A drop here, a drop there (a one-shots/snippet book)

And the rain washed it all away (Welcome to Night Vale)

"C-Carlos...?"

A hand hovered near his cheek, the thumb softly brushing over it, and Carlos realized that his vision was blurry with tears. Quickly wiping them away, he smiled weakly and said, "It's nothing, sweetie. Come on, let's clean you up."

He divested them of the rest of their clothes, Cecil watching him with concern in his eyes the whole time, but Carlos didn't say anything.

What can he say? If he said what he really wanted to say, Cecil would've tried to reassure him and made him feel better. But Carlos doesn't want to be taken care of, it's Cecil who needs it more than him right now.

He's a scientist. A scientist is focused on his goals, and Carlos won't let Cecil shift the focus away from his goal right now.

Taking a hand towel, Carlos led Cecil in the shower and lathered the fabric with soap. They had intimate moments in the shower many times before, but there was nothing sexual about this moment now. It was simply warm and comfortable. There were lingering touches and soft kisses on skin as Carlos carefully patted the lathered fabric on his boyfriend's wounds and bruises, Cecil's trembling soon ceasing under the warm water, but nothing else. By the time they had washed off the shampoo from their hair, Cecil had settled into an almost doze, leaning slightly against him.

Carlos had to leave for a bit to get them clothes, but soon they were falling in bed together, limbs tangled and lips softly kissing on skin. They settled down, just holding each other, enjoying the warm contact against their bodies in the cold air. Cecil buried his face on Carlos' hair, pulling him close.

A silence settled in the room. It was comfortable, the kind that settles between people that didn't need words to understand each other. They simply basked in each other's presence and let the world descend into a silence that even Carlos, with all his social failings, is hesitant to break.

Just when Carlos thought that Cecil had fallen asleep, he felt a dampness in his hair and air almost unnoticeably rushing through them as Cecil's breath hitched. Suddenly worried, Carlos pulled away to look up at him, but there was a smile in Cecil's face.

His eyes shined with tears even as he smiled, soft and filled with love.

"You're here," He whispered reverently, hand cradling Carlos' jaw and thumb brushing across his cheek, "You're really here."

Carlos reached up to press Cecil's hand more firmly against his cheek. It felt warm. "I'm here, Ceece. I'm really here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really?" His voice sounded small, scared and hopeful at the same time, and it broke Carlos' heart.

"Yes, yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Carlos whispered, voice wobbling slightly as he brought Cecil's hand to his lips. Cecil smiled, but all of his attention are now on the fresh and ugly dark-blue bruise circling his boyfriend's wrist. The one from the handcuff attached to it when Cecil first entered the limo, the one that had a piece of charred wood attached to the other end. Carlos held the arm gently and looked up at Cecil, eyes starting to burn.

"What... what happened?" He managed to say, somehow.

"Oh, Carlos. Sweet Carlos, don't cry, shhhhh," Cecil cooed soothingly, his hand brushing through Carlos' hair.

Carlos sniffed and leaned to the touch. "Cecil, what happened before I arrived?" He asked again, voice quiet and trembling. "What had been happening while I was gone, when I wasn't here with you? For you? I... Cecil, I should've– I should've listened. I should've been here and I'm so so sorry–"

"Carlos, it's fine–"

"No, it's not fine!" Carlos burst out, suddenly angry. But not at Cecil. No, not at Cecil, who was looking at him with wide concerned eyes at Carlos–Idiotic Carlos, who took over a year to realize how important Cecil was to him. To realize that out of all the time he spent in the desert otherworld, out of all the scientific discoveries that excited and fascinated him throughout the year, it was the time spent with Cecil during his visit that Carlos had been most happy.