Serix waited with Cassie in the dark. He could feel her straining to calm her breathing beside him. It was a slow and arduous process, but she was making progress. He continued to support her by pressing her close to his side. He hoped she couldn’t feel his racing heart. While he was somehow managing to calm Cassie down, he was having a hard time of doing the same for himself.

In spite of himself, Serix leaned his head against Cassie’s as she buried her face into his neck. Her breath was warm against his skin. He found it increasingly difficult to stay focused on the situation at hand. Even though she was huddled against him, he wanted to pull her closer. The intensity of the emotion frightened him.  What exactly _did_ he feel for Cassie?

Cassie eventually pulled away from him, just enough so she could meet his eyes. **“I need to find tools... my dad might have packed some?”** she said slowly. She was rationalizing again. This was a good sign, but Serix also felt a pang of disappointment when she put that small amount of distance between them. He didn’t want her to leave yet.

_What’s wrong with me?_ he closed his eyes. _I should be happy that she’s recovering. We can get out of here soon and—_ His thought was cut short when he felt something that made his heart skip a beat. Cassie had planted a kiss on his cheek. She murmured her thanks and pulled away from his grasp, leaving him staring, wide-eyed, at the ghost of where she had just been.

Serix brought a hand to his cheek where her lips had touched. His face was hot and he realized he was grinning stupidly. He quickly wiped the expression off his face, as if Cassie were able to see it through the pitch black of the room, and stood up to join her as she searched through the boxes of her parents’ things.

He had to remind himself that she hadn’t meant anything by the kiss. It was a gesture of gratitude, nothing more… wasn’t it? Maybe it was a normal way for a human to thank someone… but that didn’t make sense. Cassie had always been uncomfortable with physical contact before. Perhaps kissing didn’t mean to humans what it did to Lunairans, then? That was a disappointing thought. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. Neither of them was seeking that kind of intimacy. They just had to survive.

“D-do you see anything helpful?” Serix inwardly cursed himself for stammering and laying bare his discomfort. So much for keeping _that_ a secret...