Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The streets of Mondstadt were buzzing with people, from kids to adults, from Mondtsadt to Natlan. Even in such hard times the city was still as lively as it was before the war. It made Diluc have conflicting feelings.

On one hand this is exactly what Kaeya wanted, for people to have the peace they deserved after years of constant conflicts. On the other hand, it was bittersweet to watch how happy everyone else was while he felt so empty. He knew that not everyone was happy, but they all tried to hide it and that left him feeling like they wanted to hide how important Kaeya was to them. 

That obviously wasn't what they were doing but that is all his guilty conscience would tell him. That and making him think that there was something he could have done to save Kaeya. He was the reason why Kaeya thought that sacrificing himself was the only way to get rid of his sins , not even realizing that he hadn't committed any.

And Kaeya was the exact reason for why so many people were in Mondstadt. They got wind of the honoring service the Knights were doing for him and wanted to pay their respects. 

He has heard people say that having a monument constructed in your honor is the best thing that could happen, but they don't know that the monument was made because there was no body to be buried. He only had the now grey vision and his eyepatch that he had found in the Statue of the Seven near the Winery. 

The Knights started escorting people to the plaza, in the middle of the plaza there was a big curtain covering the new fountain. All the Knights were guarding the plaza while Jean, Varka, and all the captains were standing near the fountain waiting for the ceremony to commence. 

As he made his way through the crowd and to the front he could see little Klee crying in Albedo's arms, probably not understanding completely what was happening. Everyone looked tired, at least more tired than usual, but they kept the smile on their faces for the ceremony. 

Soon, the ceremony started and everyone was awed by the new fountain. It had a circular structure with a four pointed star being drawn underneath it. Some may say it is disrespectful considering that the war with the Abyss had just ended but it is important to Mondstadt to show their Cavalry Captain for who he was, a Khaenri'ahn in blood but a Mondstadian at heart. In the center of the fountain stood the beautiful statue of a peacock peacefully standing there. 

“That way Kaeya Alberich can watch over Mondstadt, just like he bowed to.” It hurt to hear Varka proclaim that Kaeya is, was, an Alberich in front of so many people, just another reminder that they never got to rekindle their relationship.

Diluc didn't approach the fountain until everyone had already left. He looked in the water, finding that there were already some coins in there. Those were probably going to be used to reconstruct parts of the city or be donated. Looking at the statue he couldn't help but wonder if his brother was really watching over Mondstadt, watching over him. 

A gentle breeze moved his hair, although he didn't know what exactly to make of it. It was now that he could notice how tired he actually was, but he still needed to do something. 

He took a coin out of his pocket and threw it in the water. I hope you are okay wherever you are… 

I wish I was there with you.

He took a look at the stone engraving.

In honor of Kaeya Alberich-Ragnvindr, his brave sacrifice will be remembered.

Those words that will forever plague Diluc's mind. 

It was getting late and Adelinde would probably scold him if he arrived any later. So he turned around and made his way to the Winery leaving the fountain, and his brother , behind. 

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They were at the Winery after they had gotten the Abyss to retreat for a few hours. Most of the Knights and adventurers were left in the city while the citizens were evacuated to Springvale. As for the injured people they were moved to the Winery since the Cathedral is a very risky place at the moment. 

Jean had told him, more like forced him, to go and get some rest in the Winery while they decided what their next move should be. So when Kaeya arrived at the Winery Diluc was a little surprised thinking that the Knights already had a plan only to be disappointed at what Kaeya said next. 

“I just want to see how everyone’s doing here.” 

At first he just rolled his eyes in frustration, Knights of Favonius always so inefficient. That changed when he realized that Kaeya wasn’t wearing his usual flashy clothing or his perfectly crafted mask . He actually looked tired , if Kaeya isn’t able to hide it he probably isn’t doing a very good job with it either. 

It wasn’t like he had much to do until Jean or Varka, who had come back from his expeditions just a few days after Mondstadt was first attacked, informed him of their next move. Even if he didn’t want to work with the Knights he recognized that they had obviously planned ahead in case something like this happened. 

An hour passed before Kaeya said he had to go back for “important business”, but he stopped on his way out and looked at him. “Goodbye Diluc.” Then he left before he could try to respond. 

