, ignoring the dull burn of the wound I've grown to live with. Follow the faint odor of fresh blood and the sounds of ripping flesh growing increasingly louder. Easier this way; eyesight's not what it used to be before contracting the infection. Eats away at it slowly. Gives terrible headaches. Have to try harder not to trip over anything in this alleyway… might not see it.

Reaching the end of the alleyway, I paused, crouching, hiding myself in the shadows to look out. There, in the middle of the street, in between a couple of parked cars; a small figure, bent over the bleeding corpse of what must've been a "survivor", a male one. The cloying reek of fresh blood is enticing, but I force myself to remain still. It's hard.

I have to squint to make out any detail at this distance. The figure's dressed in faded orange, a hood pulled up over the head, covered in leopard spots. The edges, trimmed in fur. I snorted. Must be another one like my friend and I. "Hunters", I've overheard survivors call us. Not hard to see why. This one looks… runty, though. Weak. Not to survivors, of course… but probably to a bigger Hunter. One like me. I bare my teeth in something of a bloody grin. This would be easy.

I crept forward out of the alleyway, staying down, quiet, supporting my weight on my knuckles. The figure's back is to me. Too busy tearing into the severed arm of their kill to notice me coming up from behind. Even better. All the more amusing when I suddenly chase them off and take it for myself.

I'm only a couple of feet away now, and I growl, low and threatening, teeth bared like a dog. Even my failing eyesight could pick up the figure stiffening in surprise, anticipation. I growl louder, move forward, and they whirl around, dropping the half-eaten arm and crouching defensively in front of the kill. For a moment, I stop growling, and my eyes widen in shock; the face was mostly obscured by the hood, but there could be no mistaking the subtle curves of the body underneath the grimy hoodie, the torn pants. The slender limbs dotted with sickly, pus-filled boils like the ones on my right arm. A female. A FEMALE Hunter. A HuntRESS?

She snarls, startling me out of my surprise. She was backing up, standing her ground over the mangled corpse, her growl high-pitched. More like a hiss. Almost comical. Yet for some reason, I don't move, just staring at her. Nonplussed. I've stolen a good number of kills these past weeks; a lot of them from females, just because it's easier. But not ONE of them had tried to stand up to me like this one. Then again, none of them had been female HUNTERS.

I snarl right back, low and deep, advancing forward in a threatening motion. That's usually enough to scare any weaker Infected away, but still she huddled over her kill, completely unperturbed. Her growl only grew even louder, higher. Her face lifted; her left eye was gone, replaced now by five jagged scars and a mess of dried blood. Looked like they'd been made by the claws of another Hunter. The other one was bloodshot, inflamed, oozing a mixture of pus, blood, tears. My own clouded eyes narrowed. She'd probably lost that left eye thanks to this cocky-ass attitude of hers. And if she didn't decide to move soon, she might just need to lose the other one too to learn when to back down.

I stand, raising myself to full height, my aim to utilize my imposing size to intimidate her into giving up her catch, but that apparently didn't work, either - she was on her feet now, too, her face just inches from my own. I was several inches taller than her, and many pounds heavier, but it didn't unnerve her whatsoever. I faltered; this was completely new to me. No Infected had EVER challenged me this much. ESPECIALLY not a female. It was strange. Flustering.

Her blood-soaked teeth were still bared, single eye boring into mine with a sort of fiery determination that was almost… unsettling. Not even my partial blindness could keep me from picking up on it. A faint smell of decay wafted from it, too… nearly blind, but still an intense look. I growled again, but… it doesn't sound quite as forceful this time. Like I didn't really mean it as much.

She suddenly put her hands on my chest and shoved me backwards, surprising me with the amount of strength behind it. Enough to make me stumble a few feet. I grunted indignantly but she only shoved me again, digging in with her claws for extra emphasis. Message was loud and clear – "MINE, AND STAYING MINE".

