Work Text:
Kaeya spends the afternoon in his office at the Favonius Headquarters, filling out paperwork for Jean. For every few papers that he signs and puts to the side, he glances at the clock. This was one of his few nights off where he didn’t have to patrol the city, so he had made plans with Rosaria to go for one of their walks, and every time he looked at that clock he felt as if time had frozen. He knows they agreed on a time to meet up beforehand, but he was antsy anyways. The days had become busier lately with signs of treasure hoarders activity, and with Kaeya also being put on duty to entertain the Fatui still residing at Goth Grand Hotel more recently, the two hadn’t gotten to see each other as much. The thought of getting to spend some extra time with Rosaria was helping him push through the workload.
Meanwhile over at the church, the sisters pause their conversation to look at Rosaria as she glances at the sky through the window and huffs to herself. They had never really understood why Rosaria was such a stickler for leaving on time; just simply attributing it to her being lazy, not wanting to do the work. She didn't mind these views of her, though, they were the last thing on her mind. At the moment, she was thinking about her plans with Kaeya later, and about what she would do while waiting for their meet up time. Perhaps she could take the time to do a quick patrol of her own a little earlier than she usually would. Whatever she came up with, she'd at least have it figured out by the time she got off work.
Rosaria spends the last hours of her work day tending to the grounds outside, enjoying the bit of evening sun she can get. And like clockwork, she finishes her last task, puts away her tools, and makes for the gates of Mondstadt. From the corner of her eye, she watches the people of the city—kids running around with their parents and chasing the stray dogs and cats, people making wishes at the fountain, the idle chatter between friends out for lunch. It’s a peaceful day for Mondstadt, one of many, and the only thing ruining the peace for Rosaria is the sound of a sister calling her name from where she just left. The other sisters always try to get her to stay around just a little longer, regardless of it never working.
The voice calls again and she's almost tempted to turn around at the third one.
Rosaria pauses for a brief moment when a different, closer voice calls for her the fourth time. This one's deeper, familiar, and a little out of breath by the sounds of it. She keeps walking, though, barely turning her head to see who was looking for her.
"Rosaria, please, a moment," Kaeya pants. He may be in shape, but the many steps this city contains would tire anyone and he just ran up several flights looking for her. Rosaria has to hold back a laugh at the sight of him. "Can you wait for me?" Kaeya manages to get out between breaths.
She considers it a moment, maybe to tease him a little, and does wait for him at the last step. Rosaria leans against the railing and watches as Kaeya takes a second to try and steady his breathing. "What's so urgent you couldn't wait to see me, captain?" She sounds bored yet mildly amused by the man.
"Is it so bad for me to want to see my good friend?" He flashes a smile at her, one she sees so often and one that never fails to get one out of her in response. Kaeya gently bumps against her shoulder and the two start to walk again. "Seriously, did you forget that we were going to meet up today? How could you," he pouts, bottom lip extended in exaggeration.
She playfully rolls her eyes at him. "We said we'd meet outside the city." To anyone else listening in, it might seem as if Rosaria really is bothered by him. But the reality is she doesn't mind the early company, and Kaeya knows this just as much as she does, even if she would deny the thought when asked.
He shrugs. "I finished my duties earlier than I thought I would, figured I'd meet up with you sooner. Guess I just barely missed you heading out too." He stretches his arms above his head with a groan, and it's almost painfully obvious how much he pushed himself to work faster in order to get this little extra time with Rosaria this evening. "Besides, you were just going to skulk around the outskirts until the original time we discussed, right?" She doesn't look at him, aware he had hit the nail right on the head. "I'm right, aren't I?"
She gives a quick defeated sigh. "Yeah, and you know it's more than just 'skulking' about."
He gives her a reassuring look, "I made sure there were extra patrols today, you don't have to worry about the city right now, Rosaria. Okay?" He puts a gentle hand on her shoulder, watching for her body language to check if that was a bit too much. Rosaria wasn’t as much of a touchy person as Kaeya was, so the two were always looking for a middle ground in that regard.
The gesture's not brushed off, though, and instead Rosaria drops her posture a bit, letting her shoulders relax with his touch. "Okay." There's a pause and she sees he's still looking at her. It's the kind of look that sees right into her, a knowing look. She can never get quite used to it, the way his eye shines every time he looks at her, brimming with admiration and affection. "Thank you, Kaeya," she smiles at him.
