Kissing Your Best Friend
Synopsis: A kiss for your best friend may lead to something more.
With — Al-Haitham, Childe, Tighnari
Genre: fluff
Warnings: OOC Al-haitham cause i dont write him much, minor spoilers for Childe lore. Totally didn’t neglect Al-Haitham.
Al-Haitham
There’s a small hint of a grin on your lips when Al-Haitham opens the door to his house. Immediately, he gives you a skeptical look, reluctantly stepping out of the way to allow you to come inside.
“What is this about?” He asks, following your lead after closing the door with a soft ‘click’. You don’t respond, at least not right away. Before, you were excited, imagining what he would do or say upon your lips being on his, bursting into laughter. But now, you were starting to feel the nerves kicking in. As much as you wished you could deny it, the feelings for the Scribe went deeper than close friends. Perhaps this idea was just projecting onto yourself to express your true feelings.
“What? Am I not allowed to come visit you? I thought you said I was welcomed here anytime I want!” You throw your hands up exaggeratedly, leaving him to look at you with a very unamused look.
“You are. But you’re up to something, I can see it on your face.”
“What? No, not me. I’m never up to something,” Your attempt to feign innocence made him roll his eyes. He made his way towards you, and with each step it made your nervousness grow. As always, you failed to conceal from someone as keen as him. He was so close to you, inches away, his breath fanning over your face. The look he cascaded down to you made you uncomfortably shift from one foot to the next, eyes looking everywhere but his.
“Look at me.” His voice was firm, and you didn’t dare disobey the Scribe of the Akademyia. Your gaze stared into the pool of his teal ones, and there he could see how skittish you looked. He raised a brow, crossing his arms, “Did you do something illegal?”
His question made you sputter before bursting into laughter, placing your hands on his waist, “No! I didn’t do anything illegal! At least, not yet- ow!” He landed a playful smack on your bicep, a small smile placed on his lips. His eyes were closed, and he was speaking but to you no sound came out. He looked so pretty, so divine, so…kissable. Your body moved against your brains protests.
His words stopped when he felt your mouth on his, and for once he was surprised. His eyes were wide, stance rigid, and he swears he stopped breathing. When you finally pull away, his stance didn’t change much. You two just stared at each other, and with each second passing your nerves were hightened even more, mind swirling that you fucked up. That was until his next words.
“Do that again.”
Childe
The only time you have felt like this was when you first showed up at Childe’s house at ten years old. A nervous wreck, wondering if his parents would hate you, despise you, ban you from seeing your friend. That very same feeling is coming back to haunt you after all these years, albeit worse, and more complex. An anxiety-filled disaster was not even close to explaining what you're feeling right now. The dish being aggressively scrubbed in your hands was a tell-tale sign of that. The sponge was ripping from your nails digging into it, and the paint on the dish was about to be scrubbed off from the intensity if it wasn’t for a hand being placed over yours.
“Now what did that plate do to you? Other than making a mess, of course,”
His voice made your heart beat faster, making your chest twist in pain with the intensity. He didn’t overlook that nervous smile that you gave him, or the breathless “Sorry,” that was bashfully passed past your lips. He stood and watched you move from one plate to the next, analyzing every little anxious habit you were conducting. To others, it may just seem like you were having a bad day. Yet when it comes to Childe, he reads you like a book. It’s easy when he’s known you for a little over a decade. He knows something is going on in that head of yours. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been actively trying to avoid him for the past month; otherwise, you wouldn’t have reluctantly agreed to his dinner invitation at his parent's. You only said yes because he brought Teucer along to beg you to follow through. Childe knew you couldn’t resist his little brother's puppy-eye look.
“Why don’t you let me help? You’re the guest, and you shouldn’t even be doing the dishes. I’ll wash and you dry?” He asks, but it comes out more of a demand, “Don’t want you ruining any dishes, my mom would be angry at you for a whole five seconds!”
You let out a mix of a genuine laugh and a timid one, hesitantly stepping off to the side to allow him to take over. After, it was quiet. Neither of you said a word, the sound of the rushing water and sponge on the plate replacing any conversation you two may have had. Any dish handed to you was absentmindedly dried and placed to the side. Each passing second of silence felt like torture to the harbinger. You’re usually messing around, cracking jokes, and talking about the most random and absurd topics. All things he’s grown to adore about you. But now, you’re standing there quiet, standoffish, and terrified. For once in an excruciatingly long time, he was apprehensive. He hasn’t felt this way since he left the abyss. He turned the water off despite the remaining pile of dishes in the sink. Your eyes looked between him and the filthy plates, confused as to why he stopped.
Childe turns to look at you fully, his eyes full of concern as he whispered, “What’s wrong (Y/n)?”
You swallow your words, standing still and just staring at him, confused about what to say. You can’t remember the last time he used your real name instead of some cheesy nickname.
“Um- nothing. Why?”
You’re not even sure why you’re so adamant about lying to him. Even you were aware of your distant behavior towards him. But the thought of telling him why felt more humiliating than covering a lie.
“Right. That’s why you’ve been staying away from me like you’re wanted for debt.” You notice the bitter undertone in his words despite his trying to be understanding. And it hurt knowing you were unintentionally hurting him.
“Look-“ His tone turned softer, although sadder, and it hurt you even more, “I won’t push you to tell me. I’m just wondering why…why I’m losing my best friend. Is it because I’m a Harbinger? Are you scared of me? Did I do something wrong-“
“No.”
He stopped, looking at your frame in utter shock at your sudden sternness. Your heart was pounding against your chest as you keep your eyes on the wall in front of you. You refused to meet his gaze, horrified that one look at him and you’ll falter. That you’ll back out on telling him. But you knew you had to for being humiliated was better than putting him through emotional turmoil.
