ೃ⁀➷ kaeya alberich x gender neutral reader

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"(Y/N), would you do me a favor and check on Kaeya?"

It was a mistake agreeing to it.

You grumbled, your clothes soaking wet from fighting a Hydro abyss mage. The pale yellow cape that draped over your shoulder was weighing you down -- 'note to self, always remove it before battles.' You thought, wrapping the heavy piece of cloth around your waist. This was all the stupid cavalry captain's fault. Surely he had a good excuse for sneaking into the Whispering Woods at midnight, without word too. Even though you wanted to turn back, stop by Angel's Share to warm up, and ramble about his antics to Diluc, you couldn't bring yourself to turn down Jean. She was far too kind for you to dismiss, which only bothered you even more.

The distant sound of footsteps approaching shook you from your thoughts. Blade unsheathed once again, you got in stance and eyed the towering silhouette that got closer. "Who goes there?" You called out into the darkness. The figure held up their hands in defeat and chuckled. "Kaeya, you...!" You hissed as you watched him appear from the shadows.

"Someone got caught up with an abyss mage, huh?" He smirked, pushing your sword down. Looking away, you huffed and made your way to the exit of the woods. He followed closely behind. "My, you're soaked, (Y/N)." he chuckled, staring at your dripping wet attire. "What the hell were you doing in there? All the knights were worried sick." You groaned. "I don't know, doing the heroic deeds that our beloved honorary knight would." He hummed nonchalantly.

Kaeya stopped for a moment and eyed you, a tiny grin forming on his face. "Oh? Did you maybe come to look for me? Is that why you're so worked up?" You rolled your eyes in response. "Just keep going." You grumbled and grabbed his hand, tugging him all the way back to Mondstat. Jean was waiting outside, arms crossed and gazing at Kaeya in disappointment. "Going into the woods to escape your responsibilities now, are we?" She sighed. Kaeya laughed, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Not at all. I'm just glad my little sweetheart here bothered to come save me." He cooed, pulling you closer. "I see." Jean replied, shaking her head and walking away.

You were baffled. Sweetheart? Since when did Kaeya use those kind of nicknames for you? "Who're you calling sweetheart, you annoying abyss mage incarnate?"

He looked down at you, his eyes piercing through yours. It was almost intimidating - he stared at you so earnestly, as if he was screaming 'you'. That didn't, however, distract you from the fact you had to go fetch him from god knows where, for some reason you don't know of. Instead of returning his deep gaze, you narrowed your eyes at him. "You can tell me what you were doing there." You said, gently removing his hand from your shoulder. He stood up straight and laughed nervously. "I'm... sorry?"

"I asked you what you were doing, not to apologize."

"I know, but do I really need to tell you? I don't want to swallow my pride."

You didn't reply and glared at him in return. "Alright, alright." He mumbled, looking down in shame. "I just wanted to protect you." He sighed in defeat as you stared in confusion. "What do you mean?" You asked intently, trying to comprehend the situation. He hesitated, opening his mouth but pursing it into a thin line moments after. "I- Well, I overheard some treasure hoarders during an expedition,"

"They were talking about a buried treasure somewhere near your camp. They would dig for it tonight, that is, until I decided to step in." He trailed off, searching for a reaction from you. You paused for a second before lightly hitting his arm. "I wasn't even there."

"I'm aware! But what if you went to rest or hunt? I couldn't be sure," he protested, taking your hands. "I did this to prevent any danger from coming to you. In the end, this was all for you, (Y/N)." His words were genuine. His soft, perhaps loving gaze was enough for you to tell that this idiot was serious. You battled an abyss mage in the end anyways, but somehow, his efforts weren't for nothing. With a soft sigh, you embraced him. "Thank you for looking out for me." you whispered into his chest. He laughed lightly, combing his fingers delicately through your hair. "It's no problem, sweetheart."

"Who said you could call me that?"

"Hey, don't I deserve to after proving my dedication to you? You're being really unfair right now!"

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ׂׂૢ word count : 784

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