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“you should think about the consequence
of your magnetic field being a little too strong”
— Taylor Swift, “Gorgeous”
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Nothing’s better than spending the night at the stadium, enjoying a party after the Night Warden Wars she just won. Mualani, fully unleashing her party spirits, joined everyone who was dancing.
While she ended her dance with a spin, she got a certain pair of darkish green, but fading to a small hint of orange, eyes that caught her eye, looking right back at hers. Even though she only saw this for a second (since she was spinning), she didn't miss the owner of the eyes, usually deadpanned, smiling while his attentive eyes locked into hers for a split second. She’d never seen him wear that smile on his face, the fact he was smiling at her made her feel happy.
Deep blue, blending with the shade of sunset red eyes, desperately scanned all over the room to find the boy in question then later landed at a corner, where he was standing there peacefully. This time, her friend was staring off to something else in the room, opposite her direction (she ignored the fact she felt her heart sting). Without thinking, she marched over to him subconsciously, as if he’d pull her in somehow.
“Hi Kinich,” she started as approached him, the boy turned to her, now without the smile she saw a moment ago. “How are you feeling after the battle? Also, where’s Ajaw?”
The boy shrugged lightly. “I feel the same, it’s not my first time. I locked him up because he was annoying me while I was trying to relax.”
Everyone has a different way of getting along with their Saurian companion, but you can never see somebody with a bond like Kinich and Ajaw. Most people would describe the former as pragmatic, introverted, and kind while the latter as annoying, talking too much, and incapable of being nice.
Now that she thinks about it, people have told Mualani and Kinich they were opposites as well. The boy was quiet, quite stoic, and mature while she was usually told that she was very loud, expressive, and immature. The difference between the two opposite pairs is that both Mualani and Kinich were told that they were kind to people, unlike Ajaw.
“What about you?” he asked in return.
“I’m fine, just a bit tired after the war. But I feel like I've recharged from this party!”
“As usual. Glad to hear you’re feeling energized now.”
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“You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face (gorgeous)
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous”
— Taylor Swift, “Gorgeous”
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As he said that, he ran a hand through his dark, thick hair with wavy ends to fix it. Feeling her fingers itching, it took all she had in her to hold back the urge to reach out a hand to feel his hair. No Mualani, he's gonna think you're weird.
Then, he took a sip of his bubble tea from a straw, which drew attention to his lips. No, Mualani did not take this time to admire him as well; she didn’t notice the fact that he looked so handsome under the party’s dim light. Everything about him is attractive: especially his dark, fluffy hair that framed his face, his well-defined jawline and body as well as his deep, husky voice that sends shivers down her spine. The boy had no idea Mualani noticed his flushed face whenever she gave him a goodbye hug, which is an unusual look for someone like Kinich, and that made him extremely adorable. He’s so gorgeous that Mualani wanted to just pull him closer and— snap out of it, girl.
Again, it took everything in her to remain quiet as she was observing his actions before anything weird slipped out from her mouth that usually couldn’t be shut. Usually, she wouldn't mind being seen as weird but when it comes to Kinich, something alerts her brain that she has to look and act her best in front of him. It didn’t work most of the time since she’s one to be her true self. But sometimes, she feels a tad bit shy and nervous around him. Just as she thought of this, his eyes scanned her from head to toe with confusion and concern. As mentioned earlier, the white-haired girl was described as expressive, so she probably couldn’t hide how nervous and shy she felt while being under his gaze.
“You alright?” he finally spoke up. “Judging by your body language, you look a bit nervous, your face is a bit red and you would’ve been talking a lot by now.” It was her turn to have a flushed face.
Of course, “Malipo” Kinich, being observant as he was, noticed her strange behavior. Mualani simply dismissed the question with nervous laughs, which did not help her case at all as his gaze still remained suspicious.
“Are you sure? I can take you home if you’re not feeling well.” he placed a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature, meanwhile, Mualani felt like she was about to explode to his touch.
“Yeah, I’m— fine! Don’t worry about it.” knowing Kinich, she knew he wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t press her any further and she was more than grateful for that.
Mualani scrambled internally to find a topic to occupy this awkward silence, only to be completely distracted by him even more. Gosh, she doesn’t think she can take this anymore. So she did what she knew best at the time and ran off from the corner the two of them were in. Maybe talking to people can keep me distracted, she thought as she ran away from Kinich, talking to people has always been her coping mechanism and it always worked. While Mualani’s been busy running to people in an attempt to start a conversation, Kinich stood there, puzzled while observing her strange actions. The tour guide spent the rest of the night talking and socializing with everyone, except for him, of course, and way too many “occasional” glances at him (he caught her a few times).
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“If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her
But if you're single that's honestly worse
'Cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts
(Honey, it hurts)”
— Taylor Swift, “Gorgeous”
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She hasn't contacted him or interacted with him ever since that party, and neither did he, therefore they haven’t gone on any hang-outs ever since, which made Mualani disappointed since she was waiting for him to make the first move. Maybe he had been busy with commissions, and that pixelated Saurian companion of his.
Except, the girl was proven wrong in today’s scorching, blazing afternoon break from her shop. When the tour guide went over to the Stadium of the Sacred Flame for lunch, she spotted the very person in her mind and Lumine, who were sitting face-to-face at a table. The travelers' fairy and the hunter's Saurian companion were nowhere to be found— wait, is this a date? She couldn’t help the sinking feeling of her heart upon finding out the fact that the hunter had gone radio silent for weeks (which he only does when he's extremely busy) and yet he was found here, hanging out with Lumine instead of her— scratch that, not even telling her about having his first date!
No Mualani, you have no right to be jealous of him, he has a life after all. You should be happy that he's willing to hang out with his other friends! Just because she said this to herself, that doesn't mean she won’t observe the pair— maybe spying would be a more suitable choice of words in this case. So, the white-haired girl tried her best to avoid being seen by any of them while being in a place where they were still in her view as she ordered takeaway.
Her mood only dimmed more the longer she watched the pair interact. The two of them often laughed during their conversation and Kinich smiled on that date more than he ever smiled at Mualani in a span of three, damn months. What made Mualand finally unable to deny her jealousy was this specific moment: after Lumine had said something, which she could not decipher due to her distance while looking smug, the Huitztlan boy turned his fully bright red, flushed face away from the blond, who laughed her ass off and enjoyed his reaction. That was the last final straw for Mualani, who later decided to leave the stadium. Oh shit, the surfboard enthusiast's eyes immediately widened upon making contact with the blonde’s shimmering, golden eyes who looked equally shocked. Without thinking and without even looking at Kinich’s reaction, she summoned her surf shark and fled the scene, away from the stadium— and most importantly, away from those two while dying in utter embarrassment.
Of course, Kinich is capable of pulling girls. There was absolutely no way he couldn't, with his gorgeous self, muscular body, sportsmanship, smart brain, and the “quiet boy” demeanor most girls she’d known liked— she could go on forever on why he was currently very capable of pulling girls. And certainly not very surprising he hooked up with somebody as renowned and brave as the traveler. Mualani came to another conclusion that it’d honestly be worse if somebody as handsome and talented as Kinich was single while she overtook a massive tide coming her way flawlessly, while the people watching cheered her on. Therefore, this entire situation shouldn't have affected her much— at all actually, unless—
Oh no. Did the weird, extreme surfing enthusiast, Mualani have feelings for the Malipo Kinich? The weird, extreme surfing enthusiast in question let out an ear-splitting scream while almost losing her balance on her surf shark at the revelation. Thankfully, nobody knew she was the one screaming given how nobody looked shocked. If you lived in Natlan long enough, you’d hear that nobody has yet to see Mualani slip up while surfing, not even her close ones like Kinich or Kachina.
It all made sense now: why she's been thinking about how damn attractive he looked lately, why she finds herself in the dead of night planning their hang-outs wanting to spend more time with him, why she wants to be one of the reasons why he smiles, and especially, why she felt sick watching him and Lumine’s interaction. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing she could do about it after just seeing him go out on a date.
