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For the first time in his life, Blitzen was avoiding his best friend. Like, actually the first time, ever. It wasn’t because he was mad at him, or anything. Absolutely not. He could probably never get legitimately angry enough at Hearthstone enough to avoid him for this long. He definitely wasn’t mad. Just a little bit of the opposite.
He avoided him because he had no idea how to deal with the fact that he’s in love with his best friend.
It was bound to happen, really. This many years of friendship had been unforgettable, and Blitz found it impossible to swallow the affection that rose in his throat when he saved Hearth’s life years ago. He found himself slowly sinking into the deep pit that was the heartache of love with every moment spent with Hearth, every thought and every word. It sucked, really, but in the best way.
Blitz totally thought he had this all planned out. He thought it was just going to be a minor crush, that it’ll go away because he isn’t some school-age dwarfling who had crushes (for goodness ’ sake!) in the first place. Unfortunately for him, it did not go away, and instead persisted, bringing about the worst of symptoms.
So to avoid this entire heart-pounding, skin-tingling, blood-rushing-to-face feeling he was struck with whenever Hearth was around him, he tried to stay as far away from Hearth for the longest period of time as possible.
Which proved even worse because since they were always together, Blitzen had gotten used to that dizzying feeling. As soon as he left Hearth for more than a few days, the absence of the blond elf gnawed at his heart, leaving a vast emptiness inside him that he didn’t know he could feel. And that’s when he realized it.
Oh, man. I’m in deep.
So now he was avoiding him, hoping this would go away because he knew that Hearth would never love him back in the same way. He convinced himself that Hearth was the type of elf that would never fall in love with other guys, and drummed this “truth” into his own head. Hearth would be his friend, and that’s all.
Except sometimes his heart would still stutter fiercely whenever the other was near, and stop altogether when he found himself staring at his hands as he was signing something excitedly, transfixed by the graceful digits. This feeling was exactly how they’d described it in books and movies, except a million times worse and he could not handle it.
Unfortunately, Blitz messed up. He knew he messed up because Hearthstone was walking towards him at a frantic pace, long legs striding over the gravel much quicker than Blitz would have liked. He tried to blend into the crowd, hoping to lose Hearthstone because he could not Deal With His Feelings Right Now and-
A firm hand grasped Blitz’s forearm and pulled him back. He felt breath on his face and everything blurred as he was yanked around to meet a pair of angry grey eyes.
“Jeez!” Blitz cried as he jerked his arm out of Hearthstone’s vice grip. “What do you think you’re doing?”
What do you think I’m doing? Hearth signed agitatedly. What do you think you’re doing? You’ve been avoiding me for the past few weeks, and I don’t know what your deal is.
Blitz spluttered. “I haven’t been avoiding you, dude. I’ve been hanging out with you for the past few weeks. Please explain to me how it’s physically possible to avoid you.”
Oh, you think I haven’t noticed? Hearth was sarcastic now, a scowl marring his usually placid features. You think I haven’t noticed you dodging eye contact? You think I didn’t notice when you don’t talk directly to me anymore? I may be deaf, but I’m no idiot.
“I’m sorry!” Blitz almost yelled, pent-up frustration threatening to spill. He didn’t want to cause a racket in the middle of the street, even though they already kind of did (it’s not every day you see a deaf elf and a dwarf having an argument in ASL). Blitz’s gloved hands fumbled as he rapidly signed, not wanting to cause more attention than he already did. I’m sorry, okay? I really haven’t been avoiding you, I wouldn’t dream of it. I don’t-
Save it, Blitz. The elf clasped a firm hand over Blitz’s, eliciting a small gasp of surprise at the sudden contact. His eyes shot up to meet Hearth’s, and his heart stopped when he saw the tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. Blitz dropped his hands, chest aching, eyes lowered to the ground in shame.
Why does Hearth care this much?
I’ve been ignored and rejected for the entirety of my childhood. I’m used to it, but not from you. Not from you, Blitz. I really don’t know…
His fingers faded into silence.
The heart-pounding feeling and the desperate urge to protect welled up inside of Blitz’s chest, and he coaxed his own hands back into action. Hearth, listen. Please.
Hearth’s grey eyes bored into the dwarf’s, and Blitz fumbled with the next sentence. You’re my… best friend, and yeah, I guess I’ve been kind of distant lately but it’s not because of anything you’ve done.
That was bull crap. Hearth had gone and made Blitz fall head over heels into the hell that is love.
Then what was it? Hearth asked quietly (and by quietly, he signed without as much gusto as he usually did).
Blitz’s hands froze, hovering awkwardly in midair as a small blush crept across his dark cheeks. It took a few more seconds before he could muster a reply.
I- I’ve just been sort of… you know, feeling some stuff.
Wow. Smooth, Blitz. Real smooth.
Hearth cocked his head. Stuff?
Blitz nodded slowly, missing the sudden expression of understanding that crept across Hearth’s face.
Yeah, stuff. Just, you know, personal feelings and stuff. Not a big deal, really. I don’t have a chance anyways, and there’s no way they-
The tears in the corners of Hearthstone’s eyes had dried a little bit and now he looked at Blitz with amusement on his face.
You know what? Whatever. It's fine. Let's just g-
The corner of Hearthstone’s lips had quirked into a smile and he clapped his hands over Blitz’s silencing him effectively, so Blitz switched back to vocalizing. Hearth rolled his eyes, keeping one hand on Blitz’s quivering hands and placing the other one on his mouth. Blitz stopped talking immediately, every cell of his body aware of the hand touching his lips, the soft skin he’s dreamt of for so long in contact with his face. A dazzling heat shot through his body and made his furious blush even rosier, and he cursed himself. This only confirmed Hearth’s suspicion. He tried to back out of Hearth’s touch, suddenly very aware of the stares around them. But Hearth didn’t let him. He let go of Blitz’s hands and cupped the back of his neck instead, drawing him closer. He felt Blitz’s muffled whimper on the palm of his hand, and he lifted it gently from his face.
Blitz gasped for air, lips parting, and it only took a second for Hearth to replace his hand with his lips, hand slipping down and around to lock Blitz into an embrace. Blitz’s eyes widened for a second before slamming shut, hands instinctively cupping Hearth’s face and kissing back with fervor. Was this a dream? Tell me I’m not standing in the middle of downtown Boston sucking face with the love of my life.
When they finally broke apart, people had moved on from staring to awkwardly walking past and ignoring the situation. The sidewalk around them was clear, people giving them a wide berth.
Blitz. Hearth beamed uncharacteristically. Like I said, I’m no idiot. I love you too, so please don’t ignore me ever again.