Work Text:
Kaeya Alberich was exhausted, sweaty, irritated, and most of all, he was worried out of his mind.
The last few days had taken a large toll on him. About two days prior, there had been an unexpected Abyss Order attack on Mondstadt. All Knights of Favonius, including himself, were dispatched in order to combat the threat. By the time they had arrived, a dark figure cloaked in all black was already on the scene drawing the Abyss Order’s attention and assisting the Knights in conducting a surprise attack. However, the dark figure was gone as soon as the creatures were defeated, leaving nothing but a concerning puddle of blood in his wake.
Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming sense of dread Kaeya felt at this turn of events, he had almost zero time to address the matter. All of his time after the battle had been spent participating in drawn-out meetings, signing documents, and giving orders to fellow knights, all for the sake of making Mondstadt safe from future attacks. He hardly had any time to even sleep or eat. Not to mention, he was most definitely suffering the symptoms of withdrawal. He hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol for days.
But finally, finally, things were slowing down.
Kaeya rested his head against his desk, having finished the last of his paperwork. He groaned as a headache ground into his temples, the fatigue of overworking himself finally settling in. Closing his eyes, he attempted to take a quick nap. Yet, no matter how he tried, he couldn’t.
Every time he closed his eyes, he envisioned Diluc, the beloved “Darknight Hero of Mondstadt”, and the pool of blood he had left after the Abyss Order’s attack. He could imagine Diluc walking home severely wounded and limping, Adelinde spotting him halfway down the road to the winery and running to assist him, calling to Elzer for help. Kaeya wondered if this was a regular occurrence.
Kaeya wondered what Adelinde and Elzer would do if one day Diluc didn’t come home at all.
He sighed, lifting his head and picking up a pen and paper. In the best handwriting he could muster, he began to write:
To D:
The appearance of the Darknight Hero has indeed bought the Knights of Favonius some valuable time during the Abyss Order's last attack. This helped Jean convince the Knights of Favonius to stop focusing on trying to stop him. This will decrease the limits on the Darknight Hero's actions, but this doesn't mean that his situation will necessarily improve. Objects with too honed an edge tend to be damaged more easily. You, I'm sure, are aware of the great dangers that come with acting alone. That said, I would advise against such a course of action.
He set the pen down. There. Hopefully, Diluc wasn’t dense enough to understand the real message behind Kaeya’s letter: You helped us. Thank you. But I care about you, so stop getting yourself hurt. You’re going to give me a heart attack one day.
With a curt nod to himself, Kaeya stood, rolled up the letter, and walked towards his window. He opened it before whistling a familiar tune that only he and a few others knew. Before long, an eagle was perched on his windowsill. He gave the eagle a quick affectionate scratch underneath his chin as thanks, then placed the letter between its talons. As fast as it came, it was off again, back to its owner to deliver the message.
Almost immediately after, Kaeya walked out of his office, knowing exactly where he was going next.
He needed a drink.
---
Summer in Mondstadt had always been Diluc’s favourite time of year. The grass was green, the air was fresh, and the grapes were in season, meaning lots of grape juice. The only downside was that it was very, very hot and- well, he had always insisted on wearing his coat. For the aesthetic, of course. However, his pyro vision had made him less susceptible to hot weather, so at least there was that.
His walk to the city from Dawn Winery was a long but worthwhile one. He had taken it many, many times throughout his life, but recently, his walks felt different. Almost nostalgic. Diluc had learned to deeply appreciate the little things about Mondstadt’s scenery - the rolling hills, the bright blue crystalflies - mainly because he had been away from it all for so long.
Four years was quite a lengthy period of time to be gone, after all.
As he reached Mondstadt’s gates, he could tell from the faces of the knights and other citizens that nobody had really gotten used to his presence yet. The uncrowned prince - now the uncrowned king - back home at last. But, after the events that had transpired before his departure, an air of uncertainty hung through the air of Mondstadt. Hardly anybody knew what actually happened to Diluc, aside from his act of resigning from the Knights of Favonius and disappearing off the face of the Earth soon after his father had died.
Then there was the mystery behind Kaeya - formerly Kaeya Ragnvindr, Diluc’s best friend and brother, who had one day randomly showed up with scars and burns and injuries galore, claiming he was Kaeya Alberich, dismissing the idea that he was ever related to Diluc in the first place, taking up his work without question after he had resigned, and defeating all threats to Mondstadt with his newly discovered cryo vision.
Needless to say, many rumours had sparked up during the four-year duration of Diluc’s travels. Even now, he was greeted with fake smiles and whispers, all of which he had pretended to pay no mind to as he made his way to Angel’s Share.
Earlier that day, Charles the bartender had asked for the afternoon off in order to see family in Springvale. Of course, Diluc had agreed, even offering to fill the spot himself in order to get more… “familiar” with his customers.
However, as he stepped foot into the tavern, the last thing he had expected to see was a man with long blue hair and extravagant clothing sitting at the bar.
