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It was rare for Mondstadt to host a storm without clouds. But that was exactly what the air felt like today.
Tartaglia—no, Ajax—stood beside Diluc, hands casually folded behind his back, as if he hadn't just traveled halfway across Teyvat to spend a week with his boyfriend. His smile was sharp and boyish, something Diluc had already grown used to and, on more than one occasion, allowed to brush against the curve of his lips.
Diluc was leaning against the tavern's wall, they stood outside to get some air, away from the noises and the blinding lights, his red hair slightly tousled from the wind, expression calm. But the peaceful moment of quiet company was disrupted by familiar footsteps and a teasing voice.
“Well, well. You’re back earlier than expected, Master Diluc.”
Kaeya.
He approached holding a few folded sheets of paperwork, his stride confident and tone laced with that permanent smirk that never seemed to leave his voice. “Thought you’d at least take a day off after traveling. Can’t keep away from the tavern that badly, can you?”
Diluc glanced up, unsurprised. “And you clearly can’t keep away from pestering me.”
“Oche.” Kaeya chuckled.
Childe narrowed his eyes slightly. He'd heard about Kaeya from Diluc—just vague things, mostly annoyed grumbles about incompetence and chaos—but what struck him now was the casual intimacy in the way Kaeya stood close. The lightness in his voice, that familiar arrogance people used when they knew they had a certain charm.
Childe’s smile thinned.
He stepped forward, one pace—just enough to place himself between Kaeya and Diluc, not quite touching either of them but clearly asserting presence. His voice was perfectly polite, laced with charm and sharpness.
“I hope you're not mistaking this for something other than a business meeting,” he said with a tilt of his head, smiling. “Diluc doesn’t have time for games, especially not flirty ones. Best to keep things professional.”
Kaeya blinked, the shift in his face subtle—but there.
Then the corner of his mouth twitched, just slightly, into something tighter. Something colder.
There were many versions of Kaeya Alberich. The teasing knight, the unpredictable captain, the clever fox. But what emerged now was none of those.
It was something sharper. Something Diluc hadn’t seen before.
Kaeya took one slow step forward until his chest brushed Childe’s. Not aggressive. Just…challenging. His fingers rolled the edge of the papers in his hand, as if trying to keep them busy, keep them in control from doing something else.
“What if I am?” Kaeya said softly, head tilted, voice calm. But behind his calm was heat. “Flirting, I mean.”
Childe’s brows rose in clear challenge, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Then I’d ask you to reconsider that decision. Politely. Before things get ugly.”
Kaeya laughed—quiet and mirthless. “Do you think I get scared that easily?"
“I think anyone who disrespects my boyfriend should consider how much blood they’re willing to lose.”
Diluc finally stepped between them, voice cutting low. “Enough.”
But neither of them backed off.
Kaeya’s eye didn’t leave Childe’s. “You wanna go, pretty boy?" He didn’t bother clarifying, Didn’t say He’s my brother, didn’t say You’re mistaken. That would’ve been too easy, That would’ve meant backing down.
Kaeya didn’t back down.
Instead, he shoved the papers into Childe’s chest—not hard enough to hurt, but rough enough to insult. “Since you're so eager to guard him, why don’t you handle the reports for him too, Business, remember?” he said sharply, turning on his heel.
As he walked away, Childe could hear the barely-muttered curse under Kaeya’s breath. Something low and angry in another language. Something that made even Diluc blink with surprise.
“...He’s pissed,” Diluc muttered after a long beat.
Childe still had the papers in his hands, still staring at Kaeya’s back. “I noticed.”
He glanced sideways. “He always flirt like that with you?”
Diluc gave him a dry look. “That’s my.....brother.”
“Your—” Childe’s jaw slackened, eyes wide. “You’re telling me I just threatened your–uhh...brother?”
Diluc shrugged one shoulder, amused despite himself. “You’ll get along great.”
Childe groaned into his hands. “I’m never hearing the end of this.”
“Definitely not.”