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"Come on now, Twilight. Don't tell me you're giving up already."
It was early in the afternoon. The joy and vibrant colors of Windblume were all over the place, the smell of fresh flowers and cooked food danced in the air, and the taste of their favorite wine still lingered in their tongues.
It was quite a pleasant surprise for Kaeya to find Dainsleif walking around Mondstadt, he would've thought that festivities dedicated to an archon such as Windblume would be avoided at all costs by the blond but it seemed he was incorrect in his assumption. In the past few months their relationship had changed —before, their meetings were full of skepticism and distrust, now they have a good friendship, but it has changed as of lately, he can feel it every time they meet. From how they talk, how they look at each other and the unstoppable feeling that appears in his stomach whenever they touched, he can sense they have changed the direction of their friendship.
He just wanted to make sure it was a change Dain liked.
So he approached the older man with his usual smile and warm attitude and invited him to a walk across the city. Dainsleif told him he was just passing by looking for food and he would later return to his activities. Kaeya saw this as an opportunity to have a good talk to catch on their latest news and invite him to a meal at Good Hunter.
It was all good to say the least, their talks always flowed in a natural way, finding quick interest in their conversations. They finished their foods between tales and jokes, just in time to see a group of people going straight into The Cat's Tail with excitement all over their faces. With curiosity, they approached Sara to see if she knew about something going on in the bar and for their surprise The Cat's Tail was having a special promotion for the person that wins against all the participants in the "Dandelion's Tournament".
With this new knowledge and in the midst of the excitement, he asked the blond man if he had ever played in a TCG tournament before, to which Dainsleif responded he had never played Genius Invokation in the first place.
And that's how they currently sat in one of the tables inside the establishment with a deck of cards, drinks on the side and the blunette beating the older man's ass.
"This is more complex than I imagined."
Dainsleif's deck consisted of having Diluc's, Kaeya's and Fischl's cards and he was having trouble understanding the support cards, which Kaeya thought was an hilarious contrast to himself having more trouble with the dices than with anything else, as ridiculous as that sounded. You can't blame a man for not understanding the dice system for movements so quickly.
"And that's what's fun about it, catching on as the game progresses" His breathy laugh was almost reason enough to keep playing. Almost, but Dainsleif had had enough for the day.
"That's it" He left the cards on the table with a a sigh accepting defeat. "I'll give it another try other day."
"Oh, come on Dain, it will be ages before we can play again."
The man simply smiled. "I'm sure the wait will make the game more thrilling."
The shaking of the blunette's head was enough to get a little laugh out of him. A warm sensation filling his chest making him feel at peace. It wasn't often that he got to feel like this, hunting the abyss order and spending most of his nights and travels alone made it impossible to distract himself with mundane occurrences like these, but every time he visited Mondstadt he knew Kaeya would be there to share with him conversations, emotions and feelings that put his mind at ease and made him feel content for a moment. Forget about fools and curses and enjoy a warm presence.
It was kind of funny really, how he wanted to spend more and more time with the blunette, taking less and less time away in his travels just so he could go back to their smooth talks and light walks and warm smiles... He could feel irresponsible to his mission later, but he didn't find it in himself to stop his visits. To stop seeing Kaeya.
He couldn't quite say why, not yet —but the feeling was nice, no matter how long or little it lasted.
With their game now over, they soon finished their drinks and decided to go for a walk since the tavern was getting swiftly crowded and there was a lot more they could do before the day was over.
The city was decorated beautifully, as always. Cecilia flowers were hanging from the roofs and Dandelions were flying all across the streets. There were ribbons in pastel colors hanging from house to house, white, green and blue in every corner. It was always a beautiful sight to witness, even Dainsleif, with all his skepticism around gods, found festivities such as this one to be full of positivity, even if he didn't agree in these feelings being tied to a God. The human kind always found the most beautiful and joyful ways to celebrate their beliefs, divine or not, and it reminded him of the lost celebrations of Khaenri'ah, festivities where the whole nation rejoiced their strengths, the nature of the world, their magic to make life, their love for humanity. It was a bittersweet feeling to witness the festivities of other nations, but even he knew better than to dismiss them as foolishness. At the end of the day, celebrations like this, were human in all their capacity.
"So Dainsleif, where would you like to go next?"
"The destiny of the journey is not what's important, but rather what you encounter while traveling."
A snore escaped out of the blunette. "My, my, such a poet. But seriously, if we continue walking without course we will get tired."