She hated this. Hated Kinich for not talking to her for weeks. Hated him for making her think he was busy when really, this might not even be his first date with the blond. Hated him for having an effect on her like this. Most of all, hated this entire situation which she couldn't do anything about, and let this affect her more.
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“Ocean blue eyes, looking in mine
I feel like I might sink and drown and die”
— Taylor Swift, “Gorgeous”
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For now, all she could do was find a spot and spread her body on the grass with hands covering her entire face, hoping to leave all her frustrations in this place and away from her after.
After a while of sitting down on the hill under the golden rays of the sun wrapping around her, she admired the blue skies and looked down at the Scions of Canopy’s unique tribe construction. Suddenly, a distinct, certain pair of green and orange met with red and blue, completely taking over her eyeshot.
“Hey,” the boy knelt to the girl who hugged her legs tightly. “Is there a reason why you've been avoiding me?”
She averted her gaze. “I could ask you the same, Kinich!”
Abruptly, a hand went right under Mualani’s chin and turned her head to make her face the culprit. “Me? I wasn't avoiding you, Mualani. Ever since you've looked at me weirdly at the party, you ran off and haven't talked to me since.”
The Metzil girl was lost in his eyes for a moment; those gorgeous, lizard-like eyes threatened her to spill the truth.
“I wasn't avoiding you.” she blurted out, it took her everything to not give in to those eyes. “You haven't talked to me at all so I assumed you're busy.”
“I haven’t texted you because you ran away from me at the party, so I didn’t want to interact with you before the next time you talk to me.” He held eye contact the whole time, while she looked down. “Look at me, Mualani.”
Reluctantly, she looked the boy dead in the eye.
“If I’ve done something wrong, you can tell me.” he sounded calm, but the second she looked into his eyes, it still threatened her to tell the truth and the look in his eyes screamed: We both know you’ve been avoiding me; there’s no point in lying.
“You.” She finally caved in. ”You are the reason why I’ve been avoiding you!” and because I recently found out I had a pathetic crush on you. she made sure to leave that part out.
Kinich raised one of his eyebrows in confusion and insisted she continue.
“I’ve just been feeling so nervous around you lately! I don’t even know what effect you have on me, but nobody has ever made me feel this shy. You have no idea how annoying it is for me—”
She was cut off by the usually stoic boy in front of her, who was currently in a laughing fit and looked as if he was about to cry in laughter.
“You’re nervous around me?” he asked breathlessly then gave a fake cough. “We’re best friends Mualani, how are you suddenly shy around me?”
“Maybe if you look in the mirror you’ll find your answer,” she whispered on her breath, loud enough for him to have heard.
“Are you saying I’m ugly? Or just unapproachable—“
Out of nowhere, a certain pixelated beast appeared beside the person he just cut off. “Alright, I’ve had enough of watching this shit!” Despite being a puny pixel, his voice sure was louder than an average human's scream. “Kinich, how dumb are you? She obviously thinks you’re hot and that’s why her face was red at the party and she is nervous around you!”
The said girl felt as if she was about to collapse, or even worse, sink and drown to death in embarrassment. Archons, how she wished she wasn’t there to hear that, and she sure wished Kinich wasn’t looking at her and anticipating her response. For once, he seemed to believe and seriously take in his egotistical, but tiny saurian companion’s words.
But, she wasn’t going to lose to this. “Yeah, I’ve always found him hot, just more visibly gorgeous lately. So what?” she immediately regretted the words coming out of her mouth as she felt her face getting hot.
“You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” the boy said in a lowered voice before he looked away from Mualani and his ears reddened noticeably.
She couldn’t take this anymore; Kinich admittedly found her beautiful as well? This was it. The girl thought as surfed the other way out of embarrassment, leaving a rare, equally flustered Kinich behind as she heard a smug, satisfied Ajaw teasing the boy along the lines of “I did you a huge favor right there, you better thank me for this!” which made her surf forward even faster, once again fleeing the scene.
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“You make me so happy, it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad”
— Taylor Swift, “Gorgeous”
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Nothing is better than a self-care spa night for girls. Especially, when you need a distraction from your crush, who already has a date. As part of the spa night, Mualani is currently applying a DIY milk and yogurt face mask to help exfoliate her skin. Granny Citlali had recommended she use those ingredients for the face mask a few years ago and told her it would suit her, which actually helped a lot with her skin! Ever since she has been her number one face mask. After the face mask settles in for about fifteen minutes, she plans to rinse it off and apply moisturizer to add on. So far, everything’s been going well! Perfect, in fact, she wasn’t thinking about him— not even a second.
Yet, she finds herself with only Kinich in her mind while waiting for the face mask to dry. It’s not fair, she thought. There’s nothing she hates more than what she can’t have, and Kinich is one of the things she can’t have. She can’t have him, because he could be officially with Lumine anytime soon, especially after what she saw on that date. Of course, Mualani did not have anything against Lumine; they got along well! But how dare he, Kinich make her feel like this during years of their friendship, then date somebody he’s only known for about a month? Stop being so naive Mualani, he can date whoever he wants. She tells herself knowing damn well that she’s far from mature; she’s always been naive. Relax, Mualani. She sighs. Relax. That’s why you’re doing a spa night today!
Maybe scrolling through social media can keep her distracted, the thought appears on her mind as she tapped on TeyvatGram only to regret it instantly. No, you guessed wrong. It wasn’t a post from Kinich; he never posts anything on his socials. It was a post from none other than the blond traveler, who posted a photo of her and Kinich a few hours ago of what Mualani can assume on a bike ride date with the caption “who would’ve known kinich would suck ass at biking”. Then, she couldn’t help herself but swipe the post and saw a video of the boyfriend falling off his bike while sounds of Lumine laughing in the background took over the overall audio.
Of course, she ignores the jealousy running through her veins, completely blurring her memories of having fun with Kinich and replacing it with how fun Lumine and him were having for the past few weeks.
Usually, when she feels down, she’d put everything behind her by surfing around Natlan. But she can’t do that now, because it’s midnight and knows better than anyone that she cannot just run away from this situation, it’s always going to come back and find her and she’s going to have to throw it away again, like a boomerang.
That’s enough social media for today. she pushes the turn off device button as the screen turns black and reflects on her face. Until, a notification from messages ruins that reflection, a message from none other than the boy she’s been dreading himself. She absolutely hates the fact her instincts immediately unlocked the phone which opened to his message.
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:12]: Hey, I have a day off tomorrow so I’ve been thinking about going to your tribe for a short holiday.
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:12]: Can you tour me around? I’ll compensate you however you want.
Speak of the devil. But, at least him initiating the hangout this time (and seeing the nickname she’d given him) is enough to make Mualani happy and eagerly text him a response.
You [Today, 21:13]: REALLY? YOU’RE COMING TO MY TRIBE?
You [Today, 21:13]: OF COURSE I CAN GUIDE YOU! and no need to worry about paying me back!!!
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:14]: Doesn’t matter, I’m still paying you back.
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:14]: How do you want me to pay you back?
You [Today, 21:14]: hmm, i’ll think about it later. don’t worry about it now
You [Today, 21:14]: i was thinking if you wanted to go to the hot springs tmr ??
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:14]: Sure. Why not?
You [Today, 21:15]: yayy okay!! when are you coming?
Kinichi~ ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ [Today, 21:15]: Are you fine with 9 in the morning?
You [Today, 21:15]: gotcha, it’s settled then!! see you tomorrow !!
Read, 21:15
Instead of dreading over Kinich the whole night, that dread has been replaced with a gleeful, excited spirit. She thought about tomorrow the whole night: what they’d do, what they’d talk about and if a situation would happen between them. Eventually, the thought lulled her to sleep as her eyes gently shut.
