i. goodbye kisses

Caleb watches Yasha closely. The barbarian's shoulders hunch forwards uncomfortably, but she still stands miles taller than Beau, who hovers awkwardly behind her. None of them have quite known what to say about the whole thing.

Fjord is sitting in almost complete silence beside Caleb with Nott on his other side, but arguably he's doing the best of the three. Jester is curled in the back of the wagon with her sketchbook and since she started crying this morning she has said almost nothing to any of them.

Yasha's wail still echoes in Caleb's ears and he lowers his eyes to the ground. He hates this. This is not at all what he signed up for and now he's stuck with it. He would be content to stare at the earth forever, but Beau's startled cry draws his attention. His eyes land quickly on the two women.

Yasha is kneeling and Beau looks taken aback. Caleb watches Yasha lean forward carefully and press a gentle, tender kiss to the coat draped over the grave. Tension bleeds out of Caleb and sadness fills its void. It's a goodbye to a friend she never saw off.

Yasha will leave–they've come to expect it–but this moment at Molly's grave feels more personal than the usual emotions the barbarian shows around them.

ii. hello kisses

Fjord is watching Nott. The goblin is seated at the bar, drinking heavily from her bottomless flask and Fjord is watching her nervously. Caleb and Beau have been out all day, doing some Empire related thing that they wouldn't explain fully when Jester asked.

Fjord has been stuck on babysitting duty for the rest of the day. Jester has pouted for most of the day because of Beau's exclusion, and Caduceus is content to just meditate or chat with locals, but Nott has been getting steadily drunker. It's not like she can't take care of herself, but Fjord doesn't want her halfling disguise to slip.

The tavern door swings open and the two Empire kids trudge in. Beau's sporting a black eye and Caleb has soot smudged on his cheek but they're both smiling, something rare when it appears on Caleb's face. Nott springs up when she sees them and runs as well as she can across the bar.

She ends up with her arms wrapped around Caleb's lower half and she presses an awkward kiss to his arm where she traps it against his side. Caleb's grin falters for a moment before he pats the goblin's head. Fjord relaxes.

iii. breathless kisses

Jester has the key. Her chest is burning. Her eyes are burning. Her mind is racing and her lips part in a desperate attempt for air and she's not rewarded. Nott is jerking at the trap door at the top of the chamber, but Jester has the key.

She's going to die, and they're all going to die.

Jester's lungs burn and she sends a quick, graceless prayer to the Traveler. Her eyes are about to flutter shut when the water ripples ahead of her. There's a cool pressure on her lips and then, gloriously, AIR.

Her eyes flash open and she can barely make out through the gloom that Fjord has desperately pressed his lips to her and he has given her his air. It's awkward and his hands are gripping her face with too much desperation.

He pulls back and though Jester can feel the familiar burn of air in her chest, she can see that Fjord has given her all of his air. Her heart twists sickeningly.

iv. heated kisses

Beau has never felt quite as terrified as she did in that moment. Adrenaline is still rushing through her veins and she can feel her heart pounding. Blood rushes through her ears and she storms forwards.

She parts Caleb and Nott easily and the wizard stumbles at the force of her shove. Yasha watches her approach silently and steps aside, not even getting in the way. Fjord and Caduceus's attention is not directed at her.

Fjord is kneeling beside Jester, watching as Caduceus murmurs a few incantations and Jester's abdomen glows with healing magic.

"You're so stupid!" Beau growls out, throwing herself to her knees. She wraps Jester in her arms without saying another word and presses a firm kiss to the tired tiefling's brow.

Jester twists to look up at the furious monk. She lifts a blue finger and dabs it against the cut on Beau's cheek carefully. Beau feels Jester's familiar magical warmth and she scowls. "Heal yourself, not me." She kisses Jester's horn this time and just holds her friend.

v. first kisses

Caduceus is meditating when Jester sits down next to him. At first, he does not acknowledge her presence, but she starts to fiddle so he turns towards her carefully. She's tugging on a blue curl with one hand and the other is rubbing at the symbol of her patron.

