Extending the Olive Branch - Kaeya x Reader

What the Fuck Was That?

"It was HUMILIATING," you groaned to the brown-haired, red-clad girl sitting on the fence next to you as you cleaned out a horse's shoe.

"Oh come on," Amber said encouragingly, "it can't have been that bad! I mean, he had to cheat to win in the end." You sighed and looked up at her.

"No he didn't," you replied frankly, "I was going down anyway." You dropped the horse's hoof and stood up straight while Amber giggled.

"Well at least you're secure enough to admit it," she laughed, "I just don't get why you two hate each other so much."

"I have many reasons to hate him," you mumbled, wiping your hands on your pants, "Do you want a chronological or alphabetical list?" Amber rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I think you two could be good friends if you just tried being nice to each other," she suggested. The scowl on your face caused her to burst into laughter again.

"I mean it!" she asserted, "You two actually have a lot in common."

"Other than being from Khaenri'ah, I can't think of anything," you mumbled. As you thought about it, a few things came to mind, but you shoved the idea of being in any way similar to Kaeya far, far away.

"I think you two just need to spend more time together," Amber said, "I know he seems like an arrogant asshole with an alcohol problem at first, but he's actually a nice guy." You eyed her suspiciously.

"I feel like you're going somewhere with this..." Amber looked guilty, like she'd been caught.

"Well..." she replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck, "I have some work to do on Dragonspine and Jean said I can't go alone, and since the Cavalry is kind of low on work since Varka left, I just thought..." She trailed off and sighed. You looked at her sympathetically. She tried so hard to keep her grandfather's legacy alive all by herself.

"As awful as spending more time with Kaeya sounds... I think I can withstand him for you." You smiled warmly at your friend who returned the happy expression.

"You're the best!" she shouted and jumped down off the fence.

She extended her arms for a hug, which you were about to return, but then paused. You both looked down at your clothes, which were covered in dust, dirt, and—most prominently—horse shit.

"Maybe hug later?" you asked. Amber nodded, laughing brightly again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had spent all day cleaning the stables. All day. In fact, the sun had been down for a while before you were able to head back towards headquarters. You wondered if anyone would even be there as you walked through the front gates of the city.

"Get out, Kaeya!" A shrill voice yelled as you saw the Cavalry Captain stumble down the stairs of the Cat's Tail Tavern.

"Dionaaaa," Kaeya whined, leaning against the wall, clearly intoxicated, "I wasn't actually going to steal the cat. I just wanted to borrow him." He giggled drunkenly while Diona looked daggers down on him from the top step.

"Well, until you can respect the cats, I don't want to see your stupid drunk face here again!" Diona shouted and slammed the door of the tavern. You watched as Kaeya stumbled a few steps away before noticing you.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked, his speech barely understandable, "And why do you smell like shit?" You scoffed in disbelief.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" you shouted, "I spent all day cleaning the stables because YOU told me to." Kaeya thought for a second, then laughed out loud.

"Oh my god, you actually did it?" he chuckled, stumbling to the side and into the wall, "I was kidding. I just wanted you to fuck off." You glared as he steadied himself, clearly extremely drunk. You quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"No handler today?" you asked, referencing Lisa. Kaeya scoffed and pulled out a flask.

"Lisa is mad at me," he slurred, then took a swig, "because of what I said to you last night." He pointed an accusing finger towards you. You shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, Albedo isn't happy with me either..." you muttered. He had caught you that morning before you left for the stables and given you a good scolding, but you weren't ready to hear it after losing your sparring match to Kaeya.

"This is your fault," he muttered and took another swig out of the flask.

"How is this my fault?" you shot back while he staggered forward. He leaned down, getting close to your face.

"You started it," he mumbled in a soft voice. The scent of alcohol tickled your face as it danced off his warm breath.

As you looked up at him, you felt weird. An alien shiver went down your spine and your body felt hot. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up as you held eye contact with him. His face seemed to relax for a second. You relaxed yours as well, your lips parting slightly as you squinted in suspicion. In the silence of the night, you stood face to face with your enemy and for once, you didn't feel angry.

You quickly cleared your throat and broke your gaze from him.

"Regardless of who started it," you began, taking a cautious step back, "I may have gone too far..." Kaeya scoffed and stood up straight.

"I'll say," he said, pausing slightly before continuing, "But... so did I." You locked eyes again and silence settled upon the two of you.

"Are you even going to remember this tomorrow?" you asked accusingly. His bold laugh rang out in the quiet Mondstadt streets.

"Always with the questions..." he muttered. Suddenly he extended the silver flask out to you.

"Here," he said, "you smell like you need this more than I do." You hesitated, causing Kaeya to roll his eyes.

"It's not poisoned. I just drank out of it," he joked, slapping it into your chest as he took a few shaky steps past you. You grabbed the flask and took swig. The strong alcohol burned your throat. You turned back to watch Kaeya walk away, thinking about that strange feeling.

"What the fuck was that?" you whispered to yourself.