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‘How did he even get here?’ Kaeya asked, looking at the small child currently hiding under Jean’s desk.
‘We have no idea...’ mumbled Lisa as she tried to coax the frightened child out from under the desk.
‘He doesn’t want to come out – were you always this scared as a child?’ Lisa asked, looking towards Kaeya.
Kaeya shifted his eye towards his child self and nodded his head, ‘Mn...’
Jean pursed her lips and looked at the child before she perked up with an idea and turned towards Lisa, who still continued to try and get young Kaeya out from under the desk.
‘Lisa, can you get someone to fetch Master Diluc please?’
At Diluc’s name, older Kaeya looked up confused.
‘Master Diluc? Why him?’
Jean watched the way the child seemed to perk up at the sound of Diluc’s name and smiled.
‘I have an idea.’
‘So, why have I been called in?’ Diluc asked as he walked into Jean’s office, crossing his arms over his chest.
‘Ah – Master Diluc! Well, you see...’
Before Jean could continue, the child Kaeya suddenly popped out from under the desk and ran towards Diluc, clutching at his leg in fright.
Diluc blinked and looked down at the child, blinking again when he was met with a familiar young face, a shy eye peaking up at him.
‘...What?’
‘We don’t know how he got here,’ Jean started, happy that her idea had worked. ‘I was in my office when all of the sudden this bright light appeared and then a young Kaeya popped up.’
Diluc frowned and looked back down when he felt the child clinging to his leg shift and saw that small Kaeya was now hiding behind his legs, occasionally peaking out to stare at everyone else that was in the room.
‘We brought you here because he seemed to be scared of all of us and I was hoping he wouldn’t be afraid of you… looks like I was right.’
Adult Kaeya watched his younger self cling more to Diluc’s leg and bit the inside of his cheek to stop the scowl from forming on his face.
Did I really used to cling to Diluc this much as a child? How embarrassing…
‘We were hoping you could get some answers of what happened out of him.’
Diluc rose an eyebrow at Jean and then looked down at the child, ‘you think he’d answer to me?’
Jean nodded, ‘I do. He wouldn’t speak or come near anyone but when you showed up he ran straight towards you. I mean you and Sir Kaeya used to be close as children, so it only makes sense that he trusts you more.’
Diluc looked towards the Cavalry Captain who gave him a shrug and tight lipped smile, ‘It’s worth a shot.’
Diluc sighed and moved to crouch down in front of Kaeya and looked at him, ‘Kaeya,’ he spoke so softly in made Jean blink in surprise by his gentle tone, ‘how did you get here?’
Kaeya bit his lip and reached forward to grasp the front of Diluc’s jacket before he explained in a shaky voice how he didn’t know how he got here, only that one minute he was hiding in the grapevines with Diluc when all of the sudden he started to feel funny and the next thing he knew, he was here.
‘Do you know where you are?’
Kaeya looked around nervously, ‘M-Mondstadt…?’
Diluc nodded his head, ‘that’s right.’
Small Kaeya seemed to relax a little at that and smiled shyly at Diluc.
Lisa hummed, ‘This must be the work of time travel. I’ll look into it, see if I can find anything that explains why he’s here. The question is, who’s going to look after him in the meantime?’
‘Kaeya can,’ Jean said, looking towards the Cavalry Captain who was staring at the way his younger self clutched to Diluc’s jacket.
‘Hm? Who me? Don’t you think it’s best if Master Diluc looks after him? Like you said, he’s the only one he trusts here.’
‘Oh… that is true,’ Jean mumbled and turned to Diluc, ‘um, Master Diluc…?’
Diluc looked towards Kaeya, the small one, and frowned in thoughts. Kaeya tightened his grip of Diluc’s jacket and the redhead suddenly found it hard for him to say no.
‘Fine, he can stay with me.’
‘Great! Master Diluc will look after child Kaeya while the rest of us figure out how to get him back to his original timeline.’
All five of them then found themselves at the front gates of Mondstadt, waving goodbye to Master Diluc and child Kaeya.
‘Don’t scare little me too much with your grumpy face, Master Diluc,’ Kaeya teased, poking Diluc’s cheek. Diluc scowled and smacked the hand harshly away from his face.