He says nothing, simply waits for her to talk. She pauses for a moment and looks to contemplate leaving before she lets out a long, shuddering sigh.

"He's with Avantika. I haven't talked to him about anything."

Caduceus puts on a sympathetic smile. Jester is sweet and he hates to see her so sad. Even when discussing this subject usually, she's fired with jealousy, but now she just looks defeated. Caduceus takes Jester's hand. She looks at him and his smile widens a little. He brings it up and kisses it carefully.

Kissing is a slightly foreign form of affection for him still, but he has seen the comfort it can give to people. A familiar smile splits across Jester's face and she squeezes his hand in return.

"I'll talk to him soon," she promises.

vi. post-sex kisses

Keg's stubble brushes Beau's collarbone. The monk rotates her head to look at her bedmate. They've both shed their clothes and sweat is making them stick together awkwardly.

The dwarf is staring at Beau and they make eye contact. Keg's hand tugs Beau's jaw down and the monk's neck is craned at an awkward angle as their lips brush together lightly.

"Keep looking at me like that, and I'll never leave," Keg whispers.

Beau tightens her arm around the fighter's waist and says nothing.

vii. morning kisses

Yasha picks awkwardly at her food. She has always been a morning person and has always known that Molly isn't one. She hadn't realized quite how much the rest of the Might Nein like sleeping though until it was just her and Nott sitting at a table in the tavern just after sunrise.

Nott hasn't said much, as is typical, and Yasha makes no attempt to get her to talk. Caleb is the next to descend the stairs, looking haggard with the dark circles under his eyes. He sits between Yasha and Nott and the barmaid flutters by, asking if they needed anything. None of them say a word and the girl backs away, a little alarmed looking.

Caleb brings out a book he'd bought in town and flips through it with Nott leaning in to observe some of the magic enchantments as well. The stairs creak and Yasha glances up to see Molly finally gracing them with his presence. He basically dances over to the table.

Taking advantage of the fact that he's taller than Yasha when she's sitting, he leans over and kisses the direct top of her head. Yasha smiles and watches as he does the exact same to Caleb and then to Nott who both stiffen awkwardly. Molly sinks into his seat and beams.

viii. reluctant kisses

Avantika's hand is cold and rough from years of work. Her eyes bear into his and she waits patiently for his reaction. Fjord swallows stiffly. Caleb's words echo in his head and his dreams make his stomach swirl.

He stands, walking around the desk, and stands next to her. Avantika rises so that she's a little closer to level with him, but doesn't drop his hand.

Feeling a little ill, Fjord leans in. For the Nein, he thinks desperately and Avantika surges up to meet him, their lips crashing together.

ix. festive kisses

Jester doesn't drink at the bar. Instead, she and Nott dance and tease and try to distract the competition. In the end, Caleb doesn't need the assist as his opponent passes out face-down on the floor.

She busies herself with the drunken antics of Beau and Molly and Caleb while Fjord drinks so she doesn't have to watch him, but gives Nott the support the little goblin needs to win her round of the drinking contest. There's laughter and cheering and Jester's stomach warms.

It feels like a festival, even though it's just a drinking competition. Beau and Molly try to headbutt as a celebration, but Beau bangs her head on Molly's horns and the two crack up. Even Fjord laughs at the display.

She drags Caleb onto the dance floor and they clumsily waltz for a few steps and Jester giggles uncontrollably.

"You were always a better dancer than me, Astrid," he mumbles awkwardly.

The music in the tavern is loud and everyone is still celebrating. Jester goes up on her tiptoes and kisses Caleb's cheek. "Let's get you to bed, Stinky Man."

x. comforting kisses

Beau awakes to Jester shaking on the bed across the room, convulsing in her sleep. Beau swears and jumps to her feet. She crosses the room and lays a hand on the cleric's shoulder. Jester shoots up, eyes blown wide and tears staining her cheeks.