"Speak for yourself Kaeya, I'm perfectly capable of walking miles without a sweat" You could practically hear the smile in his voice.
"Oh really?" He wondered for a moment if he could make the bold suggestion right now. If he could shot his shot for once and for all to see where their friendship could go. Well, there is no life without risks. "Then, I suppose you wouldn't mind if we went for a stroll to Starnatch Cliff?"
"Starnatch Cliff?" He raised an eyebrow "That's a long walk, but the view from up there is a good scenery."
Good, there's no suspicion "Then it's settled, let's see how much you can handle, Twilight."
The blond man snorts. "I am certain I can handle a long walk better than you, dear Captain."
A playful grin forms in Kaeya's face, a little fun never hurt nobody, right? "Who said we would be walking?"
"Huh? wait —Kaeya!"
Without much warning, the blunette started running, crossing the bridge of Mondstadt swiftly hoping to make a good distance between him a Dainsleif in this race he started.
He distantly heard the shouts of the blond until they suddenly went silent. He wondered for a moment if he was running after him or had given up. His smile grew a bit at the thought, he was really enjoying himself and this was a teasing he has never done to the older so, what's so wrong about wanting a little fun?
Just before he could check out on Dainsleif, he saw a shadow running towards him, surpassing him, leaving a purple-blue trail behind him. The blond had used his ability to run faster. He screamed 'NO!' between laughs, realizing his fatal mistake at baiting the older in his ignorance of the other's abilities.
The trail left behind by the running was beautiful. In many ways, the colors resembled the powers of the abyss, and how not, when Dainsleif was forced to obtain it in order to protect his ideals and the world from the threat the abyss order means for teyvat. But in other ways, the stars within the trail, the human galaxy that expanded at his speed, reminded him of Khaenri'ah. Or at least, what he imagined Khaenri'ah would have looked like. The endless sky full of stars that adorned it was one he dreamed a lot when he was little, and one he imagines so often when he looks into Dain's eyes.
Sometimes he wondered if Dain, in his self-confessed pessimism, had internalized his resemblance with the abyss monsters so much, he was blind to how much beauty of that city of stars he possessed. How much he kept the manners, the strength and the beauty of the city he still protected even after it's end.
They kept running for some time until Kaeya had to admit defeat and screamed at the blond to stop. Dainsleif turned around waiting for him with an unusual teasing smirk in his face. Oh, how he wished to see it more often, but most of all he wished to take that smirk out of his mouth with a kiss.
"Haha, wasn't expecting that, I admit"
"Don't you know it's stupid to challenge an adversary without previous knowledge of their abilities, Captain Kaeya?" The teasing tone was one he could never get tired of hearing.
"Really? Well, it has always been one of my mottoes to learn better from experience"
The smile in Dain's face while he shook his head was his only response as they continued their walk with easy steps, enjoying the scenery and the company of each other better.
By the time they made it to Starnatch Cliff, the sun was starting to hide in the horizon and in the distance they managed to distinguish two figures walking down the cliff. One of them with a very familiar red hair, and the other...
Hold on a minute... was that —Venti!?
Holding a picnic basket on one hand and holding the short man's hand on the other. Diluc Ragnvindr walked with an unusual soft demeanor. Kaeya was suddenly assaulted with memories of a younger Diluc with a cute smile on his face and approachable aura walking the streets of Mondstadt on patrol. He thought he'd never see a glimpse of that young boy again after, well, after everything that happened, but here it was. The uncrowned king of Mondstadt smiling like a love fool, and all because of the bard that gets drunk in his tavern.
Now that was a couple you'd never expect.
Just when he turned to Dainsleif to make a comment he saw the blond man was already looking at the two lovers with a strange look on his face.
“I’m so going to tease the hell out of Diluc the rest of the week at the tavern” he said trying to decipher the other.
“Mhm. And here I thought that… bard was not particularly of his liking.”
The change in tone when referring to Venti was not lost to Kaeya. He did know who the bard was and he still considered him a friend, even with his ancestry in mind. However, Dain was a different matter. And he was curious.
"Well, Venti does have his ways to get into people's hearts. Once you allow him to step close, it's over."
"Heh, I better not take any chances then." His sharp eyes looked at the blunette in silent warning. That was enough curiosity for today it seemed, and he didn't want to ruin the mood, not when this was an opportunity of a lifetime . "They do seem good together, thought."
