Chapter Text
Soft, horse hair bristles dip into flaxen paint, the fine fibres clumping together in the thick pigment. Albedo brought the brush to ivory canvas, and while keeping his hand light, he made delicate, curved lines following his light sketch. Soft music plays through the cord of his earbuds, fueling his inspiration for his art.
“Baby?” It’s the soft lilting voice of his husband that brings Albedo out of his state of focus, not unpleasantly. Taking his earbud out of one ear, he turns to face Kaeya.
“Yes?” He asks, blunt as always.
“Just wanted to let you know I’m going to go pick up Klee.” Kaeya says, the corners of his lips lifted up into a soft smile.
Albedo finds his own lips curling into a smile, and he nods, “Okay, I’ll see you soon then.” Kaeya crosses the room to tuck platinum blonde hair behind Albedo’s ear and press a quick kiss to his cheek.
“I’ll be right back.” He assured, before his eye moved over to inspect Albedo’s work-in-progress art, “It’s looking good.” He adds, and Albedo turns back around to reevaluate the painting.
“Could be better.” Albedo says, scanning over the painting with critical eyes. There was something missing from the scene but Albedo couldn’t put his finger on it… Were the sunflower’s wonky?
Kaeya’s chin rested on the top of Albedo’s head, broad arms wrapping around his lithe shoulders, “Don’t undervalue yourself.” Kaeya said, firm but not unkind. A final kiss was left on the crown of his head before Kaeya was heading back toward the door, “I really do have to go now, though.” He laughs, “Can’t be late to pick Klee up.”
Albedo nods, before focusing back onto his art, he says a final goodbye before putting his earbuds back in and allowing his mind to return to the world of the canvas. Distantly, he hears their car start up and pull out of the driveway.
Lost in the swirling paints and soft flick of his wrist, he is able to finish the flowers in the foreground. Albedo is unsure how much time passed while he finished off the flowers but eventually, he registers the rapping sound of a knock at their front door.
Taking out his earbuds again with a sigh, he closes his paint pots and sets his brushes in a cup of water, finally leaving his brightly lit studio to enter the shaded entryway to get the door. There are several people who come to mind of who it could be at the door, and Albedo goes down the list in most probable order.
It could be the energetic Alice, Albedo’s adoptive mother and Klee’s biological mother, though she's more of a wild card with how random her visits are. It could be one of their neighbours, Aether and his twin sister, if he remembered correctly, asking for something or other. Or it could be the common door to door salesperson or preacher. Well, He resolves, there is only one way to find out.
Opening The heavy oaken door, he is greeted by a tall, pale man, with a thicket of curly hair so red it resembles a windwheel aster. He has big eyes, resembling the embers of a flame and a youthful, almost boyish face covered in a smattering of freckles. He looks nervous, almost, to be there, idling his hands by picking at manicured nails.
“Does,” The stranger begins, taking in a deep breath, “Does Kaeya Alberich live here?” Albedo resisted the urge to correct him, to tell him that it’s Kaeya Alberich- Kreidenprinz .
He nods slowly, weary of the stranger, and opens his mouth to answer before his speech is drowned out by the familiar sound of a car pulling into the asphalt driveway. It seems Kaeya has returned, just in time.
The passenger door swings open all too violently, bouncing on its hinges, and out comes barreling the ball of energy named Klee. From inside the car he can hear some fumbling about and eventually Kaeya yells, “Klee! Your backpack!” But she’s far too busy racing toward Albedo to consider going back to retrieve it.
She runs straight into Albedo, pushing him back an inch with the momentum and speed she had come slamming into him. It punches out an ‘oof’ sound from his throat and he feels Klee wrapping her short, chubby arms around his waist.
“Albedo, Albedo! I had art today and I drew you! Can I show you? Can I?” She asks, big red eyes focused on him, as she bounces on her tiptoes, pigtails swaying up and down behind her.
“In a moment, Klee.” He dismisses, eyes flicking back up to the redheaded man. He’s turned around now, he sees, and is looking at Kaeya with a poker face that Albedo can’t read. Kaeya stares right back at him, except his eye is wide with surprise and it looks like Kaeya is on the verge of dropping Klee’s backpack, which he is holding.
“Diluc,” Kaeya whispers, his voice betraying his surprise just as much as his facial expression does. Obviously, Kaeya knows this man, Diluc he assumes is probably his name, and is very shocked to see him.
Klee snatches her bag out of Kaeya’s hands and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, holding it up with pride. On it is a messy crayon depiction of Klee, Albedo, and Kaeya, holding hands. Another piece of art for the fridge, Albedo internally sighs.
“Come, Klee, let's get you inside and I can get you a snack, how does that sound?” He suggests. Something tells him Kaeya needs to do this alone, and Albedo will let him.
Klee nods vigorously with an excited “Yay!” and is inside within minutes. Albedo is hot on her heels.
***
Kaeya is quite frankly astonished to see his brother, especially after what had happened all those years ago. Diluc looks just as off put, moving from foot to foot, eyes refusing to meet his. It’s completely opposite the confident set of his shoulders that Kaeya was used to seeing growing up with him.
“Hi,” Diluc offers, his voice uncertain, “Um, I came to give you this-” He produces an envelope from a pocket on the jacket he was wearing, holding it out to Kaeya.
