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Diluc giggles to himself, dirt covered knees pulled taut to his chest, hunched over in the grapevines of their winery. He giggles even more hearing Kaeya’s frantic footsteps and calls for his name. To entertain himself while hiding, he watches crystalflies fly around in a frenzy once realizing his presence.
He covers his mouth with both of his small hands, attempting to stifle his excitement poorly. He hears Kaeya’s footsteps start to slow near the vines he had sat down near. He hopes Kaeya only realized he was nearby because of the crystalflies’ sudden alertness near the area instead of his laughter, because that would mean he’d do terribly in stealth. Diluc starts scooting over as silently as possible towards the end of the grapevine, peeking over the side to see the top of Kaeya’s shoes. He ducks back, holding his breath dramatically to wait for Kaeya to fully come over.
As soon as Kaeya’s almost in front of him, Diluc jumps up, latching onto Kaeya’s shoulders. “Boo-!” he yells out, before teetering backwards at Kaeya’s sudden shove. He falls onto the dirt, wincing with a yelp, trying to stabilize himself with his hands, getting dirt on them and possibly his trousers. He feels his eyes water at his brother’s betrayal, sniffling loudly and quite dramatically. Kaeya, realizing what he did, jolts before rushing towards Diluc. Diluc was no longer in front of him, but on the floor and rubbing at his hands and face. When he gazes up at Kaeya’s shocked and worried expression, he tries wiping at his cheek more, which only spreads the dirt from his hands to his face.
Diluc blinks once and Kaeya blinks back, and then tears form in Diluc’s eyes, as if taking Kaeya’s shove as a reaction of hatred. They spill over his cheeks, smudging the dirt along the way, and -
~
“It was an accident!” Kaeya cries after apologizing profusely, trailing alongside Diluc, refusing to stay a step away from his dear brother. “I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, Diluc!” Diluc, now steadfast in his return to the winery, dutifully ignores his brother’s pleas for forgiveness, stubbornly sticking his gaze the other way whenever Kaeya turns to his peripheral.
“You scared me, Diluc,” Kaeya admits honestly, rubbing at his arm. “I thought you were gone, and then I thought someone lunged at me, and I couldn’t hear your voice because I was so so worried, so I-” Kaeya, as if realizing what he had done, cries out again. “I’m so sorry, Diluc, I didn’t mean to!” Diluc considers his words, allowing Kaeya the blessing to be in his sights.
Diluc sighs, pouting and crossing his arms with a finality. “You’re so unfair, Kaeya! How could you be scared of me when you were the one who shoved me?” He accuses, though Kaeya can tell he was only being half serious. “But I also need to say sorry. I guess ignoring you wasn’t nice… and I’m also sorry for scaring you, too…” Kaeya blinks at him, holding his arm hesitantly, as if worried he wouldn’t be allowed to. Diluc lets him, and Kaeya’s behavior shifts to the way he acted before. “Let’s make a promise.” Diluc says, commanding forward Kaeya’s pinky finger once he raises his own, something Diluc was proud to take credit for. “Let’s never scare each other again, or else this will happen again, and I don’t want to ignore you again. Okay?”
Kaeya ponders again, and nods hastily with a smile. “Okay.” He reaches out his pinky finger, promising something to Diluc, and the two beam once they finish their pinky promise. Diluc scampers off again, mentioning the beverage grape juice, and Kaeya offers a happy laugh, trailing alongside him.
“I’ll never scare you again,” Diluc vows cheerily. “I’m sorry I scared you, Kaeya! I’ll never do it again! And if I do, I’ll ask you to forgive me!” He sings out happily, holding onto Kaeya’s wrist and swinging their arms back and forth. Kaeya laughs along with Diluc, their giggles carried by the wind to the ears of their Father, who sits at his workplace with an open window.
He smiles, and returns to his work.
~
“You’re much too drunk to be asking for yet another glass.” Diluc answers, sliding away the glasses that needed cleaning. Really, he wonders why he indulged Kaeya anyway, who was spinning the remaining liquid contents in his glass with a drunken giggle. He can’t tell if it was a blessing or curse that it was only him and Kaeya in the bar at this hour.
“Aww, Master Diluc,” Kaeya coos, nursing his drink protectively, as if Diluc would take it away as he did during Windrise. “I’m not that drunk.” Diluc gives him a withering glare which would make most patrons curl up in their seats in fear. Kaeya isn't like most patrons. “Ooh, you scare me, Master Diluc!” He laughs again, tilting backwards in his chair dangerously. Before Diluc can reach out to grasp him by the coat lapels, he leans forward again, regaining balance. Diluc acts like he didn’t intend to do anything.
Diluc scoffs, returning to the glasses Kaeya had practically guzzled down. “Do I really scare you?” He asks dryly. “I don’t think I have that control of fear over you, Kaeya.” He huffs at that, wiping at a glass with a consistency he’d learned over the years. At Kaeya’s laughs again, he truly wonders if he really felt the need to indulge Kaeya today. He notes down his bill for the future.
“Oh, you think? Well, ‘Luc,” Kaeya sways in his seat before slumping against the counter, head still infuriatingly standing upwards. “Personally, you scare me a bit. Maybe a lot, sometimes… I can’t tell.” He sips his drink, savoring whatever was left of it. Diluc stops in his tracks. Had he really heard him right? Diluc shakes his head slightly, ponytail swaying along with his movements. A drunk man’s ramblings shouldn’t be taken as truth, Diluc reminds himself, stashing away glasses he’d cleaned smoothly and efficiently.
“Yes, of course I do.” Diluc says sarcastically, as if Kaeya would be able to discern sarcasm to seriousness in his loopy state. Kaeya’s full of surprises, as it seems, because he barks out a laugh loud enough to echo across the empty walls of Angel’s Share.
“Yes, you do!” Kaeya heaves laughter, wiping at his eyes. “Oh, I didn’t know you … that you still made jokes,” he slurs, seeming as the alcohol finally started affecting him enough to impair his speech. Diluc turns in his spot, gaze carefully neutral. Surely not, he hopes. “You scare me a lot sometimes, ‘Luc,” Kaeya admits, somber tone teetering on too serious compared to his constant giggling before, though his slur remains. “Especially when you tried to kill me those years back.”
Diluc freezes, eyes widening with guilt or shock, hoping Kaeya didn’t see. Kaeya’s gaze was, Thank Barbatos, fixated on his cup. “What?” Diluc chokes out, the grip on his cloth tightening. Kaeya hums languidly, as if in a normal conversation.
“I was so scared,” Kaeya admits casually. “Sometimes - Sometimes, when you get a bit irritated and you stare at me, I think of - of when you could’ve killed me.” Kaeya smiles, seemingly amused by his confessions that would haunt Diluc in his sleep, unbearably casual. “It feels like I’m reliving it and looking in your eyes from that day all over again.”
“I- I scare you?” Diluc pleads, regret in his gaze. Kaeya doesn’t notice. “Kaeya, do I still scare you?”
“Yeah.” Kaeya hums, smiling carefreely. “Yeah, you do.”
I’m sorry, Diluc thinks, hoping to reach out towards Kaeya and embrace him with the same hands that scarred his brother. I’m so sorry I scare you.
He does nothing, though, and instead pours Kaeya another drink.
He returns to his work in a daze.