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Klee opened the car window before she was even reminded to fasten her belt. She lifted her head and let the wind mess with her hair. Kaeya sighed, a little smile on his face. He remembered who will have to help untangle all the unruly strands later… But Klee loved to look out the window and feel the breeze. Kaeya usually let her just sit like that for the whole ride, but this time the discomfort at the back of his throat made him swallow and talk.
“I heard Albedo has a special mission for me” Klee turned to him, surprised. Then she smiled and nodded her head. She turned back to the window and her nose almost got squished on the glass. The red newsboy cap gave up and fell from her head, but the backpack she kept on her knees blocked her from reaching it. Kaeya stretched his hand and spotted the cap without turning his eyes from the road.
“I’m sorry, Little Spark, not today. I have a small sore throat”
He tried to sound pitiful, but almost failed when he finally peeked at the girl. Klee rubbed her nose with such an adorable, confused face that he couldn’t help but smile.
“Does that mean you won’t read for me today?”
“I think it’s not that bad, don’t be afraid”
He shook off the cap against his thigh - luckily he always took care to have his car clean - and put it on Klee’s head, sliding it down her forehead.
“Hey!” She grabbed the cap with both hands to uncover her eyes.
“Now, will you tell me why we were picking the horse chestnuts in the school’s yard?”
“So… we had that story of a chestnut doll boy and his forest friends, and we picked horse chestnuts behind the school building, and yesterday they made figurines and…”
“And little Klee was absent~?”
“How did you know?!”
“Birds told me you had a small accident and had to explain yourself before the principal”
“Mmm…” Klee nodded again, losing her normal enthusiasm, but only for a moment. “But friends told me I can do my work at home. The class will have exo…hiby…”
“Exhibition?”
“Mhm! Exi…bition. I can bring my figures until tomorrow”
“Do you have all the other materials?”
“Ehe! Even the old chestnuts from two days before. Klee cut a finger with the green spiky shell” She reached her hand up to present a red dot on her index finger. Kaeya looked at her briefly and hummed. “Klee wanted fresh ones today because those older aren’t that pretty.”
Klee opened the backpack. She wanted to take out everything she took from home, but Kaeya assured her they would see at his place, and if something was missing Kaeya would find an alternative.
***
The higher table, that separated the kitchen part from the living room, was a perfect spot for their task. Kaeya’s reflex saved Klee’s stuff from being tossed all around the floor after she tried to pull her backpack on one of the high chairs. She clumsily sat on the other chair when Kaeya put the heavy bag down on the floor and stood next to her.
He was impressed how dedicated Klee was to bring with her all this stuff; she often added some necessary clutter to her ‘luggage’, but rarely did she take anything out from it. Though, even when the backpack seemed to be heavier than its holder, Klee preferred to wield it herself as long as she had energy. Only Albedo made sure to check on the contents of the backpack from time to time and patiently sort it all with her.
“Hmm, you’ve got a lot of stuff here” He admitted when proud of herself Klee put on the table the toothpicks, mouline, leaves, and other accessories. They were ready to work.
…Or so they thought. Kaeya scratched the back of his head, assessing their first, very not-displayable model with plenty of holes after they changed the toothpicks’ locations.
“Hm, actually, I’m not very good at DIY things… This little guy will not stand on his own”
“Mhm…” Klee, without conviction, tried to find a balance of the figurine, but it fell on the table. “Klee asked Xiao for help first, because Xiao does pretty things with paper and leaves, but Albedo said today that Xiao is sick and can’t come…”
“Don’t lose spirit, Little Spark, I think that we’ll make decent work, this one was our first try, right? Let’s start with a horse, this big guy here will be a torso…”
Kaeya felt his throat feel more dry with every sentence, so he made Klee talk. Luckily, Klee liked to talk, and she had a lot of stories to tell her friend.
The recent ‘school incident’;
A funny bug she once found and how it walked around her hand;
How she sipped some coffee from Jean’s cup when nobody watched ( It was so bitter and Klee had to spit it out. Why adult people even drink it! );
About that girl with shiny clothes and two ponytails, who once fixed something on Albedo’s computer, visiting to ask for a cup of sugar again ( didn’t she know she could buy a whole pack of sugar for herself? );
…And about the book she brought so Kaeya could read for her after they finish, but now she knew she would have to wait because Albedo says you shouldn’t talk, and you should drink berry juice with tea if your throat hurts .
“Ekhm” They both almost jumped in place. Focused on their work and talk, they hadn’t noticed the door opening… Or was it because Diluc had a special talent to be silent like a shadow. “I’ve bought milk and cocoa as you asked… Hello, Klee” He added with a polite nod, only now noticing the girl next to his brother. “I won’t disturb you”
“Actually, we’re almost done” croaked Kaeya, causing a grimace on Diluc’s face. They knew if Kaeya catches something, it will be no time before Diluc would get sick as well “Do you want some choco milk, Klee?”
“Yay!”
“Diluc, for you?”
Klee, who expressed her enthusiasm very openly, once again momentarily stopped when got reminded that Diluc was there. She looked at him with curiosity mixed with a dose of shyness that nobody would expect from her.
Kaeya tried not to show how amusing it was to see Diluc cowering like a turtle when he had to interact with the kid suddenly, even if just by crossing their looks.
“Uh, sure.”
But if Diluc thought he would hide in solitude and only return to grab his mug, he failed the moment Kaeya’s eyes shined, and a mischievous smile painted on his face. He poked Klee and winked when she looked up.