He softly pats her shoulder and drops his hand as they approach the front gate. Kaeya says some greetings and extra orders to the guards stationed at the entrance while Rosaria chooses to wait for him at the foot of the bridge. It was kind of funny, how Rosaria never seemed to worry about any extra work that might be needed, while Kaeya would say he's done for the day but always found something new that needed to be handled, no matter how small it may have been. It was something the two found they could admire about each other.
Once he finished talking with the knights, he caught back up with Rosaria. "Sorry about that." She just shook her head at him. "Shall we go for our walk, then?"
They had no clear destination in mind and just followed the road southeast towards Windrise. The sun was just beginning to set, shining a warm red and pink glow on the landscape before them. The two made quiet small talk along the way to the statue, just little things that happened through their days. They went on these kinds of walks every so often, a relaxing time to catch up together when the days got busy for the both of them. Sure, the two could always spend their nights at Angel's Share together, but there was something about these walks that appealed to them both. Quiet, calm, and a little more intimate than a room full of blabbering drunks.
"...so I told her to just leave a 'little surprise' for the treasure hoarders at their camp tomorrow," Kaeya was going on about some of the extra dealings he had been handling recently. When there was no acknowledgement from Rosaria, he noticed she was looking pretty intently at something in the distance. "Rosaria?" The only things this close to the city were just a handful of hilichurls and some slimes, nothing they wouldn't be able to handle on their own. And by this time the sun had completely set and they only had the weak light of the stars and fireflies to go off of. "Darling, is something amiss?"
She blinks a few times and shakes her head quickly, finally hearing Kaeya call her name. "No, no, it's nothing. Just thought I saw something unusual, must have been a boar or some squirrels." She tries to give him a reassuring smile but the tension is obvious for anyone to see.
Kaeya frowns at her. "You have nothing to worry about, I told you I increased patrols tonight." He reaches out for her hand, a loose hold, just enough to keep her next to him.
"I know, I know." She squeezes his hand. "I just can't help it, you know that."
Kaeya hums. "Then let's go check it out together. No harm in detouring off the path a little bit, right?" He lightly squeezes her hand back before letting go and putting it on his sword, at the ready.
She had only been looking in the direction towards a known hilichurl camp, nestled in the short cliffs and not too many trees hiding the only way in. Best case scenario, she simply saw some hilichurls moving around, worst case... well, they wouldn't know it until they happened upon it. Making up her mind, she nods at him and makes a move towards the camp. Kaeya follows closely behind her, keeping his eye on their surroundings just in case despite the lack of cover there was in this area.
It only takes them a few minutes to get the hilichurl camp in their sights. Concealing themselves in nearby brush, they watch for any signs of trouble. What they find after a bit of waiting, though, is nothing either of them would have expected and has Kaeya nearly giving their position away. The hilichurls seem to be putting on what could only be perceived as plays; exaggerated movements that look like battle where they themselves are the victors and their enemies fall in comedic ways, complete with funny masks and even some props. Rosaria puts her head in her hands while Kaeya laughs as quietly as he can. "Let's... let's go back," Rosaria groans. She can already tell she will not be living this one down.
"Come on now, don't be a spoil sport. They put all this effort into their performance, we ought to give them a standing ovation!" Kaeya can barely keep his cool at this point. Rosaria glares daggers at him, utterly speechless at herself. "I jest, I jest."
Once Kaeya gets himself back under control, she silently starts walking back towards Windrise. "Rosaria, that has got to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen, thank you."
"You are not allowed to mention tonight to anyone, got it?" She crosses her arms. "I want to hear not a single word muttered about this."
"Of course, anything you say, my dear." Kaeya rests his hands behind his head and lets out a content sigh. "You can't deny that was funny, though." All he gets from her in response is a long groan and then silence.
And that's how they walk for a while, comfortable silence. There were things they had been talking about before but any train of thought has vanished as they mull over what just happened. Kaeya doesn't want to run all his jokes about it into the ground quite yet, to either Rosaria's relief or dismay, she's not quite sure yet.
