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“Why aren’t any of them here? Don’t we have some room left?”
“A bit, but Travis likes having all of his survivors from his household here. No one else. He’s very protective about all of them.” Ace winces. Then corrects himself. “All of you.”
It’s a punch to the gut Carter hadn’t planned on taking tonight. It’s not the first time he’s felt… other when compared with the survivors. He’s not sure if he’s happy to have the feeling confirmed by Ace or hurt by it.
But it doesn’t matter, Carter reminds himself. He keeps his gaze solely focused on the pictures in front of him instead. Everywhere he looks, he finds a new person he recognizes from reading those files. It’s like little lights pinging in his chest each time. This is what matters. Not Carter.
Carter spends the following day in his room, avoiding the survivors - and Dr. Singh - like the fucking plague. He only eats one meal, when Casey leaves food outside his locked door and yells through it that he better eat or Casey isn’t going to give him any peace. He eats the pot roast and mashed potatoes and Casey leaves him alone.
For a while.
Then, eventually, there’s a soft knock on Carter’s door, interrupting a fresh round of moping about missing Travis.
“Carter,” Casey calls, knocking again. “Open up. I have food.”
“And tequila!” Nolan yells.
Carter laughs softly, even as tears start welling up in his eyes. He’s already sensitive, missing Travis and worrying about him and the others. Now these assholes are going to turn him into a mess by being all friendly and shit.
Accepting his fate, Carter drags himself out of bed and tugs on a pair of sweatpants, then answers the door. It’s Casey, Nolan, Bryce, and Matt. He keeps his face blank when he sees Matt, hiding his shock.
Casey really does have food - a plate with a sandwich and a pickle - and Nolan really does have tequila. Bryce has his arms full of 5 different bags of chips. Matt has a huge carton of ice cream and a fistful of spoons.
“Let us in or we’re going to sit outside your door all night and keep you awake, making you super jealous because of all this delicious food and tequila we have,” Bryce says with a falsely stern face.
“Yeah, yeah, come in,” Carter mumbles. He moves to the side, letting in his… friends? - yes, he supposes that these are his friends, or at least his family, if nothing else.
Bryce dumps the chips on the bed and heads to the TV, loading a Netflix account that has apparently been installed on it. Nolan goes into the bathroom and comes back with a stack of little disposable cups. Matt hands out spoons without making eye contact with anyone. Casey shoves the plate of food into Carter’s hands, raising a brow at him like he’s daring him to argue. Since Carter is fucking starving, he doesn’t argue. He just thanks his friend and starts shoveling food into his mouth.
“Something light,” Casey says. It takes a moment for Carter to realize he’s saying it to Bryce, who is browsing options on the TV still. “And not all romantic and shit.”
Bryce waves a hand in their direction. “Yeah, yeah. I’m looking.”
Surprisingly, Matt walks forward and puts his hand out for the remote. Bryce frowns but gives it away. They all watch in curiosity as Matt types into the search: baking. Carter grins when he realizes what Matt is headed toward - The Great British Bakeoff. Not a single person argues against the move.
"How are you not a fucking wreck?" Carter whispers to Casey while the others are distracted with getting settled.
"I am," Casey admits. "But I've always felt better when I have someone to fuss over."
"Yeah." Carter remembers this young man working their cage, checking in on everyone, sharing food rations, giving advice, promising they'd win in the end. "Yeah, I remember."
"They'll be fine anyway. I made Jake promise." Casey's lips twist into a sad smile. "He never breaks promises."
Carter eyes the others, then rests his head on Casey’s shoulder and whispers, "They're looking for me. The traffickers that are left. I guess there's, like, a fucking bounty on my head or something…"
"I thought the fire was supposed to make it look like we all died?"
"Guess they saw through it. That's why Trav wanted me to come here."
Casey shifts, looking damn worried. "Does that mean you're back for good?"
"No way. I really like where I'm at. I'm not letting those fuckers steal my freedom again."
"He's going to move into a cardboard box on your doorstep to keep you safe, you know."
Carter bites the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. "Yeah, there's a good chance of that."
"You two disgust me," Casey says, his smile giving away his lie.
