Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s not that he wanted to keep tabs on Kaeya, it was just difficult to avoid the rumor mill in Mondstadt. Especially when one owns the most popular tavern in the city. It would be irresponsible of him, of course, to turn a blind ear in the Angel’s Share. What if there was important information concerning the safety of Mondstadt? Barbatos knows the Knights of Favonius are clueless about most of it. 

That is why Diluc knows that Kaeya has been accompanying the Traveler around Teyvat. And, maybe he had asked a few questions to get the details, but it’s for the good of Mondstadt, really. Kaeya is still a threat and, frustratingly, no one else seems to realize it. Knowing his whereabouts is integral to keeping Mondstadt safe.

Which is why Diluc is not at all surprised when the Traveler and Kaeya walk into the Angel’s Share. They’re accompanied by a muscular woman who appears to be from Liyue, wearing an eyepatch across her left eye. Diluc immediately distrusts her. People with eyepatches… they all have something to hide. Behind her skips in a blond man whose clothing looks Inazuman. Diluc narrows his eyes. 

“Master Diluc! How lovely to see you!” Kaeya shouts with too much volume and his usual smug smile. Diluc levels his usual glare right back and continues wiping down the glass in his hand. “Now, Master Diluc, I hope you’re not trying to give my foreign friends the impression that your customer service is lacking. Imagine how quickly word might spread.” Kaeya gestures at a table in the corner and his companions go to sit while he takes a seat at the bar. The muscular woman catches his eye and they seem to have a conversation consisting entirely of one-eyed expressions before she leaves to take her seat.

“What do you want,” Diluc says, tone clipped.

“Why, isn’t it enough to want to visit my dearest big brother while I'm in town?” Kaeya won’t trick him with that sweet expression on his face. 

“We’re not brothers,” Diluc grunts, “Pay or leave.”

Kaeya seems unfazed by his venom. “Alright then, Dandelion Wine for the table. My good friend from Inazuma has never had the pleasure of trying it.” Diluc just stares back. Maybe if he stares for long enough Kaeya will get uncomfortable and leave. 

Kaeya does not get uncomfortable and leave. In fact, he seems to pick up on what Diluc is doing and smirks instead, laying his chin in his hand and staring right back. Oh great, now Diluc is uncomfortable. He can’t look away now, so he doubles down, trying to inject his glare with every bit of venom he feels towards the Cavalry Captain. Kaeya’s amused smirk only grows as he does. They really have been staring each other down for an awkwardly long time. He puts down the glass in his hand and grasps at another blindly, refusing to back down. It takes him a try but he gets it. He keeps glaring. Kaeya keeps smiling.

“Ha! You blinked first!” Diluc startles so much he almost drops the glass. He feels hot shame rise to his face, and with it familiar indignant anger.

“Wh- we weren’t having a staring contest you imbecile!” 

“I can’t think of any other reason you’d be staring at me so intently Master Diluc.”

Kaeya, infuriating as ever, is still smiling at him. If he didn’t know better, Diluc would say he looked fond . But he did know better. Kaeya is never fond . He’s scheming. Plotting the downfall of Mondstadt. Probably as they spoke.

“Maybe I’m wondering why someone so inept at their job is sitting here getting pissed instead of working!” He hisses back.

“I’m not, you’ll notice Master Diluc, ‘getting pissed’, because neither me nor my guests have been served since we’ve arrived.” Kaeya gestures at his ‘friends’. 

At this, Diluc looks over at the table in the corner to see all three of Kaeya’s companions laughing at their exchange. Probably at his expense. He feels a hot flush of shame once again. 

“Tell them if I wasn’t being harassed by the cities’ resident philanderer, maybe they’d have their drinks.” Diluc is sorely reminded of their childhood. Kaeya never failed to know exactly how to push Diluc’s buttons. He was supposed to be the older one, more mature, and yet, he could never keep his emotions under wraps. When they were little, it was fine. Kaeya would tease him, he would get flustered, and then Kaeya would hug him and say he didn’t mean it. That it was just for fun. He used to secretly love Kaeya’s teasing. A sign that his little brother knew him inside and out. Diluc had trusted him with all the most fragile, embarrassing parts of himself, knowing he’d treat them well. It’s dangerous now that Kaeya has lost that trust and still knows all of the most incriminating parts of him. And he feels as if he’s never known Kaeya at all. 

Kaeya sighs and pushes away from the bar. “Alright, Diluc. I’ll be in the corner.” 

He sounds… tired? Diluc looks up in confusion to see Kaeya’s back, moving to the table and sitting down. He gets an arm around his shoulder from the eyepatch woman for his troubles. She pulls him into her side by the shoulder and ruffles his hair playfully. He hears Kaeya laugh with the rest of the table and a shot of jealousy runs through him. When was the last time he made his brother laugh?

Not his brother, he thinks bitterly. Kaeya is nothing to him but a threat, anymore. He pulls out a bottle of dandelion wine and walks over to the table. As he nears, he hears them discussing their latest mission. He doesn’t understand much of it; he’s not familiar with Inazuman politics. Since when was Kaeya? 

As he draws nearer, the blond man spots him and fixes him with a brilliant smile. “You must be Diluc, then?” The traveler greets him with a wave and a smile. The eyepatch woman doesn’t say anything. Her gaze seems judgemental, if not openly hostile. Kaeya kicks her audibly under the table. Well, she was definitely openly hostile before, because she isn’t anymore. 

“Yes.” Diluc focuses on pouring their drinks and pointedly does not look up to make eye contact.

“...” 

“Alright then! Nice to meet you! I’m Thoma, and this is Beidou,” he gestures to the eyepatch woman “We’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”

Diluc looks up and raises an eyebrow at the Traveler. “You have?”

“Yup!” Thoma seems to be set on talking to him. Diluc runs through his usual excuses to leave the situation. Just as he settles on shooing the pigeons away from the outdoor tables , Thoma says, “Kaeya talks about you all the time!”

Diluc’s eyes snap to Kaeya. Was that what this was? A threat? Did Kaeya bring his little gang here to put him in his place? ‘ Great things’ , he had said. Did Kaeya tell them about the Darknight Hero? 

But when he looks at Kaeya, all he sees is a smile. One that he would think was genuine. If he didn’t know better, of course. “Hey, not all the time. We’re too busy listening to Beidou talk about her embarrassing crush on Ningguang for most of it.” That earns him another good-natured shove from the eyepatch woman- Beidou- and another round of laughter from the table.

“Either way,” Thoma says, “It’s good to finally meet the human Diluc.”

“Um, what?” 

Kaeya’s eye goes wide and he kicks Thoma, once again, very audibly, underneath the table. Thoma’s smile does not falter.

“I just said it’s good to finally meet you Diluc.”

“Um.” Diluc isn’t sure how to respond to that. After an excruciating minute of silence, he chokes out, “Pigeons outside.” He gestures weakly towards the door and walks away, consciously attempting to not walk too fast. 

As he shuts the door behind him, he hears Thoma laugh brightly at something Kaeya says. The cool evening air does wonders for his rampantly red face. Seeing Kaeya again always flusters him, but it seems like it’s getting worse with every visit now. Watching Kaeya with his new friends, talking about his new adventures, really makes it sink in that Diluc isn’t a part of his life anymore. Not that he cares. In fact, he’s probably all the better for it. It’ll be… Beidou and Thoma ’s own problem when Kaeya betrays them. After a long moment and several longer breaths, Diluc heads back into the bar. 

He spends the rest of the night aggressively trying to focus his attention on the other patrons. Still, he can’t help his attention from being drawn to his brother and his friends. Not his brother. They just seem so… friendly . He would suspect them of plotting something, but he trusts the Traveler too much to believe that. Besides, they seem to actually be friends. Thoma and Kaeya mess around and joke like children, which he would normally look down upon, but they seem like they’re having so much fun it’s truly difficult to disparage. That is until Thoma takes out a vial of what appears to be pepper and pours it all in Kaeya and his drinks. He would yell at them about it, but it seems drinking the disgusting mixture is punishment enough. The Traveler gets along with these three like he gets on with anyone, which is to say, very well. He just seems to draw people in. 

And Beidou. She and Kaeya seem to get along the best. When they’re not solely invested in drinking each other under the table, the two of them act like… siblings. They poke fun and laugh and shove and altogether seem far too friendly. Diluc feels, more than once throughout the night, a spear of jealousy go straight through his chest when he sees the two of them. They undeniably care for each other. He thinks back to how they seemed to wordlessly communicate earlier in the night. 

“We’re closing, ” Diluc clips out. A few of the patrons groan, but get up and begin to stumble towards the door. His brother is not one of them. Not his brother . Kaeya spins around in his chair and yells out, “Are you now? I wasn’t aware you were closing early tonight?” To Diluc’s chagrin, he doesn’t seem as trashed as he should be after the copious amount of alcohol he’d consumed that night. 

“Something came up. Get out.”

Kaeya gets up with a sigh and exaggerates a bow to extend his hand to the Traveler, who takes it and is immediately spun around and let go in the direction of the door with a laugh. It’s good he’s too young to drink, or he would've been on the hook for quite a bit of property damage. Beidou is still slumped against the wall, where she’d been since Kaeya had won their race to destroy their livers. Kaeya asks her something and she mumbles a response out of earshot. “Alright,” Kaeya says as he shifts her weight and heaves her onto his back. With a groan of protest, Beidou acquiesces and puts her arms around Kaeya’s shoulders. He adjusts her dead weight in an, admittedly impressive, show of drunken strength, and heads towards the door after the Traveler in a surprisingly straight line. 

As the door shuts behind them, Diluc lets out a sigh of relief. 

“Diluc is a cat.”

“AH” 

This time Diluc does drop the glass he’s cleaning. Thoma catches it with his foot before it hits the ground and masterfully flips it up into his waiting hand before placing it on the counter. 

“Sorry ‘bout that. Figured I was too drunk to sneak up on you.” Thoma sports the same smile as before. Diluc does not get the sense that he is drunk at all. 

“It’s fine.”

“...”

His brain finally catches up with the situation. “What do you mean Diluc is a cat?”

Thoma laughs, “Kaeya’s cat. His name is Diluc.”

“Oh,” Diluc says, dumbly. “Why?”

Thoma pushes himself up to sit on the bar. “We were on Seirai Island. In Inazuma. There’s a smaller island off the coast where this cat Neko told us, well,... that part really isn’t important to the story, actually. Basically, there’s an island full of cats. And we roll up to this island. I love cats, so I was in heaven, and I was feeding all of them fish, and so they start flocking to us-”

“The bar is closed.” 

“Yeah I know. Hear me out. So the cats are all flocking to us, except for this one bright orange cat, who’s looking at us like we just killed it’s mother, right? And it’s keeping it’s distance and circling around us, glaring. I swear , it was glaring at us. And Kaeya takes one look at this grumpy cat and just gasps and goes, ‘Diluc.’ and runs off. We all thought he had gone insane, but we were too busy feeding the cats to care. So he runs off, and I’m trying to feed it, because it hasn't gotten any fish and everyone else did, and this cat is violent . Like won’t let me get within 10 feet of it without leaping towards me and scratching me up. I still have scars,” Thoma shivers.

