Ode to the Dreamer

Coryn brought out the Windblume Lyre once in a while, but he had to admit, he wasn’t exactly great at playing songs from it. Hell, he was having enough trouble playing one beyond a few notes, but he supposed it was as good of a place to start. A single song played in full would be enough of an accomplishment for him at this rate.

Three notes, then another three, then four. After that, three sets of three, which he felt himself muttering to ensure the correctness of the notes. A hint of descent came next, before the notes rose again, and—

“That one song again, hm?”

Oops, there was a missed pluck from the interruption. Even so, Coryn glanced over at Kaeya, who was sitting down beside him. “Oh, uh...yeah.”

“You seem to be working very hard for this one song.” Kaeya chuckled. “I never did ask about it, but...since you have the lyre out...what are you trying to play, anyway?”

“I guess I was so busy trying to play it, that I’d never even mentioned what it was, huh?” The younger man laughed sheepishly, before allowing his gaze to fall on the lyre. “It’s called ‘The Ballad of the Wind Fish’...it’s from an old video game we had when I was a kid.”

“Wind Fish...? Earth certainly does get creative when it wants to be.”

“Yeah! The Wind Fish was basically this flying whale that had fallen into a deep sleep, but it was so powerful, it created a continent.” Coryn’s hand absently traced the wood base of the lyre. “In the game, you are a hero who washed on the shores of this ‘dream continent’, and you were trying to find some answers.”

“I don’t suppose, along the way, the hero falls in love with someone?” Kaeya’s voice was...pointed, in a way that Coryn couldn’t help but flick his gaze up at. “And, perhaps...the hero found a way out in that journey?”

“...uh...you’re getting kinda savvy there, but...yeah.”

“An interesting song to play, then, considering your own position.”

Coryn blinked, allowing Kaeya’s words to sink in, before waving his hands. “W-wait, it’s not like that! Besides, in the game, you had to collect eight instruments, and—”

“Relax, Coryn, I’m just picking on you.” Regardless, the Knight scooted closer, an arm easing behind Coryn’s back. “This song must mean a lot to you if you keep coming back to it.”

“It’s...also probably one of the easier songs I could manage on this lyre,” Coryn admitted. “And one of the ones whose instruments I could remember off the top of my head. No lyrics to keep track of, just the old chiptune sounds of our Game Boys to remember...”

There was a pause, even as Coryn glanced back down at the lyre. Now that Kaeya mentioned it, it felt a little too on the nose to remember such a song and focus on playing it here. He hoped he didn’t accidentally offend him...

“Have you thought about returning to Earth?” Kaeya’s voice was soft, even as the arm around Coryn seemed to pull him closer.

Coryn felt himself leaning into Kaeya, his hands folding over the lyre as he pondered over the question. Truthfully, besides joking around with Alex and answering the question of whence he came when it came up, he hadn’t really thought of Earth that much.

Teyvat was fulfilling in ways that Earth never could be, although he had to admit that Celestia did seem to adjust him to better fit the environment as well. The body he had on Earth certainly wouldn’t have been able to run as fast, survive the plunges, or keep up with everybody else here. Sure, he could’ve just been a normal person and been all right with that, but it seemed as if Teyvat itself knew that he wouldn’t have been satisfied with that.

“Not really,” he finally said, giving a soft sigh. “I...well, I’d hope there’s eventually a choice, if this isn’t a dream. Not that the song has anything to do with it, but...”

“...would you choose to stay here?” Kaeya’s free hand eased over one of Coryn’s own.

A laugh escaped the younger man, even as he leaned up to give Kaeya a kiss on the cheek. “In a heartbeat. I’d want nothing more than to stay in Teyvat.”

Kaeya leaned down in response, allowing both of their foreheads to touch and their eyes to lock. It wasn’t a perfect match, thanks to Kaeya’s eyepatch, but Coryn was long past the point of minding. “And for your sake, I’d love nothing more than for you to stay. Things would be rather boring without you.”

“Earth is rather boring compared to Teyvat, without monsters or magic or you.” Coryn’s grin eased into a small smile. “Even if this is a dream, I don’t think this silly video game song would wake this dreamer...remember, I’m a light sleeper.”

“True – you would’ve woken up much sooner if it was a dream, I suppose.” The older man kissed his forehead, before his gaze fell back on the lyre. “Now, how about that song? After I so rudely interrupted your practice...”

“Mmm, fuck the song. I can always pull out the lyre tomorrow or something...” Coryn shoved the lyre into his bag, before linking a hand with Kaeya’s free one. “It looks like my lyre practice so rudely interrupted my time with my prince, huh?”

Kaeya’s grin before their lips met was all the answer he needed for that question.