"This is where I used to go if I wanted some space." Askan explained as he led the way, carving a  trench  in the snow as he walked along, a once well worn path.

Askan's tour of the territory had taken them to the south-western corner of the field, where the gaps between the pine trees became few and far between as the land transitioned from tundra to woodlands. He knew this area well, and once he had shown Reyes the key parts to their home-funny how it was theirs now, something they shared- he figured this would be the next best place for him to see. From what he could tell no one else knew of this place, the few times he had been there his scent was the only one that lingered. Aside, from the patchy smell of a badge that likely had a den somewhere close nearby. So really, in essence, this was Askan's secret retreat. A place he hid when the task of being social was a little too much for him.

But there he was-willingly no less, with no complaints- letting Reyes share what was his, granting him entry to his little hideout. It should have felt weird, the Yukon wolf should have felt at least a little uncomfortable, cagey even, but nope. No such feelings lingered in his system, there was nothing but clarity. Or at least in regard to this situation, the whole mess with Percy was another issue he didn't have the mind to deal with. He'd get back to it later, she was not forgotten. She never would be.

"Stopped using it when it got too cold to sleep alone. Tried for a few nights but the privacy wasn't worth it." He cast a look over his shoulder to see how Reyes was keeping up."I like having toes. It's not far now."

Pushing through the evergreens, Askan eventually came to a stop in a small opening in the forest. It wasn't exactly as he remembered as he hadn't been there since the snow had started to fall, but all in all it seemed about right to him. The den itself stood-or rather slumped- in the centre of the opening. Whilst nothing like the wide and comfortable oak tree den, his own personal one suited him well enough. The accumulation of branches, sticks and dried foliage served as a decent shelter and did a good job at keeping the elements at bay. Be it rain or wind. The dens floor had been dry dirt when he'd first happened upon it all those months ago, but he'd managed to rip up some moss off a fallen tree and plop it on the floor to make a makeshift carpet, to make it just that more comfortable. And if memory served him correctly it had been pretty comfortable.

Glancing over at his subordinate-it was a little odd to think of him as such, it felt as though they should have been equals- Askan spoke, breaking the prolonged silence.

"So that's it, more or less. What'd you think?"

Askan's ears perked at Reyes' question.

This wasn't what he had in mind, in fact he wasn't even sure what he had in mind, if anything. He found that this was the best approach when dealing with Reyes, that he simply took everything in his stride and just went with it. Before such an approach would have been unthinkable, Askan was an immovable object, there was no way he could compromise, or just 'deal with it.' But Reyes here was an unstoppable force, nothing could stop him. So in the end compromise was the only thing they could do. And it worked, or at least it seemed to be.

Still, it wasn't the worst of requests. Certainly not one he had to say no to.

"Not what I had in mind, but sure. If you're tired." His gaze lingered on him for a moment, as though looking for signs of weakness. He saw none. "Thought you said you liked getting out of breath, didn't think you'd be so eager to rest." He had to snort at that. It was too funny.

Last time he said that Reyes had scrambled off like his tail was on fire, as though Askan had said something wrong. Which Reyes later assured him he hadn't, but the Selwyn- contrary to Reyes' assumptions- wasn't blind or stupid. So saying this here and now was a little risky, for sure, but Askan wanted to test the waters. To see if things had changed.

Either way though, he was fine with relaxing for a little while. And the prospect of doing so with Reyes wasn't so bad. It was quite nice even. So with that, without further ado, he stepped into his little den and circled a little before he plopped himself down. Just as he remembered, it was comfortable, but cold without anyone to share the space with. Or at least it was until Reyes joined him moments later.

"At least this time it isn't so cramped, you space hog."

Typical. Askan shouldn't have expected any less from Reyes, he should have seen it coming. But as always, he didn't. He was blindsided by yet another witty, if not sarcastic quip. Before the Selwyn might have puffed up and snapped in frustration, but now his reaction was far more subdued. By no means was he the picture of calm and focus, but he wasn't doing anything he shouldn't. It wasn't against the pack rules to roll his eyes, if it was he would have been kicked out months ago by then.

He wasn't sure how Reyes wanted to position himself when he joined him, but he couldn't say that he was surprised when his companion flopped down beside him, using his neck as a cushion for his chin. It was pretty standard by this point, it felt like a well worn routine, the sort of motion they had gone through so many times they'd lost count. But that wasn't the case, was it? How long had it even been? Fuck, it was hard to think when so much was going on in his life. Reyes, then Percy going missing. Well, he supposed his life couldn't be called boring. At least he had that.

The Selwyn wasn't sure what he expected next, so when Reyes spoke up, breaking the silence between them, his ears perked with interest. He was comfortable, curled up with his head resting on his paws, so it was fair to say that they were in agreement here. He liked it too. More than he probably should.As for Reyes' next point, well he supposed the more the better. Especially considering from the sounds of it, it would just be the two of them tucked away in here. Maybe Percy as well when she came back, if she wanted to. As for Reyes' opinion? Well he'd have to deal with it, Percy was his friend.

