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The first time Ashril and Sylph kiss, its before their race.
Bickering and bragging fills the space between them. They’re just about to go out of the locker room when Sylph grabs their shirt to pull them down to eye level, and they could pull away, could definitely get themself out of the hummingbird’s hold, but they don’t. They stand there, mouth hanging open a little, in a state of slight shock. And before he can think too hard about it, he presses a quick peck to their lips,
“For luck, you’re gonna need it,” he rationalizes, releasing them and walking at a brisk pace out of the small room below the stands. It was tactical, they think, they’re throxwing her off her game before the race. That’s all it is.
And so what if they spend a little too long thinking about the flush Ash still wore when they stood beside them at the starting line? They’re relishing in the effectiveness of their strategy. Everyone does it. Besides, the day became such a blur after that, its almost forgotten by the two the next time they saw each other.
The second time they kiss, its at Funland.
The two have split off from the rest of the group, sprinting towards the winding maze. Its the most fun either has had in a while, laughing and playfully shoving each other as they move throughout the amusement park. And its no secret there are many things still out there in the world that are hurting them, but occupying themselves together and having lighthearted competition, its easy to almost forget it.
In the arcade, they’re just about to start on one of the games. Some sort of dancing one with arrows on the ground. They’re trying to figure out how to make the thing start when all of the sudden it kicks on, music playing out of the speakers. They’ve just picked a song, Sylph insisting they should do one of the advanced ones even though they’ve never played, calling Ash a chicken when they say they should maybe start on one of the easier songs.
The level is loading when a traitorous little memory pops into Ash’s head, and, as she usually does, she acts on impulse. Turning to him and speaking with a snide little smile on their face,
“Hey,” they lean over when he turns his head to face them, planting a chaste kiss on their lips and continuing smugly, “for luck, you’re gonna need it” in an echo of the hummingbird’s words from months prior. Before they can really register what just happened, the song begins and the two scramble to begin playing.
It was payback, nothing more. It didn’t mean anything, it was just them messing around, like they always did together. They weren’t- there was nothing more to talk about it. They get so caught up in trying to win the game that neither brings it up for the rest of the day.
The third time they kiss, its in the new world.
Ash is still recovering from losing their magic, they’ve been on bedrest for almost a week after they regained consciousness. People have been coming in to visit them, telling them about what’s been going on. Draeke was especially attentive, something they didn’t believe they deserved.
They heard their latest visitor before they saw him, however. Sylph was a bit quieter when they entered the room Ashril was set up in. The room was dimly lit, and they’d only woken up a few minutes before.
“Hey man, how’re you feeling?” Sylph spoke, walking into the room and settling themself down into the chair next to the bed. They groaned a little bit before responding,
“Like shit? I mean, less than before but still,”
“Yeah, I get it,” they laughed a little bit, though there’s no mirth in the sound
“I’m sorry” the roadrunner says after a moment, and its so quiet Sylph can barely even hear it.
“What?”
“I never came to check in on you when you lost your magic and now I’m in the same spot and you’re here visiting me-”
“No, Ash- c’mon don’t be like that, its not a big deal.”
“It is!” and the two go back and forth for a while, and its the most serious disagreement they’ve ever had. And Sylph understands where she’s coming from, but they honestly can’t bring themself to care. They’re both here now, aren’t they? And if they’re honest, they didn’t like people seeing them in the state they were in.
“I don’t just get a free pass for leaving you like that!” he snaps, and Sylph cannot believe they’re having to argue about this,
“You’re acting like you just abandoned me, you had other things going on.”
“I-”
“No,” they move to grab his hand, ignoring how his breath hitches as they do, “We’re not having this conversation, I’m alright, you’re alright, that’s the end of it.”
They sit in silence for a moment, Ash letting out a breathy, “okay” as their response. He squeezes their hand and Ash stares at where they interconnect. And it isn’t exactly a picture-perfect scene. Ash’s hair is probably sticking up in places they can’t see, they’re in an old pair of pajamas they borrowed from Draeke, they’ve definitely got some morning breath.