Kaeya’s smile was weird but, honestly, what hasn’t been weird since the war started? Someone else called him and he completely forgot about what had just happened. That was the case until Albedo came rushing in asking if anyone had seen Kaeya, Diluc had never seen him so frantic, not even when Klee had been “kidnapped”. Albedo almost passed out when he realized that Kaeya wasn’t there.

“Albedo, what did Kaeya do this time?” Diluc knew that Albedo didn’t really like him and that he probably shouldn’t push it with these types of comments when he is this frantic, but he just wasn’t able to hold it.

“He’s missing. And yes, I’ve checked everywhere, this was my last option.” At that point Brabara pulled Albedo aside to calm him down before he did something stupid. Seems like she forgot that Diluc could also do something stupid with that information. 

❆✦❆✦❆

He awoke with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, just another nightmare. They had been happening since they got reports of Liyue getting attacked by the Abyss. 

But now he is supposed to get over that and continue doing his work as Master Diluc and not just Diluc. So he stood up and went on his morning routine as usual and then went downstairs to get some coffee. 

As he went downstairs he noticed something terrible . The vase Kaeya had gifted him was no longer in its spot. It might have been horrible but that didn’t mean he didn’t like it. He heard footsteps approach him from behind so he talked thinking it was Adelinde. 

“Addie, do you-”, he stopped where he was when he saw who was in front of him. It was Kaeya, it was his brother. He blinked a few times and pitched himself thinking this was all a dream but he realized it wasn’t when Kaeya was still standing there looking at him. 

Still, he had to make sure, really sure . He grabbed Kaeya’s arm and when he realized it was actually warm he couldn’t stop the tears coming out of his eyes. The tears got even worse once Kaeya decided to try and comfort him, it felt like he was a little kid being comforted by his Father after having a nightmare.

“Did you have another nightmare?” He could barely hear Kaeya’s voice over the sobbing mess he was. Since he wasn’t in the best capacity when it came to talking he just nodded and that was enough of an answer to Kaeya. “I’m okay, you know I don't blame you for what happened.” Now that he had calmed down a little, Diluc noticed something off with Kaeya’s voice. 

He looked up and saw a set of lifeless eyes adorning his brother’s face. Just as lifeless as an actual body. Diluc cupped Kaeya's face with his hands and stared at him. “What happened to you?” 

There was no response, just Kaeya staring at him deeply. It felt as if he was examining every single part of his soul. “Did you hit your head with something?” Hearing his brother's voice being so devoid of any emotion gave him chills. 

“No, I just…” Diluc looked at his brother's face, thinking that maybe this wasn't that bad. At least his brother was alive and didn't seem to be angry at him, although he could not really tell if he was. 

They sat at the table and ate the breakfast that Adelinde had so carefully cooked. He couldn't help but stare at Kaeya for most of their meal, he looked so unfamiliar.

There were no teasing smiles or jokes, his clothes were still a bit flashy but in a more elegant and formal way and way less revealing. But all of those changes aren't as terrible as the Hydro vision strapped to his brother's shoulder. 

“Since when do you have a Hydro vision?” His mouth spoke before he could even think about it. 

“Since I was sixteen, why?” Sixteen?! No, that is impossible. He knows Kaeya got it when he was seventeen, not sixteen. There is no way he could ever forget about that day. 

“What? No. You got it at seventeen.” Kaeya squinted his eyes after Siluc said that. He was deep in thought until something seemed to click inside his head.

“You're not my brother, at least not my Diluc.” Then he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, probably in annoyance. “I knew he was desperate but I didn't think he would go this far.” Even through his dull voice Diluc could recognize the terror in his words. “You should not be here, but at this point you may be the only way to know how to get my brother back.” The way Kaeya said my brother as in, you are not my brother, stung a sensible part of Diluc. 

The rest of the meal was spent with Kaeya mumbling words Diluc couldn't understand. He didn't know what all this situation meant but he felt happy nonetheless. Now he and his brother were together again even if it wasn't exactly how Diluc wanted it to be.

Soon he realized that no matter what was happening he probably still needed to get work done, and that is exactly what he asked. “Do you know if I have any business meetings today?” 

