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Technically, their first kiss was when they got married, but neither of them counted it. Yes they loved each other when they got married, but they hadn’t kissed before that. It just wasn't something either of them thought of, or considered something they could do. Even when they did kiss, at the ceremony, it was more so just for the wedding. The ceremony itself was also mostly just for show, it was something to solidify their relationship.
They had always cuddled, snuggled, and showed affection in other ways, ways unique to themselves or their species. Lambert had often used Narinder as a personal pillow, snuggling up to him as often as possible. When tired they could be caught rubbing their head against his, usually on his cheek or forehead. The lamb was very public about their affections, not afraid to show how much they cared about Narinder every moment they could. Narinder though, he’d always be more subtle about it.
Subtly rubbing his head against them, usually when their both falling asleep. He’d often quietly purr when being near them, or when they’d snuggle together, hopping by being quiet his purring wasnt heard. A few times he even attemped to groom them, even though every time he just ended up with a mouth full of wool. Narinder did know how to kiss, but with lambert he never thought about it. Being locked away for centuries might’ve made him completely forget about the concept. The lamb, they were a bit more complex, they didnt see the appeal and they didnt see anyone kiss from their home village, Therefore, it didn’t come up.
They were happy the way they were, and perhaps it woulve stayed like this if some followers didnt start getting nosy.
“ Does our leader actually love you?”
“ Pardon-”
The three eyed cat was caught completely off guard, stumbling backwards as a consequence. The beets he had been in the process of picking were now completely forgotten, left abandoned on the ground, as the cat stared at the follower who decided to bother him. It was a young frog, one of the few to be born into the cult instead of being indoctrinated. If Narinder had to guess she had to be no older than 9 years old, possibly explaining her blunt and partially invasive question.
“ Does our leader actually love you?” she repeated, louder this time. Narinder considered telling her off, to make sure she knew never to ask him a question like that again, or to simply not approach him ever again. Unfortunately, he remembered a time when Lambert explained to him that kids usually were just curious, at the time he had been asked an equally invasive question about his eyes.
Narinder turned his attention back to the previously abandoned beets, “ what makes you believe that they don’t love me?” he asked with a frustrated sigh. Picking up the few he dropped and placing them in a basket he placed nearby. Then, he wandered over to the next patch of beets closest to him, kneeling down to pick them.
“ well,” fallowing him as she spoke, “ My dad says they’ve never kissed you, except for at the wedding i guess…” her thoughts trailed a bit off near the end.
“ Listen, not that it’s you nor your fathers business on what our dear leader does with their free time, but just because you dont see it doesnt mean it doesnt happen.” Taking a break from his explanation, he placed the newly picked beets in his basket before facing the kid. “ The Lamb simply likes to keeps their private life private.”
Suddenly, the frog looked embarrassed, fave how slightly flushed “ Oh.. i didn’t think about that,” She mumbled.
“ Clearly, go bother someone else, I’m too busy to keep answering pointless questions.” he shooed the frog child off who quickly nodded and scurried off to bother someone else. Narinder sighed, attempting to put his focus back on the vegetables surrounding him.
Unfortunately, for the rest of the day the little brats question lingered. The part of the question that lingered wasn’t about the lamb's feelings for him. No, he knew the lamb loved him, they took enjoyment out of reminding him nearly every day that they’d do anything for him. Even if that anything was ripping the world into two. Sweet nothing was always what lulled him to sleep every night, occasionally they’d also wake him in the morning. So, no, Narinders thoughts weren’t of doubts, more so of… curiosity?
Words, Gifts, and gentle touches, all were things he or the lamb had given each other to show their affections. Kissing though? Kissing wasn't something they’ve really done, except for one occasion. Their wedding.
Narinder wasn't even sure if he could consider that a kiss really. It was a quick peck on the lips, quick and fast to seemingly get it over with.