The small child was holding the end of Diluc’s jacket and he stared between his older self and Diluc before looking towards the ground, a soft frown on his face as he tightened his grip.
‘Let me know if you find anything,’ Diluc spoke before turning around and walking off, small Kaeya trailing after him.
‘I forgot how cute you were as a child!’ Jean gushed, slinging an arm around Kaeya’s neck. ‘Clinging to Master Diluc like that, so cute!’
Kaeya groaned and ran a hand down his face, ‘I forgot how clingy I used to be with him.’
Jean and Lisa laughed.
Diluc had a sleeping Kaeya in his arms when he arrived at the manor. Kaeya had gotten tired halfway through the trip which caused Diluc to carry him.
With one arm holding Kaeya up, Diluc used his free hand to open the door before walking inside the warm manor.
‘Master Diluc, welcome ho–‘ Adelinde paused, halting her steps as she stared at the child in Diluc’s arms.
Diluc shifted awkwardly in his spot and cleared his throat.
‘...Um – sorry, did Master Kaeya get turned into a child or…?’
‘No, he came from the past.’
Adelinde blinked before she nodded, taking a cautious step forward and Diluc shifted so she could have a better view of Kaeya.
Adelinde’s face visibly soften at the sight of Kaeya asleep on Diluc’s shoulder, chubby cheek pressed against the fabric of his jacket.
‘Oh, I forgot how adorable he used to be,’ Adelinde smiled, reaching forward to gently brush a few strands of hair out of the child’s face.
Diluc looked down. Kaeya looked peaceful, tiny hands clutching at Diluc that made warmth spread through the redheads chest.
‘Hm...’ Diluc hummed in agreement, swallowing thickly.
Adelinde opened the door to the spare room while Diluc followed, still carrying the sleeping Kaeya in his arms.
‘I always change the sheets in all the spare rooms just in case we have any guests,’ Adelinde explained as she fluffed up the pillow and pulled back the cover.
‘Thank you,’ Diluc murmured and bent down to gently place Kaeya down.
Well… he tried to put Kaeya down but the boy wouldn’t release his hold on Diluc’s jacket.
Adelinde chuckled behind her hand while Diluc huffed and tried to put him down on the bed again.
He failed.
Even when Adelinde stepped in to try and pull Kaeya off Diluc the boy continued to cling. He had a very tight grip. Diluc could feel his face heat when Adelinde struggled to hold back her laughter.
‘Maybe it’s best he sleeping with you tonight, Master Diluc?’
Diluc sighed and looked down at Kaeya.
‘Guess it can’t be helped...’
Oddly enough, when Diluc went to put Kaeya down in his own bed, the boy had no problem with letting go of him.
Diluc had clicked in tongue then and muttered a quiet “brat” under his breath but there was a small smile on his face.
Diluc had entered back into his room later that night after he finished showering and getting dressed when he noticed Kaeya was already awake and sitting up in bed.
‘How did you sleep?’ Diluc asked softly, approaching the bed.
Kaeya looked up at him and then back down at the blanket, small hands clutching at the fabric.
‘...Fine.’
Diluc nodded.
‘Are you hungry? I can get Adeline to make you something.’
Kaeya shyly looked up at him before looking away again and biting down on his bottom lip. He slowly shook his head and Diluc nodded, now at loss of what to say next.
‘...Do you hate me?’
Diluc blinked and looked towards Kaeya, ‘what?’
Kaeya began to fiddle with the bed sheets. ‘do you hate me? Did I do something when we were younger and that's why...’
Diluc moved closer and sat down next to the child on the bed.
‘Whoa whoa, what are you talking about?’
Kaeya looked up and to Diluc’s horror, there were tears in his eye.
‘W-well, you don’t s-seem to get along with the o-older m-me… a-and I don’t live here a-anymore, r-right? S-so you must h-hate me...’
Diluc was stunned.
‘I-I’m sorry D-Diluc,’ cried Kaeya, tucking his knees to his chest. ‘s-s-sorry if I did s-something to you… I-I’m so sorry.’
Diluc swallowed painfully and pulled the child into a comforting hug, rubbing at his back. His chest twisted at every painful sob that Kaeya let out.
