Femslash February 2020 Day 24: Ice.
For Warmth
Gilda found herself in a strange situation.
It wasn't serious or deadly. Rather, she had faced terrors more strenuous than her current debacle. Escaping feral demons and racing through a massive forest filled her with enough stress to last her a lifetime.
But what was happening right now made her question all of that. She should have been used to such closeness. She had snuggled up with her siblings and let the younger ones rest their heads on her stomach as a makeshift pillow during their time in the wilderness. They had wrapped their tiny arms around her and nestled into her while she stroked through their hair and kissed the crowns of their heads to tell them good night.
Gilda thought she should have been able to do the same, but alas, she couldn't. Because the one having her arms wreathed around her was much taller than she was and had three furry companions curled up around them. She felt the dogs' fur across the expanse of her body, prompting sweat to accumulate on her brow and trickle down her cheeks, but the little voice in the back of her head told her she could handle that.
It was Ayshe clinging to her as she slept which made her face flush. She remained perfectly still in her sleeping bag, her spine so tense that a single poke could have snapped it. She listened to Don snore a few feet away, which mingled with the faint growls emitting from the dogs every time they exhaled. Although she tried focusing on them, her ears picked up on the soft breathing from Ayshe brushing against her cheek. It came out as a quiet hums, rhythmic, steady beats, and the warm air on her face only darkened Gilda's complexion as she matched Ayshe's breathing in a feeble attempt to calm her rapidly thudding heart.
She wondered how she ended up in such a predicament. They had selected a cave to sleep in for the night. When they had investigated in search of any mindless demons, they discovered it was damp and empty, no life to be found. Only stalactites hung from the ceiling dripping icy, murky residue on to their faces, and a chill had filled the cave as the night stretched on, leaving them to pile on their blankets, coats, and sleeping bags.
Gilda supposed Ayshe had rolled over in her sleep. Her arms must have slung out and gripped her waist, pulling herself closer to Gilda's shoulder. That must have been it. Considering how distant Ayshe had been acting, Gilda couldn't think of any other reason why Ayshe and her dogs would snuggle with her.
But when she glanced at Ayshe, her breath was taken away. The sharp slope of her nose, the pale color of her eyelashes, the slight freckles dotting her deep brown skin and her soft blonde hair tied in a loose braid over her face, Gilda had never seen a girl more beautiful. When Ayshe shifted, her hair parted, allowing Gilda to take in the dark birthmark crossing half of her face. It reminded her of the sun she drew when she was a little girl on the crisp paper Mama provided her. Swallowing, she resisted the urge to touch her birthmark, scolding herself for pondering the action without Ayshe's permission, and she dug her uneven fingernails into her palms.
Gilda shuddered as a droplet hit her nose from a darkened stalactite. She felt it roll down the side of her face and land on Ayshe's cheek. Ayshe's expression twisted, and she shivered, but she quickly fell back into her peaceful slumber. Gilda felt Ayshe's fingers tighten around her, and she wriggled her arms, awkwardly raising her hands from inside to touch Ayshe's forearms, the toned muscles underneath strong and firm.
She was warmer than Gilda could have ever imagined. As her eyes slid shut, she felt Ayshe rest her chin to the jut of her shoulder, and that night, Gilda slept more soundly than she had in months.
(When she awoke to Ayshe curiously gazing at her, their face inches apart, Gilda bit back a shriek while Don laughed.)