Work Text:
“...Master Diluc.”
Diluc corked the final bottle of wine, sliding it back into its place on the shelf behind him before he turned around. The Traveler stood in front of the bar, his head slightly bowed and eyes looking at the fine wood of the bartop in front of him.
“Ah, Traveler. What brings you here, after closing time?” Diluc asked, wiping down the bar top with a spare rag. The traveler bit his lip, fiddling with the decorations on the ends of his scarf.
“I….” He shook his head. “Um, well, I had a question, but you probably wouldn't know anything about it anyway…”
“Oh?” Diluc raised an eyebrow, pausing in his cleaning. Aether kept his gaze on the bar top.
“I…just…well…” After a deep breath, he met Diluc’s gaze. His eyes were tired, dark circles starting to underline his bottom lashes. Diluc hid away any concern that might have found its way to his expression. “Do you know anything about Khaenri’ah?”
Diluc couldn't hide the way his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Khaenri’ah… huh?”
Aether nodded, his eyes growing brighter. “So you do know something?”
“...not much I will admit. I was just…a bit taken aback on why you had a question about such an old nation. Not many people will recognize that name, you know.” Diluc crossed his arms. “Why do you wish to know?”
Aether stared at him for a long while, and Diluc had to suppress the urge to nervously shift his feet. It was as if those golden eyes were searching for any sins he had committed, analysing his very soul, to see if he was trustworthy.
“I'm…” The boy broke eye contact, looking back at the bar top. “I’m from Khaenri’ah.”
Time froze in place; Diluc swore that it did. Suddenly, the boy in front of him was not the so-called Honorary Knight, but a teen with dark blue hair and a fearful expression.
“I'm from Khaenri’ah.”
“The nation that was destroyed five hundred years ago.” The Traveler was in front of him, logically Diluc knew that. But the boy’s voice sounded smoother, more fearful. His blonde hair had turned blue, and his eyes were two different colors; one of the bright sun and one of the dark abyss.
“From…Khaenri’ah…” bits and pieces of the night of his eighteenth birthday flashed before his eyes, before he shook his head. No, he couldn't dwell on the past. That would get him nowhere. He had to make up for the mistake that had cost him his best friend, his brother. With that in his mind, he nodded to himself. “From Khaenri’ah.”
Aether looked frightened, and he had backed up a few steps. Instantly, Diluc felt awful.
“Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to space out.” Diluc moved to the side, unlatching the door of the bar so he could ease out. “Aether? Are you alright?”
“...Yes.” Aether said softly. Diluc put a grounding hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“If it will help you find your sister, I will tell you everything I know.” Diluc vowed.
Aether’s frightened expression faded into one of gratitude. He was so grateful, that tired tears had begun to form in his eyes. Suddenly, the Traveler barreled into Diluc’s chest, wrapping his arms tight around his midriff. Diluc blinked, surprised for the second time in an hour. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms back around the boy. Minding his long cape, he rubbed his back up and down in a motion he remembered Crepus doing to him when he was younger.
“Thank you.” Aether said, muffled by Diluc’s heavy coat.. “Thank you for helping me.”
Diluc could do nothing but continue to hold him as Aether’s shoulders shook with silent sobs as he let out all the frustration and exhaustion he had been holding back.
From the upstairs view, Kaeya silently watched.
He had been trained to hide in the shadows since he was a child, always dodging prying eyes that followed him wherever he went. So blending in with the darkness of the unlit upstairs was no problem for him. As for staying silent? Hah, he had perfected that art quite a while ago. Despite that, he was struggling to keep a noise of anger from slipping from his lips. Watching Traveler confront Diluc like that, so unprovoked, watching Diluc just accept him, and not give what he had just admitted a second thought, and, hell, especially watching the red haired man embrace the boy so willingly?
How could Kaeya not be infuriated ?
Such a stupid, little secret had flipped his world upside down, then on it's side, and then just chucked it into the flames of Diluc’s pyro bird. Something so small, something that he couldn't even control, had torn his life apart, hell, almost ended it.
And here he was, hugging a Khaenri’ahn child like he had not broken the heart of another one only a decade or so prior.
His vision glowed, pulsing with the heat (how ironic) of his fury. So much so, that Kaeya had to stuff it into the pocket of his coat to avoid being seen. His hands shook, and he balled them into fists. God, how he wanted to punch something right now.
How he had wanted to punch the Traveler right now.
