Chapter Text
The last time Kaeya felt this much heat on his face, he barely brushed past death by flame from the only person he’d allow to kill him. His biggest mistake, one of the rare few that are of his own volition.
Going to Angel’s Share normally isn’t such a dramatic affair. As a frequent patron, Kaeya has grown to become familiar with the goodwill of people he didn’t deserve, gullibility of those he could make use of, and the occasional few who fit both criteria. He always enters the tavern ready for several glasses of Death After Noon, Charles’ sighs paired with them, and a hefty serving of off-the-clock intel. One of those expectations is lacking tonight.
Instead of his usual spot at the front bar, Kaeya makes a beeline for the first table he sees farther away. Not hidden, no, there is nothing he needs to hide from. He simply needs a convenient spot to assess a new situation before approaching it directly. Any cautious and attentive person would do the same.
As soon as Kaeya takes a seat and comprehends the unexpected sight, space and time collapse into one another. Hanging by the same wire pulled on both ends, a taut rope that snaps. And he can’t string together a lie strong enough to deny the one thing occupying his attention.
Could this be real? He rubs at his eye to make sure. It feels silly, but in his defense, he hasn’t seen the back of a head full of wild, flaming red hair in a while.
With Diluc Ragnvindr at a distance comes an uncomfortably close heat, not from the Pyro vision user himself, but hot blood rising up to Kaeya’s cheeks. A warning sign that is acknowledged, considered, then quickly dismissed. It’s been four years. At this point, he has no problem with possibly making the same mistake twice.
“So you’ve decided to try something new.”
Before he can get up to take a seat by the bar, Kaeya is met with Rosaria standing by his table. Others tend to be intimidated by the cold-faced woman twirling her small dagger in hand, but he knows well enough by now to look past that.
“How wonderful. A clever and informed assumption, Sister Rosaria,” he says with a smirk. “Care to join me in this refreshing area for a drink?”
“That’s what we’re here for. Can’t say I’m surprised you’re stating the obvious, and only the boring parts.” Rosaria sighs, then nods her head in the direction of tonight’s bartender, eyes still fixed on Kaeya. “You sure you want to drink?”
Even with the presence of a welcome face, Kaeya is determined to gloss over his most pressing matter at hand. The devil is always in the details, and this will likely hold true all night. He definitely doesn’t want to be sober.
“Why of course. That’s precisely what I suggested, wouldn’t you say?”
“I’ll order for us. I remember your usual,” Rosaria decides, walking over to Diluc’s direction to get the night started. She may seem curt and uninterested, however Kaeya has spent enough time with her to appreciate the ways she looks out for him. He never asks her to, and she never brings it up.
Their relationship could have easily been transactional, but to both of their surprise he finds a genuine friend in the nun. Then again, Kaeya isn’t sure if getting wasted and treating Rosaria like an evening confessional is friendship or not. He could have done that in church, but lack of access to copious amounts of alcohol makes that infeasible. Has he ever even expressed viewing her as a friend? What he can be sure of is that if she were bothered by him, she would’ve made it known a lot sooner, yet here they are.
Watching Rosaria order drinks from Diluc, who finally turned around, Kaeya can’t help but assess how the man has changed.
Still has that noticeably small frame, despite using weapons requiring great strength. He’s even wearing layered and padded clothing to give the illusion of being bigger than he actually is. Although he seems to have grown more fully into himself, the rounder features of Diluc’s babyface remain. Black clothing, black gloves, a thin black bow keeping his thick hair in a high ponytail.
Huh. He was rarely the type to wear his hair up before he left.
Kaeya wonders if Diluc would now be shorter than him when they stand next to one another.
In an attempt to leave that train of thought behind, he looks over to Rosaria who’s likely thanking Diluc for his service at this point. Alright, he won’t approach the bartender tonight. Kaeya didn’t come here to do that, and so he won’t.
As Rosaria makes her way back, Kaeya pulls his attention away from her and intently watches the coin in his hand instead. Focuses on flipping it, and the rhythm of his fingers as he does. He doesn’t want to know if the bartender’s eyes follow Rosaria. He doesn’t want to know if Diluc’s eyes eventually find him. He doesn’t want to know if that gaze would lock on him or shift away. He swears to himself this is true, that not knowing is better, and this is none of his concern just as much as he shouldn’t be Diluc’s.
