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Garcia and Allred had been fighting demons all day, all night, every day for the last few weeks, and both were exhausted. Both were covered in blood, covered in the foul stench of demon essence, making them both feel sick to their stomach. They hated it. They hated the stench, they hated the blood, they hated the exhaustion of everything that had happened. After what felt like hours of driving, they finally found a place to stay, a seedy looking motel and, though it was far from ideal, they both didn't care and just got out of the car. Once inside the motel, they remain quiet as the motel worker just stares at them, her expression shitting from disgust, to concern to confusion, but neither Allred and Garcia say nothing except for a quiet thank you as they pay and walk towards their room.
Once inside their small room, they both collapse onto the edge of the single bed. The fact that there was only one didn't faze them—they were too drained to care. Instead, they sat there in silence, shoulders slumped, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on them, the silence deafening.
……
….
…
*Flick*
The moment Allred hears the flick of Garcia's cigarette, he turns his head, looking at him with a more concerned expression before he finally breaks the silence. "Garcia, really? I’m getting more worried about you now... You've been smoking even more than usual and, honestly, I'm more concerned about that than anything else." Allred let out a heavy sigh, the cigarettes already smelling bad, but it wasn't the odor of both themselves and the cigarette that made him concerned, it was the coughing. Garcia had been coughing more frequently lately, and Allred couldn't shake the worry that the cigarettes were finally taking their toll.
Garcia is less than worried with Allred's concern. He looked at Allred with a mix of annoyance and exhaustion, since he really wasn't in the mood for concern about his own safety. "Pinché madre, Allred..." He, of course, cursed in Spanish as always. He knew that cigarettes were, of course, not the healthiest thing, but what more could he use to calm down? He was angry, annoyed, and exhausted. Cigarettes were the only thing that actually helped him feel at least a bit more relaxed after countless days of almost mind-numbing exorcisms, and he didn’t want to stop. "Don't be concerned about me, I'll be fine like you were fine all those years ago.”
Allred cringed at Garcia’s words and knowing eyes, since he was once like him, but with alcohol. He always regretted his alcohol consumption, especially during his early years as a priest, but unlike Garcia, he beat his addiction. ”Yes I did always say I was fine when I drank, but I stopped when I realized I wasn’t, and you know how worried I am, you’ve been coughing a lot lately and that’s more worrying than anything else.” Allred couldn’t help but let his voice tremble since he knew family members whose lives were ruined by smoking, and he just couldn’t bear the thought of Garcia being another victim of it all.
Noticing Allred’s more saddened face, Garcia let out another sigh before he stomped out the cigarette under his foot. He felt a pang of guilt twist against his chest since he didn’t mean to worry Allred that much—it felt like Allred’s sadness could shatter with sorrow and that sorrow weighed him down even more. “Look, I understand you’re upset, but I’m fine amigo, there are a lot more things to worry about.”
Allred looks down at his bloody pants when he hears Garcia’s response and even though he was right about other serious matters like demons, he still couldn’t bear the thought of Garcia being hurt from his smoking, since he’s seen first hand at how bad things get when it came to it, but he doesn’t want to argue about this, and so he just looks back at him with a more pleading look. “I know, but could you at least cut down on the smoking? I just can’t bear to see you hurt yourself even more. You know I care for you.”
When Garcia hears and sees Allred’s plea, he reaches out to gently touch his cheek, the world no longer spinning as they just stare into each other’s eyes for a moment before. “Fine, just for you, I’ll cut back a bit…” Allred doesn’t respond at first, just letting Garcia’s touch calm his nerves before he leans in to kiss the now surprised Garcia’s lips and, though he doesn’t like the taste of cigarette, he does love the taste of Garcia’s lips. “Thank you… I love you.”
“…. I love you too… Gato-miedoso.” Garcia chuckles before kissing Allred back despite the initial surprise from the sudden, but welcoming kiss. This soft and affectionate kiss is much better than a cigarette.