Yet Sylph is still struck with the odd impulse to kiss them. It doesn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense the first time all those months ago but they still wanted to then and they still want to now. Where they lie in bed, brown hair framing their face, a bit overgrown, and tiredness still evident in their features, eyes blown wide and red as their cheeks as they stare down where Sylph is holding their hand. They start speaking without thinking,
“Can I-”
“Yes” Ash cuts them off, head snapping up to meet them. And it might seem against their nature, but they both move slowly and carefully. Its not like when they kissed before. Its not a quick peck that’s meant to be distracted from quickly. Its not something that can be waved away as ‘just messing around’.
Its a little awkward as Ashril is sitting up in bed and Sylph is in a chair next to them, but its no less purposeful. Their hand finds its way into his hair and his find their way to their waist. Its not some steamy makeout sesh, but its soft and its nice and its what they want, so nothing else really matters.
They break apart, still close enough to feel each other’s breath on their faces. They lock eyes, and can’t help but burst out giggling like lovesick teenagers. Sylph sees the lopsided grin Ash wears and thinks they’d like to see that a lot actually. He knocks their foreheads together as their laughter dies down. And he can see them going to lean in again, when the door bursts open.
“Auncle Ash! Auncle Ash!” Rali comes bursting through the door, “look what I made!” she doesn’t even acknowledge Sylph as she crawls into bed next to Ash holding a piece of paper.
After Ash sufficiently praises their nieces drawing, she keeps on talking about whatever four year olds talk about. They should talk, they will talk, but right now that’s not the issue.
When they kiss for the number-they-can’t-remember-eenth time, its in Ashril’s nest.
There’s early morning light filtering through the open walls of the space, everything is warm and soft and light around them. Neither of them are early risers, so its light outside by the time the roadrunner stirs. They are tangled up together under the sheets and Ash can’t help but think of how lucky they are that the events of their life all led up to where they are now.
They watch as their partner sleeps soundly beside them, chest rising and falling, peaceful look on their face. They do love him with all his playful jabs and teasing and devilish smiles, but they do appreciate the calm look that crosses their features in the early morning. He moves a bit closer to them, and they reflexively wrap an arm around him as well.
A coo rises from somewhere in their chest, tucking Sylph under their chin, even if it means they can’t look at him anymore. They stay like that for a while before he starts to stir. Pitch dark eyes blink open, squinting in the sunlight and yawning.
“Morning,” they laugh, as the hummingbird buries her head further into their chest, hiding from the light. All she does is groan in response, inspiring another laugh bubbling out of their chest. They pull back slightly only so they can begin kissing him slowly, nothing intense, but still purposeful. It still takes him a moment to shake off the sleep and come to their senses, but when he does, he holds them tighter and presses back into them.
“Good morning,” Sylph finally says after they break apart, they continue through another yawn “are we doing anything today?”
Ashril hums in thought before responding, “game night is tonight I think? But other than that, I’ve got nothing scheduled,”
“Nothing scheduled other than me beating your ass tonight” Sylph brags, not managing to dodge the light swat to their shoulder Ash gives them,
“The only reason that ever happens is when you cheat,”
“Its not cheating if you just don’t know the rules of Uno-”
“Stacking multiple plus twos is so not fair and also just du-” before Ash can keep going on their tangent about how the way Sylph plays Uno is just Wrong, the latter cuts them off by kissing them again, immediately distracting the roadrunner.
“You were saying?” Sylph drawls, smirking up at their flushed and partially dazed partner. They attempt a sentence, only to start about five sentences and finish none of them, leaving them both dissolving into a pile of laughter, Ashril yelling at them to shut up.
“That is also not fair” the roadrunner grumbles half-heartedly
“But it still works every time doesn’t it?” they respond with a smirk, and its not long before the two are wrestling and pushing at each other in the nest, tangled up in blankets, flushed and laughing so hard they can’t breathe.