"Yeah. They do." He vaguely thought about that old legend of town that said Barbatos favored the Ragnvindrs... it looks like he favors one Ragnvindr the most now.
Finally reaching the end of the cliff, they took a moment to appreciate the new sight of Mondstadt the scenery was giving them. It was breathtaking. So peacefully beautiful in it's simplicity. So full of freedom.
"Such a nice view."
"It is indeed. I don't have the opportunity to stop and appreciate sights like these often" The blond man added.
"Perhaps that's your sign you should appreciate the world around you more often"
Dainsleif smiled softly, as they both turned their heads around to look at the scenery. Taking a moment to explore the world around him for reasons outside of his mission were unthinkable for him, even if sometimes he did find himself wondering if he should, for once, allow himself to relax and see if there were wonders he was missing, nevertheless, he never paid too much attention to whatever need to stop and see appeared. Until recently that is. And he knew who to blame for that.
He didn't consider himself as someone to be easily influenced by other people, many of his colleges would often tell him he was very stone-minded, he wouldn't change his mindset unless something completely demolished his way of thinking. He didn't see things black or white, he was just very convicted to his ideals. So maybe —just maybe— that's why he couldn't believe how easy it was to follow Kaeya's way of thinking. They were similar in many ways, but completely opposites in others, and still, he would internalize the younger man's way of thinking in more than one occasion.
It wasn't a bad thing, but it was —it is, unlike him.
And he found himself being drawn to Kaeya more and more.
Yeah, perhaps he needs to take a moment to appreciate the world around him. Perhaps he should stop and rest to talk to a dear friend every once in a while. Perhaps he should allow himself to feel the way he feels right now, beside Kaeya, more times than he does.
Perhaps… but can he deserve such wishes?
"You got awfully quiet, what are you thinking about, Dain?"
The blond man turned his head to look at the blue-haired who interrupted his thoughts, he took some seconds to look at him, the soft look in his eyes wanting to know about his troubles, the soft tone of his voice when talking to him, the child-like demeanor he sometimes exhibited when he teased. Can he deserve such wishes?
"I just… put some thought into your suggestion. It has never been in my considerations to do anything other than carry on with my mission"
"Well, I just think it is a mentality that is unfair to you. Cruel even."
"Oh, and what is that?"
"Because you so clearly care about this world. You want to see it free of the threat the abyss possesses, you constantly put yourself in danger against their front lines, you speak of this world as a land with potential beyond the blessing of the gods." He listed without hesitation. "Among other things. So for you to deprive yourself of what this world has to offer you in return, even if just to catch your breath, it's cruel."
He lowered his gaze, looking down at the floor in light embarrassment. Was this how Kaeya thought of him? Did he really see him as something —someone with high morale and worthy of a rest?
A short smile drew on his face.
"I.. didn't know you worried about this self-inflicted 'cruelty'. I've been traveling for hundreds of years, there's no use seeing things that will no longer be there in a few decades. At least.. that's how I saw it."
"Dain…"
"It's alright. I… have thought about it recently, if I'm being honest. Not in the way you put it, though."
"Oh? Have you really?"
"Every time I came to see you."
The confession leaves both of them in shock. Kaeya's body stopped, his eye was more open than usual, his mouth slightly parted and a light blush colored his cheeks. And Dainsleif was in no different state either. The words meant a lot more for the both of them, they realized; they were simple, endearing words, and yet—
"What I mean to say is you… your friendship and company, had me thinking about what could be, about… if I deserve to take breaks and enjoy what I can get of the mundane life."
"I'm… really glad to hear my company has made you seen things differently" He smiled gently, his voice a soft melody. "But, I really do hope you know you do deserve nice things, Dainsleif. You deserve to live as human as it is possible, as mundane as it is forbidden, and feel whatever you haven't allowed yourself to feel all this centuries."
A soft look installed on Dainsleif's eyes, a thin smile forming on his lips. "A beautiful image, but I just don't see how I could do it all alone."
"You can do it with me."
His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his throat. There goes his shot, then.
"If you don't see yourself accomplishing many of these things on your own, we could experience them together. If you wish so, that is."
"I— I wouldn't want to trouble you." Dainsleif shook his head. "Besides, you have matters that keep you here, and I would only be an inconvenience just because of my selfishness."