“But, basically, Kaeya comes back. And he tells me to lay off the cat, which, happily, so I go back to feeding the other grateful cats and Kaeya just sits down like 15 feet away from the shitty cat. He doesn’t look at it or anything, just sits there. And the cat obviously takes notice, because this guy isn’t hanging out with all of the cool nice awesome cats, he’s just sitting over there. And so the shitty cat gets curious, and keeps on going closer, and we’re scared this thing is gonna slit Kaeya’s throat and we’re like 100 feet away. But eventually the cat gets right up to him, and Kaeya looks at it and pats it right on the head. Of course the cat gets pissed off, because it’s a hell cat, and scratches the crap out of his hand, but it doesn’t run away, and Kaeya just keeps petting it. We all got close enough at this point to realize that Kaeya has been talking to this cat the whole time, and he’s telling it something about how when he was younger he got pushed out of a tree-”

Diluc remembers that. He had pushed him out of that tree. For all that the two were inseparable when they were younger, Diluc hadn’t been happy about Kaeya at first. Kaeya kept trying to make friends with him, and Diluc was jealous. Some stray was taking up his father’s attention, after all. One day, Diluc wanted to climb trees in the vineyard, and Kaeya had followed him out, chattering the whole way. Diluc had been incensed. So he climbed the biggest tree he could at the time (which wasn’t very big) because surely Kaeya, who was smaller and weaker and worse, couldn’t climb it. 

He had been so pleased when Kaeya had to stop talking to try and climb the tree, especially because Diluc thought he’d never be able to do it. But, Kaeya made it to him eventually, and kept up his babbling. Diluc had not been happy. So he pushed Kaeya. Not his proudest moment, but he was eight, nothing he can do about it now. Kaeya had fallen, and he’d heard a snap, and he really did get worried, but he was as stubborn then as he is now, and so he didn’t look down. Not until he heard rustling right below him. In the tree. He looked and saw Kaeya right below him, bleeding from his arm and bruised all over. Kaeya just plopped down next to him again and started talking about whatever nonsense he had been going on about before as if nothing had happened. 

Diluc, of course, had immediately burst into tears and latched onto Kaeya as if he was his lifeline. He gave him a piggyback ride all the way back to the winery, and, when he learned that Kaeya had broken his wrist in the fall, vowed to never, ever hurt his baby brother again. 

Diluc had forgotten all about that story. It hurt to think about now.

“- so Kaeya is talking to this cat, and the cat is shredding up his arm, but he just keeps petting it like nothing is happening. Then, all of the sudden, the cat stops. It just looks up at Kaeya, who is still acting like nothing is happening, because he’s insane, and plops down in Kaeya’s lap. At this point, we’re all thinking Kaeya’s lost his marbles, and then he pulls out some meat, which we would learn later he’d run off and hunted , and this cat starts chowing down. So Kaeya’s sitting there, bleeding profusely, petting this formerly vicious cat who's eating a meal out of his other hand- I had just met Kaeya, at this point, so I had no idea what to say. I thought he was just loopy and we should leave him to the mercy of the shitty cat. And then Beidou says, ‘Why are you giving him meat?’ and Kaeya’s like ‘Just because the other cats like fish doesn’t mean he does.’ Eventually, we tried to leave the island, but the shitty cat just kept following us and Kaeya kept acting as if the whole thing was normal and we hadn’t just picked up a murderous hitchhiker, who, by the way, was still glaring at the rest of us like we were lunch. Kaeya eventually just looks at us and says ‘This is Diluc, he’s my cat now.’ And we were all like, sure, whatever weirdo, as long as you get him away from us. And that, my new friend, is the origin story of Diluc,” Thoma finished his story and looks down at him. “Er, cat Diluc. To be fair, I met him first.”

Diluc doesn’t process any of that information for a few seconds. “Alright,” he says, intelligently, as his mind tries to catch up with the story. “So Kaeya has a cat named Diluc?”

“A shitty terrible mean cat named Diluc who he keeps petting even though it hurts him every time, yes.”

“Why did he name it after me?”

“...” Thoma is still smiling, but the look he gives him is exasperated.

“... Why does he keep petting it?”

Thoma sighs, “Because he’s family. He loves him. And he misses him too much when he doesn’t.”

What? It’s a literal cat. How can a cat be-

“Oh.” Diluc feels like he’s been shot through the heart.

“Goodnight, human Diluc.” With that, Thoma hops off the counter and heads out the door, giving him one last smile as he backs away.

Diluc takes a momen-

“Oh! We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, by the way,” says a disembodied Thoma through the door, “Just thought you should know!”

Diluc shoots a glare at the door.

Then Diluc takes a moment to take everything in. Maybe- just to entertain the thought- maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe Kaeya hadn’t brought his friends here to threaten him. Maybe Kaeya had been coming to the Angel’s Share, Barbatos, almost every night, before he left with the Traveler, because Kaeya missed him. It made sense, if he thought about it. He had figured Kaeya was only coming here for the alcohol, but Kaeya gets along just fine with Diona. He gets along with her better than he does with him . And Kaeya hadn’t enacted any evil plots upon Mondstadt, even when he’d been absent to protect it. And Kaeya hadn’t told anyone about Diluc moonlighting as the Darknight Hero. Fuck, Kaeya apparently named his shitty violent cat after him. Because he missed him.

Maybe Kaeya wasn’t a monster. Maybe he had been born in Khaenri’ah, but his family is in Mondstadt. Maybe his home is Mondstadt. After all, he had been the one protecting it, with the knights, while Diluc had been away. Maybe he wasn’t the Calvary Captain because he wanted information. Maybe he was the Calvary Captain because he wanted to protect his home.

But that couldn’t be true. That couldn’t be true because if that were true that meant Diluc- that meant he had almost killed his little brother.

Diluc had tried to kill his baby brother.

Oh Gods. What had he do ne.

Diluc feels sick to his stomach. His baby brother, who had held Diluc’s hand through every party their father made them attend until he was ten. Who lied to everyone who asked and said he was the one who was nervous. His baby brother who would steal all the mushrooms off his plate, but would give him all his carrots instead because Diluc liked them more. His baby brother, who crawled into bed with him at least twice a week until he was eleven because he had horrible nightmares. His baby brother who loved fruity skewers and rain and hugs. His baby brother, who asked Diluc what his favorite flower was when he was seven and proceeded to point out every lamp grass he saw until he was sixteen. He had only stopped doing that because Diluc tried to kill him .

He feels something wet roll down his face and realizes they’re tears. He hasn’t cried since their fathers funeral. Their father’s funeral. That Kaeya couldn’t attend because he was on the brink of death. All these years, he’s been blaming Kaeya. For ruining them. For taking away his brother. But it had been him . And Kaeya had been trying to fix it.

Kaeya is still trying to fix it.

Maybe- if all that is true- maybe Diluc can try to fix it too.

Chapter Text

Diluc had been pacing in the alley beside Kaeya’s apartment for a full hour. Well, not a full hour. Every so often he’d go and stand in front of the door for a few minutes as if he was going to do something. Which is what he is doing now. Just staring at the door. He’s running out of time before someone notices him and inquires as to what he’s doing, considering the sun is currently rising and he will no longer have the cover of darkness.

“Master Diluc?” It’s Sara, from the Good Hunter. He hadn’t noticed her approach. “What are you doing here?”

“... Nothing.” They stand awkwardly for a few moments. 

“...Alright then. Could you-” Sara reaches across him to knock on Kaeya’s door. Diluc aside to let her. It’s just then that Diluc notices she’s carrying two boxes with her.

There’s a commotion from inside. A crash of broken glass and a yell. Then there’s the sound of footsteps running away from them, and then towards them, and then another crash. 

A few moments of silence. Diluc looks at Sara who is still smiling pleasantly as if this is normal. 

And then Kaeya opens the door. 

He’s wearing nothing but shorts and some ridiculous slippers shaped like dodoco. His hair is down and falls over his shoulders. There’s blood on his face, and Diluc tracks what appears to be cat scratches down his neck and to his chest.

His bare chest. Diluc hasn’t seen Kaeya this exposed since before their fight. It really hadn’t been much of a fight at all, now that he thinks about it. Kaeya hadn’t done much in the way of fighting back , until his vision appeared. Even then, he just made a shield of ice and kept it up until Diluc left. So, Diluc had never seen … this.

His stomach is covered in patches of mottled darker skin, and looking down at his exposed legs, Diluc can see that they’re much worse . There’s criss-crossing patterns of shiny, raised skin all across them. Diluc hadn’t really thought about the aftermath of their fight. Kaeya hadn’t gone to the Church of Favonius, he realizes. Why not?

Oh Barbatos. Because if Kaeya had gone to a healer, Diluc would've been arrested. For assault. The assault that he committed. 

“Hey Sara,” Kaeya gives a genuine smile and rubs sleep out of his eye.

“Good morning Kaeya. Beidou told me to bring this over for you two. Said it was thanks for last night.”

“Gods you’re a blessing,” Kaeya takes the boxes. He still hasn’t noticed Diluc. “Thanks a million Sara.”

“Anytime,” Sara smiles and turns to go, “Have a nice day!”

There’s a muffled voice from the other room, “Food?”

Kaeya turns around to answer with a yell. His back is even worse than his legs. “Yeah, from Beidou.” 

There’s some shuffling from inside as Kaeya opens the box. “Pancakes,” Kaeya yells again. The shuffling goes faster. Suddenly, Diluc is looking at the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, standing in his brother’s apartment, wearing a shirt that looks about two sizes too big and looking as if he’s just slept for eight years. He’s also staring directly at him.

“Diluc,” he says, with no inflection. 

A meow comes from inside.

“Yeah I know. He also knocked over your jar of Loach Pearls. I’ll clean it up after breakfast.” 

“No, human Diluc.” Albedo gestures as the still open door.

Diluc clears his throat awkwardly. Kaeya whips around. 

“Oh. Human Diluc.” He looks as though there’s a slime on his doorstep.

“That… yes. That is me.” 

“...”

“...”

“Would you… like to come in?,” Kaeya asks slowly, as if he thinks Diluc might be scared off if he speaks any faster. He might, now that he thinks about it. He nods just as slowly.

Kaeya slowly shifts out of the doorway. Diluc slowly steps in. Kaeya slowly closes the door behind him. Diluc freezes. Albedo observes, blank-faced, from the living room. Kaeya has to prod Diluc’s back like a mother dropping their toddler off at their first day of preschool. “You can just… sit on the couch, for a sec,” Kaeya says, carefully. Diluc sits on the couch. Kaeya heads to the kitchen with breakfast. Albedo sits on the couch perpendicular from the one Diluc is sitting on.

“Would you like tea?,” Kaeya says from the kitchen.

“Uh, yes. Please.”

Kaeya lights what appears to be… a bunsen burner? And puts a kettle on a rack on top of it. 

He takes a moment to look around. He’s been here before, though it’s been a long time. He never would've guessed this is the same apartment he used to crash in after a long day as Cavalry Captain when he missed his little brother too much. Kaeya had moved into this place when he was fifteen and it had never looked lived in. His room at the Dawn Winery was the place that looked like Kaeya’s , he had kept his apartment mostly free of any personal effects minus what he needed for his duties in the Ordo. His room at the dawn winery was chaotic maximalism, though Kaeya always claimed he knew where everything was. Diluc never believed him.

