Chapter Text
It was obvious from just a glance that the traveler was absolutely enamored with Kaeya. Not romantically–Diluc had spoken with them, and they were clear that they weren’t looking for love in Teyvat. Rather, the way they focused on him seemed like fascination, as if they wanted to know everything about him.
Diluc could understand that, to some degree. When Kaeya arrived in Mondstadt, back at the mere age of seven, Diluc found himself obsessed with breaking him open. He kept himself so cut off from the world that Diluc, being the curious young boy he was, felt determined to figure him out.
After returning from his trip to Snezhnaya, he realized he had to do it all over again. Kaeya had become a completely different person. The only thing that stayed the same was how Kaeya refused to give anything about himself away. He was like a book shut tight, icy bindings wrapped from cover to cover.
Diluc tried at first. Tried to delve into it, asking around for whatever information he could get about the city’s new Cavalry Captain. But when every account told a completely different story, Diluc decided to give up. They were different people living different lives, and Diluc didn’t need to be involved with him anymore, even if he still cared far more than he could ever admit.
The traveler showed up out of nowhere, and as always, Kaeya had to get involved. The two became fast friends, often chatting at the tavern. Diluc refused to give the traveler a drink—they looked like a child, after all—but Kaeya would often order two and exchange one to the traveler for a few Mora. Diluc opted not to interfere…but he wondered what was going through Kaeya’s head to make that sort of decision.
He saw them around Mondstadt sometimes, acting like siblings. The traveler would find excuses to talk to him, then hang onto every single word like their life depended on it. When Kaeya tricked them into running his errands, they would smile and pretend to be none the wiser. They fell for his tricks without a second thought. Sometimes, Diluc wondered if the traveler would feel the betrayal that he once did.
In any case, the two were close. So maybe Diluc should’ve expected the visit to his door a few days after Dvalin escaped his possession.
He usually wasn’t the one to open the door, often being caught up in work in his home office. But that night, he finished up early, so he opted to retire in the living area, enjoying a cup of hot cocoa from Adelinde. It was a drink he didn’t think he would enjoy anymore once he returned from Snezhnaya, but Adelinde made it every time it rained, so he got back in the habit of drinking it. It was light rain that day, but Adelinde insisted.
He got up upon hearing the knock, setting his mug down on the table in front of him. He didn’t know who was there, but he figured they must have walked a long way in the rain, with the Winery being so far from the city. Once he opened it, it made sense—Diluc only knew one person who would walk that long without seeming even slightly bothered by the drizzle.
Kaeya had a wide smile, though a flash of shock crossed his face when he saw Diluc on the other side of the door. “Master Diluc!” he said. “Perfect, just who I was looking for. Mind if I come inside?”
Diluc groaned, stepping aside. “Sure.”
Unfazed by the grumpy reception, Kaeya waltzed into the Winery, hopping onto the couch and crossing his legs. Diluc struggled not to reprimand him—he was still dripping wet, and wearing his boots. Gross. But he could just clean it later, and he didn’t feel like arguing with Kaeya, so he let it slide for the moment.
“So, big news,” Kaeya said, looking over at Diluc from the couch. “The traveler is going to Liyue.”
Diluc nodded. He was pretty sure everyone in Mondstadt was already aware of that. “Indeed. Why does that news require a visit to my home?”
“Well, I’m going with them!”
Those five words gave Diluc pause. Kaeya…was going to Liyue with the traveler? He was leaving Mondstadt? “…Is that so?”
“Mhm. They asked me to come along, and who was I to decline?” Kaeya was smiling as he said it, as if he saw nothing wrong with the situation he was putting himself into. “I’ve only left Mondstadt once, and for such a brief period. Not to mention it was quite long ago. You’ve seen most of Teyvat—now I’d like to do the same!”
Diluc hated the logic in that statement.
Kaeya was watching him expectantly, as if waiting for some sort of response. Not sure what to say, Diluc just nodded. “Alright. Have fun.”
Kaeya was still staring. Diluc offered nothing else. Finally, Kaeya stood up, sighing. “Right. Well, see you in a few years.”
A few…years? “What?”
Kaeya grinned. “Yeah. The traveler plans to go all over Teyvat, didn’t I say that? They’re not expecting to find what they want in Liyue, they’re going there because it could point them in the right direction. Of course, we could get lucky…but it’s doubtful.” He began walking back to the door, continuing his explanation. “So it’ll probably be a few years. You know, just like when you went to Snezhnaya.”
Oh, so he was going there. Diluc scowled, following Kaeya closely to urge him towards the door faster. “Right, because this is just like that. You gallivanting around the world is comparable to me getting revenge for the death of my father.”
“Precisely. Goodbye, Master Diluc.”
Kaeya left the Winery without another word, not even closing the door behind him. Grumbling to himself, he slammed it shut, stomping back into the building. Maybe a bit childishly. Adelinde, standing in the kitchen, poked her head out. “Is everything okay, Master Diluc?” she asked sweetly.
