Work Text:
She didn't see it coming.
Nothing felt like it, it felt as though she discovered an emotion she's never experienced before, as though she had stepped into a place she'd only seen in her dreams—it was electric, the sparks making her cheeks burn, the shock making her mind blank. Not everything has to be like something else, and this only proved that true.
There were things that came close to it. Her mother threading her fingers through her hair, her dad enveloping her in a hug, her siblings tackling her with tickles. It was like the relief of collapsing on her bed after a long day, the worn out pages of her favorite book, the heat of a blanket on a cold, December night.
But this—this was new, a new kind of comfort she'll replay over and over and yearn for in moments of anguish: her best friend's lips on hers, her touch keeping her safe, a caress of millions of promises where their souls meet.
It was playful and loving; it was everything she was like as a person. The stardust left after a nebula, the sun going into slumber while it coughed bits of pink and orange against blue; breathtaking, a feeling like no other.
All seven seconds of Tao's kiss felt like all of Yanfei's favorite summers melting into one, and the sight of her eyes fluttering open reminded her of the sun's careful gaze on cloudy days—not too hot, not enough to make you squint. Warm. Right. Just right.
That might be it.
It felt right.
Her mind was gritty with static and clarity at once, her heart might have skipped several beats while going at a pace that would have had her heaving for air, but she didn't care for air. She didn't care for anything else, even the hint of panic on Hu Tao's face after realizing what she had done.
Yanfei gave her no time to apologize—not that there was anything to apologize for in the first place—as she stole another kiss, giggling with the swarm of warmth creeping up onto her cheeks, resembling her pink hair. This kiss reminded her of fireworks; she knew what they looked like, sounded like, but it still sent her mind reeling in blissful adrenaline.
Disappointment took over as the need to breathe washed over them, disbelief and giddiness causing them to simply stare at each other, drinking the other's looks they've grown to adore.
"Y-you're not.. mad?" Tao was a mess, fingers nervously tugging at the ends of her brown locks.
"It was about time, silly," Yanfei smiled. "Now, care for another one?"