This place was Kaeya’s room at the winery to an extreme. There’s blankets on every arm of both couches, and a blanket on every chair. Many of them look hand-knitted. Many of them also look… singed at the edges? He recognizes the blanket on the back of Albedo’s couch as the ugly quilt Kaeya had bought off an old woman in Springdale for twenty mora when he was thirteen. Diluc had made fun of him relentlessly for it, but Kaeya dragged it everywhere. He said it had character. 

On the wall behind Albedo, arranged carefully around the large window, are drawings. Most of them are of Kaeya and a little girl he recognizes from the Ordo. The two of them relaxing in the grass in front of the tree in Windrise, the little girl sleeping with her head in Kaeya’s lap. The two of them asleep on the couch, with the little girl sprawled across Kaeya’s chest. Kaeya at his desk, hand pushing back his bangs, looking down at paperwork. The little girl from the back, asleep on the ground in front of the fireplace. They’re incredibly well done. 

Albedo notices him looking. “My little sister Klee. She won't sit still for long enough unless she's asleep.”

Diluc would’ve never pegged Albedo as an artist. Or a big brother. “You’re… very talented.”

Albedo just nods tiredly and looks back down at the mug of tea he must’ve made before Diluc arrived. 

There’s one drawing clearly occupying a space of honor in the largest portion of the wall. It’s done in crayon, and it’s of a little girl in a red cap. That must be Klee. On either side of stick-Klee, holding her stick-hands, are stick-Albedo and stick-Kaeya. In the corner of the paper is a orange ball that must represent Kaeya’s cat.

The coffee table is stacked high with paperwork from the Knights of Favonius. He recognizes Kaeya’s handwriting on a stack, and what must be Albedo’s on another two. There’s a fourth stack of Kaeya’s handwriting missing the telltale Ordo Sigil. There’s also a smaller stack of letters from a woman named Alice. 

The kitchen counter Kaeya is currently at is crowded with alchemical materials. That seems like it would be a health hazard. Diluc watches as he puts a frankly criminal amount of sugar on top of one of the boxes of pancakes and brings it over to Albedo, who starts sleepily eating the sugar-covered pancakes like a sandwich. Albedo’s hair resembles a dandelion, unkempt as it is from sleep. His tiny form is lost, a little bit, in the plush couch and the abundance of blankets. Not to mention the shirt he's wearing is almost hanging off one shoulder. He’s never formally met the Chief Alchemist, but his reputation is terrifying. This image… does not match up with the rumors. He moves on, so Albedo doesn’t notice his staring. He doesn’t want to know if the rumors are true. 

Directly in front of him is the same large fireplace that had been here four years prior, but it's completely transformed. Not only is the mantle piled high with worn books, it's framed on both sides by pictures. On one side, it’s pictures of Albedo. Most of them were taken at Dragonspine. There’s one of Albedo and Sucrose in what looks to be a lab on the mountain. There’s another, frankly concerning, one of Albedo flashing a smile and a thumbs up in front of a giant red… glowing thing. There’s an, admittedly, very cute, one of Albedo’s body built into a snowman, complete with a tophat on his head. The little girl (Klee?) is patting the body of the snowman proudly and grinning at the camera. 

On the other side of the Fireplace is Kaeya. A shaky picture of Kaeya and the Traveler smiling frantically at the camera as Dvalin flies by, blurry, in the background. Another candid of Kaeya and Thoma fishing on a dock in Inazuma, boots off and feet in the water. A photo of Kaeya and Beidou on the bow of a ship, Kaeya posing with his arms out, hair flying back. Beidou is behind him, holding his waist like a scene in a dumb romance novel. Another cute one of Kaeya and Klee, her sitting on his shoulders in front of some fireworks, beaming at the camera.

“Postcards,” says Albedo, mouth full. He swallows, “We send them to each other when we’re not here.” 

That’s- very sweet, actually. This whole place is. It’s very… sentimental. Every bit and piece of the cluttered apartment seems to have some story. It’s very Kaeya. 

 He turns his attention back to the photos. Some are with Jean and Lisa around Mondstadt. A lot of them are with people Diluc doesn’t recognize. One of Kaeya and… What. The. Fuck. 

“Kaeya.”

“Yeah?” Kaeya is back in the kitchen grabbing utensils, from the sound of it.

“Why is there a picture of you with a Fatui Harbinger?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have never seen nor interacted with a Fatui Harbinger.”

“You’re- in the picture he’s literally kissing you on the cheek.”

“Gasp! Are you saying my close friend and associate Tartaglia has been a Fatui Harbinger all along? Betrayal comes from the most unexpected of places.”

Albedo is snickering into his pancakes. Diluc glances over at Kaeya, who now also has his mouth stuffed with pancakes. He does not look even slightly surprised. He walks over to Albedo’s couch and plops down, handing Diluc a mug of tea. It’s his favorite kind. 

“I don’t mean to make fun. Childe isn’t… particularly aligned with the rest of them. He’s nice to have around.” Kaeya looks genuine. He’s really testing Diluc’s new resolve to trust him. “Speaking of nice to have around, what is human Diluc doing in my apartment?”

“Would everyone please stop calling me human Diluc.”

“Well we couldn’t just call you Diluc. It’ll confuse Diluc.”

An indignant meow comes from the open door of the bedroom and a little orange cat slinks out cautiously. Thoma was right. He does glare.

“See, we’re confusing him already,” Kaeya makes a tutting sound with his teeth and Diluc- cat Diluc. He needs to think of something better to call it- jumps up onto Albedo’s shoulder. “Traitor,” Kaeya grumbles. Albedo fondly bumps his head against the cat, and cat Diluc returns the favor. 

“Well, I’d like to talk to you, Kaeya.”

Kaeya blinks, “Alright.” Kaeya is reverting to the slow-talking tactic. It’s working.

Diluc looks pointedly at Albedo. Albedo looks back at him. 

Diluc clears his throat.

“While I do hate interpersonal conflict, I’m not leaving you alone with him. I hope you understand my meaning.” Ah. He’s giving Diluc a very intimidating look. He now gets why people are scared of Albedo.

“...Ah, yes,” Diluc fights the urge to run. The only thing stopping him at this point is that running would be even more embarrassing. “Though I expect to be talking about some… sensitive topics.”

“I’m certain Albedo already knows everything, Diluc. It’ll be fine,” Kaeya looks at him with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. “Say what you need to say.”

Diluc takes a deep breath.

“Um, well. I-” Damn it all, this is hard- “I haven’t been quite… fair with you.”

Kaeya blinks. Diluc blinks. Albedo eats his pancake sandwich. 

“Yes…?” Kaeya looks shell shocked.

“Well, I… I’m afraid I’ve been… stubborn. I haven’t wanted to admit I was in the wrong. Even to myself. And I’ve realized, that- that in doing so, I’ve assumed the worst of you. And you haven’t deserved that.”

“I… okay”

“We never… we haven’t talked. Since. And I want to. I’d like to… understand. You. Why.” Diluc swallows. Phew. Hard part over.

Kaeya graciously ignores the fact that ninety percent of what he just said had been gibberish. “You would like me to… explain?” Kaeya is speaking to him as if he’s a frightened toddler. He feels like a frightened toddler. He just nods.

Kaeya looks at Albedo. Albedo looks at Kaeya. Diluc looks at them. Albedo looks at Diluc. Albedo looks back at Kaeya. Kaeya looks back at Diluc.

“Alright.” Kaeya takes a deep breath before starting, “I was scared. I don’t think you really understood what it was like for me. It was horrible, losing Crepus. I won’t ever downplay that. But you had Jean, and the knights, and your title and your vision and the winery and all the support in the world from Elzer and Adelinde. All I had was you.  And considering the fact that you were already busy with just work, I figured I wouldn’t have you for much longer. I thought I was losing everything.” Kaeya is carefully keeping the emotion out of his voice as if he’d rehearsed this. Albedo scoots over to press his leg against Kaeya’s.

“I was convinced you’d find out somehow, and I’d lose you without having a chance to explain. So I figured I’d beat it out. I’m not going to lie, my timing was awful. And I apologize for that. If I could do it differently, I would. But I was sixteen, and stupid, and I was alone with this huge secret for the first time in my life. Crepus told me he would handle it with you. I had always wanted to tell you, I swear, but he said to wait. You never were good at keeping secrets-”

Kaeya must see the look on his face, because he stops. “Diluc? Are you alright?”

No. “Father knew ?” His voice cracks. 

“Yes I- Diluc, obviously foreign children with Khaenri’an accents don’t just show up surreptitiously on people’s doorsteps. He knew when he took me in. Why do you think he raised me?”

Gods, that makes sense . Crepus didn't just take in every orphan in the country. He took in the one he needed to make loyal to Mondstadt. Diluc feels tears come to his eyes, unbidden. His emotions are still raw from the night before. He wipes at them. 

“No… he… you're just saying that.”

“I’m really not. You can ask Elzer. I was a pretty awful spy when I was seven, believe it or not. I’m pretty sure most of the staff caught on.”

God, did everyone know but him?

“Diluc?”

He’s properly sobbing now. He sees Kaeya cautiously approach out of the corner of his eye. He sits down next to him. Kaeya carefully moves his arm towards him. He makes sure Diluc picks up on the visual cue of ‘incoming touch’ and gives him plenty of time to dodge before he tentatively pats him on the back. Once. Twice. It is unbearably awkward but Diluc doesn’t have the ability to dwell on that at the moment.

“ I’m so sorry ” Diluc breathes. He sees Kaeya send a lost look to Albedo. Albedo looks like he would rather die than interfere.

“It's… It’s alright Diluc. It’s fine. We’re all fine.”

He sobs out, “You’re not fine,” he gestures to Kaeya’s body, “and I’m not fine,” he gestures to his snotty face. He sniffs in a nose full of snot and it’s the most disgusting thing he’s ever heard.

Kaeya snorts and quickly covers his mouth. “Sorry, I am so sorry.”

“No,” he says miserably, “It was funny.”

Kaeya laughs nervously. “Di, I’m not gonna lie to you, I have no idea what’s happening to you right now.”

The nickname just makes him start crying again. Kaeya hasn’t called him that in four years . He’s missed out on so much because he was stupid and stubborn and refused to trust the one person he should’ve trusted. He left Kaeya. Alone . It shouldn’t surprise him that he found new friends. New family. Diluc doesn’t have any right to feel left out. But he does. 

“ Kaeya ,” It comes out whiny and watery and childish and he’s already embarrassed himself enough for a lifetime just in this morning. 

Kaeya shoots a panicked look at Albedo, who shrugs back. They sit there with nothing but the sounds of sniffling for a long while as Diluc attempts to calm himself. Kaeya’s hand is planted awkwardly on Diluc’s shoulder. 

“What… brought this on…?” Kaeya sounds distinctly like he doesn’t know how to deal with the grown man crying on his couch at seven in the morning. 

Diluc sniffs and attempts to clear his throat. Perhaps his dignity can be spared. Based on the looks Kaeya and Albedo are giving him, that is not the case. “Ah, your… friend , Thoma told me you named your demon cat after me.”

Kaeya looks affronted. “Shh, don’t call him that. You’ll hurt his feelings.” There’s a soft meow from Albedo’s lap, where cat Diluc currently rests. Albedo covers cat Diluc’s ears with his hands. Cat Diluc is still glaring at Diluc. Diluc glares back.