"Now, now, I really need you to stop thinking of yourself like that. You are not an inconvenience for me or my life in Mondstadt." He stepped closer to the older man, going face to face trying to convey his feelings. "I really like your company, I enjoy our conversations, our ways to pass the time. I enjoy every bit of all the times you've come and visited me. I offer you my friendship and wishes to accompany you not out of pity or to be polite, but because I really care about you."
He took a big breath, feeling himself fall short of air.
"And because I would really like to experience those things besides you, show you what I can offer to make you see how much you deserve to just be."
There was a moment of silence. Kaeya swore he could only hear the wind and his own heart beating ridiculously fast. Dainsleif looked at him with his eyes slightly open in surprise until he looked away to another side, looking everywhere but at Kaeya, while he felt his cheeks burning in… Shame? Embarrassment? Love? He just couldn't find a way to respond… How does one learn to receive compliments from their now most precious person when its been 500 since he last called someone a friend?
"Dain… are you— are you okay?"
He turned his head towards the younger man who was looking at him with worry on his eye, that's when he felt it, the wet trail on his cheeks. He had shed tears.
"I—" Kaeya's hands cupped his face with slowly and with delicacy, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?"
"I just don't know what to say, you— you are very important to me, in ways no one has been for me in a long time. I've been roaming this world alone for centuries and you… for you to just offer yourself to be by my side it's…"
"You've been needing to hear someone tell you how much you mean to them, don't you, Dain?"
No. Yes. But not just anyone. He found himself thinking. I need you.
"No. But I never realized how much I wanted to hear them from you until now."
There's tension in the air, they noticed. Tension wanting to draw them closer, but their uncertainty forbidding them from doing so. Their hesitation keeping them in place.
Kaeya caressed his cheeks delicately and Dainsleif wanted to melt, let himself go between his arms. It is right there he allowed himself to name the feeling that had been in his chest for some time. To finally allow himself —want— to be loved by the man in front of him.
His eyes fell from Kaeya's gaze to his lips for a moment before returning to his eyes, a silent petition, one that the younger man understood completely from the way his lips slightly opened and looked at his the same way. And maybe it was the years on his back, or his lack of social interaction, but he found he had no idea of what to do next.
Good thing his partner did have it.
Kaeya was suddenly getting closer and closer, slowly and tempting, letting him have time to retract, when the closeness was such that their noses touched and their breaths combined, he closed his eyes and allowed the other to capture his lips. The kiss was tender and warm, sweet and innocent, like testing the waters but full of emotion. Kaeya's lips were so soft and took his time kissing his lips. He felt inexpert, like a child all of a sudden, not knowing how to correspond with the same warmth and feeling. So full of love but so unsure on how to show it.
The kiss finished with a tiny bite on his lips, and he instantly missed the feeling of Kaeya's lips on his. It was a short kiss, all things considered, but archons it left him wanting more.
They stayed close with their foreheads touching, a dumb smile was adorning the blunette's face.
"Heh, why are you crying again, Twilight?"
Ah, he had shed tears again. Solitary teardrops rolled down his cheeks and Kaeya brushed them off with the same tenderness he had before. "If you keep treating me like this I'm afraid I'll start crying even harder"
The younger man laughed softly. "Really? Then I guess I'll just have to kiss your pretty tears away"
"Please."
The Windblume festival at night was a whole other spectacle, with Venti being the musical performance everyone was waiting for.
The colors, the ambience, the smell of street food in the air, the windblumes flying around and being delivered to their loved ones. Truly a remarkable festivity, in that Dainsleif and Kaeya could agree. As they sat at the high peak of Starnatch Cliff looking at the scenery and how the lights of the city enlightened Mondstadt, their bodies stayed close to one another and the blond man played with the bluenette's long hair while the man worked on something with his cryo.
"Seriously, what are you trying to do?"
"Shhh… I have to concentrate"
After a couple minutes, the figure was finally done. His very own Windblume. An Inteyvat.
"Here, for you." Dainsleif stared with eyes wide open at the cryo flower in perfect shape. A perfect copy of the national flower Khaenri'ah once held with pride. "This flower will never melt, as it is made with the coldest level my power can get. I hope that every time you're away and alone in your mission you can look at this flower and remember your purpose… and that someone loves you very dearly."
He held it with extreme care, afraid it would crumble at his mere touch. Yes, he could cry right there and now. He looked at Kaeya once more before thanking him with a chaste kiss.
"Thank you, though for me, there isn't a more precious flower than you."