![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
155 » every hour every minute every second
[ They've spent a good few days together, all in all. First Sumeru, then Liyue, and now a homecoming jaunt through Mondstadt. Kaeya has a habit of slinking away to the shadows once the usual crowd in the Angel's Share has been stoked to aggressive friendliness and happy inebriation, but last night he'd been the heart of the party for longer than usual, regaling his eager listeners with tales of his exploits in Sumeru before he'd expertly turned them all away with souvenirs he'd picked up for them, and then headed off into the night.
They didn't leave together, exactly, but the Cavalry Captain was waiting outside the bar when Aether excused himself shortly after he left, and as the darkness of the alleys overtook them, the traveler had even felt bold enough to take Kaeya's hand.
It was nice to see Kaeya in his element, but it's nice to see him like this, too: eyes closed and deliciously vulnerable in the morning light, asleep or perhaps merely pretending to be. Aether shifts in the sheets and lets a cool side of the fabric claim his legs. Doing so makes him realize that his arm has been draped around Kaeya's waist this whole time; mischievously, he lets his fingers ghost up the line of the man's ribs. If he's asleep, he shouldn't wake up. If he's awake, it might be ticklish.
He should make something for breakfast. Maybe he'll ask when Kaeya's eyes are open. Pancakes. Pancakes might be good. Learning that Kaeya has a sweet tooth has been one of the better surprises of the week. ]
They didn't leave together, exactly, but the Cavalry Captain was waiting outside the bar when Aether excused himself shortly after he left, and as the darkness of the alleys overtook them, the traveler had even felt bold enough to take Kaeya's hand.
It was nice to see Kaeya in his element, but it's nice to see him like this, too: eyes closed and deliciously vulnerable in the morning light, asleep or perhaps merely pretending to be. Aether shifts in the sheets and lets a cool side of the fabric claim his legs. Doing so makes him realize that his arm has been draped around Kaeya's waist this whole time; mischievously, he lets his fingers ghost up the line of the man's ribs. If he's asleep, he shouldn't wake up. If he's awake, it might be ticklish.
He should make something for breakfast. Maybe he'll ask when Kaeya's eyes are open. Pancakes. Pancakes might be good. Learning that Kaeya has a sweet tooth has been one of the better surprises of the week. ]
no subject
This morning, perhaps unusually, he doesn’t startle awake at the first sign of light, or open his eyes in the darkness because something told him there was an unexpected sound. If indeed Kaeya does such things. This morning, instead, he isn’t awake at all; his expression is peaceful, long lashes stark against his cheeks, and his breathing stays steady even as Aether’s hand finds its gentle way along his rib cage. He’s tired. He’s safe, with Aether, and comfortable - enough to have left off his eyepatch, even.
Still, something must stir him, for after Aether’s hand settles again, pale against Kaeya’s tan chest, there’s the softest hitch in his breathing.
He doesn’t really want to open his eyes. Everything in the blur of his senses is…fine. Gentle, almost, or- steady, and he fights to stay buried in the cotton and down of a deep sleep. Let his awareness just…sink down again…
He’s never really been able to do that. Kaeya sighs, barely more than a heavier breath, and opens his eyes slowly.
Ah. Aether is there. - Aether is…holding him? Or near enough to it. Despite himself, Kaeya’s lips twitch into a smile.]
A good morning indeed.
[His voice is heavy with yesterday’s drink and the fetters of sleep, but as always, he’s perfectly clear.]
no subject
Kaeya's a lean, wiry sort of man, and Aether's only soft in certain places, but the knight's bare skin feels smooth and creamy against his. He feels soft. Kaeya feels soft, too. The impulse to keep touching him is a difficult one to resist. Aether nuzzles like a little animal for a moment longer, and then settles back into the sheets, content and cottony. ]
Yesterday was nice...