“It’s a cat, Kaeya. I don’t think it has feelings.” Diluc takes a sip of his neglected tea. It's surprisingly good, for being made with lab equipment. It helps him feel less like he’s about to burst into tears again.

“You’re being rather rude to Diluc, human Diluc. And in his own home. I would think your high society manners lessons would’ve taught you better.”

“We had the same manners lessons Kaeya. I don’t think you have space to judge, considering your… libertine act.” Diluc gestures loosely at Kaeya.

Albedo snorts. “Real libertine, this one. Spending all his free time taking on extra work for Jean and babysitting Klee.”

“Hush now Bee, you’re ruining my reputation. ”

“Please. Everyone just pretends they don’t know you’re a sap to protect your ego.” 

That’s news to Diluc. But then again, he’s learned a lot about Kaeya in the last half-hour that contradicts the image he’s built of him in his head since his return to Mondstadt. This Kaeya seems a lot more like the brother he once knew. Besides, a lot of his ideas about Kaeya’s… debauchery had been attached to the idea that he was a rampant flirt, but Albedo lives here as well, and there’s only one bedroom, so Kaeya’s womanizing would have to wait until Albedo’s absences. That does not seem conducive to the lifestyle.

“I refuse to take heed of anything out of the mouth of a man who looks like a disgruntled hillichurl.”

Albedo narrows his eyes at Kaeya from over his mug. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so intimidating. Kaeya doesn’t seem to be affected. He simply raises an eyebrow back at him. After a moment he stands up and walks to the bedroom. He comes back to the living room a minute later- an excruciating minute where Diluc awkwardly stared down at his hands as Albedo casually petted the cat- pulling a shirt over his head. He has a hairbrush in his hand and bobby pins sticking out from between his teeth. He moves to Albedo’s couch and softly kicks him until he shifts for Kaeya to sit behind him on the back of the couch. Kaeya sets about the intimidating task of taming Albedo’s hair. 

Diluc is glad Kaeya has someone around who seems to understand him, even if it isn’t him anymore. Diluc does find it strange that he didn’t even know that Kaeya and Albedo were friends. They seem very close. 

“That’s basically it,” Kaeya says through the pins.

“What?”

“My explanation. After I told you, I just came back here. By the time I was healed enough to leave you were already gone.” Diluc had totally forgotten about their conversation. 

“No one came to check on you?”

Kaeya laughs, “Who would’ve come, Diluc? You were gone.”

“...Jean?” 

“Jean didn’t even notice I was missing until I showed up with a vision. Didn’t take her long after that to offer me your old position.”

“And you took it.” Dliuc feels some ice returning to his tone. If he was being honest with himself, hearing Kaeya had taken over as Calvary Captain was a punch in the face when he first heard about it. It felt like Kaeya’s final twist of the knife.

“Of course I did. I was sixteen years old and I had just been disinherited. I needed the money over anything else.” Kaeya finishes braiding one side of Albedo’s hair and pins it into place. “I couldn’t continue living here on a squire’s budget. Besides, the knights weren’t exactly in good shape even before you left. I wanted to help.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kaeya puts his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey now, you’re the one constantly criticizing the Ordo. Let the rest of us have a turn every once and a while.”

Kaeya returns his attention to Albedo’s remaining braid. “After that it was just business as usual. I don’t think there’s anything else to it.”

Diluc wasn’t sure he’d call Kaeya’s life ‘business as usual’, considering there’s a picture of him with a literal dragon behind him, but he’s not going to push it. 

“Alright.”

“So are my answers to your satisfaction, oh wise and mighty Diluc? Please pass your judgment such that I can adjust my life according to your standards.” Albedo flicks his leg and gives him a look that clearly says to be nice . Kaeya finishes Albedo’s second braid and purposefully pokes him with the bobby pin.

Diluc sighs, “That’s not what I meant. I-”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Diluc isn’t used to Kaeya apologizing. “Thank you. For listening.” 

“Yes. Well. I should,” Diluc motions towards the door, “Thoma said you were leaving today.”

“Yeah. I suppose I’ll see you when I get back?” 

Diluc may not be the most observant man, but he can hear the hint of insecurity in Kaeya’s voice. This visit had been more productive than he ever would’ve dreamed, despite the embarrassment. He figures he should do his part to be nicer. 

“Of course. I… look forward to it.” Diluc stands up stiffly and Kaeya follows. Diluc the cat seems to feel left out and jumps up to perch on the back of Kaeya’s neck. On the way to the door, Kaeya goes to pet him and cat Diluc scratches his hand. 

“Ow, shit. Why would you-” Kaeya goes to pet cat Diluc again and this time he seems receptive, purring into his hand. “Weirdo.”

He opens the door in front of Diluc and stands aside for him to pass. Diluc pauses in the doorway. “I- um, I” Diluc shuffles a bit. Kaeya holds back a laugh. “Take care,” Diluc says quickly before patting Kaeya on the shoulder not occupied by a vicious cat.

Kaeya is doing a poor job at concealing the laugh. “Yeah, you too.” He waves as he shuts the door.

Diluc puts his face in his hands and groans. Why did he do that.

Chapter Text

Two weeks after his meeting with Kaeya, Diluc is back in the Angel’s Share. The night before there had been a strangely large amount of Cryo Abyss Mages concentrated near the Dawn Winery. Diluc needed a break. 

Which is why he’s grateful for the relative peace in the tavern at the moment. There were a few scattered patrons across the place, but they were having soft conversations amongst themselves. Diluc lets himself bask in the quiet.

The door swings open and Diluc looks up across the bar to see… nothing?

“Mister Diluc!” 

Oh. He looks down.

“Hello…?” There's a little girl in a red cap peering over the countertop. This must be Albedo’s sister.

“Hello hello!” Klee hops up onto a bar stool and leans over the counter. “I’m Klee,” she sticks out her hand, “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Diluc hesitantly takes her hand and shakes it. “You as well. I’m Diluc Ragnvindr.” 

Klee narrows her eyes at him. “I know that already. I said your name when I came in.”

“Erm… yes. I suppose that’s true.”

Klee releases his hand from her enthusiastic handshake and plops down on the bar stool. She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a sketchbook and some crayons. 

“Miss Klee, may I ask what you’re doing here?” Read: Why is there a child in my bar?

“Kaeya says that you’re lonely and sad, so I came to hang out with you.” Klee starts drawing something in her sketchbook.

“I am not-” Diluc stops his angry retort with a sigh. Klee is just a child. He’d save it for Kaeya next time he sees him. “Who is supposed to be looking after you?”

“Master Jean. But she’s very busy and she put me in solitary confinement so I decided to see you.” She seems very invested in her drawing.

“... Solitary confinement?”

“I broke one of Kaeya’s survival rules,” Klee says somberly, “It was an accident though, I promise. I was just trying to go fishing and I accidentally took too many bombs and I couldn’t hold them all.” Klee finally looks up from her drawing, guilt evident on her face.

“Um… survival rules…?”

“Mhm!” Klee digs around in her backpack for another moment and pulls out a slip of paper.

Bombs inside city wall,

grounded be thy woe.

Explosions can hurt people,

Jean can be dreadful.

Modstadt be bombed,

Klee be doomed.

There is something severely wrong with that man’s brain. 

“What’s this about bombs?”

“Oh! Don’t worry! I know I’m not supposed to do anything without superstition.”

“Supervision?”

Klee nods enthusiastically. “Yup! That’s when someone comes with me to make sure I’m not putting anyone in danger.”

“Er… I know, Klee,” though, he’s fairly certain supervision is to make sure she isn’t in danger. Or at least it should be. This child seems to be a little… odd. “Does Jean know you’re here?”

The guilty expression returns. “Well, no, but she only said I had to be in solitary confinement for the morning! And I was really bored,” She says pitifully. “I just really miss my big brothers and Kaeya said that you used to be the best big brother so I wanted to come see you,” she sniffles.

 Diluc’s heart breaks. “Alright Miss Klee, you can stay here for a little bit until I can take you home. I wouldn’t want you wandering around alone after dark.” If anyone else were around he’d be embarrassed by how soft his voice comes out.

Klee’s face immediately snaps back into a smile. Damn it, he’s been played. He should’ve known that any child exposed to Kaeya for long enough would become a little devil. “Thank you very much, Mister Diluc. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” She gives him a little salute. 

She returns to her drawing. “Big brother Kaeya says you like grape juice. Do you have grape juice?”

“Of course. I’ll get that for you right away,” He says seriously. Klee giggles. He turns away from her and begins pouring her a glass of his finest grape juice. 

Diluc isn’t sure why he’s surprised by Klee calling Kaeya her brother. They had seemed very close from what he saw in Kaeya’s apartment. It logically follows that he, Albedo and Klee would consider each other siblings. 

It stings a little, but Diluc is getting used to the notion that everything will, for a while. Getting to know Kaeya again makes everything raw. Exposed. There’s four years of hurt and pain and anguish between them that nothing can truly fix. Neither he nor Kaeya is going to feel whatever catharsis they might have imagined would erase the sorrow. But he can follow Kaeya’s lead. He moves on.

He turns back around and slides the grape juice over to Klee, grabbing a straw from the rarely used container under the counter. Klee digs around for a moment in her pocket and pulls out a handful of Mora. She dumps it on the counter.

“Keep the change,” she says with the conviction of a billionaire. There’s only about 50 Mora on the counter. There is no change. In fact, if Diluc was intent on charging, Klee would still owe a significant amount. He is not intent on charging. 

“What’s your favorite color?” Klee asks, narrowing his eyes at him as if she expects him to lie about it. 

“Blue, why?” She seems satisfied with his answer.

“No reason.” Klee attempts to inconspicuously reach into her backpack to pull out a blue crayon. She fails.

“... Alright then.” 

“My favorite color is red because it’s Dodoco’s favorite color. Kaeya’s favorite color is blue too because it’s the color of Albedo’s eyes, but he also likes red because red reminds him of me. Albedo says his favorite color is purple but it has nothing to do with Kaeya’s eyes because Kaeya’s reason is stupid and cheesy.”

Diluc isn’t quite sure what to make of that. Luckily, he’s called over to a table in the corner and doesn’t have to think of a response. He brings them another round. When he gets back Klee is still focused on her drawing.

“Kaeya says you never smile because you’re really ugly when you do”

Diluc is taken aback. “That’s- that’s not true, Klee.”

“I don’t believe you.” She looks at him like she expects him to prove her wrong. He realizes that was probably Kaeya's intent in telling her that in the first place.

“I can’t just smile because you want me to.”

“Why not?”

That’s a good question. It’s not a difficult request. He can’t think of a good reason not to, at the moment, other than he doesn’t want Kaeya to win. That would be a childish thing to say, though. He doesn’t want to act more childish than the literal child he’s talking to.

So he tries to smile. With teeth.

“Oh no, that’s scary. Stop doing that.” Diluc stops doing that. 

“Maybe you just need more practice.”

Diluc thinks back on the last time he genuinely smiled. He can’t remember it. 

“Maybe I do.”

“You should come on a picnic with us then. Kaeya is good at making people smile. Albedo smiles all the time when we’re on picnics and he never used to do that. He says it’s because Kaeya makes him happy. At first I didn’t like you, because I’m supposed to be Kaeya’s favorite sibling, but then I realized that it’s completely different because you’re his big brother and I’m his little sister. Also, I thought about how sad I would be if Albedo and I didn’t talk anymore and I think that’s how sad Kaeya is, so I think you should hang out with him more.”