The two of them gaze at how the great oak tree looks amazing under the cloudless, starry night sky. The soft blue glow of the Statue of The Seven at its roots gave it such a mystical air. It truly was reminiscent of the great Lionfang Knight, Venessa. Kaeya stopped in the field just before the steps to gaze at it with Rosaria in its frame. When she turned to sit on the steps and saw him standing there she gave him a quizzical look. "You’ve got a funny look on your face. Just what are you thinking about now?"
The way the moonlight catches on her habit and forms the illusion of a halo nearly leaves Kaeya speechless. "Just admiring the beautiful view, that's all." He smiles at her, ever so slightly feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. He gives her no time to react to the compliment and quickly follows up with: "Say, I've been thinking about the hillichurls back there-"
Rosaria cuts him off with a groan. "Of course you have."
He chuckles. "Come on now, hear me out, okay?" She just crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow, unamused. "They had the right idea, I think. A night like this is perfect for putting on a show!"
Rosaria rolls her eyes and approaches him. "And just what kind of show did you have in mind, if you don't mind me asking?"
Kaeya holds out his hand as an invitation. "Spar with me. It would surely be enough to please our dear Archon... ah, what was his name again? Barsibato was it?" He grins at her, teasing.
She grumbles at the jest. "Oh, you're really asking for it, huh?" She takes his hand as if they're dance partners. "Let's go, then. Lead me, captain."
"My pleasure." And with a smile, he pulls her forward and spins around her, letting go of her hand to reach for his sword. Rosaria pretends to stumble and reaches for a couple knives strapped to her thigh. She turns just in time to avoid a swing to her left from Kaeya.
She follows up with a palm to the back of his shoulder to knock him off balance and go in with her other hand to swipe at his side. Kaeya rolls into the stumble to avoid the hit, losing sight of her in the process. It gives her ample time to reposition herself and try another palm strike to keep him pinned down.
Kaeya hears her move behind him and kicks out a leg in her direction, forcing her to move backwards and miss her target. He straightens himself and chides her, "Where's your polearm? You're making me feel silly when I'm the only one with a weapon out."
Rosaria lunges at him and moves around him so swiftly he's taken aback for a moment. "Didn't want to put you at a disadvantage with its reach is all." She says it so casually for someone who can move so fast in a blink of an eye. He just narrowly avoids a swipe from her knife and jumps back, fighting to urge to give her applause in the moment. "Would you like me to?" she teases him, clearly aware of how matched they are as is.
"Do whatever you find best, the night is ours." With a glint of determination in their eyes, the two move towards each other and give it their all. It both feels and looks like an elegant dance under the brilliant moonlight. Rosaria had told him to take the lead but the cloak of night is her territory and no one knows it better than she does. Kaeya makes special note of just how fast she can move, silent and deadly. It's fitting for her. Almost captivating watching her move.
By this point, the moon is high and the night is late. They're both panting and ready to give in. Just as Kaeya thinks about putting his sword down, Rosaria takes him by surprise and goes to kick out one of his legs. He barely catches himself from falling and grabs for her hand to trade spots again. The momentum of the fall and the turn is a little too much, though, and he ends up pulling her to the ground and landing on top of her, both grunting from the impact.
Kaeya propped himself up on his arms and rested his head against her shoulder catching his breath. "Hah, I think I won this one," he panted.
Rosaria stared up at the stars. "I think you're a cheater," she retorts and lazily slaps his side. "And heavy."
He picks his head up to look at her directly. "I was about to concede when you knocked me down and I took you with me, so who's the real loser, huh?"
She smiles, "That would still be you."
He smiles back. "You sure about that?" Rosaria wants to make a quip back, but the words get stuck in her throat when she looks at that gleaming eye of his, shining just as bright as the stars in the sky above them, like it belonged there with all the others. Her mouth opens and closes a few times trying to find something to say back to him, but in the end she settles for keeping her mouth shut and turning her head away from him.
Kaeya wants to ask if a cat got her tongue but notices the flush on her cheeks and quietly chuckles to himself. The way she’s avoiding his gaze is kind of adorable, he thinks, and he wants to tease her a bit. "Hey, Rosa, darling, what are you looking at over there?" She glances at him from the side and he notices her cheeks darken some more.
He's not sly at all and Rosaria knows exactly what he's doing. He just keeps hitting those nails on the head, she thinks, not wanting to admit it.
Kaeya surprises her when he hangs his head down and laughs quietly to himself. Not a laugh at her, it sounds more like it's directed at himself. She finally turns her head back to look at him. "What's so funny?"