‘Hey hey, I don’t hate Kaeya… I-I could never hate him...’ Diluc bit his lip, somewhat shocked by how true those words were. Despite what happened in the past, Diluc could never truly hate Kaeya. He doesn't know if that would be considered a blessing or a curse…
‘The reason he doesn’t live here anymore is because… its complicated but it not because I hate him, okay?’
Kaeya sniffled and looked up, ‘r-really?’
Diluc looked down and smiled, ‘yes, really. It might seem like I hate him and maybe that's because how I treat him sometimes but I really don’t hate him.’
‘B-But he seems to think y-you do… I-I can tell, can see it i-in his eye.’
Diluc paused at that, he supposed that if there was anyone in the world who could really tell what’s on Kaeya’s mind it would Kaeya himself, even if said self is as young as the one currently in Diluc’s arms.
Even if its easy for Diluc to be able to tell what Kaeya is thinking just by looking at him, there are times that Kaeya puts on a mask so well that even he can’t see through it.
The redhead sighed and ran a hand down his face. It made sense for the older Kaeya to still think that Diluc has ill feelings towards him, after all Diluc hadn’t given him a reason to think otherwise.
‘I know and that’s my fault… I will talk to him though, promise.’
Kaeya sighed and relaxed in Diluc hold.
Diluc felt a tug on the end of his coat and looked down. Kaeya was fully dressed in clothes Adeline had found and was now looking up at him, bottom lip trapped between his teeth.
Diluc knew what he wanted and–
‘No. The tavern is no place for children.’
Kaeya deflated and looked down sadly and to Diluc’s horror, he head a small sniffle.
Diluc panicked and dropped down on his knees to make sure Kaeya wasn’t about to start crying. Archons, he can’t handle Kaeya crying again.
‘Okay okay – you can come with–‘
Only there was no sign of any tears in Kaeya’s eye as the small child beamed at him, wrapping his arms around Diluc’s neck.
Ah. He had been tricked.
Diluc clicked his tongue, ‘damn brat.’
Kaeya giggled as he was lifted into Diluc’s arms and carried out of the mansion.
They arrived shortly at Angel’s Share and when he entered, Charles had turned to greet him but paused when he caught sight of the child in Diluc’s arms.
‘Master Diluc? Is that…?’
‘Yes, it’s Kaeya but he didn’t get turned into a child. This one is from the past.’
Charles blinked, ‘Oh.’
He moved closer and smiled gently at the child, ‘Hello Kaeya.’
Kaeya hid his face in Diluc’s shoulder.
‘He’s not good around people.’
Charles shook his head, ‘no worries, my niece is the exact same.’
Diluc smiled and walked over to the bar and placed Kaeya on top of the counter.
‘I need to get things ready so I can open up, so you just stay here okay?’
Kaeya nodded and Diluc had an overwhelming urge to pat his head.
But Diluc just nodded and mumbled a simple “good” before getting the tavern ready for opening.
Kaeya idly swung his legs back and forth as he looked around the tavern and watched Diluc place some chairs down on the ground.
‘You work here?’ his small voice asked when Diluc approached the bar again.
‘I do.’
Kaeya it his lip, looking around again.
‘I thought… I thought you wanted to become a knight?’
Diluc paused where he was pacing new bottles onto the shelf and looked towards Kaeya. The child shrunk into himself under his gaze.
‘I-I’m sorry, I d-d-didn’t mean to–‘
‘No no, its okay–‘ Diluc rushed to reassure the child and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
‘It’s true I did want to become a knight… but I guess I just changed my mind and decided… it wasn’t for me. But don’t go telling young me that when you get back, okay?’
Kaeya blinked at him before nodding his head. Diluc nodded once and resumed stacking bottles away.
‘B-But I became a knight?’
‘Mhm.’
‘...’
‘Am – am I good at being a knight?’
Diluc looked back at him, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
‘Yes. Yes… you’re good at being a knight.’
Kaeya smiled.
When it came close to opening time, Diluc walked over to Kaeya and wondered what he was going to do with him.
He could put him in the storage room but he didn’t like the thought of locking him away in there while he worked.
Diluc looked around the tavern until his eyes went down under the bar. Kaeya was small enough to fit under there and that way he could be close Diluc in case he needed anything.
