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It’s been a while since Childe last visited Mondstadt. Back then, he was there on a diplomatic mission. A letter arrived at Zapolyarny Palace, written by the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, informing them of concerns regarding the presence of the Fatui delegation in Mondstadt, and Childe was sent to do something about it. He hates diplomatic missions usually, but there was something, or rather someone there that made it easier to bear. That person is also the reason he finds himself currently walking the long graveled road merging into the bridge to the City of Freedom.
When he was in Mondstadt months ago, it was the Knights of Favonius’ Cavalry Captain, Kaeya Alberich, that made his stay more enjoyable. After their initial meeting at the Knights’ headquarters, Kaeya, who was put in charge of taking care of diplomatic business surrounding the Fatui, organized a couple more meetings for just the two of them. Soon enough they found themselves interested in each other beyond work-related business, it was clear to the both of them that there was a mutual attraction, but both of them refused to talk about it, instead choosing to continue dancing around each other. When they realized they couldn’t meet up in the headquarters any longer without the Knights wondering if something was going on, Kaeya suggested for them to meet up at the Angel’s Share instead, the most popular tavern in all of Mondstadt, owned by his brother, Diluc.
It sounded like a terrible idea, honestly. especially when Kaeya informed him that Diluc harbored a grudge against the Fatui. It didn’t deter Childe from coming, however, and secretly hoped it would end up in a brawl. He’s always loved a good fight.
Unfortunately for him, (fortunately for the rest of Mondstadt), it never came to that. When Childe walked into the Angel’s Share for the first time, he could almost feel himself disintegrate from the murderous look in Diluc’s eyes, but apart from that, and Diluc’s clear desire to throttle him where he was standing when he ordered a drink, nothing special happened. The owner obviously wasn’t the only bartender at the establishment, so they barely ran into each other after that.
Returning his mind to the present, Childe walks up to the main gate of the City of Freedom, the lanterns on the stone bridge guiding his way through the dusk. He gives a friendly nod to the guards positioned on either side of the gate, (they don’t return it), and heads inside.
The tavern is already lively at this time of day, which he honestly should have expected. The city is known for its love of wine, after all. The bartender of the night, Charles, he remembers, seems surprised to see him here, but doesn’t comment on it as Childe orders his drink.
Once he’s received it, he walks up the stairs to the second floor. He doesn’t expect to see Kaeya in the same place as usual, honestly. The Captain is a busy man, and Childe only wrote in his letter that he’d come back to Mondstadt sometime soon, with no exact date. Yet–
There he is.
In their usual spot, in the far back, is the Cavalry Captain, nursing a drink. His deep blue hair hangs loose around his shoulders, his bangs framing his face perfectly and subtly hiding his eyepatch from view. The cozy environment of the late evening in combination with the last rays of sunlight of the day, streaming in from the window nearby, makes him look almost ethereal.
As Childe walks closer, Kaeya’s visible eye lights up in surprise, and his lips form a small ‘o’, before he quickly plasters a smug smile on his face instead. He knows Kaeya hates being vulnerable, so he’s delighted to have caught a glimpse of it anyway. He takes pride in being one of the, presumably, very few people who can break down the walls Kaeya built around himself.
“Couldn’t resist me after all?” Kaeya asks as the other man sits down. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t come. How cruel would that be, to write me a letter only to never show up?”
Childe sets his drink down on the table, coincidentally having chosen the same one as Kaeya. Well, maybe it wasn’t so coincidental. Kaeya was the one who introduced him to all the drinks here after all. He quirks an eyebrow and asks, “Have you been waiting for me here every day since I sent that letter?”
Kaeya’s lips twitch upwards for just a second, amused. “My, how ridiculous. I have better things to do, you know. I simply knew you would be here today,” he says.
“Oh? And why is that?”
Kaeya smiles sharply as he rests his chin on his hand. “You know better than to underestimate my intelligence, Tartaglia.” The Harbinger would almost feel threatened, but he’s known Kaeya for long enough that he recognizes the faint glimmer in his eye as something like a timid form of fondness.
Childe lets out a laugh. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway,” he says as he grabs something out of his coat pocket and puts it on the table in between them. “Look.”
Kaeya raises an eyebrow. “Playing cards?” he asks.
“Not just any playing cards,” Childe says. “I got this deck from one of my older brothers. He taught me a trick when I was in Morepesok a week ago.”
“Oh? I must say I’m intrigued. Are you going to show me?” Kaeya drawls, leaning forward.
“Your hair is falling in your drink,” Childe deadpans as Kaeya sighs and leans back, flinging his hair over his shoulders so it’s out of the way. “Anyway, yes,” he continues, “that was the plan.”
Kaeya’s lips curve upwards in a grin. “Well then, impress me.”
Childe smiles and tilts his head teasingly. “Oh, I know I already won you over a long time ago, but fine, I’ll indulge you,” he says, knowing damn well that while he believes this to be true, he still wishes to impress Kaeya. But is it really so wrong to want to have a gorgeous man praise you? Childe certainly doesn’t think so.
The Captain snorts and leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. “Just get on with it, Harbinger.”
