afflicted

13

A/N: This is for my trope girlies. You're welcome.

Azriel flew through most of the night with Callie tucked firmly against his chest. She drifted off a few times, burying her face in the warmth of his neck as they soared through the night skies. She must have done a lot better at repairing his wings than she had thought, because they were making phenomenal time.

They managed to make it all the way to the northern border of Dawn Court when Azriel stopped. He flew by a small inn that seemed to have been abandoned some time ago. Using the heel of his heavy boot, he kicked in the wooden door. Inside was dark and quiet. Whoever had left this place hadn't planned to. The thought kicked her in the gut.

Az went ahead of her to scope out the building. She busied herself with trying to find any supplies that may have been abandoned in the owner's haste to evacuate. She eventually wandered into a kitchen and nearly moaned in relief. The pantry was only half empty, still with plenty of food and supplies left.

Callie found matches in a side drawer and used them to light the stove top. She hummed as she worked, opening two cans of soup from the pantry and dumping them into a pot she'd found. She stirred the soup as it heated, having to fight the urge to just eat it cold. She was so hungry.

Jumping nearly out of her skin, she saw Azriel leaned in the doorway watching her. She gave him a small, nervous smile and busied herself. She found some more canned fruit and opened those, too, handing him an opened can. He gave her a firm nod and walked to the kitchen island she was working on and perching his body on a stool.

They ate the fruit in silence, Callie taking occasional breaks to stir the soup as it began to bubble to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pot. They'd need to pack up as much of the food as possible to take with them when they left. The more they could carry, the less likely it was that Azriel would have to risk himself again.

"How are you feeling?" Azriel's hesitant words broke the reverberating silence. Her head jerked up, rushing to chew and swallow so she could answer him.

She nodded. "I'm okay."

He watched her for a moment before returning her nod.

"There's an open room upstairs that has a decent enough vantage point for me to keep watch while you get some sleep," he said, shoving his fork back into the can to pierce another piece of fruit before lifting it to his mouth. She tried to ignore the way some of the fruit juice dripped down his chin. She looked away quickly, praying he didn't notice the heat that swirled low in her belly.

If he noticed, he didn't let her know.

"You need to sleep, too," she said.

"I'll be fine," he gruffed.

"Either we both get rest or neither of us do. We've traveled far enough that they won't find us yet. We can barricade the door and take whatever precautions you need, but we both need rest." She wasn't asking for his permission, she was telling him. She halfway expected that to threaten his ego, but he just eyed her for a moment longer before nodding.

Feeling satisfied, she turned back to the stove and poured the hot soup into two bowls to split between the two of them. They ate that in silence as well, but this time, the silence was comfortable and easy. A silence that let them both know they were comfortable just co-occupying space and didn't need to speak if they didn't want to.

When they'd finished eating and the growling in both of their stomachs had faded, he led her upstairs to a small inn room with a double bed and arm chair sat next to a hearth. They knew they couldn't light the hearth for fear of attracting attention, but gods she wished they could. It felt like the cold had burrowed into her bones.