Chapter Text
Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonious, one of the most popular people in Mondstadt, and also one of the loneliest ones...
How did he end up like this? All alone, with no one to vent with, no one to rely on. Did he really belong there, in the City of Freedom, when he himself was chained by his own thoughts and traumas?
A thunder snapped Kaeya out of his thoughts: it was raining again. Rain... He was scared of the rain. It always meant something bad would happen. It was raining the day his own father abandoned him, leaving him all alone and scared in the middle of an unknown nation. The rain was also present the day his adoptive father died and his big brother almost killed him. Since that day, he was left with no home and no family.
Family... He often dreamed of having his family back, drowning in his own fantasies where his father Crepus still lived and his brother loved him unconditionally. Unfortunately, those fantasies didn't last long, as two red eyes looked at him with dissaproval. Ah- that's right, he just arrived at Angel's Share. He was so distracted he didn't even notice when he entered the tavern.
"A Death After Noon, if you are so kind, Master Diluc." he said, with his characteristic smirk masking his sadness. He didn't even need to speak to receive a look of hatred from who he once called brother.
Without saying anything, the red haired man started mixing his drink. Kaeya took his time to stare at him as long as he could. He wanted to remember him after dying. He didn't know if Celestia would allow him, a sinner, to rest in peace forever or if he would be sent to some kind of eternal torture, but he was sure he was going to remember his brother for as long as he could. Maybe, if he was lucky, he would be able to meet Crepus and tell him every positive thing Diluc did. He wanted to make his father proud of the pyro user. Kaeya knew Diluc did most things to make his father proud, even though he was no longer with them. He saw how he visited his tombstone once or twice a month, crying uncontrollably when he thought no one was watching.
"Kaeya." the captain was startled by a certain bard.
"Venti, I didn't hear you coming. Want to join me for some drink?" he offered friendly.
"Please, think twice before doing it..." the serious tone caught Kaeya off guard. Of course, he wasn't stupid, he knew Venti was the Anemo Archon. It was so obvious it was insulting.
"Excuse me?" both knew what the archon meant, but Diluc was secretly listening, and he couldn't let his plan go to waste.
"Control your drinks, you're a pain in the ass when you're drunk. I don't want to drag you to your house again, you're way too heavy!" to Kaeya's relief, Venti decided to play along. He was worried sick about him, but as the God of Freedom it was against his principles to stop Kaeya from committing suicide. Still, he would do anything in his reach to avoid that from happening. He just hoped that small hint would alarm Diluc.
After way too many drinks- after all, this would be the last time Kaeya went to the tavern -Diluc decided he drank too much.
"Kaeya, you're drunk. Go home."
"Home? Home... Where the hell is that?"
A glimpse of guilt could be seen in Diluc's eyes, but quickly vanished.
"Just go back to your house."
"I miss home... I miss my family... I miss belonging somewhere..." at this point, Kaeya was barely conscious of what he was saying, but still whispered it by instinct. But Diluc heard it all, he had always had a good hearing.
Even though all the red haired wanted to do was to hug his brother, he just stood there, watching Kaeya drunk losing his dignity, whimpering like a child in front of the people that were still inside, although none of them were conscious of what was happenning. Moments like this made him wonder if all he lived with Kaeya was true, or if it was all an act. He felt bad for doubting him, but he couldn't bring himself to trust Kaeya. At least, not yet. He needed time. Time to forgive himself for what he did to his brother, for abadoning him and making his abandonment issues increase. He noticed how Kaeya didn't let anyone get too close to him, not even Jean. Kaeya could fool everyone but Diluc. They knew each other too well.
Knowing Kaeya was about to have a breakdown, Diluc forced everyone in the bar to leave. The captain was drunk and he didn't want to risk his true origins being found out.
"I hate having to fake everything. Damn it, I don't even like flirting with people, it makes me fucking uncomfortable. I hate the personality I created after you left! Everyday I wake up hoping to see father and you happy again! I ruined our lives, fuck!! I never wanted to be Khaenria'hn, much less the prince of that fucking nation!! I never asked to be a sinner!! All I wanted was to stay by your side forever and make father proud!! And before you say he isn't my father, let me tell you I always saw him as my real father!! You were the family I always wanted, I was scared to death that my biological father came to tear me apart from you!! And now I don't have a family or a place to call home!! I just- I just want to be happy again..."
At that point, Kaeya was crying his heart out. Diluc sat next to him, laying a hand on his back to give some comfort. The tears fell non-stop, soaking his eyepatch, so he slowly took it off. It didn't matter anymore, it was the last time he would see Diluc. Red eyes stared at his with amaze. He had never seen what was beneath the eyepatch. He guessed it was a scar, or maybe he was blind in that eye, but what he saw was completely different. Kaeya's right eye glowed gold, lighting the room with a soft light like a small candle. It was truly beautiful.
"Sorry for making a scene. I'll leave now." before leaving, he made sure to place a heavy bag of mora on the stand and he made his way home, too drunk to notice the steps behind him, but he didn't forget the goal he had in mind that night. He was going to make sure he wouldn't wake up the next day.