[ So was the day before, and the day before that. Aether lets himself linger comfortably in the warm memories of their impromptu adventures, and in the delicate warmth underneath Kaeya's chin. ]
Today will be nice too. I told Jean before we left that you'd need one more day to get settled back into your duties.
[ In other words, he has no work today. As if Kaeya's going to attend to any of his duties today with Aether wrapped around him like a golden octopus. Hmm, a golden octopus, that calls for a pirate story... ]
no subject
It’s been a long time since he did anything just-because. Even the last several days have been more about seeing Aether’s amusement. Sharing in it. If there is a “himself” to be that is somehow separate from the life Kaeya leads every day, then the traveler has surely seen it by now-]
Hm? [Kaeya turns his head, though Aether is impossible to see from this angle.] You told Jean…that I needed more time off?
[She won’t question it. Probably gave it gladly. The others who were at Angel’s Share last night would corroborate the leave, too. But it’s a show of audacity on Aether’s part, and Kaeya squints a bit in debate over whether he finds this enticing. His fingers stroke the channels he’s made in Aether’s hair again.]
Could it be that you have even more plans for us?
no subject
No plans...
[ It's a little mumbled. Aether's not quite awake yet, himself. His curious little fingers wind up in Kaeya's hair again. He toys with a strand of it, looping it around his knuckles, letting each delicate strand fan out against his fingertips. It feels nice. Silky. This feels nice. ]
I want you all to myself for a little while. You're always making me share.
[ A twinge of possessive instinct sees him wrapping his arms comfortably around Kaeya's waist again, in the same position they fell asleep in. He swears he can feel the slight flutter of Kaeya's pulse against his skin. Maybe that's just his own, though. ]
...Maybe I'm the one who wanted the day off. [ There's a tone of admission in it, like he's only just realizing this himself. ] But we don't have to do anything special. I just want to be with you.
no subject
So you don’t want to share.
[The tease is muted somewhat by the haze of sleep and the warmth of the memories of their recent travels together. It’s true. Most of the time there just isn’t enough of him to go around. He truly can’t remember ever taking a lazy morning for himself like this as a gift and absolutely not since he became cavalry captain.
Kaeya thinks about all he has done in the last little while. A soft sigh escapes him, and he closes his eyes. Breathes in the scent of Aether. Mona said something once about the smell of stars, which was no more odd than Mona’s usual, at the time, and now Kaeya thinks he might understand what she meant.]
We could stay like this, for a while.
[Like a dream. A forbidden moment, stolen from responsibility again and again without a care.]
no subject
Aether likes it, too. Touching him, caressing him. Watching the way it makes him sink deeper into a bath, makes him shiver a little bit like he doesn't want to allow himself the pleasure of being loved. Aether's always very relentless when it comes to making sure Kaeya feel loved.
Case in point: he squeezes Kaeya quite firmly and buries his face in the man's bronze chest, refusing to move. Seems about right given that Kaeya's currently buried in the sweet bouquet of his blond hair. ]
That's right. I'm not sharing you with anyone today.
[ Playfully, Aether mock-bites Kaeya's shoulder, though he doesn't even make contact with the man's skin — he just sort of nibbles sleepily in that general direction. ]
Mine. [ It feels good to say it. To be that spoiled. ] Mine.
[ He relaxes in good time, letting out a long breath, and then a sound of assent that seems like it was in answer to Kaeya's suggestion. Yes. They could stay like this for a while. Yes, that would be nice.
His arms relax, loosening the greedy pressure around Kaeya's waist. He relaxes. He sinks deeper into the delicious, dreamy call of sleep. The curtains are drawn against the morning light, and no one should bother them to wake them up anytime soon. His eyes close. He lets himself sink into the comfort of Kaeya's warm embrace.
Responsibilities are far from Aether's mind. Sometimes he's an awful lot like a cat. Sleeping when he wants to, eating when he wants to. Lazing around with nothing to do at all.
