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the jukebox played a peppy tune as you flipped another page of your book. the booth was empty, besides yourself and your bag next to you. the strawberry milkshake in front of you was still very full, cherry sitting on top of the dollop of whipped cream. outside, the view of starsnatch cliff showed off the rolling waves of mondstadt’s neighboring ocean below. the checkered floors were illuminated by the neon signs of the diner, and the sound of cola being poured echoed under fluorescent lights. hardly a soul was in the diner, until one slid right across from you.
as you lowered your book about a fairy tale romance, you sat up in surprise to see a familiar, blue-headed figure in front of you. “it’s a beautiful evening, and you’re cooped up inside this diner? all alone, darling?” kaeya smirked, leaning back in the booth.
“oh, hi,” you said, pulling the book close to your chest, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks.
you recognized him as the bane of your sister, jean’s, vice student council president duties. he was a year your senior, and a biker at your high school. somehow, both he and his best friend, childe, were on the student council, and extremely smart. but, they never bothered to show up to meetings, much to your sister’s lament. kaeya was also prominent in your life, and he had an unfortunate habit of flirting with you. in the library, in the courtyard, and now here in the diner, he sat, blinking through his lashes in a black leather jacket and a dress shirt that showed off his toned chest. no matter how handsome and charismatic he was, you were sure you didn’t feel anything for him. “i-is there something you need?” you asked, tilting your head. i’m studying for an exam in literature.”
“right, right,” he replied, placing a hand on his cheek and sliding your milkshake over and drinking it, much to your discontent. “you’re quite the goody two shoes, aren’t you, y/n?”
squeaking, you pouted. “i think i’m more than a ‘goody two shoes’, kaeya,” you huffed turning your head away from him. “also, give me back my milkshake! i was going to drink it!”
“ah, ah,” he tsked, choosing to pick it up and drink it more. “i don’t think so. you didn’t look like you were going to drink it when your nose is stuffed in a book. plus, i think you look cute when you’re whiny.”
“that’s…!” you sputtered back, before sighing. instead, you turned back to your book, opening it once more and glossing over the pages. as you focused on your homework, kaeya sipped on your drink and watched. “is there a reason why you’re still here? as you can see, i’m quite busy.”
“nope,” he answered, plucking the cherry off of the dollop of whipped cream. he bit into it, winking at you. “just taking in the view.”
your gaze hurriedly returned to your book, trying to focus once more. a moment passed, then another, before a finger pushed down your book from your face. the blue haired boy popped the cherry in his mouth, plucking out the stem while raising an eyebrow. “you don’t have to pretend to read to hide the fact that you’re flustered, sweetheart,” he commented as you began to flush even more.
“is there something more you need? or are you here to sit and attempt to charm me all night?” you said, setting down you book on the table and crossing your arms.
he chuckled, azure eyes twinkling despite your bitter remarks. “i think my charm is working, you know. anyways, i was thinking about how you’ve never really gone past your comfort zone. don’t you want a little adventure?”
“well, i think that i’m perfectly happy where i am,” you answered. “besides, jean said that you and your motorcycle buddies wouldn’t be a good influence on me, because you always skip class and council meetings. she wouldn’t be happy to find out that you’re hanging out with me.”
“who cares what jean thinks?”
“i care what my sister thinks because she’s always right.”
“goody two shoes,” he muttered under his breath before taking another sip of your milkshake. “c’mon, you can’t keep up that holier-than-thou act forever. let’s go have fun!”
“what are you even suggesting?” you asked, leaning forward on your elbows.
“let’s go on a ride to cape oath,” he replied, making you blink in surprise. “just you and me for a little while.”
“what?!” you exclaimed. “i have to study for my exam! i-i can’t afford to stop now!”
“as if one bad grade won’t let you into harvard. anyways, i know you’re going to ace it either way. you always do,” he scoffed, but his gaze was soft.
“kaeya, i should really, really be studying.”
“here, i’ll cut you a deal,” he said, sitting up. “i’ll take you to the lighthouse at cape oath for a little while, and then i’ll bring you right back home.”
“that’s ridiculous. i’m not going anywhere when it’ll be past curfew by the time i get home!”
“y/nnnnn, darling, sweetheart, angel,,” he whined, pouting. “you know you want to. don’t you have a soft spot for me?”