As if there was a light switch that flickers to the next day, Mualani found herself awake in her room as sun beams crept through the window and into her room, bright enough to force her to wake up. She glanced at the clock half asleep and managed to figure out she had exactly an hour left to prepare until Kinich knocked on her door, being the punctual man he is.
It wasn’t long after Mualani finished getting prepared that she received a knock from the door. She’d been picking outfits for about twenty minutes before finally settling on a blue halter crop top with a ribbon tied at the back, a white pleated skort and her signature dark blue with white stripes headband. “Coming!” she yelled as she swung the door open to see no other than the boy she’d been hoping to see.
For a split second, Kinich’s eyes widened just a bit and red suddenly dusted his cheeks upon seeing her— so faint that most people wouldn’t catch it, but Mualani definitely didn’t miss it.
Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he broke the silence and semi-whispered, “You look nice today.” and coughed immediately (if Mualani didn’t know him any better, she knew it was a fake cough he does whenever he’s nervous.)
“Aww, thank you Kinich!” she beamed at the compliment. “Anyways, where do you want to go first?”
“Wherever you’ll take me; you’re the guide. I don’t have any plans.”
Why’d you ask that, you idiot? she slapped herself mentally. “Oh right, of course I am!” she let out an awkward laugh. “Well, the hot springs are the best during afternoons so I was thinking we could grab food before going there?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Okay then! What do you feel like right now? Sweet, savory or just normal brunch?”
“I don’t mind; just something to fill the stomach can do.” He shrugged. “You can pick, you know I’m not picky with food.”
“Okay!” she said in a sing-song voice, emphasis on the ‘ay’. “Follow me, I’ve got a place in mind!” without warning, she tugged on the boy's arm and dragged him to her favorite café in the People of the Springs tribe.
Things start to feel natural between them at the cafe in spite of not having a proper conversation in weeks. Kinich is usually the listener of a conversation, but as his best friend, he’s willing to talk more to her.
During the conversation, she suddenly realised something was missing. “Kinich,” this immediately grabbed his attention as he looked up to her. “Where’s Ajaw?”
“Oh, Ajaw.” he sighed and looked at his wristband. “I’ve locked him away, so he can’t ruin our time together.”
“So he can’t ruin our time together”? How sweet of him. her mind seems to only fixate on this part of the sentence. Normally, when they hang out together, Ajaw’s always complains about being a “third-wheel” (she has no idea what that meant) and always seemed to be a nuisance to Kinich. Therefore, it made sense that he finally got tired of his servant’s antics and shut him out. She might be delusional for this, but Kinich not wanting Ajaw to ruin their day made Mualani happy as she interpreted it as him wanting to enjoy their day to the fullest.
“Oh okay.” she grabbed her cup of drink as she said that, before he could even question why she’s been too silent.
Everything went perfectly fine so far. Until the bill arrived. Just when Mualani got her card out in front of the scanner, a certain pair of gloved hands, also holding a card, shoved hers away.
“It’s on me.”
What a gentleman. She noted in her head. But, she wasn’t going to take it so easily. “No Kinich— seriously, It’s fine.” she shoved him out of the way.
“It’s on me.” Kinich gently moved her out of the way and said in a firm but calm voice, yet that sent shivers down her spine. “You’ve already went out of your way to tour me around your tribe last minute, so take this as a partial part of your—“
“Don’t worry about it, you youngsters.” the cafe owner, who Mualani considers her one of her grandmas, interrupts the two. “Mualani, you’ve never told me you had a boyfriend!” Oh no. It’s over for her. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Kinich. “It’s fine you two, you can have a— let’s say, 50% discount? Because you’re like a granddaughter to me, plus you two are cute together!” For someone who’s known for being confident and not running out things to say, here she is, speechless and completely mortified.
By taking advantage of her current state, Kinich thanks the elder but lets her know they’re just best friends, all without an unreadable expression on his face.
“It’s fine,” the elder smiled at the young man then whispered something to him before his eyes met Mualani’s and face flushed for a mere second. “You can still have the discount. I insist.” He swipes his card on the card reader and thanks the lady, nudging her arm to thank her as well before they both walk out the café.
As planned, they arrived at the People of the Springs' best tourist attraction, the hot springs, after brunch. Mualani’s been here at least a thousand times before (one time as a kid, she poured milk in the hot springs resulting in an angry Atea), but the sentiment of excitement still remains everytime she comes. Out of those (estimated) thousand times, she’s never been in a hot spring with Kinich— one of her closest friends.
Upon noticing the sudden pause in the boy's tracks, she stopped as well and turned to face him. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just that—“ he brought out a hand to rub against his nape. “I forgot to bring my swim wear.”
Luckily for him, there’s always swimwear provided in her tribe. She knows just the right person to ask, since this happened to Aether, the blond traveler’s twin brother, last time they went together. “It’s alright, I’ve got you covered! Let me just grab something for you in my shop, you can even keep it after!” She walks to her neighbor Atea, who is only about ten steps away, as he stayed behind her while she requested men's swimwear for him.
“Here you go,” she tosses the swim shorts and towel to his face, causing him to make a sound akin to a grunt. “You can go change there, I’ll be changing too.” The Metzil girl pointed at an artificial hot spring. “We’ll meet at that artificial hot spring over there, since this is your first time and you’ll need to adjust to the temperatures yadiyadiyada— okay?”
“Got it, see you there.” he says as he heads to the nearest changing room and Mualani follows suit.
Mualani was the first to leave the changing room and arrive at their meeting place. She looks around (to keep an eye out on Atea) before making a cannonball jump in the hot spring, causing a splash around all surroundings, including the person she was waiting for.
Whoops. It’s too late. Despite not even laying a finger in the pool, he was soaked completely from head to toe as he stood there, unmoving as a statue, while being dripping wet and flabbergasted. Mualani, who did not even try to hold back her laughter, did nothing but cackle at the image in front of her.
“I’m sorry—“ she fits between her laughter before he jumps in the pool faster than she could even finish her sentence, an aggressive amount of water covered her whole, some even ended up inside her mouth as she frantically spit it out.
The two spent a good while laughing and assaulting each other with violent splashes of water. This was the first time she’d had fun with Kinich in a while and seeing him behave immature— a stark contrast to his serious and stoic demeanor. After they grew tired, they finally decided to just sit down in the hot springs and relax.
“How’s you and Lumine, by the way?” She immediately slammed a hand on her mouth. It’s too late. This is usually what happens when she lets her impulse get the better of her.
He glared at her silently and, although he was still wearing his headscarf, she could tell he furrowed his eyebrows. “Me and Lumine?” spoken so innocently as if they didn’t go on a date yesterday.
“You know—“ she made the bed, so she must sleep on it. “Your relationship— with Lumine?” The boy only glared at her confused. Is he seriously playing dumb?
“Are you good in the head Kinich? She thinks you and Lumine are dating!” Ajaw laughed. Great, she forgot that he was here too. “Ooh~ somebody’s jealous— HEY!” a hand flicked him to the air and he was nowhere to be seen.
She doesn’t need to look at herself in the mirror to know her face is painted fully red. Small and ridiculous the dragon may be, but he has the power to make anyone embarrassed due to his inconsiderate nature.
“I’ve put him in timeout. Just ignore what he said, you know how he is.” The Huitzlan boy probably said that because he noticed her tomato-red face. “What makes you think I’m dating Lumine though?”
Why does he have to keep on pressing the topic? Can’t he see how embarrassed I am already? Truth to be told, it’s her fault for bringing it up in the first place. “Well, I saw you two on a date a few times so I just assumed you two might be—“ again, she was cut off by his laughter. “Wait— so are you two dating or not?” she tried not to make it sound like she’s too interested.
“I don’t know, am I?” That was not useful in the slightest. While his voice sounded normal, a subtle, teasing smirk curved his lips. “Are you jealous?” This made the topic press on further.
“I don’t know, am I?” mocking his response; voice laced with sarcasm. Two can play that game.