“I got a harder drink for you this time. Following your agenda of trying new things.”
With Rosaria now sitting with him, Kaeya can offer a grin that reaches his eye.
“So considerate of you. Let’s raise a toast to both old and new,” he says cooly. Rosaria offers her own small smile, and the rest is yet to come.
“Oho, Rosaria, hold my hand! Bless me with your touch, grant me the mercy of Barbatos!” Amidst hysterical laughs, Kaeya grabs Rosaria’s hand and latches his own on it, leaning his head on her shoulder. “His mercy. I need it.”
“You’ve gotten your point across. For the fourth time: Just because I’m a nun doesn’t mean I can call up Bartabos to fix your problems,” she says.
Biting her lip, Rosaria is unsure of whether she should be playing along or feel bad for him. She’s already anticipating his transition from laughter to tears. Under other circumstances a drunk Kaeya is an amusement, but tonight’s giving her a run for her money.
Not only that, but she can feel the wine tycoon’s hard stare on the two of them and it’s irritating, to say the least. She figures Kaeya’s ruckus is purposeful for once. Maybe not intentional, but it reveals what he truly wants out of the night.
“But I mean, he has to forgive me right? I’ve been so loyal! I’ve been protecting this beloved city! If I betrayed Mondstadt, then sure, he can kill me. Anything for justice, right? But I haven’t done shit to anyone or anything. Wait, let’s not get into the specifics. Maybe if someone were to be a bitch and really hate me, they’d find literally anything to hold against me. But surely he wouldn’t do that right? How long can someone hold a grudge anyways?”
Rosaria grinds her teeth, highly doubting Kaeya’s still talking about the Anemo Archon.
“Like, it’s all so stupid! Childish. I mean, who does he even think he is? A coward is what he is. Big fucking crybaby leaving everything and everyone the minute anything goes wrong and—” Kaeya continues, voice teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
Rosaria lets him drone on for the moment; she’s not new to Kaeya rambling about Diluc in this state. But with the man in question standing right there behind the bar? She almost wants to shove Kaeya off her shoulder and smack the back of his head.
“I appreciate your honesty, but can you please shut the fuck up right now? At least lower your voice,” she quietly hisses, urging him to be less obvious.
“For the love of Barbatos, I need a good fuck right now. Hey–don’t let go! Your fingers are really pretty.” Kaeya clings onto her hand tighter.
“You sound ridiculous and nobody is going to sleep with you tonight,” Rosaria says, exasperated.
“And how are you so sure about that? What, you think I’m not hot enough? Is it because I wield a Cryo vision? That’s not a funny joke. You use one too. Is this you being humble? You’re hot, you know. We both are. We could try something out.”
“You brought up the joke, not me. And we’ve already… tried things out. It was fine, but let’s not push our luck,” Rosaria says as firmly as possible without being too harsh about it. “Now let go of my hand. I need to do something.”
She can’t blame Kaeya for getting more wasted than he normally does, acting like an even bigger fool because of it. If anything, she knew this night would happen eventually. Though his clingy behavior and loose tongue are testing her patience, at the very least she still wants to keep him from tripping over his own two feet.
Kaeya refuses to let go of Rosaria’s hand, even when she gently pushes his head off of her to get up.
“Be right back, okay? We both need some water. I’m leaving soon and want to see you sober up a bit,” she explains, forcing her hand out of his grasp so she make her way to the bar.
Rosaria is only slightly annoyed by the fact that each time Kaeya wants another round of anything, she has to approach Diluc. Not that Charles is a close friend, but as a person he’s less of an elusive figure, and as a bartender he has no effect on Kaeya whatsoever. Anyone who disrupts a relaxing evening is worth some resentment, whether they create stellar concoctions or not.
“Almost done for the night, I presume,” Diluc asks, handing over the beverages Rosaria requested.
