Chapter Text
Chapter I: Pavo Ocellus
Yawning Lion
If someone would have told Kaeya that he would return to his childhood home as the husband of Mond’s Uncrowned King, only to later on become a father to a child left in their care by a Seelie — he would have poured them another drink and ask them to spin a drunkard’s tale. Surely, such a farfetched dream could only be conjured up by an ale-addled mind, a mad one or a romantic. Three types very common to Mondstadt. Nevertheless, it would be one for the books, and a possible installment to the well-known series which also found a home on the shelves in the Ragnvindr Estate.
A tale that should not have been in the hands of a little boy.
Certainly not his boy who was nosing about in his father’s study, standing on a small stool dragged carelessly across the pristine, varnished wood floors.
Kaeya eyed a trail of dirt leading to an offending pair of boots left by the ornate desk. Likely where the boy had stripped them from his feet before he made his ascent up the stool's spindly rungs. Watching from the doorway, the corner of Kaeya's lips twitched upward as his little lion cub thumbed through the pages of the first volume of A Drunkard’s Tale.
Its maroon cover spilled across tiny hands, thick binding embossed with a golden curling artwork surrounding vibrant green leaves with grape vines purpling beneath the boy’s splayed fingers. Kaeya bit back a snicker as red eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pursed in a cute imitation of another redhead he knew would not be happy to find their little lion awake so late.
Lifting his hand, Kaeya rapped against the door’s frame and whistled. Lips pulled back in a grin as the boy’s head bobbed up, twin stars fixating upon Kaeya where they were lost amidst a red and blue ombré reminding him of the sky at dusk.
Pushing off the wall with his shoulder, Kaeya hummed while he strolled over, “Now, I may be wrong but I distinctly remember tucking you…” The boy’s eyes widened with delight as Kaeya brought his arms around him, bouncing him up into a squealing giggly caress. The warm, golden tones of his bronze skin heightened with a cool dusky pink bringing out asterisms of freckles scattered across his cheeks. Kaeya smiled at the squeaks of laughter bubbling out from such a little body, burying a kiss against his forehead as he growled playfully, “In.”
He wormed the book out of the boy’s slackened grasp, glancing over the golden wine glass and its half-filled brew. His boy draped his arms over his shoulders. Cool fingertips brushing against his nape while he settled, cheek pressed against the flat of Kaeya’s shoulder. Tucking him closer to body, Kaeya set the book down on the desk then lifted the stool to bring it back to its proper place.
“Now, what would you want to read that for?”
It was a juggling act to look his son in the eyes. Once the boy latched on to a preferred spot to cuddle, he hardly wanted to relinquish his position. But once Kaeya could get him to loosen his hold - he was met with roving eyes, bright in their inspection of everything they could glean. There were moments he wondered if a part of the wanderlust seelies were known for remained in his son. But then his boy glanced his way, and the fluffy red hair curling messily at its tips reminds him of who his other father is.
Adventure was in a Ragnvindr’s blood, just as chaos was in Kaeya’s own. If there was any trace of the by-forgotten race of wisps still within their son, then it was the moments they treasured with him.
But that was a thought for another time, he thought as his son’s mouth parted for a wide yawn showing the small fangs which earned him the nickname —
“Little lion,” Kaeya mused as he bumped his nose against his son’s twitching one, ruffling the back of his hair. “Caelus.”
At the sound of his name, Caelus perked up and tipped his head to one side. Kaeya arched a brow then waited until his son gasped.
There it was.
“Klee-jiejie said that Papa doesn’t like that juice that makes people stupid.”
Kaeya held back an undignified snort. “Yes, but he sells it quite well. Did your jiejie tell you to read this to know why Papa doesn’t like it?”
Caelus’ head bobbed in a serious nod, nose scrunched cutely as he pressed his hands to Kaeya’s jawline. “Don’t drink any of Papa’s stupid juice, Daddy.”
Kaeya chuckled, bouncing him again. “Oh, and why’s that? I happen to like my drinks very much, you know.”
Caelus’ response to that was a narrow-eyed world weary look, as if he couldn’t believe he had to explain himself. “It’ll make you stupid, and you’re not stupid.”
He smiled gently, softened somewhat by his child’s blatant belief in him. “I’m not, am I?” Kaeya scooped up the book and hiked Caelus up on his hip, head tipped forward so that he practically headbutted Kaeya’s chin while nosing against his neck with a happy hum.
“Nuh-uh,” a brief paused follow and Kaeya felt Caelus’ exclaim breathily, “Right papa?”
Eye widened slightly, Kaeya spun on his heel to find Diluc standing in the doorway with his arms folded loosely. An amused quirk to the corner of his lips as he tipped his head, eyes sliding to one side and from the brief lift of a brow, Kaeya knew he noticed the dirt trail. Fond exasperation flickered across crimson eyes as Diluc murmured, "Let me think.."
Caelus was abuzz with renewed energy, reaching over Kaeya’s shoulder for Diluc who crossed the room to scoop him out of Kaeya’s embrace with a side-long glance shared between them. There would be questions later on how the dirt came to be when they'd just tucked the boy in, but that was for later.
“Stupid juice doesn’t work on him,” Diluc explained in a matter-of-fact tone that if Kaeya didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was being serious. Caelus drank in the words anyway and the sheer relief on his face made it difficult for Kaeya to argue. It was sweet that he was that worried for him after all. Though he flicked a glance of curiosity to Diluc who smiled wryly at him. Neither of them would speak on Kaeya's own tolerance, not with Caelus, until he was of age that is.
“Because Daddy’s too smart, right?”
Diluc hummed then turned on his heel with a light hike of the shoulder. “Something like that.”
Kaeya scoffed, shaking his head as he followed them into the hall then slung his arm around Diluc’s shoulders. Caelus’ hair parted between his fingers when Kaeya ruffled it until the boy's bangs fell over his eyes in a red veil. Diluc brushed his hair back from his eyes then picked at the ends.
“What happened to your hair tie?” Diluc asked him. Caelus shrugged and Kaeya snickered, ignoring Diluc’s slight glare. When his attention fell to the book in Kaeya’s hand, Diluc raised a brow. “Why do you have that?”
“I think it would be a suitable bedtime story for our little lion,” Kaeya said, smiling at Caelus. “A cautionary tale of knowing one’s limitations and admitting them.”
Diluc huffed. “I believe a bigger lion could stand to learn that lesson himself.”
“Mm, and an old wolf could too.”
Caelus looked between them confusedly, pouting a little. Maybe his jiejie was wrong, adults didn’t have to drink stupid juice to be stupid or silly — sometimes it just happened. But then his papa smiled at his daddy, and he smiled too.
Being a little silly wasn’t that bad.