“Master Diluc!” Charles exclaimed, noticing Diluc’s entrance, “Thank you so much for covering for me today. I am in your debt.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Diluc replied, “Take it as my thanks for working so hard here.” He took Charles’ place at the bar as Charles moved to leave, quickly scanning the various bottles and glasses before shifting his attention to the blue-haired man sitting in front of him.
Kaeya looked up at him briefly. Diluc swore he saw an expression of relief spread across his features before he turned to face Charles. With his smug tone of voice that Diluc has yet to get used to, he spoke, “Oh, leaving so soon? Well, thanks for the drinks. Say hi to the misses for me.”
“Will do. Have a good afternoon, Captain Kaeya,” Charles said before gleefully exiting the tavern. Diluc could tell that he rarely had days off. He couldn’t help but feel a little pity for the bartender.
Once the pity had subsided, the gravity of the situation had finally caught up to him. Kaeya, his ex-brother, was sitting in front of him.
The two of them hadn’t spoken in weeks.
Diluc had seen him two days prior while fighting against the Abyss Order, but they hadn’t spoken. The last time they had actually talked was when Kaeya was asked to investigate Dawn Winery for traces of the Darknight Hero. Both of them knew the investigation was pointless - Kaeya had known all along who the vigilante was - but Varka was insistent. He seemed to have wanted Kaeya and Diluc to talk things out and reconcile somehow.
But neither of them spoke a word of that day to each other. Kaeya had simply asked Diluc for a statement on the Darknight Hero, they engaged in tense banter about the knights for a couple of minutes, then he had left. Simple as that.
Now, Diluc half expected Kaeya to stand up and leave the room the minute he had settled in. Or at the very least, maybe he would head upstairs.
He didn’t.
Instead, he sat there, sipping at his drink.
He seemed… tense. Or maybe it was Diluc who was tense. He wasn’t sure why he felt so on-edge seeing Kaeya here, of all places. He knew Kaeya had an affinity for alcohol. He had snuck into Dawn Winery’s cellar and had sips of wine long before it was even legal for him to do so, and Diluc had always turned his nose up in disgust at it. This shouldn’t be any different.
Except it was. Because Diluc hardly knew Kaeya anymore.
Kaeya… he was different now. Four years without him there had clearly changed him.
While Diluc was scrutinizing Kaeya, a man that he didn’t recognize greeted his ex-brother and sat with him. The two engaged in pleasant conversation while the redhead began serving customers.
While doing his job as a bartender, Diluc couldn’t help but glance at Kaeya occasionally. Every time, he noticed a different small detail about him. His one eye looked more sunken. He looked skinnier. He had a fake facade of happiness on - he always did these days, to hide what he was really feeling with smiles and banter - but sometimes that mask would slip, and he would be looking down at his drink for a long period of time, deep in thought while everything seemed to buzz with excitement around him.
Diluc figured it was because he was getting drunker. He had consumed five- no, six glasses so far, and maybe even more when Charles was serving him.
It wasn’t good. Diluc became more and more concerned as nightfall came, and the man Kaeya was chatting with had left. Kaeya was downing drinks like it was nothing.
“Another, please, Master Diluc,” Kaeya slurred, a soft smile on his face as he raised his glass.
“No, Sir Kaeya. That’s enough for today. You’re drunk,” Diluc said, eyebrows knitting together.
“Ha, Master Diluc, you make your lack of time spent in the city embarrassingly apparent. I’m always drunk,” Kaeya chuckled, resting his head on his hand, “And Charles never cuts me off.”
Diluc paused at that.
“Maybe I should talk to him about that then,” He sighed, his heart feeling as if it was twisting into a knot. Diluc had seen time and time again what alcohol could do to a person. It’s one of the reasons why he hated it so much, aside from the taste. Thinking about what it was doing to Kaeya - what it has been doing to Kaeya for a long time - scared him.
It shouldn’t have scared him. He knew his brother- well, his ex-brother. He knew that drinking by itself wouldn’t kill him. Not even Diluc’s own flames could kill that man and his ambition. Yet, Diluc could also tell that he wasn’t sleeping, he wasn’t eating properly. All that combined… that wasn’t good.
“Come now, Diluc, I’m a paying customer,” Kaeya retorted, “If the issue is that you’re worried I might go broke, you must know that the knights pay me quite well. They’re never inefficient in that regard, despite what you may think.”
“That’s…” Diluc cleared his throat, absentmindedly wiping down a glass that was left on the bar, “No, that’s not the issue.”
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re concerned about me, Master Diluc? Really, I’m touched, but considering the circumstances, it should be the other way around,” Kaeya huffed, his every breath reeking of alcohol.
“Considering the circumstances?“ Diluc echoed.
The Cavalry Captain nodded. “Say, Master Diluc, you wouldn’t have gotten a letter recently by any chance?”
“A letter?” Diluc asked again, becoming more and more confused as time went on. “Well, yes, I’ve gotten a couple over the last few days. My eagle leaves them on my desk. I haven’t had the chance to look through them yet.”
“Ah,” Kaeya sighed, “A shame.”