Perhaps the lamb didn’t like kissing? But that didn't feel quite right. The lamb had always quickly pointed out things that made them uncomfortable, remembering a time when he’d called them “My lamb” and it had been quickly shot down as a term of endearment.
He had to think like they thought, which wasn't as easy as it seemed. Narinder let out a sigh, deciding that he definitely wasn't going to think while picking vegetables. Everything he had picked was placed in storage before he wandered off to be alone.
The lamb had left on a crusade late yesterday, hopefully this meant that he could think uninterrupted as well as hide in his home without worrying anyone.
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Narinder was very glad that he decided to hide in his home for the rest of the day.
At first, his thoughts were normal, considering what the lamb would think or assume about kissing and other things similar. The thoughts definitely didn't stay like that though. When he first sat down on his bed, a place he normally found himself when thinking, Narinder tried to consider lambs point of view.
From the few select stories they had shared with him, painted an interesting picture. Growing up they lived in a semi-closed community of sheep, only ever exposed to their culture, something they had painfully mentioned they wished they remembered more of. In their teen years though, they had mentioned that he grew up somewhere else.
Through retelling of nightmares the lamb had had, Narinder knew that something had happened that led to their world shifting extremely. For them to go from one family to another, one in a completely different town at that. He wished he knew more, wished that him being locked away for centuries did not lead to him having such little knowledge.
Perhaps sheep don’t kiss?
The thought seemd to make sense, they can’t ask him not to do something if they didn’t know what it was. It didn't feel entirely right, like something was slightly off. The lamb had seen people kiss, at weddings mostly, and occasionally when two people took a break from whatever they were tasked with. So, there had to be something more than sheep simply not kissing.
Maybe it was a wedding only thing for sheep?
That felt more accurate, much more accurate, perhaps still not completely correct though. Narinder definitely needed to ask the lamb about it, but it would be nice if he knew what to ask exactly.
While trying to continue thinking and form said question, his thoughts began to.. Wonder, and quite far at that.
One moment Narinder was trying to figure out what he’d needed to ask his partner, the next moment all he could do was think about said partner. At first, innocent thoughts, like how’d they look once they got back from their aforementioned crusade. How late they’d come back, and if he should attempt to sleep if they came back too late. It didn't stay as innocent though.
Soon he was thinking about their face, the way their eyes shined in the light, the way their lips…their lips…. Suddenly the only image that played through Narinders head was the lamb kissing him. How their lips would feel against his, how’d they hold his face to keep him close.
Was he fantasizing? That seemed like the correct word. As he fantasized he covered his mouth with his paws.The thoughts of the lamb were edging on becoming overwhelming.
Quite grateful that he decided to hide away to think, he could feel his cheeks and tip of his ear burn. Maybe he should just stay in his home until the lamb comes back. Yeah that seemed to be a good plan.
Narinder got up and wandered over to his book shelf, if he was going to stay in his home for the rest of the day he was going to need something to do. After a moment of looking over the selection of books he had, he picked one of his favorites. It was a collection of different short fairy tail like stories, each ended a bit gruesomely, but that was most of the appeal for him.
Once he was once again comfortable on his bed, he opened the book to one of his favorite of the stories, even if the mental image of the lamb lingered in the back of his head.
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It was late when Lambert returned to their cult. They had intended to get back earlier, but got caught up playing knuckle bones for an hour or so. Thankfully, everything seemed to be fine once they arrived, not even one dead body within eyesight. All things considered, a perfectly successful crusade.
They took a moment to stretch, letting exhaustion settle in. Staying out for this long always left them feeling drained, while they didn't need to sleep technically, but it was still nice to do.
Speaking of sleeping, Narinder probably wasn’t at the moment. The cat had gotten better at the task, but that didn't mean it was easy for him. With that thought now fresh in their mind, they decided to hurry back to his and their home.
Originally, the home was just Narinder's, but over the past year or so Lamber made it bigger, more suitable for two people to live in. Still one room, something that was familiar to the lamb, but now had a mini kitchen and more storage. Just something to make it a bit more homey for both of them.
