Work Text:
the archons have long since blessed the people of teyvat with glimpses into their power.
it comes as visions, as the geo archon's visit to liyue once a year to guide its people, keeps sumeru alive and connected even in the transition between gods - it is all around teyvat in countless ways, but none more sought after than the blessing of a fated tie.
there's no accurate account for when it began, and the stories of the first receivers vary from region to region. the first time diluc hears about it happening in real life, he's eleven. one of the servants at the winery is gushing about it to her fellow staff members, eyes sparkling with excitement.
the seven's promise, they call it.
it appears one day without warning: words tattooed into their skin painlessly, an admission of their promised's love, fated by the gods. for some it comes early, as young as ten, and for others, it eludes them their whole life - not everyone can be chosen by the archons, after all.
diluc thinks of it more as a fairy tale than anything else, especially as he gets older. the archons have already blessed him with a vision and he’s lucky enough for that, he thinks. the notion of being tied to another by the archons seems more like a responsibility than anything else, he tells himself, so he lets it go.
he’s fifteen when kaeya brings it up in passing.
“can one person have the seven’s promise without their soulmate having one?” kaeya asks one day when he and diluc are at the lake. diluc is wringing out his hair and he glances over at kaeya, laid out on the blanket they’ve brought, pants rolled up to soak in the sun.
“i don’t know,” diluc admits. “i would think the other person isn’t their soulmate then, i guess. why?”
kaeya shrugs, noncommittal. “just curious, i s’pose.”
diluc sits down on the blanket next to kaeya, peering at him. “i haven’t heard of that happening, but there are stranger things.”
diluc reaches over, going for the picnic basket they dragged along. after a few long moments basking in the quiet warmth of the spring sun, kaeya speaks again.
“do you have one?” he inquires, unprompted.
diluc shakes his head. “no. do you? is that why you’re asking?”
“no,” kaeya replies.
“are you sure? is that why you’re not swimming today - you hiding it from me?” diluc teases. kaeya scoffs.
“as if,” he says, rolling his eye. “the water’s too cold still. I don’t want to get sick before my exam tomorrow.”
“liar,” diluc exclaims defensively as he pulls out a bottle of grape juice. “it’s not cold.”
“maybe not for someone with a pyro vision,” kaeya says dryly and then leans over and snatches the glass bottle from diluc, who reaches out to take it back and kaeya holds it just out of reach.
“give it back.”
“come get it, pyro boy,” he taunts, and it takes half a second for diluc to scramble across the blanket and begin to attempt wrangling back the chilled drink. the pair dissolve into a fit of laughter, half-heartedly tussling as the blanket tangles beneath them.
eventually, the bottle slips from kaeya’s grip, and diluc pins him, grinning. the spring sun illuminates him, drenching his dark hair and highlighting the way it fans below him, and diluc’s breath catches.
kaeya blinks, smile faltering, and he stares up at diluc with something unreadable in his periwinkle eye, bright in the sunshine. his lip part on a low breath, and suddenly, all diluc can think about is how he would very much like to kiss him.
“you win,” kaeya concedes after a long moment, his voice quiet.
“yeah,” diluc says, and watches the way kaeya’s throat bobs as he swallows. something unfamiliar wells in his chest, an affection he’s never experienced, and overwhelmed, he glances away, grabbing at the bottle of grape juice before he clambers off of kaeya.
they stay out until the sun begins to dip below the horizon, and when diluc climbs into bed late that evening, he falls asleep thinking about the seven’s promise and the way kaeya’s hair shines in the sun.
a year later, he ends up with a burn scar across one side of his abdomen.
it was an accident at training, he tells kaeya that night when he catches a glimpse of the bandage across his torso.