“Why? Is it a letter of importance?”
“No, no, not important at all,” Kaeya said, waving it off, “Just Knights of Favonius updates, it’s nothing, really. You don’t even have to read it. Not like you respond to half of my letters anyways. As far as I’m aware you burn every single one of them once you realize they’re from me,” He drunkenly giggled, shaking his head.
Diluc couldn’t stop the frown on his face from deepening. “I’ve responded before,” He replied, defensively.
“I know. You responded to one out of… what, seven? Eight, now, and honestly it’s for good reason,” Kaeya said, resting his head on the bar table, “Just face it, Diluc, I’m not someone you should ever be concerned about. One more drink?”
Diluc curtly shook his head, silently making a vow to himself to read that letter and respond as soon as he arrived home. Maybe it would explain why Kaeya is in such a drunken mess. “No.”
“You’re far too nice for your own good,” Kaeya sighed, closing his eye.
Diluc shook his head once more, figuring that Kaeya was about to get some well-deserved sleep. He turned to serve another customer that had just approached the bar before turning to wipe down a couple more glasses.
When he turned back to Kaeya, his foggy blue eye looked up at him with interest. He was much drunker than Diluc had previously suspected.
“Are you okay, Diluc?” Kaeya muttered.
Diluc sputtered, confused and shocked. “What? Of course I’m okay.”
“Mm… not gonna go out in the middle of the night and die to the Abyss, are you?” He slurred once again.
“What…?” All of a sudden, everything clicked together in Diluc’s head.
Two days ago, when the Abyss Order had attacked Mondstadt, Diluc had gotten seriously injured by one of the Abyss Mages that were there. It was a pyro abyss mage, annoyingly enough, which made it much more difficult for Diluc and his pyro vision to defeat. It had burnt him and left him stunned in pain, allowing for the other hilichurls and creatures in the area to hit him when he normally would have dodged. Those injuries must be what Kaeya was so worried about.
Little did Kaeya know, without him, Diluc’s injuries would’ve been much worse. When the knights arrived, Kaeya was first at the scene, taking the Abyss Mage by surprise with his cryo powers. The two, along with the other knights, managed to defeat the Abyss monsters and protect Mondstadt.
That day, Diluc and Kaeya really felt… like a team again.
Diluc sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me dying, Kaeya. I promise I’m never going to lose to the Abyss.”
“Okay, good. I like your company far too much for that.”
With that, Kaeya seemed to doze off again. Diluc realized that Kaeya must have really been tired to fall asleep in the busy tavern, of all places.
He chuckled, “Well, I think your company is absolutely insufferable, but I don’t want you to go off and die either, okay? Archons, I need to talk to Charles about all this.”
And probably Jean, too, Diluc thought, She wouldn’t be happy if she saw him in this state.
The rest of the night droned on. Diluc attempted to use the rest of his time to try and gather information from patrons, but he ended up discovering nothing special.
Mondstadt was at peace and, as it looked, so was Kaeya.
Finally, when it was time to close up, Diluc moved to the other side of the bar and began to gently shake Kaeya’s shoulders.
“Sir Kaeya. Kaeya. Kaeya, wake up,” he called.
The blue-haired captain began to stir. “Huh? … Luc?”
“Tavern’s closing. It’s time to leave,” Diluc said, “Get some more sleep when you get home, okay?”
Kaeya nodded, sitting up and rubbing his eye. “Right. Sorry for the inconvenience, Master Diluc. How long was I asleep for?”
“About two hours,” Diluc replied, checking the time, “It’s alright, it was no problem. Do you need assistance heading home?”
“No, no, not at all. I should be okay.” Kaeya stood up, dusted off his clothes and headed towards the door. He hesitated before opening it. “Thank you, Diluc.”
Before Diluc could answer, Kaeya had opened the door and left.
Diluc sighed, swiftly packing up for the day before heading home.
He had a letter to write.
---
When Kaeya woke up the next morning, he could hardly remember anything that had happened the night before. All he could remember was Charles leaving, and the bright red warm presence of Diluc Ragnvindr taking his place.
He was alive, and he was well, and that was all Kaeya needed to know to brave another day at work.
When he had gotten back home to his little apartment on top of the KoF headquarters, a letter had been left on his doorstep. It read:
To K:
Thanks for the letter. Cooperating with the Knights has objective pros and cons, like two sides of a coin. I'm sure you understand that better than I do. No need to worry about my safety. Self-preservation is easy. Striving towards my goal is hard. Take better care of yourself instead.
Kaeya read over the last line once. Twice. Three times. He stopped to pinch himself, then read over the letter a fourth time, just to make sure he wasn’t going crazy and imagining that the words that he wanted to hear were written down on paper. Yet, no matter how often he read it over, the message remained unchanging: “Take better care of yourself” written clear as day in Diluc’s delicate handwriting.
Typically, at this time of day, he would go out for a drink.
Instead, he gently folded the piece of paper, placed it in his secret compartment of things, and set out for Dawn Winery.
Some quality time with his favourite vigilante never hurt.