In a minute or so Lambert was faced with the familiar door of their home. Door might’ve been an exaggeration, it was a long curtain, but it worked well enough. Peeking inside they were met with the sight they had been expecting, a very awake Narinder. One lost in thought at that, though had been seemingly attempting to read a book.
“ Narinder?”
The cat jumped a bit, but calmed once he realized exactly who it was. “ Oh, it's just you.” he sighed before marking his place in his book then set it aside.
Lamber smirked, “ Just me?” they lightly joked, shedding their fleece and putting to the side. Then, they made themselves comfy next to their husband, sitting down on the bed beside him.
“ Oh hush, you know what i meant,” he mumbled, happily snuggling up to the lamb now beside him, nearly in their lap.
Lambert wrapped their arms around him, pulling him even closer. “ Hmm, maybe I do,” they whispered to him, their voice causing Narinder to subtly shiver.
The pair stayed like that for who knows how long, just enjoying each other's company. This close, Lambert could tell the slight blush Narinder’s cheeks and ears still held. It was faint, but there. Gently, they rubbed a thumb against his cheek, the action earning them a soft sigh from the cat they held. Lambert nuzzled their nose against their husband’s forehead, they could hear him purr quietly. If they tried hard enough, they could probably get Narinder to fall asleep just like this.
Lambert pulled away a bit, just enough to see Narinders face, still as flushed as before. “ May I ask about what had you so deep in thought earlier?” they asked softly, earning a humm in response before their husband sat up.
His face flushed a little more now, “ Well, uh- i have something i want to ask you, but i don't know how to ask it,” the cat confessed. The only response he got was Lambert tilting their head to the side in confusion. “ ah- um, how do i- kisses? Are they something you do?... Can we do them?” Narinder blurted out, now looking everywhere in his home but at the lamb out of embarrassment.
For a split moment, said lamb looked surprised. Xyr husband usually wasn't so blunt about things he wanted when it came to their relationship. After the moment of shock, they looked more confused than before. “ Kissing?” they questioned, “ Like at weddings?” They got a nod as a response, “ Hmm, well, i don't think sheep kiss outside of weddings, at least not that i remember. But, I don't think I'd mind kissing you occasionally if you’d like.” they finished their thoughts with a soft smile on their face.
Narinder himself looked a bit surprised, it was hard to pinpoint what exactly he was surprised about.
“Really?”
“ Mhm, other people seem to enjoy it.”
“... can we kiss right now?”
“ We can, but I can't say that I'll be good.”
Narinder didn't need more of an invitation, quickly crawled back into the lamb's lap, making himself comfortable. They themselves got comfy by wrapping their arms around his middle, holding him close.
Once both felt comfortable with the chosen position, Narinder gently held his partner's face.
Both of them stayed like that for a moment, just to look into each other’s eyes. Eventually though, the cat leaned in for a soft kiss. It was awkward, due to one of them having absolutely no experience, but it was… nice. Awkward, but nice. Lambert looked a little confused on what the appeal was, but was happy to oblige when Narinder dived back in for seconds.
They continued to awkwardly kiss for a while, both trying to slightly figure out what to do. Both of them got better as they went, figuring what each liked. In the end, each was left a bit breathless, but they had enjoyed themselves.
Lambert leaned away, “ uh, was that good?” They looked a little unsure of themselves.
The cat in front of them gave one more quick kiss before giving an answer, “ It was perfect… could we do this again?” he asked hesitantly.
A quick nod was what he got for the answer before they simply nuzzled his cheek, “ I do think we should sleep now, alright?” Narinder nodded in agreement, exhaustion settling.
Within a few minutes, both were laying down in their bed, snuggled close to each other. Narinder in his nightgown, and lambert items set to the side. The cat fell asleep near instantly, exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him. Quietly, Lambert whispered “ Sleep well my love,” before giving him a kiss on the forehead and falling asleep as well.