Felix answered the knock on his door.
"Carter!" He beamed, pulling the door wide open.
"Just wanted to see how you're holding up." Carter held up a plastic bag full of popcorn. "I know you were pretty messed up after hearing there were no Intermarium survivors."
Felix sighed, letting the door click shut. "Yeah. I tried talking to Kip, but he completely shut me down."
"Of course, he did. Kip's too proud to ever admit his country got crushed by Technate. Honestly, why are you even friends with a guy like that? He'd rather live in a total fantasy world than face the reality of a lost war."
"Well, we're not friends anymore," Felix muttered, his eyes dropping to the floor. "He completely shut me out."
"Forget him for tonight." Carter gave the bag a shake. "I brought cheese popcorn for a reason."
Felix stepped aside. "Come in."
Carter settled onto the sofa, tossing the popcorn onto the table. "So, comedy? Horror? Something depressing to match the mood?"
"I'll grab a bowl." Felix disappeared into the kitchen before returning with a red plastic bowl in his hands. He poured the popcorn into it with a sigh. "I can't focus on a movie right now. I keep replaying everything with Kip."
Carter sighed. "Felix, you can't keep obsessing over someone who keeps shutting you out."
"Kip saved my life. A cave wolf was about to tear into me, and he stopped it."
"And then he pointed a rifle at my skull," Carter shot back. "Forgive me if I'm not handing him a medal."
"Kip was confused. You were with the enemy when we found you—"
Carter let out a sharp laugh. "Then why was I the one giving him advice on how to take care of his brother? Doesn't sound very 'enemy' to me."
"His brother still died-"
"I was injured. I wasn't in any condition to take responsibility for anyone else. And Kip didn't even change his brother's blood-soaked dressing when he should've," he added coldly. "But I'm the villain in this story?"
"If you hadn't drugged us unconscious, Kip could've changed the bandages—"
Carter shook his head. "Bandages should be changed as soon as they're wet through—not left on until they rot into the wound. But I couldn't exactly step in and fix it. He was too suspicious of me to believe I was a trained medic."
"Kip handled the dressings fine, Carter—"
"Trust me," Carter snapped. "He was clueless. I was barely able to sit upright, and I could still smell the wound from across the room—it was rotting."
"I was in the room, and I didn't smell a wound rotting-"
"You didn't seem well when we first met. Had you been sick before?"
"I was sick, but only from anxiety. My senses were fine—I was looking after you."
Carter huffed a humourless breath. "Yeah… well, I didn't exactly have a lot of options. It's not like I could turn you down when you were the only one still standing. And I kept quiet about the bandages because I didn't want to upset him. What he did was neglect, Felix."
"No, it wasn't neglect! He did everything that he could-"
"Felix, he barely changed the bandages and then went straight to drinking. That isn't care — it's neglect."
"Kip had to carry Fox on his back! He was dehydrated — he needed a drink. We were in a wine cellar; alcohol was all we had."
"He didn't need to drink that much. Fox was dying, Felix. A drunk man isn't a caregiver."
"He wasn't drunk-"
"Oh, he was drunk. I saw it in his eyes when he aimed that rifle at me—bloodshot and glassy." Carter snatched the remote off the table. "Let's just watch something. I'm not arguing anymore."
Felix sighed. "Why don't I get us drinks?"
"Coolers are fine." Carter's voice was low. "Just… not too much."
Felix swallowed the comment and took two cans from the fridge. He returned to the couch and sat beside Carter, placing one can at his elbow.
Carter smiled. "Do you still see your co‑worker, Fawn?"
"Yeah… but I don't see Nova anymore." Felix's smile faded.
Carter smirked. "You're clinging to Nova just like you cling to Kip. Let it go already. You should make a move on Fawn."
"She's my co-worker, Carter," Felix said flatly. "That would be unprofessional-"
Carter shrugged. "You work for Jacob. He's chill. He's not gonna fire you because you asked out a co‑worker."
Felix reached for the remote. "Maybe a movie would be good. I'll see what's on."