Diluc picked Kaeya up and gently placed him under the bar.
‘I’m about to open up so I need you to stay under here, okay? Just tug on my pants if you need anything.’
Kaeya nodded, ‘yes, Diluc.’
Diluc smiled and patted the top of Diluc’s hair, giving in to the urge from before. He couldn’t help it, Kaeya was just so cute like this.
‘So? Where’s the little one?’ Kaeya asked, looking around. ‘back at the winery?’
‘No… he’s under the bar.’
Kaeya raises an eyebrow and instead of walking around the other side of the bar to have a look, he stretches his body over the counter and hangs his head over the side to look under the bar, his hair falling out of his face and exposing the rest of his forehead.
Small Kaeya blinked up at him, small hands clutched at Diluc’s pants.
‘Isn’t it annoying for you? Having him clutch at you like that?’
Diluc could feel small Kaeya’s hands tightened around the fabric at adult Kaeya’s words and frowned.
‘No, I don’t’
Kaeya moves back and looks up at him in surprise. Diluc could feel the smaller one relax under the bar.
‘No? But if I cling to you like that you’d complain and probably hit me,’ Kaeya pouts.
Diluc rolled his eyes, ‘that’s because child you is much cuter and also, it’s embarrassing to have a grown man cling to you like that.’
Kaeya whines, ‘ahh, how mean...’ and pouts some more.
Diluc rolled his eyes again and looked over at Kaeya, resisting to urge to smile in amusement at the pout that was still visible on Kaeya’s face. He guessed that no matter what age he was, Kaeya would always be cute…
‘Have you found a way of getting him back?’ Diluc asked as he wiped down the bar.
Lisa looked towards Jean and they both sighed, their shoulders sagging.
‘No...’
Diluc released his own sigh and looked over to where small Kaeya was sitting with his future self. From here, Diluc could tell that older Kaeya was teasing his younger self and rolled his eyes, walking over to save the child.
‘What are you doing?’
Kaeya spun around and smiled innocently, ‘what do you mean? I’m keeping him company like you asked.’
Diluc walked around Kaeya and picked up the child who had begun to stretch his short arms towards Diluc before.
‘I did say that but I didn’t tell you to tease him.’
Kaeya let out a gasp and placed a hand on his chest, ‘I would never!’
Diluc gave him a deadpanned stare, ‘I know you Kaeya.’
Small Kaeya turned his head towards his future self and stuck his tongue out at him before tucking his head back into Diluc’s neck. Diluc’s lips twitched while Kaeya gaped at his past self.
‘What, you aren’t going to tell him off for that?’
Diluc turned to hide the smile on his face as he said, ‘nope.’
Kaeya paused halfway through talking when his eyes landed on Diluc and young him from afar.
They were talking to Flora and Diluc grabbed the Calla Lily that was being handed to him and crouched down next to little Kaeya. The child grinned when the flower was handed to him and wrapped his arms around Diluc’s neck.
Kaeya’s heart jumped in his chest when he saw a soft smile on Diluc’s chest.
‘Sir Kaeya?’ one of the knights Kaeya was talking to hesitantly asked.
Kaeya didn’t reply and continued watching Diluc as the man picked up the child and carried him towards the front gates, the same smile still on his face.
‘Sir Kaeya…?
Kaeya blinked and looked back at them, giving them a fake smile.
‘Sorry about that… where was I?’
When Kaeya entered the tavern that day he wasn’t sure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t both tiny him and Diluc sitting at the bar, Diluc looking over paperwork while Kaeya was tucked into his side and playing with Diluc’s red hair.
Charles, who was getting ready to open the tavern, greets him warmly which has both Diluc and past him looking up.
‘The tavern isn’t open yet, why are you here?’
Small Kaeya blinked at his older self before going back to playing with Diluc’s hair, making a small braid.
Kaeya narrows his eyes for a second at the red strands clutched between small fingers before he puts on a bright smile.
‘Can’t I come say hi to my gege?’
Diluc splutters for a moment, glaring at Kaeya’s smirking face.
‘What the hell do you want?’
Kaeya shrugs before moving closer, ‘nothing, just coming to see how you two were doing?’
Diluc sighed, ‘we’re fine. Is that all?’
