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Diluc hovers over his best friend's sleeping face with a smug smile. He woke up first! Haha! Gently he shakes Kaeya and watches the navy-haired boy’s eyelashes flutter open.
“Nhng?”
“It’s Father’s Day,” he says and hands Kaeya his eyepatch. “We gotta get up now.”
“It’s what? Wait, what time is it?” The sun hasn’t even begun to rise and shine through the curtains and the night owls still can be heard hooting into the dark and distant night.
In lieu of an answer, he says, “Time for you to get up.”
Kaeya gives him a look as he rubs his good eye awake. “That’s not the time.”
“It’s really early,” the older concedes and begins to pull Kaeya out from under the covers. “But we gotta get up so we can make breakfast come on!”
“But,” Keaya begins as he gets tugged up and out of his room, “the maids and chef do that, don’t they?”
“Well normally yes but today is Father’s Day so I get to help make breakfast for daddy and now that you’re here we can do it together.”
Kaeya feels dumb but he’s got to understand. Hesitantly he asks, “Um, what exactly is Father’s Day?”
Stopping dead in his tracks, Diluc turns to look back at the young boy with disbelief in his eyes. “It’s the day you celebrate your dad of course! What else would it be?” He knew Kaeya hadn’t exactly had the most normal childhood prior to arriving at the winery but come on, it should be obvious right?
“Why do you need to celebrate your dad? He’s just some man.”
Diluc, face scrunched up in thought, doesn’t answer for a few minutes instead, taking it upon himself to get down to the kitchen and prepare. Kaeya assumes the topic has been dropped and follows suit. It’s not like he could get back to sleep anyway, not with all the questions buzzing in his head.
Adeline stands front and center at the kitchen island, her eyes shining bright despite the time. “Good morning young masters. I trust you have told Young Master Kaeya what today is?”
With a relaxing face, the boy nods vigorously. “I have.”
“Excellent,” she giggles at how illustrious the red-head looks. “As always I will be here to supervise you. Do not hesitate to call upon me for help.”
“I’m nine now,” Diluc says firmly, “I won’t need your help.”
“But Kaeya might,” she reasons. “After all this is new to him.
Kaeya looks at her wearily. He truly was out of place in Monstadt, wasn’t he? “I won’t need any help. I can do it. I’m seven now and I’m not dumb.”
She gives him a sigh and crosses her arms. “That’s not how I meant it. Well, nonetheless I am at your disposal if you find yourself in need.”
“It’s okay Adeline, you can basically take the day off! I’ve got this under control. I can teach him how to do it.”
“I’m sure you can,” she murmurs fondly and watches Diluc run around the kitchen to grab a selection of pots, pans, and other cookware.
He places what he’s collected out on a spread in front of Kaeya, excitement bustling off of him.
“Just one more thing,” he says and goes to get a particularly large iron pot. It’s much too gigantic for an eight-year-old boy and as he tugs it out from the cabinet it clatters to the ground with a resounding clunk causing Kaeya to jump into the air with surprise. Adeline doesn’t even blink. Diluc gives his brother a sheepish expression as an apology to which Kaeya sticks his tongue out at.
“Hush hush, you’re gonna wake Master Crepus up,” he scolds.
“I’m not gonna wake him up,” Diluc says as he picks the pot up from the kitchen floor. “He’s a heavy sleeper.”
“Nuh uh. No, he’s not.”
“Yes,” Diluc says with a stubborn tone, “he is. I’ve known him longer. I know he’s out like a light when he sleeps.”
Adeline doesn’t mention all the times Kaeya has had nightmares in the past year, causing Crepus’s sleep pattern and habits to change. Now the man is much easier to wake, sometimes even the slightest change in airflow will cause him to awaken and go to check up on the boys. In fact, he’s probably up now, waiting for his food while curled up pretending to be asleep.
Kaeya feels anger and he’s not sure why. “I know him well too!”
“You’re yelling,” Diluc tells him.
He doesn’t care “Master Crepus is a light sleeper!”
Diluc bits his lip. “Why are you yelling?”
Vaguely the head maid wonders if she ought to interfere. She’s not sure how this will play out and she’s not sure she wants to have to mediate a fight between the youths on such a joyfully calm holiday.