“It’s okay to admit that you are, Mualani.” Is every sentence he speaks going to tease her more?
There’s no way he’s going to make her surrender so easily; she was one of the Night Warden Wars warriors that emerged victorious and never needed reviving. “It’s okay to admit your relationship with Lumine, Kinich.”
“You basically already admitted to being jealous, Mualani.” His smirk only became more smug. And to rub salt in the wound, he continues with, “You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. Think about it, why would you say ‘I don’t know, am I?’ to my question if you weren’t jealous?”
Shit. This wasn’t a good look for her. The girl knew Kinich is a smart person, but she didn’t see this coming. Did he already know she was going to make this blunder? Kinich may be smart, but she’s still not going to let this slide nor make him triumphant. Enough verbally attacking each other, it’s about to be physical now. Without further hesitation, she sends a wave to the boy's face enough to make him jump. She was the one with the smug smile now.
The two started playfully fighting again, until Auntie Atea spotted the two’s immaturity and gave them a lecture to make sure they wouldn’t do it again. So they wordlessly agreed to sit in silence, and enjoy the hot springs like normal, sane people would. She took this opportunity to admire his exposed part of his body along with the green tattoos on it; It’s not surprising that his body is more muscular and toned than the average person. He was constantly active: on the run to deliver packages, fending off Saurians and his participation in extreme sports. Sometimes when Mualani closed her eyes in relaxation, she could feel his eyes on her and everytime she opened them, she would find the boy’s shut (although, he caught her staring at him every time and she’d look away).
Soon enough, the sun dipped below the mountains of Natlan, painting the sky dark as the moon rose accompanied by a few twinkling stars by the time the pair finished changing to their normal clothes.
“You’re staying in my tribe overnight, right?” He nodded in response. “Are you coming to my house or have you already booked a hotel?”
“Well— I was planning to stay over at your house.” he quickly covered his mouth as the realization of how weird the sentence sounded hit him. “Um, don’t take it weird.”
Mualani only giggled at the boy's reaction. “All good, you can sleep in the guest room.” the key clicked the door open, leading the two of them to said house. “I wanted you to use your exceptional culinary skills at first, but It’s late, I’ll order food delivery for both of us. You can shower, you know where the bathroom is.”
“Thanks. I’ve got spare clothes, in case you’re wondering, so don’t worry about it.”
Then, he was gone as sounds of shower water running came shortly after. The other spent this time preparing the dinner table and cleaning up the guest room. Nobody has been to the guest room before, her house came with an extra room she uses for times like this. Of course, she didn’t think the time would come so soon since she finds herself currently cleaning it up. Tidying up the room drained most of her energy. Hence, after cleaning the room she decided to get some quick rest. Soon enough, she was lying in the guest bedroom with her eyes shut.
Archons know how long she’s been sleeping for. However, her slumber felt very short lived as she felt somebody shaking her and constantly calling her name. Her eyelids lifted, before her eyes widened in shock and let out a scream then abruptly twisted her body facing away from him and to hide her flushed face. Before her just then was Kinich, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around the lower part of his body. Thanks to him, she doesn’t think she can erase that image from her brain anytime soon.
“Put on some clothes, will you?!” her voice remained shrill despite her hands covering her entire face. “What are you doing here?”
“I left my clothes in this room; I found out after I came out of the shower and I didn’t expect to see you here.” In contrast to Mualani’s current mood, he sounded calm. “I woke you up to let you know I needed to change here. The food is on the table, by the way, I paid the delivery man not long ago so no need to worry about that.”
“What?” she jumped to face him again, only to remember he’s basically naked, then abruptly turned the other way. “You didn’t have to pay, you know. I will—“ he lifted a finger, inches away from her lips, immediately silencing her.
“It’s fine. Take this as another form of payment for letting the stay here unplanned.”
Mualani only nodded, face red whilst feeling the warmth radiating off his body before quickly running off to the dinner table. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding the entire time. There’s certainly no way she can stand another second there with him, knowing he wasn’t properly clothed and in such close proximity with her unless she wanted a cardiac arrest. Not to mention how this isn’t fair for Lumine, who probably doesn’t know her boyfriend is staying over at another girl's house and standing so close to her while wearing nothing but a towel. This only made her heart pang, in both guilt and jealousy. This whole thing isn’t fair.
By the time she finished setting up the food on the table, Kinich returned, fully clothed this time thankfully. During dinner, the pair talked normally, without bringing up the topic mentioned earlier at the hot springs or anything like that.
“You look nice without a head scarf.” More like: finally showing your whole gorgeous face. She noticed the boy’s forehead wasn’t covered by his usual head scarf. “I haven’t seen you much without your head scarf.”
He hummed in acknowledgment then looked down on his food with intense focus for some reason. she almost missed the subtle red hue coloring his cheeks.
Nothing special happened for the rest of the night. They both withdrew to their rooms after brushing their teeth together. As soon as she shut the door of her room, she jumped to her bed and fell asleep not long after. Not that she knew what time it was, but she knew it was so late that she could sleep right away.
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“Everyone wants him
That was my crime
The wrong place at the right time
And I break down, then he's pullin' me in
In a world of boys, he's a gentleman”
— Taylor Swift, “Slut!”
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅.
Mualani was not one to drink.
But here she is, playing a truth or drink game in Aether and Lumine’s party with their adult friends. Everyone in the party is playing, but only Kinich gets a choice between truth or dare due to his hate for alcohol. She was full on drunk by the time it was Kinich’s turn.
“Truth or dare, Kinich?” A ginger haired boy asked.
“Truth.”
“Hmm let me think.” Aether whispered something to the ginger’s ear, a smirk apparent in their faces. “Do you like anyone in this room, Kinich?”
Mualani looked at Kinich expectantly. So did everyone else.
“You better be honest!” Ajaw wasn’t sent to time out this time, as Kinich seemed to be thinking too deeply to care.
He swallowed a lump on his throat. Fidgeting with his fingers. Everyone was dead silent, waiting for his response. Before he finally declared, “Yeah.” while looking at Lumine’s direction, not even bothered to spare a glance to her nor her direction.
Mualani admitted to herself that she did in fact have feelings for Kinich. But at the moment, it was just so easy to deny everything. She hated the fact that she felt hopeful that he’d like her back, when he basically confirmed the relationship, and also hated and denied the feeling of her heart sinking and how her eyes coincidentally welled up with tears, threatening to spill, when he wasn’t even looking at her when saying yes to the question. Feelings are irrational, hard to explain. Mualani was hardly rational compared to Kinich, so maybe this was all just her. Everything between them felt off and on at this point.
“Ooh~” the crowd sang teasingly. She forced herself to act like she didn’t care, because she didn’t. In fact, she’d be happy if Kinich was in a happy relationship (this wasn’t fully a lie). The Metzil girl, who was quite not long ago, got her act together and teased Kinich playfully along with the crowd while the raven-haired boy became a blushing mess.
Her heart sank deeper by the second. She couldn’t stand being here anymore, not even another second. Everyone’s eyes suddenly turned to her abrupt action. “I’m going to get— um, some water and some air just outside the balcony.” Because she actually needed it. “Be right back!” some of her words slurred. Nobody seemed suspicious of her, nor did anyone hold her back as she walked away in her dazed, drunken state to the kitchen.
This is weird. Even something as easy as pouring water in the cup without spilling anywhere becomes a hard task when you’re not used to being drunk like Mualani. She had to admit, she definitely went overboard with the alcoholic drinks this time.
After she got her cup of water, all she needed to do was walk to the balcony to get some fresh air. While walking past the group, she noticed they were now playing spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on will kiss Lumine. Nothing was holding her back, nor was she in a rush, so she stayed back and watched the show.
Either from her bad luck, or their fate, the bottle gradually spun slower until it eventually landed on none other than Kinich.
