Work Text:
“When did you first realize that you were in love with me?”
Gale’s sudden question drew Kiri's gaze away from the beautiful sight of the night time stars, illusory though they were. His voice was soft, his gaze fixated firmly above at the stars that no longer attracted Kiri’s attention.
She looks at him as she mulls his question over, expression softening, a small smile unconsciously tugging at her lips. And then she realizes the answer, and poorly stifles a laugh. Gale finally looks at her curiously, one eyebrow raised in teasing skepticism.
“Oh, that one’s embarrassing,” she mumbles, hiding her face with her hands.
Gale hums, and leans a little closer, noticing the rising blush that colors the tips of her ears and grinning in return. “Well, now I must know,” he replies, and tilts his head. “When was it?”
Kiri hums, and settles back, bracing her hands against the soft picnic blanket they sit on and stares back up at the illusory sky. She quietly admires Gale’s effort, something done to make this last night in the Shadow-Cursed Lands something memorable. It was very similar to the illusion Gale had created on their first night together, though with many improvements that Kiri can tell he had worked hard on perfecting. Something warm flutters in her chest. “Gods,” Kiri mutters, and laughs softly at herself. “Do you remember my conversation with Isobel, and Aylin?” She asks, and Gale hums in affirmative. “Isobel had asked me if I believed in love at first sight.”
She pauses, a warm grin spreading across her face as she reminisces, and Gale stays patiently silent. “Well,” Kiri continues, and her pale pink eyes meet Gale’s own. “My first sight of you, my very first impression-- was that of a man, stuck in an Ancient Sigil Circle, one arm sticking out of the runes, asking for a hand.”
Now it’s Gale’s turn for his face to flush in mild embarrassment at her recollection, unable to stop a sheepish grin from spreading across his face. Kiri laughs, leaning into Gale, who shifts to have her tuck against his side.
“And I... well, I high-fived that hand.”
Gale bursts out laughing, and Kiri grins in delight, resting her head against his shoulder. He shakes his head, and his hand comes up to gently brush a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You haven’t answered the question yet, though,” he says pointedly.
She snorts. “I did, though.”
It takes a moment for Gale to process, and his brows raise in surprise. “Really? That’s when you realized you were in love?” The shock is evident in Gale's voice, and it makes Kiri laugh again.
“Well, it’s like I said. Isobel asked me if I believed in love at first sight. It was bizarre and not at all the introduction I expected from such an esteemed wizard,” Kiri replies teasingly. “But when you came out of the sigil...” She trails off, and huffs. “I knew something was different about you.”
“And that was that,” Gale hums. “You just...” he trails off, one hand waving in the air. The stars seem to glimmer a little brighter as he does, and Kiri doesn’t miss the tiny look of satisfaction. Her heart swells with adoration for this man. “Knew.”
“Maybe. I knew for sure, though, when we channeled the Weave together,” Kiri replies, after a moment of deliberation. “It wasn’t anything I hadn’t done before, but I had never shared that type of experience with someone else. It made me realize my feelings about you, though I didn’t realize that they would be broadcast to you as well,” she continues, chuckling as Gale very obviously remembers the visualization she had during that night. She peers at him through the curtain of her faded pink and pale blonde bangs, a warm look in her eyes. “I’m glad things went the way they did, with us.”
Again, Gale’s cheeks flush, the tips of his ears reddening. He smiles at her, and even through Volo’s unnaturally blue artificial eye, his gaze is full of love. “Thank you,” he murmurs, gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “That means a great deal to me. It certainly frames some previous conversations in a different light.”
Kiri hums, and the two fall silent, staring up at the sky. Eventually, Gale shifts, guiding them both down to lie on the plush picnic blanket, Kiri strewn half-across his chest as they watch the twinkling stars above them. They shimmer with the faintest veneer of illusory magic, but in Kiri’s opinion, that just makes it all the more beautiful to look at. To her, it means that everything she sees came directly from Gale, from his imagination, from his dedication and love.
They stay like this for a while, basking in each other’s company, their breathing steadying. And then a thought crosses Kiri’s mind, and her brow furrows, before she speaks. “What about you, Gale?” She asks, idly picking at a loose thread on the hem of his clothing. “When did you first realize you were in love with me?”
