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Kaeya stood with Albedo in his office, both of them looking a bit nervous as they held each other’s hands. Albedo looked a little confused at the moment, especially since he had never seen Kaeya so... Hesitant. Usually, the cavalry captain was sure of himself and ready for anything, but right now, he looked lost. It was strange to see him acting like this, and at first, Albedo had half the mind to ask if he had fallen ill recently, wondering if that was the cause of his strange behavior.
“Albedo, I...” Kaeya swallowed thickly, trying to gather his words. His hands were shaking a little in Albedos. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something...”
“Yes?” Albedo gave his hands a squeeze to try and offer some form of comfort to him. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was willing to help if there was something wrong.
“I’d like to take you out sometime, on a date,” Kaeya tried to ease his nerves by giving one of his classic charming smiles. “I like you Albedo, a lot.”
Albedo adored that smile, it had an air of mischief that he couldn’t resist. “I like you too Kaeya, I’d love to go on a date.”
The wind heard these words, giggling to itself in delight. Oh boy did it have people to tell this to. Specifically to a red-haired male that had familial ties to Kaeya and would likely be last to find out if he didn’t hear it from him.
The sun was lowering itself slowly but surely, the moon readying itself to take its place in the sky. Mondstadters were either going out to the bars at this time for the nightlife or winding down from their days and settling into their homes for the night. The Angel’s Share was open, like always, at this late hour. A certain crimson-haired male was serving the patrons tonight, pouring glasses of dandelion wine and blending drinks together to serve eager drunkards. His name was Diluc Ragnvindr, owner of the Dawn Winery and current bartender at the Angel’s Share. He stood behind the bartop, cleaning a glass idly, needing to have something to do with his hands while he stood there keeping an eye on things. He wasn’t too keen on talking tonight, but he didn’t get to make any choice about that. Knowing the drunkards he usually served, they would talk at him whether he responded to them or not. That usually happened. They talk about whatever nonsense that was bothering their sober minds, the alcohol loosening their tongues and prompting them to speak without a filter. Diluc mentally prepared himself for it though, it was all he could do since it was impossible to avoid talking.
The door to the tavern blew open as a familiar giggle sounded outside. Diluc frowned deeply, knowing who it was without even looking up. It was his nation’s Archon, a bard who now called themself Venti. When Diluc finally glanced over, he could see that they were beelining towards him, a mischievous grin on their lips. Did Diluc want to put up with them? No. Did he have much choice? Also no. He sighed softly and mentally prepared himself for the inevitable annoyance that was the bard.
“I’ll have my usual garcon!” Venti winked as they sat down at the bar.
“Not unless you plan on paying for it,” Diluc narrowed his eyes a bit at the young-looking archon, but he knew that their looks were deceiving.
Venti gave a dramatic sigh, “Must you be so cold towards me? After all we’ve been through, Diluc?”
“I’m not running a charity, either pay or you won’t get anything.”
“Can I pay with a song~?”
“No. You won’t be getting away with that anymore.”
Venti pouted a little, slumping over the bar counter in a dramatic display of despair. “Fine... One mug of cider please.”
Diluc was relieved that they didn’t cause a scene, mostly because he really didn’t have the patience for it today. He started to make the drink, grabbing a chilled glass and pulling the lever for the cider tap. He filled it up and put a slice of apple in it before passing it to the bard. Venti took the drink and passed over their mora, knowing that Diluc wouldn’t trust them otherwise. Venti brought the drink to their lips and took a big gulp, setting it down afterward with a relieved sigh.
“Nothing better than a cold glass of cider!” They leaned against the bar top, facing away from Diluc as they scanned the area. “Could use some music, it’s so dead in here! Why don’t I-” they pull out their lyre, “Liven things up a bit?” Venti grinned a little, strumming a few chords.
They didn’t wait for Diluc to protest, grabbing their drink and gulping it down, slamming it down afterward... Which made Diluc sigh a little, taking the glass from them before they could shatter it by accident like they have before on multiple occasions.
“I have a song just for you Diluc, care to hear it?” Venti had a mischievous look in their eyes as they strummed a few more chords. “It’s about something I heard today, which you may have an interest in~”
“And what could that possibly be?” Diluc sighed, knowing he was going to regret asking, based on how Venti grinned.
