Normally Feralwoods were one of the preferable monsters to encounter within the Numor Mines, but this one had splintered at David’s final blow, and a sliver of wood had worked its way beneath the skin of his thumb and was irritating his sword grip. The nails of his left hand had proved inadequate to the task of its removal, and he resorted to chewing on his thumb while debating whether to ask Torgal to try his claws.

Rush bounced up beside him and grinned. “Haha, usually you never do anything undignified. What’d you do to your thumb?”

David removed the offending digit, and offered his hand for Rush’s examination with a rueful smile. “Only a splinter, I’m afraid, but it is rather persistent.”

Rush’s hands closed on his wrist and hand, angling it to catch the light. “Ooh, yeah, that’s a long one. You’ve gotta be careful chewing ‘em, though, you don’t want it to break off under the skin. Here, lemme try this.” His eyes flashed sideways to meet David’s, then down again, and his mouth closed impossibly hot around David’s thumb.

David planted his feet more firmly, balance suddenly uncertain, as Rush’s tongue lapped at the splinter, teeth scraping gently over the callous of David’s thumb. Rush sucked, and his little noise of concentration vibrated along every nerve in David’s arm.

David’s blood surged in his ears and his breath came shorter as Rush redoubled his efforts, nipping gently at the ache, so that when Rush finally pulled away and spat out the splinter David was panting, and very much afraid his complexion wasn’t quite dark enough to disguise the heat in his face.

“I- thank you, Rush. You are very good with your mouth.”

“Augh, Dave, you don’t have to say it like that!!”

It was Rush’s turn to flush, but though he pulled away, his fingers curled briefly through David’s own before releasing them.