Diluc blinks at the sudden change in topic. “I suppose.”

“Also, I’m already Albedo’s favorite sibling, and I can share, so I guess I’ll share Kaeya with you. But only if you learn to be nicer,” She gives him what she definitely means to be an intimidating glare, which he’s sure must be an attempted Albedo impression that falls incredibly short. “I heard Kaeya cry about you one time when I wasn’t supposed to be listening to grown-up talk so I bet he does it all the time when I’m actually not listening. Stop making him cry or I’ll stomp on you.”

“I’ll… try my best.” Diluc is thrown by the fact that Kaeya cried about him. He can count the amount of times he’s seen Kaeya cry on one hand, and he’s known him since he was six. “I didn’t mean to make him cry.”

Klee levels him with a scrutinizing look. “Okay then. As long as you didn’t mean to.”

Klee finishes coloring and slides the piece of paper she's been working on conspiratorially towards him across the bar, face-down. He’s glad he just cleaned. 

“This is for you,” she whispers, as if it’s a secret, “If Jean asks, I was never here.”  She hops down from the bar and sprints out the door.

He calls after her in vain. “Klee!” He sighs. If the Ordo headquarters were any further, he’d have gone after her, but she clearly knows the way. At least he can go back to his quiet night.

He turns to take her glass and sees the paper on the bar counter. He stares at it for a moment, then picks it up. On the other side is a drawing of stick-Diluc and stick-Klee, drinking grape juice at the bar. Stick-Diluc is frowning into his straw, and he has very angry red eyebrows drawn on his face. Stick-Klee has a wide smile, and is holding stick-Diluc’s hand. The background is a child’s approximation of the Angel’s Share, and there’s large blue block text above the picture that reads ‘GRAPE JUICE BUDDIES.’

It’s pretty cute. He grabs one of the pins they keep around for notices and pins it near the window. It'll liven up the place.

Chapter Text

Diluc is seriously injured. 

Diluc is seriously injured, and he’s within Monstadt’s city walls. For any other citizen, this would be the ideal situation. Not so much being injured, actually, but if one had to be injured, within the city walls would be the place to be. For Diluc, currently dressed up as a knock-off superhero, this is not the case. 

If it were anything else, he’d just pass out in his room above the bar and sleep it off, but sleeping off the bleeding gash in his side seems… unwise. He could go to the Church, but it’s likely no one is awake anyways. Jean is definitely still awake, workaholic that she is, at headquarters, but Diluc would rather not expose his identity to her. In fact, she’s probably the last person he would want to know about his nightly outings. 

So where does that leave him? Bleeding out on the cobblestones? He has to make a decision, and soon, because the blood loss is really making him dizzy at this point. 

Kaeya, he remembers, in what may be the final thought he has before he loses all brain function, Kaeya got back yesterday . 

He knows this only, of course, because Klee had gleefully barged into the Angel’s Share Monday night and announced that they were going on a picnic on Saturday before whirling right back around and leaving. Totally reasonable to assume he was back, then, on this Thursday night. He definitely did not know that Kaeya had gotten back late afternoon yesterday because he had been keeping tabs on him. Not at all. 

Either way, Diluc knows Kaeya is home. And Kaeya knows Diluc is the Darknight Hero. The perfect combination to preserve both his lifestyle and his actual life. 

Diluc hurries down the sidestreets, as much as one can hurry, holding his side and pressing as hard as he can against his injury. He makes it to Kaeya’s apartment building and scrambles up the stone to reach Kaeya’s windowsill and hangs on by his fingers, stretching out his injury. He groans. Damn Kaeya for living on the third floor. Diluc tries the latch. Damn him even more for locking the window. 

Diluc shuffles his way over. If he can make the jump from the windowsill to the balcony outside Kaeya’s bedroom, he can at least bang on the window with a chance of waking him up. It’s his only chance at this point. He can feel his brain get more and more muddled by the second. He summons up every bit of energy left in his body and swings .

He lands, clumsily, with his hands on the top of the rail and scrambles over. He takes a moment to rest on the ground before propping himself up against the wall and standing, first poised to knock against the window. 

He looks through the curtains to see Kaeya and Albedo peacefully asleep in bed, Kaeya half laying on top of Albedo’s smaller form. Not fully nude, thankfully. Kaeya is once again wearing just shorts, scars exposed, and Albedo is wearing at least a shirt, from what Diluc can see. Kaeya’s face is tucked into the space between Albedo’s shoulder and neck, and he has an arm thrown over the section of Albedo’s chest he's not occupying. Albedo has a hand holding Kaeya’s and another resting in Kaeya’s hair.

Oh . He had forgotten Albedo lived here. That could be a problem, what with the whole identity thing.

OH. WHAT THE FUCK.

Diluc has neither the mental capacity nor the time to process either of his realizations, as the fist he had once raised to knock against the window has hit the french doors and pushed through . Diluc, who was already struggling to stand without the shock of an unexpectedly opening door, faceplants to the ground with a mighty thud. 

Ow , is his first thought. Of course this is the window Kaeya doesn't lock , is his second.

When he rolls over moments later, there are two swords at his neck.

He gaze goes up one of the swords to find a hand belonging to a very visibly tired Albedo. He’s rubbing his eyes with the other like a tired child and he’s wearing another shirt that’s far too big for him. It dawns on Diluc that those are probably Kaeya’s shirts. Ew. Also, what the fuck? Albedo does not seem privy to Diluc’s mini freakout. “Diluc?”

Diluc glances over at the other sword to find a, quite frankly, terrifying looking Kaeya, whose face immediately morphs into concern and confusion once he recognizes him, “Hey Diluc. mind telling me what’s up?”

Diluc opens his mouth to speak, but thankfully Albedo interrupts with a sigh. Diluc isn’t sure he can form words right now.

“I’ll get the first aid kit.” 

With that, Albedo vanishes his sword and shuffles out of the room.

Kaeya does the same and kneels down next to him, inspecting his injury. 

“That’s pretty nasty,” he says with a grimace, “wine bottle incident at the tavern?”

Diluc still has the energy to glare at Kaeya through his mask. Kaeya disregards him and starts peeling away layers to get to his side. At one point he pulls out his sword again and Diluc panics a little. 

Kaeya, of course, notices. “Relax, Di, I have to cut this bit away,” Kaeya says with a surprising amount of gentleness. He carefully works around the wound and peels off the shirt. It hurts, but Kaeya is shockingly good at calming him down. It seems like he’s done this before. 

“Why does no one ever just knock on the front door,” Kaeya grumbles to himself. It didn’t occur to Diluc that that was an option, for some reason. It probably would’ve been easier than scaling the building whilst bleeding out.

Albedo shuffles back in with a large first aid bag and a stained blanket. 

Kaeya looks up at the disturbance. “Ah, you remembered the bleeding blanket. I knew there was a reason they call you a genius, Bee.”

“This is most definitely not why.” Albedo settles down next to Kaeya, clearly disgruntled by the disturbance to his sleep. Kaeya kisses the side of his head. Gross and disgusting, actually. Diluc is going to die choking on his own vomit before he dies of blood loss.

“Sit up for a second big brother,” Kaeya says, oblivious to his plight, wrapping his arm around Diluc’s shoulder. Diluc tries, but it’s at least ninety percent just Kaeya lifting him off the ground and sliding the blanket underneath him. It’s definitely better than the hardwood floor.

Albedo examines the wound for a second and he and Kaeya have a soft conversation that he’s too tired to tune in to. When he cares enough to zone back in on the world, he sees Kaeya’s face above his, holding a vial of something. He looks vaguely worried, but not on a ‘Diluc will be dead in moments’ level, so Diluc takes that as a win. It occurs to Diluc that Kaeya isn’t wearing his eyepatch. This is the first time Diluc’s ever seen him without it and his vision is too fuzzy to actually see him.

“Drink up,” he says, softly. Diluc is too tired to protest as he tilts the glass against his lips. His eyes slide closed. The last thing he feels as he drifts away is a hand squeezing his own comfortingly.

The last thing he thinks, however, is What the fuck?

–

Diluc wakes up to a beam of light shining directly into his eyes. He’s in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed. His first instinct is to shoot up out of said bed, but he gets maybe an inch before crippling pain and intense dizziness force him back down. He collapses boneless against the bed and lets his head fall to one side. The light is coming in through the french doors to the left of the bed. It seems like the sun has just risen.

He takes a moment to observe his surroundings. The room is small and fairly plain. There’s a dresser at the foot of the bed and a door to the right of the dresser. He looks down to see his bare torso. His wound from last night is far more healed than he remembers it being. The remainder is carefully stitched and bandaged. Oh. Last night. Everything that happened comes flooding back in a moment. 

Wait. He’s in Kaeya and Albedo ’s bed. That they share . Because they're… together . 

Diluc isn’t sure how to process that information, so instead he focuses on the blanket he's lying on. It’s stained in a dozen places, including what must be his contribution from last night. What had Kaeya called it? The bleeding blanket? 

Diluc attempts to get up again, slowly this time. He gets upright with minimal pain. On the nightstand he sees a glass of water and some sort of concoction in a bottle next to his folded clothes. The bottle has a label with Kaeya’s atrocious handwriting on it. After some squinting and deciphering, Diluc can see that it says ‘Drink me’. He downs both the water and the concoction. 

He doesn’t feel any different, except for the cottony feeling in his mouth receding. He stands, with one hand on the bed to steady himself, and moves towards the door. He makes it without collapsing and opens the door.

“Meow?”

He looks down. “Hello little Diluc.”

The cat looks pleased. He runs past Diluc into the bedroom and quickly finds a small bed Diluc had missed in the corner, circling twice before plopping down. Diluc must’ve kept him from his normal resting place as well. 

He continues into the familiar living room and sees it’s in a similar state of disarray as last time. Upon further inspection, he sees two new pictures on the wall. There’s one on Kaeya’s side of him and an black haired child wearing Inazuman clothing. They’re sitting in front of what appears to be a tree growing blue feathers. Kaeya’s smiling, but he looks extraordinarily sad. Albedo’s new picture is much happier. It’s of him and Lisa in a blizzard on Dragonspine. Lisa is bundled up in about a million layers and is triumphantly holding up what Diluc assumes to be an overdue library book. Albedo is holding the kamera, and thus only one side of his face is visible in the picture, but he’s smiling. 

Speaking of Kaeya and Albedo, he finds them passed out together on one of the couches. It seems inconvenient for them to be squished onto the same one. Kaeya is too tall as is, and his feet hang awkwardly over the edge, even with his legs bent. Albedo is curled against his chest on the edge of the couch, and his arms are wrapped around Kaeya’s middle. Kaeya’s arms, wrapped securely around him in kind, seem to be the only reason he isn’t on the floor. There’s still dried blood beneath his fingernails. Their legs are tangled together, and despite the lack of space, they seem incredibly comfortable. They also look incredibly exhausted. That’s probably his fault.

Diluc still isn’t sure what to think of the… situation . He’s still a bit taken aback, and a bit embarrassed that he didn’t figure it out. They certainly weren’t trying to hide it. 

