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“Captain Kaeya!” A heavy arm comes down around his shoulders, the smell of alcohol oppressive to his senses as the owner of the booming, cheery voice leans in close. Their gazes meet, his large companion shaking him roughly with a laugh. “What say you?”
Kaeya tilts his head, raising a brow. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. Say I what?”
A fat finger jabs him roughly in the chest. Playfully, with no intent to cause harm or make the cavalry captain angry. “Accept my challenge!” The man, named Theo, says, grinning practically ear to ear. “First one to tap out loses. Winner gets crowned heaviest drinker in the knights.”
“Rethink that title,” Kaeya laughs, shaking his head. His fingers wrap around Theo’s wrist, pulling his hand away and ducking out from under his arm. “But very well, I accept your challenge. But I’m raising the stakes…”
“Lay it on me, cap.”
“Loser buys the winner drinks for a month.” Kaeya smirks, tapping his chin. Theo returns the gesture with one of his own.
“Aye, you’re on!” He leans back, propping his large hands on his hips. He hollers to where the bartender stands behind the counter, holding up two fingers without needing to elaborate on what those two drinks will be. Kaeya turns in his seat to watch as the bartender fills the large glasses to the brim, the foam spilling over the rim.
When the glasses are placed down in front of them, the two men raise them high, clinking them together before bringing them to their mouths. A younger knight stands between them, looking positively giddy with flushed pink cheeks from his own drinking thus far that night. The youngster holds up a splayed hand, curling down one finger at a time as he counts down from five.
“Drink!”
The beer is warm going down Kaeya’s throat, settling easily in his gut. He doesn’t so much as stop his gulps to come up for air, something that cannot be said for Theo who must pull his glass away to suck in a breath. Well, no matter, Kaeya thinks, for this challenge is not one of speed, but of endurance.
The table rattles as the men slam down their empty glasses to a round of impressed applause. Theo huffs a laugh, dragging his sleeve across his mouth. “Impressive, but I wonder if that will last.”
“Oh, it will,” Kaeya assures, propping his chin on the heel of his palm. He levels his companion with a playful grin. “Ready for round two, my friend?”
“Bring it on,” Theo says, pressing a fist into his palm and cracking his knuckles. “I’ll have you begging for mercy yet, cap.”
“I’m not in the business of begging,” Kaeya corrects, waving his hand above his head and closing his eyes. Behind him, the bartender prepares another couple of overflowing glasses.
Another overly enthusiastic countdown later, their impromptu competition resumes. At the bottom of his glass, Theo gasps, slamming it down onto the table a few seconds before Kaeya. His eyes shimmer as he levels the young captain with a smug grin. “Feeling it already, cap?”
“Not in the least,” Kaeya barks amusedly. “I merely wish to savor the flavor a bit, is all.”
“Don’t get cocky, boy,” Theo warns. Without needing a reminder, the bartender returns with another two glasses, looking between the two men and shaking his head, as though he isn’t used to games like this between patrons every night.
“…Two… One… Drink!”
The third glass goes down slower for the both of them, but the alcohol settles all the same in Kaeya’s gut: easily, as though it were nothing more than water. He smacks his lips as he pulls the pitcher away, watching Theo’s distorted image through the glass as the other man shakes his head, trying to clear the fog settling between his eyes. As Kaeya lowers his glass, Theo narrows his eyes at him. “You have to be feeling something now, surely!”
“What makes you think that?” Kaeya leans forward in his chair, propping his chin on his wrist.
“I’d expect nothing less from such a smooth liar,” Theo mutters, shaking his head.
“I’ve never lied in my life,” Kaeya lies, placing a hand over his heart and huffing, shocked and offended at such an accusation. Theo laughs, slamming his fist against the table, causing their discarded glasses to clatter to the floor. Harmlessly, in part due to their sturdy craft.
“You’ll be on the floor after this next one,” Theo says, assured of his analysis of future events.
“We’ll see about that,” Kaeya says with a wink - as much as one can wink with only one exposed eye.
Their makeshift commentator’s voice wobbles with uncontained worry as he starts them once more.
The half-empty glass in Theo’s hand clatters to the floor. Theo himself slumps against the table, breathing heavily and groaning as his world spins uncomfortably fast around him. Kaeya places his own empty glass down beside him, chair screeching across the wood as he moves to stand. He supports himself against the table on one hand, the other at his hip.
“Sorry, Theo dear! Maybe next time, ne?”
Weakly, Theo raises a hand, flapping it in Kaeya’s direction with another groan. “That cocky attitude of yours won’t net you the win next time, cap,” he mutters.
Kaeya smiles, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “Take the day off tomorrow, Theo. I’ll have someone bring you tea for that headache.”
Theo mutters a slurred thanks as Kaeya turns to a small group of knights at the table across from them, who have since returned to their own conversation after witnessing the events prior that led to Theo’s crippling defeat. “One of you ensure he gets home, yeah?”
“You should go easier on the new recruits, Sir Kaeya,” says a senior knight as he approaches. Kaeya tilts his head towards him, huffing a laugh and folding his arms over his chest.
“I’m happy to oblige their competitive streak for a time,” he says, pursing his lips together. The older knight shakes his head, a small smile pulling the corners of his lips up.
“Very well, as long as no one gets alcohol poisoning, yes?”
“Oh, come now,” Kaeya laughs. “The people of this city wouldn’t be harmed by a bit of alcohol.”
