Kaeya is not one for romantic dinners.
Or maybe he is, but he seems just as content to be sparring with you in the middle of nowhere. Evening sun illuminates the slight sheen of sweat on his skin. He’s already rid himself of the coat and rolled up his sleeves. A smirk brushes across his face.
“You’ve improved,” he comments, parrying another barrage of your attacks.
“Someone has to put you in your place.”
The two of you continue to move around the field, attacking and defending in turns. It becomes more of a challenge as time goes on. After all is said and done, Kaeya has more stamina than you. Your agility only lasts you so long, and sooner than you expect, Kaeya has you on your back. His knees bracket your torso, his sword - brand new, a gift picked by you and half the knights of Favonius - pinned in the ground next to your head. Both of you breathe heavily, adrenaline running through both of you.
“And you’re dead.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Fair and square, sweetheart.”
“Alright, alright. One win each. Tie breaker after dinner?”
Kaeya raises his eyebrows, rolling off you to lay down next to you. “Tie breaker right now?”
“I am exhausted; no thank you.”
“You’re just afraid of losing.”
He sits up and looks at you. It occurs to him that even in this state, you are one of the more beautiful sights he’s seen today. In his entire life, really.
Before he’s processed anything else, you’ve whipped up a stick from the ground, holding it to his neck like a dagger. “And you’re dead.”
“Sweetheart.” He pouts.
“Real talk, would you die for me?” The question is playful and sudden, but he senses something underlying it.
“Probably.” After a pause in which you are obviously waiting for more, he sighs. Pushing the stick away from him, he clears his throat and announces, “I’d rip my heart out, barehanded and bloody, if you asked it of me.”
“Nice.” With a face full of seriousness, you tell him, “So I have a question for you.”
“I think dying on my birthday is one of the worst gifts you’ve ever come up with.”
“Not that, idiot. Would you live for me?”
And this is the question that throws him off. It’s been a long time since anyone has expressed any concerns about whether he lives or dies. They love sending him into the fray, assuming he’ll make it out alive. They act like it’s a given that he’ll return from every battle - and so far, he has. He’s been working on his own for so long that even after years of you, he’s still a little bewildered at your clear and evident concern for him.
“If not you, what else would I live for?”
“For me,” you repeat. “Not for whatever future your family tried to push on you. Not the expectations of a fallen nation. Not the expectations of Mondstadt. Just me.”
He pauses. “That sounds a little toxic, my love. I think I need to associate with people besides you.”
“You need a reason to fight,” you point out. He’s always said so. “I’m just saying you could change it up. Your past is your past, but it doesn’t have to be your future. I’m not asking you to forget everything. I’m just saying, when the time comes and you have to make your choice, I’ll be whichever way you look.”
“Even if you don’t agree?”
“Especially if I don’t agree.”
“Hm.”
After a moment, you get up, dragging him with you. “Happy birthday, my love. Come on, Diluc has dinner ready for us.”
“You dragged Diluc into this?”
“Yes.”
“You were meeting another man behind my back.”
“It’s Diluc.” You roll your eyes. “He’s not going to do anything to me.”
“I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about him.”
“He is pretty attractive.”
“More than me?”
“Possibly.”
Kaeya slumps back to the ground. “This is the worst birthday ever. My wife asked if I would die, and then announced my brother is more attractive than me. You are doing a horrible job.”
“Don’t be dramatic. I got you a new sword - customized to specifications chosen specifically for you, by the way -”
“And I love it. I’m still getting used to it, but I think you did a good job.” He hefts it back into his lap, polishing it back to the shine of a new weapon. The inscription glints back at him: My love, my life.
He thinks that’s true in reverse too. His love, his life. The reason for him to wake up in the mornings. You.
Birthdays have never been important to Kaeya, not really. But once in a while, the Cavalry Captain gets to enjoy being pampered by someone he loves, and that’s the best gift among all other perfunctory gifts granted him due to his professional capacity.
He takes your extended hand, ready to pull him back up again. Instead, he yanks you to the ground with him. “We can be a little late, right?” He murmurs. “If the birthday boy wants a little kiss?”
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