Her eyes are wild in a way that Beau knows exactly what Jester had been dreaming about. She doesn't even hesitate. She pulls away and sprints for Fjord's room. She pulls the half-orc almost out of bed before he awakes. He blinks at her blearily, confused and a little upset.

"Jester," Beau hisses at him.

Fjord is then fully awake and leads the charge back to Beau and Jester's room. He rushes to her and holds the trembling tiefling against his chest, kissing the top of her head and cradling her carefully.

Beau pauses in the doorway. The intimacy between the two is deep and she doesn't dare interfere. It is a space that the two, and Yasha, can fill, but Beau will guard her friends until she dies.

xi. 'i thought i'd lost you' kisses

Nott fires off her last bolt and turns her back on the beast, not waiting to see if her hit connected. She rushes to Caleb's side and struggles to roll him over. His face is streaked with soot from his magic and there's blood in his hair from a nasty gash on his forehead.

Jester kneels next to them just moments later and mutters an incantation. Light shimmers over Caleb's wounds and his eyes shoot open. The blues of his irises are crisp, but unfocused and in pain. The wizard gasps and the tension in Nott's stomach fades.

She squeezes Caleb tight and presses a few furious kisses to his face and cheeks. "I thought you were dead."

The monster roars and the three tense uncomfortably. This isn't over yet.

xii. 'we can't do this' kisses

Fjord is staring at his hands where they are placed flatly on his knees. His friends surround him in a loose circle. They're sitting on boxes and barrels and Jester has claimed the only stool in the small alcove on the ship.

"She will kill us all," Nott growls.

Caleb and Yasha nod their agreement and Fjord flinches. He has always known this. She's not exactly sane after all.

"Fjord?" Caduceus sounds concerned. "You understand, right?"

"Of course," he says sharply. "We can't do this. We need to go or she'll kill all of us."

They're all watching him, and Fjord waits for the subject to drop. He hopes he's masking his panic well enough, but when Beau shifts, he knows she's seen through him.

"But?" she inquires.

Fjord's defences crack just a little. "She knows about Vandren. I need to know what happened to him."

"Okay," Jester answers meekly. "And then we go."

Fjord nods. He feels as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders. "And then we go," he affirms.

He holds an arm out and Beau ducks under it, dragging Yasha with her and it spreads around the circle, uniting the Mighty Nein. Fjord kisses the side of Jester's head because she's the closest, but he knows the group knows the affection is for all of them.

xiii. 'come to bed' kisses

Yasha is watching the clouds darken when Beau finds her. Something heavy twists in her stomach and she knows Yasha will likely be gone when the group awakes in the morning.

"Hey," she starts awkwardly.

The barbarian turns a little, looking a tiny bit surprised. "Hi."

Beau wets her lip and shuffles her feet. "Are you leaving?"

Yasha doesn't reply and Beau steps a little closer. It's a cool evening and Beau mildly regrets her aversion to sleeves. Yasha's eyes drift back to the horizon and the heaviness persists in Beau's stomach.

Without thinking too hard, Beau leans up and kisses Yasha's cheek as lightly as she can. "We've got a room and everything paid for, so you should come inside soon. If you leave though, stay safe."

She doesn't wait for a reaction before heading back into the small rural tavern they're staying at for the night.

xiv. 'you look beautiful' kisses

Caleb knows that Jester lives to make everyone uncomfortable. Lately, though, she's taken a particular interest in making Fjord flush as dark as he can. They're several hours deep into a market trip and Caleb is starting to regret tagging along with Jester and Fjord instead of going with Beau and Nott.

She doesn't really need any new dresses, but she wanted them and nobody can say no to Jester when she gets an idea in her head. This has led to Fjord and Caleb waiting patiently while Jester tries on a dozen dresses and asks for their opinion on every single one of them.