“Sir Kaeya!” Kaeya hums as a young adventurer bounds up to them, his face flushed red and his step uneven. He wobbles as he comes to a stop, and Kaeya holds out a hand to steady him if need-be. On his own, the boy finds his balance, beaming up at Kaeya. "I just - hic - wanted to say that you were - hic - incredible, really!"
"Oh, you flatter me, truly," Kaeya laughs, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm not the undisputed drinking champion of the knights for nothing."
"That's incredible! You don't look it at all!" Kaeya laughs again at the compliment, shaking his head and ushering the boy away and back to his companions, who were presently parting for the night to sleep off their drunken fogs.
The bell above the door chimes pleasantly. With a curious hum, the older knight beside him looks up, wondering who could possibly be wandering into the tavern this late into the night. "Ah, look who it is," he says with a smile.
Kaeya half-turns to follow the man's gaze. Behind the bar counter, the newcomer, with his unmistakable head of flaming red hair, chats idly with the current bartender, relieving him of his shift after he relays the happenings of the night up until that point. Without observing the present patrons, Diluc turns to the empty glasses lining up and down the counter, waiting to be washed.
"Well, I'll leave you two to it. Goodnight, Sir Kaeya," the older knight says as he makes his leave with a brief clap of his hand over Kaeya's shoulder. After wishing him a good night in return, Kaeya sets his sights on Diluc, smirking to himself as a scheme hatches in the back of his mind.
Putting on his best drunken sailor act, he stumbles down the stairs and towards the bar counter, draping himself across it with a dramatic whine. Diluc, for his credit, doesn't so much as look up from his task. Kaeya pouts his bottom lip, deliberately fumbling to pull himself into a stool.
"Not even a hello, Diluc?" Kaeya slurs, propping his chin between the heels of his palms. Diluc casts him a sideways glance for the briefest of moments before returning to drying the glass in his hand. "Fine," Kaeya continues, sighing as he slumps against the counter. "May I get a glass of wine then?"
"Absolutely not," Diluc grunts. "You've had more than enough for one night, Sir Kaeya."
"Aw, he's concerned about me," Kaeya says, to which Diluc rolls his eyes. "I don't suppose then you'll be a gentleman and walk me home too?"
"You have two working legs," Diluc retorts, placing the now clean glass down on the counter and propping himself against the it. "I'm working."
"Work can wait!" Kaeya says, leaning forward towards the former knight. "What if I get mugged on my way home?"
"You have nothing on you worth mugging," Diluc points out, piercingly accurately. He begins to reach for another glass. "Besides, attempting to mug the cavalry captain would be a death wish."
Kaeya stops his wrist, tugging slightly. Without needing to be forced, Diluc turns towards him, brow furrowed curiously. "Come on, just indulge me, won't you?"
Diluc sighs audibly, pulling his wrist free of the captain’s grip and pressing a gloved hand against his face, pushing him back with no real force behind the gesture. “Your breath smells,” he says, folding his arms over his chest. He looks out towards the main dining area of the tavern. The only patrons left are a couple of drunken knights - no real threat to the tavern besides to it’s good reputation.
Kaeya follows his gaze for a moment before turning it back to him, plastering on a smirk. “So…?”
“Just this once,” Diluc sighs as he steps out from behind the counter. He holds out a hand, which Kaeya takes despite not needing to. Pulling himself up, he laces his fingers between Diluc’s for the briefest of moments before Diluc pulls away with an uncomfortable grunt. “Not here,” he mutters, nudging Kaeya forward with a hand in the small of his back.
“What, are you still on about that not letting know you’re no longer the most eligible bachelor in Mond thing?” Kaeya asks when the door closes behind them, leaving them to the quiet nighttime city. Diluc sighs, taking in their surroundings for any prying eyes and ears - or threats.
“It’s not that, it’s just -” he cuts himself off, sighing again and pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “What did you want me so badly for? And what’s with the drunken sailor act?” He opens one eye, cocking a brow and waving his hand.
“If I didn’t act, you never would have agreed to come with me!” Kaeya explains around a laugh, taking a step forward into Diluc’s personal space, hands on the other’s hips and leaning in until the tips of their noses brush. Diluc stays still, never breaking eye contact or otherwise trying to field the display of intimacy. He frowns at Kaeya.
“You’re so persistent,” he mumbles, feeling Kaeya’s warm, beer-scented breath spill out across his cheeks and mouth when the other exhales a laugh. They stand like that for a few sluggish moments, the night chill seeping through Diluc’s coat and nipping at his skin. He would never get used to the cold, no matter how long he lived here.
Diluc sucks in a breath, pulling up his hands to cup Kaeya’s elbows in his palm. He leans forward, closing the distance between them and slotting their lips together. Kaeya’s tongue tastes like beer, bitter with a hint of barley and not much to like about it beyond the act of kissing him itself. Kaeya doesn’t ask for anything more than this, though, letting Diluc set the pace and tone of the kiss. He presses his fingers into Diluc’s hips, restraining himself from the desire to pull him closer, flush against his body.
When they part, Diluc lets out that same breath, opening his eyes slowly to meet Kaeya’s gaze. With a small, amused huff, he places a hand on Kaeya’s chest and pushes gently. Kaeya laughs as he steps back, holding up his hands and waving them in mock surrender. The corners of Diluc’s lips turn upwards in one of his rare, genuine smiles.
“Go home, Kaeya,” he says, turning on his heel back towards the tavern.
“Ne? Weren’t you going to walk me home?”
Diluc waves a hand dismissively. “Maybe next time.”