“Diluc~?” The question caught Diluc when he was already on his way to his room. “Could you check on the figures we made? I’m not the best at crafts, but Klee made wonderful work”
Diluc’s face for a moment almost screamed “Do I really have to?” to Kaeya’s head, but he knew his brother was caught in the trap. Even if he wasn’t the best with kids, he couldn’t resist Klee’s big puppy eyes, just like everyone else.
“Give me a second.”
When Diluc disappeared in his room, Klee pulled Kaeya’s sleeve.
“Does the weird adult have to play with us?” She whispered, staying on her toes to reach his ear, despite him bowing towards.
“Why would he not?”
“He doesn’t like Klee”
“Everyone likes you, Little Spark. He’s just shy.”
“Adults can be shy?” Gasped surprised girl. Kaeya only giggled and stroked her hair. His brother always did his own things when Klee visited him, but Kaeya knew today was a perfect moment to make them both get used to each other’s character.
“Of course! Don’t tell him I said it, but he bought your favourite marshmallows just for you”
***
“...I think that separating these strip leaves and pinning them here with the tail will work. And here, you can make their legs stand as if it was walking, it will make its balance better. Pin that one to the ‘horse’, it won’t sit on its own. The braid of the mouline looks really good…”
“Klee practices on Albedo a lot!” the girl interrupted with a proud smile. She and Kaeya, who forgot to prepare the milk, watched together as Diluc got focused on their figurines so much, even his voice sounded relaxed. He explained matter-of-fact everything he was doing to let them stop him if they didn’t want any change. But they just let him finish what they started, and Klee seemed surprised by how nice ideas he got.
Their horse now had a rider with a small, acorn cap and leaf cape, it’s legs and hands made of bent toothpicks; a tiny Dodoco with mouline braided tail and another acorn cap, something very similar to the horse, but called a dog; another chestnut human had acorn head and stood with a stick serving as its cane. The figures still were a bit clumsy, but stood more stable and looked really cute surrounded by the leaves and leftovers from the materials.
“Thank you, big brother Diluc!” Klee squeezed his forearm in a hug, and Diluc sent a surprised look at his brother, who finally poured the hot milk into the mugs.
“Oh, have I lost my title of the favourite Big Brother?” He teased the girl, who left Diluc and now pounced to hug him. Kaeya barely managed to put the pot back. He looked at Diluc who, behind Klee’s back, made a gesture of wiping his forehead. He rested on the coach, covering his eyes with his forearm.
“You’re not going to sleep, do you?”
“Umm, no, why?” the red head raised from the cushion. Kaeya tossed him something - the book landed on his lap, and Diluc instinctively sat up and took it to hands.
“I thought you’d love to read something out loud for us”
“What brings you to such a conclusion?” Diluc raised his eyebrow.
Kaeya ostentatiously cleared his throat to remind about his voice struggles. He gave Diluc a sign with his eyes.
Klee who sat next to him on the floor and looked from Kaeya to Diluc with slightly open lips and such a hopeful look that Diluc felt that rejection would be impossible. He got that the help with horse chestnut figurines was just a setting up to read the book for kids. Out loud. For that little girl and his very not little brother, who already smiled triumphantly.
He knew Diluc too well.
“Fine. But!” He took a blanket from the other side of the couch and tossed it right in Kaeya’s face. “You stay at home this evening.”
“Wait, but…” Kaeya unfolded the blanket and covered himself and Klee “But this Saturday…”
“...You drink the herbs from Barbara and study”
“Kaeya should listen to his big brother” Klee looked so serious, as if she shared the most important truth of this world. “That’s what my mommy says, and she is the smartest mommy in the world!”
“But why do you think he's older?” Kaeya tried to outtalk the subject, but in fact he seemed to give up. Klee following Diluc’s words against him, who would expect?
Diluc huffed, narrowing his eyes. He cleared his throat, giving the loud duo a sign that he’s about to begin. At first, he read hesitantly, and even a bit flat, but once Klee stopped moving and fidget in the range of his sight, he caught the flow.
He couldn’t help but peeked at his brother, but instead of amusement, he found a fond smile. The surprise made him lose the line.
“Why did you stop?” A sleepy voice caught him immediately. At first, Klee reacted to what she heard very lively, encouraging to immerse more, but then, after all day, she started to fall asleep.
“Uhm… I just need a drink.”
Usually, he felt overwhelmed in Klee’s presence and didn’t like the way he never knew what she was about to do or say, but she had her nice moments. At least now, when she didn’t run around their flat, tossing stuff around and laughing out loud all the time.
Diluc felt that from now Kaeya would never miss an occasion to involve him in playing with the kid.
Though, he found himself enjoying the story, which turned out to not be very childish; that girl probably stole it from her brother’s collection.
That thought amused him and brought back memories of him and Kaeya picking books from their father’s shelf. It seemed that the curiosity of children was always the same.
“I think we can end now” Whispered Kaeya suddenly. Klee fell asleep, lulled by Diluc’s voice.
Diluc almost asked to finish the chapter, but he stopped himself. Though, Kaeya guessed what he meant.
“If you want to read it that much, I’ll gladly listen, big brother~”
“You…” Diluc pretended he was about to throw the cushion at Kaeya, but both knew he wouldn’t risk waking up Klee; as long as she was asleep they had some silence.
“Come on, I’m curious too”
“...But you’ll let me finish the whole story later”