𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 (𝐊𝐚𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐱𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

Chapter 12: When I Called You Kaeya

After leaving the tavern, you headed back to your room to prepare for your first working day as a Knight. The reconnection with Kaeya felt like a soothing, gentle breeze on a humid summer day, nevertheless this did not distract you from your duties. You had tirelessly pursued this dream, to give back to the place that welcomed you with open arms...not only that, Mondstadt and its' free nature assured you, that you could bid your fear goodbye, and in its' place would be possibilities, opportunities, and your rebirth. 

Standing in front of your mirror, you smiled confidently at your outfit. Compared to the shreds of worn silk fabric you wore back home, this was luxury. Your e/c eyes wandered over each aspect, from the ebony long sleeve top, to your black and red-streaked protective jacket, and finally rested at your black cargo trousers, pockets containing various knives and vials of liquid. Tying your hair back, you embraced your newfound courage, and dashed out of the room to Jean's office.

"Ah, Y/N, right on time." Jean greeted with a small smile as you entered her office. You smiled back to her, whilst your eyes scanned the room. Chaotic as usual, you chuckled internally. Noticing the corner of the room, you felt warmth inside as you smiled at Kaeya, who was sitting on a plush-velvet sofa with ease.

"I'll take over from here, Jean. Please, do focus on your other tasks that require addressing," the Captain spoke as he rose from the sofa, and strolled over to you. Casually putting his arm around you, Kaeya directed both of you out of Jean's office; the contact between you two and the closeness was reminiscent of the night at the tavern, causing you to shake your head.

"What's wrong Y/N? Surely you are still looking forward to today? It would be a shame if a strong woman such as yourself backed out of the Cavalry," Kaeya smirked at you, before taking in your chosen Knight outfit, his gaze roaming your body. As for you, you spluttered in laughter at his blatancy.

"No, not at all! I definitely know how important I am, who knows - I may even be the defining person in the Cavalry someday!" you chuckled, even more so when Kaeya's smirk widened into a smile of approval.

"I did not take you for a competitive person, Y/N."

"There's many aspects of me that would surprise you, Captain." you continued, enjoying this new-found playful banter. "Anyway, what are the tasks for today?"

"The first task is to fulfil this bounty," Kaeya began, gazing at you with a glimmer of intrigue as he spoke. "Bounties usually entail tracking down clues at the reported location, and then once we have a lead, we follow it."

You nodded, liking the sound of clues and solving this mystery.

As you and Kaeya set off to track down the bounty, the route taken to leave Mondstadt reminded you of the last time the two of you ventured together...and how painfully that ended too. You looked ahead at Kaeya, who led the way with a confident stride, and wondered whether the same thing was running through his mind too. A sigh escaped from your lips, as you internally chided yourself for overthinking so much.

"Talk to me Y/N. Is everything alright?"

Kaeya had paused, instead turning around to check on you, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Everything is fine, Captain. I guess I feel slightly disappointed at how such a beautiful place is plagued with such monsters," you rambled, looking beyond towards the sky-blue horizon.

Resuming his pace to be alongside you, Kaeya nodded in agreement.

"Plagued with sinners, that's all they are," his silky voice growled quietly. You shivered slightly at the sudden change in tone, as well as the fall in the temperature. Focusing elsewhere, you marvelled at the canopy of trees, as well as the steep, mysterious mountains ahead. The two of you maintained an equal and brisk pace, silently traversing the rocky grounds. Eventually the silence was broken.

"Now that we have arrived, we need to look for clues; a broken plant, footprints, anything out of the ordinary. I will look in this half, whilst you can analyse the other half." Kaeya gestured to the separate halves.

"Sounds good, Captain!" you smiled and turned to your half to begin investigating, but was greeted with Kaeya, who had stepped over to face you again. A mischievous glint danced in his eyes as he leaned in closer to you, a sly smile curling at the corners of his lips. You could feel the air between you two become frosty, yet this contrasted with the heat on your cheeks. In a low, seductive tone, Kaeya whispered, "You know Y/N, when we're alone like this, you can call me Kaeya." His words hung in the air, as you felt the connection between the two of you strengthen, although you internally rolled your eyes at his so-called charm. You had to confess, it suited him extremely well, and it felt warm to experience first-hand too. Your blushing intensified as Kaeya's proximity increased, backing you into the birch tree behind you, with one arm trapping you in slightly. You were caught by this sudden closeness, yet you didn't know how you felt about this. Your mind recalled Dainsleif's warning to not become too close to Kaeya, yet the rest of you danced with anticipation. 

As your eyes locked with his, you mustered a sweet smile.

"I'm sure I can do that for you Kaeya, you are my Captain after all," you responded, your tone resonating confidence and amusement. Stepping aside slowly away from the tree, you effortlessly resumed your search for clues, a lingering smile playing on your soft lips. As minutes passed, the two of you seamlessly searched for clues. As you reached the end of your half, there was a tiny brown pile - it looked furry.

"Aha! Kaeya, I found something!" you exclaimed in victory. Eyes fixated on the fur, you could hear Kaeya smoothly shuffling over. As he knelt down next to you, he examined the fur closely.

"It belongs to a mitachurl, and luckily for us," Kaeya gestured ahead to a brown trail of fur, "we have a solid lead."

A cold voice sneered. 

"Oh? Is that so, Alberich?"