Apparently the only item on his to-do list today is Kaeya. Kaeya had better feel flattered. ]
no subject
It's going to get a little uncomfortably warm with them so close together, though. He sacrifices some distance from his waking awareness as the vision on his nightstand gently rises in glow to match the rest of the room, and the sheets and pillows take on a renewed pleasant coolness.
Damn. Now he's awake.
But is it so bad? Aether's breathing has evened and slowed again, so at best he's drifting on the surface of sleep, and how often does he get to savor anything at all like this? His fingers keep trailing through Aether's hair, from temple to nape, and he watches the blue light swirl across the ceiling and then fade. False grey dawn remains.
Kaeya could send himself to sleep again; there are breathing techniques, patterns of thought. But, though he doesn't think it outright, he is a little flattered, and a little envious, and a little happy. For a while, he chooses to be awake enough to enjoy the feeling of Aether's chest rising and falling pressed against his.
Time passes; Kaeya, too, drifts, though never far enough to begin dreaming or to sink into the cool dark of deep sleep again. His traitorous stomach rumbles.
Ah. Whether or not that roused the traveler, it certainly gives Kaeya a message, and he laughs a bit scornfully at himself. Maybe it's time to get up after all.
He runs a hand down Aether's back, then back up.]
no subject
He can hear the man's pulse. The slow beats of his heart, ticking like time. The rise and fall of his breathing, the soft whisper of air through his lungs.
He hears that loud tummy rumble, too, and it's so loud it stirs him out of that half-asleep stupor into silent laughter.
His giggling is muffled even further by the way he curls even closer to Kaeya and wraps greedy arms around his waist, like squeezing a stuffed animal that's being particularly cute in the moment. Aether nuzzles outright, rolling his body through the sheets like a cat, or maybe a snake — it's as if he needs to wake up in every part of his body before he can manage to get himself out of bed.]
You're a big hungry boy, aren't you?
[ The traveler returns the lazy petting to his back with a little bit of lazy petting of his own, but at last, finally... he pushes himself up onto his elbows as he lies on his belly in bed. Which isn't sitting up, no, but it's more awake than Aether was a minute ago. The way he looks at Kaeya is teasing and fond. ]
What do you want for breakfast?
no subject
I'll have to see what I have in the kitchen. Do you have any favorites? I'm not crass enough to ask a guest in my own home to cook for me, you know.
[He is teasing, a little bit, but it's true nevertheless. Aether has spent the last many days on something of an adventure with Kaeya, and he's really enjoyed it, and he...would like to do something in return. Making breakfast seems like a small thing in the face of Sumeru, for example.]
Or we could get dressed, and go out.
[This...is the inferior option. Kaeya's still negotiating with his legs about getting out of bed at all.]
no subject
And deny myself the pleasure of seeing Kaeya Alberich in an apron, making me something to eat? [ A short laugh. ] I'd have to be a fool.
[ He was going to get up to make breakfast, but there's something in Kaeya's tone that makes Aether suspect the man is very serious about wanting to be the one to cook this morning. Really, Aether likes cooking, but who is he to deny the man the chance to cook in his own kitchen? He has the vague suspicion that half of Kaeya's nights are probably spent at the Angel's Share or Good Hunter instead. ]
How about an Adventurer's Breakfast Sandwich?
[ The knight should have the ingredients for it, being that it's a relatively simple dish. The poached egg is a bit of a challenge for some, though, and the hollandaise sauce even more fancy, if Kaeya doesn't want to simplify the traditional preparation.
Aether sticks out his tongue a little playfully, as if fully aware that Kaeya offered him an inch and he's taking a mile. ]
no subject
[Kaeya's languid grin and slow shake of his head really are for Aether alone.]
If I didn't know any better, I'd think you deliberately picked something that I can't enhance with wine.
[He affects a sigh of endless suffering. He reaches out and pokes Aether's nose - and laughs quite heartily at the face Aether pulls in return.
