― "𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖐." ―
my eyes threatened to roll but i kept it in, not wanting to continue disrespecting a senior on my unofficial first day. however, it was hard to keep my tone away from being sarcastic and he was not making it any easier.
"alright, captain kaeya. may i please know where the dining hall is? i want to get some snacks, i'm starving." i said in a tone that proved to be less than appreciated. the smug look on his face faded, making me smile in satisfaction.
"i see you will be hard to deal with for the next month." he said with a sigh.
"so i've been told."
my father was especially strict with his training. compared to the others who are under his wing, i had a particular problem with pushing him over the line continuously, enjoying his groans of despair whenever i did something i shouldn't have. i got away with most of it, of course, being his adorable daughter who he just couldn't stay angry at.
kaeya pushed the door open, the blue strands of hair falling over his face and over his shoulder. to my surprise, he really was showing me the way. while beside me, his cologne tickled my nostrils. hm, smells nice. my eyes flickered up to his face. his side profile looks so good that i can barely deny it. he is attractive.
"can't help staring at my good looks?"
i scoffed at his words, flickering my eyes back to looking ahead. "as if. i was actually just curious about your eyepatch."
kaeya stifled a laugh, mumbling a 'sure, sure.' under his breath. afterwards, he just shrugged.
"are you cosplaying a pirate? can you do an 'arr'?"
i curved my finger in front of his face, imitating pirates i read about in those fairytale books. his face looked ticked off, which fed my bottle of happiness.
kaeya covered his mouth with his hand and looked down. i almost thought i had gone too far before i saw the subtle shaking of his shoulders.
"well, it adds a sense of mysteriousness, wouldn't you agree? the ladies love it." he said, followed by a wink. or a blink, who knows.
that was pretty funny. good job.
"the ladies must be running to the opposite direction."
"ouch, must you be so mean?"
"you are just talented in bringing out that side of me. i'm nice to everyone else."
"you do know i am your superior, right? i can write a bad review on you."
"oh, boohoo. i'll report you for power abuse."
"i do think i'm quite fair. look, i brought you to where you wanted to go."
i was too distracted to realise that we had reached the end of a corridor and was in front of a door. seeing the logo, i felt my blood pressure rise.
"this is–!"
"eat well, little miss recruit."
afterwards, he turned around, snickering uncontrollably. i glared at the nametag on the door. 'kaeya alberich - cavalry captain'. we had, actually, just taken a full circle around the building and ended up back at where we started.
i smiled, turning my hands into fists. his snickering didn't stop, making me increasingly angry as the seconds pass. "captain. kaeya."
he turned around, sticking his tongue out childishly before making a run for it. i followed his actions, taking off immediately. "i'm going to get back at you!"
"yeah, if you can catch me!" he turned his head momentarily, looking at my legs. "aren't you trying to catch me? hurry up, i'm almost walking here."
"i swear to the archons-"
"you two seem like you are getting along well." lisa perked up as she came out of a door. i stopped in front of her, wiping some sweat off my forehead. "as if. i feel my blood boiling each moment with him."
she laughs melodically, placing her hand on my shoulder and patting it. "that's how it always starts. jean and i were the same."
"how what started?"
she hummed, a teasing smile on her lips. "oh, nothing, nothing. anyway, it must be fun, but remember, no running in the hallways. jean will lecture your ears off otherwise."
kaeya slowed down to a jog and leaned on the wall. "oh, hello lisa. heading to the festival?"
she nodded, then poked his shoulder. "captain kaeya, you are meant to be responsible. no running here." kaeya only laughed with a mischievous look on his face, "think of this as a test, if you will. we are going to have to work together for a while after all, i need to analyse the chemistry beforehand, wouldn't you agree?"
i looked at him distastefully, which lisa broke out laughing at. "right, right. anyway, why don't you bring ysabelle outside to the festival? the fireworks event is starting soon."
_
i wasn't sure quite how this started, but soon, kaeya, or should i say, captain kaeya, managed to tear down my 'professional' barrier and made me lose my shit. my plan went into a complete reversal, but i should've predicted it from his cunning nature. i must've been insane to think that he would take my teasing silently.
it resulted in back and forth bickering, insults being thrown messily in the air all along the streets of mondstadt. the citizens stared at us with whispers, to which i returned with an apologetic gaze.
his way of speaking annoyed me. that being paired with his attractiveness pissed me off more. the world is unfair, putting such a face with that shit personality.
with my plan backfiring, i was starting to get annoyed at being challenged, no longer wanting to deal with him for the rest of the night.
"do you not know the definition of 'leave me alone'?" i spat, feeling like i was being followed by an annoying fly that wouldn't seem to just fuck off.
"aw. i'm hurt. you'd have to get used to me soon. we'll be working very closely together from now on."
i groaned, "just tell me where to find amber."
"hm, and why should i? you've been mean to me since earlier."
turning my lips in disgust at his faux cuteness, i mimicked a gagging motion.
"ew, why do you look like that?"
"what, like the most beautiful person you ever met?"
"i must've not met that many beautiful people then."
i rolled my eyes, huffing loudly. "i've had enough of you. tell me where the tavern is."
he laughed at my expression, giving me a nod. "fine, fine. i'll stop teasing you. i can't help it. your reactions are just too enjoyable. also, you started it."
i rolled my eyes. sadistic bastard. "and i'm ending it. now, bring me to the tavern."
he laughed again, clearly enjoying himself. i felt my eyebrow twitch, "i hate you."
"i hate you too. i can tell you're going to be a pain in the ass for the next month."
"good. i'll make it my life goal to get in your way as much as possible."
"the new knight doesn't seem to be scared of her superior, aye?"
i deadpanned. "you lost all my respect once you refused to apologize. my hip still hurts, you know."
"aww. would you like me to help? people in mondstadt tell me i'm an expert with my hands."
"even the elderly?"
he chuckled, eyes twinkling brightly under the streetlight. "that old woman right there? she's a sucker for these hands."
i scrunched my nose in distaste when he started to wiggle his fingers. "you're disgusting."
"sure, sure. keep having an attitude. who knows? you might just be begging for these fingers one day. to sign your appraisals, of course."
i ignored the double meaning. banners were hung everywhere and multiple stalls had lined up across the streets. it ranged from games, to food, to souvenirs and gifts and the once quiet street was bustling with energy.
"hey, new recruit. wanna test your luck?"
i turned to my side to see that kaeya was no longer by my side, but instead in front of a stall. when i looked behind him, i saw what he was referring to. it was one of the game stalls, the popular one where you try to shoot as many of the tiny circular objects, the trick being that the higher scores would be as small as a nail, therefore testing your ability to aim.
being highly competitive myself, i rolled my shoulders and walked up to him. i grabbed one of the guns and met with his cocky gaze, itching to slap it right off. i ignored him but felt the urge to win grow higher than ever.
losing to me will shut him up for good.
as i pulled the gun close to my chest, i closed one eye and started to aim. just before the owner gives the 'go' signal, i returned his cocky smirk with one of my own. he looked to be excited about the challenge too.
"don't push your luck."