Kaeya looked back at his smaller self.
‘How unfair...’ he sighed.
Diluc narrowed his eyes at Kaeya, ‘what is?’
‘You let him play with your hair but not me? How cruel of you Master Diluc,’ he pouted at the redhead.
Diluc blinked in shock and Charles looked over, raising his eyebrows at Kaeya’s back, wondering if he heard that right.
‘...Is that something you want to do? Play with my hair?’
‘Of course! Your hair is so beautiful and I bet it feels soft too, who wouldn’t want to play with it?’
A faint blush formed on Diluc’s cheeks which he tried to hide by looking down at the paperwork in his hands. Charles hid a laugh behind a cough.
‘Just get out already.’
Kaeya grinned and sat down on one of the stools, ‘nah, I think I’ll stay.’
‘Diluc.’
Diluc spun around and looked down to see small Kaeya peering up at him with his hands behind his back.
Diluc kneels down to his height, ‘yes?’
Kaeya shyly looked to the ground before producing a Small Lamp Grass from behind his back. Diluc was taken aback for a moment, his mind flashing to the past when Kaeya used to give him the same flower as kids, he remembered how his cheeks would warm each time.
‘I-I got this… for you,’ Kaeya mumbled shyly, still looking towards the ground.
Diluc sees Kaeya’s cheeks darken and can’t help but reach forward and pinch the squishy cheek. Kaeya looked adorably wronged by the action that Diluc just had to pinch his cheek again.
‘D-Diluc!’ cried Kaeya, reaching a hand to cover his blushing cheeks.
Diluc laughs warmly and plucks the Small Lamp Grass out of Kaeya’s hand.
‘Thank you, Kaeya,’ Diluc smiled softly and picks the child up into his arms.
Kaeya gives him a shy but pleased smile, wrapping his arms around Diluc’s neck, ‘It’s okay...’
‘Hmm, this is new,’ Kaeya comments, point to the small vase on Diluc’s desk that contained the flower small Kaeya had given him.
Diluc looks up from his paperwork, ‘yeah, the other you gave it to me.’
Kaeya crosses his arms across his chest and Diluc finds himself trying to not stare.
‘Hmph. I could’ve gone out and gotten that for you.’
Diluc blinks, moving his eyes from Kaeya’s exposed chest ( he failed at the no staring ) and frowned at Kaeya.
‘But technically you did? You and the child you are the same person...’
Kaeya just hmph’s again.
Kaeya walked up to the door of the winery and knocked on the door before placing his hands behind his back as he waited.
‘Ah, Master Kaeya,’ greeted Adelinde once she opened the door, ‘are you here for Master Diluc?’
‘Hello Adeline,’ Kaeya greeted with a smile, ‘I am actually.’
‘They’re out by the grape vines.’
Kaeya blinked before he nodded his head. He turned on his heels and made his way towards the grape vines.
He checked each one for familiar red hair and sighed when he found nothing. It wasn’t until he reached the very last one did he find who he was looking for.
Kaeya crouched down and looked under the grape vine, pausing at the sight he was seeing.
Diluc was laying down on the cool grass with the other Kaeya wrapped up in his arms, both asleep. Kaeya eyed the way Diluc arms seemed to be wrapped protectively around his past self and how peaceful his face looked, no frown in sight.
Kaeya swallowed, feeling a pang of longing in his chest. He remembered when Diluc and he used to fall asleep under the grape vines like this as children, wrapped around one another.
But now they were older and their relationship just wasn’t how it used to be. No matter how much Kaeya wished for them to go back to the way things used to be, that simply wasn’t possible.
Kaeya sighed, looked one last time at the two before him before he got up and made his way back to Mondstadt.
Diluc and Kaeya ( the adult one ) watched from afar as little Kaeya hesitantly walked with Lisa around the grape vines.
Lisa had been wanting the child to warm up to her because he was just so cute and she wanted to pinch his cheeks without fear of the child running off to hide behind Diluc’s legs.
So far it seemed like little Kaeya was beginning to slowly warm up to her, much to the librarians delight.
Diluc crossed his arms over his chest and moved his eyes away from young Kaeya to the older one beside him.
Kaeya was facing ahead but he could feel the redheads stare and his lips twitched into a smile.
