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Sebastian was in his room. His family was gone for the day. It was a carnival. He never cared for carnivals. They were loud, crowded, and squishy, but he got to escape the event by being sick. Plus he liked being alone, most of the time. He rolled on his side. Sebastian’s stomach started to grumble, like it was gnawing on his inner walls. He pulled the blanket over himself and wrapped his arms around his abdomen.
He remembered the ramen he had stored in his cabinet, bland, simple, should be easy on the stomach. Sebastian groaned as he lifted himself up. He bent over to open his drawer, wincing as he felt his insides slosh, snatching the pack. He slowly pulls himself up the stairs, package in hand. He swayed and grabbed the railing to keep him from falling down the stairs. Sebastian huffed, sweating from the exertion and fever but eventually he got his sorry self up. He stumbled to his kitchen, and filled a pot with water. Placing it on the stove he watched it boil. He slowly put the noodles in and stirred.
Soon he had a fresh meal. He twirled his fork in the bowl to wrap the noodles and take a bite. Despite him usually liking ramen this time it felt slimy down his throat. He was starting to miss Robin, she always made pumpkin soup when he was sick. It never felt heavy on his stomach. Sebastian only got half way through his meal. He left the dish on the table and sauntered back downstairs to his basement abode.
His stomach flipped inside his guts as he went back down the stairs. His legs trembled. That ramen did not settle like he thought. He managed to ignore the rising nausea and successfully made it down. He couldn’t stop it for long as the illness sloshed up. He fell on his knees. He started to gag. His throat tightened. He felt his chest compress and start to force his stomach acid up. He started to convulse. His lunch came back up as melted glop. Bile flooded his mouth as he vomited. It hurts, why did it hurt so bad? Why hasn’t his mom come back home yet? He hurts, he needs her. He coughed and choked but thanked the gods that the gagging stopped. He looked at the disgusting pile. It smelled vile. He's going to need to clean that up, but his body ached. He decided to just go to bed, nobody was coming home soon anyway.
At the carnival the games were alive. Winnie was enjoying the mesmerizing lights. She was a tall young woman, with a mess of long blond hair. She always had a smile on her face and a gentle touch with her.
“Hey young lady,” a booth man called out “wanna play?” The game was one of the pins and baseball games. The farmer Winnie turned to the man.
“Sure, I’ll have a go,” she responded and smiled. The man smirked and tossed the ball at her.
“You get three shots,” he raised three fingers “hit one get a prize”
Winnie nodded. She cocked her arm back and aimed. She threw the ball missing the stack of bottles by a hair. Second shot. She managed to hit the bottom but they didn’t fall.
“Doesn’t count!” The booth owner claimed.
She huffed and tried to put more power into her final throw. She fired. She finally got lucky and tumbled the tower.
“Winner!” The man exclaimed “come get your prize little lady,” she scanned the plush toys hanging.
“Can I get the frog?” She asked
“Yes ma’am, here you are,” he unclipped the toys down and handed it over. She said her thanks and goodbye to explore the festival some more.
Winnie wandered around, holding the plush. She hugged the frog close to her chest, it was a nice medium size with some weight. She gently cradled it, enjoying the sensation. As Winnie walked, someone caught her eye, Sam. They knew each other fairly well from both parties being friends with Sebastian, so she decided to catch up with him.
“Hey Sam, you and Vincent enjoying yourselves,” she asked, turning her head slightly.
“Yeah, you seem to have already won a prize,” Sam chuckled, “that for Seb?”
“So what if it is?” She blushed slightly
“Well you won’t have much luck finding him, according to Maru he’s home sick “ Sam recalled squinting his eyes as he thought.
“Has anyone checked up on him?”
“Not that I know of,” he responded
Winnie frowned at the sentence. She looked down at the plush in her arms, and her face softened. “I’ll go visit him,” she decided. She waved Sam goodbye and started her hike up the mountain.
The door to the carpenter’s house creaked open. Robin had given Winnie a key from her frequent visits. She peaked through the door. The room was completely empty. She entered quietly, calling out towards the stairs. No response. She stepped down into the basement, noticing the acidic smell. The door clicked and she looked into the young man’s room. Vomit was splattered on the floor. On the bed was a shivering bundle. “Sebastian?” Winnie called out. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder, shaking him.