Kaeya stared at him, not only because he had basically stopped whatever he was thinking but also because of the question. “You are the Cavalry Captain.” Well, that was another big change.

“Can you do my work for me?” There was no way he would walk into that building again, not today and not ever. 

“Maybe a few years ago I could but right now it would be weird if I stepped into that building.” So in, wherever he was right now, it was Kaeya who resigned from the Knights while he stayed. Everything felt upside down.

They finished breakfast and rode to the city. It was weird not being able to tell how Kaeya was feeling, it wasn’t exactly easy to do so before but at least it was possible, now he needs to pay very close attention to every single movement he makes. Right now he could notice that Kaeya was nervous because he was playing a little with the reins of his horse, but not enough for the horse to get out of control or confused. 

We arrived at the city fairly quickly and were putting our horses in the stables when Kaeya came to me to discuss something. “After you finish your work, come to the Tavern, I’m sure Venti will be there and he has to know what happened.” It seemed that this Kaeya also knew about Venti's true identity. 

After Diluc agreed Kaeya turned around with the obvious intention to go away and panic took over him. He grabbed Kaeya’s arm, preventing him from leaving. Kaeya looked at him and sighed, “you know exactly where I’ll be.” Then he left, leaving Diluc to solve his own problem of not wanting to go to work. 

He had to walk to the Knights Headquarters completely alone and by his own accord. It was rather frustrating to go against his own bow to never step foot into that building, and for such a ridiculous reason too! Did Kaeya really think he was a good fit for doing this job?

Maybe he didn’t think about that part. No, that doesn’t sound like Kaeya. 

He reluctantly walked to the building without even bothering to respond to the Knights guarding the front door. It was better to let them think that he wasn’t in a good mood so that they wouldn’t disturb him. 

Walking the path to his office , thinking about that gave him the ick , he was met with a stack of paperwork to fill. Perfect, just what he needed. Guess he now had to get to work if he wanted to be out quickly. 

He could only spend a few minutes reading the paper before he became completely unfocused or had to read the same line over and over again. At that point he preferred signing whatever they needed, he knows that Elzer has told him not to do so but it’s not like he is signing for something important. 

In just a few hours he was done with all the work he had to do. He still remembered some things from when he worked in the Knights, one of those things was that he needed to give his paperwork to the Grandmaster. So he went directly to the Acting Grandmaster’s office, Jean, to finally finish get this over with.

He knocked on the door and waited until he heard a “come in” from inside to enter. There was an obvious tension between Jean and him, although he didn’t know exactly why but she was trying to cut the conversation short. Diluc was more than happy to grant her that wish so he left the paperwork, walked out of the building, and went directly to Angel’s Share without looking back. 

The first thing Diluc noticed as he walked into the Tavern was that his brother was nowhere to be seen. The second was the ginger sitting at the bar that looked fairly similar to the eleventh Harbinger. 

As he approached the bar Kaeya got out of the storage room and was completely unfazed by the presence of the HARBINGER in front of him. The worst part? The Harbinger was looking at his brother with love sick puppy eyes. Even worse, Kaeya was entertaining it. 

At this point Diluc didn't care if that was a Harbinger, a bloodlust Harbinger at that, he just wanted him gone. “Diluc, can I talk with you in private? ” And back to the storage room. “I know that you probably don't have the best opinion about him, but please don't do anything stupid.”

“What do you mean, Kaeya, that's a Harbinger. Tartaglia, to be exact, the one who has bloodlust and is always looking for a fight. How am I supposed to not worry about him?” The danger increases when you consider the fact that he is interested in Kaeya.

“I've dated him for 4 years. If he was a threat I would be the first one to know.” Now he definitely wanted to kill him. “Please just trust me.” Looking into those emotionless eyes Diluc couldn't find a reason to say no.

They went back to the Tavern, Diluc sitting down next to Tartaglia just in case he tried to do something. He also kept on the lookout for Venti, there was no way that bard would skip on having some Dandelion wine.

But in the meantime he had to endure watching the Harbinger dedicate longing looks towards his brother. Kaeya, who, more than surely, knew about the looks the Harbinger was giving him and was gravelling in them while serving some of the patrons.