I couldn't believe it. I was… backing away. Lowering myself into a crouching position again, moving back towards the entrance of the alleyway I'd come through. SUBMITTING. To a FEMALE. A female I easily could've overpowered but for some reason just…COULDN'T. She was still standing there, glaring, watching me go, making sure I wasn't about to try and make a grab for HER kill again. And I wouldn't. I crept back into the shadows from before, hunkering down. Had to squint to make her out again. Must've been satisfied with the distance between us, because she'd sat back down and started eating again. Only this time, she was facing the alleyway, eye watchful, tearing chunks out of the severed arm with her teeth. Probably couldn't see very well out of that eye. Couldn't see ME. But she knew I was there. Watching her, too. Watching each other.

Not sure how long I crouched there before she'd finally eaten her fill; only knew that it'd finally gotten dark and hard to see. She was standing, licking the blood from her lips. I expected her to drag what was left of the kill off with her for later… Infected often did that. Hunters, especially. But…she didn't. She just glanced over her shoulder at the alleyway I was sitting in… right at me, before quickly leaping onto the roof of one of the parked cars, and from there to a steel gutter, scaling it up the side of a building until she reached the roof and was gone. Just like that. Fast.

I wait a moment, wary she might come back, but it was quiet, still. Could only hear the distant shrieks of some other Infected. I cautiously creep my way towards the bloody remains, and I wonder, in some dim, distant sort of way. Wonder if she left it here… for me. I sit myself down next to the body, look it over… still a decent amount of flesh left. Entrails. Enough to make a meal. I might've once found the idea revolting, but the virus makes my insides ache with constant hunger and it doesn't matter what I think anymore. I tear a strip off, gnaw at it. I think. Think about the Huntress in orange. Think about what exactly it was about her that'd made me falter like no one else had. Maybe just not used to being challenged by females. Or even SEEING female HUNTERS. Or even being challenged AT ALL... kind of glad my friend hadn't been around for this. He'd be appalled if he found out I'd let myself get run off by a little HUNTRESS.

…No. I think I know the REAL reason for it. I stop chewing, considering it. Blood and drool dribble down my chin. Doesn't matter.

I'd seen something FAMILIAR in her eye when she looked at me. Wasn't a dumb, dull look, like most Infected have. Slack-jawed, glassy. Stupid. In that one eye, I'd seen something a little brighter than average. A spark of actual intelligence. Diluted, sure… but there. Just hadn't noticed it at the time.

I'd met another of the "lucky" ones. She could think, too. Feel. She was like us.

Like ME.

That's about as close as we ever got to one another... for a time. In the days that followed, I tried to put the encounter out of my mind as best I could. Just an odd run-in. Nothing more. But it was annoyingly difficult, for some reason, now that I knew she was around. That she could think, too. But I never ran into her again. Couple of times I caught a high-pitched screech from a distance away... made me pause. Wonder if it was her. Then I'd just grunt, irritated with myself for even thinking about that whatsoever, and go about my usual business. Which isn't much. Once I thought I might've even glimpsed her from a distance, up on a rooftop… a little blur of orange that quickly disappeared. But I don't really trust my eyes anymore. Too clouded by infection. Can't see far… probably a mistake. Best just to forget about her. Move on. I did so.

Never once considered that she might've been thinking about me, too. That she might come looking for me. Until one evening, maybe a couple of weeks later… can't say how long it'd been for sure. Time doesn't really mean much anymore… days, nights… all the same to an Infected. Not much to distinguish between them after a while. But she found me. Wasn't expecting it… but she did.

I sat alone on a rooftop. It was getting dark again; everything had a sort of orange tint to it, thanks to the setting sun. Harder for me to see, of course. I was huddled up against the low concrete wall surrounding the edge, resting in its shadow. Caught in that weird space of time between dozing and actual sleep. It's strangely quiet, air still, warm; nothing to hear but the sounds of my own ragged breathing. That and the constant fever make it hard to get any good rest sometimes, but you learn to adjust. Have to.