They seem good for eachother, though. Diluc finds himself unconsciously smiling at the sight. They seem happy. 

As if sensing he’s being thought about, Albedo opens his eyes and makes direct eye contact with Diluc. Fantastic, now he feels like a creep. Albedo begins slowly detangling himself from Kaeya. He tries to get Kaeya to let go, but it seems like an impossible task. After several tries and a few moments of visible frustration, Albedo puts both hands against Kaeya’s chest and pushes. Hard. 

It works, but at what cost? Albedo flies off the couch and lands hard on the floor on his back. Kaeya just rolls onto his stomach on the couch, still asleep. Albedo meets Diluc’s gaze again, because what else was there to do but watch that trainwreck in motion, and looks at him as if he’s daring him to say something.

“He stayed up all night with you. I’d rather he get his rest.” There’s a challenge in Albedo’s voice, but Diluc isn’t quite sure what it’s about, so he just nods. 

It dawns on Diluc that he also prevented Albedo from a restful sleep. And also bled all over his floor. 

“Thank you.”

Albedo smoothly gets to his feet and brushes himself off, “Unfortunately, living with Kaeya entails living with his gaggle of beloved vigilantes storming the apartment at all hours. I’m used to it,” he says with the same unaffected tone he says everything else. That is to say, he isn’t sure if Albedo is upset or not.

“Thank you, all the same.”

Albedo shuffles past him into the kitchen. “Don’t mention it.” He turns on the bunsen burner on the counter and puts the kettle above it. “You should probably sit down.”

Diluc has been propping himself up with the door frame for quite some time now. He thinks Albedo is probably right. Fighting another wave of dizziness, Diluc walks to the unoccupied couch and sits down, letting himself take a deep breath. 

“You lost a lot of blood. The cut was clean and Kaeya was able to stitch you up easily. You should be fine after some rest. You drank the stuff on the nightstand?” Albedo looks up at him and Diluc nods dutifully. “Good. That should help. Sucrose developed that a little while ago. The ingredients are hard to find but it’s truly a stroke of genius. It’ll speed up your healing significantly. Kaeya can heal you a bit more when he wakes up.”

Diluc wasn’t aware Kaeya could heal. Or that he knew how to administer stitches with obvious proficiency. 

Surprise must show on his face, because Albedo cuts off his thoughts. “He’s always been able to heal himself somehow, with his vision. He and Barbara worked on a way to transfer it to others. It’s still not very effective, and he can’t do it in combat yet, but it’s helpful for times like last night.”

“I noticed it looked much better this morning.”

“Yes, well, having a fresh open wound tends to be aesthetically unappealing.” There’s a knock at the door. Albedo goes to open it. Diluc can’t hear the conversation at the door but Albedo comes back with three boxes of… something.

“Breakfast.” Well, that answers his question. “Before he went to sleep Kaeya left a note for Sara. He wasn’t sure what you’d want so he got you pancakes.” Albedo sets the box down in front of him and goes back to the kitchen. As Diluc opens his box, Albedo does the same in the kitchen. He pours an obscene amount of sugar on them. Ah yes, how could Diluc have forgotten the borderline sacrilegious way Albedo eats his pancakes. Albedo comes back with utensils for Diluc and sets them on the coffee table in front of him. 

While Albedo goes to pour them cups of tea from the now boiling kettle, Diluc digs in. He wasn’t aware of how hungry he was until he started eating. As if alerted by the sound of pancakes being eaten, cat Diluc lumbers out of the bedroom. He sits dutifully at Diluc’s feet.

“Meow?”

Diluc stops inhaling pancakes for a moment and turns his head towards the cat. He’s giving Diluc what he must admit is a very cute look. His eyes are open wide and his head is tilted quizzically. Diluc cuts off a piece with the intention of giving it to him.

“Do not.” Diluc startles at the sound. Albedo is glaring again. He guiltily redirects the forkful of pancake to his own mouth. Albedo sets a mug in front of him and sits back down. 

Diluc the cat does not enjoy this change of heart and grumbles angrily before padding back into the bedroom. Diluc absently hopes he's not getting any cat hair on what’s left of his costume. 

He freezes. His costume. That Albedo knows about. 

Diluc looks up to see Albedo eating normally as though he hasn’t just figured out the identity of Mondstadt’s own masked vigilante. Well, normally for him. He’s still eating the pancake like some sort of sugar taco. 

Albedo notices he’s staring. “What?”

“...Did Kaeya tell you?” Diluc speaks slowly and his tone is low.

“About what?” Albedo does not seem even mildly threatened.

“...”

Albedo snorts. “Oh. No, he didn’t. I already knew.”

Diluc must look as disbelieving as he feels.

“Come on Diluc, there are only so many 6 foot pyro vision holders with bright red hair running around Mondstadt. Not to mention the Darknight Hero showed up at the exact same time you did.”

That is actually a very good point. “Oh.”

“Not that I think it’s much of a secret, but I won't tell anyone. I’m not sure my husband would be very happy with me if I did.” 

What. Albedo goes back to eating his pancakes as if he hasn’t dropped a nuclear bomb in the middle of his living room. Husband? Kaeya is married??? To Albedo??????

Diluc’s jaw is hanging open. He hasn’t even had enough time to process Kaeya is in a relationship, and he’s already married ? 

Diluc has a brief flashback. When they were little, Diluc had been convinced that he would marry Jean one day, and he would spend hours talking about his wedding. He had a very clear vision of how it would go, for a ten year old. One day, he was going on and on about his wedding, and how Kaeya would be his best man, and Kaeya had said What if Jean doesn’t want to marry you? She has standards, you know.  

Diluc remembers his response very clearly. It doesn’t matter who I marry. You’ll be there with me no matter what. 

Kaeya had promised him the same. 

Albedo interrupts his spiral “Anyways, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I have matters to attend to at headquarters.”

Albedo heads to the bedroom and shuts the door behind him, presumably getting dressed. Diluc is left to his thoughts. 

Married. And at such a young age! It’s exactly the kind of rash decision Kaeya would make. Or was it rash? Diluc realizes he has no idea how long they’ve been together. They’ve clearly been living together for some time now, but still. Kaeya is only twenty-two. And Albedo is only- well, Diluc doesn’t know how old he is, but he looks younger than Kaeya. 

Is their marriage even feasible? Kaeya is off gallivanting with the Traveler, and Albedo spends half his time up on Dragonspine. Diluc cannot imagine that their emotional needs are being met.

What about kids? Kaeya had always wanted kids. Albedo doesn’t seem like the fatherly type. That being said, they’re so young it’s probably for the best. Oh Barbatos, what if they’re thinking about having children? They’re already married, apparently, so what’s to stop them?

And Albedo is so cold . Is he treating Kaeya right? He can’t imagine Albedo openly expressing his affection. And Kaeya had always needed so much reassurance about being loved. 

Albedo chooses this exact moment to exit the bedroom, now fully dressed. He squats near the end of the couch and runs his fingers through Kaeya’s hair, attempting to wake him up. Kaeya sleepily mumbles something under his breath.

“I'm going to headquarters. There’s pancakes on the counter. Diluc is here.”

“Diluc is always here,” Kaeya mumbles, face down, into a pillow.

“Human Diluc.”

Kaeya hums his tired assent. Albedo gets up to leave but Kaeya pulls him back by the hand.

He moves up to kiss Albedo on the cheek. “Love you honeybee.”

Albedo, to Diluc’s surprise, smiles . And blushes . “Love you back. Don’t forget to feed Diluc.”

“Human Diluc?”

“No, I already fed human Diluc.”

Kaeya hums again. “You’re the best.”

Albedo pecks Kaeya on the lips and moves to leave in earnest this time. “I know.”

Albedo grabs a stack of papers off the coffee table and leaves out the front door, leaving a stunned Diluc in his wake. 

Before he can think too much about what just happened, Kaeya groans and rolls over.

“Good morning human Diluc.” He says with a too-cheerful grin for someone who’s just woken up. He’s wearing his eyepatch again, Diluc notices. 

“Please stop calling me that.”

“No can do. Do you want poor Diluc to suffer just because you don’t like accurate labels?”

“It’s not my fault you named your stupid cat after me.”

Kaeya gasps mockingly. “He is not stupid. I sense some projection happening here, human Diluc. You might want to talk to someone about that.”

Diluc is too tired to take the bait, so he just takes a deep breath and sighs. 

“In all seriousness, how are you feeling, my dear bread loaf of a brother.” Kaeya tenses up for a moment after he finishes, but he recovers so smoothly Diluc almost doubts that it happened in the first place.

Diluc decides to ignore it. “What could you possibly be talking about?” 

“You’re all sliced up,” Kaeya says with a wicked grin “Not unlike a loaf of bread, I would say.”

Diluc is too tired to respond to Kaeya’s weirdness, so he focuses on the important bits. He’s glad to find his ability to sift through Kaeya’s bullshit has not faded over the years.

“Better. I still have a large gash across my abdomen, so not the best I could be feeling.”

“My, that’s unfortunate. Perhaps you shouldn’t be venturing out alone in the dead of night without alerting anyone of your whereabouts.”

“You’re one to talk. There’s a picture of you fighting a dragon on your wall.”

“Ah, but was I alone? I think not,” Kaeya gets up and sits next to him. He gestures for Diluc to turn towards him. Remembering what Albedo said about Kaeya’s healing, he acquiesces. 

Kaeya switches into focused mode and Diluc thinks it would be best not to distract him any further. He looks At Diluc’s injury for a moment, prodding softly at the skin around it. “This might feel a little odd,” he murmurs under his breath. Kaeya places a freezing hand over the cut and Diluc immediately feels a wave of cold come over his entire body. The injury itself definitely feels better, but after a moment Diluc’s teeth start to chatter. 

It’s an unfamiliar feeling, being cold. Diluc usually runs hot enough to make up for any chill around him. After what feels like an eternity of winter, but is probably about a minute in real time, Kaeya pulls his hand back. 

Diluc looks down. The inflamed skin looks much better, and the edges of the cut seem to have receded even further. Most of the ache is gone from the surrounding area as well. 

That does not change the fact that Diluc feels like he was just submerged in ice water. He shivers aggressively. 

Kaeya looks up from inspecting his handiwork. He raises an eyebrow at him. Diluc can’t do anything but chatter his teeth in response.

“Oh, don't be such a baby.” Despite his chiding, Kaeya reaches behind him and hands Diluc a fluffy blanket. This one is notably lacking bloodstains. 

Diluc wraps it around his shoulders and shuffles himself further into the crevice of the couch. “I’m not b-being a baby. Its f-freezing,” he says through his teeth.

“Now you know how I feel all the time,” Kaeya gets up and walks to the kitchen. “Does it feel any better?” 

Diluc nods and reaches for his forgotten tea. Ah. Warm. Does Kaeya really feel like this all the time?

“Do you really feel like this all the time?” 

Kaeya walks back and sits beside him, this time with a box of pancakes. He just presses his hand against Diluc’s forehead in response. It’s freezing. Diluc flinches back.

“You get used to it.” Kaeya says through a bite of pancake.

“I hope with all my might I will not. How does Albedo deal with you?”

Kaeya looks at him. A smirk slowly spreads across his face. “He has his ways of heating me up.”