It was even worse when Kaeya returned to the bar. The first thing he did was putting his arms on the bar and leaning in closer to Tartaglia. It was very obvious what he was trying to do. Kaeya may not have his teasing smile but he was enjoying how annoyed Diluc got by his actions.

Finally, as if to save him from the seemingly endless torture coming from the two lovebirds, Venti opened the door with his usually cheerful smile accompanied by his cheerful voice. “Oh, dear bartender, could you please offer this kind bard a glass of Dandelion wine?”

“If my memory serves me right I'm pretty sure you still have a lengthy tab to pay.” He thought he was able to see Kaeya’s cheeky smile but it was gone when he blinked.

“Can a beautiful song cover this drink?” Kaeya shook his head no as he was making another drink.

“Although, you could pay with a different method,” Kaeya placed the drink, Dandelion wine, right in front of Venti without letting it go, “give us the information we want and I'll give you this drink.” His emotionless eyes and face made him look more ominous than he actually was.

“A bard knows all sorts of information, you need to be a little more specific.” He thought Venti had no reason to be this cryptic until he remembered the Harbinger beside him. Same Harbinger that didn’t seem fazed at all seeing the scene, looks like this isn’t the first time something like this happens.

When his eyes went back to where the conversation had taken place Venti was on his way to the little improvised stage and Kaeya was serving some patrons. Was he really that much out of it to not notice that their conversation had ended? Technically this actually was the Harbinger's fault.

“Kaeya,” he called when Kaeya got everything done with the other patrons, “did Venti tell you something?” He had to ask now before Kaeya went back to speaking solely with Tartaglia.

“First of all, it is “bartender” to you.” Because of the chosen words and his dramatic actions it was clear this was just another tease from Kaeya. “And second, he is staying here until we close to speak more privately with us.” That seems reasonable.

But does that mean he'll have to coexist with the Harbinger until then?

It probably does.

Good for him there were just two hours left for closing time. So he tried concentrating on that fact instead.

After many time had passed, and many attempts from the Harbinger to get him to speak, finally every patron had left. Tartaglia had left, although not before kissing Kaeya goodbye, some minutes before and now they were on the second floor.

“So you want to know how this,” Venti pointed at me, “got here.”

“And how to bring back my brother and return this one.” They were talking about him as if he wasn't there. 

“It is a really long story, so I will grant you the pleasure of hearing the short version.” Venti took out his lyre but didn't play it. “He made a deal, I don't know the conditions of this deal or what it was about, just that it is the reason why your brother is not here and instead you got someone that looks like him to take his place.” In other words, I'm not trapped in his body, I'm just a replacement.

“Why would a different world's Diluc be here and how do we get him back to his world?” Now they wanted to get rid of him, perfect.

“It probably means that the deity he made the deal with thinks that this Diluc can resolve the other part of the deal.” And now they are both looking at him.

“Do you know something we should know?” Those emotionless eyes were back to staring at him but this time he couldn't understand how the other was feeling. There were no ticks or tinges of aggressiveness in his voice, he was just standing and staring.

“I'm just as confused as you are.” When he woke up there was no warning, no note, no nothing. If he was really brought here by a deity they forgot to give him instructions.

“I'm really sorry but that's all I can help with,” claimed Venti. But I could sense that he was keeping information from us, and Kaeya could see that too.

“There must be something else, try to remember more.” With the way Kaeya was begging Venti you could technically say he was praying to a God.

“That's really all I can help you with,” he went past them and went to the start of the stairs. “Oh, and Kaeya,” he looked back at him, “you don't really know how desperate Diluc really was.” With that he left, leaving behind a sense of confusion in Diluc and a sense of dread in Kaeya.

“Guess we'll have to go back to the Winery.” Does that mean that in this world they also sold the Manor?

The ride back was pretty uneventful. Kaeya was deep in thought and practically ignored him the whole ride. Thankfully, there were no monsters on their way back so they were able to get there without any inconvenience.

Adelinde was already waiting for them at the door. “Master Kaeya, Master Diluc, you both arrived later than expected.” Why does he feel like this is a usual conversation between them? “Dinner’s ready.” Kaeya tried to say something before he got interrupted. “ Dinner’s ready. ” Now they didn’t have much of a choice. 