“I bring thee news oh child of fire, of something you’ve yet to hear. I bring thee news, your brother of ice has given his heart I fear. For blossoms are blooming and love is looming, he gave his soul away. The question I have dear child of fire, is what do you have to say?” Venti strummed their lyre as they sang, eyeing Diluc curiously the whole time. They were waiting for him to catch onto the meaning, which thankfully wasn’t hidden in secretive lyrics. Venti knew it would be better to be direct with the male, otherwise, they would be there all night.
The gears in Diluc’s head were turning slowly. Child of fire? That was obviously referring to himself. The brother of ice is Kaeya, considering that that was his only sibling, despite being... Estranged. Wait... Gave away his heart and soul? Was Kaeya in danger?! Diluc’s eyes widened and he immediately reached for his coat, preparing to run out the door in case his brother needed him.
“Where is he?! What happened?!” Diluc demanded, causing a few patrons to look over in confusion.
Venti should have seen this coming, but instead, they just giggled. “Diluc, Kaeya isn’t in any danger. Listen to the lyrics again,” they strummed their lyre. “For blossoms are blooming and LOVE is looming, he gave his soul away,” Venti put emphasis on the word love to try and get their point across.
“So he’s not in any danger?” Diluc clarified.
“Nope! To have and to hold, created by gold, the Kreideprinz will keep him safe,” Venti sang some more.
“...” Diluc stared for a long moment at Venti, deadpanning. “Are you trying to tell me that my brother is in love with the chief alchemist Albedo?” That would explain some things. Kaeya did talk about Albedo with a certain... lovestruck look plastered on his face. Diluc had written it off as being a coincidence, but now that he was taking a moment to think about it, this wasn’t entirely surprising.
“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” Venti exclaimed with a grin, taking another gulp of their cider before setting the glass back down.
Diluc sighed to himself a little bit, picking up a glass and beginning to clean it so he had something to do with his hands. Guess he had to have a talk with Albedo now. He would eventually close down the bar and head back home for the night.
Adelinde was waiting up for him when he returned to the winery. She noticed the look on his face and immediately knew that he was deep in thought about something. Before she could even ask what was wrong, Diluc began to speak.
“Have you and Kaeya spoken recently?” He asked, curious if she knew the news before he found out.
“Hm? No, master Diluc. I have not. Is he alright? Has something happened?” She sounded concerned, which didn’t surprise Diluc since Kaeya was her favorite of the two boys.
“No... Just, wondering.” He took off his jacket, which she took from him to hang up. “He has apparently asked someone out is all.”
Adelinde paused, curiously listening. She had no idea that her little Kaeya had been fond of someone. She now hoped to meet the person someday. She decided to listen for now. She had a sneaking suspicion about what this was about.
“I think I’m going to pay Albedo a visit.”
Yes, she assumed correctly. Diluc was planning on having a big brother talk with the person that Kaeya has asked out. She tries to not laugh at this, finding it endearing that despite appearances, Diluc still loved his brother.
“I wouldn’t want to deal with a depressed Kaeya at the tavern every night. It would be a nuisance,” Diluc tried to reason it without saying that it was because he loved his brother. He didn’t have the self-awareness to call it out yet. Adelinde could understand. She knew that after all they had been through, it must be hard for Diluc to admit that he still cared deeply for Kaeya. She wouldn’t comment on it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t find it sweet and slightly humorous.
Diluc said good night to Adelinde, deciding to turn in early for the evening. He was tired from working the tavern, as usual. Being social really drained his battery. Diluc planned to visit the Favonius Headquarters tomorrow to confront Albedo. He had to protect his brother... Or as Diluc would put it “prevent a future nuisance”.
When morning came, Diluc rose early as he normally did when he hadn’t pulled a late night or all-nighter. He went downstairs to go have a cup of coffee and some breakfast. Adelinde started making something for him to eat as soon as she knew he was awake. She made him some waffles and sausage, pouring a cup of coffee that had already been brewed. She passed it to Diluc once it was all finished, going off to carry out her other morning duties. Diluc didn’t spend too much time eating, wanting to get his task done as soon as possible. He was determined to see this conversation through. Albedo needed to be told to watch himself, or else... Okay, he needed a second cup of coffee considering the aggressive thoughts he was having.