A sudden shriek made me jump, eyes fly open, body tense for a possible fight. A small figure was perched on the wall across the roof from me… dressed in an orange hoodie, with leopard spots and fur trim. I blinked in surprise; it was HER again. How'd she been able to finally find me? I sat up and growled threateningly, expecting her to attack, but she didn't move. I squinted in suspicion; I could make out a fish hanging from her mouth, for some reason, bloody and glistening. I stopped growling, cocked my head curiously at her. She did the same, still quiet, unmoving.

We must've just stared at each other awkwardly for a full minute before she finally took the fish out of her mouth and threw it towards me; it plopped onto the ground by my feet. I blinked in confusion, gave her another suspicious glare, but still she just sat there, innocently looking back. I didn't take my eyes off of her as I reached down, grabbed the fish, took a quick whiff of it. Didn't smell… rotten, I guess. In fact, still seemed to be dripping wet; fresh out of water. I looked up at her, perplexed. Had she brought this… just for ME? I thought I saw her grin, nod slightly… like she was encouraging me to take it.

I begrudgingly grunted at her (more or less "thank you"), and scooted farther away, turning my back to eat. It was good. Did well to sate the gnawing hunger… for a little while. I heard a high-pitched giggling sound, and glanced over my shoulder warily; she hadn't moved at all, but she was LAUGHING at me. No idea why… nothing was very funny. I rolled my eyes and went back to stripping the last pieces of flesh from the fish's bones, distracting myself from it. Despite my injuries, I was confident enough that I'd be able to take her if she decided to pounce. If she thought she could trick me into trusting her just because she'd brought me some food, she had another thing coming. I'd show her. But she never budged from her spot. She only sat there, watching me eat. Grinning.

I finished up, wiping my mouth on the caution tape wrapped around my left arm. The Huntress seemed satisfied, because she nodded, turned and leapt onto the next rooftop over. A few bounds later, she'd dropped into the alleyway on the other side and was gone.

I was still, staring absently off in the direction she'd disappeared, though I couldn't make much out in the darkness. Picking at my teeth with a fishbone, I mulled over her strange behavior. She was an odd one. Hunters usually seemed to only concern themselves with their own needs; hunt for yourself, kill for yourself. Scavenge for yourself. Losing a kill means you go hungry. Can't kill, can't scavenge? You die. That's that. Dog-eat-dog. But… she'd been willing to share with me. Why…?

…Had she been watching me from the shadows for the past couple of weeks since we'd met? Could she tell from my attempt to kill-steal from her that I didn't often "hunt" for myself? Notice my crippling bullet wound? If that was it… did that mean she felt SORRY for me? Sorry enough to share her food?

I grunted irritably at the thought of being pitied. ESPECIALLY being pitied by a FEMALE. Sighing, I flopped over onto my side and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to finally reach me through the haze of fever.

I'd thought that was the end of it. Just a one-time deal, a brief showing of kindness. Nothing more than that, wouldn't happen again. But that wasn't the case. The next evening found me on the same rooftop, again dozing (trying to, anyway), and again opening them to find a fish at my feet and the Huntress perched on the wall across from me, giggling. I thought about pushing it away; I was strong enough. I could get food for myself just fine, thanks. But... hunger compelled me to take it. It annoyed me how easily pushed over I was for a quick meal. Made me defensive. I dragged it back over to the same place to eat, while she watched me from a distance. Same as last night, when I was finished, she left, and I fell asleep with a full stomach.

…On a whim, I returned to the same rooftop the next night. She was there, same time, more fish. After that… it became something of a routine for us. Over the next couple of weeks, same time every evening, I'd wait there on the roof, and she'd show up with the food. Usually fish. Sometimes an arm, part of a leg. But mostly fish. And every time, she'd sit just a little bit closer. Linger a few minutes longer after I'd finished eating before she'd leave. And I was okay with that. I'd grown used to her presence. She seemed… okay. Didn't seem to want to fight me or anything. In fact, I guess you could say we'd become… friends. A tentative, strange sort of friendship, but it was there.