‘You’re staring, am I really that beautiful?’ Kaeya turned and gave Diluc a teasing smirk.
Diluc scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms tighter around his chest.
Kaeya laughed, ‘I’m just teasing, Master Diluc. What is it?’
Diluc bit his lip and shifted in his spot.
‘He asked me if I hated you, the night I brought him back to the manor.’
Kaeya knew who he was talking about.
He hummed, ‘and what did you say?’
‘...I said I didn’t hate you.’
Kaeya laughed through his nose, ‘hm yeah, it is best to lie to him, who knows how he would’ve reacted if he found out the truth.’
Diluc turned and glared at Kaeya, ‘I didn’t lie to him. I don’t hate you.’
‘Diluc there’s not need to lie to me, I know perfectly well how you feel about me and I’m fine with it.’
Kaeya turned to walk off but was stopped by Diluc grabbing his arm.
‘I’m not lying to you,’ Diluc looked up at Kaeya. ‘I don’t hate you Kaeya. I… I could never hate you.’
Diluc saw Kaeya’s eye widen before the smaller one ran up and grabbed him by the hand, asking Diluc to join them.
Diluc looked at older Kaeya one last time before he was dragged off to the grape vines.
Kaeya watched them go, his heart racing in his chest and he turned around to leave. A hand coming up to his mouth to hide the large smile he was sporting.
Diluc looked up from where he was checking up on Kaeya from under the bar only see the older one walk through the door, smiling kindly to someone who greeted him.
‘Sir Kaeya, what can I get you?’ Diluc asked when the Cavalry Captain sat down on one of the stools. He could faintly hear a page turn from the book little Kaeya was currently reading.
‘One Death After Noon, please Master Diluc.’
Diluc made Kaeya drink swiftly and got back to serving other customers. Kaeya didn’t say anything to him as he slowly sipped his drink and occasionally speak to other that had approached the knight.
Kaeya had finished his drink and asked if he could have another one as Diluc began placing drinks onto a bar.
‘Was it true, what you said? Do you really not hate me?’
Kaeya’s voice was quiet and Diluc paused where he was pouring Kaeya’s drink and looked up. Kaeya was not looking up at him but down at the counter, a soft frown on his face.
Diluc swallowed and finished making Kaeya’s drink as he said, ‘yes, it’s true.’
Kaeya looked up surprised as Diluc slid him his refilled drink. Their eyes met and they stared a second too long at each other before Diluc broke it and went to serve the drinks that were placed on the tray.
At the bar, both Kaeya’s smiled.
‘We still haven’t found a way to get him back,’ Jean sighed as they all looked down at the small child clutching at Diluc’s leg.
‘Maybe –‘ Lisa started before she was cut off by Kaeya.
The child version of him.
‘Diluc!’ the small child shouted with such urgency that shocked everyone.
Diluc crouched down and looked over Kaeya worriedly, ‘what? What is it?’
Kaeya shyly gestured for him to move closer, a small blush forming on his cheeks. Confused, Diluc did what the child asked and was surprised when he felt a small hesitant kiss being placed on his cheek.
In the next second, small Kaeya had disappeared before everyone’s eyes.
It was silent for a moment before Kaeya whined,
‘He even got to kiss your cheek! How unfair!’
‘Shut up!’ Diluc growled, standing up to glare at Kaeya, cheeks pink.
‘What the hell just happened?’ Lisa asked out loud.
None of them had an answer.
Diluc dried the glass in his hand as he nodded goodbye to the leaving customer, now leaving only one other person in the tavern.
‘I wonder if he knew he was about to go back to his timeline that made him kiss you, or if the kiss was what caused him to go back...’ Jean wondered out loud.
‘How would a kiss do that?’
Jean hummed before shrugging her shoulders. Diluc sighed and placed the dry glass away.
‘It doesn’t matter how he got back, as long as he’s gone,’ he grumbled.
Jean snickered which caused Diluc to raise an eyebrow at her.
‘Something funny?’
‘It’s just, you act like it was such a bother having small Kaeya around but I know that you are secretly upset about him being gone. I don’t blame you, he was so cute.’
Diluc scowled and looked off to the side, ‘you don’t know anything...’