For now though, it was just the two of them , curled up in the dark away from the cold. Everything else seemed so distant, like the outside world couldn't get in. He wished it could stay like this, that Reyes could keep his troubles at bay like this, but reality was waiting and they'd soon have to return.

"You want to make this place more homey?" Askan asked, sounding a little bemused.

It wasn't a bad notion, in fact it was quite pleasant. Opening his eyes, he glanced about, viewing the bare patches of floor and the slight gaps in the roof that could probably be covered with something or another. A little bit of work and this den could truly be a nice place to rest, even during the winter. As long as he had another body to snuggle with. And if said wolf just happened to be Reyes, well stranger things happened.

"I guess that'd be nice. I'd like to be able to sleep without someone foot in my face."

He didn't mind the communal den so much, he just liked to bitch, but admittedly sleeping here was a nicer prospect than the former. He wasn't going to admit that though.

A long, comfortable stretch of silence passed before Askan spoke up. "I was thinking that living here might be more comfortable for you if you were of higher rank. He paused a moment,letting the statement linger. "I mean, I'm not going to give you my place. But, you might want to think about challenging Icicles' for his. Just an idea. Wouldn't mind you serving directly beneath me."

Comfortable worked too. Either way it didn't really matter to Askan, as he had no intention of going over Reyes' words with a fine tooth comb. He knew Reyes, and that if he said something he always meant it.  But back to the matter at hand, yes, their little hideaway could probably get pretty comfortable if they put the work into it. In no time at all they could make it even better than the communal den, and they wouldn't have to share either. Which in Askan's eyes, was the best of both worlds, really.

Askan felt Reyes shift and squirm beside him but thought nothing of it. It was all part of the package whenever he slept with another wolf, he couldn't expect them to remain stone still the whole time, so even if it jostled him a little Askan paid it no heed. Reyes was free to do as he pleased. Or at least that was until he started to nibble at the Selwyn's scruff again, a little rougher this time, with more enthusiasm. That earned him a bemused sort of look, the sort that made Askan's brows draw together but his lips were sealed. However, a verbal complaint didn't slip past the Yukon's lips, in fact nothing of the sort really even popped into his head. A brief 'huh' flickered for a moment, but was quickly replaced with acceptance. This wasn't so bad, he could deal with this. It was tolerable.

Wait, what?

He'd made a reasonable suggestion, one that he thought Reyes would like to hear and he ,somehow, misconstrued it? Or at least that was what Askan assumed. Not that the Rye guardian really understood what his first comment was about. What he was implying when he put such a strange emphasis on Askan's words. Was he being dirty? It sure sounded like it. He had been about to protest, to set the matter straight but of course, the rogue was not yet done with him. He had to go on and make the situation all the more bizarre for Askan.

Pretty boy.

Askan wanted to be offended, to snap and snarl and demand an apology as he'd done before. But such a response seemed impossible, Askan couldn't muster the right feelings for that. It was all so jumbled and confusing and a compliment was a compliment. And Askan sure did like reviving praise...But not for something like this, it was weird and he was not pretty! Handsome yes! Striking, definitely. But pretty? No.

Askan cleared his throat, stubbornly ignoring that weird, odd pleased feeling in his chest. Boy it was cosy in here with Reyes wasn't it? "Yes well... No, what I mean to say is." It wasn't an image he had even thought of prior to there and then. He tried again, his voice a little firmer this time. "That's not what I meant and you know it. And don't call me that, I'm not pretty.

Askan didn't know what to make of his insistence.

Yeah you are.'

His voice was strong and sure, Reyes had stated the words as though they were a given, a fact rather than his opinion. And whilst Askan wanted to fervently argue his case, to tell him that he was wrong wrong wrong it was pretty hard to muster the will to do so. That wasn't to say that the Selwyn believed and or agreed with him, because he didn't. Even on his deathbed he would not admit that he could be considered pretty in any sense of the word. It was just so crazy. As was the fact that he was warmer than he knew he should be, in that sort of situation. Oh no, he wasn't sick was he? Had he caught something? Ugh, he hoped not. He had so much to do. He couldn't deal with this, not now.

Askan coughed and pawed at his snout, his eyes downcast. "Yes well... That is your opinion then, isn't it? But I think you're wrong so...""But I will agree with you on the second part, I guess. I'm pretty unique."

Whilst he had been wrangling with his unwieldy words, Reyes took advantage of his distraction and wiggled closer so that the rogue was practically enveloping him. This was fine as well. Cosy and safe, like this was where he was meant to be. But that was silly, because simplified it would mean that he was meant to be with Reyes, his sort of, not quite friend-who spent a great deal of time blurring the lines.  What a mess this was, not a bad one mind you. That was something Askan kept repeating, remembering, but even so it was a mess nonetheless. With a sigh, Askan leaned back against him, his tail flicking to cover his. It was pointless, he gave in. For now. It wasn't exactly surrender it was...A tactical retreat, without really moving or going anywhere. Yes, that's it.

"Good." Askan nodded, clearly impressed with Reyes' way of thinking. "We could do so much better. You are better. Than that reeking mongrel anyway."