If Rosaria weren’t one to bite her tongue, she’d pry into why he’s keeping track of what she and Kaeya are up to. Instead, she offers him a heads up before clocking out.
“Pretty much, though I think my friend is staying for a bit longer. He got drunk on his own. I’m heading off in a bit.”
Will he take the bait? Based on how Diluc’s eyes know exactly where to find Kaeya, and linger on him enough for Rosaria to tell, she’d say yes.
“I’d recommend informing your company of Angel’s Share’s closing time,” Diluc replies.
“Noted. He should be aware of it, but I don’t believe that’s what's on his mind right now,” Rosaria says, taking what she came for in both hands and walking away.
The sight she returns to of Kaeya with wet cheeks and head lying on the table with a blank stare is… pitiful. She hates to admit it, but this is worse than usual, even for him. It’s not particularly out of character for him to cry when drunk every now and then, and he only does so in Rosaria’s company, but the absolute sorrow radiating from him is too much for her to handle right now. Would it make her a bad person if she’s glad to be leaving?
“Drink up.” Rosaria pushes the glass towards Kaeya. Thank the Archons he gets up, takes it, and listens, because she isn’t in the mood to move him around like a puppet. He doesn’t even complain about wanting alcohol instead of water. She’s not sure if his silence is reassuring or worrying.
“How are you holding up there?” Rosaria checks in with him, still a little doubtful about whether Kaeya would be in safe hands alone at the tavern. “Want to come with? Haul ass right out of here with me?”
“Think I’ll rest here. I’ve grown quite accustomed to this table. It might get too lonely without one of us around,” he responds with a faint smile.
“I hope that doesn’t mean this is our new spot. Might just be me, but the alcohol’s better when I don’t have to walk back and forth for it,” she jests. Rosaria didn’t actually have to get up each time Kaeya wanted another round, but she figured things would be simpler that way for both of their sakes in the meantime.
“Hmm, that’s fair.” Kaeya goes quiet again, taking more sips of water. Rosaria does the same, waiting for enough time to pass so Kaeya looks and feels at the minimum of manageable on his own.
Soon enough she’s about to take her leave when he suddenly speaks up.
“Thank you.”
“For what? You’re drunk off your ass and I’m about to leave you high and dry,” Rosaria retorts. She’s not used to such plain gratitude from the knight.
“You know what I mean,” he states. And she does; some things are better left unsaid.
“Sure. Catch you soon, Sir Kaeya, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.”
He laughs at her mockery of respect, and waves goodbye as she heads out.
Kaeya doesn’t need more alcohol. He made sure to drink enough to reach his current state, and finds himself satisfied. Staring at what little water is left in his cup, he also decides he doesn’t want a refill of that either.
Silence creeps up on him as patrons leave the tavern. Even as he waits, his head still feels out of sorts. He could really use a smoke.
Before Kaeya can act on the thought, his glass is being refilled.
“It’s closing time,” a deep voice says plainly.
“What, gonna kick me out like last time?” Kaeya quickly retorts without looking to see who he’s talking to. He doesn’t have to.
Ready for some pushback, or perhaps being forcibly removed from the vicinity, Kaeya’s caught off guard when Diluc puts down the jug of water to pull out a chair and sit down.
“Actually, the tavern’s been closed for quite a bit,” Diluc notes, elbows on the table and seated across the knight.
About to tell off the redhead for lying to get rid of him, Kaeya takes a quick look around and notices that the place is indeed empty. Well, that’s interesting.
Head in one hand, Kaeya finally looks at his newfound company and teases him against better judgment. “Oh Master Diluc, did you clear out the place just for us? Am I your special guest?”
“As I said, Angel’s Share is closed,” Diluc repeats.
“I need a smoke.”
“No you don’t. And no smoking indoors.”
So that’s how it is. He thinks he has the right to tell Kaeya what he can and can’t do?
Kaeya takes out a cigarette. “Come on, hot stuff. Light me up.”
For a moment, an unreadable look passes Diluc’s face, and Kaeya believes he’ll give in.
“Drink water. It’ll help significantly more than smoking,” Diluc insists, tone softening the slightest bit, in a way only Kaeya would catch.