Another two weeks or so, and we'd grown completely comfortable with being around each other. Comfortable enough that she could now sit right next to me without any tension. She'd started bringing food for herself, too, and we'd eat together. She'd even sometimes give me a light pat on the back before leaving… and I didn't mind that at all. Easier to see her clearly now that she was closer; she must've been pretty before she'd gotten infected. Still kind of was, I guess, much as it was awkward to admit. The giggling thing seemed to be a quirk of hers - she did it a lot, but I didn't really mind. Finally noticed she had a piercing in her lower lip, too… reminded me of the one in my tongue, still there. And it was always easy to identify her by scent, at least; she often had a vague "fishy" smell underneath the reek of blood. Not hard to tell why. Wondered if she got all the fish from the river outside of the city. Must be good at catching them if she can do it with only one bad eye.

A couple of times… we met up, ate, then climbed down and just… walked, side-by-side. Going nowhere in particular. Just walking together for something to do. (Making sure to stay out of sight, though… didn't want to be attacked like sitting ducks.) I'd probably never admit it, but a small part of me did enjoy the company. The part not completely claimed by infection. I actually began to kind of look forward to her visits, something strange for me. It was… different from hanging around with my friend. More peaceful. She wasn't as… slow as I am, but not as difficult to keep up with sometimes as he is. She seemed to acknowledge the limits my injury put on me… and the small part appreciated that, I guess. The same small part that made me feel just the slightest bit anxious when she showed up a little late. The couple of times she hadn't shown up at all. That part had been… worried. Wondering if she'd gotten herself hurt. Maybe even killed. But I'd hear that trademark high-pitched giggle of hers, and be relieved. Maybe even smile. Just a little.

I… think I liked her more than I cared to acknowledge. And I didn't know what to make of it.

At first, I denied it. Wouldn't think about it. Didn't want to. I can't pinpoint it exactly – virus chews away at parts of the memory… makes it hard to remember things that came before it sometimes – but there was something in me that created a strong dislike of females. I think I had a bad experience with one once. Very bad. Made me wary of them and their intentions. But this Huntress… there was just… something about her. Something unique. She'd shown me nothing but kindness over the past few weeks (not counting our first encounter, of course, but, then again, I'd sort of instigated that), and kindness in such a dismally hellish situation is next to nonexistent. Even more so from an Infected themselves. She'd given me no reason to distrust her. And there was no denying that I had enjoyed the companionship… though I'm not the type to openly express it.

I'd thought about slowly distancing myself from her… more emotionally than physically. I just didn't want to be inevitably hurt again like I'm sure I must've been before. (That… and forming close bonds in such a volatile, sickness-ridden environment where you're considered the enemy is dangerous. No point in becoming too attached to someone when they could very well just be shot, eviscerated, ripped apart by another Infected... snatched away from you in a second.) But… easier said than done. Deep down I actually felt… kind of bad at the thought of just pushing her away for no real reason. She'd done nothing wrong. She hadn't been deceitful. A bit of a prankster sometimes, yes, but nothing malicious… still, why take chances?

A few more days passed… and still we spent time together. I hadn't even tried. I couldn't. The remnants of my common sense and the bizarre affection I felt were at war; looked like the affection was winning. It was frustrating. I was annoyed with it. No, annoyed with myself for allowing it to happen. I just… didn't want her to go. I'd let myself slip. Now instead of just focusing on looking out for myself in this disease-ravaged wasteland, I had her to think about, too. I'd left myself open. Vulnerable.

Was this a good thing? That I had someone that made me feel… happy, I guess? More sane? Less sick? Or a bad thing, as my new weakness? Ugh, it hurt to even think about. Makes the migraines worse. Couldn't help but wonder if my friend had noticed that something was bothering me. Hell, couldn't help but wonder if he even knew how I'd been spending my evenings for the past couple of months. Doubt it. I know he'd never leave me alone if he found out about my new… interest.

