{SCE} 9 Crimes

[Lucy James]

Thread set sometime after this thread.

The increased discomfort had developed ever since Lucy had her little "run in" with the river several hours before. After coming back to the camp, Lucy and Taylor had went each their ways and Lucy had immediately headed back towards her shelter. After rummaging through her bag, the brunette had settled for her biggest, warmest sweatshirt and crawled under the covers. Of course, that had in no way fended off the chills. She didn't know how long she'd spent under there, though she also figured that at the end of the day, it didn't really matter.

Sometimes during the day, evening or maybe even night, Taylor had found his way to her shelter. She had been rather sleepy and her general condition hadn't been at its best, so few words had been exchanged, and it seemed like Taylor had generally speaking been okay with it. Besides, Lucy had hardly been in a condition to throw him out anyways, so she'd simply accepted her fate for the night.

However, it was during the night that the brunette awoke anew with a jolt. An almost intense heat had settled over her body, which could only mean that she had gotten feverish. A hand came up to rub her forehead as she let a faint groan escape her now parted lips. It had been such a long time since she'd last been sick, she had almost forgotten how incredibly uncomfortable it could really be. Her body kept going through bouts of being too cold, or too warm. Every muscle in her body ached, and she felt completely and utterly exhausted.

Rolling her eyes to the back of her head, Lucy shifted. It seemed as if no matter what way she turned, it didn't ease the discomfort the slightest. God. It felt as if she was slowly dying, and not even while being hungover had she felt quite this uncomfortable in her own skin. "Ugh," she muttered as her eyes opened once more. Looking out into the silent darkness, her head turned slightly, blue eyes swimming as they attempted to focus on the face next to her own. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, her hand immediately went to her forehead as she groaned. It felt like someone had dropped a bag of bricks on her brain, only to crash into it with a truck afterwards.

And why the fuck did it have to be so god damn warm?

[Taylor McCarthy]

If there had been anyone up to this point, student or staff, that had dealt with a more up and down experience during the ill-fated camping trip than Taylor, he'd like to meet that person and shake their hand for managing to keep their sanity. As rocky as it was, neither he or Lucy could deny there was something between them. It had finally been acknowledged and there was no turning back now. The sheer emotional confusion that came from this realization and agreement mingled nicely with those that swirled around his nebulous and, so far, violent, connection with his brother, Jack

When the emotional turmoil coupled with his already growing discomfort of being out in the woods it added up to difficulties sleeping. Taylor hadn't bothered laying in bed long after nightfall before seeking out the brunette who offered him a certain amount of solace. It was almost a reactive instinct at this point. The only sleep he'd managed to get while out on this ridiculous trip had been after he'd crawled into her shelter and they'd spent the night together. Ironic, then, that happened to have been the last time he was stricken with a nightmare.

When Lucy didn't stir much, Taylor thought nothing of it. She may have been easy to wake but it had become painfully evident she enjoyed her sleep. He slipped beneath her blankets, which were warm, as expected, and slipped and arm around her. She'd pulled away from his embrace as some point in the night but Taylor was, at least when he was utterly exhausted, not nearly as light a sleeper as she was. When she sat up suddenly and made a noise, however, it wrested Taylor from his slumber.

"Hm?" He murmured to nothing in particular as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His head tilted upward to get a look at Lucy's outline in the darkness and he immediately knew something was wrong. "Lucy?" Taylor asked, shifting to sit up. "Are you alright?" A hand came out and rested upon her shoulder. "Geezus Christ, Lu." He breathed upon feeling the heat of her skin through her shirt. "You're burning up."

[Lucy James]

Furrowing her brows, Lucy thought nothing of the shortening he'd used for her name. In fact, she hardly noticed it, let alone anything else going on around them. Concentration seemed to be a thing long lost by now, and in a way, the power mimic didn't really mind that. She was also glad that his touch didn't automatically cause her to mimic his power. She didn't think being hyper aware of her surroundings would prove to help anything in her current situation. She was uncomfortable enough as it was without being able to see ever small detail.

"That's one way of wording it," she muttered silently. She could feel a slight pain start building up in her throat too, but she tried her best not to focus on it. Instead, her hands went to her waist as she yanked at the rim of her sweatshirt before pulling it up and over her head. Dropping it to the side, Lucy shifted as she pulled her knees up, only to lean her forehead down against it. "I told you swimming was a bad idea." Irony was a cruel thing indeed, seeing as how it had been her idea to begin with.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Now wasn't the time for Taylor to point out he hadn't been the one who came up with the plan to go swimming. He'd accept the blame for now, he had been the antagonist in that situation and pulled her in against her will. Even if she ended up clinging to him in an almost affectionate manner while they were in the water, the fact remained she had gone in because of him.

