Chapter Text
Daine screeched in greeting to inform her companion below that she had returned. Circling overhead, she waited while he pulled clothes out of her pack and placed them behind a tree. Swooping down she landed before shifting in the frigid air and pulled on her clothes as fast as she could.
“I located the path,” she called through chattering teeth.
“Mithros bless!” Numair exclaimed in relief. “How far away from it are we?”
“Only two miles actually,” Daine replied while she laced her boots. “We just slid the wrong way down the hill.”
“Tortall’s two most powerful mages lost in the woods, we’ll never live it down!” Numair moaned in self-depreciation.
Daine rolled her eyes at him as she emerged from behind the tree. “I think we can be forgiven for the freak mudslide.”
He smiled warmly as he handed her a thick woollen cloak. She thought she’d lost it in the mud and was shocked to discover it was not only intact but also clean. One of those things was probably thanks to Kit who chirped happily from her saddlebag, the only one of them not covered in mud.
“Are you sure the horses are all right to carry us?” Numair lowered his voice, fretting again. “I can walk if – ow!”
Cloud released his elbow and said something rude which Daine wasn’t inclined to repeat. “You kept us all protected well enough. The only thing that came to any harm was our clothes,” she reassured him.
His face softened as he reached out a hand to her cheek before flinching and withdrawing it. Something he’d been doing more and more of recently.
“Why d’you keep doing that?” Daine scowled. There was a time not so long ago that he’d cup her cheek, stroke her hair, or put an arm around her without a second thought, but he’d been lessening his physical contact with her and she didn’t appreciate the change.
Numair ducked his head, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. “Sorry, it’s a bad habit. I am trying to stop.”
“Why?”
He opened his mouth and then closed it again as his eyes flicked up to meet hers, a glimmer of hope shining there. “It doesn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“No. Why would it?” She frowned in confusion.
With his eyes locked on hers, Numair wet his lips before reaching out a shaking hand to gently brush a stray curl off her cheek. Goosebumps erupted all over her body as his fingers slowly stroked across her cheek to tuck the curl behind her ear. “Would you prefer it if I stopped?” The depth of his voice made her shiver agreeably.
“No,” she answered in a breathy whisper.
He smiled and there was a heat in his eyes while his hand lingered. Daine could feel a fluttering in her stomach as his fingers traced the shell of her ear before he dropped his hand, smiling sheepishly. The heat vanished the moment he removed his hand leaving Daine to think she was missing something important.
Turning away, the mage approached Spots and mounted gracelessly. Daine was beginning to fear she’d never be able to teach him how to ride. She hadn’t given up yet but she was getting close. Approaching Cloud, Daine mounted swiftly and checked her bearings as Spots drew level.
“Daine?” Numair spoke softly, hesitantly.
“Hm?”
“On the subject of small intimacies, would you mind if I kissed you?”
“What?” Her snapped around so fast she thought she might have pulled a muscle as her heart pounded in her chest.
“On the cheek, I mean,” he clarified, blushing profusely. “I sometimes kiss women I care about on the cheek. Family, Onua, Alanna...” he trailed off in a mumble, determinedly not looking at her. “I'd like that list to include you, if you wouldn't mind?”
“O'course not. Why would I mind?” Her heart skipped a beat though she couldn’t have said why exactly.
Numair beamed at her brightly before leaning down to give her a swift kiss on the cheek. Her skin practically burned where his lips had touched as he straightened in the saddle. “Right, which way are we headed?” he asked, tightening his grip on the reins.
Daine pointed, not entirely trusting her voice as they set off at a cautious walk. Her cheek still tingled almost like she could still feel his lips there. Cloud muttered something extremely rude at her which she ignored. “Hey, Numair?”
“Yes, magelet?” he responded cheerfully.
“Does that mean I can kiss you too?”
Numair twisted around so fast that he fell out of the saddle and landed in the mud in a heap. Spots was extremely put out, pawing at the ground as Cloud halted and snorted in derision.
Daine dismounted quickly and went to the gelding, soothing him and reassuring him he hadn’t done anything wrong as she looked down at her friend, bemused. “You all right?”
Numair nodded, blushing furiously as he got to his feet, failing to hide a wince as he glanced at her from under his lashes. “You meant on the cheek, yes?”
She shot him an impish grin. “Well, where else would I kiss you that’s not already covered in mud?”