Chapter Text

Dinner was expectedly delicious, it almost made him believe he was home, almost. But that delusion was broken by Kaeya, who was sitting in front of him, silently eating his dinner. That could just never be possible in his world. 

They soon ended their food and Adelinde rushed them to get ready for bed and so they did. They went to their respective rooms and did their usual routine, still Kaeya was the first one to turn off his light. 

It wasn’t that Diluc was not ready to go to sleep, at least physically he was ready. But he didn't want to sleep. What if he discovered that this was all some very, very , realistic dream? Or what if he went back to his world? That would mean never seeing Kaeya again and he didn’t want to risk that. 

Without him even noticing his eyelids started closing no matter how much he tried to keep them open. Soon, he had fallen asleep.

❆✦❆✦❆

Diluc left the Winery as soon as he heard what Albedo said. Kaeya doesn't just go missing, not in a situation like this, at least not without telling someone or sending a note.

What if Kaeya was trapped by the Abyss Order in an attempt to get information from him? Or what if they want to use him as a way to negotiate with Mondstadt? He had to make sure that didn't happen.

Using his elemental vision he could see a faint glow of cryo. It could be anything ranging from a different vision bearer to a cryo slime that had passed this area a few hours ago, but it was his only lead to find Kaeya. He had to take a chance.

The trail led him to the outskirts of Wolvendom, then it abruptly ended only to be replaced with a sudden burst of Abyss corruption before the trail completely ended. Now this was worrying. His mind told him that he should turn back and tell Jean what he found but it was also telling him to dig deeper. 

And that's exactly what he did.

He went back to the Winery to gather a little more information from Albedo, who was being thoroughly examined by Barbara, more specifically the places where he had looked for Kaeya.

“Where did you look for him?” Albedo looked at him as if he had gone crazy, or maybe he was just processing what was just said after being exhaustingly interrogated by Barbara.

“I checked every single place he likes to go to, I even checked any areas with suspicious activity thinking that maybe he had decided to check them himself but I got nothing.” Albedo’s breathing was rapid, revealing the stress and exasperation that his calm voice didn’t. 

Barbara got closer to the Chief Alchemist, sensing his growing frustration, but the alchemist blocked any attempt from the Deaconess. “You don’t understand! He’s been acting strange and paranoid for days and suddenly he is back to normal. But then he goes and gives us this ominous ‘goodbye everyone’ and disappears from the face of Teyvat.”

That was enough information for Diluc. Maybe some years ago, when he was completely fueled by grief, his first thought would be that Kaeya was conspiring with the Abyss Order. But now years later he knows better, and he knows that Kaeya would rather die than do something like that. 

Maybe he wasn’t on the best terms with his brother but he knew the family Kaeya had created. He knew about his brother’s engagement with a certain alchemist and his ‘adventures’ with the little Spark Knight could never go unnoticed by his informants.

Kaeya was planning something and Diluc was sure he wouldn’t like it.

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Diluc woke up feeling light-headed which almost made him fall to the ground as he got up from bed. Fortunately for him Adelinde was at the door with some tea. Usually he refuses the tea but this time he does admit he may need it. 

Not only was he supposed to get out and act as this world’s Diluc but he also had to find a way to get the other Diluc to come back to this world. What had he gotten himself into? Why would that deity, whoever it is, think that Diluc could solve the deal? He could barely figure out how to get out of bed after losing his brother and now they wanted him to act as somebody else.

He really couldn’t have a simple thing for himself.

“Good morning Luc.” Although he had to admit that it made him somewhat happy to hear his brother’s voice. But he tried to avoid that feeling, it wasn’t fair to the Kaeya standing in front of him or to himself.

The breakfast was waiting for them at the table, so they got to eat after thanking Adelinde. Diluc thought this was going to be another silent breakfast so it was a big surprise when he heard Kaeya speaking to him.

“Since you are not actually my brother I wanted to ask you some questions, you know, just to understand what’s different.” In other words, Kaeya was curious as to how his world was.

“Go ahead, it’s not like I have many excuses to say no.” Also, he probably would not say no to Kaeya.

“Great.” If his voice wasn’t so dull it would certainly be full of excitement. “First question, yesterday when we first met, why did you seem so shocked to see me?” Straight to the important questions.