That's more than enough to really wake him. Kaeya tosses his own hair over his shoulder, pushing some of it out of his face so he can put on his eyepatch and get out of bed. He stretches, rolling his shoulders and turning his head just enough to fix Aether with a smirk - is he enjoying the show?]
But, I think I have everything we'd need for that.
[Despite himself, he dresses quickly, though his clothing of choice is very casual, the only thing of note a chain that keeps his Vision hanging at his waist.
Is Kaeya sauntering as he heads out of the bedroom and into the kitchen?
Yep.]
no subject
Case in point: Kaeya's effortlessly perfect, poking Aether's nose to make it wrinkle; effortlessly perfect as he slides out of bed, the muscles of his back catching the golden morning light just so as he flexes and stretches and smirks. Aether stares with a dopey little smile playing about his lips. He ogles, openly and without shame. He thinks he's earned himself the right to stare, and anyway, there's nothing the traveler likes more than a good view. ]
I picked it 'cause it's hard, too. [ Just so he knows. ] Impress me.
[ That sigh of endless suffering is well-earned. A part of Aether wants to prod about the eyepatch — after all, he doesn't mind the sight of Kaeya without it, and the scar that stretches over his face doesn't mar his handsome features in the slightest — but it's Kaeya's decision. However he wants to be comfortable is fine. At this point, he probably doesn't feel put-together without it; on the other hand, maybe he's just concerned someone will see him from his window.
Regardless, after he watches Kaeya saunter out of the bedroom — shoulders stretching his cream shirt, pants very flattering as always — Aether soon sighs, stretches his back in exaggerated catlike fashion, and rolls out of bed himself.
He takes a little longer to get dressed than Kaeya, though he's equally casual — just his dark shirt and pants, none of the other accoutrements — but the braid takes some time to put back in after he's taken it out, and he doesn't generally settle for a ponytail if he can help it. By the time Aether comes into the kitchen, Kaeya has likely gotten the ingredients out, might even have some butter or oil sizzling in the pan. ]
This feels nice.
[ There's this quality to Aether sometimes, despite his young face, where he occasionally reacts to things like an old man with a slight penchant for being playfully perverse. He's got a little bit of that smug wheedle to his voice right now as he settles into a chair to wait for his food. Spoiled cat. ]
This feels really nice.
[ He leans on his elbows and cradles his face in his hands. Why's he so excited? Well, because he can just watch Kaeya cook, apparently, and he doesn't entirely mind giving the knight attention when he's peacocking and showing off. ]
no subject
Impress me, Aether said. Very well. Kaeya vastly prefers simple and quick meals, when he has to do the cooking, and might have settled for a skillet pancake. But for Aether, adventurer's breakfast sandwich it is. He'll do his best.
He'll even toast the bread in that skillet once the eggs are finished.
Behind him, Aether is clearly trying to rile him up a little. Kaeya turns to look at him, then does a ridiculous and slow full turn in the interest of showing off his apron and waving a whisk in the traveler's general direction.]
I'd be mortified if it felt any other way.
[He tosses his hair back over his shoulder yet again, mildly regretting not tying it into a braid of his own.]
Besides, at least this way you've had a good show even if the meal doesn't turn out.
[Kaeya can poach an egg. It's the "impress me" he really has to contend with.]
no subject
Still. It's nice to see Kaeya working a little seriously at something, his attention and focus solely on the ingredients in his skillet, and then on Aether, when he slowly turns around. The Pavo Ocellus in him is preening; Aether is more than happy to smooth his tailfeathers out and tell him he's pretty, so he smiles and makes a show of leering dreamily, batting his eyelashes as if trying to sear Chef Kaeya Alberich into his memory. ]
It'll turn out just fine. Don't sell yourself short.
[ While Kaeya is quietly wishing he braided his hair, Aether's sitting and thinking about how pretty it looks when it's down and loose over his back, tumbling in loose waves. C'est la vie. ]
You made some for yourself, too, right? [ With some humor: ] You can be an adventurer today, too.
no subject
[If there's struggle in the way he finishes their morning meal, he tries not to let it show. The plating isn't perfect, and some things are a bit more done than one might find at a professional restaurant. Kaeya is not sure he'd call this impressive.