Once his meal was finished, Diluc began his trip to the city. He slayed a few cryo slimes that attacked him along the way, but otherwise, it was a peaceful trip without any complications. He arrived at the city gates and walked inside the walls. He made his way up the stairs, passed the shops and eateries, and eventually reached the Knights of Favonius headquarters. His heart squeezed at the sight of the place. He still held a deep resentment for the knights, and usually, he avoided working with and coming near the headquarters at all costs... But today was an exception. He sighed to himself, swallowing his annoyance and walking up the stairs.
He didn’t know where Albedo’s office was, which lead to him asking someone which lead to someone recognizing him, which lead to them asking if he was here to become a knight again. Archons above, he hated when people would ask that. He declined and continued walking to find Albedo. Once at the door to his office, he lightly knocked, waiting for permission to enter.
“Come in,” a voice called from beyond the door. Diluc entered the office and shut the door behind him.
Albedo looked up from his journal, immediately recognizing Diluc. He was intrigued by his presence, knowing from Kaeya how much his brother despised the knights. So, seeing him standing in his office? It was quite a shock. He could guess why Diluc was here though, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots for him. But, he would pretend like he was unaware, for now. He was curious about what Diluc was planning on saying, after all.
“Diluc, what can I do for you?” Albedo gestured to one of the chairs that was in his office if the other wanted to sit down. The redhead ignored the gesture to sit, instead choosing to stand. Which was fine with Albedo, he was just trying to be courteous. Albedo took a seat behind his desk, which was rather organized.
“I wanted to discuss your intentions with my br- With Kaeya,” he stopped himself from saying brother, since he hardly felt that it was right to call him that anymore. Not that Diluc didn’t consider him family, it was more that he didn’t know if Kaeya would even be comfortable being called such by him anymore. He also didn’t really know whether they were even family at this point. With everything that had happened, it was hard to know where their relationship stood. Were they enemies? Were they friends? Were they family? Were they strangers? This question had tormented Diluc for years now, but that wasn’t going to stop him from making sure he was safe. Even if they were no longer family, Diluc would silently watch over him from a distance, because in his heart, Kaeya would always be his little brother. Though he didn’t want to admit that entirely.
“Ah, I see,” Albedo responded, their suspicions confirmed.
“I don’t want you hurting him, so I have to ask... Do you actually care about him or are you just using him?” Diluc asked in a softer tone, frowning at the thought of Kaeya being used.
Albedo wasn’t surprised by this conversation, even though Kaeya had said how Diluc and he weren’t really on friendly terms. Kaeya seemed so convinced that Diluc hates his guts, but Albedo knew better than to take Kaeya’s word for it. Kaeya was projecting his own self-hatred onto Diluc. While it was very possible that Diluc was still angry with Kaeya, Albedo doubted that such a generous man would harbor hatred for someone he grew up with. Diluc was known for being generous and having a good heart. Albedo didn’t know him too well personally, but after hearing so much about him, he could draw his own conclusions. Diluc cared deeply about things, he loved his nation so much that he constantly risked his life to protect it from the shadows... Yes, Kaeya spilled about Diluc being the Dark Knight Hero.
“I’m not using him, I think that Kaeya is a loving and determined man who deserves respect. I wouldn’t have accepted his offer to court me if I didn’t feel the same. I know Kaeya has been through a lot, and I don’t plan on putting him through more pain. He’s important to me.” Albedo had a small smile just from thinking about him. He glanced at the pictures on his desk, there was one of him and Kaeya holding Klee, and then a picture of Kaeya and Klee together.
Diluc noticed the photos now, his heart softening from its previously hardened state. Kaeya was safe then, that much was clear based on the lovestruck look on the alchemist’s face. It was the same look that Kaeya wore when speaking about Albedo. That was enough to assure him that his brother was in safe hands. He sighed softly and shook his head a little at himself, he shouldn’t have been so worried after all.
“If you do end up hurting him though...” Diluc began, seeing Albedo raise a brow. “I will not tolerate it.” Which was his subtle way of saying ‘I will hurt you back’. He emphasized the fact by allowing his claymore to appear on his back, a more obvious way of saying it. With those final words, Diluc turned and left, not saying goodbye since it wasn’t needed in his mind.
Maybe that was all that needed to be said. Diluc was certainly satisfied with how the conversation went. Albedo was humored by it, definitely going to tell Kaeya afterward. While their relationship was strained, it was very clear that Kaeya was loved by his brother, even if he didn’t know how to express it.
The End