Kaeya stops him, gesturing inside, “Can we have this conversation inside, maybe? I can tell it’s going to be long.” He offers an easy smile but it’s obvious it doesn’t have the effect he wants. Even so, Diluc agrees.
Kaeya leads them through the entryway to the living room. Diluc follows him awkwardly, looking down at the floor as they walk. The living room is a mess as always, plushies and toys scattered over the hardwood floor. In the middle of the Chaos sits Klee, playing with her Dodoco plush.
Kaeya has never really liked children, no matter how good he was with them, but Klee has always been an exception for him. “Klee?” Kaeya calls, and her head whips around to look at him, “Do you know where Albedo has gone?”
She blinks at him a few times, like she was processing what exactly Kaeya had asked, and then answered, “He said that he was going to make me a snack! So I’m playing while I wait..”
Kaeya nods, “Well, little miss, do you think you could wait in the kitchen for me?” He would very much prefer she not be in the room while he talks to Diluc. She nods vigorously, standing up and dusting off her dress before she runs off.
“Klee-!” Kaeya starts, “Put your toys away!” But she’s already gone, and Kaeya simply sighs, resigning himself to cleaning off the couch so he and Diluc could take a seat.
Turning back around he gestured to the couch, offering a seat, to which Diluc obliged, sitting down with his hands folded in his lap. Kaeya does the same, sitting a good two feet away from the redhead.
“Sorry about Klee,” He laughs, “She’s very energetic.” He crosses one leg over the other, his right hand finding his left to fiddle with his wedding ring.
Diluc offers a curt nod, “It is… not a problem.” He says, before the room is plunged into an uncomfortable silence.
Surprisingly, Diluc is the first to speak again. Producing the envelope again he begins, “I had a woman contact me, she said she was your birth mother, and asked after you. She knew that father- my father had adopted you and wanted to reach out. I thought you might want to know, I suppose.” He puts the envelope on the coffee table, neatly opened at the top, but all its contents seemed to still be snuggly slotted inside.
He breathes in sharply, taking the envelope gingerly off the table, as if it would crumble in his hands if he was too rough with it. He opened the envelope to find a digitally written letter, however, he skips over the contents to check who had signed, repeating his mother’s name in his head over and over again.
Selene Alberich , he reminds himself, Mrs. Alberich . And low and behold, it was signed with the same name, Selene Alberich .
During his early childhood, before social services had removed Kaeya from the Alberich household, Kaeya’s mother had been the only person to ever show him love. She tried and tried so hard to save him from his father’s wrath but it ultimately ended with both bruised and wounded.
It was Diluc’s voice that had taken him out of his musing, “I- I had thought you would have wanted to know. That is why I visited. I don’t know why she hadn’t contacted you directly but..”
Kaeya blinked, “That would probably be because Alberich isn’t my last name anymore. Probably couldn’t find me.” Kaeya supplied and his brother went quiet immediately.
Diluc stiffened next to him, frowning like he did when he was thinking, “Did you change it?” He asks, quietly, eyebrows furrowed.
Kaeya can’t help but laugh, “Diluc, I’m a married man, I had my name hyphenated, and you know you have to get the name exactly right to get results on those databases.”
Something seemed to click in Diluc’s mind then and he recomposed himself, Folding his hands neatly in his lap, “Is that man, um, Albedo, your,” He swallowed, seemly having trouble processing that his ‘unfeeling, sociopathic’ ex-brother could have someone want to marry him, “-your husband then?”
Kaeya smiles slyly, and makes a show of sighing like a damsel in a fairytale, resting his head in his hands, “Yup. What can I say? Albedo’s the only one for me.”
“Does that mean that the little girl is your kid?”
Now that question had Kaeya choking on his own spit. He wasn’t expecting that at all. He coughs, bringing his first to his mouth as he does, “No, no, she’s Albedo’s baby sister, Albedo is just her guardian.” He explains frantically.
Diluc nodded, and Kaeya could swear he looked relieved, “She’s just so young, I had assumed.” He explained. His line of logic made sense, he certainly could have married and had Klee within the time he had Diluc hadn’t spoken, after all, she was only seven and it had been over ten years.
Kaeya nodded, and then once again, the room was silent.
There was a cough, “Right, well, I don’t want to overstay my welcome, so I’ll get going now.” Diluc says finally, getting up from his seat and smoothing out his shirt. Diluc’s poker face was almost impossible to read, but Kaeya almost thought he seemed a little down.
Kaeya wasn’t sure what possessed him to stop Diluc, but he did, “You can stay for dinner if you want, Diluc. I do try to treat my guests well, after all.” He offers, hand tightening in on his pant legs.
Diluc’s head whips around to look at him, his eyes wide, “I- I had thought that.. you wouldn’t want me here-”
“‘Luc,” Kaeya did feel a bit cruel for pulling out the childhood nickname, but he continues nonetheless, “I forgave you years ago.”
Diluc’s scarlet eyes searched his, “You… you did?” He asks, voice betrayed his uncertainty.
Kaeya let out a laugh, “I don’t hold grudges like you, Diluc. I’m not bitter anymore. You’re welcome to stay.”
His eyes narrow, lips pressing into a thin line, “Are you mocking me?”
Kaeya grins, “Just messing around ‘Luc,” He stood up, starting to walk to the kitchen, “C’mon, I’m a great cook, I’ll have you know.”
Diluc’s jaw set, his face as cold as it had been that night, yet he followed Kaeya anyways.