“no,” you denied, but the heat rushed to your cheeks nonetheless. looking at kaeya’s face, which was reminiscent of a baby seal, you took in a deep breath. “fine. one, quick trip to cape oath, and then we’re going straight home, got it?”
“yes!” he exclaimed, before fishing out a few bills from his jacket and slapping them on the table. immediately afterwards, he pulled you out of your booth, hardly sparing a moment for you to grab your bag and book. “i knew you’d come around.”
“i only said yes because you’d continue to ask me otherwise,” you muttered under your breath as he opened the diner’s door. if he heard, he didn’t interject.
the night air was chilly, though it carried the beginnings of summer warmth. kaeya held your hand for some semblance of warmth. his bike glimmered under the moonlight, with a polished leather seat and a helmet sitting nicely on top of it. the boy plucked one up, turning to you. curiously, you stared at it. “aren’t you going to wear one?” you asked as he smoothed down your hair to place it on your head.
“unlike you, you little goody-two-shoes, i don’t want to. it feels good when my hair is down and in the wind,” kaeya replied as he hopped on the bike. he held out a hand to you as you prepared sit down.
“don’t call me that. and also, that’s very unsafe,” you murmured as you took his hand and seated yourself. you placed your own hands in your lap with your bag as he clicked his key into the engine. briefly, he turned to face you with a raised eyebrow back at you.
“you aren’t going to hold onto me?”
“what do you mean ‘hold onto you?’”
“ah, right. you’re so prim and proper that you’ve probably never ridden a bike before,” he chuckled as you huffed. “sweetheart, you’re going to need to hold my torso if you don’t want to fly off my bike.”
“you’ve got to be kidding me. i’m not–i’m not holding you, kaeya. that’s too intimate, and we aren’t even dating!”
he said something under his breath, but revved up the engine. instinctively, you squeaked, clutching at his chest. “told you so,” he laughed, as he began pulling out of the parking lot. you buried your head into him, holding onto him for dear life. the neon lights of the diner faded out of the distance as he began picking up speed.
riding a motorcycle with kaeya was like you were taking off on a rocket. he drove fast, wind rippling at your clothes. looking up momentarily, the moon’s reflection over the ocean waves went by quickly. the crags and cliffs of the seaside shone sterling silver under the moonlight. though the sight was pretty, you kept your eyes shut and pressed your helmet into his back once more.
“you alright, sweetheart?” he hollered over the wind’s call.
your head barely lifted before you responded. “i-i’m fine!”
though you couldn’t hear him, his chest shook slightly with laughter. the drive continued, as you gripped onto kaeya’s dress shirt even more. there was no sound besides his bike, the crash of the sea’s waves, and the wind’s whistling.
soon enough, the bike slowed to a stop, and the wind stopped pulling at your figure. “you can let go now, sweetheart,” he chuckled, as you lifted your head. reluctantly, you let go of him. he got off the bike first, before holding a hand out to steady you as you yourself climbed off. kaeya took your helmet off, smoothing down your hair. “not a bad first ride, was it?” he teased as he pulled out the keys to his motorcycle. you huffed, turning to the side as you wobbled off.
“it was scary!” you said as he raised an eyebrow.
“no need to lie, darling. it wasn’t scary if i was there for you to hold onto, and you know it,” he chirped, much to your discontent, before taking your hand. the leather of his glove felt smooth against your palm while you watched his finger point in front of you.
cape oath’s cliff side was empty, and no cars filled the parking lot. the lighthouse’s spotlight was off as it had been for years of unuse. you and kaeya walked over to the railing, staring at the rolling waves down below. moonlight shone on kaeya’s eyes, painting them all the colors of the sky.
“it’s beautiful,” you whispered, looking at the biker.
“never been this far east of the town?”
“no…i’m not allowed to be this far from home without letting someone know.”
“wow, you really are a goody-goody,” he chuckled. a breeze passed by, making you shiver slightly. kaeya took note, “can’t handle the cold? want my jacket?”
“no, no, i’m fine. you should probably wear it.”
“c’mere, you,” he chuckled, tugging at your hand. he pulled you near his chest, and his scent was of cigarette ash and vanilla shampoo. you didn’t pull away and instead leaned into his touch. he felt warm and safe from the night chill. he shouldered off his black leather jacket, and placed it on your shoulders. “there. all better, sweetheart?”
