The Sugar Thief (G/T) (Completed)

8 - Helping Hand

Carter slowly stepped forward, until he was at the edge of Eric's hand. He stood there for a moment, staring down at the deep lines in his palm that served as a platform.

'This is crazy', his mind yelled at him, but by this point he was used to ignoring that little voice.

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When Carter went to go check on his brother the next morning, he was saddened to find that the bowl of food was still untouched. He even made sure to come in a few hours later than usual, giving Damien plenty of time to wake up past his usual morning grumpiness and eat breakfast if he wanted to, but it seems he hadn't. The only things that had been disturbed were the glass of water and the cold cloth, both of which Carter promptly refilled and replaced before slowly backing out of the room once more, leaving his brother to rest a little longer.

He let a few hours pass by before checking in on the other once more, surprised to see that he was now awake. Barely, but awake enough to talk.

"Hey," Carter spoke softly, trying not to suddenly frighten him.

"Mmm." Was Damien's only response, not opening his eyes. Carter carefully pressed on.

"How're you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"..Can I help?"

Damien shifted, thinking about it. "..More water." He managed to say, clearing his throat as the hoarse words came out. It burned to talk.

Carter hadn't even noticed that the water cup was emptied again, but he was glad to see that his brother had been drinking it. He grabbed it with the intention to refill it, but paused as he noticed last night's dinner still untouched. It probably wouldn't be the best thing to eat anymore since it was mid afternoon, so he opted to clean it up as well. Still, he voiced his concerns.

"You should eat something... it's been a while." Carter worried at his lip with his teeth, hoping that Damien wouldn't disagree.

"'Mm not hungry.." The low, raspy words crushed his hope. Damien rolled over onto his side, as if further securing his unwillingness to eat. His stomach felt uneasy, and he knew that if he tried to force anything down it would just make things worse. He really didn't feel like throwing up, hardly able to contain the pain from the headache when he wasn't moving or putting pressure on it.

"Okay," Carter sighed, unable to hide the sadness in his tone as he turned away to go refill the cup.

"Maybe later, then."

Damien gave no reply.

The evening had soon rolled around, with Carter trying to find things to pass the time with as his brother rested. It was easier now, since the den was cleaned and sorted again, so he paced around the activity room and picked at things to do. He felt bad about how long he neglected his chores and the general management of the place, but it was tough times and being tidy wasn't his priority.

A couple more hours passed by and Carter checked in on the other once more. Damien didn't respond or stir when he walked in, which was a little worrying. Resting his hand against his head like before, he found that it was still very hot . However, despite his high temperature, he seemed to pull his blankets tighter around him as if he were cold. Carter had even gone back to his room to sacrifice one of his own blankets to help warm him up, but it wasn't enough.