But it isn't a pancake and it isn't saturated with alcohol. That's a start? Does Aether notice or care that he's taken more care with anything he makes, lately, to include someone else's tastes and favorites?]
And here we are - one adventurer's breakfast sandwich. Well, two sandwiches. But only one for you.
[Kaeya sets their plates on the table and takes a seat, crossing his arms and one leg. His uncovered eye practically twinkles just shy of the morning light hitting his face and the wall behind him.]
I await my judgment, O Seasoned and Professional Adventurer.
no subject
By the same token, though: it's perfectly delicious. It's not burnt to ashes, like Amber's attempts at steak, and there are no bits of eggshell to be found in it, no stale and sour edges to the ham. It's good, and it tastes even better for the way that Aether didn't have to lift a finger in the making of it. What makes it taste the best is this: Kaeya made it for him, and that thought alone could have Aether walking on clouds, giddily telling everyone in Teyvat that Mondstadt's wonderfully, wickedly handsome and charming Cavalry Captain loves him enough to make him breakfast. ]
...It's delicious. It tastes like you love me.
[ He flashes Kaeya an impish, smug smile, sparkling in his own way. He has another bite of his egg, licking his lips again in the wake of it. ]
I'd be pretty happy to wake up like this every day.
[ Flirting. Even after a full week of Kaeya, he's still flirting. ]
no subject
Kaeya is pleased that he likes it - sure he's hiding some critique, but too warm and too touched by the praise to care - and Aether's just being so silly, really. He can't help but lean back and laugh. For once, it's neither affected nor forced.]
If I'd known it was this easy I would have just handed you a ham when we met. [He bats his eye with an over-pronounced coquettish air.] Then you could think of me every time you see it in your travel bag.
[Did he just admit to...to this, whatever this is, what it has become, to it beginning at their first meeting?]
You spend so much of your time doing things that make others happy. It's nice to see it on you, for once.
[And it has its own kind of power, knowing that he is the one who can make it happen. Who can put this specific light in Aether's eyes. Hold him close enough that he'll drift back to sleep without a care for the wider world.]
no subject
[ Aether's tone is defensive, even as he's choking back a laugh at the thought of Kaeya sauntering up to him after the first bout with Dvalin with a plate of ham in his hands. Or would it just be one whole ham, unsliced, wrapped in paper?
Thinking about it makes him want to laugh too hard to even think about how Kaeya is admitting that everything started at their first meeting. Honestly, Aether would agree to much the same. Sometimes he still thinks about it, that first meeting with Kaeya — his slow clap, the way the shadows of the storm had fallen on his face and illuminated his one bright eye, making Aether think, instinctively, that he couldn't be trusted, and all the more because he was handsome beyond belief.
How funny, to think of it all now.
Even worse, when Kaeya tells him that it's nice to see him happy — and even though they've basically spent the past week together, Aether somehow still finds it in him to blush brilliant pink. ]
...You're — [ he knows it's silly to be so embarrassed, but he can't help it, he's not used to Kaeya being so nice without a catch! ] You're so...
[ He gives up. He buries his face in his hands. ]
...I don't even know what to say when you say something that sweet...
[ He can't stay like this, his breakfast is getting cold. After a moment, Aether peeks out from behind his fingers. The look in his eyes is both bashful and hopeful. ]
I love you too.
no subject
Then Aether opens his hands, giving Kaeya the gift of a moment's shared shy hope. How could a man, even a man of ice, do anything but melt over something so saccharine?
Kaeya tucks his chin, closes his eye, smiles.]
A little hard to handle the truth sometimes, hm?
[He'll get nowhere reaching blind; with his eye fixed on Aether's, he pulls one of his traveler's hands out of protection-from-emotions range and brings the back of it to his lips.
