By the time they settled down to eat, Caelan was famished. His stomach grumbled uncomfortably, even after sneaking a few pomegranate seeds and a small chunk of fig. Despite having grown accustomed to eating very little over the past few years, Caelan found himself almost salivating. The fish smelled delicious. He couldn’t remember the last time he had used seasonings. He wasn’t picky in that way, and typically ate his food without any added sauces or flavoring. Sometimes he stirred ripe fruit and a bit of sugar into his rice, but that was about the extent of it. Otherwise, Caelan ate just to survive.<br/><br/>“I bet it will taste so good that you’ll never want to eat it without again.” Caelan responded with a cheeky smile and picked up his slice of orange. “It’s similar to lemon. Orange can typically be used as an equal replacement.” He explained as he carefully juiced it over the fish and set the rind on the edge of the plate. “Lemon will be better with certain types of fish, same with oranges, of course.” Caelan shrugged, figuring that they were both too hungry now to bother with the debate.<br/><br/>Caelan began eating with reckless abandon, not bothering with utensils. He might need them for the soup, if he decided to do more than drink from the edge of the bowl. Caelan picked up the delicate layers of fish with his fingers and popped it in his mouth. His response was almost immediate - an audible groan of bliss. “This,” he gestured to the filet as he chewed, “might be better than the catfish.”<br/><br/>The catfish had been an aphrodisiac. Caelan hoped this fish would have a similar effect.<br/><br/>He stole a sip of Dusty’s beer, setting the bottle between them in a way of warning that he planned to do it again. The beer had been meant to wet his lips, but he found that it paired fantastically with the fish.<br/><br/>“Can I ask you something?” Caelan asked. He picked a few pieces of fish from his plate and set them into the broth to marinade for a quick minute or two, hoping to mingle the flavors together for a succulent bite. Afterwards, he wiped his fingers on a rag and looked at the man. “What are you afraid of?” It was posed as a question rather than a taunt. “Besides swimming, because that was obvious.” Caelan joked, though his laugh died off quite rapidly. He spoke again, “I just want to know if there is… something that I might be able to do that would make you feel safe because… you… make me feel… safe.”<br/><br/>The words tumbled out of his mouth slowly, almost as his brain translated the feeling into words. Dusty made him feel safe. Was it wrong of Caelan to want to extend the same courtesy to the man? He knew there wasn't much that Caelan could do for Dusty that the man wouldn't be able to do for himself, and Caelan was probably more afraid of a gun than Dusty was, but that didn't mean that Dusty should<i>have</i>to do things for himself all the time.