"does master crepus know–"
"no. don't tell him," diluc interrupts. he can already see the inquiry coming to life in kaeya's gaze, and is quick to put it to bed.
he doesn't want to worry him, he says, accidents happen and he’s already gone to the church to be assessed. kaeya takes his words at face value, though doubt and worry are written clearly across his friend's face.
it’s all a lie, of course.
the truth is he’d woken up to the seven’s promise tattooed on his skin, fresh and new across his ribs.
it's beautiful and heartbreaking.
deep blue and white swirl on his skin, like the lake beside the manor reflecting the sky on a starry night. the letters are in an unfamiliar script, with a lovely hand that looks as though it had been personally penned onto his flesh by Barbatos.
if kaeya does not have one, he decides, neither will he.
armed with bandages and alcohol and healing salve, diluc locks himself in his office at the end of the day and uses his vision to try and defy the seven.
biting his lip, his canines pierce skin and he tastes copper as the fire in his hand sparks to life, swallowing an anguished scream at the sensation of his flesh burning.
the pain is blinding, but through it he thinks kaeya is worth it all, sevens be damned.
when his skin heals weeks later, the tattoo returns anew, like flowers after a wildfire - small at first, then brighter and clearer - and he can’t help the hopeless feeling that settles low in his chest. he buries it, swallowing it down and naively hoping for the best.
it doesn’t come though. he’s eighteen when everything falls apart.
diluc has no doubt the archons are laughing at him now - burning kaeya in a fight the same way he tried to burn the seven's promise, and then the gods drop a cryo vision into his lap.
there could never have been a clearer sign, he thinks.
and so, he leaves.
he goes to liyue, to sumeru, to fontaine, and on. he’s gone for years - searching for answers, for meanings to endings, for information on the delusion that killed his father and tore his life apart. he meets people of all kind, learns things he’d never expected to, faces the cold edge of death more than once.
until finally, one day, allied with new associates and spurned by new enemies, he decides to go home.
the journey takes three months. it should only have taken two at most, loose ends considered, but as he knows well, sometimes things just… happen.
in fontaine, he meets with a contact of the organization that saved him. she is a former academia researcher turned informant, well-connected with an in that is too valuable to give up. there are things that need to be taken care of in sumeru, and at the organization’s behest, diluc agrees to linger in the region and make sure everything is handled appropriately.
on the way back to sumeru, more information falls into diluc’s hands - unexpected and unrelated to anything he’d been searching for.
they’re caught in a rainstorm some miles from sumeru city and take to a cave in search of safe haven. by the time they make it, they’re both drenched and bordering on miserable. there is a partially burnt out pile of logs and it is likely that a number of others have used the cave to take shelter before.
she lights a fire and settles next to it as diluc rids himself of his wet coat and shirt, laying them out on a rock closeby. it’s moments like these when he finds himself missing the convenience of his vision.
"that's an odd place for a tattoo," she says out of the blue, looking at the scar on his ribs as diluc approaches the warmth of the fire.
"not of my choosing," he admits, watching as she tears a bite of bread off the loaf in her hands. "apparently burning it off doesn't work. the gods are stubborn."
"it's the seven's promise?" she asks after swallowing. "i've never seen one in real life. can i take a closer look?"
"i suppose," he answers, coming closer so she can see the lettering on his skin, the color dulled under the layer of scar tissue. the light of the fire illuminates him, and she tilts her head, peering at the words.
"khaenri'ahn?" she inquires after a long moment. "now i understand why you burnt it."
diluc’s heart skips a beat.
"what?"
"khaenri'ahn," she repeats easily, as if the clarification does not dredge up a hurricane of thoughts inside of diluc. "the language is mostly dead, with reason, but–"
"do you know what it says?"
she stares for a long moment, chewing on another bite of bread, then speaks the dead language aloud, a string of sounds diluc struggles to parse. she makes a sour face before she repeats herself, clearer. “quis esset cogitare habere ego lux vestra iterum.”
diluc’s brows furrow and she merely shrugs in response.
"something about light," she tells him. "i hardly know any of the language. my focus at the academia was sociology and the influence of the archons. not much to study on a godless nation there."
with that, she hands off the remainder of the loaf of bread, and they fall into an easy silence, diluc settling on a rock, still clad in his rainsoaked pants.
the morning comes with clear skies and faded memories of a dream of kaeya’s hair in the spring sun.
after four years, being back home in mondstadt feels less like a return than a new undertaking - and it is, diluc supposes, running the winery in full again and taking on the mantle of the dark knight hero. he keeps himself busy, settling into his new-old life one day at a time.
some nights though, kaeya’s question all those years ago comes back to his mind.
is it truly possible for a person to have the seven’s promise without their soulmate having it?
it defeats the purpose, he thinks. by all means, it’s illogical, but the thought persists - out of hope or curiosity, he cannot say anymore.
