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Evbo knows he's never been great at looking after himself - a habit that carries over from days of not being able to as a noob, he supposes.
That doesn't matter much anymore, given that he's god. At least that's what he tells himself.
He's not convinced this particular struggle falls under not being good at taking care of himself.
He sighs, alone in the building he'd claimed as his own, and tries to force himself to stomach the golden carrots again.
That's not what I want, his brain all but screams at him.
Evbo knows this is usually the set of circumstances that would cause Emf to ask why he hadn't come to get them, to ask for help - but they're busy . They're the champion, he can't interrupt that for- for this.
After an agonising 15 minutes of picking at the carrots, he groans and rests his head face down on the table in front of him with closed eyes for a few blissful seconds.
His stomach grumbles again and he lifts his head up with a very deep sigh. Evbo frowns, nose scrunching as he concentrates.
In a similar fashion to most everything he summons this way, the raw chicken winks into existence in front of him. It makes contact with the table with a particularly wet slap.
He looks at the raw, slimy, unappetising meat. He shouldn't want it, he knows, but it's what he's used to. Not these golden carrots or baked foods, cooked meats and other such treats that are offered to him. The tastes melt on his tongue and they're sweet or savoury and by all rights delicious, but all he ever craves is this , this pinkish white slab of meat that he can tear into with teeth or hands in the privacy of his home.
It's all gone in seconds when he finally does rip through the flesh and tendons and swallows each chunk.
He's left with a small pile of bones on the table, normally something he'd keep and cling to as his only other belonging on the noob layer - sometimes he had grand visions of making something from them, but he was never artistically inclined enough.
But, currently, they're just the evidence of his inability to resist his cravings, and every time his eyes catch on them he feels a small trickle of shame worm its way into his gut that's heavy with the product of his hunger.
He waves a hand, and they disappear. He doesn't have to think about that, and everyone will be none the wiser.
People were, apparently, the wiser. Does that make sense? Evbo doesn't know. His stomach hurts. He can't think.
He knows someone in his house, and whoever they are is cursing. Maybe. They sound mad, so it's not Emf.
His stomach cramps again and he curls further inwards if that was somehow possible and groans.
The person seems to pause at that and Evbo feels a hand rest against his forehead for a few seconds.
The hand pulls away and he's not sure how long passes between it leaving and the feeling of glass pressing against his lips insistently, cold water sliding down his throat when he opens them. It takes him by surprise but he swallows the water gratefully nonetheless.
The bottle is taken away too and he hears the faint sound of muttering before his blanket is tugged further up his body and he thinks somewhat disjointedly that sleep would be nice right now.
Evbo is rudely awoken to the feeling of a finger flicking his forehead with no shortage of force, he groans as he feels pounding inside his skull. The flicking stops.
“You finally awake?” An unfortunately familiar, very irritated voice asks.
Evbo opens his eyes and squints as he gets used to the light in his room again. He sees the source of the voice - Seawatt.
Seawatt is crouching next to the bed, brows furrowing inwards, lips tugging down and a hint of exasperation present in his eyes. He straightens up when Evbo opens his eyes and crosses his arms, golden accessories he still insists on wearing glinting in the sun streaming through the window.
“Seawatt?” Evbo says, slowly sitting up and regretting it immediately when he feels his stomach lurch. His face must have gone pale or something because Seawatt shoved a bucket in his direction with a look of disgust.
After a few concerning moments of Evbo clutching the bucket, thankfully he ended up not needing it. He directs his attention back to Seawatt after putting it down.
“What are you doing here?”
Seawatt looks at Evbo.
“Did you forget the part where you demanded I come to your house to…” Seawatt trails off and pauses. “I don't know, parkour or something.”
Evbo looks at Seawatt blankly.
“You did. Great.” He mutters, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Well, look, it isn't my job to deal with.” He gestures to Evbo vaguely. “All this. I'm getting Emf and then going back home.”
“No-” Evbo blurts out, and Seawatt stops from where he was walking to leave the room and turns to look at Evbo.
“I mean, uh.” He pauses and Seawatt raises a brow. “Emf is busy, I don't- wanna bother them with this?”
“So? How's that my problem?”
“I'll, uhm, owe you one?” Evbo offers hopefully.
Seawatt stares, but relents.
“Fine.”
Evbo brightens a little, but that immediately goes down the drain when Seawatt speaks up again.
“But, seriously, you're literally god how in parkour did you even get sick? You'd think that wouldn't be possible-” Seawatt pauses mid complaint to look at Evbo's face - guilt showing clear as day. He squints.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing!” Evbo protests, nervous tone giving him away immediately.
“Right.” Seawatt picks up the empty bottle he'd put down earlier and grimaces. “That's why you looked like a kicked puppy when I asked the rhetorical question of how you got sick.”
“I ate, uh, some… not cooked meat. Maybe.” Evbo mutters, face turning red.
Seawatt stares.
“As in, you didn't cook it properly?” He asks, with a tinge of hope.
Evbo shakes his head.
Seawatt pinches his nose and sighs.
“I don't- just, why, even?”
Evbo hesitates at that question.
“I'm… used to it?” He eventually says. Seawatt squints at him.
“Why would you be-” Seawatt starts to ask, an incredulous tone in his voice but then the realisation hits him like the shock of falling into cold water, dread floods his veins. “Oh.”
Evbo puffs out a breath and stands stubbornly, despite wobbly legs. He shoves Seawatt in the direction of the door with shaky hands.