Diluc stares back at him before it sets in. “Ew Kaeya, what the hell-”

“The power of his love warms my heart,” Kaeya finishes with an innocent smile. “Why, Diluc, what were you thinking?”

“Shut up. You’re disgusting.”

“I’m not the one whose mind immediately went to the gutter. And about my sweet, innocent Albedo, no less.”

“Klee says he once dissected a hillichurl piece by piece.”

Kaeya sighs, “Klee knows she isn't supposed to tell people that.” He takes a moment to swallow another bite of pancake. “I’m glad she’s talking to you though. Tell me, did she ever get you to smile?”

Diluc reaches out of his cocoon to smack Kaeya on the side of his head. Kaeya rubs at the side of his head and pouts. “Ow.”

“Now who’s being a baby. That didn’t hurt.”

“That’s no way to treat the man who saved your life Diluc,” Kaeya croons, “And in the middle of the night! Disrupting my precious beauty sleep.”

Diluc sits in silence for a moment. Kaeya looks back at him quizzically, clearly expecting another shot to come his way. 

“Thank you,” Diluc looks down at the mug in his hands, “Really.”

Kaeya blinks at his earnesty. “Of course. I wasn’t going to let you die.” He says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

“You would be well within your rights.” Diluc’s gaze is still locked on his mug. He’s gripping it tighter than before. 

Kaeya shifts closer and grabs his face with both (very cold) hands, forcing Diluc to look at him. “Hey, knock it off with the self-flagellation. I don’t want you dead, so if you really want to make it up to me, you should be trying harder not to die. I don’t care about what you did. Really. I just want my b-” Kaeya coughs in a very unsubtle way. “you- back. I missed you.” Kaeya lets go of him. “I don’t know how exactly we got to this topic, but I don’t need every conversation we have to be about our regrets. Nor do I want that. I think we’ve both done enough thinking about that.” 

Diluc nods. There’s a lump in his throat he can't seem to swallow down.

“That being said, I will now be incapable of emotional honesty for at least another forty-eight hours. I need to recharge,” Kaeya says, with a grin that’s not quite as convincing as it usually is. Diluc is overcome with the sudden urge to hug him. He stares at him for what is definitely too long, considering the questioning look he gets in return, before putting his mug down on the coffee table

Fuck it. He leans in towards Kaeya and wraps his arms around him. Barbatos, he really is cold. Kaeya is frozen (no pun intended) for long enough that Diluc reasons he’s made a terrible mistake. He’s just about to pull back when he feels Kaeya slowly move his arms to hug Diluc back. 

“I missed you too baby brother,” Diluc says into Kaeya’s shoulder.

If Diluc hears Kaeya sniffle and hold him a little bit tighter, that’s nobody’s business but his own. They stay that way for a long while. 

Eventually, Kaeya pulls back. His eyes look a little red around the rims. Diluc wisely chooses not to mention it. 

“Well,” Kaeya says, a little shakily, “I actually have to work to do as well, believe it or not. You should get some rest. If I recall correctly you’re supposed to be working your day job tonight.” 

Diluc groans. He forgot he had given Charles the night off. 

“You can stay here if you’d like. I left some extra clothes on the dresser. Yours were pretty decimated. Not to mention, it might look a little suspicious if Diluc Ragnvindr starts walking around Mondstadt in the Darknight Hero’s outfit.”

“Thanks,” Diluc attempts to stifle a yawn. It doesn’t work very well. Kaeya gently shoves at his head. 

“Seriously. Sleep. I hope you haven’t forgotten that you promised Klee a playdate tomorrow.” Kaeya gets up and heads towards the bedroom.

Oh archons. He had forgotten. Diluc shuffles until he’s lying down. It is actually a very comfortable couch. And a very comfortable blanket. 

Before he knows it, Diluc is asleep.

He wakes up to an empty apartment and a sleeping cat perched on top of his chest. If he stays to pet cat Diluc for a while before he leaves, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

Chapter Text

By the time he gets ready for his shift at the tavern, his wound is ignorable. It still hurts, but only if he thinks about it. He changes out of the clothes Kaeya lent him. It’s a short walk from his apartment to the tavern, but he’s still glad Kaeya had given him… less revealing options. By less revealing, he means skin tight on his lower half and unfortunately airy up top. Or, it would be unfortunate, if he didn’t have a slice taken out of his stomach. Speaking of which. Diluc looks down at his stomach.

Wow. Between Kaeya’s healing and whatever that concoction was, the cut looks as though it's weeks old. Maybe he should just skip healers altogether and smash through Kaeya’s window whenever he’s hurt. 

Or use the front door. Now that he’s aware of Kaeya’s marriage- oh Barbatos, he’s married - Diluc can’t help but feel incredibly lucky that he hadn’t walked in on a more scandalous situation. Not that he ever wants to think about his baby brother in scandalous situations. Diluc shivers. 

He pulls his own clothes, which now seem positively prudish, and heads down to the tavern proper. 

He slides behind the counter with a sigh and spots the drawing he had hung up several days before. He feels a smile threaten to make its way across his face and relents. Maybe you just need more practice .

He’s interrupted by the front door slamming open. He attempts to hide his flinch and fails horribly. That’s not a huge problem, since he’s the only person in the building. Well, he was.

“Diluc!” It's the woman from before. Kaeya’s friend.

He stares at her for a moment too long before remembering her name, “Beidou.” 

Beidou doesn’t seem perturbed by his lack of social graces. “Ale me up!” 

Diluc is fairly certain that is not a turn of phrase that actually exists. He complies anyway as she drops heavily onto the stool in front of the bar. He slides the heavy tankard towards her and she catches it with ease, bringing it to her mouth and drinking what must be half of it in one go. Diluc would never say it out loud, but he is very much intimidated. 

It’s then that he realizes that it’s five o’clock and the tavern is completely empty. This is some sort of trap.

“So, Diluc. Tell me about yourself.”

Diluc stares back for a moment, trying to piece together what is happening. “You’re Kaeya’s friend.”

Beidou takes his non-answer in stride. “That is not a fact about yourself. But I am, yes. How ‘bout we make this an exchange then. You got your question, now I get mine. Tell me about yourself.”

Diluc blinks back, “That’s… not technically a question.”

Beidou sighs and takes another drink. “Has anyone ever told you you’re difficult to talk to?”

“Yes.”

“Great. At least you’re aware. Fuck. That was a question,” Beidou knocks back the rest of her ale and slides it back to Diluc, “Your turn.”

Diluc grabs the empty tankard and refills it. “Um… how long have you known Kaeya?”

“That is quite possibly the most boring question you could have asked. We met in Liyue when the Traveler came through. I’m not sure how long ago that was exactly. Maybe a year?” Beidou gratefully accepts her filled ale. “Do you have any intention of hurting slash killing Kaeya now or in the foreseeable future?”

“What? No. Of course not.” Diluc snaps. 

Beidou laughs at his outburst like the thought he could hurt her is entertaining to her. “Don’t get snippy about it. We all know what happened.”

Diluc pales. “You do?”

“Well, no. Kaeya won’t tell anyone but Albedo, I think. But we’re not stupid. We have it mostly figured out.”

Diluc lets out a breath. “Okay. Well, I’m not going to.”

“Good. Then we won’t have a problem. Especially since this is free,” she picks up her tankard and shakes it side to side. He was not aware it was supposed to be free, but he’s not going to argue with her. Especially now that her vicious smirk has transformed into what appears to be a friendly smile. “Your turn.”

“Oh,” he had forgotten about that. He waits a bit too long to answer. The pressure is on now. He needs to think of something good.

Instead of doing that, he blurts out the question in the front of his mind, “How old is Albedo?”

“Weird fucking question. Also, how should I know? Actually, instantly scratch that, I do know. Kaeya wouldn’t shut up about going back for his birthday last year. He just turned twenty-three.”

Just about a year older than Kaeya then. Diluc tries not to let his shock show on his face. He looks so young. He is so young. Too young to get married. 

Beidou disregards him and leans in. “My turn. What’s the closest you have ever been to an Archon?”

“What? I don’t know. However many miles it is between here and Liyue Harbor? Why do you ask?” Fuck, shit. “Wait, no that’s not my question,” He rushes out.

“I’ll let you have a freebie. I just wanted to settle a bet.” Whatever bet it was, it looks like she lost. Her smile has fallen into an annoyed snarl. 

He thinks about his next question. There’s only one thing he can think of, and it’s something that would leave him far too vulnerable to this complete stranger. 

“Something bothering you?”

Diluc sucks it up. It’ll be better than asking Kaeya or Albedo about it directly, he reasons.

“Were you present for my brother’s marriage?”

Beidou’s visible eyebrow nearly flies off her forehead. “What?”

“When my brother got married. I assume you were there? ”

Beidou looks at him as if he’s insane. “Who told you that?,” She says slowly, as if she’s currently deciding how to proceed. It dawns on him that Kaeya might have told people to keep quiet about it. That would explain why he hadn’t heard about it.

“Albedo.”

Beidou looks constipated for a brief moment before she bursts out laughing.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Diluc grumbles. He feels a familiar embarrassment rising within him. Beidou continues laughing until she’s out of air.

Unfortunately, Kaeya chooses this exact moment to make an appearance. 

Diluc glares at him, “What are you doing here?”

“What, I can’t check up on my favorite bartender?” Kaeya takes a moment to sit down on the stool next to a still laughing Beidou. Beidou takes one look at Kaeya and absolutely wheezes with laughter. 

“ Guess what Albedo told your brother, ” She says, in a single breath.

Kaeya merely cocks an eyebrow. “That his hair looks ugly like that and he’d look exponentially better if he pulled it out of his face? Or, god forbid, brush it?”

Beidou laughs harder at that. Diluc just glares. Kaeya smirks at him cheerily. How he manages to look both condescending and pitying at once is a mystery even to the Archons.

“Well, our captain seems to be incapacitated. Would you care to tell me, dear brother, what the love of my life said to make you slightly grumpier than usual?”

Diluc is definitely missing something. There is a piece of the puzzle he does not have, and when it falls into place, he is going to feel like a fool. Unfortunately, either he tells Kaeya now, or they wait in awkward silence until Beidou stops thinking it’s too funny to say out loud. Either way, the piece will fit. And he will be the fool. 

“Albedo told me you’re married,” Diluc mumbles under his breath.

Kaeya visibly strains to hear him. “Sorry? What was that?”

Diluc isn’t sure if he’s just putting him on or if he didn’t actually hear him. Either way, it frustrates him. 

He manages to bite out, louder this time, “Albedo told me about your marriage. Congratulations.” 

Kaeya had not heard him the first time. To his credit, he has pity in his eyes from the moment he bursts out into peals of laughter. This reinvigorates Beidou, who had been dying down next to him. 

“What,” Diluc snaps, “Is so funny.”

Beidou turns to him from where she was desperately grabbing Kaeya’s shoulder to stop herself from collapsing on the floor. “He was fucking with you,” She manages to say through gasping breaths. “You got Albedo’d.”

Kaeya manages to stop audibly laughing, though he has to press his lips together with visible effort. “Diluc. Albedo and I are not married.” He takes a deep breath to collect himself, “He was joking. Though it’s sweet of you to congratulate us.”

Diluc feels hot shame run up his neck. “How is that a joke,” he snaps. He probably shouldn’t snap. Kaeya is trying not to laugh at him. He just doesn’t like feeling like he’s the butt of whatever joke the rest of them are in on. Them being people in Kaeya’s life. Perhaps this goes slightly deeper than him being made a fool.

