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Language:
English
Series:
Part 8 of As Above, So Below , Part 7 of Canonverse Genshin Fics
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Published:
2022-05-09
Updated:
2022-05-09
Words:
19
Chapters:
1/6
Comments:
8
Kudos:
52
Bookmarks:
16
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842

Halcyon [or, Four Times Diluc's Birthday Absolutely Totally Fucking Sucked... and Two Times It Didn't]

Summary:

Five years ago, Diluc had the worst birthday anyone could ever have, and then he had three more.

Five years ago, Diluc's birthday was the worst day of Kaeya's life, and he's relived it for three subsequent anniversaries.

Five years ago, Jean saved Kaeya's life beneath a statue in the rain, and he's spent every year since trying to find a way to repay her.

A year and a half ago, a Traveler came to Teyvat, and somehow that has made all the difference.

Set on/near April 30th, each year from Diluc's 18th birthday.

[CURRENTLY BEING REWORKED DUE TO LORE-DROP!]

Notes:

well i wanted to have this done for Diluc's bday this year, but. that didn't happen.

please mind the tags. there's nothing particularly actually graphic ahead, but i figured better safe than sorry when it comes to this sort of thing. there are some suicidal thoughts in this first chapter, and there will be some in subsequent chapters as well; canon set up a helluva tragedy for me to work with, and i just kinda went apeshit. there won't be any actual self-harm or anything like that, but i feel like over-warning is the better option, in this case.

i've seen a great number of stories surrounding the boys' fight, but very few that address how anyone else in Mondstadt was affected by Crepus' death and Diluc's departure, and i've felt like that's a great disservice to Jean in particular, so this first chapter is something i've been wanting to write for a good while. it just so happens i ended up coming up with a good 5+1 layout for it--or, well, 4+2, really, but you get the idea.

also: please do not ask to include my works in a collection, the request always will be rejected. user-moderated collections can create issues with visibility and ownership of a work, so outside of projects such as Yuletide, i reject all collection requests; please feel free to bookmark, though! apologies for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Penance

Chapter Text

[fic temporarily removed for reworking to accommodate new lore. didn't delete in order to preserve bookmarks. please stand by!]

Notes:

at first i felt bad that Diluc is only mentioned in reference in the first chapter of a fic regarding his own birthday[s], but... given the events of this particular birthday, i think maybe he doesn't mind being absent for it.

Kaeya may never forgive me, though. i'm so sorry, son.

(don't worry, i'll make it up to everyone tenfold, i promise.)

couple notes: it's super ambiguous when Jean actually got her Vision. her Vision story talks about Eroch's betrayal and removal from the Knights, but the actual moment of receiving her Vision is not clarified to have been before or after, so i went with before, because i couldn't stand to keep poor Kaeya in that much pain the whole time. also regarding Diluc's departure, there's a discrepancy in the lore about when he actually peaced out and fucked off, so i'm just kinda /handwavy jazz hands/, assuming he and Kaeya have their knockdown dragout the night of Crepus' death, and then it's the next morning when Diluc casts off his Vision and leaves.

Edit! Sidera was loosely inspired by this lovely fanart. i had initially planned on her being mostly black, cuz somehow a brave knight on a black horse felt like a cool duality for Kaeya, but then i saw that art and i was like oh. oh no. ghosthorse it is. please check out their work, it's lovely!