The whole morning feels languid, deliciously so, as though time itself were suspended in its own motionless Cryo cage. A frozen, glass-fragile dream where love tastes like overcooked eggs and the sun never makes it past dawning. Kaeya makes a point of holding Aether's gaze while he kisses the back of his hand again, then his palm, before letting go.]
I don't believe you, though - I think a ham would have gone quite a long way in leveling any misunderstandings.
[One of Kaeya's talents, with which Aether is overly familiar by now, is his ability to wink convincingly with only the one visible eye.]
no subject
The only reason he doesn't do it is because he thinks, quite rationally, that he got plenty of kisses yesterday, and he really should eat the rest of his breakfast sandwich before it goes cold. ]
Okay. Next time we argue, just get me a ham, and everything will be forgiven.
[ They rarely argue, really, beyond playful barbs and bite-backs, but maybe this will be useful information someday. Or it'll be funny when Kaeya does it, and then Aether might laugh himself to tears. (A different reason that they don't really argue is that Kaeya knows full well how good he looks, and sometimes Aether will just shut up when Kaeya is dressed in the right pants or has the right number of buttons undone on his shirt. But the ham will work, too, on the rare occasion he's in a position where his choice of trousers can't solve problems.)
As he takes up his silverware again, biting and sawing off bits of ham and egg, the traveler muses: ]
You know, I stole your workday away from you, but I didn't really think about what we'd do after breakfast.
no subject
It should probably worry me that the only things I can think of doing sound like work. I suppose we could always find Klee and turn our backs while she goes fish blasting.
[This, too, would be work, but Kaeya would laugh and they would all likely end up on yet another wild venture, because those happen to Klee in specific with alarming regularity. Albedo probably wouldn't approve. Jean definitely wouldn't approve. In the right mood, Kaeya finds both of those reasons attractive as well.]
There isn't enough time for another trip somewhere.
['Even if we wanted one' implied. They've done a lot of traveling lately and while Kaeya enjoyed himself, it's comfortable just to be home.
His plate is half-finished and it doesn't seem as if he intends to eat any more.]
Is there anything specific to Mondstadt that you feel like you haven't seen enough of?
no subject
There is one thing I wanted to do, actually... but before we get to that, let's get dressed first.
[ He can't help but flash a smile in his perhaps-somewhat-prissy lover's direction. ]
Not that you don't look amazing the way you are right now. But I know you like to get dressed.
[ To be fair, Aether needs to get dressed too — he looks fine in his little cropped top and loose pants, but if he's not wearing his armor and his cape when they head out, he won't be adequately equipped for any impromptu world-saving he has to do. He leans his cheek on his hand as he looks at Kaeya's loose hair, smirking as he thinks fondly of some of their adventures from the Veluriyam Mirage. ]
Still can't believe that, as pretty as it is, you don't know how to braid your hair. The great Cavalry Captain, calling me over to do it for him...
[ Okay, Kaeya knows how, but some slightly lopsided plaits will come out of his long, pretty fingers, whereas Aether just has this magical knack for deftly making the neatest, tightest braids imaginable. The "magical knack" being, obviously, hundreds of years of practice. ]
no subject
Kaeya shakes his head and dramatically tosses his hair over his shoulder.]
I'd like to see you try finishing a braid with Dusk Birds appearing from all sides and trying to undo your hard work.
[Yes. This grown man is using birds as an excuse for his inelegant fingers. That wasn't even how it happened, as Aether well knows, but he waves both hands in the air a few times before setting his elbows on the table and cupping his face between his palms.]
I don't suppose you're interested in doing it for me again today? I promise to be as still as if I were frozen in place.
no subject
[ Whether it's because of his Cryo Vision or his authority as a Captain of the Knights of Favonius... either way, Kaeya is woefully cheesy about his freeze puns. Heaving a big sigh, Aether wonders, not for the first time, why he's with this corny loser. (Said corny loser is really very, very charming when he wants to be, and it doesn't hurt that he's also easy on the eyes.)