Her most recent choice is almost the same green as the skin on the upper half of Fjord's head and it's paired with a yellow sash around the middle. Jester's blue skin glows against the bright fabric and she looks very pretty. Caleb looks back at the book he's been perusing and flips another page.

"Well?" Jester asks expectantly.

Fjord coughs and a quick glance at the half-orc tells Caleb that he likes the dress and that he thinks Jester looks great if the dark flush on his cheeks is any indication. Caleb looks back at his book and Jester giggles.

"He thinks it's great and that you look beautiful," he finally says when it seems truly like Fjord has swallowed his tongue.

Jester laughs again and Caleb glances up at her. She blows both men a kiss and waltzes back into the change room teasingly.

xv. 'i'll be right back' kisses

The woman on the other side of the bar is starting to unnerve them. Nott keeps her hands clenched around her concealed dagger as she narrows her eyes at the elf staring at them.

"What's her deal?" she hisses sharply.

Beau is also studying the woman across the bar. "Not sure, but I'm going to find out. Be right back." Beau drops a brief kiss on Nott's head and is up and heading across the bar before Fjord can grab her and make her stay put. Nott knows that Fjord really doesn't want another bar fight.

Beau doesn't break stride as she slides into the booth across from the elven woman. There's some kind of intense staring contest before there are a few sharp words exchanged. Nott can't hear anything, but she doesn't miss the way Beau's spine goes rigid.

After a second, they both stand and walk over to the table. The elven woman takes in their group before giving Beau another skimming look. Beau has a tiny smirk on her face.

"I'm borrowing your friend here," the elf says without hesitation and grabs Beau by the arm, dragging her towards the stairs towards the second floor.

Caleb and Jester both laugh and Fjord rubs his face. Nott just blinks in surprise.

Caduceus's brow wrinkles in mild confusion. "I thought Beau said she'd be right back."

"Not going to see her until morning," Jester howls through her laughter.

xvi. 'i missed you' kisses

"Yasha!"

Jester's voice is loud and it carries over the tavern's raucous noise. Beau stiffens and looks up. The barbarian is standing awkwardly in the entrance and Jester has her arms wrapped tightly around the barbarian's middle. Nott jumps up and races over to join the hug. Beau laughs to herself before picking through the crowd to reach the other ladies of the Mighty Nein.

The hug wraps up right as she arrives and Jester grabs Nott, pulling her onto the dance floor after flashing one last grin at Yasha. Yasha has a small smile on her face when Beau finally reaches her.

"Hey," she greets.

Yasha blinks down at her. Contemplation skims across her face before she leans down. Beau goes completely rigid as Yasha's lips press tentatively to the top of her head.

"I missed you guys," Yasha says. Beau melts.

xvii. angry kisses

It doesn't take a genius to know that Nott is mad at him. She crosses her arms angrily every time he steps near her and turns her head away when he tries to talk to her. She's been mad at him before, but Nott's anger is usually fickle and fades quickly.

This time, it's been three days.

Caleb sits quietly by the fire and stares into the dancing flames. Something itches in the back of his mind as he stares at the fire and it hurts. He remembers pain and anguish and desperation. He rubs his temples and sighs deeply. The others are still asleep or, in Beau's case, out gathering more firewood while he keeps watch.

There's a short cough and Caleb glances up. Nott's arms are folded and she looks mad.

"What are you doing?" she demands.

He waves a hand at the fire dismissively. Nott scowls and grabs his arm, tugging him up. She spins him around and walks him towards the hut.

"You hate fire," she reminds sharply. When they get to the entrance to the hut, Nott tugs his arm down and presses a short kiss to his cheek. "I'm still mad at you for trying to die," she says sharply before spinning and walking off.

xviii. sad kisses

Jester tucks her knees into her chest and lets her chin rest atop them. She reaches over the edge and lets her fingers trail above the water. She thinks about trying to send another message to her mother, but she decides to save her spells. The ocean is dangerous and who knows when she might need them.

"Jester?"