“I know him too,” Kaeya repeats with his hands in fists as he finds it harder to breathe. “He’s my-- Master Crepus is important to me too. I know him too.”
A warm, motherly hand meets Kaeya’s back and he feels himself relax as Adeline rubs calming circles.
With Adeline’s gaze on him, it clicks in Diluc’s mind as he watches Kaeya calm himself down and he rushes to apologize. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know he’s your dad too. I didn’t mean it like that, I promise.”
“He’s not my dad.”
With a funny expression, Diluc ignores him. “You asked why you would want to celebrate a father earlier, and I think you should stop thinking about your father who left you, and instead you should think about my dad, Master Crepus.”
“He got lost,” Kaeya tries. Adeline continues to rub circles on his back.
“He left you in a rainstorm to die,” Diluc says sternly. He makes it no secret he dislikes Kaeya’s birth father.
“Diluc,” Adeline admonishes him with just one stern word.
He’s clearly shaken up by her voice but he soldiers on. “I-I’m not taking it back, it’s true! He did! But it doesn’t matter because now you're here with me and dad and we take care of you way better, right?”
With unbridled honesty Kaeya finds himself blurting out, “You’re the best thing to happen to me, like ever.”
Diluc goes as flaming as his hair for a moment at the confession but the bright red embarrassment soon melts into pale pink pure affection. “Same. I feel the same. I was really lonely before you came, you’re basically like a little brother now.”
“I’m really grateful for you both,” he says in a hushed voice. “I hope you’ll let me stay even longer.”
“I told you already, you’re here to stay and you're like my brother. No getting rid of family.”
“We aren’t related,” Kaeya says.
“Who says?”
Kaeya shakes his head. “Look at us.”
“Oh,” Diluc considers the point but ultimately casts it aside. “I don’t care about that. There are plenty of people who look nothing like their family. Now let's get to work, yeah? We have a long morning ahead of us trying to make tea break pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember.”
Watching them open the recipe book and begin reading, Adeline feels extreme relief at the fact that she didn’t have to break up a fight between the two of them, or worse, a cry session. Usually, it ended in tears and the boys being unable to let go of each other wailing about how sorry they were to each other. She steps out of the kitchen and heads to the west wing where the housekeepers sleep, ready to instruct them for the day. Surely Diluc can handle her being gone for a mere twenty minutes, can’t he?
—
Workers have begun to filter through the house doing their daily tasks but they pay no mind to Kaeya and Diluc. Everyone knows Adeline is in charge of Father’s Day breakfast.
“Isn’t he lovely?” One of the lower maids whispers loudly to another as they arrange the flowers and set the table.
“Who?”
“The Young Master.”
Kaeya continues to stir the pot, now adding a little more vigor to try and convince them that he most definitely isn’t eavesdropping.
“The foreigner?”
“No, the proper Young Master,” the maid scolds the other at the mere thought of complimenting Kaeya and he feels his shoulders tense for a moment before he consciously wills them to fall.
She continues, “I mean how selfless to get up and make your father breakfast. Especially when you live life as lavishly as him with people waiting for hand and foot for you. Never needs to work a day in his life and yet here he is in the kitchen. Truly one of the angel’s best I would say.”
“You're right he really is kind, isn’t he? Did you hear? Apparently the other has never heard of Father's day, he bet he even had the gall to ask why you would do such a thing! He strikes me as the type with no sense of gratitude despite all that has been handed to him so graciously.”
Kaeya thinks they suck at whispering and he’s right. Adeline, the silent savor that she is, appears behind the two and with an iron grip grabs them by the shoulders. “Are you two quite done gossiping? I have half a mind to report the both of you to Master Crepus for your disrespectful attitude, but I’m sure this was a one-time affair, no?”
“I-- we didn’t--”
“--You didn’t what,” Adeline questions with false innocence. “You didn’t think I would notice you two loudmouths? Please, let’s spare everyone this scene and go back to work, yes? And do try to keep the word foreigner out of your mouth when discussing Young Master Kaeya. He’s been here nearly a year, he’s a proper citizen by now.”
With fearful eyes and agape mouths they shout out a “Yes ma’am!” and scuttle out of sight. Adeline turns sharp on her heels towards Kaeya. “I believe the batter is well mixed, you don’t need to keep stirring.”
“Huh-- oh,” he murmurs looking down at the finely pureed mix.