“It’s cause I like you, okay? More than a friend.” Your words were rushed, and your skin was heating up from a mix of embarrassment and nerves. Another uncomfortable silence fell over the already tense kitchen. The laughter of Childe’s siblings playing just a couple of rooms over seemed like a taunt to you, that they’re laughing at you for your feelings and confession.
Your spiraling thoughts were interrupted when you felt a warm hand cup your cheek and turn your head towards the Harbinger before you. His touch, his stare, his smile, it was all so gentle. There was no trace of disgust or mockery in his eyes. Relief is what you saw in replacement of your paranoid-filled expectation.
Your heart felt like it was about to leap out of your chest when you saw his face slowly move toward yours. You couldn’t help how your breath hitched and eyes widen, all of which caused Childe to stop. He didn’t say anything, only looking you in the eyes, waiting for the cue to either continue or step back and pretend it never happened. Much to his excitement, you gave him a little nod to continue, and he was back to leaning down. Slowly, agonizingly slow as if he wanted to make sure that you wanted this. That this wasn’t a dream. That your confession echoing in his head was the truth. Much to his alleviation, you stayed put, slowly mirroring his movements and leaning forward. Each second caused your skin to ignite even hotter. Every inch made your previous worries and second guesses melt away.
The smell of his smoky cologne overtook your senses as finally, finally his lips were placed upon yours. It was deep and slow, him moving with expertise when his free hand was placed on your hip, rubbing small circles with his thumb. It was simultaneously comforting and horrifying. You’ve bashfully imagined kissing him, but never thought it would happen.
He pulled away only a couple of centimeters to catch his breath before kissing you again with more intensity. He pushed himself forward, forcing you to be pressed back against the counter, his hands caging you against it. Your breathing turned more ragged the longer he kept his soft lips against yours, overwhelmed by the suddenness of it all. When he pulled away for good, he was grinning, pressing his forehead against your own.
He was delicate as he talked, admiration laced with every word, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”
Tighnari
“Please, why are we here?” You complain through chattering teeth. The harsh wind of Dragonspine nipped at the remaining skin exposed to the harsh weather, rendering your heavy winter clothes useless. The vision hanging on your hip dimly glowed as if it was also protesting the coldness around. Meanwhile, the fennec fox in front of you seems unbothered by The Tsarita’s hellscape.
“I’ve already told you, we’re collecting starsilver for Cyno so that way he can compare the real deal with the counterfeits that have been going around Sumeru,” His annoyance was evident in his tone and the twitch in his ears. Other than the rushing snow, your voice of complaints was the only sound following the two of you. If it wasn’t for his high patience with you, you would’ve been left in a cave somewhere already.
“Besides, I dont know why you’re complaining, from what I recall, you were begging to come join me,” He scoffed, sending a glare your way. You stopped walking, crossing your arms and glaring back at him.
“I wanted to make sure you would be safe! Dragonspine is dangerous and avalanches have been more frequent lately. You couldn’t go alone.”
“I’m starting to wish I did.” His harsh words only made you smile. You walked up to him, wrapping your arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer to you.
“You and I both know that you would be begging to have me here if you went alone,” You mirrored the tone he used for you, a smug grin on your face when you saw the way he rolled his eyes. He shrugged you off, his tail playfully hitting your side.
It’s been hours since the two of you entered Dragonspine. It was the crack of dawn when you made your way over the broken wooden bridge, and it was now almost sunset when you reach the top. A small patch of starsilver twinkled over a pile of rocks, and you’ve never felt more relief in your entire life.
“What? That’s it?” Tighnari said, baffled, “This isn’t nearly enough.”
You groaned, throwing your head back dramatically at his statement, “You’re so unbearable. Sufferable. Punchable even.”
“Let's grab what we can get then call it a night. We can head back down tomorrow and try the base of the mountain.” Tighnari ignored your previous statement as he walked forward, getting to work on slowly mining out the rare ore. You stood next to him, holding the bag open to allow him easier access to putting the ore away. You zone out looking at his concentrated face. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, hands expertly moving the starsilver around to loosen it up, his tail wagging slightly, ears slightly parted, his eyes lighting up when he gets a piece out.
He was adorable. Smart and witty with a sass that rivaled yours. It was hard to not fall for him. You found it inappropriate to love someone who was, in a way, your Master. Despite being around the same age, he took you on to be his assistant, seeing the potential you couldn’t see for yourself when you first arrived in the village. He’s the reason why you’re as strong and intelligent as you are right now. You’re convinced that he’s the reason why you have a vision. He’s the reason you were redeemed. You owe your life to him, so why must you feel your heart skip a beat whenever you’re around him?
“Watch out!”
His sudden shout knocked you out of your trance. All you saw was a blur of black and green before you were tackled, your breath leaving your lungs in an icy exhale. Both of your bodies tumble down into the pit that holds the domain below. You barely have time to react till your back is slammed onto the powdery snow. Even though the thick layer of powder broke your fall, it did little to soften the blow of the forest ranger falling on top of you. A loud groan is pushed out of you when you feel the sharp pain shoot through your body. Your ears are ringing from the intensity of the hit and your vision was knocked sideways, everything spinning around you.
Tighnari stayed on top of you, holding your body close and catching his breath. The thundering sound of rushing snow and rock replaces the ringing, just barely being able to catch a glimpse of the deathly mixture going past where Tighnari and you once were. You took a moment to take a few deep breaths before whispering, “I told you so.”
You went to laugh but were silenced by Tighnari smashing his lips against yours. His warm lips contrasted with the biting cold. You stayed still, eyes widening and face heating up from the suddenness of it all. It wasn’t until he pulled away that you realized what happened. He pulled you closer to him, hugging you tightly.
“Shut up you big lummox. I’m relieved you’re okay.”