I mulled it over for a little while… thought about it as hard as the infection would allow. Really took a good look at her. Normally I was in no way a "touchy-feely" kind of guy, but she wasn't all that shy about the occasional clumsy hug or squeeze before she'd go. And I let her. Sometimes I even surprised myself by giving her something of an awkward one-armed squeeze back. Because that strange little part of me down deep inside enjoyed the contact, I guess. Enjoyed her.

And after that… well, I had no choice. No other way to look at it. The realization I'd been keeping at bay for so long (was almost afraid of, to be honest) finally sank in, and when it did, it did with a very loud, exasperated groan and a flopping onto my side that made my buddy throw a confused look in my direction.

I loved her, didn't I? Yep. Had to be it. Couldn't deny it any longer. Would just look like an idiot lying to myself. I'd been careless, left myself wide open… and now I'd fallen in love with that tricky little Huntress in the orange hoodie. Hadn't even known it was still possible for an Infected to fall in love. One of the "perks" of being a tad brighter than average? Yeah, funny.

I knew I could just go on hiding my actual feelings, but… seemed kind of pointless now that I'd come to terms with them. Had to be careful, though – keep control of my emotions. Couldn't afford to turn into some sappy romantic and get distracted. Especially around my friend.

But how to express my newfound affections? As much as I actually did care for her (reluctantly admitted), I wasn't really into the whole idea of running in and... I dunno, sweeping the girl off of her feet and into my arms like some kind of infected Casanova. Hell no... not my thing. Not at all. Even less so as a Hunter with failing eyesight, bad migraines, and a crippling bullet wound to boot. No nice guy. Something of a "personality quirk" of mine, you could say. But that didn't mean I didn't still... want her.

I could show her how I felt, sure… never said I'd show it like a sweetheart, though.

That evening found us outside of the city limits, at the nearby river. She'd led me to this place, seemingly quite excited to show it to me, judging from the way she'd kept giggling and tugging at my hand to hurry me along. She'd often had to wait for me to catch up (wound in my side must've damaged a lung; I pant a lot, it's hard for me to catch my breath), but she didn't seem to mind. She'd crouch patiently, eventually content to just move at my pace. I appreciated that.

We were on a long dock, jutting out into the middle of the wide steely-gray river. Hard for me to actually SEE, but I could FEEL that it was pretty shabby; almost stepped through a couple of missing boards in places. This is probably where she'd been going to catch all these fish… wait for them to drift around the supporting beams, then snatch them up with her claws. Wasn't really that far above the water, either… only a couple of feet. Either the water was higher than usual or the old dock was starting to sag. Maybe both.

She was kneeling next to me, leaned over the side, nose an inch from the water's surface. Probably looking for more fish. (Never quite figured out how exactly she does that; does she smell them before she sees them? I dunno.) I sat on the edge of the dock, my feet dipped into the dark, chilly water. Felt kind of nice on them, actually. Soothing on the soreness.

Watching her, I had a sudden idea… and smiled mischievously. I KNEW she hated getting her body wet. Anything but her hands when she fished, she hated. I'd figured that out when one day it'd started raining, and she'd immediately darted away to hide out underneath the overhang of a nearby roof, pouting like a kid. (Never really understood WHY; maybe she'd had some kind of bad water-related experience. Or just hated the sensation of wetness. Either way, I wasn't exactly capable of asking her.) She was totally vulnerable right now. She'd gotten me a couple of times before. Tricky, tricky. Now it was MY turn to have a little fun.

I snorted, nudged her with my elbow. She looked up- and I swiped my foot against the surface, sending a large splash of cold water right into her face.

