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I think Coba is the closest city.

[ but he sounds tired when he says this, swaying on his feet again; he brings a hand up and wipes his brow. ]

We need to get out of this place. The incense here is too thick.

Yeah. Maybe we can camp out and rest, then see about trekking somewhere else.

[ He hefts the duffle bag on his shoulder, sliding closer to Cas and easing an arm around his waist. ]

You still okay?

I am. For now.

[ he leans into dean's body, or maybe it's just that he's struggling to stand straight. dean's warm, either way. ]

Are you—

[ it's not a full question. are you okay? is a stupid question, and he doesn't know why he would think it's a good idea to ask it. he glances from dean with a small, recriminating frown on his face. then he looks up— up toward the walls of sheer cliff surrounding the city. it's quite a sight. he still wonders at the salt, burst up from the ground. at what it means.

the market is closer to the center of the city. so they have quite a walk back. ]

I'm -- I'm good, now that you're back.

[ 'Okay', not so much. But with Cas by his side, pulled in tight and supporting him, it's better. A lot better. ]

We're okay now. We're gonna figure this out, and we're gonna find a place that's even better.

[ It's gonna take forever but they'll figure it out. They always do. ]

[ he'll take that as it's given— he inclines his head in acknowledgement, resting his cheek against his shoulder for a moment, the movement involuntary but necessary. he's tired, and he would like if they could find somewhere to rest here in the city, but even if there is someplace safe, they don't have the time to go searching for it. the walls are a visible target, at the very least. and he knows which direction coba is in.

castiel opens his eyes, lifts his head, and points. ]

That way.

Alright. Just lean on me, Cas. I'm not gonna let you fall.

[ He hopes. But he's spent a long time in Purgatory running around and killing shit, so he's in good shape, and he's strong. He'll carry Cas if he has to. ]

[ it's slow going, the state that cas is in. but dean doesn't have to carry him. it's a small stroke of luck that sees a rope and pulley system has been put in place at the edge of the city, probably during the past day while he was gone, in place of the hastily built ladders that had stretched the height of the cliffs. it's manned by a group of several natives from the coterie who stuck around, presumably to make sure everyone was successfully evacuated, and that those who chose to stay behind and work on the reconstruction have an easy way in and out of the city.

it means that castiel doesn't have to scale the wall rung over rung, and soon enough he's stepping gratefully onto solid ground, the air fresh and free of that heavy, cloying scent. ]

[ it’s a breath of fresh air, and when they finally get to the top, he wheezes in relief, taking gulps of fresh air as he grips for Cas’ hand, absently threading their fingers. ]

God I feel like I can breathe again.

[ his eyes fall to dean's hand after he's caught his breath, bent forward by a degree, head tilted when his gaze returns to his face. but he says nothing; some days he doesn't understand dean at all. what he's thinking. what he wants.

but now's not the time to be getting into that. ]

We should see if the food we found is still edible.

[ It isn’t too hard, babycakes. He told Cas he wanted him, wanted him to stay, they’ve been sleeping together, they’re best friends, and now Dean is holding his hand. wOnDeR wHy… ]

Yeah, probably. I’m starving. What all did you shove in here? Time for a picnic on the green.

[ yeah, well, cas is emotionally challenged. he doesn't even know how he feels about the whole thing. ]

I have no idea.

[ he looks dubiously at dean's duffle, and then he sits, hard, in the grass. they should lay out dean's clothes for them to dry, while they're at it. perhaps rest here at the edge for a while. it's probably safer here, where there are more people, than anywhere else at the moment. (besides the cities, of course.) he rifles through until he finds where the collection of food items fell, and then delicately digs them out and sets them on the grass. there are a few strong-smelling bell peppers; a spiny, red dragon fruit; a bumpy-skinned avocado; and a few pads of prickly pear. it's all a little bruised, but it should be fine, right?

he picks up a bell pepper and sniffs it. ]

Is the scent meant to be so strong?

[ lmao ]

Huh, well. Time to take a look.

[ Dean flops beside him, laying back as he kicks his shoes off with a groan, stretching out as his back snap crackles and pops. Oof. ]

I dunno. Lemme smell.

[ He leans over to sniff, then makes a face. ]

Not normally. But it doesn't smell bad. Just...strong. But they might be good roasted..