Needless to say, she certainly did not want to watch this. The white-haired girl ran outside, suddenly desperate for fresh air as if her life depended on it. Everytime she closes her eyes, it’s like she can see images of them kissing right now flashing through her eyelids.
The surfer was so drunk. She felt so sick too, like she was going to throw up. So wasted that the drunk could hardly register the noises of footsteps behind her, and barely felt the light touch against her shoulder. As she whipped her head around in self defense, it really hit somebody. Whoever it was, he or she had enough skills to avoid being completely slapped by her long braids. The figure, who she cannot seem to figure out who it was due to her blurred vision, in front of her called her name a few times.
“What?” you could tell she was not sober even from that one word.
The person called her name again, then forced her to turn around and face the culprit. “You’re drunk.” No shit. She soon learned that the voice was Kinich.
“What— hic— are you doing here?” She was completely out of it; whatever she thinks in her mind might end up forming out of her mouth without a filter. “Weren’t you about to kiss— hic— Lumine?”
Despite her drunken state, she could discern from her blurry vision that his jaw hardened as he paused for a moment before he finally spoke up, “I didn’t kiss her; I didn’t feel comfortable doing so.” Huh?
“Aren’t you two dating?”
He stayed silent for a while, once again. This time, leaving them both in uncomfortable silence as Mualani is impatiently waiting for his answer. An answer she’s been assuming, guessing and waiting for weeks; an answer that could change everything.
“No.” She could’ve sworn her heart stopped for a moment, in shock and relief (mostly shocked). “We’re not dating. I’m not dating anyone.” he declared soberly, a stark contrast to Mualani’s current state. Was she tripping? This was too much to take in, especially when you’re in an intoxicated state.
“Who do you like then?” she snapped back with a question and without missing a beat, unfiltered words spilling out of her mouth by the second.
Just as the boy opened his mouth to respond to the question, the other started gagging before dipping her head over the balcony and threw up before, she wasn’t sure why, breaking down and crying her eyes out. Even though this, certainly, wasn’t a pretty scene for Kinich— let alone anyone— to watch, he supported her by patting her back, helped her wash her face with the faucet outside the twin’s balcony and offered to clean it up later.
She was tired. So tired that she wasn’t aware of being pulled into Kinich’s arms about a minute ago and subconsciously listened to his fast-paced heartbeats silently as the cold night air wrapped around them. For someone who proclaims to have atrocious comforting skills, he could comfort her better than anyone else. Time felt so still when it was just the two of them. Is this the feeling of the “new” eternity the Electro Archon wishes to pursue?
Long live the silence as Kinich broke it. “Mualani, you shouldn’t have drank so much; look at you now.” She did not have to look at him to know how serious his expression is; the voice gave it away. He squeezed her tight in his embrace as he said this, before pulling away and pressing a palm to her forehead. “How are you feeling now?”
Instead of words spilling out unfiltered, she was now slurring all her words which gained a concerned sigh from the boy who wrapped his arms around her just then.
Midnight blue, fading into sunrise red eyes mindlessly scanned the boy in front of her for a good few minutes. Suddenly, her hands ended up resting near his jaw and caressing his face.
“Kinich.” Albeit her inebriated state, the fondness dripping from her voice was clear. “You’re so gorgeous that it actually hurts.”
The boy flinched at the sudden touch, but didn’t push it away. In fact, he drew closer to her until they pressed onto each other's forehead;
closing her eyes, confirming that she would be fine with whatever would happen here. He looked so breathtaking under the moonlight is the only thought in her head as she makes a bold move forward, finally closing the distance between them.
Soft lips brushed against hers for a fleeting, ephemeral moment, before she was abruptly pushed away. Even so, this left her in a daze, wondering if it was all real. This night felt like a dream.
“Mualani,” He raised a finger to touch his lips and avoided eye contact while his face furiously red. “You’re drunk; It’s not fair if I do this. You might not even be aware of what you tried to do.”
Her mind was still reeling at what was about to happen. He was wrong. Mualani had so many reasons in the back of her mind to tell him that she was well-aware of this, and even if she was not drunk— she would snatch this opportunity within a heartbeat. For a second, she was about to spill her long pent-up feelings for him at this very moment. But she just couldn’t, she opened her mouth to speak, only for the words to dissipate within the cold air.
That was it. That was all she remembered before dropping completely unconscious into his arms once again. Maybe this was too much to handle for her drunk self: finding out that he wasn’t actually dating anyone, that he liked somebody and that they nearly kissed.
Or, maybe, she drank too many drinks tonight.
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅.
“I’m a motherfuckin’ train wreck
I don’t wanna be too much
but I don’t wanna miss your touch
And you don’t seem to give a fuck”
— Ariana Grande & Social House, “boyfriend”
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅.
Kinich randomly knocked at her door the next day.
That’s how they ended up here on the beach, him surfing alongside Mualani. Sun rays shining down on them, therefore casting a luminous, sparkly reflection on the ocean waves, which were much more aggressive earlier, but both enjoyed the thrill of it. The waves lowered as the wind gradually calmed throughout the day. He knew how to pick the best day to surf with her.
Eventually, the two stopped surfing as they grew bored of the low waves and sat on the now empty beach for a change. Not long after, Kinich excused himself to use the bathroom closeby.
What he didn’t know was, leaving Ajaw alone with Mualani wasn’t the best idea, at least for him.
“Say Mualani, do you remember what happened last night?”
She tried to recall the details from last night, but to no avail; all she remembered was that she was very drunk and unstable. “No, what happened last night?”
The pixelated dragon gave an impatient sigh. “It’s best for my servant to tell him yourself.” he gestured to Kinich, who just walked out of the men’s bathroom. “Just don’t tell him I’m aware of what happens, alright? He’s got no idea that he forgot to turn mute the audio from outside when I was locked away in his watch.”
What about last night? The curiosity is killing her by the second. Did she do something weird at the party? Or maybe, she did something to Kinich. She silently prays to the archons that she didn’t kiss him, without her remembering it and without his consent as he strides closer and sits down next to Mualani.
“My dear servant,” it was so obvious that Ajaw feigned his exhaustion. She never thought she’d see him do anything considerate to anyone else, yet here he is, indirectly helping her out to confront Kinich. “It’s about time the Almighty Dragon Lord, K’uhul Ajaw needs his tranquil slumber.”
“Tired already, oh supreme Dragon Lord?” he replied sarcastically, without missing a beat. “I guess it’s time for you to be locked away.”
It’s about time. She watches the boy in front of her tap the screen that was reflected from the watch before it transferred each of Ajaw’s pixels etched in the screen.
The raven-haired boy taps his watch, which makes the reflection disappear. This is your chance, Mualani.
“Kinich,” she starts hesitantly.
“Hmm?”
sigh. “Kinich… What happened last night?”
His eyes widened ever so slightly before letting out a gentle sigh; like always, she didn’t miss it. Before he reluctantly asked, “What do you remember?” a question to her question, huh?
“If I tell you, will you tell me what happened?” he nods before she continues. “All I remember was, I played truth or drink and I may have drank too much… haha.” she laughs as she recalls the details. ”That’s all.”
The look in his eyes seemed to have a sense of guilt. Knowing Kinich, he was an honest man; the boy tell Mualani the truth if she asked him for it. “You really want to know?” the question prompted her to nod. She was sure she wanted to know what happened the night before.
He told her every single possible detail that night: him admitting he had a crush on somebody in the room, how she got jealous over the fact that he was about to kiss Lumine and questioned their relationship and her throwing up (her parents wouldn’t be happy about that.)
“There’s one more thing I needed to tell you.” red crawled to the tips of his ears first before his cheeks, it was quite hard to tell at first since he covered the lower half of his face with his hand. There was a long silent pause before he finally bluntly, but quietly stated: “We almost kissed last night.”