Since breakfast is more or less finished, at this point, the traveler rises from his seat, walking back towards the bedroom to find a comb and an appropriate hair tie.
Yawning — he's still feeling a bit drowsy and a little too comfortable — he makes his way back to where Kaeya is sitting, then starts gathering up his long, pretty hair, being careful not to jostle the strap of his eyepatch as he does so. ]
...You have so much hair. How long have you been growing it out?
[ This is an absolutely hilarious question coming from Aether of all people, but in fairness, Kaeya has a lot more waist to be having waist-length hair. It's longer than Diluc's by at least six inches... probably more... (Not a euphemism...) ]
no subject
Somehow, no one has caught on to what happens to Kaeya when someone plays with his hair. Of course, most people would get stiffened shoulders and a cold, direct demand to explain themselves, so perhaps that's fair of the rumor mill.
Under Aether's hands, Kaeya melts. A shiver passes through him; he reaches up and pulls off his eyepatch the moment it seems the strap is in the way. Then he leans back in his chair, all but completely relaxed, with his eyes closed and his hands in his lap, barely fiddling. His hair is soft and fairly thick, too heavy to support its natural wave in the longer section, and a pain to do anything with. Someone else's care and attention to it is a rare treat.]
Oh, years. [An afterthought answer - the comb at his temple makes him shiver again - pulled from the middle of whatever fog he's walking through inside his head.] It was shorter when I was little, but...I decided I liked it this way.
[While this is a veil over some of the truth, it isn't a lie. Lying to Aether outright over something this simple has only grown more impossible.]
no subject
Not that Aether has ever taken Kaeya for a man with a heart of ice. But it suits the Knights of Favonius to allow some criminals to think of Kaeya that way, and while the man tends to be very beloved, there are probably a few citizens in Mondstadt who have that impression of the Cavalry Captain, too. Cold-hearted, manipulative. Frosty, at his core.
And perhaps, to some degree, that impression is true, the way that Aether can be a ruthless murderer and an altruistic savior in the same breath. Contradictory things can be true. But the traveler sees nothing of the man who is made of ice in the soft, relaxed face beneath his fingers. Patiently, Aether rakes his fingers through Kaeya's scalp a little more than he needs to, and only because the man seems to be enjoying this so much. Who knew that the knight likes to have his hair played with this much?
Aether should probably start braiding it. But why not indulge him a bit longer? Carefully, the traveler uses his nails and the pads of his fingers to give Kaeya a light, invigorating scalp massage, scratching gently and massaging small circles into his temple and forehead, as needed. Maybe he picked up some elementary acupressure techniques in Liyue, at some point... ]
Well, that's good. You look really pretty with all of it.
[ Aether's voice is low, and maybe a little bit seductive. He takes a moment to kiss Kaeya on the cheek. ]
I'd still like you even if you had no hair. But I'm just saying... you're gorgeous.
no subject
He promised stillness, and stillness the traveler will have from him, but the shivers are involuntary. As gentle fingers work their way over his forehead and back through his hair, Kaeya opens both eyes in a daze. Aether kisses his cheek. This, for some reason, is the thing that makes him laugh - a giggle? It's not as put-on and refined as his sensible chuckle.]
I wouldn't like me with no hair. [What would have been the point of all these years of growing it out and keeping it?] I think...I would lose some of my charm.
[It's hard to pull words out of himself. The part of him that wants to catch Aether's hand and bring it to his lips and let it go gently can't get a grip on doing it.]
You're...dangerous. Knowing how to do this.
[It should be abundantly clear that Kaeya means nothing here but solemn praise.]
no subject
Me? Dangerous? [ It's not like it's his first time being told that he's got a deadly glint in his eyes, but being told that in this particular context is... decidedly amusing. ] Oh my.
[ Unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately? — for him, that's the last of the scalp attention for now. They can try this again sometime tonight, when there's more lazing in bed to be had, but for now, they're supposed to be getting ready to leave. Aether fluffs out Kaeya's hair one more time, then sets about sectioning it into a tidy plait. His braiding is absolutely nonpareil, as one would expect of him; he leaves the hair no room for strays or flyaways, and the braid that starts to emerge is both elegant and neat. ]
I might just have to eat you up if you're going to be that cute.
[ Sweet and soft and giggly! What a rare Kaeya he's caught this morning. Alas, all good things must come to their ends... ]
no subject
[When Kaeya feels the gentle tugging that signifies Aether working on the braid, he sighs slowly. Time to bring his consciousness back into the day. While he won't be working, he still has an image to maintain in Mondstadt even during his off time.
So when Aether has finished the neat plait and tied it off, Kaeya puts his eyepatch back on smoothly, careful not to ruin any of the traveler's hard work.]
I would offer to do yours in return, but as we've already established...that probably isn't something you want.
[It would be easier to braid someone else's hair than it is his own, but in this, if nothing else, his hands are surprisingly clumsy. Kaeya smiles without any pretense in it; his public face no longer works on Aether at all.]
Maybe I can find some other way to return the favor.
no subject
I can think of a few ways you can return the favor...
[ ...But he's not planning on anything lecherous at the moment, so he serenely ties some feathers and other pretty accessories to Kaeya's braid, then drapes it over his shoulder, to the front where he likes to keep his hair, and pats it gently into place. ]
But that can wait until later. For now, let's just have a leisurely day about town.
[ Not that Aether intends to stay in town all day — Kaeya will likely get wrapped up in dealing with someone else's problems if they do that, not that Aether himself is any better in that regard. But they'll figure something out. They always do. And Aether does have a destination in mind for their first stop. ]
no subject
Aw, you decorated it.
[Unfortunately for his full relaxation, "hair done" is a cue to the rest of him - time to get the rest of the way dressed, they're going to go out, he'd never go out looking half put together. He rises from his chair with a mock weary sigh and retreats to the bedroom.
When he emerges again he looks a lot more like Kaeya - shirt, vest, boots - but it isn't his "uniform," just in case anyone gets any ideas about asking him to do work. Jean was willing to give him an extra day of leave? Fine then, he'll take full advantage of it.
He grins at Aether, one hand on his hip.]
I think I like the sound of a leisurely day about town, after all.
no subject
(One day, maybe, they'll both find that the answers to the questions they have about themselves were written by the same hand.)
Anyway. They get dressed; they get ready. Aether's in his "uniform," but Kaeya isn't in his, which suits Aether just fine. There's something sort of exciting about planning out a staycation in Mondstadt for Kaeya, actually — after all the days they spent together in Sumeru and Liyue, especially so. Kaeya deserves to be able to think of his hometown as someplace fun and exciting, too.
As they head out together, Aether dutifully ensuring that the door to Kaeya's home is locked (though burglaries in the City of Freedom are few and far between, with Amber gliding over every alley to stop petty crimes practically before they happen), the traveler turns and grins over his shoulder, briskly and assertively saying: ]
I know just the place I want to take you to first, actually. But it's a walk from here, so we may as well take the scenic route.
[ The scenic route is out of the residential district towards the fountain overlooking the main thoroughfare in town. They slept in, so Mondstadt's streets are already bustling: a bard that isn't Venti is plucking at a lyre and singing some silly song about an unrequited love, and Aether flips a coin into her tip jar for her trouble, trying and failing to imitate the Cavalry Captain's particular panache with that skill. (Kaeya might be able to do it better.)
They must pass by Good Hunter to get down to the shopping area where Aether seems to want to go. Curiously, Diona is there, talking to Sara about something. She turns and waves, beaming to see Aether — then her expression completely flatlines when she sees Kaeya.
"Oh, hi, Traveler!" ...And then the frown. "Ugh, and a boozehound. Just got up 'cause he was drunk last night, I bet." ]