[ He gropes with a free hand for the bag, digging his hand in, because he knows there's a zippo on there. It'll be sheer fucking dumb luck if it works. ]

Dean, I'm too hungry to wait for this to cook. Can it be eaten raw? Can any of this?

[ he hands dean the pepper, though. he can have that. he'll take the other two? ]

Uh, yeah -- it's just a bell pepper. But, yeah - all of this can be eaten raw, I think.

[ one day, he'll cook for you :( ]

You can have it. I've been able to eat more than you have. I'll eat the fruit thing. Eat that avocado, it has a lot of nutrients and good fats. Help keep you energized.

Okay. But you should eat too.

[ they both need their energy. he isn't going to argue past that, though— he picks up one of the other peppers and bites into it like an apple. it's not like cutting it up would make any difference.

right. ]

I will.

[ He'll nibble on the dragonfruit once he figures it out.]

Wish we'd found some jerky.

So do I.

[ he likes red meat, he knows that much— the pepper is okay. it has a strong, pungent taste, and it's obvious that dean is right about it being better roasted. the flesh is stiff, and a bit hard to chew, and cooking it would break it down enough to be more palatable in that sense at the very least.

but he eats it all anyway, and then moves on to the avocado, which he peels with his fingers and eats the same way he ate the bell pepper, sucking green stains from his fingers when he's done. he wipes them clean on the grass before retrieving the honey from dean's coat pocket. ]

I found this, too.

Oh, nice. I like honey.

[ Sweet and syrupy, what's not to like?

He just wishes he could get them some meat, but the jerky was all gross as hell. ]

Wonder if there's any deer nearby.

[ He's still got his gun, and it has a couple bullets left, but once he's out he's out, unless there's some magical way (a boon) he can get more. ]

I'm sure there are animals in the forest, but I think the majority have been transformed by the incense.

[ which means basically everything would put up a fight, and also not taste particularly good. normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but right now, he's a liability. he's not sure he can get back on his feet.

he eats another of the peppers, and then turns his attention toward the honey. after he's popped the cork from the little glass bottle, he slips a finger into the opening and then sucks the honey from his finger. he can't help but be a little captivated by the taste of something sweet. his body is starved for glucose, anyway. he licks his lips. ]

This is good.

Yeah, true.

[ Wonderful. No real protein. They're just gonna friggin' starve to death on this cliff having a picnic. ]

It is, isn't it? It's good on pancakes and waffles. Syrup is good, but I like honey too.

[ And watching Cas lick it off his finger is sexy as hell so he has very few complaints. ]

[ he's going to finish half the container that way, dribbling honey into his mouth, giving his fingers enough attention to make dean blush. well. maybe not blush but— y'know. he doesn't like the feeling of stickiness on his fingers, so he's very deliberate about the entire process.

when he's done, he hands the rest to dean. then he kicks his wet boots off and shimmies out of dean's boxers to lay them out on the ground, where they'll hopefully dry; he begins unbuttoning dean's flannel next, but not to take it off. instead, he folds his legs up and pulls the sides of the shirt and coat around them. now that he's eaten, the chill is settling in again. ]

I'd like pancakes. And a cup of coffee.

[ Dean is watching Cas very closely during all of this; he knows the angel isn't intentionally being erotic, but it's still sexy as hell to watch him lick his fingers clean.

Course, Dean's gonna have to do the same when the honey's handed to him, though he's less interested in filling his stomach than he is getting Cas warm. He scoots closer and drapes an arm around his shoulder, pressing in against his side. ]

Me too. I'd kill for a crappy cup of coffee right now. It doesn't even have to be good.

I'd kill for anything hot.

[ dean is warm pressed up against him, but the sensation of cold is terrible. his muscles are cramped from shivering, his skin itching where it's been most exposed to the elements— so basically everything below his waistline. he unwraps his arms from around his knees and twists, trying to press more of his body to dean's side without unfolding himself.

anything to get warmer than this. ]

This is— distracting.

Yeah. I'd even drink tea right now.

[ The honey is capped and set aside, and he reaches for Cas, moving to pull him into his lap. ]

I know you're cold. I wish our crap wasn't wet.

[ that's better. dean's lap is warm. even if his pants are wet too, he'll happily perch there, legs folded up, toes curled against his thigh, leaned against his chest. he can also enjoy looking at his face from very close in this position, although dean probably won't enjoy the scrutiny. ]

We should probably lay your clothes out, so they dry faster.

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i can’t help myself

🤭

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