Caspian could hear the uncertainty in Iris’s voice when she promised him that she would do her best to make it out alive. He knew her safety wasn’t guaranteed just because she had a history as a member of the rebellion, but he at least wanted to know that she wouldn’t give up on getting away if they killed him. If she did her best to run, that was all her could ask of her, so hearing her say that she would try gave him enough peace of mind to relax on the uncomfortable prison bed.

As she pressed a kiss to his forehead, a half smile crossed his lips. It was difficult to feel cheerful in their grim, gray cell, but she still had a way of sparking some happiness inside of him. He was glad that they had managed to stay together in spite of Ethan’s attempts to split them apart. Now, if the rebels did kill him, at least he wouldn’t die in solitude. There was some comfort in that thought even though the rest of the image was intimidating. He wrapped an arm around her midriff to hold her close to himself, closing his eyes and taking solace in her warmth against his aching chest. With her next to him, he managed to drift off into a light nap, giving his wounded body a chance to recover from the trauma that had been inflicted upon him since the first day he’d been abducted from the capital.

--

After a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, Cas stirred at the feeling of Iris twitching and fidgeting against him. He stretched, stiff from lying on solid metal, and blinked his eyes open, slightly disoriented upon waking inside a prison cell. A moment later, he realized that her soft whimpers were what had roused him, and he looked down at her, furrowing his brows with concern. It seemed like she was having a nightmare about something, so he gently stroked her back with his hand, trying to soothe her without waking her up. He didn’t want to cut her rest short if she still needed it. God knew he did.

As soon as he’d resurfaced from unconsciousness, he’d felt the pang of his recent injuries strike again. Breathing was still painful, and every part of him ached. He bit his lower lip to stifle a groan, wishing he had slept more deeply, so he wouldn’t have to endure the soreness for a while longer. Unfortunately, now that he was awake and being terrorized by the fire in all his nerve endings, he couldn’t still himself to fall back asleep. Instead, he laid his head back down on the metal slab with a sigh, studying Iris’s sleeping face quietly. Although she appeared troubled by whatever her imagination had conjured to frighten her, he took idle notice of how beautiful she was. Pink lips, soft face, golden blonde hair that always seemed to frame her cheeks perfectly… He knew he was completely and utterly smitten, and he was sad that their time together was most likely going to be cut short.

Almost as if on command, the sound of footsteps echoing off the corridor beyond their cell caught his attention the instant after the thought crossed his mind. Swallowing nervously, Cas glanced up to see who was coming. Not knowing [i]when[/i] the rebels planned to kill him was stressful. All he could do was pray for the best and brace himself for the worst as the person beyond the wall came closer.