#ccaptain

Everything's fine! Look, he can even get up.

...

Huh.

Inside, he has accurately tucked something that Albedo helped him with: it seems like just a colorful box, perhaps for crayons, at first. But, when shaken, it starts to send off sparks- harmless little things that do some good noise but don't burn anything.

Klee's gift for her birthday, courtesy of Kaeya, is plausible deniability.

@ccaptain ♡ ( late ) KLEE'S BIRTHDAY! ♡ ( not ) accepting

Little Klee was spending time in the small but lovely room conjured up by her dear mother. As always, Alice loves to spoil her daughter even when she's not there, which reassures Klee that she's loved by her mother. The girl, hearing new footsteps approaching, turned her head towards the door, and what another adorable surprise! Kaeya! Her favorite guardian, someone with whom she always felt safe and comfortable. Her whole being sparkled—like a little spark the moment she saw him. She also rose from the ground, intrigued by the strange but interesting box in his hands.

"Educational?" Klee repeated this with a slight difficulty in her voice. It's not that she doesn't like clever things—but it would be new for her to receive something like that from Kaeya. She'd be more likely to receive it from Big Brother Albedo or Jean. Despite everything, she trusts him and knows he won't hurt her, so her little hands quickly untied and pulled on the appropriate items. She was very surprised when she heard strange, familiar sounds—as if they were her little bombs! Her hands quickly threw the box onto the floor. Nothing exploded. Huh.

She looked at it, and only then did she realize what her beloved guardian had done. This was worse than a lie, this was betrayal.

"Hey! Uncle! What is this stupid box you gave me? I thought I'd get something nicer for my birthday… And it wasn't educational at all!!" Klee, feeling slightly angry, kicked him in the leg—of course she did, that's the punishment for laughing at Klee.

"I'm not getting you anything for your birthday, believe me." The offended girl turned her back on him.

The scent that lifts from the mug is simply mouthwatering: the steam clings around his face and lashes delicately, familiar and appreciated. The mug of hot chocolate is sipped, a low sound of appreciation coming out of him. " It's delicious, ma'am, " he says warmly, almost as the beverage. " You must be reading my mind, as I am an hot chocolate fiend. "

The woman laughs, crows feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes: there's a sliver of silver in her auburn air, yet she still looks strong and loud. Strong and loud is also a very good definition of how Kaeya was welcomed in the village, with his presence recognizes by a loud, familiar gasp and a full-body tackle given by Teucer truly, who shrieked his name loud enough to startle a few fishermen nearby. He was welcomed back warmly, with Tonia's curiosity and Anton's wanting far away gossips, that he finds himself at the family table, his luggage resting snugly in Childe's old room as the matron of the family insisted he has something nice to drink.

Of course he said yes. Between having brought several toys for the children and a nice list of Mondstadtian recipes for Childe's mother, an array of nice, shapely bottles have been placed in front of the man of the house, Kaeya's silky voice explaining to him how Childe has talked about his illness in detail to him, and he decided to talk about it with a colleague of his- a renowed alchemist who, after some studies, decided to send the poor ex-adventurer some remedies catered precisely to aid him when the symptoms flared up. He was studied as he decanted the properties of each potion, parroting Albedo's words dutifully, and he felt like he had provided something of value when his extremely thoughtful offer was accepted.

But he isn't there for the children, no. Nor for the mother or the ill father, absolutely not. He's here for that knock on the door, announcing a presence that should be familiar enough to waltz into the cottage undisturbed, and instead uses politeness to prepare his own family for the return of something... unpleasant.

But the presence at the door is so sweet, so achingly beloved to Kaeya, that he cannot possibly think any of these maddening thoughts.

'' Ah, there he is, '' is murmured, this time almost warmly. '' Go right ahead, surprise him something fierce. '' It's the reunion between two lovers that cancels the subtle fear, a gesture towards the door from the matron of the house accompanied with a smile encouraging him to go, go meet what used to be her son, and make warmth flood those dead eyes of his.

His skin is humming with anticipation. With a nod and a smile that's more like a flushed grin, he strides, purposeful, towards the door, and tugs it open to see his beloved Childe with a suitcase, proudly returning home, and how could his smile not widen at the sight? How could his pupil not blow wider, how could he not feign being pleased with himself for the startle he will give him?

'' Hi, love. Surprise! I thought I'd swing by for the birthday of someone special- you! ''

the days blur together in snezhnograd as the eternal cold only relents on rare occasions, encasing everything inside as they are. Tartaglia is not sure how long it's been since he ventured past the wintry borders, save for the exceptions born from missions strictly related to Her Majesty's projects. The warmth of his home and the idyllic sights of Mondstadt are kept in his memory and heart, held onto for if when he's released from duty.

Or on special dates, though the meaning of special eludes him at times.

He's come before the throne to request temporary leave this time. It's unprecedented, but the letter he's received, often signed by his sister and now bearing his mother's name, couldn't have made his audience with the Tsaritsa come sooner. And from this he's granted a short vacation no longer than a week, enough so his birthday can be duly honored in the company of his family.

The proposal alone softens the stiff lines of his expression. Where his posture had been kept strict, trained taut, it finds room to relax in the cabin of the express taking him back to his home city.