Memories of that moment rushed back to her mind, like news of the prophecy that happened in Fontaine spread to every single corner of Teyvat. Her mouth remained hanging open as she recalled moments from last night. How she hugged Kinich while upset. His reaction to her compliment. The feeling of both their hearts racing fast at said moment. Standing firm on her previous statement, she was glad that her first kiss wouldn’t be at a time when she was so unstable and would probably not remember anything.
Adamantly avoiding eye contact, and suddenly becoming so interested in the sand beneath him, he waited patiently for her reply. Archons know how long she took to go through her flashbacks.
“To be honest,” her voice went quiet at her next statement. “I wouldn’t mind if it’s you.”
That gave him enough courage to look back at her. “You wouldn’t?”
“Yeah, just not when I’m drunk so I can remember it.” dumbfounded at the words spilling out of her own mouth, as if she was drunk all over again. “What about you?”
He inched closer to her. “Same, and I’m glad we didn’t do it then.” Kinich snuck a hand under her chin, and gently guided it to face him.
“Mualani.”
“Kinich.”
The former nodded, giving her permission to continue.
Mualani takes a deep breath, ironically her breath hitches before building up enough courage and continues shakily. “Can I kiss you?”
Silence. They were both awkwardly staring into each other's eyes as she thought about maybe taking it all back, because of his silence. Maybe I asked too soon. All of her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a familiar soft pair of lips, but interlocked with hers for this time.
Both parted ways to gasp for air, before they found their way back as she reached in this time and took his lips in hers. The kiss was sweet and innocent; she could tell he was shy against her mouth.
The feeling would forever be etched in her mind, hopefully in his too, she figures as she nibbles gently on the pink flesh against hers making him hold back a groan.
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“For a moment I knew cosmic love
Now I'm down bad crying at the gym
Everything comes out teenage petulance
‘Fuck it If i can’t have him’”
— Taylor Swift, “Down Bad”
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅
Yet, a week has passed, nothing much changed between them; they never talked about what this meant between them. So as far as everyone else knows, the two were just friends.
Nonetheless, things are different behind closed doors. They’d kiss each other on the hand, cheek or lips like it’s completely normal for them every time the time feels right. Neither of them talk about it in spite of performing this strange act daily. Mualani didn’t mind it at all, she is enjoying their little physical interaction.
Only to find herself taking it back one morning.
“What are we?” she yells in her room in the middle of the night, for no one to hear— scratch that, perhaps to any Archons or divine beings in Teyvat.
Auntie Atea, her neighbor, might barge in her house tomorrow and call her crazy.
.⋅。..˳★˳..。⋅.
There he was, standing on her balcony watching ocean waves churn the sand on the shore as gentle whispers of the wind blew, playing with his hair. This man looked so handsome under any light. Whether it’s sunlight, moonlight or natural light.
As always, she acted on impulse and ran up to him to give him a surprise hug.
Upon seeing her, he turned around with a soft smile, as if he’s been expecting her. She could feel his heart beating fast underneath her hand.
“Mualani,” He looked shyly at her.
“What, Kinich?”
“I have something important to tell you.” the boy whispered in her ears. As if his voice had some sort of power, her ears glowed red.
She swallowed. Could this be? “What is it?”
Intricate lush green, orange eyes looked at her lovingly. She wishes she could replay that scene over and over again.
“I lo—ve—“
.⋅。..˳★˳..。⋅.
Bed sheets violently hit the floor as she abruptly got up. Of course, it was just a dream. According to her, Kinich wouldn’t be this cliche in real life.
In fact, he isn’t a romantic type of guy. He’d never look at her like that. She wasn’t sure how he felt when it comes to things like this, but so far, this is the conclusion she’s reached.
Or, he might’ve had a secret girlfriend before. If that was the case, he did an exceptional job at hiding it. Everytime he’d kiss her, the first few ones usually come off as shy, and kind of hesitant.
She’ll think about it tomorrow. It’s late at night now; the moon is still hanging high in the sky. She cannot deal with this right now; it’s not going to be good for her. That wasn’t to say she didn’t toss and turn the whole night. Thankfully, before she knew it, she was asleep.
.⋅。..˳★˳..。⋅
He was at the beach with her. They’d just finish surfing. As always, they’d withdraw to the sand and sit there before dawn breaks and enjoy the late night at the beach.
It was freezing, completely opposite of Natlan’s daytime. To be fair, it wasn’t too cold but gales of wind would aggressively brush past them, making Mualani, who always wore something close to swimwear, shiver.
Warmth melted into her body all of the sudden, like fire to ice. She turned around to see Kinich, being the gentleman he is, unwrapped the jacket from his waist and settled it onto her shoulders. The warmth wasn’t solely from the jacket, but the act of service from him made her warm inside.
“What about you?” she pointed at his shirt sleeves. “Aren’t you cold?”
The Huitzlan laughed like she was telling a joke. “Not as cold as you. Besides, you need it more than me.” He inched toward the Metzil girl and tucked a stray hair away, which also made her face warm.
Pushing his usual stoic expression, his gaze softened, and she could not hold back. He looks so dreamy whatever he does, and it’s getting frustrating. “Just kiss me, damn it.”
His eyes widened slightly at her words. Soon after, his lips brushed against hers, before it abruptly moved away.
Did he seriously just ghost kiss her? A mischievous curved his lips. “Do you really want me to?” He was teasing her. She pulled him into a quick, chaste kiss before he could say anything else.
“I love you.” The words left her. “I’m sorry I— I said that on impulse. But I’ve liked you for ages now but only realized it until recently.”
One of his eyebrows shot up, and he looked at her weird. “Mualani, we’re already dating. Why are you confessing?” he laughed before pulling her in for another peck on the lips. “You’re so silly.”
.⋅。..˳★˳..。⋅
No, Mualani! Has she gone insane? Two dreams in a row about Kinich, seriously? This is truly getting ridiculous.
That night was also the same night she found herself slowly wanting more with Kinich. More kisses, more laughter, more memories and more love expressed between the two of them. Their secret kisses already proved that they clearly didn’t see each other as just friends, and that there was more between them than they could say in words. The two are well aware of that. Nevertheless, neither of them made a move nor talked about this directly yet.
What solidified her statement of wanting more between her and Kinich would be the person-in-her-mind’s impromptu visit later.
“Hey,” the person she's hoping to see actually showed up right before here, right now. “Sorry for the sudden intrusion. I finished my commissions then got injured on the way back home and I just ran out of first-aid kit supplies.” Mualani gasped as he lifted the bottom of his pants to show a few wounds. “It’s not too bad, just thought I’d get it disinfected and treated as soon as possible.”
Her eyes scanned his entire image and landed on the ripped part of his attire. Seeing this, she tugged his overalls then reached for his shirt to lift it up, revealing more scars near his torso.
“Kinich!” she jumped upon seeing the scars and let go of his shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me this? Get in here right now. Wait for me in my room upstairs while I get the first aid kit.”
Wounds were dressed and disinfected as soon as possible; Archons knew how long he took to get here. At first, she thought he took his time walking here because he probably didn’t see it as a big deal and walked to her house, just enough time for bacteria to sink in. But, that was before Kinich revealed to her that he limped to her house because he twisted his ankle in the process.
“Couldn’t you just swing here?”
“No, It hurts for my ankles when I land—“ he interrupted his sentence and let out a sharp hiss as she pressed antiseptic liquid poured on cotton pads against his wounds. “What are you laughing at?” she couldn’t contain her laughter seeing him squirming as she treated the injury on his chest.
“You can sleep in the guest room again,” she changed to a more important topic. “I’m not letting you walk back home like this— hey!”
This time, he interrupted her sentence by pulling her into a tight embrace; a rare gesture from him.
“Thank you, Mualani.” goosebumps instantly apparent as a result of his husky yet gentle voice against her ear.
Thank the Pyro Archon that Kinich wasn’t able to see her face. If she wore a face as red as she is now to the public, everyone would think that she caught a fever. “Ah… you’re welcome, Kinich!”
