The first time he was her last thought as an enemy's attack sent her crashing to unconsciousness, it was easy to logically explain away. She was looking straight at him when she went down, worrying how he'd fare with the three-on-one odds he was facing. Wizards didn't exactly wear heavy armor, after all. It was concern for a comrade-in-arms, that was all.
The second time, too, had a logical explanation. Him hollering her name-not Watcher; her name-across the chaos of a battlefield as her armor bristled with arrows and red-tinged black hazed her vision... where else was her attention supposed to go but him? Obviously that was the reason, not the panic leeching into his usually calm voice, or regret for all the times she'd bitten her tongue-the things she'd left unsaid.
The third time, there was no excuse. No logical explanation to hide behind. She was trying to tackle Sagani, get her out of the way of a raging barbarian chieftain, while also yelling at Kana to hurry up and summon the fucking skeletons. She only partly succeeded- she did knock Sagani out of the way, but the barbarian was already swinging, and she caught not only the axe but also a fire spell dead center to the chest. There was barely time for it to hurt, for her to register the cries of dismay from her companions, before darkness shuttered her gaze.
And still he was her last thought.
x*X*x
The first time he thought they lost her, he wasn't originally paying attention. After all, he was sort of surrounded, and fending off three attackers at once usually demanded your full attention. He only realized she'd fallen-ridiculous notion it was, something getting the better of her-when the fight was mostly over and by the time he turned around, there wasn't anything he could really do but wait until she slowly, painfully, got to her feet. The reality of what almost happened and the relief she was alright hit him like a thunderclap and he knew he was in trouble.
The second time he thought they lost her made his blood run cold-watching someone you care about take several arrows to the chest can have that effect. Her name had surged up his throat and past his lips with a panic he was sure would give him away. That time, it took several tense minutes and multiple potions to get her back. He pretended casual relief when her eyes fluttered open, earning a bop on the head from Sagani, a knowing look from Edér, and a dreadfully long lecture from Iselmyr about how control was completely different from repressing everything. He shook all of it off and just hoped she never scared them that badly again.
The third time he thought he lost her was the most helpless he'd ever felt in his life. The wet, sickening crunch of the barbarian's axe meeting her chest, the reek of burning flesh from the spell... They would haunt his dreams for weeks to come. It was almost worse that she didn't fall immediately-not until the barbarian chieftain shook her off his axe and laughed as she crumpled. He didn't even try to stop Iselmyr as his rage and hers blurred together in a tide of fury.
x*X*x
Consciousness was slow returning, like climbing out of quicksand or shaking off a hangover. Both of which were comparisons she could make from experience. Her chest still felt like it was on fire when her eyes fluttered open and met Kana's upside-down-very relieved-gaze.
"Ah, there you are," the aumaua smiled. "We thought we lost you."
She tried to laugh, but only mustered a wheezy not-quite chuckle. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Aye, and we don't want tae be rid of ya, ya daft tit!" Iselmyr's accent was even harsher than usual, the burr thicker around the words, and she felt her smile widen as an increasingly brogued torrent spilled from Aloth, Iselmyr so in control it wouldn't surprise her if Aloth wasn't even trying to calm down. Which probably meant he agreed with what she was saying; a long tirade about how they needed her, she shouldn't be doing insane things like that, what exactly were they supposed to do if something happened to her, it was a very thorough list-one that ended with Iselmyr's brogue vanishing almost mid-word.
So it was one hundred percent raw, exhausted, never-do-that-again Aloth when he whispered, "..because I need you to be alright."
She smiled almost idiotically wide and did the only thing that made sense to her still muzzy brain in the heat of the moment: grabbed the front of his robes, pulling him down and herself up, and kissed him.
It was not an elegant kiss; between his surprise and her near-death state, 'sloppy' would have been her adjective of choice. But it was still a good kiss, in her opinion anyway, all things considered. She felt vaguely bad about the blood she smeared along his cheek as her free hand almost instinctively sought to curve against his jaw, fingers loosely clenching silky black hair.
The toll of the exertion caught up to her after only a brief pair of heartbeats, and she dropped back to rest against the incline of Kana's lap. The buzzing darkness was coming back, but oddly enough, she didn't mind this time. She was too tired to care.
x*X*x
The next time her eyes opened, the sight that greeted her was more mundane-the familiar peaked hide 'ceiling' of a tent. From the semi-neatly mended slash near the apex, it was even her tent. She moved to sit up and was immediately aware of two things. Her chest, now snugly swathed in enough bandaging to count as a shirt, still hurt something fierce, and the movement of the tent flap as Sagani ducked inside, bowl of something that smelled delicious balanced on one hand.
"Oh, good. You're awake again," the ranger grinned. "Though if you keep moving and wreck Keya's hard work she may kill you herself."
"That's more than a little counter-productive to her job description." But she did settle back against the mound of furs and pillows, one hand probing idly at the bandages.
"Don't worry, Tav, you have one hell of a scar," Sagani assured her. "Takes up half your chest almost, if it's as glorious now as it was yesterday."
"Yesterday?" she echoed.
"Yesterday. What, you think somethin' like the hole in your chest was easy to fix?" The dwarf rolled her eyes. "You been scarin' us silly on and off for three days. Speaking of, if I get his skinny ass in here, will you talk t' Aloth? Before he scrapes all the flesh off his palms?"
