Chapter Text
Kaeya remembers those days all to well. From him and his father running through the gates of Khaenri'ah, to being told those terrible words, to all the days he spent hiding in fear, to being found and to the day he made his decision.
Infact, what he's currently doing feels very much alike one of the events that had caused him to be found in the first place.
In all fairness, the rain had made it practically impossible to hear them coming. So Kaeya, as he usually does, blames the environment for the current injury he's dragging along.
It's nothing bad, he tells himself. Just an arrow in his ankle. He does however tell himself that that Hilichurl had way to good aim, hitting an almost perfect shot from so far away making it possible for the rest of the Churls to come closing in.
He wonders why they managed to set up camp this close to the Winery anyway - surely Diluc would've taken them out by now.
Ah, Diluc. So much has changed ever since he told him everything. They may no longer get along as well as they used to, but Kaeya can't help but just know that if something.. or someone tried to kill him, Diluc would be there in seconds saving his ass from his bitter end.
In the distance, he sees the Winery's Statue of the Seven. A sigh of relief escapes his lips, because that arrow has become more of a pain in the ass as he kept walking. Exhaustion slows him down aswell; so many Knights have gotten sick recently, and he had chosen to cover up their work for them.
Doing the work of 3 people alongside his own however turned out to be alot harder than he thought it would be. Running from one area to the next just to make it to the next commission in time. If Diluc knew he'd been overworking himself this much, he'd probably start a lecture that would sound like Crepus telling him off whenever he and Diluc committed, what they used to call, a crime.
The thought brings a smile to his face. It's been a few years since that incident. That day that changed everything between him and his brother. Yet he knows he did this to himself, and will continue to believe so unless proven otherwise.
Thoughts aside, he finally reaches the Statue, pulls the arrow out of his ankle, and rests his hand against it. The effects are almost immediate, as the Statue heals the injury as best it can. He sits down and leans against it.
He can rest for just a little while.
It gives him time to think a little more. Yes, this is very familiar to that time he got chased by a Mitachurl in the rain, and then proceeded to fall of a cliff and break his knee. It's how Crepus had found him- lying on the floor, completely still.
Good thing he hasn't fallen of the cliff yet then, eh? He chuckles. He doesn't particularly feel like breaking a bone today. The arrow is more than enough.
He lets his mind wander to something that was more recent. Not as recent as one may believe, but the day he finally decided he'd stay at the Winery was still something oh so special to him.
It was early in the morning, birds chirping waking him up for once instead of a very loud and very excited Diluc. Confusion had filled him; Diluc always woke him up, so what was the occasion?
When he got out of bed, dressed himself and made sure his hair didn't look to messy, he had made his way downstairs. Considering he could, now. His leg had finally fully healed.
"Suprise!" Was yelled as soon as he got to the top of the staircase. Everyone was standing around the main dining table. There was cake, balloons, decorations-
What the hell was going on?
"...What is all this?" He asks, nervously, unsure, because truly, what is this? He never had something like this back in Khaenri'ah.
"Weeeell, I remembered you said you don't know your birthday, so I took it upon myself to pick one out for you!" Diluc says, with all the energy he was just missing this morning.
"Oh." He voices out, dumbfounded. "When is it?"
"Today. Right now. Happy birthday!" Is the reply he gets, Diluc running up the stairs just to drag him down them.
"Oh. Okay." He's not entirely sure how birthdays really work. But he's read that things like this do happen. There's gifts, too, he sees. He wonders what's inside them.
"You know those are for you, right? That means you're the one who opens them." The redhead pushes him to them when he sees Kaeya stare at them. Kaeya sighs, but gives in.
He opens them, one by one. There's toys, books, a horse plush, a wooden sword, so he can finally play fight with Diluc, and...
...adoption papers?
The room falls silent as he looks at the piece of paper. Now, he knows what an adoption is. He's read and learned what the word means.
But that would mean, that they want him here, doesn't it? It was the final border between him and his own decision.
Would they want me?
But this piece of paper says it all. If Crepus truly went through all the trouble to get this, then it means they want him to stay here. And to join their family.
Family. He's missed having one.
He wonders what his father would think. Would he want him to find a new family? Afterall, he's supposed to save them all, isn't he?
..but that doesn't matter now, does it? He's a child. ...Future Kaeya can deal with this.
He turns to Crepus. They want him. He wants them. It's okay to be selfish.
"Is...this..really?" He stutters, when did he start crying?
Crepus is with him in seconds, hugging him, picking him up. "It is, Kaeya. If you want to, we'd love to be your family."
And from then on, Kaeya Alberich was a distant memory - Kaeya Ragnvindr was more known, at least for that time.
He opens his eyes, not remembering when they closed, but he doesn't care either way. His head feels heavy, and truly, that lack of exhaustion from the overwork really tired him out. He had been so stressed he barely slept at all.
He looks up, not only at the Statue, but also the sky. The rain seems to have lessend while he zoned out.
The pain from the arrow has reduced itself to just a sting, and he releases a heavy sigh. He's soaked through and should probably go home before he gets sick, but at the same time his body feels so heavy that this spot seems nearly perfect for a nap.
He slumps against the Statue and closes his eyes. Yes, a nap would suit him now. With all the memories swirling through his head, it's fine to dream of them.
The sound of the rain is, despite the pain it brought, a currently calming sound as he drifts off.