#sure hope there arent any typos it's very late and i'm very tired

[calcifersfireplaceao3-moved]

I saw you're open for prompts! Not many people ship Vex'leth and I adore them so much. I saw a list running around for comfort, and what about their first kiss, in a confined space?

Oh sweet! Sure thing! Here’s what I’ve come up with.

Rating: general 

Tags: first kiss, everyone rolled a nat 1 at least once here, Vex is dodging feelings like daggers but fails

“Bloody, stupid, thing-” Vex is teetering on her tiptoes, fingertips straining to reach the bottle of something,  Keyleth can’t quite see what– before she grabs the shelf with her fingers and desperately scrabbling to gain hold and pull herself up, swinging her legs for some reason and swearing up a storm. Thankfully there isn’t much in this store closet, there’s just enough room for Vex’s impressive flailing– not much for her to break or knock over but still, it’d be rude not to offer a hand. 

Trying not to giggle, Vex won’t like to be laughed at, Keyleth comes up behind her, “Can I help?”

“Oh!” Vex near shrieks, she lets herself drop and whirls around, braid hitting Keyleth in the bicep as she turns. “Keyleth, what are you doing?”

“Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you, I just thought maybe you could use some help?” Reflexively Keyleth raises her hands in a placating gesture, trying not to offend.

“I’ve–” Vex looks back up, seemingly debating if pride is worth not getting her prize. “A minute more and I would have gotten it, but since you’re here now.” 

“Yes, sure! I’ll get it, don’t worry!” Keyleth springs into movement without thinking, crowding Vex as she leans up on her toes to snag the bottle. 

"While I'm sure people would appreciate this view, could you hurry, please?" Vex's muffled voice comes from Keyleth's bust.

"Yup! Almost– got it– oh!" She does manage to grab it with her fingertips but it doesn't make its way into her hand securely; when she tries to settle back to her normal height she loses her balance, free hand swinging wildly trying to catch hold of something before she can fall. 

"Don't drop it–" Vex hisses and tries to grab for the hand with the precarious glass but only manages to unbalance Keyleth further, the gangly woman's foot catching the door and slamming it shut before she hits the ground with a loud thump. 

"Ow." Keyleth’s head is aching after ricocheting off the wood and then the floor. She rubs the spot and rights her antlers while blinking rapidly to get used to the sudden loss of light despite still being able to see.

"That was impressive.” Vex snorts then casually offers a hand, pulling the other woman up easily. Leaning down once more she gathers the bottle in hand and salutes Keyleth with it,  “Even more so that it didn’t break. As fun as this was, I’ll be going now. See you at dinner.”

The knob turns but the door doesn’t open. Vex rattles it once, then another time more violently as the wood doesn’t yield. “No. Way.” She says, trying a third time even though she knows it’s useless. “Hello?!” 

Keyleth winces at her loud shout, reaching up to cover her ears as Vex tries to catch anyone’s attention.

“Where. Is. The. Housekeeper!” Vex punctuates each word with another bang of her fists.

“Everyone had the day off, she’s not here.” Keyleth offers, “but Scanlan or Grog should be coming home sometime soon, they only have a few things to do.”

“Great, fantastic, just what I needed today. Why does this door even swing open this way, who built this idiotic place!” Vex says in frustration, slamming the palm of her hand against the thick wooden door. She takes a deep breath and says with put-upon calm, “Keyleth, do you have anything you might be able to do here?” 

“I’ve used up most of my magic today already and there’s not exactly enough space here for Minxie to work…” When Vex’s eyebrows angle down even further into an angry V, Keyleth shrinks in on herself, “I can try Burning Hands, maybe? Melt the lock?” 

“Has that honestly ever worked?” 

It sounds like a hypothetical question but, “Maybe this time it will!” Keyleth says with only slightly forced enthusiasm. 

Vex pinches the bridge of her nose and waves a hand, “I don’t suppose things could get much worse, either it works or we still have to wait for someone else to come.”

It can’t get worse, in that much Vex is right, the door is still firmly shut when Keyleth pulls her hands away. They’ve only now had the unfortunate realization that the key was still in the lock on the other side and now will be forever, melted completely into the gears.

“Another comedy of errors that seems to follow us as the plague.” Vex says.

Keyleth sinks down to the floor, back against the stone and wraps her arms around her knees in the small space, Vex heaves a exasperated sigh and in the weird muted colors that darkvision allows Keyleth watches as Vex join her on the ground, one leg stretched out so that her foot is touching the outside of Keyleth’s hip.

“I can still cast Light, if you wanted me to.” 

“On what, darling.” Vex says dryly, “It’s not as if you have your staff-”

Silently Keyleth reaches up to tap the doorknob, illuminating the space suddenly and Vex throws up a hand, shielding her eyes. It’s bright, but the colors are the way they should be at least. A minute passes. 

It’s awkward. 

Two minutes.

It’s so awkward.

“Uhm, so,” Keyleth pats her hands against her knees rhythmically, “what was that for? The bottle?”

For a second it seems like Vex is just going to ignore her until they get rescued. “It’s a very potent cleaner, I’ve spilled wax on my favorite nightgown.”

“Oh.” Keyleth shuffles her feet closer to hold her knees tighter. All she’s doing is bothering Vex, and it’s her fault they’re even in this mess, “I’m sure someone will be home soon, it’ll be fine–”

Vex scoffs and shuts her eyes, leaning back against the stone, her mouth in a taut line. Keyleth studies her for a moment before daring to ask something that’s been bothering her for awhile,

“Vex? Why… Why don’t you like me that much?” Vex opens one eye to stare at her before digging the heels of her palms into her eyes like she’s tired.