Fine, if that’s what he really wants. Kaeya picks up the glass, both eyes closed, downing the water in one go. Some of it spills onto his shirt, cool liquid on the sliver of his bare chest. No big deal. With one eye peeking, he can see Diluc staring, and certainly not at Kaeya’s face.
Kaeya slams his empty glass back on the table, then circles his index finger around the rim idly. Leaning his head down the slightest bit, he looks up at Diluc through his lashes.
“I know you nearly died.”
The words roll off of Kaeya’s tongue too soon for him to think twice.
Diluc’s eyes widen the slightest bit, and something hot stirs in Kaeya.
“What?” Diluc heard Kaeya just fine. The fact that he indulges in this conversation is the worst part.
“Your vision. It was flickering, and all I could do was sit in bed and stare.” Before the other can interject, Kaeya continues. “I swear, Luc, the only clear memory I’ve had since you left. Cross-legged in bed, with the dim light of your Pyro vision threatening to die out.”
Diluc flinches at the nickname, and resorts to denial. “What are you talking about?”
“You left your vision with the knights, back at the office. I stole it,” Kaeya admits with a shrug.
“Why?” With a flurry of thoughts and emotions threatening to bubble up from his chest, Diluc can only keep his voice calm enough to manage a simple question. He hates how casual the cavalry captain can be about this.
Kaeya takes a deep breath, and Diluc holds himself off from commenting on it.
“To be honest, I’m not sure whether I wanted to find out if you were alive or dead. I guess I just wanted to know something. You could say I was close to having both possibilities be true.” Somehow Kaeya still finds it in himself to laugh halfheartedly. “And now I don’t need to ask. Lo and behold, Diluc Ragnvindr! Handsome as ever, dare I say.”
Diluc can’t control the blush on his face despite what Kaeya just admitted, and thanks his lucky stars he either doesn’t notice or chooses to not say anything about it. However, what Kaeya does is keep running his mouth.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
That’s a step too close for comfort.
He’s only here to check in on Kaeya, not listen to a rundown of what he had been up. If Diluc really wanted to know, he would have just asked. About to raise his voice and scold the other, he takes a deep breath instead. The man that sits before him has changed in the past four years, and so has he. Diluc refuses to act on such fleeting impulses of rage, afraid of what he could wrongly instigate.
“You should head home. I need to clean up around here,” Diluc suggests. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he prays he still knows Kaeya well enough to assume he wouldn’t leave.
Kaeya stands. Diluc nearly protests, about to leave his seat as well, but his plead for the other to stay dies behind his throat when Kaeya suddenly moves towards him and drops himself on his lap.
A warm body on his and a hot breath on his neck, trailing up to his ear. With Kaeya's tight hand gripping his hair and the smell of booze, Diluc finds his senses almost too overwhelmed for him to comprehend what the other whispers.
“Will you go out with me?”
And stunned in the moment, Diluc’s first thought is that he wants to say yes so badly.
“Like, on a date?” Among all the things he could say… stupid.
“Exactly. Go on a date with me, and I won’t smoke in here,” Kaeya affirms. A slick tongue begins licking into Diluc’s ear, then briefly pauses. “And I’ll let you clean the tavern in peace.”
“Yes.” Diluc caves in without much thought, plain and simple, immediately sighing into his admission.
He feels Kaeya’s body tense up, but the moment quickly passes as he continues his ministrations from earlier. Shivers run up Diluc’s spine, his own breath shaky. He doesn’t trust himself to say more. Words probably aren’t what would come out of his mouth.
“Good boy.” Kaeya bites Diluc’s earlobe and moves away to stare into crimson eyes, running a hand through the man’s soft bangs. “Pretty boy.”
With Diluc clearly flustered, Kaeya pats his hair down and peels himself off of him, beaming with a smile.
“Want to walk me home later? Who knows what might be out there… Mondstadt can be so dangerous at night,” Kaeya demands more than asks, feigning worry while he takes a seat by the front bar.
“You’re a knight, not a damsel in distress,” Diluc says. He didn’t reject the offer. So Kaeya sticks around, sitting quietly as Diluc fixes up the tavern.