He sighs and shakes his head, his hair tickling her face where it just barely brushes against her. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how tripped up I was worrying if you liked me." His face feels so hot, he can't bear it right now.
At a loss for words, Rosaria manages a dismissing 'Of course I do' but she knows what he means because... of course she does.
Kaeya looks back up at her, the most affectionate gaze she's seen him with yet. Without thinking, she brings a hand up to his face and rubs her thumb across his cheek just below the eyepatch. He leans into the touch a bit and leans down, brushing his nose against hers. Just barely audible, like a secret between them that not even the wind can hear, he asks, "May I?" And Rosaria answers by closing the distance between them. The kiss is light yet heavy, as if all their unspoken feelings came flooding out in this one short moment that felt like it lasted an eternity.
When they pull apart, Kaeya presses their foreheads together and they share a laugh, quiet and soft. He rolls off her and she gives the exaggerated sigh of a huge weight being finally lifted off her chest, quite literally. He elbows her for it and she chuckles. Rosaria reaches to intertwine her hands with his and he squeezes her hand. The grass is scratchy against their skin, but neither of them feel like getting up quite yet.
“I think that ‘performance’ was the best idea I have ever had,” Kaeya boasts.
“Yeah, hotshot?” Rosaria scoffed.
“Absolutely! And of course part of it was thanks to you finding that hilichurl camp, y’know.” He grins at her, still not letting it go.
“Do not make me regret the last five minutes, Kae,” she warns him. Despite the annoyance in her voice, she can’t help but laugh at it now.
Kaeya swaps the hand he’s holding Rosaria’s with to turn on his side and look at her. “I know you’re joking, but I promise you I won’t. If you would allow me, I would follow you like the moon follows the sun, stay by your side to the ends of Teyvat, do whatever you ask of me. Because I love you, Rosa." He brings her hand up to his lips and plants a feather light kiss to her knuckles.
Rosaria stares at him, unsure of what to say, the words caught in her throat again. "Kaeya, I… You are…" she tries and struggles to get the words out.
"Hey, hey," he comforts her, “If you can’t say it right now, don’t force yourself. Your actions speak louder than words, that’s how you’ve always been. I like that about you, you know.”
Rosaria looks from him to the stars, seeing if they could give her an answer. When they can't, she looks at him again and settles on saying, "Thank you. That's an awkward thing to say, I think, but… thank you."
He smiles at her and sits up to stretch a bit, back stiff from the ground. "It's getting late, shall we head home?"
Having been so engrossed in their conversation, their confessions, Rosaria had been very unaware of the cold, hard ground under them. Mixed with the cool winds blowing through the field, it made her shiver. She stands up and rubs her arms, "Sounds like a good idea."
Kaeya picks up their strewn weapons and hands her the knives back. He notices her shivering a little bit as they start making their way back towards the city. "You look cold. Here, take this." He shrugs off his fur-lined coat and throws it over her shoulders to cover the back window in her top that the coif of her habit barely protects.
She holds it in place, almost if she's trying to keep it closer to her than it already is. "My, what a gentleman you are, captain."
They've returned to their normal flow of quipping at each other, now with something a little more hinted at in their words. Everything else about their relationship will take some time to adjust, but for now they'll take what they have and keep moving forward.
When they're much closer to Mondstadt, Rosaria notices Kaeya in deep thought. "Okay, what are you thinking about this time," she asks him.
He looks at her and, as seriously as he can without laughing, asks back, "Do you think they sell tickets to hilichurlian plays? I think that would make a great date night." He couldn't hold back a giggle near the end of his thought.
She looks at him in astonishment, unable to believe a word of what he just said came out of his mouth. The reaction gets a fuller laugh out of him and Rosaria pushes him away. "You are SO lucky I love you, or I would have just started walking away from this conversation." She's so taken aback she doesn't even realize what she just said.
Kaeya hears it though, and silently acknowledges it, thinking she only needs one thing to be teased about tonight. "Come on, it was a good play!"
"Earlier you said you would do anything I asked you to, right?"
Kaeya nods, confused by the sudden topic change. "Of course."
Rosaria crosses her arms. "Then stop bringing up the hilichurls."
He hums as he ponders the request a bit. "Maaaybe not everything you ask, sorry."