despite it all, eventually, inevitably, they find their paths intertwined again.
through the first few months following his return, his communication with kaeya is still mostly via letters. that changes though - slow and fragile at first, then before he knows it, he's seeing kaeya more often than not.
their intel exchanges become regular talks. kaeya loiters at the bar after closing. they meet for lunch. winery visits for tea with adelinde become a regular occurrence. before they realize it, a year has passed, and diluc has the creeping suspicion that in spite of the unspoken distance between them, they still know each other better than anyone else could.
it's easy somehow, falling back into being around each other. they’ll never put the pieces back together the same way they were, of course. this much he knows. sometimes though, diluc thinks that in spite of it, the new lives they’re both building - different and yet still somehow so undeniably tied together - could be just as good.
once a week, they meet after closing at angel’s share. diluc cleans up while kaeya has another drink, sipping leisurely while they discuss the details of their shared intel for the week. these days it’s become less of that, and more of an excuse to spend time together, even if neither of them will admit it aloud.
it’s an hour after close when diluc finishes cleaning up - usually denoting the end of their shared time. he’s remiss to initiate a goodbye this time though, lingering in the unusually comfortable and calm air between them, but kaeya beats him to it.
“well,” he begins with a sigh, “same time next week, i suppose then, diluc?”
he glances at him, watching as kaeya swirls the last bit of liquor in his glass, lifting it in question. diluc just nods and the smile kaeya gives him is as practiced as ever, but there’s a softness at the corners of his eyes that’s not always there.
it is infrequent and precious, and in the quiet, empty tavern, diluc can’t bring himself to be anything but gentle with him, even if for just a brief moment.
“i look forward to it,” diluc tells him honestly, letting slip a glimpse into the tenderness he holds for kaeya still. the other man stares for a moment, then chuckles, pulling the last of his drink to his mouth. diluc turns away, going to put away a row of clean glasses when he hears it.
kaeya speaks the words inscribed on his skin - so foreign, and somehow so familiar. whispered under his breath, they are beautiful in the way that only someone who knew the language inside and out could make it sound.
warmth radiates from his ribs, from the spot he'd tried to burn away when he was sixteen, and his heart almost jumps out of his chest, his hand going to hold his side.
"what did you just say?" diluc asks, carefully turning his gaze to kaeya.
"nothing," he replies, waving a hand dismissively before he continues, standing up. "i have another drop in two days, i'll let you know if there's problems with–"
"quis esset cogitare habere ego lux vestra iterum," diluc repeats, the unfamiliar language clumsy on his tongue and kaeya goes pale. "what does it mean?"
"you know khaenri'ahn?" kaeya asks in disbelief.
"only that sentence."
"what?" he says, brows knitting closer together. "how in the world–?"
diluc leaves the counter, swiftly crossing around and he begins to shrug his coat off as he approaches kaeya, who eyes him.
"diluc, what are you doing?"
"it's something about light, isn't it?" he inquires, ignoring the way his heart pounds and the perplexed look on kaeya's face.
"yes, but - diluc?" kaeya's voice lilts in confusion as diluc tosses his coat onto the counter and goes for the buttons on his shirt.
when he undoes it completely and pulls the left side back to reveal the scar rippling across his ribs, kaeya stares, frozen in shock.
after a long moment though, he lifts a hand, wordlessly extending it to reach out and touch the scarred flesh where his own words lie. it takes everything in diluc's power not to shudder at his touch, cool fingers ghosting over the spot where the gods had long since carved kaeya's place in his life.
"to think i'd have your light once more," kaeya says softly a second later. he thumbs over the words, a melancholic, distant look in his eye before he lifts his gaze to meet diluc's. "that's what it means."
kaeya lapses into silence and diluc lets him.
his heart aches at the quiet hurt he sees, peeking through the faltering mask kaeya has worn for so long. for a split second, he catches a glimpse of that rain-soaked child who had appeared in his house that night so long ago - lost and uncertain.
“what happened?” kaeya finally asks, gently tracing the edge of the scar.
"i tried to burn it off when i was sixteen," diluc tells him. kaeya’s brows furrow and he looks up at diluc questioningly.
"why?"