She fell back onto her ass, snarling and coughing, rubbing her eye. I was laughing, if you could call it that; a low, wheezing cough of a sound. Hurts to laugh too hard. Wiping her face on the bandages wrapped around her right forearm, she glared at me through strands of blonde hair now plastered to her face. Her hood was soaked, making the fur edging it all straggly; least the water had cleaned up her face a bit. I squinted at it, taking a better look while I laughed. Had to admit, she was pretty damn cute pouting like that. Even with the single eye.

She hissed at me and turned away. I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and started past her up the dock, stalking back towards the shore. Not like I'd dumped that burning fluid the nasty spitting Infected coughed up in her face. She'd get over it when her hood dried off, I guess…

I'd almost reached it when I felt someone pounce on my back. HARD. I yelped like some surprised dog as we tumbled end over end around on the grass. Ended up on my back, staring up at a very smug-looking Huntress' face just a couple of inches from my own. She was straddling my belly, pinning my shoulders to the ground. Didn't seem like she was about to let me up, either.

I grunted, annoyed. A sort of "Fine, you got me back" kind of grunt. She grinned down at me and didn't move, cackling instead. Bloody fish-breath, too. Good thing I'd gotten used to that. Didn't care much for the water dripping onto my face, though.

She let go of my shoulders, let me sit up… a little bit. Still wouldn't get off of my legs. I growled, but found my face twisting into a… smile. Couldn't help it; found her too amusing, even when she was getting in the way. The smile disappeared almost as fast as it'd gotten there, but too late. She'd already caught it. She grinned triumphantly, and did something I wasn't expecting – leaned forward and clumsily pressed her lips against my forehead. Then she was up and gone, bounding away up the slight hillside, laughing and looking back at me. Guess she was in a teasing mood.

I was still caught off-guard by the… kiss, was it? I think? I touched the spot. Still moist from the water and small amounts of blood on her lips. I grunted, shrugged it off. Probably just playing around with me again. Just in a different way. Still, though, the human part of my mind still fighting against the sickness needed to stop feeling so… strangely CONTENT with it. I sighed, stood up and got walking to where she'd paused to wait for me, so we could head back together before it got too dark to see anything.

And, just for the BRIEFEST moment... I could've sworn I felt her squeeze my hand.

That night, I thought a bit. Thought about the kiss. About her. I wondered… did she feel the same strange traces of affection that I did? Did they nag at her as much as they did me? Or was she just really good at hiding them? Good at hiding emotions underneath her snarky nature period? Actually, that was something I'd always kind of secretly admired about her; she didn't dwell too much on things. As much as it's possible for a Hunter or Huntress with waning humanity to do so, anyway. She was so sick, infected… battered. Broken. Like me. But she never seemed down. She made the best of what little she still had… and I liked that. Found it intriguing. Maybe – just maybe – being around her would help me to not feel so bad myself. Feel okay, even with the blood, the bruises. The wounds, the migraines, the blindness. Feel like my world isn't quite so dark… she'd be my light.

…Still, though, I gave myself one hell of a headache that night curiously wondering how she felt about me. I knew I cared, cared a lot more than I'd ever admit, but what about her? Her thoughts? Her feelings? She was hard one to read, this girl. She could bounce from serious to playful and back again, no warning. Couldn't say for sure how she might feel about us. Was this more… complex than just a friendship, or... well, what?

Well, the next evening… I got my answer.

I was curled up on the usual rooftop, in the shadow of the same low concrete wall surrounding it. My eyes were squeezed shut, breath coming in soft, shallow wheezes. Trying to get some decent rest through the illness and fever. Harder than usual tonight. The weather had begun to cool down recently; it helped with the uncomfortable warmth the sickness brought a bit. Helped dull the headaches. But tonight was BAD. Felt like a hammer in my skull, bad enough to make my eyes water. Didn't want to do much of anything but SLEEP.