Of course, taking the high road when there were more pressing matters to tend to didn't help Taylor figure out what he was going to to about an obvious sick Lucy. He scooted up behind her and reached out to open the makeshift door to her shelter a bit to make it easier for the cool air to circulate through the confined space. "I've got a bottle of Aspirin in my bag." He said, trying to peer through the darkness at her for a moment before moving to dig through her nearby stuff to produce a canteen. "Water?" He offered, obviously out of his element.

[Lucy James]

The fresh air was welcomed. At least, until the heat would be replaced with feeling way too cold. That was how these things worked, right? It had been too long since the last time she'd had a fever, and it was typical it had to happen while she was in the middle of the forest, though, considering how it was still April, and she'd been in the freezing water, and after that, walked all the way back to camp in soaked clothes (yes, she realized that was entirely her own fault), it wasn't really such a weird thing, being in this situation.

Shaking her head at his offer, the brunette sighed. "No, I'm good," she muttered. Her hands dropped into her lap and she lifted her head from her knees as she looked around, her eyes squinting in the darkness. It was obvious that Taylor wasn't comfortable being in this situation, and normally, it would probably have amused her immensely. Right now though, few things did. Lifting her hands then, Lucy scooped up her hair and tied it into a bun at the top of her head before sighing once more. "I think I'd prefer freezing."

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor nodded faintly and set the canteen down close by in case she changed her mind. His eyes drifted back to the girl's silhouette and he sighed. For a moment he considered asking if she wanted him to go get the mountain of a man who'd been identified as the medic for the trip but resigned himself to already know the answer. He glanced around the darkened shelter before moving to rearrange the blanket cocoon they had been sleeping within just moments before so she could lay down in a clear, cool space near the entrance for the time being.

"Here." He said, his tone taking on a certain softness. Taylor didn't want it to seem like he was trying to coddle or baby her, nor was he really in the mindset that trying to take care of her would go over well but he was worried and it showed in the way he moved and spoke. "Why don't you lie down?" Reaching out he touched her shoulder again, allowing his fingertips to graze along her burning skin.

[Lucy James]

She heard and registered the moving around, but she hardly paid any attention to it. However, as he spoke again, Lucy's head turned slightly. As his hand came upon her shoulder, the power mimic nodded slightly as she too shifted to move, but instead found the whole process too tedious. Instead, she opted for leaning against the closest source of comfort; the boy himself. "If you get sick too, I take no part of the blame," she mumbled as she placed the side of her head against his shoulder.

Normally, she would have told him exactly where to shove his head for even attempting to coddle her, but right now, she didn't really care. She was far too exhausted to even think about fighting him, so at the very least, he had that going for him. Besides, it was already obvious that this wasn't under his list of preferred tasks to be handled, so the very least she could do was make it as easy as she could for the both of them. "Thanks."

[Taylor McCarthy]

"Don't you worry about me." Taylor insisted, his tone low. He was fairly confident in his body's ability too fight off illness, although even if he was prone to getting sick he wouldn't care. Lucy took all his attention at the moment. If he was to get sick it wouldn't be until later anyway. Probably well after Lucy was on her way to getting better so, it wouldn't be so bad anyway.

He couldn't help but lean into her touch a little. A small, worried smile touched the Irish boy's lips as an arm slipped around her shoulders. His brow furrowed, though, as she thanked him. It was a rare gesture of appreciation that drove home just how sick she must truly feel. He placed a short kiss upon the top of her head. "You're welcome." He said quietly. "Is there anything I can get you?" He was lost, yes, but until it looked like Lucy was in real danger he'd try and relax. All he could do at this point was make sure she was as comfortable as possible in this god forsaken wilderness until the worst of her sickness passed.

[Lucy James]

"A miracle cure would be nice," she replied dryly, though her voice was barely above that of a whisper. Still though, she tried pressing forth a smile. It ended up as nothing more than a ghost of a smile, and she doubted Taylor would see it in the darkness, but hey, at least she'd tried. Turning her head, she leaned her cheek against his shoulder and her face against the side of his neck. A hand came up to rest on his shoulder on the opposite side. "No, I'm fine," she added with a sigh. "Ask me again when I start hallucinating."

Her index moved dully around as it played with the boy's hair. The cool breeze coming from outside was still welcomed, though the brunette doubted it would last very long, and she didn't know if cooling down like this was good, even with a fever. Then again, the brunette's experience and knowledge with sickness was generally speaking not much to brag about. "Out of all the places one can get sick," she muttered silently.

[Taylor McCarthy]

"I wish." Taylor replied with a light smile on his face. He wanted to do more than just sit there with his arm around her but there seemed little option at this point. He would never push Lucy, even when she was sick. Never force her to do anything against her will. Unfortunately, this included staying quiet when his instinct was to run and fetch someone with more experience in the matter who could possibly help alleviate at least some of the worst symptoms of Lucy's illness. He was starting to think, though, that maybe someone might have to at times for her own good.

