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Noah pets the hair back off Nicholas’ face. He mumbles and stirs but doesn’t open his eyes. Noah bites his lip, stroking his hair again. He’s clammy and only half awake. Noah feels his gut twist. He can feel the heat of the fever on Nicholas’ skin.
He’s been sick for over a week now and he doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Noah doesn’t know what to do. They’ve been holed up in a motel for three days already and they’re quickly running out of cash. He’d slipped out earlier, pocketing as many pills as he could steal at the pharmacy. He’d briefly considered taking Nick to a doctor but they couldn’t take the risk. Not at the moment.
Noah feels his gut twist again. There’s another more urgent problem. They need to eat. Nicholas’ illness had come at the shittest time; when they’d gone nearly a year without feeding trying to keep a low profile after a close call. But now they’re on the other side of the country and Noah is terrified it’s the lack of feeding that’s made Nicholas sick.
‘I’m going out, okay?’ he tells Nick, though he doesn’t seem to be awake enough to know if Noah is there or not. Noah kisses his cheek, trying to settle his nerves. Nicholas exhales softly and it’s comforting. Noah straightens up. He goes into the bathroom, looks himself over and decides to brush his hair. Not much he can do about his face or dark smudges beneath both his eyes but he’s sure he can find a dive bar in town that’s shadowy enough.
Nick’s usually the bait, with his doe eyes and the soft lull of his voice. Noah has a tendency to glare that puts people on edge. But he can play nice for long enough to get someone alone.
He grabs his rucksack, pulling out the contents and stuffing in a couple of plastic bags. He’s not going to risk Nick by bringing someone back here so he’ll need to carry supplies with him. Noah kisses Nicholas’ burning lips again before he leaves.
The guy has a beard. Noah can’t tell if he likes it or not. He’s not wearing a wedding ring and his palms are callous as he strokes them over Noah’s stomach. Noah had been so distracted by the beard he’s been kissing him for much longer than he’d meant to. He dies quickly, with a surprised grunt that makes Noah’s heart clench. Noah gets to work. He eats fast, biting into a big bicep and barely taking time to chew.
It turns out a box cutter isn’t the best choice for butchery and Noah curses himself for being underprepared. He nearly loses his nails clawing open the rib cage in a panic. The organs are hot through the plastic as he transfers the choicest cuts for Nick. He leaves the mess of intestines but rips out the tongue. Noah packs the rucksack quickly, heart racing.
They’re in a little copse of trees that’s just outside the parking lot for the bar. Noah pats down the guy's pocket and finds a thick roll of notes. Impressed, Noah digs in the other finding a handful of twists of paper which he shoves into the rucksack quickly connecting the dots.
It’s at this point Noah releases he has nothing to dig with and the box cutter sure as fuck wasn’t going through bone. He’s just panicking about what he’s supposed to do with a half-consumed corpse when a howl sounds in the distance. Noah feels his skin prickle.
He drags the remains as deep into the woods as he dares — leaving it for whatever’s howling — before he bolts back to the car. He drives back as slowly as he can get himself to with his heart still beating a tattoo against his ribs. Nicholas is sitting up in the bed with the TV on low as Noah slips back in. He’d stuck to the shadows in the parking lot, knowing his hasty meal has left him covered in blood.
‘What- did you-’ Nicholas starts as he takes in the blood and Noah’s quivering hands.
‘Here,’ Noah says, shrugging off the rucksack and padding over to the bed. He opens it and pulls out the still steaming contents. Nicholas insists on eating in the bathroom though his legs are almost too wobbly to stand. Noah holds his hair out of his face as he eats, rubbing his back. His skin is hot and the wet sounds he’s making as he eats make Noah want him so badly. But Noah gets that Nicholas is sick and his dick will have to wait.
‘Thank you,’ Nick says, wiping his mouth with a groan. He lets out a rattling cough and Noah strokes his back again.
‘Did it help?’ Noah asks timidly and Nick nods, smiling at him.
‘You did good, baby,’ he tells him and Noah feels like he’s glowing from within. He helps Nicholas stand again and turns the shower dial so the warm water will flow over both of them. Nick hangs around his neck, humming contentedly, as Noah hugs him close. The warm water turns pink as it runs off their skin.