"Yes." She said it quickly-too quickly-before she could lose her nerve.
"Good." Sagani grinned wide. "Comical as his face was after you up and planted one on him after almost dying-and there are easier ways to let a guy know you like him, Tavi-he's done nothin' but fret since. Can't really blame him; torch he's been carrying."
"Torch? He... for me?" She could honestly say the thought had never occurred to her-hence why she'd tried to bury her growing feelings.
Her surprise earned another eyeroll. "You two are going to make the most adorably clueless awkward couple ever," Sagani muttered as she set down the bowl and disappeared back outside.
It wasn't more than a minute before there was the murmur of voices, rustle of cloth, and Aloth ducked into the tent. He looked... awful was being kind. He was almost more of a wreck than he'd been when he told her about Iselmyr. He rubbed at reddened, sleep-deprived eyes with the heel of one hand as he crossed to sit by her, and she could see could see the deep nail-crescent marks dug into his palm.
'Gani wasn't kidding, she thought as she watched him, suddenly able to accept that this man had been carrying a torch for her. Albeit one he'd hidden very well. "I... guess we should talk."
He nodded slowly. "I do think that would be wise."
"I... shouldn't have kissed you like that, and I'm sorry."
His expression shifted neutral. "No apology necessary, Watcher."
She winced, realizing how she'd sounded, and ran one hand through her hair, gritting her teeth through the pain. "No, that's not... Oh, I'm shit with words; you know that. I'm not sorry I kissed you and never will be. I shouldn't've done it like that, though."
He visibly relaxed, tension bleeding out of his shoulders. "Oh."
"I shoulda told you how I felt b'fore plantin' one on ya."
"There's still no apology necessary," he repeated, a trace of amusement in his voice.
"So Sagani tells me," she probed. "You did a better job hidin' it than I did, city slicker."
A thin smile. "I do have significantly more practice with controlling myself."
She rolled her eyes at the gentle dig. "C'mon, admit it; my bluntness is one of the things you like about me."
Aloth chuckled. "There is something admirable about speaking your mind, yes. But restraint does also have its place at times."
"Now ain't one of 'em," she pointed out dryly, shifting position to get more comfortable.
He nodded, conceding the point. "Very well. Blunt honesty it is. Seeing as that's far more your specialty than mine, would you care to go first?"
"Why not? I'm the reason we're in this position. Might as well," she grinned mischievously, swallowing nerves she couldn't quite explain. "I'm... not used to this, and didn't want to admit it even to myself at first, but I like you. A lot. The whole 'think about you constantly' deal. And worrying way too much when you get hurt in battle. And just... wanting you around." One hand scratched at the edges of her bandages as she looked at him. "Your turn."
Aloth took a deep breath, eyes slightly unfocused, like he was still processing what she said. "I don't suppose Ditto would suffice as an answer?"
"It'll suffice as a start," she teased, something in her loosening at the confirmation her feelings weren't unrequited.
"You drive a hard bargain," he muttered, fiddling with one of his rings. "I... don't quite know how to describe how I feel," he finally admitted. "Just that it's entirely new and confusing, but not unpleasant, despite the fact it feels... tangled-what?"
She let her grin keep spreading until it hurt her face. "Congratulations, city slicker, that's called love, and apparently I'm your first."
He sat there for a few seconds, trying to form a response, before pointing out, "You know you only call me that when you're nervous, right?"
"I do n-" She stopped herself, mentally reviewed the times city slicker had left her mouth, and conceded the point. "When'd you figure that out?"
"Just now, actually. You switch to nicknames as a distraction or defense mechanism."
"Like you fiddlin' with that ring, Aloth?" she said pointedly, staring at his hands.
"Exactly." He didn't stop.
"So basically, we make each other fluttery and nervous. That's a sure sign of movin' past just like," she mumbled. "Why do things have to be so complicated?"
"I... don't know. But at least we'll be figuring it out together, yes?" Aloth shot her a small, cautiously hopeful, smile.
"Yeah. And it only took three near-death experiences to get us this far," she deadpanned.
"Well, third time's the charm and all that."
Did... you just sass at me again, Corfiser? She buried her grin-poorly-behind a feigned glare. "Outta my tent, city slicker. I think it's time for you to get some rest. And apparently there's an orlan who will be very put out with me if I wreck her hard work. We can talk more later, but for now, we should both get some sleep."
"As you wish," he replied quietly, rising to leave. As she watched him go, she noted he wasn't slouching any more. Almost as if a weight was gone from his shoulders.
It was a feeling she could identify with as she settled into her nest of blankets and furs and drifted off to sleep.
Her dreams were better than they'd been in weeks.
A/N: I don't mind there not being a romance mechanic in-game, the story flows just fine without it(maybe even better?), my brain just likes to go to these places. Keya is an Orlan Paladin I 'hired' because I was impatient waiting for Pallegina, I did Iselmyr in italics because that's the way they did it in the official short story, and Tavi's motivation for the kiss was something along the lines of 'I dunno, I almost died, it seemed like a good idea at the time' because Rick O'Connell is one of her personality influences(and I'm trying not to think about the fact that makes Aloth her Evie because then I'll wanna write crossover fic).