“You did a wonderful job.”
“Thank you.”
“You did all the work,” she says and takes the bowl from him.
“I meant with the--”
“--Don’t mention it,” she says quickly. “It’s as a dutiful maid would.”
The boy gives her a small smile before hopping off the stool and running to the stove. He purs four oblong pancakes into a long pan and puts the batter bowl, which isn’t empty yet, down.
“I promised I would save some for Diluc,” he explains.
“And where might he be?”
“He said he was getting the meat cuts and if I was done before him to leave some leftovers. We have an icebox here though with bacon and such, so I don’t know why he would go away but...”
She nods knowingly. “Ah, so he must have gone down to the ice house where we keep the best cuts.”
In awe, Kaeya asks, “It can get better than what we normally eat?”
“Only a little bit higher in grade,” she says, “but it’s noticeable for someone with as refined taste as Master Crepus.”
“Oh. So only father’s get to be celebrated on father’s day right?”
“Yes, anyone who feels they fit a father-like role.”
“What about Mother’s day? Do they have one of those?”
“They do,” she tells him with curiosity as to where this line of questioning was going. “It was last month.”
“It passed already? Why didn’t we do anything for you?”
“I’m not your mother,” she replied curtly.
“You’re like a mother.”
She laughs at that. "But I am nothing like Madam Meridie. She was one hard-to-swallow lady, tough and a bit of a brute. You should have seen her with a claymore... but she was soft too like the insides of a lava cake, you just had to get to that layer of her. It wouldn’t be right for Master Crepus or Young Master Diluc to celebrate with me instead of her.”
“Where did she go?” He already knows she’s dead, he’s not stupid, but a part of him wants to believe she’s merely out somewhere in the world doing something so important that it’s kept her from her family for an unbearably long time.
“She cried when she first saw Diluc,” she forgoes answering Kaeya’s question with a story. “She cried when Diluc came out, a healthy baby boy with fiery red wisps of hair already on his tiny head. She named him Diluc the moment she laid eyes on him.”
“It’s a good name.”
“It is.”
“My mother named me something else.”
“I know, it was on your clothes when we found you.”
“I took her name. Her name was Kaeya too. If I had known about mother’s day I would have celebrated her. She deserved it.”
For a moment Adeline loses all tact and grace. “What happened to her?”
There are many things Kaeya could say. He could say he watched her die or he could say she was kidnapped or she could say she’s still alive last he checked but very sick, and all of these things would be little truths but they would raise more questions than answers.
He settles on, “I don’t know.” And that’s a little truth too.
She pulls him into a hug as warm as the insides of an oven. He feels overwhelmed at the surge of affection but he doesn't squirm away. “I’m sure she loves you very much, no matter where she is.”
“She did love me.” He says with heavy memories sinking inside his head. "A lot.”
“Master Crepus adores you too, you know that don’t you? It’s not just Diluc who loves you so. Even I find myself absolutely smitten by you from time to time.”
“I don’t belong here,” Kaeya says and it’s horrifyingly true. No matter how long he stays in Monstadt he will never belong, not as long as he looks the way he does. And not as long as Monstadt looks the way it does. Adeline knows this.
“You don’t,” she agrees and points to her heart and then his.“You belong here though. No matter where you are, you'll belong wherever Master Crepus and Diluc and I are. Home is not a place, it’s a people.”
“Your people are Mondstadt
“Our people are us,” Diluc’s sharp voice slices through the air and Kaeya turns to see the older boy hold an exorbitant amount of cold cuts and sausage links. He looks displeased at the line of conversation.
“My people is whoever I say it is and you're my people, now help me out, would you? I can’t find an empty kitchen counter to put the meat on.”
Adeline runs over to guide him to a blank space where he promptly sprawls the goods out. “Wow, that was heavy.”
“I told you to call me if you needed help. It's a miracle you managed to carry all this without falling over as you did with the pot.”
“It caught me off guard!”
“Mhm,” Kaeya says with a smirk. “I bet it did.”
“Oh shut up, will you?"
"Now, now, will you two be flipping those pancakes or are you going to let them burn?"
"Wait what?!"
—
Kaeya pounces onto Crepus, his grin nearly blinding the man. “Good morning bud”
“Morning!”