He could drown in the bittersweetness of it all, in the anticipation keeping his sleep few and far between. He can count, through all these years, the times this truly felt like a day worth celebrating instead of mourning. So when he knocks on the door, it's still done with a measured degree of hesitation.

Tartaglia stands at the doorstep with more luggage than he's left with — and were the tallies on the calendar not unquestionable by the bounties of time itself, this many gifts to others could've rendered the justification for his leave fraudulent.

When he comes back home, Tonia is usually the first he sees and the first he sweeps into a spinning embrace before bracing for Teucer's weight as the boy leaps onto his back. Their reunion is always so unruly. It's loud, raucous, and warm. So very warm.

So what happens this time is not what Tartaglia's prepared himself for at all.

When the door swings open, the sight stuns him.

Kaeya appears as if pulled from a dream: fond, proud and… there. How is he there? Just as importantly: does it matter?

A myriad of questions flood Tartaglia's mind, none surviving the moment. Kaeya is here, and that alone is everything.

❛ Oh. ❜ It's all he can readily manage. Anything more eloquent belongs to all other moments where Tartaglia, the Eleventh Harbinger of Snezhnaya, stands unshakable, not ones where he’s cracked open like this.

A laugh scrapes out of his throat. More akin to a small croak startling him to how raw he suddenly feels. Kaeya's face wavers too quickly, the light bending wrong through Tartaglia's stinging eyes.

He lifts a hand, the weight of his suitcase insignificant in his hold and dangling clumsily as he rubs the back of his wrist against one eye before the other.

Another jagged sound escapes him. ❛ Oh, Kaeya. ❜ And as his guard drops completely, so does everything else. This is the only way his arms can wrap around Kaeya impossibly tight, without restraints.

@ccaptain.

without missing a beat the offered salmon was taken from kaeya’s hand and bit into unceremoniously. was it sushi grade ? hardly. this particular fish had been a strong swimmer, its meat tough, and would have required quite the talented chef to dissect and debone this specimen. dan heng’s dragon teeth still sliced through it quite easily, chewing on the piece absently while mirroring kaeya’s expression.

he had to give the entity props, he was doing a magnificent job of imitating him. he didn’t even look like he was three seconds away from imploding with laughter. dan heng then moved to hand back the bitten-into salmon, his razor - like dragon teeth glamoured with cloudhymn once more. the place where he had bitten into the fish was now exposed with all the miniscule fish bones sticking out of the flesh, fish meat that dan heng had consumed without a second thought.

"Uncle, can I bomb it instead of eating the carrot? I think that'll be the most powerful way to get through to him, to show him my hatred for taking you away from me."

Klee stared at the new, clean carrot, wondering what she should do. Of course, she understood that he loved this Ginger and shouldn't act like that, but she still felt a slight pang of jealousy. Especially since they hadn't spent so much time together. "I can never catch you alone and it pisses me off."

Send "✦ + a question " and my muse has to answer honestly.

Ashveil  offers  a  warm,  patient  smile,  his  head  tilting  just  enough  to  betray  a  flicker  of  confusion.  Grandpa?  It's  not  entirely  inaccurate.  Not  by  age,  at  least.

"Oh?"  A  soft  chuckle  escapes  him.  "Sharing  a  meal  with  the  younger  generation  adds  a  certain..."  He  pauses,  tapping  a  finger  thoughtfully  against  his  chin  before  slipping  effortlessly  into  Spanish.  "¿Cómo  se  dice...?  Ah!  Umami."

His  smile  widens,  laugh  lines  settling  comfortably  at  the  corners  of  his  eyes.

“Those  rascals  have  a  remarkable  talent  for  turning  even  the  simplest  of  meals  into  something  memorable”  He  gives  an  amused  shrug.  "But  never  dull.  So  yes,  I  quite  enjoy  dining  with  them."

His  gaze  narrows  ever  so  slightly  at  Kaeya.  The  genial  warmth  never  leaves  his  face,  but  there  is  a  knowing  glimmer  behind  it  now.

“...Why  do  you  ask?”  Ashveil  folds  his  arms  loosely  across  his  chest,  one  brow  arching  with  quiet  suspicion.

"I  smell..."  He  takes  an  exaggerated  sniff  of  the  air  before  smiling  again.  “...  something  nefarious  around  you.” 

Kaeya: That was just in poor taste

Pantalone: Ah, was it? I'd say the same about hypocrisy, but I find it remarkably riveting, in fact. [Proceeds to voice his distaste for the gods]

@ccaptain ⊹ prompt ⊹ ''what if they kissed?'' hsr kaeya and lohen.... gimme

             it was all tongue and lips and teeth. Sloppy, paced not with desperation but with an unparalleled desire for dominance. Lohen had seized Kaeya abruptly, his fingers coiled around the tie holding the Enigma's locks into his pretty little hairdo, and wrist tensed just enough to tug his head back in a perfect angle.

Kaeya's first mistake was thinking he could simply sit in his rocking chair and relax; his second, allowing Lohen to take liberties with their manners of affection.

The knight had then reached from behind, the upper half of his body leaning over and around Kaeya and enclosing him with a greedy focus. The chair creaked under the shift, tilting back as Lohen pulled in until it was angled for ease of access to his boyfriend.