Snatching up his cup of cocoa, Diluc sat down on the couch, far from where Kaeya had been, as there was a damp spot left behind in the leather. “I hate Kaeya,” he mumbled under his breath, taking a sip from his drink that had grown colder during his conversation.
Adelinde sighed. “No, you don’t.” She took a step closer, and seeing that Diluc wasn’t asking her not to, she continued approaching. “You say that a lot, but I know you never mean it.”
“Well, I do this time.”
Adelinde huffed out a laugh, then kneeled down on the ragged carpet in front of Diluc, making eye contact with him. “Think about it for a few moments, Master Diluc. Do you?”
Despite being certain that Adelinde couldn’t change his mind, Diluc did as she asked. Kaeya. He was a fucking asshole, for one. A liar. Pretending to be naïve and innocent, only to be a spy all along. He never should’ve been Diluc’s brother.
Yet, as a brother…that was different. He was kind, maybe a bit reckless at times, but always willing to admit when he was wrong. He got along with everyone, even the people that mocked him relentlessly. He handled the work Diluc never wanted to do and expected nothing in return. He was exactly what Diluc had hoped for when he wished for a younger brother on his fifth birthday.
Fuck. Adelinde was right, as always. No matter how hard he tried, Diluc didn’t think he had it in him to hate Kaeya.
“Have you calmed down a bit?” Adelinde asked. The words would come off as patronizing if said by anyone other than her. “Can we talk about this?”
“Kaeya’s leaving,” Diluc whispered, his voice sounding more childishly fearful than he would ever admit. “Going with the traveler for the next few years.”
“I hate to say this, Master Diluc, but you did the same thing after Master Crepus died.” Adelinde sighed, reaching out a hand to rest on his shoulder. “Kaeya, at least, told you before fleeing the nation.”
“But this is different!:” Diluc said, slamming his mug back onto the table. A few drops of cocoa flew out, and Diluc immediately felt bad for the violent action. “Kaeya’s younger than me. He has a life here—a job that he loves. Everything’s going his way right now, and he’s just going to ditch it all to travel the world with this person he just met?! He’s not—”
Diluc paused. Was he really about to say the next thought in his mind? Adelinde would probably be upset with him if he did…but Diluc was known for being blunt even in the worst of situations. “He’s not strong enough.”
As expected, Adelinde sighed, and she adjusted on the ground, sitting on her heels. The hand on his shoulder ran down his arm to hold his hand gently. “He’s the Cavalry Captain. He’s had time to grow and learn, and he really is skilled with his vision. Besides, you can always send letters. That’s what Kaeya did when you were in Snezhnaya, right?”
Of course, Adelinde was right, as always. But Diluc just didn’t feel satisfied. “Adelinde,” he said slowly, “did I ever tell you why I actually came back to Mondstadt?” She frowned and shook her head. “Well, it was because of Kaeya. Because I kept worrying about him, because even after everything I started losing sleep wondering if he was alright. He was always asking if I was okay, but I never knew if he was because I felt awful writing back to him after he sent these lengthy, eloquent letters because I never knew what to say! And Kaeya was always so awful at taking care of himself unless Father and I were there to remind him, and since both of us were gone I kept wondering ‘Is Kaeya okay?’ ‘Is Kaeya alive?’ And maybe I was losing it a bit, but I couldn’t stop worrying so I—”
Diluc forced himself to stop talking. Archons. It felt great to get it off his chest, but simultaneously, he wished he could’ve just told Kaeya before he disappeared. “I don’t want to lose him again.”
Adelinde reached out her free hand to wipe a tear from Diluc’s face that he hadn’t realized he had shed. “Oh, Diluc…”
“I don’t know what to do,” Diluc said. “I just…I don’t know.”
A sigh. A long, sorrowful sigh. Adelinde squeezed his hand. “Master Diluc…” she said slowly, “you know we don’t want you to leave. Everyone at the Winery—everyone in Mondstadt—loves you. But with you being so distressed…I’m not sure it would be good for you.” Finally, Adelinde pulled back, returning to her feet. “Go with him.”
Diluc blanked. That wasn’t an idea he was expecting to hear from anyone, let alone Adelinde. Yet he couldn’t help but feel a powerful compulsion to do so. “But I can’t,” he said, shaking his head and trying to get the idea out of his mind. “The traveler invited Kaeya, not me. Besides, I don’t think Kaeya…would want me coming along.”
“And when has something like that stopped you before?”
“No, I’m serious, Adelinde.” Sighing, Diluc finally returned to drinking his cocoa—room temperature. “I don’t want to intrude—wait.”
Staring at his murky reflection in his mug, Diluc nodded. “That’s it. Adelinde, could you fetch me some parchment and something to write with? I’ll find Aero.”
“What for?”
“I need to send a message to Jean…and then I need to pack for this trip.”