“Good Morning Master Crepus,” Adeline speaks as she helps Diluc balance himself with the breakfast in bed tray. Then silently she counts down from three to one using her fingers and the boys watch with excitement.
In broken but perfect harmony the two boys scream “Happy Father’s Day!” to which Crepus pretends to be shocked.
“My, my, my! It’s Father's Day already? Seems like it just happened last week!”
“Daddy,” Diluc whines, “that was last year not last week. Remember Kaeya wasn’t with us last year.”
“Oh, you’re right kiddo.” He turns his body to face the other boy. “Did you help with breakfast Kaeya?”
“Yes, I did!” He sounds extremely proud and the Master of the house feels himself soften at the idea of his two boys attempting to cook. He knows when it’s just Diluc the mess is just barely manageable, but the two of them in the same room? Oh, dear.
The tray gets placed over Crepus’s lap and he looks down to see a delicious meal ready to be ripped into. Kaeya watches him with big eyes waiting for him to take a bite and he hates to disappoint.
He gives a heavenly smile as he chews up the first forkful of pancake, clearly pleased. After he swallows he exclaims, “This was amazing!”
“I made it,” Kaeya says quickly, “I made that one. I put one I made on top so you would eat it first!”
“It’s extraordinary,” he says. “You have a real talent in the kitchen it seems.”
“Daddy,” Diluc groans, “stop flattering him and try my eggs! I made them all by myself with no help!”
Crepus doesn’t mention that he can tell that by the number of high cholesterol foods sprinkled throughout the eggs like cheese, bacon bits, and other things his doctor will surely berate him for. He takes a bit of a smaller bite, though the boys can’t tell, of the eggs and gives it an approved hum. It tastes like love on a silver platter. He thinks he might indulge, just for roday.
“As always your talents with meat and dairy never cease to amaze me Diluc. This is perfect. I simply must have you cook it for me sometime other than father’s day. I don’t know if I can wait a whole year again.”
Diluc practically lights up at the suggestion. “Yeah? You liked it that much?”
“I loved it my boy, I’m loving it.”
Adeline slips out of the bedroom as the three males continue to talk amongst themselves. After all, if the three of them are going to sit around the house being lazy she’s got to get back to her job of making sure all is well in the manor.
As Creupus finishes his meal he says in passing, “I was a mess when you were born Diluc. I was sobbing the moment you came into the world.”
“Why? I was healthy and okay wasn't I?”
There were a lot of reasons why Creupus was in tears that day and most of them negative but the moment he saw his newborn boy, those were all tears of unfiltered joy. “I was so happy It was the break of dawn-- that’s what your name means in Latin by the way-- and all I could think was by the Archon’s I am blessed to have you.”
“You didn’t even know me. I was like a minute old.”
“But I loved you all the same.”
Kaeya feels himself shrink. Should he leave? This feels like a moment between father and son and he shouldn’t be here, right?
“I cried the same amount the day we found you Kaeya.” The boy jolts at his name and arches a brow. “I cried and asked the Archon’s how they could be so cruel to leave a kind boy like yourself out in the cold. You were very sick the first month you stayed with us, though I’m sure you know that.”
He does. He had thought he was going to die when his fever started to last for days and then weeks. He had made peace with dying long ago but he couldn’t help but feel guilty that Master Crepus seemingly called in every doctor from Teyvat to try and help him. All efforts to heal the walking dead are a waste.
“I now know that this was all an elongated blessing in disguise. Because now here you are, healthy and okay and with me and Diluc on Father’s Day. I couldn’t be more fulfilled in life, this is all I’ve ever wanted.”
“You’re such a sap,” Diluc says but he smiles with agreement.
“What, you don’t think we’ve been Celestia-blessed?”
“No, of course, I do. Kaeya is family.”
“And family is precious.”
The little boy hides his face into his hands, his cheeks heating up. They keep saying that stuff. He’s family. He’s a part of their people. Their clan. Their kin.
He says something but it’s muffled by his hands.
“What was that my boy?”
He steels himself to be braver. “I asked if I could call you father. If not that’s okay, Master Crepus is just fine!”
Crepus gives him a grin as lopsided as the remains of his pancakes. “I thought you would never ask if I’m being honest. Of course, you can.”
Oh, all Kaeya can do is smile at that. Father, what a wonderful title to give master Crepus indeed.