The soft scuff of bare feet hitting concrete next to me made me tense, until I caught the scent of blood tinged by fish. An achingly familiar scent. A scent that I'd quietly grown to anticipate. My eyes remained closed, mind stirring… I WAS happy she was there, but I just felt so bad right now. So BAD. Just wanted to rest. Wouldn't blame her if she left me alone tonight. Not exactly our usual kind of fun... I'd miss her, though. That'd probably make the migraine even WORSE...

I felt her sit down beside me, a moment later her warm breath on my cheek. Maybe she could sense that I was feeling poorly. Not sure how she'd react to it. I guessed she'd just back off for tonight, come back tomorrow... we'd go find food together like we'd started doing then…

I was surprised when I felt her pull down my hood. Even more surprised when I then felt her claws gently running through my messy mohawk, over and over. Stroking. Was she… COMFORTING me? That was sure new, this sort of contact… she'd never done this before… but hell if I'd stop her. I found my body loosening at the rhythmic petting, breathing becoming slower, steadier. My face relaxed… no longer a grimace, but just peacefully resting. There was something… NICE about the touch. It felt good. Took the pain away a little. She could do this all night if she wanted to, for all I cared…

After another minute or so, the stroking stopped. I sighed; she was probably leaving now. Guess that was fine… needed to sleep, anyway, though I really wanted her to stick around...

I opened my eyes – and found her bloodstained face a few inches from mine. She'd lain down beside me, arms tucked underneath her head, one eye closed. Couldn't see the side of her face with the terrible scars. Not that I minded them, though... didn't make her any less pretty in my eyes. I squinted to make it out in the darkness; her side rose and fell with slow, sleepy breaths. She wasn't leaving. She wanted to stay with me. Rest with me. Keep me company even when I was feeling so sick…

My gaze softened. I knew now; I COULD trust her. She wouldn't betray me, like what might've happened in the past. She was good. A good Infected and still a good GIRL, and that was something I'd never seen before and would probably never see again here. So strange, so different, so NEW, but I guess that's what made her so maddeningly interesting to me. What MADE me fall in love with her. She'd opened herself up to me – and I guess that meant I'd have to do the same, too. Meet her halfway. Do for HER what she'd done for ME. Normally, I wouldn't; you need to put yourself first in this harsh, sick world. Be selfish. That's what I'd always done.

But… maybe I could make an exception. Just this once. For HER.

For a moment, my fragile psyche was caught between my "loner" mindset, my pride, my sense of self-preservation... and the desire for affection I guess I'd been craving for a while now. Affection won by a landslide. Cautiously I reached out, put an arm around her, and pulled her to me, against my chest. I half-expected her to wake up and scoot away from me, uncomfortable with the awkward contact… but instead she made a soft, almost purr-like sound and snuggled closer, burying her face into the gray fabric of my hoodie. A slender, bandaged arm slipped around my back, held me tight. Reassuringly.

She was a warm little thing... and not just because of her fever. Felt nice to hold on to with the slight chill in the air. Hadn't realized how… GOOD this would actually feel. It felt… right. Really did. Maybe it'd help to replace what we'd both lost, and were still losing. Almost funny, now that I considered it – slowly lose your sight, your physical AND mental health, and whatever else it is that separates us from a bunch of dumb, starving animals… but find someone in the same boat, and find LOVE. Animals can't feel LOVE. Ironic… but in the best way, I think.

A pleased sigh escaped my bloody lips. Gently squeezing the sleeping figure curled up in my arms, I closed my blinded eyes… and, for perhaps the first time in recent memory, sleep came easily.

oOo

...Sorry for the likely boringness of this particular fanfic, but hey, it's more fan character-centric and a "personal" piece of work than anything else, but might as well throw it up here. Special thanks to my awesome friend for her help with getting inside Cobalt's head! He's quite fun to write for! As always, reviews are welcomed!

PS: Cobalt's "friend", the Hunter wearing the "black hoodie, black pants" is Ace, who belongs to yet another buddy of mine! (There was pretty much no way he WOULDN'T end up making a bit of a guest appearance here. Pfffft.)