"you didn't have one. i couldn't bear being promised to someone that wasn't you. i thought, even if the gods wouldn't choose you, i would."
that lone, crystalline blue eye goes wide and kaeya freezes.
“what?” he says dumbly.
diluc can’t help but feel a little embarrassed. “sorry. was that–?”
"diluc, i - could you forgive me for another lie?” kaeya interrupts suddenly. diluc can’t help but frown.
“is this about what happened that night? kaeya, i–”
"no, it’s - i have one. a promise mark," kaeya clarifies.
diluc’s heart leaps into his throat.
“what?”
kaeya reaches over with one hand, undoing the buckles on his sleeve in haste. when they’re undone, he shoves the sleeve up clumsily, huffing when it doesn’t want to go up any further. diluc hears the seam rip and stares at kaeya in surprise as he struggles.
“look,” he finally says a moment later, tilting his arm to let diluc see.
there, on the soft flesh of his inner arm, are diluc’s own words, spoken not even a minute ago, in his handwriting, looped in a soft white.
even if the gods wouldn't choose you, i would
“do you remember that day at the lake? i found it that morning,” kaeya admits. “you were right about why i didn’t want to go swimming.”
his admission punches the air out of diluc’s lungs, and he stares at kaeya.
“why didn’t you tell me?” he questions, taking a step forward to reach out and lift kaeya’s arm for a closer look.
“same reason as you,” he whispers, tilting his head and smiling softly at the redhead when he thumbs at the soft, marked skin. “i didn’t think you had one.”
"archons,” diluc mutters a second later, gently releasing his grip on kaeya’s arm to look at him.
“i was convinced the seven had cursed me for my khaenri’ahn blood by not letting me have you,” kaeya informs him, his voice tender and raw, and diluc can see wetness beading at the corner of his eye. “just like you, i was ready to defy the gods.”
that tear spills down his cheek and diluc lifts a gloved hand, eagerly wiping it from his face. kaeya laughs then, smiling at him and reaching up to touch diluc’s own face, wet with tears he hadn’t even realized he’d shed.
“what fools we’ve been,” diluc manages breathlessly after a moment, basking in the honest emotion sparkling in kaeya’s gaze.
“fighting for each other and fucking it all up along the way,” kaeya laughs out, tugging his shirt back down his arm with a little sniffle. “very us, don’t you think?”
diluc chuckles.
"perhaps not our finest hour," he acknowledges. kaeya's gaze wavers and he glances away, looking genuinely nervous for the first time diluc has seen since they were eighteen.
"gods, i think i owe adelinde mora," he suddenly exclaims with a laugh, and it is so infectious that diluc cannot help but join, a smile tugging at his mouth.
"truly?" he asks. kaeya nods, glancing down at the space between them.
"mmm. she saw it when i spilled something all over myself and went to change. watched me try not to cry and told me she'd bet a week's worth of groceries in mora you'd have one too."
"a week's worth?" diluc repeats in surprise.
“indeed,” kaeya sighs, raising his head to look at diluc once more. “i wonder what she’ll think.”
“she might immediately ask you for the mora you owe her,” he warns.
“she might immediately ask when the wedding is,” kaeya retorts with a huff of laughter.
"she’ll just have to wait until we find rings," he exclaims and for a moment he worries he's gone a step too far, kaeya's eye going wide.
“i never realized you were one to skip so many steps," he teases and warm affection blossoms in diluc's chest as he steps toward kaeya and pulls him close. “whatever happened to courting, hm?”
"sorry. a date first, maybe," he offers, watching as kaeya blinks, navy blue lashes fluttering over the swell of his cheek, and a crooked little smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth.
"or a kiss," kaeya suggests, and it is difficult to miss the way his gaze flickers to diluc's mouth and back.
"or a kiss," diluc agrees, mirroring kaeya’s wandering eye and letting kaeya pull him forward by his undone shirt, warm and so, so welcoming.
he can’t tell who moves first, but suddenly they’re inches apart. kaeya tilts his head, and his lips part, expectant, and the sight is more tempting than anything diluc has ever dreamed.
softly, carefully, for the very first time and like he has wanted to do since he was fifteen, he kisses kaeya, and lets warmth burn through him, starting at his promise mark, and all the way to his heart.
sevens be damned, sevens be thanked.