“Well- Look- I'm okay, now. You can go, just don't tell Emf like we agreed. And uh, yeah. See you.” Evbo says quickly.
Seawatt snaps out of the stupor to process Evbo's words. He looks at the still very clearly ill man and speaks up.
“Hey- you're in no condition to be left alone right now.”
Evbo frowns.
“I don't need your help, I'm fine.” He snaps.
“Stubborn as ever.” Seawatt mutters. “Either I help you, or I get Emf.” is the ultimatum Seawatt offers, truly expecting Evbo to take the second option.
“Fine, you can stay.”
Seawatt stares at Evbo, surprised and groans quietly.
“Just… get back in bed.” Seawatt eventually says, waving a dismissive hand in the piece of furniture's direction. He pauses in the doorway for a moment, making sure Evbo actually does lay back down, and huffs out a breath as he tries to figure out where Evbo keeps his food.
Some searching later, Seawatt looks at the small pile he'd managed to scrape together from what Evbo had.
Two carrots, a questionable cooked piece of beef, 3 potatoes, a bucket of milk and a singular cookie.
How is this man alive?
Seawatt sighs. He shouldn't be surprised after Evbo admitted to eating raw chicken.
The cookie was a non starter, it didn't combine well with any of these - and it was probably stale.
Seawatt's eyes the carrots and potatoes, then lingers on the meat for a moment.
Short of the most pathetic stew ever, he didn't exactly have many options here.
Yeah.
No.
He sifts through his own inventory, grabs 3 golden carrots and walks back into Evbo's room.
Seawatt thrusts them in Evbo's direction.
“Eat.” He says in a tone that makes it clear that it isn't a suggestion.
Evbo fumbles and drops one on his lap and huffs.
“I'm not hungry, Seawatt.”
Seawatt frowns and glares.
“Have you eaten anything since the chicken earlier?”
Evbo takes a few seconds too long to answer, and Seawatt raises a brow.
“No.” Evbo groans and sighs.
Seawatt just gestures to the food wordlessly. Evbo takes a bite of the carrot and chews, swallowing reluctantly despite the way he suddenly becomes aware of the burning hunger in his gut.
As Evbo eats, Seawatt chooses to sit on the floor somewhat close to the bed. They sit in silence for a few moments, Evbo's faint chewing sounds the only noise present. Seawatt wrinkles his nose but otherwise doesn't complain.
Once Evbo finishes, Seawatt hands him another bottle of water without a word and Evbo drinks it with a hint of desperation - only just now realising how dehydrated he is.
The bottle is set down with a quiet clink and Evbo looks at Seawatt on the floor, who is notably avoiding looking at him.
“Why are you bothering to help?” He asks.
Seawatt makes brief eye contact at the question.
“Uh. Well, you took the other of two options I gave you, so it's not like I had much choice.”
Evbo frowns.
“That doesn't make sense, though, you didn't have to stick around in the beginning when you saw I was sick. You could have just left. So, why?”
Seawatt's face twists into an unpleasant expression.
“Oh, we're being invasive now? Well why did you eat the raw chicken? Evbo. Go on. If you want me to share so badly, you should too.” He snaps, posture tense.
Evbo winces internally at the response. Okay, poked a nerve there.
He panics, trying to figure out how to turn the situation around as Seawatt silently seethes.
“I miss it.” He inevitably blurts out.
Seawatt's expression doesn't appear any less irritated minus the small confused blink as he processes.
“What?”
“I miss being on the noob layer.” Evbo puffs out an exhausted breath, like that was a confession that had been weighing on him. “It was my home, yknow? And like, yeah it sucked and everyone got sick all the time and I was starving but it was easy being a noob. It was the same thing every day but now I’m literally god and I have all these choices I never used to have to make- I miss when things were simple. When all I ate was raw chicken and-”
Evbo inhales a deep breath mid rant and Seawatt stares at him silently.
When Evbo opens his mouth to start speaking again, Seawatt immediately interrupts him.
“No- no, I uh, I think I get it.”
Evbo pauses, and glances at Seawatt, who still looks very much annoyed, but at least not as tense.
“Well. I shared. Your turn.” Evbo replies, a slightly cheeky undertone present.
“I didn’t agree to that.” Seawatt says through gritted teeth.
“You did - you definitely did. I’m not leaving you alone till you do.”
Seawatt rolls his eyes and mutters something Evbo doesn’t hear.
“Fine.” He spits out. “I stayed because you’re my friend, okay? Because despite all the bullshit that’s happened between us I care about you.”
Evbo isn’t sure how Seawatt manages to sound so angry while saying what is a compliment, but he’s not too surprised - getting him to say anything positive is like pulling teeth.
Evbo smiles smugly.
“You careeee about me?” He teases.
“I will shove you into the void, Evbo.” Seawatt deadpans. “I don’t care if you’re God, I’ll do it.”
“But I’m so sick.” Evbo pouts. “You wouldn’t do that to a sick guy like me, would you?”
“I don’t know, Evbo. Would I?” Seawatt replies, brows furrowing.
“Whatever. You’re just mad I got you to say something nice.” Evbo huffs, and readjusts his position in the bed.
“Just… focus on getting better, you idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay Nurse Seawatt.”
There’s a pause.
“Call me that again, and I’m telling Emf you’re sick for real this time. And why.”
“Wait, no-” Evbo begs.
“That’s what I thought.” Seawatt says with a self-satisfied grin, disregarding the small part of him that’s protesting at calling Evbo his ‘friend’, and nothing more.