"Well, how do we get out?" Ashe kicked the dirt wall. "Neither of us can climb this."
I looked around. We weren't in a closed off pit like I originally thought, but a tunnel.
"All we can do is follow the path,"I told him.
Ashe exhaled, running a stressed-out hand through his hair. It was amusing that our roles from five minutes ago had reversed. Now I was the calm one and Ashe was the one freaking out.
"Okay," he mumbled. He shuffled closer to me, his arm brushing mine, then added by way of explanation, "I'm a deer. I don't like the dark."
The corner of my mouth quirked up in a smile. He didn't need to explain himself. I liked being close to him. I remembered the rush of calm I felt earlier when Ashe pressed against my chest while rescuing my paw. My whole body tingled from the contact, easing me even during the worst of my panic. I dreaded to think about what would've happened if he hadn't been with me.
"You saved my life,"I told him.
Ashe raised his brows. Even in the dim light, I saw his cheeks flush. "Come on, no I didn't. You could've gotten out by yourself eventually."
"No."
He rolled his eyes and gave me a light shove. "Well, now we're even, how about that?"
I smiled.
With nothing to do but follow the path ahead, the two of us walked on. As we entered the tunnel, the light from the crevice dissipated, turning everything dark. Ashe pressed closer to me. His warmth spread up my arm. It was too dark to see the warmth blossoming in my cheeks.
He said he was scared. That was the only reason he stayed so close. No other reason.
As we got further away from the fading light, Ashe's fingers clutched my arm, then slowly dug in deeper. By the time it was fully dark, he had an unrelenting hold on me. I didn't mind. Whatever made him feel safer.
It was silent this deep underground. It was so quiet that it was uncomfortable, but I preferred it to the sound of crashing earth and debris. The truth was, I hated being underground. But I couldn't fall apart in front of Ashe when he needed me. He was afraid, too. He'd helped me when I was frightened, so now it was my turn to step up and help him.
I raised my hands to ask him if he was all right before realizing the problem. The tunnel was too dark for him to see my signs. I nearly groaned in frustration. First getting my paw stuck, and now this? It was like the universe didn't want me to communicate with Ashe.
Maybe this was karma for refusing to do it earlier. A wave of embarrassment hit me when I remembered how petulant I acted. Ashe’s questions were valid, yet I brushed him off like a spoiled brat. All because I was ashamed of myself.
After all he'd done for me, he deserved the truth. I needed to suck it up and tell him.
If only I had the light to do so.
I grit my teeth, hoping that there was some light ahead—or better, an exit to this fucking tunnel.
Ashe was quiet. I didn't know if it was because he had nothing to say, or out of politeness because he wouldn't be able to see my response anyways. When he finally did speak, it was in an uncharacteristically small, hesitant voice, as if he'd been deep in thought this entire time.
"So, earlier, when I freed you from the crevice…" A pause. "You licked me." A breathy, hesitant laugh. "What was that all about?"
I blushed, glad he wasn't able to see it. In the moment, I had been so overwhelmed with relief that I couldn't help myself. My bear soul wanted to lick him.
But I hadn't thought about what it meant to Ashe. Even shifters didn't go around licking each other in the face. Not unless they were expressing affection.
I wanted to slap my forehead. How could I be so stupid and impulsive? Even though I was a bear, I practically kissed Ashe.
"Sorry,"I signed, even if he couldn't see it.
"Ah, sorry, I can't…"
What an awkward situation. I sighed and tapped Ashe's arm before slightly pulling him forward to indicate that we had to keep moving. He followed along.
All I could think about was licking him. Kissing him. The mix of embarrassment and pleasure that coursed through me at the memory was stronger than my discomfort at being underground. It still tasted the salt of the sweat on my tongue. I shuddered.
"Are you cold?" Ashe asked. I forgot that his arms were wrapped around mine. "Er, I know I can't see your reply, but if you are, I can give you a hug or something."