Childe obliges and starts by shuffling the deck. He tries to do it in the same flashy way his brother did, but a couple of cards fall on the table as he does so. He hears Kaeya try to stifle a laugh and . Childe glares at him when he picks the cards back up and tries again.
Once the cards are shuffled, he spreads them across the table, upside-down. “Alright,” he says, “choose a card, but don’t show me which one you chose.”
Kaeya picks a card near the middle and looks at it. “Right, and now?” he asks.
Childe splits the deck in half and holds each half in each hand. “Now, you place it in the middle,” he answers.
Kaeya does as instructed and Childe shuffles the cards again. He’s going to ace this. He memorized the cards next to Kaeya’s, that way he can find Kaeya’s card easily, just like his brother taught him.
Once he’s done shuffling, even letting Kaeya have a go to prove he’s not cheating (why does he seem strangely good at it?), he spreads the cards across the table again, face-up this time. He drags his finger across the cards, Kaeya’s eye follows its motions, and–
“Is this your card?” Childe asks as he stops at the eight of spades.
Kaeya looks up from Childe’s hand, looks the other man right in the eyes, and smiles widely, his eyes nearly disappearing because his soft, flushed, cheeks get in the way, his gorgeous face is all Childe can see and– it’s so entrancing that he doesn’t notice Kaeya’s hand creeping up the table until he feels his own hand moving. As he breaks out of his trance and looks down, he sees that his finger is now pointing to the queen of hearts.
“So close… maybe your brother didn’t explain the trick properly, on purpose perhaps?” Kaeya says as he intertwines their fingers, hidden in the dim lighting of the tavern. “Which one was it? Dimitri? Nikolai?”
Childe sighs and slumps down his seat, cheeks heating up as he feels Kaeya’s thumb moving over his own. They’ve never put a label on whatever it is that is going on between them, the casual affection and sneaked kisses when no one’s looking, or the secrets both of them are aware neither have shared with anyone else before, but neither of them ever felt the need to. Maybe it’d even be better if they never do. They’re already disobeying the unwritten rules by getting along in the first place, after all. A Fatui Harbinger and a Captain of the Knights of Favonius? It’s bound to end in disaster.
Yet, Childe can’t find it within himself to pull away.
“It was Alexei,” the ginger-haired man says, allowing himself to sulk slightly. Way to embarrass himself. Damn it.
Kaeya hums. “You haven’t talked about him much, but if I recall correctly, he’s the mischievous type, no?” he asks.
Childe looks to the side and stays silent for a while. “...Yes,” he answers eventually.
The Captain chuckles. “Well,” he starts and untangles their hands to use his to rest his chin on instead. Childe mourns the loss of his touch.
“I know a thing or two about card tricks,” Kaeya continues. “I could teach you, if you want. And I promise I won’t lie to you,” he winks. Well, Childe thinks he does, anyway. It’s hard to tell with his eyepatch.
Childe’s cheeks flush as he sits up straighter in his chair and barks a laugh. “I don’t need your help. Let me try again, I’m sure I can figure it out,” he says, sounding offended.
The other man throws his hands up in mock surrender and leans back. “Alright,” he says with a smile, one that Childe knows (hopes) to be out of endearment, “show me what you got then.”
Childe rolls his eyes and starts the trick again.
He does not succeed the second time. Or the third. Or the fourth. He resorts to trying another trick his brother taught him, but that one goes even worse, so he reluctantly gives up.
The two spend the rest of the night talking, Childe about his trip back home, and Kaeya catching him up on every interesting thing he’s missed. After multiple more drinks bought, and the sun having made way for the moon, their conversations slowly dwindle down to a comfortable silence, hands once again intertwined, courtesy of Childe.
Kaeya smiles at him and his eye softens just the smallest bit, imperceptible to anyone not paying attention. And Childe is definitely paying attention.
“Well then, I’m afraid I must call this night here. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow, and I would rather not work on a lack of sleep, no matter how much I might li– how much I might enjoy your presence,” the Knight announces, cheeks slightly darkening. “I appreciated your attempts to impress me, really, but keep my offer in mind, okay?”
Childe huffs at this and says, “Like I said, I wasn’t trying to impress you–”
Kaeya squeezes his hand before letting go, and says, “Hmm, no, I’m sure you spending over an hour insisting you could do the trick was because you didn’t care about my opinion, right?”
The Harbinger splutters at this as Kaeya stands up and looks around, surveying the tables around them.
“I simply don’t like giving up, that’s all,” Childe says once he’s regained his composure.
Kaeya giggles at this, he honest to Gods giggles, and takes a couple of steps so he’s facing Childe. He places his hand on a freckled cheek, strokes it tenderly, and says, “You shouldn’t lie to me. I said I appreciated it, didn’t I?”
Childe is speechless. At a loss for words. Kaeya is never this affectionate in public. Oh Archons, did Kaeya actually miss him? He looks at the other dumbly for a few seconds before he says, “Yeah… I guess you did.”
Kaeya smiles at this, a genuine smile, full of adoration rather than just hints of it, and leans down to press a soft kiss against the other’s lips.
“Good night, Childe. I’ll be here at the same time tomorrow,” he whispers.
Childe can’t do anything but stare in awe as Kaeya walks away, still feeling the phantom touch of a gloved, warm hand on his cheek and soft lips on his own.