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Every night, Kaeya has nightmares.
The first night he stayed at the winery, he screamed so loud that it woke up nearly everyone in the estate. They feared that someone snuck into the winery, only to find the source upstairs in one of the guest rooms, with Kaeya shaking like a leaf in his bed.
Diluc insisted that Kaeya can share a room with him so there’s someone to look after him. After much convincing, Crepus had some of the servants move a second bed into Diluc’s room, promising to buy them a bunk bed soon. Diluc thought that by having someone in the same room as Kaeya, the nightmares would stop.
The nightmares never stopped, but Kaeya’s screaming did. He grew so used to them that they hardly phase him at this point, but it doesn’t stop him from waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. It’s concerning how a boy so young could suppress his fears in just a few nights.
Diluc slowly blinks away the sleep from his eyes as he hears a whimper echo in the quiet room. This isn’t the first time that he would wake up after hearing Kaeya in distress.
He doesn’t need to sit up in his bed to know that Kaeya just woke up from a nightmare, hearing his brother shift in the bed a few feet away from his own. He sighs, turning his body to face Kaeya.
“Another nightmare?” He asks, making out Kaeya’s silhouette in the dark.
Kaeya lets out a shaky breath, looking away from Diluc’s scrutinizing gaze. “I-I’m sorry…” He mumbles.
He always does that, apologizing. He apologized when the winery maids were dressing him in new clothes, and when his father (their father) gave him food to eat, and when Diluc invited Kaeya to stay in his room. Kaeya always apologizes, but there’s never a reason for him to be sorry in the first place.
Diluc throws off his covers, climbing out of his bed and slowly walking over to Kaeya’s, being careful not to slip in the dark. Contrary to common belief, their room is quite messy even with the maids constantly cleaning it. Something is bound to end up on the floor whether they like it or not. Kaeya doesn’t face him even as Diluc places a hand on his shoulder, not even moving when Diluc climbs into the bed and sits down next to him.
“What happened?” Diluc asks as he wraps his arms around Kaeya, bringing him into a hug. The other boy sniffles, weakly leaning into him.
“The same as always,” Kaeya mumbles quietly. “I was falling in the dark, and I kept falling. And then…”
Diluc feels Kaeya shake against him.
“And then, the unknown man came… And took me away from here.”
It’s always the same story, the same nightmare, yet Diluc always asks him because he will never know if and when Kaeya’s nightmares will change. It has been almost a year, and it’s always been the same one.
He remembers the first night when Kaeya woke up from the nightmare, how he couldn’t even hide his tears as he gripped the sheets as his only comfort. Kaeya flinched away when their father reached out to him, whimpering almost as if he was in pain. Diluc never wants to see Kaeya in that state ever again.
Kaeya doesn’t scream anymore when he wakes up, and his cheeks are no longer stained with his tears. But it never stops his body from shaking in fear.
At first, Kaeya was afraid to have anyone else touch him. The way he wretched away from another’s grip reminded Diluc of one pulling away from a fire before they got burned. It was almost as if Kaeya was afraid that whoever touched him would burn away before him. But Diluc isn’t afraid of fires.
The first night Kaeya slept in Diluc’s room, Diluc held him until he stopped sobbing. Even as Kaeya tried pushing him away and mumbling that he might hurt Diluc, he was stubborn. What kind of big brother would he be if he didn’t comfort Kaeya when he desperately needed it?
Diluc tightens his arms around Kaeya. “Whoever he is, he’s never going to take you away. He’s going to have to get through me first!” He says confidently.
“How can you be so sure?” Kaeya asks, his voice filled with uncertainty and hesitation.
“Because I’m always going to protect you! That’s what big brothers are for.” Diluc reassures him, ruffling Kaeya’s hair like how their father always does it. He goes quiet, and then he meekly asks,
“…Promise?”
Diluc nods. “Promise! I’m always going to protect you, Kaeya.”
Why wouldn’t he protect Kaeya? He has become just as important as their father, and the city that they live in. When it comes for Diluc’s time to join the knights, he knows that he would do everything in his power to ensure no harm befalls his family. They mean the world to him. They’re the reason for his unbridled passion.
It’s with these words that Kaeya seems to finally relax in Diluc’s hold, resting his head on his shoulder as he mumbles a small thanks. It’s not long until Kaeya is yawning, and Diluc follows with his own, slowly untangling himself from his brother as they now sit side by side on the bed. Kaeya glances outside the window, the moon still high in the night sky.
“It’s late…” He quietly says, squirming in his spot. “We should probably go back to sleep.”
“We can just sleep in your bed tonight,” Diluc says as he gestures for Kaeya to scoot over. Kaeya shoots him a confused look.
“Huh?! Why not go to your bed?” He suddenly hisses. “It’s not that far from mine!”
Diluc hums. “It’s too far. Besides, I’ll be able to protect you from your nightmares if I’m next to you tonight,” It’s a lie, they both know it, and Kaeya flicks his forehead. “So mean! After I promised to protect you, too.”
It’s not the first time they’ve shared a bed either. In fact, they’ve even slept in their father’s room from time to time when he wasn’t backed up with work. Diluc really is just too lazy to go back to his own bed, though.
Kaeya grumbles next to him but he finally relents, scooting over and moving the blankets around so they both can share it. The bed is far too big for the both of them. They stand out like little dolls. Kaeya takes one side while Diluc takes the other, smiling as he realizes Kaeya has gone back to his normal self for the time being.
“Goodnight, Kaeya,” Diluc yawns as he settles into his pillow, closing his eyes.
“Goodnight, Diluc,” Kaeya responds before adding on, “And… Thank you.”
Diluc waits a few moments, clenching his eyes shut before he finally hears Kaeya’s breathing slow down, and he knows that his brother finally went back to sleep. He yawns once more, digging his face deeper into the pillow before he allows his own slumber to take over.
There’s a sense of comfort that bubbles in Diluc’s chest upon knowing that Kaeya puts all of his trust in him. He smiles to himself, relishing in thoughts of the possible future of where he will always have his brother by his side.
Though, when he wakes up with a foot in his face the following morning, Diluc suddenly wonders if he can protect Kaeya from his own childish wrath.
Oh well. They’re just kids, after all. There is no harm in these childish arguments of theirs.