Beidou finally finishes laughing and wipes the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes. “Albedo has a fucked up sense of humor. He just lies to people,” She lets out a residual snort. “No one ever calls him out on it because no one can tell when he’s lying. Except for this one, of course.” She slaps Kaeya on the back.

Kaeya nods with a huff of laughter, “You should’ve seen the first time Beidou met Albedo.”

Beidou smacks him across the back of his head. “Don’t tell people about that, you bitch,” she’s laughing still, so it must all be in good fun. She turns back to Diluc. “Yeah. He told me he knew the owner of the fanciest restaurant in Liyue. We got there, and I demanded to talk to the owner, cause fucking Albedo said they were good friends and he’d let us in. The guy eventually showed up, pissed off, cause the restaurant was busy as hell and it was not a good time, and I was like ‘Albedo talk to him’ and Albedo just said ‘I have never met this man in my life.'' and walked away. I had to just stand there open-mouthed until the guy got well and truly pissed and threw a bucket of shrimp juice at me. That was the first time I ever met Albedo.” Beidou laughs and takes another swig from the tankard in front of her. “God, what a brat.”

Kaeya steals her ale and does the same. “Don’t talk about my husband like that. This is why you weren’t invited to the wedding.”

“I don’t want to go to your stupid wedding. You just reminded me I’m still mad at your demon boyfriend. I smelled like shrimp juice for weeks. Unless you have an open bar. In which case, all is forgiven.”

“Mhm. Though, Beidou, I seem to recall you coming here to settle a bet? Unless you just came here to torment my brother, in which case, I will have to ask you to leave out of a sense of fraternal duty.” Diluc doubts Kaeya has ever felt an ounce of fraternal duty.

Beidou sighs and hands Kaeya a pouch attached to her belt. He can hear the coins clink together as she hands it over. Kaeya looks overjoyed. 

“Now shoo. You’ve reached your bothering Diluc threshold for the day.”

Beidou sticks her tongue out at Kaeya but complies. She steals back her tankard and drains it before walking towards the door. 

Kaeya eyes do not leave Diluc’s as he say to Beidou, “Make sure to shower before you leave. Wouldn’t want Ningguang to smell you all shrimpy.”

Diluc is the only one who sees Beidou’s middle finger go up behind her as the door shuts, but he thinks Kaeya got the idea. 

“How are you feeling?” Kaeya asks. Diluc’s awe at the conversation fades quickly and he suddenly finds himself feeling very awkward.

“Fine. You’re a competent healer.”

Kaeya lets out a huff of laughter. “Oh wow. Competent! What high praise.”

Diluc decides to ignore him. “Is your pack just going to bother me in perpetuity?”

Kaeya looks pointedly at the drawing behind him, “It doesn’t seem like all of them are bothering you,” he shifts his gaze back to Diluc, whose cheeks suddenly feel warm, for some reason. “But no. This was an unsanctioned visit. In fact, if I recall correctly, I specifically told Beidou not to pester you today. What with your grievous injury and all. Unfortunately, I am used to her doing exactly what she wants despite what I ask of her, hence the swift and noble rescue I just executed. You’re welcome.”

Diluc doesn’t know what to say, so he just nods. 

“Though I’m not sure Albedo solely counts as bothering you , since you did fall through our window. His brand of retaliation may be cruel and unusual, but you’ve gotten between a man and his sleep twice now, Diluc. You should know better than to expect to get off scot-free.”

Diluc opens his mouth to protest… something. Maybe it’s just instinctual at this point. But Kaeya raises a hand to stop him. 

“I do have to take most of the blame. We may or may not have seen the exact moment you figured out we were together and decided to make fun of you relentlessly while you were unconscious. Whoops.”

Diluc’s face is definitely red now. “It’s not my fault you two seem to be the only people in Mondstadt who can escape the rumor mill.”

Kaeya laughs. “We’re both very good at keeping secrets.” He looks down at his now empty tankard with a small smile, like he’s remembering something Diluc isn’t privy to. “Though if you have questions, I’d appreciate you just asking me instead of whatever vagrant stumbles into your tavern.”

“How long have you two been together?” Diluc blurts out.

Kaeya blinks up at him. “I must say I wasn’t expecting you to take me up on it now.”

“I… sorry, I-”

“It’s fine,” Kaeya interrupts. “A little over three years. Though if you count the time we spent dancing around each other it’s probably much closer to four.” Kaeya looks back down at his hands, rolling the tankard between them, and smiles again. It’s a soft thing, almost shy. Something Diluc hasn’t associated with Kaeya in years. 

“Wow.” That’s admittedly a lot longer than he’d expected, even when he thought they were married. 

“Yeah,” Kaeya laughs softly, “It’s insane I’ve found someone to put up with me for so long. I love him like crazy.”

Diluc is taken aback by the vulnerability in Kaeya’s voice. “Well, it’s obvious he loves you just as much.”

Diluc is scared that he’s broken the moment, when Kaeya looks up at him, but he’s still wearing that soft smile. “Maybe not that obvious, considering you thought we were just roommates.”

Diluc decides this day can’t get any more embarrassing. Why not reward Kaeya’s transparency with some of his own. 

“Actually, I thought you were more like brothers,” Kaeya scrunches his nose in disgust. “Yeah. I see now that I was perhaps being willfully blind.”

They sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes while Diluc arranges the shelves.  Kaeya is obviously thinking about Albedo, in a way that, now that Diluc has had time to process it, is very sweet. He’s smiling faintly as he twirls his necklace between his fingers. 

Diluc finally gets up the nerve to break the silence. “Have you ever thought about it?” 

“Thought about what?”

“Marrying him.”

Kaeya looks surprised at the question, for a moment. Diluc is genuinely surprised when Kaeya’s face subsequently flushes pink. He can count the amount of times he’s seen Kaeya blush on one hand. 

“Yeah. Yeah I have.” Kaeya starts smiling his dopey smile again. “Of course I have. Albedo is- I mean, I know it’s cliché to say, but he’s it for me.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah. I mean- I,” Kaeya is avoiding his eyes. If Diluc didn’t know better, he’d say Kaeya is nervous. “I haven’t really told anyone this, but we’ve talked about it.”

“Oh.” Diluc needs to expand his vocabulary. 

“I know it’s stupid. Nothing is actually going to change, you know? I love him as much as I’m ever going to love him.” Kaeya laughs again. “Actually, that’s not true. He keeps finding new ways to make me love him even more. But that wouldn’t change just because we’re married.” 

“Does he…?” Diluc lets the question trail off.

Kaeya seems to smile even more brightly at that. He finally meets Diluc’s eye. “Yeah. He does.”

Seeing Kaeya like this is… something. It takes Diluc a little bit to understand what he’s feeling, because it’s so all-encompassing it makes his heart hurt, but he’s blindingly happy for his little brother. He obviously loves talking about Albedo, and it’s almost unbearably sweet when he does. All previous worries about Kaeya’s non-existent marriage are pushed aside, and the marriage being non-existent is probably the least relevant reason as to why. 

“I’m happy for you,” Diluc surprises himself with how genuine he sounds. 

If Kaeya looked any happier Diluc thinks he might explode from the emotion. “Thanks.”

Diluc gives him a few moments of peace before being nosy again. 

“Why haven’t you?”

Kaeya suddenly looks very shocked, and then very shy, which in Diluc’s opinion would’ve been more appropriate for when he was smiling like a lovesick fool moments before. Not that he’s stopped now, he’s just also shy. Kaeya opens his mouth, then closes it again. He fidgets with his bracelets, obviously stalling. 

“Kaeya.”

Kaeya doesn’t meet Diluc’s eyes.

“If I recall, my emotional honesty refractory period is not up yet.”

Diluc gives him a look.

Kaeya takes a deep breath.

“I wouldn’t get married without you there beside me.”

All the air leaves Diluc’s lungs at once.

Kaeya looks at him nervously, “I know it’s stupid. I mean, I don’t know if you remember, but when we were little we promised we were going to be each other's best man. So I, Yeah.”

Diluc is still trying to catch his breath.

“Not that it’s something- I mean, if you ever get married, you obviously don’t have to, and that’s not why- I mean, it’s part of why, but Albedo just knows you’re important to me, and I’d want you there, it’s not just because of some stupid promise we made when I was ten,” Kaeya lets out a nervous chuckle. “I just- we were going to wait. Until you were in my life. Or not. Eventually we probably would’ve done it anyways, but that’s- that’s why. We haven’t.”

“Oh,” Diluc breathes out.

They both stare at each other in silence for a long few minutes. It is no longer comfortable.

“That’s-” Diluc starts. Oh no, he realizes. This is going to require backstory.

“I was upset. When I first heard you were married.” Diluc regrets not looking away from Kaeya, because he sees the way his expression absolutely collapses before he quickly schools it into calm indifference.

An old instinct awakens in Diluc from childhood. Under no circumstances can he make his little brother upset. Diluc must rectify this mistake as quickly as possible. “Because I wasn’t there. Not because you were married.” Kaeya seems to relax slightly, but he’s lost the open expressiveness he had before. Damn it. 

“I thought of the same thing. Our promise, I mean. I know you don’t want to talk about our mistakes, but I’ve missed so much of your life. Hearing you were married was… a particularly hard blow.” 

Kaeya takes a deep breath.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah.” Kaeya offers him a small smile. 

The silence they fall into then isn’t perfect, but it isn’t un comfortable, so it’s an improvement. 

“I like him.” Diluc surprises himself when he realizes it’s true. He’s strange, and a little quiet, and kind of mean, but Diluc likes him. It doesn’t hurt that he makes Kaeya happier than Diluc’s ever seen him. 

Also he most definitely saved Diluc’s life last night. 

“Albedo?”

“No, Charles,” Diluc deadpans. “Of course Albedo.”

“Oh,” Kaeya seems to have inherited Diluc’s vocabulary deficiency.

Kaeya’s usual smirk slowly returns to his face, but there’s a hint of genuine happiness mixed in. “So if I were to say, marry him, would you want to be there?” 

Diluc finds himself smiling as well, “I would, if you’d have me.” 

“Well, it might be difficult to find someone willing to marry two brothers like Albedo and I. Most people take umbrage with the idea.”

The smile is gone. He moves to assault Kaeya with his bar towel. “Shut up you pest. I will never tell you anything ever again.”

Kaeya laughs as he moves out of range and puts his hands up in mock surrender,

“Alright! Alright. Don’t hurt yourself, old man. I’ll get out of your hair.”

Diluc stops swinging his towel and narrows his eyes at his brother.

Kaeya sighs. “And I’ll tell everyone to stop bothering you at work.”

“As you should.”

Kaeya laughs again as he heads to the door. “See you tomorrow big brother!”

Fuck. He forgot about the picnic. He groans. Too much excitement for two days. Plus, he was going to have to see Albedo tomorrow. He is not looking forward to it. 

He moves to take the tankard and sees the small coin pouch Beidou had passed Kaeya resting behind it. He moves to take it and yell after Kaeya for being careless about his belongings, but a piece of paper flutters back down to the counter. 

Prepayment for Klee’s new appetite for grape juice and Beidou’s old appetite for thievery -Kae