Because, of course, it had to be his fault. Kaeya had done something wrong, something so awful, so unlikeable, that Diluc could do nothing but hate him. Diluc hadn't attacked him because he was Khaenri’ahn, or even because he was a spy of said nation. No, of course he hadn't. Diluc simply despised Kaeya for his very existence. For doing any and everything wrong, for being such an awful, selfish person, for not being a good brother.
And Aether, oh sweet, innocent Aether, who always smiled and worked and helped and bent over backwards for everyone he ever met, was better than Kaeya in every way possible. It was Aether’s fault that he was so unlikeable, because Aether was just so perfect .
Aether was everything Diluc had ever wanted in a brother.
And it made him furious .
So, with a vague plan in his head, and a sour look on his face, Kaeya exited the now-empty tavern, the pair he had been spying on leaving probably in the middle of his silent breakdown. He summoned his blade and flicked sharp shards of ice into existence, smiling to himself, he tested the sharpness of the ice, and it broke his skin. Blood began to bubble at the tip of his finger, and he wiped it on his pants. When was the last time he used ice in this way? Ah, right, when he had attempted to kill another child.
Purple eyes, dim and dead, appeared in his vision for a millisecond, the girl with green hair opening her lips to speak aloud a ‘please kill me’ that was not a statement, but a request appearing as well. But he shook away the memory, as he did with the sharp shards of ice. He could never remember her name, anyway.
He had to prepare himself, he had to come up with a strategy.
Aether was bound to pass through here soon.
Information. Finally.
Truly, that was all he desired in this godforsaken continent. Just information about Khaenri’ah, about his sister. He would take the littlest of hints, the smallest of scraps, even if it meant completing commissions that left him bruised and bloodied or running errands that made his legs feel like mint jelly by the end.
And finally, it had paid off. He had gotten somewhere. Diluc’s information, although most of it was things he had experienced first hand, was helpful. It helped him understand the people’s thoughts on the lost nation, and how he could acquire more information in the future. It also helped that Diluc had taken him to the Knight’s library and aided him in finding some books. If Aether was being honest, he could barely read the language. Every letter in Teyvat’s alphabet swirled before his eyes, and he longed for the days when his powers could instantly translate everything into his home language so he could understand. Diluc reading aloud to him gave a better range of understanding, although it had been a bit embarrassing to admit that he couldn't read at first. But it gave him information, and that's all that mattered to him. The long night, even though his tired brain could barely handle any more information, opened a few more doors for Aether.
Now all that was left for him to do was to find a quiet, peaceful place outside of the city to rest before the sun came up in a few hours. Perhaps, if Venti wasn't there, he would sleep under Vennessa’s Tree again. Or maybe he could find an old, broken down cart with it’s cloth roof still attached. He often used those as makeshift shelters.
Aether yawned, eyes threatening to slip closed as he was walking. He knew that Jean probably wouldn't have minded letting him stay in the Knight’s Quarters for the night but… that meant he would probably stay in her bed. And he just couldn't do that to someone who always had her hands full, someone who always worked herself to the core, someone who desperately needed some rest. If he slept in the Knight’s Quarters, he would be robbing someone of sleep, and he truly couldn't do that to anyone in Mondstat. It was a shame the Goth Grand Hotel was still inhabited by some Fatui…
DANGER!
Before he knew what was happening, his instincts kicked in. His tired body flinched away from an oncoming projectile, and Aether pressed his back flat against the wall. He scanned his surroundings, trying to find where it had come from.
DANGER!
He dodged. Another projectile pierced the brick wall where his head had been only seconds prior. As he inspected it, his face paled when he realized it was a sharpened blade of ice.
DANGE-
Another blade of ice struck his side, and he was far too tired to stifle a small yell in pain. One hand clutched his side as the other summoned his sword, his exhaustion being pushed back as the need to defend himself kicked in.
He brought his sword up just in time to block another ice attack. He began to run, finding it a good idea to retreat somewhere in the main city where his attacker was less likely to pursue him, only to be blocked by a wall of ice.
“What-?” He reached out, trying to melt the ice with a burst of Anemo, only for his gloved hands to be burned by the cold. Panic gripped his being.
“You thought you could run.” A suave voice scolded him. Aether whipped around. Kaeya was behind him, quickly striding forward with his sword in hand. There was a fury in his eyes and a darkness to his aura Aether had not known before. He raised his sword, sliding his foot back into defense until it touched the wall of burning ice.
Then there it was.
