Chapter Text
It was the hushed whisper of a distant rumor when it reached Diluc's ears at Angel's Share. At first, he only chalked it up to hearsay among the patrons, who seemed to have nothing better to accompany their wine with than chatting about the suspected private lives of the Knights of Favonius. Then, he heard it mentioned again. And again.
The cavalry captain was seeing someone.
He shouldn't be curious, or angry, or anything. Truly, it's none of his business. It should be no bother to him at all that the knight he once called his brother hadn't even bothered to tell him of his own accord about his romantic prospects. He had no right to know, or to feel any sort of way about it.
Really, it should not have upset him in the slightest.
Should.
Diluc grumbled as he absent-mindedly wiped out a glass behind the bar counter, his attention focused more on the buzz of lively conversation than his duties as bartender that night. After all, that was one of the greatest perks when he took up the staffing duties himself in the tavern; the golden opportunity to eavesdrop.
More often than not, he used this precious time to gather intel about potentially suspicious activity around Mondstadt. As of recent times, however, his ears seemed only to perk up at the mention of a familiar name.
"Have you heard about Sir Kaeya?"
"The cavalry captain? What happened?"
"Last I heard, he's got himself a girlfriend."
"You don't say! Who is she?"
"Nobody knows, but word on the street is that he's been disappearing to sneak off with her every chance he gets."
"Hahaha! Lucky man, but not very subtle, eh?"
Diluc scoffed under his breath. That particular pair couldn't be too in the know, as they had certainly gotten one major aspect undoubtedly incorrect. Diluc may not have been close to him these days, but even he knew that Kaeya's persuasions leaned in the opposite direction. This was something of an open secret to those who the captain spent any significant amount of time hanging around; the idea that Kaeya would court a woman was almost more preposterous than the idea of him courting anyone at all.
Diluc still wasn't completely convinced the story held any weight whatsoever. He knew the simplest way to find out would be to ask, but Kaeya would likely tease him and string him along to a dead end with no clear answers. And truly, he shouldn't care as much as he did.
Curiosity killed the cat, so they say.
"Say, isn't he supposed to be here tonight, too?"
"Probably too busy with that lady-friend of his."
"She must be really important for him to forgo a night of drinking."
Diluc finally put the glass he had spent far too long polishing down and turned his attention to the door, where a familiar figure stood. Her presence was cold and menacing as she wandered over to the bar, making herself at home on the farthest barstool. It hardly phased Diluc at all, as he was well accustomed to her demeanor by now. Though she and Kaeya made a troublesome pair at times, she made for pleasant company when she didn't have the knight in tow.
"Good evening, Sister Rosaria," Diluc greeted politely, already preparing her usual drink for her.
She waved her hand dismissively, acknowledging his greeting but keeping quiet.
"Kaeya not joining you tonight?"
Rosaria let out a small, forced laugh. "We see each other often enough as it is these days."
Diluc threw up an intrigued brow. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Rosaria shot him a disingenuous smug look. "Surely you've heard the rumors floating around town? You're so in touch with that sort of thing."
"Rumors?" Diluc wondered aloud, "Which ones? You need to elaborate on something so vague."
Rosaria glanced around cautiously, but the two were at the far end of the bar alone, out of earshot of the rest of the rowdy patrons. Even so, she dropped her voice to a whisper.
"Haven't you heard? Kaeya and I are something of an item, it seems."
Diluc couldn't help but snort, which drew a frown from Rosaria.
"Surely you can't be serious,” He scoffed.
"We're trying to keep it professional and secretive, so we would appreciate it if you do not spread this information around," Rosaria added, ignoring Diluc's mildly amused look.
"Please," Diluc muttered, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. "You truly don't expect me to believe that excuse, do you?"
Her eyes narrowed as she stared down Diluc intently, though noticeably confused by his response. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I understand that this seems to be your idea of covering for him," Diluc explained, "But you can't honestly expect me to believe Kaeya is dating you."
"Is there something wrong with me?" Rosaria snapped. "Do you not think I'm good enough, or something?"
Diluc shook his head. "It's nothing about you personally, it's that you're a woman."
Rosaria stared blankly for a few moments, before she sighed deeply and placed her head in her hand in defeat.
"I told him this was a stupid cover story," She grumbled to herself, "I told him."
"You must really care about him if you would willingly choose to cover for him as his supposed romantic partner," Diluc mused, "You're the talk of the town, you know."
"Yeah, well, worst comes to worst, it will work on most people," Rosaria commented, swirling the contents of the glass Diluc set out before her. "It's plausible enough of a story."
"For those that don't know where his romantic proclivities truly lie, that is."
Rosaria nodded in agreement, before knocking back a generous mouthful of wine.
"So, who is he really?"
"Hmm?"
"The person you're covering for," Diluc asked, "Who is he?"
A look of panic briefly took hold of Rosaria's expression before she hid behind her drink. She had to think up an excuse and fast, since she knew Diluc wasn't one to take any old tall tale at face value, especially as far as Kaeya was concerned.