“yeah. thanks, kaeya,” you hummed, and he only laughed that sweet, charming laugh.
surprisingly, you let yourself stay a while longer in that position, still in his armhold as you looked out to the sky and sea. he remarked about a few constellations in the expanse of the sky, his day (and the skipped meeting that you knew jean would lament about when you got home), and his antics that he and childe were getting into.
“and what about you, darling?” he asked. “anything interesting about your day?”
you talked about your sister’s workload that was getting exponentially higher thanks to him being missing from council meetings, your grades, and your studies. “i was studying in the diner because i have an exam tomorrow,” you recounted about what you were previously doing in the diner. perking up immediately, you looked at kaeya. “i have an exam tomorrow! my, what time is it?”
looking at his watch, he blinked. “it’s a little past 9:30.”
“and it’s after curfew for me! oh, jean’s gonna kill me!” you whisper-screamed before shaking kaeya by the shoulders. “you have take me home right now!”
“alright, alright, sweetheart,” he whistled, taking you by the hand and swinging his keys. “no need to rush. i know where to go.” kaeya jumped on his motorcycle, before turning around and putting your helmet on. you sidled beside him, holding onto his chest he revved up the engine, before slowly backing up out of the parking lot.
the scene whizzed by quickly. rolling waves crashed against the cliffside, and the moon watched over you as you went by. the wind was sharper here, but kaeya’s jacket kept you nice and warm. the lights of the town down below flickered, some dimming to signal the beginning of the night. you passed the diner, the outskirts of town, before finally reaching your destination of your neighborhood.
kaeya’s motorcycle slowed as you directed him to your house. when you stopped in front of your house, you breathed a sigh of relief. the lights were still on, and you knew that your sister would be on your case soon enough. “thanks for driving me back home,” you said as he turned the engine off.
“anything for my sweetheart,” he replied as he helped you off the bike, handing over your bag. “so, same time next week?”
“what do you mean ‘same time next week’?” you tilted your head in confusion.
“i mean that i still want to take you out on some adventures,” he replied, leaning on his bike. “it’s almost summer, isn’t it? let me take you out for a ride sometime.”
“kaeya,” you said warningly, but you felt a smile come onto your face. “alright, never mind. you win.”
“sweet!” he cheered, as you turned to the path leading to your house. “i promise it’ll be so much fun, even if you’re a goody-two-shoes.”
“what did i say before about that title?” you scolded softly, but as you began walking out to your house, you stopped. you turned around briefly to grab kaeya’s hand, staring into his deep blue eyes. he was taken aback, a flustered expression on his face. “thank you for everything, kaeya. i had a wonderful time.”
“you’re welcome, angel,” he whispered, smiling slightly.
in a moment of impulse, you kissed his cheek gently, flushing the entire time. he stilled in shock as your lips left his cheek. his hand came up to the spot where you had left your mark, face in awe.
“i should be off now. drive safe, dear,” you said as you pulled away. you began walking once more, only for your hand to get caught in kaeya’s. curiously, you stared back at him.
“is there something you need? i’d love to stay more, but—mmph!” you began, before being promptly cut off by him cradling your face softly and kissing your lips. the scent of cigarettes and sweet vanilla flooded your nose as you cupped his cheek. when you opened your eyes, you stared at the boy who had pecked you so passionately. the moonlight turned his eyes bright blue, and lips a baby pink. “that was my first kiss, kaeya,” you confessed while shyly looking away.
“and we’ll share a few more kisses soon,” he replied smoothly as you pressed your fingers against your lips. flushing, you turned around and walked to your porch. briefly, you looked back to wave at him. he saluted, before reviving his engine and taking off, indigo hair whipping behind him. sighing dreamily, you opened the door to your home.
“y/n gunnhildr, where have you been?!” jean exclaimed as you walked through the door, setting your bag. you snapped up in attention, immediately stammering to get a response out.
“well, i-i was at the diner, and then i got carried away, and only managed to come back home now. i’m really sorry–it won’t happen again, jean!” you apologized, sheepishly looking down at the floor.
“it’s alright, just please don’t do that without telling me again, alright? i was worried sick,” she sighed, approaching you to pat you on the shoulder.
suddenly, she stopped, and said something that made you freeze up.
“is that kaeya alberich’s leather jacket?”