“Oh, darling,” Vex sighs, seeming like she’s fighting something internally before offering, “my biggest vice has always been jealousy.”

Most people, Keyleth included, would say it was actually greed but she’s too flabbergasted by the notion of Vex wanting anything she could possibly have to think about that too deeply, “You? Jealous of me? Are you serious– wh– ha, why?” 

Vex narrows her eyes and hmms in thought, finally she says stiffly, “I spend most of my time thinking on how to be charming, how to get what I want out of people and yet you do that on your own without trying. People look at you and just want to help, it’s infuriating.” 

“Oh.” Keyleth drops her gaze, placing her chin on her knees, there’s something close to tears at the corners of her eyes, her throat feeling tight. It feels like the hurt might also be joined with indignation, and she’s blurting out before she can think it through, “That’s really really unfair. And kind of mean, do you really think everything has just been handed to me?” 

Vex is quiet next to her for a moment, her jaw working as she stews on how to respond. “I– that was very rude of me to say.”

“That’s not a no,” Keyleth points out.

“It’s… complicated.” Vex glances over and softens. She brushes her fingertip lightly underneath Keyleth’s eye, gathering the moisture there before seeming to catch herself and quickly wiping her fingers on her pants. “I always seem to be hurting your feelings.”

“Yeah, I know; I’m sensitive, I’m working on it.” Keyleth quickly wipes under her eyes, keeping them trained on the ground.

“It’s a frustrating quality sometimes I’ll admit but… It does make you strongarm us into better choices, I cannot blame you so much for that.” Vex half smiles when Keyleth looks up at her, “Being so tenderhearted, I never thought I’d want someone like that in my life. But I do, I admire your hopefulness, your spirit. I suppose that’s why I’m harsher than I intend to be with you sometimes, I don’t want to be hurt by someone’s ideals. That’s not a proper apology but I am sorry.”

There’s definitely something else she’s not saying but Keyleth can’t puzzle it out, “You’re mean to me even though you like me? That’s very backwards.”

“It’s all wrapped up together, don’t you see? Kash, my brother, they look at you like you’re the sun, and I want–” Vex clamps her jaw shut tight. 

There’s a few dots that had been missing that finally connect in Keyleth’s head at the near admission, “Wait, Vex, is this…” Keyleth shifts around, kneeling at Vex’s side, hesitating before resting her hands upon Vex’s. When she doesn’t immediately pull away she holds them tighter. Wishing that she wasn’t so clumsy with her words Keyleth tries again. “You’re jealous of them too?”

Vex purses her lips, looking away but still admitting, “It would seem so.”

“Oh.”

“Indeed.” There’s a heavy pause before Vex whispers, uncharacteristically quiet, her usual confidence lacking, “What do you think of that?”

“I’m not sure what to do with it. I–” Keyleth’s cheeks warm, “I like when I see you looking at me. I think you’re incredible, you’re so strong and beautiful.  I like knowing you think about me that way.” 

She’s trying to think of how to voice everything in her head, wishing as always that speaking came more naturally to her but then Vex’s hand is soft and light against her cheek, hazel eyes intent and intense on her, and she doesn’t have a chance in hell to make a coherent sentence now. “Keyleth, darling, may I kiss you?”

And oh, no one has asked her before, they’ve simply taken surprised and confused kisses from her. There’s power in having a say, knowing with near certainty that if she were to say no, Vex would drop her hand and they would surely go back to their normal existence. 

Digging her teeth into her bottom lip Keyleth nods, nervous but sure, “I’d like you to.” 

With the confidence that Keyleth is more used to seeing on her Vex smirks, one corner of her mouth curling in delight before she leans in, pausing a hair’s breadth away to let Keyleth sit with the anticipation a second before closing the gap. 

There is no comparison. No part of getting kissed by, no- kissing Vex is as different as the seasons. Because Vex is being firm but she isn't taking, guiding her through her insecurity and inexperience. The hand on her cheek has slid down to her neck, fingers digging into her nape to hold her in place, nails like sharp pin pricks against her skin but not unpleasant. Vex’s lips are soft and the lightly tinted balm she uses is sweet, a heady contrast to the way she’s kissing her, teeth catching Keyleth’s bottom lip and she can feel the soft puff of air as Vex quietly laughs at her gasp.

“Wow. Please, do that again.” Keyleth says breathlessly when they part and Vex laughs, the sound is very free, delighted and infectious. 

“Any time, Darling.”

--

“Oh-ho-ho, what’s this, you guys playing seven minutes in heaven without me?” 

Grog, holding the remains of the door looks confused, “how’d you get ta heaven and back so fast?”

“Shut it, both of you.” Vex snaps, pushing Scanlan aside by his forehead as she storms out of the tiny space with Keyleth in tow, her hand clutching Keyleth’s in a near crushing grip. 

“That wasn’t a no!” Scanlan calls after them yet thankfully doesn’t follow.

Keyleth can feel how warm her face is, knows how bright her cheeks must be, and she’s still confused. How to sort this out and put it in its place in her life? What does it mean? But Vex still hasn’t let her go and Keyleth is realizing that she doesn’t exactly mind. They haven’t talked about exactly what they are now; Vex is a mystery on purpose, armor she’s built piece by piece to protect herself from getting her feelings hurt still firmly in place, but when she’s holding her hand like this– when she’s talked to her like that, when they just… well, there might just be a chink in that armor. 

--------------

Oh boy this got long, hope this was something close to what you were wanting! Catch that darling getting capitalized as it turns from a turn of phrase to a title :)

Thanks @aughisky-miran !!!