Jean laughed and downed her drink before standing up.
‘Don’t worry though, you still have the other Kaeya,’ she winked and laughed at Diluc’s slowly reddening face. ‘Speaking of Kaeya, the fool is probably still at his office, completing all the work he put off because of what’s happened.’
Diluc clicked his tongue, ‘he didn’t have to hang around us so much.’
Jean laughed, ‘I think he only did that because he wanted to see something he hadn’t seen in a long time...’
Diluc bit his lip and looked down at the counter, hand tightening around the rag. Jean sighed and placed some money down.
‘Well, goodnight Master Diluc.’
‘Goodnight.’
Jean made her way out and Diluc watched her go before releasing a deep sigh, grabbing her empty glass to wash and dry.
After he walked towards the entrance of the tavern and flipped the sign to “closed” before cleaning up around the place.
He found his eyes occasionally drifting over to under the bar, expecting a shy child to be there, staring at him with one wide starry eye.
But there was nothing and Diluc sighed, oddly feeling a bit lonely as he rubbed his forehead and left the tavern after locking up.
As he got closer to the front gates, he looked towards where the Knights of Favonius Headquarters was and bit his lip.
( ‘is that something you want to do? Play with my hair?”
‘of course! Your hair is so beautiful and I bet it feels soft too, who wouldn’t want to play with it?’ )
Diluc clicked his tongue and spun around so he was facing the front gates, ready to leave but couldn’t find himself to actually move.
Even if he did say he doesn’t hate Kaeya, there’s no way he’s going to do that, no way in hell–
He turned around and made his way to the headquarters, shoulders slumped and wondering what the hell he was doing.
When he entered, he asked for directions to Kaeya’s office before making his way up. Kaeya’s office was closed to which Diluc gently knocked on.
He heard a soft come in and after a moment of hesitation, Diluc opened the door.
Kaeya was seated at his desk, pen in hand as he stared at the piece of paper in front of him. He signed something before he looked up, surprise flashing through his eye at the sight of Diluc in his office.
‘Master Diluc, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?’
Before Diluc could get a word out, Kaeya continued.
‘Ah, is it perhaps that you missed me? You no longer have child me to hang out with anymore so now you’re coming to me? I’m touched, gege.’
Diluc’s cheeks warmed as he glared at the man in front of him, ‘that’s not – you – shut up! That’s not what I came here for!’
Kaeya raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.
‘Oh? Then why?’
Diluc’s fingers twitched as he stared at the Cavalry Captain. Kaeya drummed his fingers against the arm rest of his chair, patiently waiting before Diluc moved forward.
Kaeya was surprised when Diluc moved towards him and tugged him out of his chair before dragging him over to the couch placed in his office.
Diluc threw Kaeya down and sat beside him, shifting so that his back was facing Kaeya and pulled the hair tie out, his cheeks bright red and hot.
‘Uh – Diluc…?’
‘This is what you wanted right?’
‘...Huh?’
Diluc licked his lips, feeling the blush reach the tip of his ears, ‘you said… you said you wanted to play with my hair...’
Kaeya was stunned into silence, gaping at Diluc’s back.
Diluc became annoyed and embarrassed with the ongoing silence, ‘are you going to play with my hair or what? This is the only chance you’ll ever get!’
For a moment Kaeya didn’t move or say anything before he huffed out a laugh and shifted closer, slipping off his gloves before he ran a hand through Diluc’s hair.
Predictably, Diluc’s hair was soft and Kaeya ran his fingers through the bright red strands, mesmerized by the way Diluc relaxed under his touch.
‘You said before that this will be my last chance at doing this?’
Diluc opened his eyes, he didn’t know when he had closed them, and frowned.
‘Yeah?’
Kaeya moved forward and whispered in a flushed ear, ‘somehow I have a feeling that’s not true at all, Master Diluc.’
Before Diluc could say anything, Kaeya moved forward and placed a kiss to Diluc’s cheek, close to the corner of his lips.
Diluc sucked in a sharp breath and looked back at Kaeya with wide eyes, his whole face as red as his hair.
Kaeya grinned and kissed the tip of his nose.
‘You are so cute, gege.’
Diluc shyly looked away, ‘shut up...’