Work Text:
There was sunlight when he woke; but it was thin, blushing gold, the earliest shade of dawn the winter day had to offer.
It would be cold outside today, too.
It couldn’t touch him where he was.
In bed, hidden under a fluffy blanket, wrapped up in Childe’s arms, who was still sleeping soundly.
Spoiled Fatui Agent.
With his head on his pillow, Kaeya blinked.
The blanket had slipped down and revealed Childe’s shoulder.
Reluctantly, he peeled a hand away from the other’s ribcage - steadily rising and falling with the ginger’s breathing - and brought it up to cover him again, not wanting him to get a cold shoulder.
With his palm already over the skin, he paused.
The morning light had Childe glowing like few other things managed.
It caught in the wispy ends of his orange hair, dipped them in pure gold, and it spilled over the exposed skin, outlining every tiny freckle the summer sun had left after kissing his bare shoulders during endless hours of sword practice.
And now it was him pressing kisses there, feather light and soft as the flutter of butterfly wings.
One kiss for every freckle he discovered, time and time again.
Further and further his lips went, until he was leaning over the other, holding himself up while his hand, initially meaning to cover them both fully, was now pushing down the blanket, to allow him access to more and more.
“Kaeya,” Childe whispered, and his voice was raspy from sleep. “Kaeya, that- Tickles-"
And he giggled.
It was a small, short sound, but it was enough to have Kaeya pause and look back.
Childe’s eyes were open now, watching him, narrowed against the brightness of the room.
“Do you want me to stop?” The knight raised an eyebrow.
The ginger stretched his neck and settled back, deeper into the cushion.
“Never said that… ?”
A smug little smile stole on his face, and then it abruptly broadened into a grin, almost a laugh already when Kaeya dove down and started to attack his face now.
“N- Kae-! Sh-”
He struggled a little, turning his head this and that way, but there was no escape.
The knight had sat down on his middle, and with two hands firmly holding his face in place, there was no way not to look into the icy blue of his iris.
A breathless, fuzzy moment long neither of them moved.
And then Kaeya leaned forward, and Childe closed his eyes, fully expecting more smooches to his cheeks or a proper kiss for once.
Was surprised when he felt soft lips touching his neck, once, twice, thrice. Gave into the touch when those rough hands gently turned his head sideways, and the kisses trailed down the side of his throat.
The air between them was so warm.
Until Kaeya leaned back, hands to either side of Childe’s head, looking down on him so fondly, with so much open, unobstructed adoration, that it had a completely different blush rising to the ginger’s cheeks.
“There,” Kaeya said, smile only winning in warmth. “Missed a few. Now I got them all.”
Childe snuck his hands up, managed to trail them up Kaeya’s biceps and then down to the other's hips.
“You sure about that?” He could hear his own grin reflected in his voice, it was so obvious, he was so obviously full of love, and he didn’t find himself caring one bit.
“You’re right.” Kaeya deadpanned, alternated looking in each of Childe’s eyes. “You’re right, I might’ve missed one. I better go kiss every freckle of yours again, just to make sure.”
And finally, Childe’s laughter rang out, quiet, wary of the silent morning air, but music to Kaeya’s ears as the expanse of pale, warm, freckled skin unrolled in front of him.