Work Text:
Vee wasn't shocked when her joints started grinding more than usual, when it started to get hard to see through the static or when her chest started to feel like there was something slow moving and sludgy being shaken around inside of her.
They had nearly an episode a toon where someone got ill because it was a great opportunity to teach kids how to take care of one another and how to show empathy for someone. Fortunately for Vee she couldn't just fall ill, unfortunately Delilah always had her ways.
She wasn't exactly sure when or how but at some point many years ago Delilah made a program that could run to make Vee 'ill', she obviously wasn't infectious and she couldn't be sick but it was meant to make her understand what the others felt like when they were. And she hated it. The only solace she had was that it was on a schedule so she always knew when it was coming up and how long it would last. Foolishly she thought when Gardenview shut down that this program would stop getting ran.
It didn't.
So now Vee was curled up in her room, fans running so loud they were giving a headache as she tried to cool herself down, horrible roiling feeling in her bodice making the thought of standing up feel impossible. She wanted to go and ask Dyle or even Dandy if they could find a way to turn it off but she couldn't move and even if she did manage to make her way over to either of them she wasn't sure she could talk, her voice box felt like it was frozen, no gentle hum in her neck to be found.
Perhaps the worst part wasn't the heavy aching making her wish her whole body would simply fall apart already, maybe it wasn't the way her insides felt like they were trying to eject out of her disk drive maybe in all reality the worst part was how it forced her to remember all that they had lost. Only a year ago when this happened she knew that some of the other toons would come and take care of her or that Veronica would take the time to make sure she was comfortable.
God she missed Veronica. She was a timid mess but she cared and Vee couldn't say she was certain anyone else really understood her the way she did. She wasn't sure if the other toons understood how different she was from them, if they knew she couldn't feel the way they do. Even Veronica never got that, she seemed so insistent that her 'jealousy' and need to be like them was a sign that she was.
But Vee knew better.
Delilah had told her plenty of times, she was just a husk of what the others were. Mimicking what they were and doing what they could never do.
God she was a fool, sitting here whining and pining for something she can't even understand and never could even if she tried.
Vee was just about ready to pull her own batteries out so she could power down until someone decided they needed her and this 'event' was over and done with when a knock against her door stopped her, looking over she tried to call out and ask what they wanted but while her display moved no sound came out.
"Hey Vee, it's Shelly! I was wondering if you were doing okay since I've not seen you today and we were meant to go on a run earlier." While any and all noise was like sticking an ice pick right into Vee's head but Shelly's overwhelmingly sweet voice seemed to loop around from grating to comforting.
Despite how every part of her ached and how her arms felt heavy enough they could've fallen off Vee forced herself, upright and shuffled over to the door opening it with more effort that someone of her strength should require.
Despite how bedraggled Vee was certain she looked Shelly's face lit up upon seeing her. "There you are! Are you feeling alright?" Her face shifted quickly as her hands darted to hold Vee's screen, Vee didn't get a chance to respond or move back as her whole body relaxed into the touch, soft mechanical whining coming from her vents.
"You're really warm, is this your winter sickness?"
Vee sighed, thankful someone smart enough to not need her to explain things was here for her. Shelly started pulling her back over to her bed, "It's not just you either, this whole room is too warm even for me. Did you turn the ac off?"
Vee thought long and hard, she didn't exactly remember doing that but she did feel pretty cold earlier so it wasn't beyond the scope of possibility. "Maybe?"
Shelly took that as admission and turned it back on full blast, "How long has it been running?"
Vee tilted her head, confused "The ac? You just turned it on so like five-"
"Your fever, when did that start?" Shelly interrupted, Vee had to think "Only last night, if it's like all the others I should be stuck like this for a few more days."
Shelly tutted sympathetically, "Well that's not good! Why didn't you come and tell us, show isn't running anymore and we don't have kids needing computer safety lessons about viruses anymore. We could've tried to get it turned off!" Her voice was exasperated but every word was dripping with concern, Vee could have bathed in that sort of care.
"Didn't realise it was coming and it hit too fast, it's sort of hurting my everything to be standing right now and walking makes me want to vomit so I don't think I'd make it to Dandy to ask if I tried." Vee shrugged, letting Shelly manhandle her into a sitting position once she mentioned a bit of how she felt.
Shelly's face was scrunched up, if Vee's eyes weren't so unfocused she would probably have been able to get a better read into what she was feeling but right now she could only really guess. She was either really mad at her for being this stupid or really worried about her, she hoped it was the latter. "Right, well I'm going to try and get you to cool off and then let him know so he can start looking through Delilah's computer, alright?"
Vee nodded lazily "Sure, just not too cold okay?" She didn't miss the way Shelly's mouth tugged itself into a smirk or the way she rolled her eyes.
"Sure. Mind if I check your wiring really quick?" Vee thought about it for a moment, lying back down as she did. Maybe her wiring being twisted up would explain the nasty feeling in her bodice?
"Okay but if I let you do that you don't get to take the blanket from me." Vee decided this was a very fair compromise, Shelly disagreed. "Nope, you're just going to keep overheating and that's making you feel worse. Let me help you and you can pick some way for me to make it up to you once you're more yourself!"
Her voice was so cheerful, Vee didn't feel like it normally sounded like this, so bouncy. It didn't seem fair to Vee but she knew that she was worse at reasoning when she was like this, Delilah had explained that she was basically on dumb mode once. She couldn't even recall some of her most basic trivia if she tried to, she felt kind of useless but this whole thing was meant to make her sympathise with the others more. Did they feel as useless as this?
"Are you useless?" Okay perhaps not how she meant to word that.
Shelly looked up at her from where she'd opened up her bodice and started reorganising the wires, when did she start doing that? Did they agree to that?
"Do you think I am?"
Vee didn't take as long to think on that one "No, I think you think you are sometimes though."
Shelly cocked her head as she separated out and detangled the wires with deft fingers "I guess compared to some other toons but I know I have my place here, do you?"
"Like this yeah, I'm not even aware enough of you fixing stuff to appreciate it." Shelly was already closing her up and manoeuvring her around to double check the wires running from her head and her tail.
"I get that, that's okay though. You can just chill out while I make sure you're okay." She was looking at the vents on the back and side of her head, deciding they were okay seemingly.
"Why don't you lay down for a bit, power down and conserve some energy while I go let the others know to start looking for a way to prevent this so you can feel better!" Vee hummed as she laid down, only slightly less uncomfortable than she was before yet she felt compelled to listen. She allowed herself to relax.