Disappointment filled in her as he pulled away, apologizing for his unexpected act as she constantly tried to tell him that it was nothing to worry about.
“Don’t worry about it, Kinich!” she waved her hands in assurance, hopefully dismissing his worries. “I mean, we’ve kissed before so it’s not as bad as this!” she covered her mouth shut as she realized what she said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that your kiss was—“
“Are you saying I am a bad kisser?” His expression, once soft, is replaced with a slight smirk even though he tried to act offended. “You’re one to talk.”
“What do you mean?” her voice raising in disbelief. “Every time you do, I feel like I’m kissing someone who’s having their first kiss!”
Now he was just playing quiet. Or at least, she thought so until Kinich jumped on top of her (as a play-tackle), causing her to lay flat on her own bed as he remained crouched above her. “You take that back.”
“No way—“ his hands now laid on her neck, and started to tickle her, causing her to laugh continuously. “I TAKE IT BACK— STOP!” she yelled breathlessly.
Thankfully, he retreated his hand and was about to get up until Mualani jumped on him, causing him to fall back in the opposite direction of where she was. “It’s your turn now.” It was her turn to remain victorious. She thought as she laid a hand on the side of his neck, and attempted to tickle him.
What? He was just staring back at her with a blank expression. How is this possible? She started moving her hand to anywhere else people usually would die from being tickled by now, but he remained as unmoving and expressionless as a statue.
“I’m not ticklish.” That same smirk emerged once again, this time feeling more triumphant. He attempted to get up, but Mualani pinned him down by the shoulders. “Not so fast, mister!”
Everytime she looks at him, she’s been wanting to do this for a good while now. One of her hands moved next to his shoulders for support and the other moved up to the hem of his headscarf, which he didn’t seem to mind what she’s about to do next, then stripped it off, now revealing his bare face.
Despite him being one of her closest friends, she’s never seen him without his headscarf which covered his forehead and eyebrows; Kinich immediately averted his gaze and his cheeks redder than they’ve ever been. But now, she’s able to admire his full face and its beauty. Mualani had a better view of his eyes now, pulling her eyes in like a magnetic force and his messy hair perfectly framed his face.
“Kinich,” Mualani almost went breathless when the headscarf was taken off. If she could look at herself in the mirror right now, she’d probably have hearts in her eyes. “You’re so handsome, do you know that? You shouldn’t always cover your face with your head scarf.” she knew this would make him more embarrassed, but this was probably one of the rare moments she gets to tell him. “Everytime I look at you, I feel like kissing you.”
He was now looking straight at her, albeit a bit sheepish. “That’s how I feel too,” he muttered just as breathlessly, probably due to the close proximity. “whenever I look at you.” The raven-haired man looked like he wanted to say more, but held it back which made Mualani’s heart do somersaults all over again.
Neither of them knew who leaned in first. As always, their kisses were easygoing yet they felt meaningful, like every movement of parting and meeting lips had an underlying meaning to them. But, Mualani knew they probably wouldn’t talk about this after in spite of this feeling to the both of them. Maybe one day, when the time is right, she’d build enough courage to ask him or Kinich finally confesses to her.
This time, something in Mualani made her want to take this to the next level. Without thinking, as if on instinct, she managed to slip in her tongue, asking for permission, as they met again. Although both were still shy at first, he took it just as eagerly as their tongue danced and entangled with one another passionately.
Yet, she can’t help but feel something was missing between their gasps for air. She wanted more between them; How greedy of her.
They end up losing track of time as they melt into each other's kisses. This doesn’t feel real to her, she’s still waiting to wake up anytime soon like she did for the last two nights.
As people say, all good things must come to an end. This time, he was the one ending the kiss with a final swish of his tongue against the inside of her mouth and his lips pulling away, leaving both of them breathless as their faces remained flushed.
“I’ll be going to the guest room.” Kinich excused himself awkwardly as he reached for his lips with his fingers. “Good night, Mualani.” he put his shirt back on carefully, to minimize the pain, and started walking away.
Then, he was gone. Leaving Mualani, who was still shaken, breathless and all alone sitting on her bed being a complete mess, just like that.
Next morning, she woke up by herself. Usually, Kinich would come into her room and wake her up whenever he’s over.
She’d be lying to say that she was surprised when he was nowhere to be found in her house, especially because of the first hint. What she did find however, was a note on her front door writing: Hey Mualani, I’m leaving early to take care of a couple of early commissions. Didn’t wake you up today because you looked so peacefully sleeping, sorry. and signed his name at the end, not that she wouldn’t recognise it without it.
After a few moons and sunrises, things start to feel different between them— more awkward. It all felt like déjà vu; he was avoiding her all over again; this whole thing is affecting her more than it should. Maybe she was childish for thinking that this was strong enough to hold up their relation— situationship as people call it (she found that out not long ago) and didn’t think that it could fall apart this easily, like trying to hold up a picture frame that is bound to fall. The thought made her eyes sting. How could he be all over somebody one night and completely shut her out completely the next?
The said boy in question wouldn’t even look at her. Everytime she tries to approach him, he either tries to leave subtly, act like he’s busy or excuses himself to go somewhere else.
At least this time he didn’t seem to be with any other girl. Mualani tried to ask around for any updates of Kinich between her friends, who all said the same thing. It’s either an I don’t know, I haven’t seen him lately or He seems to be busy. One person who seemed to respond differently seems to be Kachina, who she sees as her own sister.
Kachina is one of the reasons how Mualani and Kinich are able to form friendship, or at least some be acquaintances at the time. It was all because of this one time the younger was in need of an experienced, skilled trainer or a role model to fulfill her dream of fighting in the Night Warden Wars. It was also when news of Kinich becoming one of the six tribe heros, like her, spread across every single tribe in Natlan. She had known him way before he obtained his ancient name, keeping an eye on him from time to time even.
Mualani knew that Kinich didn’t have a childhood as fortunate and happy as hers, naturally because she heard people from his tribe mock and tease him, which he seems to be unfazed of, before he earned his name. His quiet, mysterious nature, complete opposite of hers, caught her attention first other than the unique eyes he owned. One day, the tour guide was lucky enough to hear that Kinich was willing to take any job for a suitable price. Mora was never a problem for her growing up and she was looking for someone to train Kachina anyway, so this was an easy opportunity for her. Naturally, she tries to befriend him in spite of his well-known distant personality and by the end of his first job with her, they were labeled as acquaintances.
The job was long done. Kinich and her would consider each other as best friends now, often initiating hangouts, updating each other regularly of their lives and being each other's client. He would also find himself doing things for Kachina’s sake, such as dealing with her bullies and taking care of her when Mualani couldn’t. The three of them ended up being a great trio! With Kinich and Mualani taking care of the youngest, Kachina.
Those around her would know that she goes by the philosophy that there are only two types of people in the world: those are her friends, and friends she hasn’t met yet. For Mualani, her and Kinich would be a perfect example of being a friend she hasn’t met yet before and ended up being close friends from doing something for a friend.
Back to the present time, Mualani would ask Kachina for any news of Kinich who she didn’t know would answer something she sure as hell didn’t expect.
“Kinich has been busy lately.” Every one of her friends said that, what did she expect? “But he did tell me something recently about you.” she admitted as she felt bad for ratting out Kinich.
The tour guide nodded eagerly, urging her to continue. “Well, I’ve noticed how close you seemed to be with him at times. So I asked him a few days ago what the relationship between you two was.”
“You noticed?” Her jaw nearly dropped. Since when was Kachina capable of observing— something like this? Mualani had not told Kachina of how she felt about Kinich, since she thinks she is too young to know or talk about this topic, so she’d figure to keep this topic away from her.
“Of course I did!” Kachina said as if it was common knowledge. “You two are so smitten with each other it’s so obvious! I’m not the only one talking, pretty much everyone thinks so too!”
Looks like they weren’t acting as secretive as they thought they were.