She stiffens and looks up sharply. Fjord is standing above her, figure tall and imposing, and he looks concerned.

"Are you alright?"

She shrugs in response. "Fine, yes, fine."

He laughs shortly and drops to the deck beside her. "I'm sorry we had to leave so soon. I know how much you care for your mother."

Jester feels her shoulders cave in a little. "Yeah," she mumbles softly. "But, you know, Fjord, I care about you guys too and that's why I'm here."

The wood creaks and Fjord lowers his tall form to the ground next to her awkwardly. He doesn't say anything, just offering a supporting presence. Jester sniffles and leans into him half-heartedly. She tries to push away her sobs, but they spill over. Fjord doesn't leave, he just slides an arm up to pat at her back gently.

After a long moment, Jester exhales and sniffs. She twists her face towards Fjord and presses a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Thanks," she says softly.

xix. in the dark kisses

Beau swears heavily. They had been doing fine, scrounging in the old shop, but now it's completely pitch black. The window above that had been providing the light had slammed shut and Jester, Caleb, and Beau had been plunged into darkness.

Beau steps forwards, her hands out, and immediately trips. She curses the darkness as she tumbles, crashing into some other form which swears in Zemnian as she takes him down with her. She lands half on top of him, the momentum carrying her lips straight to the corner of his mouth, almost kissing him.

Beau rolls off him immediately and clambers to her feet, wiping her mouth. The window above slams open and Caduceus's head peeks in the opening, a sheepish expression on his face. Caleb looks mostly confused and also a little disgusted at what has just occurred.

"We're never discussing that," Beau declares. Caleb nods shortly and everything is fine until Jester lets out a loud, rambunctious laugh and Beau curses the Traveler and the dark vision that tieflings have.

xx. dying kisses

The seawater stings his eyes. His chest burns as he swings his gaze through the water. He spots Nott, Beau, and Caleb struggling up near the trapdoor. Caduceus and Avantika are off to his left, swimming upwards desperately, but Caduceus is clutching at his chest.

And Jester is a couple feet below him, her violet eyes wide in panic. Something cold clamps over Fjord's heart as he sees bubbles escape her lips. Her eyes flutter and Fjord turns to swim towards her.

She has the key, he knows, but that's not his only motivation. He grabs for her face, tugging the barely conscious tiefling to him and pressing their lips firmly together. Fjord blows his air into her lungs and Jester seizes against him, eyes shooting open.

With no air left in his chest, their lips part and Fjord feels water rush into its place. Not even Uka'toa will be saving him from this one. As his vision darkens around the edges, Fjord watches as Beau reaches for Jester, dragging the cleric upwards.

xxi. interrupting kisses

Caleb twists the orb furiously in his hands. It has a very distinct arcane signature, something he's never seen before, even through all of his time spent serving Ikathon. The way the gears and levers and rings all spin are enticing. If someone had wanted to kill him, all they would have to do is hand him the orb, get him sufficiently invested, and then strike him down.

It's a momentary thought that flickers through his brain, but he glances up at the gnome who had been carrying the orb. Her hair is a wild nest, but her eyes are bright and happy as she tickles Frumpkin, playing with the cat like a child.

He glances down, losing himself in the puzzle of the orb. He is a curious man and despite the chaos of the ocean floor, he's been craving an old-fashioned puzzle since he cracked Avantika's journal. One of the rings twists beneath his fingertips and he guides it, following it with his eyes intently.

There's a scuffle of tiny feet in front of him before a gentle kiss presses against his cheek. Caleb freezes.

Twiggy laughs. "You're funny, Mr. Wizard. And your cat is very cute."

xxii. clumsy kisses

Fjord knocks back another shot. The tavern is alive with music, but Fjord's shoulders are hunched as he tries to blend in at the bar. It doesn't seem to be working as the trio of young women down from him keep giggling and glancing his way. He wishes Molly were here; the tiefling certainly had a way of drawing the attention away from the other members of the Mighty Nein.