CLANG. Metal met metal as Kaeya lunged forward. Aether parried, his other hand leaving his bleeding side to send out a gust of Anemo power. The attack caught Kaeya off guard, and Aether used that to advantage, slipping around the other man and making a mad dash for the main street. He tripped, however, falling face first into the brick as one of his feet was encased in a gauntlet of burning cryo power. He cried out, trying to escape, but another cryo burst captured his arm. His sword clattered out of his hand, and he tried to reach for it, but a heeled boot dug into his back. Tendrils of icy cold cryo power licked at the nape of his neck as Kaeya pointed his blade at him.
“You.” The man muttered angrily. “You are a monster. You don't belong here, and you were never welcome.”
“K-Kaeya-?!” Aether muttered fearfully, but was silenced as the sword’s tip pressed into his neck.
“What makes you think you can waltz into my home and take everything from me? What makes you think you’re so great that you can just fit right in with everyone else?” Kaeya leaned down, closer to Aether’s ear. His cold breath tickled his scalp and Aether could do nothing but shiver in fear.
“You’re a sinner, just like the rest of them. An alien that should have died in the cataclysm.”
Aether’s breath dissipated in his lungs. How…how did he know? What did I do? How can I fix this?
Will I even make this out alive?
The tip of Kaeya’s blade was beginning to draw blood on his neck, but Aether’s limbs had shut down by this point. Tired, he was just so tired of fighting. Surely, a little rest wouldn't…be so bad…
“BURN!”
Scalding heat licked his back, melting the cryo shackles that had held him hostage. And as the heeled boot on his back disappeared, he forced himself to grab his sword and run.
~
“KAEYA!” Diluc’s fire raged, as his claymore clashed with the other man’s sword. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”
Kaeya stayed silent, his movements, once swift and calculated, turned stiff and jerky. Diluc, however, was blinded by rage.
Slash by slash, some drawing blood, others only warnings, Kaeya was being backed into a corner. The ice he had once fought with was no longer usable, melting within seconds when summoned. Diluc’s anger was just far too strong.
Suddenly, the Diluc in front of him was not an angry winery owner, but a traumatized teenager. Red hair tied high in a ponytail, white vest still stained with blood from the father that had perished in his arms earlier that very day. He was terrified, betrayal lacing his face as he swung his claymore high, anger-tainted grief pouring from his eyes.
His back pressed against the wall, Kaeya could barely summon his icy shield as the burning blade reached his head-
“TERRA SMASH!”
A Geo structure formed from nothing, and a loud CLANG reverberated throughout the empty alleyway as Diluc’s claymore hit the stone. He stumbled back in surprise.
“Aether?! What-?” Diluc crouched defensively, his claymore at his side. Aether’s side was still bleeding profusely, yet he stood in front of a dissociated Kaeya, one hand out as the Geo structure crumbled.
“You can't kill him.” Aether said quietly, hands tightening around the hilt of his sword. “He’s your brother. You…you can't.”
“He. Is not my brother-” Diluc began, yet Kaeya’s raspy voice interrupted him.
“What…did I do wrong?” Kaeya’s sword disappeared in stardust. “What did I do wrong to deserve your resentment? Why?!”
“You-” Diluc’s eyes flicked between Aether and Kaeya. Aether moved out of the way as Kaeya stepped forward.
“I needed you that day. We needed each other .” Kaeya got closer. He jabbed a cold finger into Diluc’s chest. “You weren't there for me then, you betrayed me, but you can be here for the Traveler NOW?!”
He motioned back towards Aether, the other flinching back slightly.
“What did I do wrong?” He said, a soft voice so full of anger.
“...Kaeya…” Diluc stared at the man in front of him. He pushed Kaeya’s hand down from his chest. “I…you didn't-”
“Then why?” Kaeya’s cold hand gripped Diluc’s wrist tightly. “Then why do you hate me so much?”
Silence filled the air. After a moment of tense staring, Aether coughed from behind them.
“So. Um. Do you think we could…move this little moment somewhere warmer…?” He asked, his hand pressed back against his bleeding side. “And…do I need to be here for it?”
Kaeya turned around, eyes widening in horror once he had realized what he had done. “Oh. Oh no. Traveler I- I’m so sorry-” He ran over, looping an arm under Aether’s shoulders. He looked back over at his brother, Diluc nodding slowly as he adjusted his glove.
“We’ll get Traveler to the Cathedral, and then we will talk about this privately, Kaeya.” Diluc nodded, beckoning for the two to follow him towards the church. Kaeya bit back a sigh, already dreading this future talk.
But, for now, both brothers’ had the same priority: to treat and thank Aether for all he had done for them.
Staring up at the inornate ceiling of the cathedral’s medical wing, Aether sighed.
When would it be his turn to reunite with his sibling?