Chapter Text
If one were to say Diluc Ragnvindr of all people would be here at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, preparing for a new day, everyone would laugh.
After the tragedy that kept getting worse for Diluc, he parted ways with the Knights he would once die for. The day he left the Headquarters with such fury in his eyes, swearing he will never step there again, everyone knew better not to speak a word about it in front of the redhead.
Yet, after many years feeling like months left behind, this certain man found himself in front of the Headquarters once again. The old, gorgeous door stood there as it did so many years ago, welcoming many people there with its might. This door alone had many stories to tell, including how painful the tears leaving Diluc’s eyes looked all those years ago.
Now, he only had a glimpse of stress in his reddish eyes. Examining the outside as the knights guarding the door opened it greet Diluc, he pretended to not care about anything they did. Everyone knew Diluc was less than pleased to be there, to be working there again. Many people were surprised to hear the news, claiming it all came from a drunk man murmuring and mumbling as he drank.
But the rumors were true. As all the eyes in the headquarters well on Diluc Ragnvindr, the reluctant man walked his way to the office of the Grandmaster, currently used by the acting grandmaster until his arrival. Not even that place changed much, Diluc noticed as he eyed the interior before Jean started her welcoming speech.
She had a warm smile despite the cold sulk Diluc had on his face. She stood up to pay her respect to her superior. “It is a blessing to see you here, Sir Diluc.”
“Just Diluc will do,” he informed, closing the door as he entered. The gentle sunlight entering the office could warm many hearts, many hearts but Diluc’s. His one was still covered with worry and stress, impossible to be burnt by either the sun or the pyro he had under his command.
“Alright then, Diluc. Welcome back.”
Diluc tried to be as enthusiastic as Jean, he really did. He even tried to convince himself to believe everything will be okay, seeing the places of his youth and remembering the fun memories he had were supposed to make him feel grateful. But instead, the fact that he will never get them back made his feelings worse.
And there was also one other thing that made him uncomfortable. The presence of a certain cavalry captain with an eye patch.
Diluc already had a plan for that, he was to simply avoid Kaeya as if his life depended on it. He would not react to his jokes, reply to his questions shortly, and work alone as much as humanly possible. He could even skip dinner if it was all it took for Diluc to not see his face for the day.
He didn’t hate the man to his guts, he would be most devastated if he were to hear something bad happened to him, Diluc knew this more than anyone else. But this didn’t mean he had the energy to tolerate Kaeya and his… absurd way of communicating with his estranged brother as if nothing bad happened between them. Diluc didn’t enjoy his presence, that was it.
As Diluc sat on the chair Jean showed him, she briefly explained everything Diluc was going to be responsible for. During his service for the Knights of Favonius, Diluc was to use his formal title and he also had immunity against some trivial rules.
Diluc listened to her carefully, starting to realize that his current job didn’t seem different than how he used to work for the Knights back then. Being responsible for knights with a lower ranking, checking specific areas, tracking down suspicious groups, defeating the monsters of the Abyss…
And what Diluc hated the most and had to deal with almost all of the time, paperwork... Way too much paperwork, to be exact.
Now that the Knights were in grave need of manpower and even Lisa had to leave her library quite so often, Diluc had no way of escaping the gory papers waiting to be signed up and documents having to get checked as soon as possible.
The knocking on the door echoed in the welcoming office when Diluc was about to ask a question. She allowed whoever arrived there to enter, Diluc didn’t bother to look at who came until he heard a voice that he wished he didn’t hear.
“You called me, Jean?” Kaeya swiftly entered inside and closed the door, now leaning on it with that typical smirk of his. Diluc tried his best to act like he didn’t notice Kaeya’s presence.
“Right on time, Kaeya,” she nodded, stressing Diluc further. What she had in her mind, calling Diluc and Kaeya there at the same time? The last thing he hoped was Jean warning them to not get into a fight as if they are children.
Diluc was a serious and stoic man, he knew when to take his job seriously and never let a single thing ruin his focus. And as far as he heard from the other knights around, Kaeya also had that serious side somewhere inside him, ready to shine when things get serious.
“What were you going to ask, Diluc?” she once again turned her face to Diluc, watching him with a smile that looked too happy considering the situation the Knights of Favonius were in.
“Although I am grateful that you believe in me enough to trust all of these responsibilities, I am not certain if I can complete everything on time. Patrolling duty or signing paperwork is no trouble on their own, but how am I supposed to take care of everything all at once?”
“And this is why I called Kaeya,” now, the reason for that bright smile of hers was clear as day. “He is going to be your assistant!”
Both of the men gasped at the sudden declaration, looking at each other in disbelief and then at Jean. Their jaws opened on their own, eyebrows raising as much as they physically could.
“No way!” Diluc refused immediately, accidentally raising his voice due to the shock he experienced upon the news.
“No way!” Kaeya failed to believe what he just heard, jumping slightly, and hitting the door behind him. The pain didn’t take away the funny expression he had on his face; his lips were sealed like a straight line.
Jean giggled. “I expected these reactions. So far, this is the best solution I could come up with. And I hope it’ll work for the both of you.”
“Why…” Diluc lowered his voice, trying to maintain his calmness and stoic expression, fighting with his inner urge to refuse to work there and leave as soon as possible. “…did you think this is a suitable solution, Jean?”
“It’s obviously because I am the best assistant you could ask for,” Kaeya answered the question for Jean. But instead of getting an answer, Kaeya got ignored as if he didn’t even exist there. He laughed it off.
“Well, it is mainly because there are several things changed for the Knights of Favonius. And when it comes to introducing and teaching, Kaeya is one of the best people we have on our hands. Even Klee can memorize entire pages of rules all thanks to Kaeya.”
“And then there is the fact that he is a cavalry captain without any cavalry to captain. So, he pretty much has nothing important to do at this point. Assisting you will be most suitable for him.”
“I am starting to feel like I can figure out a way and complete the paperwork and the patrol duty on my own,” Diluc murmured.
Kaeya jokingly raised his voice. “Hey! At least say that when I’m not around, haven’t you heard of politeness?”
But once again, he got ignored. Kaeya did the same to respond to this cold answer, smirking and shrugging. “Since it seems like you can't hear me, I can talk from your behind as much as I want.”
“Even if you do so,” Jean started, looking at her paperwork. “You will still have trouble getting used to the new rules and recruits. They will cost you a lot of time and might make you look inefficient in front of those who don’t know you yet, Diluc.”
He groaned lightly, Jean proved herself right simply by saying Diluc would be risking his pride, one of the things he knew he couldn’t buy with money. Pride was hard to earn, and he had no chance of making a fool of himself, especially when his former title mattered that much.
“Kaeya, I assume there is no problem for you?”
“Excluding the fact that Diluc can’t hear me, everything is fine,” Kaeya walked closer to Diluc who had nowhere to run. He put his hands on Diluc’s stiff shoulders, and his cold and slender fingers grasped the warmer one of the two. “I think we will get along just fine, right, Diluc?”
“…it’s Master Diluc for you.”