He almost stands up and leaves, before someone bumps straight into him and basically falls, completely wasted, onto the stool next to him. Fjord tenses and, out of reflex, nearly summons his sword. He forces the instinct away and realizes he has simply been joined by a very drunk Beau.

The monk's hair is almost completely free of her usual topknot and she gives Fjord a half-smirk through her drunkenness. "You're Mr. Popular over here, aren't you?"

Fjord narrows his eyes, unamused at Beau's teasing. Beau rolls her eyes and pulls the rest of her hair down, looking a bit more like the noble girl she was raised to be. She laughs loudly, and fakely at something Fjord definitely didn't say. She leans in and tries to kiss him on the cheek, but she's drunk and clumsy enough that it lands closer to his ear.

She pulls back and Fjord glances by her to his admirers. The girls have all looked away, apparently disappointed.

Beau fakes a gag and lurches on her stool as she leans away from him. "That was so Jester didn't explode of jealousy and I am never, ever doing that again."

xxiii. desperate kisses

The first time that Caduceus really goes down in battle is a terrifying moment. Jester knows that the Traveler has blessed her as a healer, but its nothing compared to the help that Caduceus can supply to their friends.

She dashes to the fallen Firbolg, forgetting the skeleton she had previously been engaged in. She heaves his upper body up so he's leaning against her and she hurriedly casts Cure Wounds, pressing her hands to his chest. The blue light of the Traveler crawls across his wounds, but he doesn't awaken.

"Up! Get him up!" Beau yells from nearby.

Jester swallows and sends a quick prayer to the Traveler. She kisses Caduceus's brow and casts Cure Wounds again, with a bit more power, and this time, he stirs. She nearly crumples in relief and she kisses him one last time.

"Oh please don't ever go down again, I'm not doing this again," she murmurs.

xxiv. accidental kisses

Molly had a habit of getting right up in people's faces when he was talking to them. Especially when he had snuck up on them to try and distract them from casting a ritual spell. Still, Caleb had jolted, thanks to a lack of foresight and perception, when the tiefling had suddenly interrupted him.

The spell fizzled at his fingers and the arcane runes he'd etched into the ground lost their glow. His components were wasted and now he had to start again. Caleb scowled and turned quickly to face Molly, only to bang his head on one of the tiefling's horns.

Caleb lurched back, but Molly surged forwards to stop the wizard from crashing to the ground and somehow Molly's lips found themselves planted right against Caleb's nose. After setting the wizard back on his feet, Molly stepped back, smirked, and walked away.

Caleb frowned.

xxv. distracting kisses

The man in the dark coat has been following them. Yasha noticed him a couple minutes ago, and from the way that Beau's shoulders have been tightening with tension, she knows the monk has noticed the man as well.

Still, the pair peruses Zadash's market and tries to ignore the presence. None of the bystanders in the market seem to notice their tail, but Yasha lets her guard stay up. They finally find the stall with the components that Caleb had requested. Beau starts haggling the shopkeeper for better prices and Yasha scans the crowd. The man is openly staring at her now, watching from the middle of the marketplace.

Yasha folds her arms and frowns. "Beau," she says quietly. "We need to go."

Beau doesn't reply and Yasha turns to her. The monk is arguing loudly with the shopkeeper over some incense. Her brow is knit and her arms are thrust out in her frustration. Yasha feels a small smile creep over her lips.

She steps behind Beau, to shield her from the view of the mysterious man and kisses the top of the monk's head. Beau goes instantly rigid, argument forgotten, and she wheels to face the barbarian, looking surprised.

"We need to go," Yasha repeats, but doesn't explain.

Author's Note: yay for Critical Role! More Mighty Nein family affect coming in the form of possibly up to 50 more little drabbles like these. Some advice from Tumblr had me breaking this up, so here's the first 25 sections anyways.

As always, nicolewrites on Tumblr, nicole_writes on AO3