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Act Four
Diluc arrived at Kaeya’s home. “Kaeya, please open the door.” He waited for a response.
Silence.
“Kaeya! Open the door!” Diluc shouted, banging on the door. He was worried when there was still no response. “Kaeya, if you don’t open the door in three seconds, I’m breaking it down.”
There was no response. Diluc was about to use his claymore, then he remembered he hadn’t brought it because he was in such a rush. Luckily he’d become a lot stronger thanks to his time hunting Fatui across Teyvat. With one powerful kick, he broke down the door.
Diluc gasped at the sight of Kaeya slumped in the corner, blood trickling from slit wrists. He rushed over to Kaeya. “Oh my Archons… Kaeya, stay awake! Don’t you dare die on me!” He ripped the pieces off of his coat and tried to use it to wrap Kaeya’s bleeding wounds, but it was clear that it wasn’t helping.
“…Luc…” Kaeya’s whisper caught him off guard.
“Kaeya?” Diluc whispered back. There was no response. Kaeya’s eye had slipped shut. Diluc let out a string of curses as he shook his brother. Just then, there was a tapping sound on the window. Diluc opened it and let out a sound of surprise as Rosaria jumped into the apartment. “Rosaria?! I thought you were out on patrol tonight.”
“I was on patrol. Not anymore. You go get Barbara, I’ll stay here and watch Kaeya. I know how to keep people alive, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave us,” Rosaria said.
Diluc was going to protest, then he saw the look on her face. The one she always gave him after he’d returned from his little Fatui-killing expedition. Something told him she knew what he’d done to Kaeya. He decided against arguing and jumped right out the window, forgoing the door. He landed on his feet and took off running in the direction of the Mondstadt cathedral. He couldn’t lose Kaeya again.
~~~~~
Act Five
Kaeya groaned as he opened his eyes. That was the first thing he noticed, he wasn’t wearing his eyepatch. The second thing he noticed was that his wrists ached like they were broken or he’d slit them open or something. …Right. He’d tried to end his life. He sighed. Why hadn’t it worked?
“Because I realised and rushed after you, and then when you didn’t answer the door, I burned it down and found you on death’s door. Luckily for you, Rosaria happened to be passing by and kept you alive while I went to get Barbara. After Barbara healed you enough that you were fairly likely to survive the night, we brought you to the cathedral.” Diluc’s voice from beside him surprised him. Not just because he hadn’t realised he’d spoken out loud, but also because he had no idea why Diluc was here.
“…Master Diluc?” Kaeya asked incredulously. “Why are you here?”
Diluc scoffed, “Just Diluc. And I’m here to visit you, why else?”
Kaeya blinked. “…You? Check on me? But why?”
“…Because I care about you.” Diluc’s simple response was somehow unexpected.
“…Why, though? You should hate me. You do hate me, after…that night.” Kaeya hated how his voice wavered slightly.
Diluc froze. “I…” He trailed off. “…I’m sorry. For…a lot of things. I’m sorry for how I reacted on that night when you told me the truth about your past. I’m sorry for storming off after you got your Vision. I’m sorry for the way I treated you when I came back. I’m sorry for being such a terrible brother.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“…Diluc, it…” Kaeya paused to think of how to explain it. “…I don’t blame you for your reaction that night. I…I was counting on it, actually. …I took advantage of how emotional you were, having had to put Dad- Master Crepus out of his misery. I knew you would react strongly if I told you the truth that night. I…” Kaeya trailed off, not wanting to admit it.
Diluc paused. His expression would seem blank as ever to most people, but Kaeya knew that Diluc was piecing together the information. He could tell the exact moment when Diluc realised, the redhead’s eyes widening minutely. “…Kaeya, you…wanted me to kill you?”
Kaeya was unresponsive, but he knew his silence was enough of an answer in itself.
“…Archons above, Kaeya. That was so selfish. Do you have any idea how terrible I’d feel afterwards? Having killed my father, then my brother? On the same day, my birthday?! I-” Diluc cut himself off, then embraced Kaeya tightly. Kaeya was surprised when his clothes started getting wet with tears, both from himself and from Diluc. “…Damn it. I…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. It just…”
Kaeya sighed, “I know, Luc. It’s not your fault. It’s all on me.”
Diluc vehemently shook his head. “No, it isn’t. You were a child, Kaeya, a child from a fallen nation abandoned as a spy. You were just doing your job, and in the end you became loyal to Mondstadt anyways. I should’ve been able to see that and I shouldn’t have turned on you. If it’s not my fault, it’s not yours either.”
Kaeya really didn’t know what to say to that. They sat in silence for about a minute before Kaeya spoke. “…If Dad’s watching us from Celestia, he’s probably shaking his head and wondering how we can be this emotionally constipated.”
“There there Kaeya, it only took about five years.” Kaeya laughed at Diluc’s dry sarcasm. He’d missed bantering with his brother like this.
~~~~~
Act Six
Diluc was at Starsnatch Cliff. Kaeya was standing at the edge. Diluc wanted to reach out, to tell him to get away, to pull him back. To do anything but stand there helplessly as Kaeya gave him a sad smile before stepping off the edge and falling, falling, falling-
“Diluc.” There was someone shaking him. Diluc woke up to see Kaeya shaking him awake, standing beside his bed. They were both in Diluc’s room, since Barbara had recommended that someone be keeping an eye on Kaeya at all times to reduce the chances of him making another attempt. He realised with a pang that he’d probably woken Kaeya up by accident.
“Kaeya.” Diluc’s reply wasn’t eloquent by any means, but it held the weight of his emotions.
“…Another nightmare about me…?” Kaeya asked softly. “…I’m sorry. It was selfish to try and leave this world-”
Diluc shook his head. “No. I should’ve realised how much pain you were in before it came to…this.”
Kaeya sighed. “It’s not your fault.”
“Then whose?” Diluc asked softly. As expected, Kaeya couldn’t seem to think of an answer. Because it was true, wasn’t it? This whole mess was Diluc’s fault. He’d failed to be understanding. He’d failed to be kind. He’d failed as a brother. Heck, he failed to protect his father even though he was the one with the Vision. He was really a failure, wasn’t he?
Kaeya shook his head, and Diluc realised he’d said the last part out loud. “No Luc, you’re not a failure. I…” He trailed off. “I’m just getting used to the idea that you actually care about me.”
Diluc pulled Kaeya in for a hug. “It’s okay, me too. We just have to take it one step at a time. We’ll stick together. Because that’s what brothers do, Kae.”
“…I missed having you call me that, Luc,” Kaeya whispered as he let Diluc hug him.
~~~~~
Epilogue
“…So the story has a happy ending?” asks Lucas, the older of the two teens Venti is babysitting.
The younger teen, Kay, smirks at Lucas when Venti nods. “I told you it’d have a happy ending. Pay up, my dear brother.”
Lucas rolls his eyes as he fishes a dollar bill out of his pocket and hands it over. “Here you go, you proud peacock,” he says in an annoyed tone.
The brothers start bickering. Venti will step in if it turns into a full-blown fight, but for now he stands to the side, content with pretending to look at his phone as he watches the teens fondly.
It’s been a thousand years. Venti has watched the two reincarnate dozens of times, but it seems that brothers will always be brothers no matter what.
~~~~~
End