"I know." He frowned this time. Lucy was proud, strong and stubborn. If she was all but admitting how bad she felt Taylor suspected it had to be bad. His other arm came around her and he kissed her forehead. "For what it's worth." He dared to venture, knowing it would go against her very nature to accept any assistance. "I'll be right here as long as you need."

[Lucy James]

The power mimic's eyes closed as she felt Taylor's lips against her forehead. Her brows furrowed a little at his words and a sigh followed shortly after. "You'd feel too guilty if you didn't," she commented as she lifted her head slightly. She peered up at him as her head dipped slightly backwards. It was obvious that the boy felt uncomfortable. Whether that was because he didn't know what to to do, or because of something else, Lucy didn't know. She figured it didn't really matter.

She felt the urge to push him away and send him off his way, but she figured there was little point in starting a fight she'd undoubtedly lose. Especially in her condition. A breeze caused a shiver to run through the brunette's body, causing her eyes to narrow. What she wouldn't do for being high right now. She could have rode through the sickness like nothing mattered. Groaning again, Lucy lifted her head and shifted to reach for the covers. "How did your date with your brother go anyways?" she asked, her voice somewhat raspy.

[Taylor McCarthy]

"Like you could get rid of me if you tried." Taylor said the faint smirk on his lips shining through in his words. It was a good thing Lucy was either comfortable enough to let him stick around or just too sick to push him away since there were few things on the planet that would succeed in pulling him from the brunette while she was in her condition. He'd proven time and again to be just as stubborn as she was and look where it had brought them.

The question brought out a low groan. It was an inevitability to be asked, but Taylor would've preferred to forget the confrontation with his brother from earlier. He sighed again, shaking his head faintly. It seemed like nothing in life was coming easy for him lately. Lucy had driven him to the brink of sanity (and he still wasn't sure how far from it he was yet) and Jack had just opened up an entirely new can of worms he couldn't even begin to describe. "I could have gone better." He said finally. "It's safe to say we still don't see eye to eye." Which was the understatement of the decade as far as Taylor was concerned.

[Lucy James]

"Don't tempt me," she replied with a wry smile. It made her think of that time during detention, when she'd thought about purposely breaking his heart to push him away. It seemed that now they were in a position where she actually could go through with it. Yet, here she was. Unable to do exactly that. At least, for the time being. Maybe all she really needed was some time to clear her mind. This had all been happening very fast, and Lucy didn't really know where she stood on all of it. It was all very confusing.

Rolling onto her back, Lucy tugged the covers over her as she huffed. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, few siblings do," she replied with a shrug. A hand came up to rub her forehead again. At least she wasn't as warm anymore, which likely meant that she was about to freeze her as off. Wonderful. But hey, she figured that was at least better than feeling as if you were about to melt. Her free hand went to the boy, curling around the fabric of his clothing. How one could feel this exhausted from doing nothing at all... It was stupid. So very, very stupid. "It could have been worse." All Taylor had to do was ask her brother.

[Taylor McCarthy]

As light and relatively meek as the words had came out, Taylor took heed. Lucy's temper was a volatile and fickle thing. He'd seen first hand how quickly her moods could shift. The last thing he wanted to do was add any grief or stress to her already poor physical condition. He remained silent, knowing he was there only as long as she allowed.

Taylor had almost forgotten Lucy had a twin. His brow furrowed again. There was still so much of Lucy's life he knew nothing about. He'd offered the major points, at least most of them, of his life in a desperate attempt to reach her but she'd given barely anything in return. Most of what he'd been able to learn from her had been gained through his own observations, calculated guesses and assumptions, and the brief, fairly vague exchange with her ill-fated duplicate. "You have a twin, yeah?" He asked curiously. "Why don't you ever talk about them?"

[Lucy James]

"I do," she replied, her eyes closing. His next question brought a sight from her lips, and for a moment, Lucy didn't say anything at all. "Why should I?" she asked finally, as if the answer to that was the most obvious thing in the world. Though, she figured she couldn't really blame him for being curious. "He's a self-righteous ass who thinks it's his life mission to save me," she drawled, shaking her head somewhat.

Her relationship with her twin brother was complicated. "I hadn't seen him since I was about fourteen or fifteen. At least not until he manifested and showed up at the school. Yay me." And from that day on had made her life a living hell. He'd been silent ever since she'd slept with Casper, simply to piss him off. It was a little amusing though, how he got himself into so much shit in his clearly misguided attempt to protect her. Which basically meant telling people to leave her alone and that she wasn't well.

As if people could be a worse influence on her than what she was to herself. It was almost laughable.