She heard a pained whine coming from the blanket. She rolled him over to look at his face. “Yikes, you look awful,” she gently stroked his hair, an idea formed in her skull. “Hey, can you do something for me?” He turned and looked up with bleary eyes. “I got this plush, but I’m having a hard time carrying it, can you hold it for me?” She showed off the plush, before gently pushing it into his arms. He hugged the stuffed animal close to his chest and curled into it.
She looked back at the bile on the floor. “I’ll clean that up” she straightened her back as she stood up and reached for the closet. She felt something hot and clammy wrap around her hand.
“N..no.. stay..” Sebastian pleaded “it hurts..” she’s never seen him this pathetic. He almost looked like he was about to cry.
“What happened to that anti-social attitude?”
“Please..” he whines, clinging hard to her arm, yanking her almost.
“Let me clean up the mess, then I’ll play teddy bear with you ok,” she reasoned with him , she eventually coaxed him into letting go. She grabbed the mop and cleaned the mess left on the floor. She could feel his eyes burning on her back. Eventually the pile was cleaned and she had returned to the sickly man.
He immediately grabbed her wrist again, still hugging the frog. Winnie rolled her eyes lovingly and slid into bed. Sebastian immediately snuggled into her, hiding in her shoulder . She was warm. “Man you're clingy when sick” Winnie giggled quietly. She started to run his finger through his sweaty hair. She scratched his scalp allowing some relief to his sore body. She felt the plush pressed into her stomach from how close he was. She started to rub his back and shoulders. Winnie could hear the quiet sigh.
At some point Sebastian fell asleep, so Winnie tried her best to slip from his grip without him waking, however he was unable to be removed.”You really are a clingy mess.. but you need some food,” she tried again to pry him off, but he refused. She sighed before wrapping her arms around Sebastian and lifting him up, the frog plushie slipping from his hand. She had him princess carried which seemed to soothe him as she felt Sebastian sling his arms around her neck and nuzzle into her collarbone.
Winnie started to carry him upstairs, pushing the door with her foot. She felt the man shift in her arms, he was waking up. She could hear him whine quietly as his eyes opened into slits.
“Mmnn,”
“Welcome back,” Winnie giggled slightly
Sebastian looks around with a bleary gaze. He groaned some more before he spoke “you’re carrying me..” his voice sounded rough like sand.
“You refused to let go” she elaborated
He thinks. You could practically see the cogs turning in his brain. “Sorry…” he mumbled, but still hasn’t moved or loosened his grip.
“Don’t be, I’m sorry to wake you up, but you need to eat,” she gently sat him down in the dining chair. He looked slightly disappointed but Winnie didn’t comment on it. She decided to make some toast. Bland, soft, perfect for a sick day. She popped the bread in and watched it roast. She heard a quiet thump behind her as Sebastian dropped his head onto the table.
The toaster dinged and she pulled the steaming bread out with quickness since it burned her fingers. She blew on the plate to cool the toast down. Winnie gently shook Sebastian’s shoulder to get his attention. He slowly rose and began to nibble on the toast. Winnie simply watches him eat. He manages to finish the slice, before looking back at her with his sad puppy eyes.
“You want more cuddles?” Winnie asked with a small smile. He nodded and started to grab at her hand. “Yeah yeah, ok,” she started to pick him up again. He latched onto her arm, and leaned his head into the crook of her neck. She settled on the living room couch, letting Sebastian curl right on top of her. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders, tucking it nicely. She could hear him hum happily.
Sebastian lifted Winnie’s hand up to his hair, silently asking for affection. She rolled her eyes but started to scratch his scalp. He practically melted into her, like putty in her hands.
“You’re so grumpy most of the time, but when sick you’re the sweetest thing ever,” she spoke, continuing to stroke his hair. Her only response was a murmur. “Are you falling asleep?” She felt him nod against her chest. “Alright, you rest” Sebastian never reacted , only having a soft snore.
Robin and her family entered her home. She placed her bag on the hook holder, and stretched her back. She felt her daughter Maru tap her shoulder with a titter. “Mom look,” she pointed to the living room. There they were, two young adults passed out on the couch, holding each other. Robin grinned at the sight and gently hushed Maru away
“Come on, just let them sleep”