"I don't know," She mumbled annoyedly, "If you get him to spill that info let me know. As of right now, all I know is that he isn't from Mondstadt."
Diluc's interest was immediately piqued. It wasn't much, and he had a feeling that Rosaria potentially knew more than she was letting on, but it was a start. Still, there was no way he was getting that information if even Rosaria couldn't squeeze it out of him.
"I see," Diluc mumbled, scratching his chin contemplatively. "How interesting."
Diluc usually dreaded seeing Kaeya come waltzing into his tavern. The two were civil enough with each other, but the tension that coursed through the air whenever they shared the same vicinity was always thick and palpable. Not only that, but when he showed up, he had a penchant to drink a lot.
The cavalry captain usually left Angel's Share those nights merely buzzed, but every once in awhile he would take things a step too far and pass the threshold of intoxication. Diluc was usually never around to see those nights, thank the gods, but he was now determined to make tonight a night that Kaeya would be cursing come the following morning.
Diluc poured an especially strong drink to start him off, with the intention to keep the libations flowing. He couldn't be too obvious with it, as otherwise Kaeya would grow suspicious. The knight was sloppy and less careful when drunk, so Diluc needed to get his guard down in order to find out just what he wanted to know.
"My, my, Master Diluc, have you had a change of heart?" Kaeya teased, the first taste of the drink hitting his lips, "I don't believe you've ever served me something so strong before."
"Consider it a congratulations," Diluc said, his voice rather deadpan in its delivery, "Give Rosaria my regards."
"Ah, so you heard about that," Kaeya laughed lightheartedly. "Thanks, I will be sure to pass the message along." With that, he downed another hearty sip, not even questioning how Diluc “knew” and didn’t even second-guess it.
Diluc smiled. Even given Kaeya's alcohol tolerance, he knew it wouldn't take long.
It was some time later, after the bar had for the most part emptied out, when Kaeya sat slouched on one of the barstools. He leaned his elbow on the counter, his hand caressing his cheek as a lazy smile and rosy blush adorned his face. He was clearly a bit past tipsy at this point, though still coherent and cognitive enough to walk and talk, albeit clumsily.
"Though I have enjoyed my time here tonight, I best be off," Kaeya announced, his words slurring only slightly as he stumbled out of his seat. Diluc watched with thinly-veiled amusement as he made for the door, looking utterly foolish as he swayed with each step. It was suspiciously early for him to call it a night, which made Diluc take the opportunity to spring his plan into action.
The moment Kaeya was out the door, Diluc hurried to the back exit, quietly slipping out of the tavern and into the dark, cold night. He was very skilled at silently tracking a target, and he intended to put that talent to use tonight.
Were he sober, and even Diluc's inaudible footfalls and swift disappearance into the shadows would be noticed quickly by the vigilant Kaeya. Thus, Diluc had purposefully gotten him drunk in order to easily track his movements. He watched as Kaeya staggered down the steps, on his way down one of the side roads.
Diluc crept behind carefully, well aware that he needed to be cautious even while Kaeya was incapacitated. He watched as the captain meandered past the mildly-confused looking guard and turned.
Diluc clambered up the wall, avoiding notice of the guard and Kaeya as he watched from high above. He immediately took notice of a tall, slender figure standing beneath the shadow of a building, just out of sight of Kaeya. The direction Kaeya was stumbling was leading him right to the suspicious silhouette, which had Diluc instinctively reaching for his trusty claymore should he need to react at a moment's notice.
He crept forward, closing in on the two to get a better read on the situation. From the better angle high up on a nearby roof, he could take in more details about the stranger; dark gray uniform, adorned with blood-red accents, of a very distinctly Snezhnayan style that made Diluc's blood go cold. The nail in the coffin was the pointed mask sitting askew on a head of fluffy ginger locks, glowing blueish under the light of the moon.
Fatui.
Diluc's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, his knees crouching in preparation to spring out of hiding and attack. He felt a sharp pang of guilt for doing what he had to Kaeya, as the knight was now bumbling directly towards the threat without a clue.
Or so he thought.
The stranger stepped forward, a smile visible on his face even from a distance.
"Kaeya, are you drunk?"
"Perhaps a little," Kaeya mumbled, practically tossing himself into the man's arms. His head tipped upwards and, as if to dispel any doubt in Diluc's mind at the strange encounter, their lips met.
A white-hot burning ripped through Diluc's body as his mind reeled. Fatui? Kaeya? They knew each other? They kissed?
He looked again, if only to be certain he wasn't hallucinating. What he saw was Kaeya wrapped in the arms of a Fatui stranger, who he was enthusiastically making out with under the moonlight.
"Let's get you to bed. You need to sleep this off," The man said fondly, his gloved fingers finding their way into Kaeya's ponytail.
"We could have a little fun first," Kaeya murmured.
"Not when you're drunk."
Diluc wanted to tear his eyes away, especially since overhearing Kaeya's flirty comment made him feel violently nauseous. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to the scene as the Fatuu slung his arm around Kaeya and the two walked in tandem toward the direction of the knight's residence.
Diluc, for one, needed to go think through everything he had just witnessed.