“Oh right, what did he say?” She’d be so carried away that she almost forgot the main point of the conversation.
The partially-pika young girl hesitated for a good while, before taking a deep breath in. “When I asked about you two, he said something about still needing to figure out some things— I don’t know I— I don’t want to say too much for him. I think it’s better if you ask him instead.” she looked down guilty, like Kinich committed something against the law and she was confessing his crime.
That was good enough for her. “Thanks, Kachina!” she pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry if you felt uncomfortable telling me that. I’ve just been worried about, ehem, whatever is between us since he’s been kind of avoiding me.” As always, she laughed it off to make it seem like she didn’t care much.
Then she was off, almost as quick as how Kinich left her room that night but with a proper farewell, determined to possibly talk things out with him the next time she sees him and put an end to this.
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅.
“I would never fall in love again until I found her
I said, "I would never fall unless it's you I fall into"
I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her
I found you”
— Stephen Sanchez, “Until I Found You”
.⋅。.────────────.˳★˳.────────────.。⋅.
Who knew finding Kinich would be such a hard task to do? She’s practically surfed all over Natlan to search for him, with no hair nor hide of him. It seems like all of her friends were not willing to tell her about his whereabouts. If she didn’t know any better, probably due to his own request.
What could summon Kinich, and make him instantly be at the place she’s currently at? Something he wouldn’t ignore.
Genius. She smiled to herself. Due to her reckless and adventurous nature, she is willing to take risks which could come with a price: danger or mishaps. Out of ten times Mualani finds herself in one of those mishaps, there would be nine times Kinich would be there to catch her with his dendro grappling abilities.
She is a girl who is willing to take risks, an aforementioned fact. It’s quite obvious which direction the plan is heading down. As crazy as it sounds, she is willing to do this, if it means grabbing his attention, then she will. This wasn’t her first time being saved or not saved by him and will certainly not be her last.
Three, two, one. “Woohoo!” screaming with thrill as she launched herself off a high cliff on her surfshark. Mualani had been far too accustomed to this to be scared, the only sound coming from her mouth was the sound of excitement. She was falling fast, it felt like she was free from the laws of gravity.
Ah, the screaming white-haired girl was close to reaching the bottom. Let’s hope her favorite Sharky doesn’t break from this fall damage. Mualani closed her eyes to prepare for what’s about to happen, Rest In Piece Sharky!
It no longer felt like she was flying. Did she land that fast? It didn’t take her long to figure out the strong pair of arms wrapping around her, taking her with him to traverse across the sky ended up being exactly who she expected. I knew it. She beamed as she buried her face to his chest.
As soon as he took them back to the cliff Mualani jumped off from, she pulled him into an embrace. “Thank you, Kinich! I knew you’d be there to save me.”
Pulling away from her slowly, Kinich seemed to be in the opposite mood as Mualani. “Mualani, do you know how dangerous that was?” The raven-haired boy seemed and spoke calmly, but the atmosphere and the tone was serious. “Have you gone crazy? What If I wasn’t there to save you?”
This left her in silence. She hadn’t thought of what to say or what would happen after. “I was just testing out a new trick I learned!” a perfect improvised reply.
Something by the look of his eyes told her that he didn’t buy it, and had the same look on it to threaten her to tell the truth again. Why did she think she could outsmart him, Malipo Kinich?
Guilty. Mualani sighed. “Okay, Okay, you caught me! You’ve been avoiding me. I need to get your attention somehow!”
Kinich glared at her like she was crazy. “Mualani, you didn’t have to do that to get my attention.”
“What else could I have done then?”
“Anything else but that.” He was quick to respond, and said as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Fine. But why were you avoiding me?”
For someone who was so quick to respond a second ago, he was being slow. She would’ve thought that he was trying to ignore her.
“I…” Everyone in Natlan would think that Kinich always talks directly and concisely, sometimes even rude. Never hesitate in a sentence. “I needed some time to figure out what we were. I guess that’s why I avoided you before too, because I wasn’t sure how I felt toward you.” Now he looked like the guilty one. “I guess I was just scared.” The last sentence is barely audible.
“You could’ve told me, you didn’t have to do it alone.” She was the one lecturing him now, how the tables have turned. “Have you ever thought about how I felt?”
One thing she knew about Kinich was that he preferred actions rather than words, another opposite trait they shared. The second he took her hand in his, she knew he was trying to say something through that.
“Listen, Mualani.” he still seemed like he was finding the right words to say by fidgeting with her hands. “I’m not good with feelings— I know it’s not an excuse but I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t sure about my feelings for you at the time.”
Right. Kinich had a rough childhood that nobody else knows, since he didn’t like bringing it up. But Mualani is one of those few people who are aware.
“Are you sure about your feelings now?”
“Yes, I’ve finally found my answer.” He said as he inched closer to her and fixed her bangs which got messed up from the fall.
“And what is it?” she made sure her teasing-but-serious tone reached him.
The boy in front of her turned away sheepishly as his cheeks magically turned red fast, before finally looking back at her. Mualani could tell that he might feel a bit nervous saying the words out loud, but she already knew his answer and is willing to give him as much as time as he needs in the world to say it directly to her.
Kinich finally turned back around to look at her, and finally voiced the words.
“I love you, Mualani.”
He paused for a moment before continuing. “I have for a while now, It took some time for me to realize that. Ever since the day I met you, something about your smile— and your radiance drew me in closer.”
The longer the words sunk into her, the warmer her chest felt. Nothing else better to do than to pull Kinich into a kiss at that moment.
It wasn’t their first kiss— far from it. But it was as special and gentle as that, meaning it felt a bit more different than the random, hiddened-meaning kisses. A gateway to a new stage of their relationship, that’s exactly what it felt like (even if they haven’t put a label on it yet).
“I love you too, Kinich.” Mualani was the first to pull away, but her hands remained wrapped around the back of his neck. “I haven’t realized it until recently, but earlier than you apparently.” she teased him and he rolled his eyes. “I love you.” repeating what she said earlier to put emphasis on it. “I love your mysterious nature that always pulls me in, being a second brain to my brainless self, your personality, listening to your plans and advice and your handsome self: I love every single part of you.”
The difference between their confessions should be obvious by now, with Mualani being more direct and open about her feelings. He seemed to realize this first. “I love you.” he repeated, making sure it repeated in her mind, as he planted a gentle kiss on her nose and cupped her hands into his. “I know I might not be the best at expressing that at times— nor my feelings. But I’m willing to give this relationship a chance and work on that, If you let me.”
“Yes.” she said without a single ounce of hesitation. “Yes, of course I’m willing to! And I’ll be looking forward to that, Kinich. Take all the time in the world you need.”
He initiated this time; the kiss felt like it was filled with more fervor and tameness than the last one. It feels more passionate every time, also lighting a fire in her chest more and more in the best way possible.
After some time, they both pulled away at the same time still catching their breaths. She could feel his heartbeat pumping so fast like she would run away from an angry Auntie Atea on her surfboard back when she was a kid.
“So, what are we now?” her hand landed exactly on top of where his heart should be.
“What do you think?” the teasing lilt present once again.
“I think you should be my boyfriend now.” That felt strange to say, as if those words were foreign to her.
“Then you should be my girlfriend first.”
“I guess that means we’re dating now.” Declaring that to make sure there weren’t any gaps left infilled.
He leaned in for another kiss, only to be dodged by Mualani who gave him a kiss on the cheek instead.
“You’ve been really eager today, Kinich.” She stuck her tongue out, paying him back with the teasing from earlier.
Laughter broke between them. It felt more than amazing now that she did not have to carry the hidden feelings with her like a burden pushing her down, but now that it’s out of the way, she’s feeling lighter mentally. She’s glad she’s found him now, even if it was a near danger experience. Mualani truly meant what she said earlier, she’s looking forward to what the future has in store for them. Maybe more moments of Kinich being touchy like this.