Gale breathes in deeply, and exhales slowly, frowning as he thinks. She watches his face, his expressions, as they shift from deep thought to alighting on the moment in question, and he chuckles.
“And you thought yours was embarrassing,” he mumbles, and shakes his head. “Do you remember when we first got here, to the Shadow-Cursed Lands?” Gale asks, and Kiri nods. “When we got out of that Underdark elevator and found the Harpers in the darkness, and then the ensuing fight with the shadows that stalked them,” he continues, pausing yet again. Kiri hums encouragingly, and he huffs. “Need I detail the conversation we had after the fact, or do you remember it?”
Kiri laughs. “I remember. You seemed very nervous, at the time,” she teases, and he rolls his eyes, but can’t stop the grin that forms despite that. “So--”
“That wasn’t when I realized I was in love, though,” he interrupts quietly, and she looks at him curiously. “Just a bit of context. No, it was actually much earlier than that, when we were in the Goblin Camp to eliminate its leaders. Specifically, the Dror Ragzlin affair.”
At this, Kiri sits up a bit to look at Gale in the eyes, and he props himself up as well. “The fight with Dror Ragzlin? What happened then?”
Gale smiles at her, soft and sweet. “You saved my life , Kiri.” She blinks at him owlishly, and he laughs, and continues. “You plotted out the fight far in advance. You had Shadowheart and Lae’zel crush the hordes on the frontlines, while you were above, supporting them with magic. And you had me climb into the rafters, to rain lightning on Ragzlin and pick off any stragglers,” he describes, tilting his head as his eyes unfocused slightly, recalling the fight.
“A goblin slipped past Shadowheart’s defenses. She had climbed up a nearby ladder and was rapidly approaching me. I had nowhere to go, no way to defend myself-- not as I was, concentrating on the witchbolt. I thought I was going to find out very quickly what flying feels like, at least temporarily. And then, suddenly, you appeared on the rafters. You leapt across them, nimble and quiet, and you were right up on the goblin before she could even get close enough to try to threaten me. You blasted her with a wave of thunder, and if that didn’t shatter her bones on impact, the fall certainly did.”
Kiri hangs on to his every word, listening with wide eyes. His voice had gotten softer the longer he spoke, shifting from a dramatic recital to a quiet, soft-spoken confession. She opens her mouth to reply, but he continues first, his voice almost reverent.
“You were beautiful,” he says quietly, smiling slightly. “Your skin was flushed. You glistened with magic and sweat. You were practically glowing,” he pauses, and looks up at her, holding eye contact. “And you did that for me ,” he says. “You risked yourself, threw yourself into danger, just to pull me out of it. And Gods, you were beautiful whilst doing it. We hardly knew each other, back then. Just some strangers, all with a common goal.”
He reaches up, a gentle hand cupping her cheek. “And yet, since then, I have truly seen you, and loved you for what I saw, for every second that has passed. It took a while longer to fully confess those feelings, I admit,” he adds with a soft laugh. “But it was well worth the wait.”
“Gods, Gale,” Kiri whispers, and laughs breathlessly. “I love you,” she confesses, her hand moving atop his own, and she leans towards him. He smiles as he meets her kiss halfway, soft and passionate and warm. Her hand moves up to card through his hair, pulling him closer. She feels him smile against her lips, and can’t help but laugh. The two part momentarily, just a hairsbreadth, only for Gale to close the distance once more and pepper her face with tiny kisses. He rolls so he hovers over her, his arms braced on either side, their legs tangled.
“I love you,” he murmurs in between each peck, savoring the sound of Kiri’s giggle as she wraps her arms around him, practically clinging to him as he lays tiny kisses across her face. She eventually manages to return the favor in kind, holding his chin with her hand and turning his face this way and that, to get better angles to plant messy kisses across every inch of exposed skin.
Eventually, the energy peters out, and Kiri lays on one side, Gale spooned behind her. Her head rests on his arm, and her hand is intertwined with his. His free hand rests on her hip, and she feels so warm -- not just physically, which the illusion does a wonderful job at, but also deep down. In her chest, in her bones, perhaps in her very soul.
It feels a lot like contentment. There’s a lot more to deal with; Moonrise was just the start, and Baldur’s Gate itself awaits on the horizon.
But right now, in this moment, Kiri will simply enjoy being in love.