How exactly do you tell someone that they aren’t alive in your world? “Well, you are not exactly living. So it took me by surprise when I saw you.” 

Kaeya hummed, deep in thought. “I’m not really surprised by that, it is a miracle I have lived this far.”

“What do you mean by that?” Please don’t tell him that this Kaeya also likes to get himself in trouble.

“Well, I guess it is only fair for me to tell you more about me and my brother. Maybe that could help you remember, that is if you were given any instructions at all.” He left the dining room and came back a few minutes later with a photo album. They moved to the living room near the fireplace.

Kaeya pointed at one of the first pictures, it was probably taken just weeks after their Father had picked up Kaeya in that storm. “I don’t know how it was in your world but here you weren’t exactly thrilled when I first arrived” The photo showed a very young Diluc looking at a young Kaeya with disdain. Something he noted is that in this photo Kaeya was showing emotions, that meant that something made him incapable of doing that again.

“It took some months before you even smiled at me, almost a year for you to want to play with me.” They definitely were completely different Dilucs, he can’t remember exactly what happened when Kaeya arrived but he does remember his excitement at the prospect of having a little brother. “After a year and some months you finally started treating me as part of your family. Dad was really excited about that and tried taking a photo of us playing but you refused. You said that you ‘loved me as a brother but didn’t want people to know that we were brothers.’ Dad scolded you pretty hard for saying that.” Diluc just wanted to be able to know what Kaeya was feeling in that moment while he was telling him all this. He didn’t know if Kaeya was getting sad but just in case he sat closer to him.

“You always did that. We were the best brothers until someone else arrived, then you would start treating me as some random person that happened to live in your house until they left. At that point I would be in my room trying to avoid you when you would come up, even before Dad got the chance to, just to play with me and act like nothing happened.” Silent tears started streaming down Kaeya’s face. It was unsettling to see but also quite sad, it was like seeing someone who was too absorbed in their own world to even realize they had been crying. With the difference that Kaeya did notice he was crying and wiped the tears away. “I’m not angry at you anymore, it's just that…” Diluc didn’t say anything, he just scooted closer and hugged him. 

Kaeya soon reciprocated his hug and placed his head on Diluc’s shoulder which only made Diluc hug him tighter. “We started going to the city more often, every time we went you would completely ignore me and even hit me or push me if I got too close to you.” Diluc was brushing Kaeya’s hair and even started braiding it which seemed to calm him down. 

“Then I met Jean and Barbara. Jean wasn’t a big fan of you, and even to this day she’s still wary of you. She noticed the things you would do and say to me and would make a point to invite me to her house just to avoid you. I didn’t understand why Jean being the oldest was so different from you, she would play with Barbara, cuddle with her, and when she learnt how to read she started reading her bedtime stories.” Kaeya grabbed the photo album again and turned the pages until he found the photos he was looking for. “I think I have more photos with those two than I ever had with you, since you also didn’t like being photographed with me.” He tried laughing but his dull voice made it sound more like a cough.

“I started ruling out all of the possibilities and it just clicked . You just didn’t like me . In my mind you would have been completely okay with anyone else being your brother just not with me. So I started doing things that I thought would get you to like me more which ended with you getting punished for destroying gifts I gave you. You would always apologize to me when it was time to go to bed, but for me that wasn’t enough proof that you were the one in the wrong.

“That same routine continued when we were training for the Knights and even when we got in. And it continued like that until my sixteenth birthday.” Kaeya carefully took his Hydro vision in his hands. “Everything was going okay and I was actually happy because you were actually nice to me in front of people, I thought that we were finally going to be brothers. But then the night came and as people started to leave you were getting more and more anxious. I had seen you talk with Jean but since the conversation had only lasted a couple minutes I didn’t put much attention into it. After everyone left Dad congratulated me again and then told us to go to bed. 

“I was about to turn off the light when I heard you knocking on the door. You… said some pretty bad things to me. Things that left me thinking about some not pretty good stuff. That day I escaped from the Manor and tried to kill myself by jumping of a cliff and into the sea. Fortunately the Archons had different plans for me and they granted me my Hydro vision which ended up saving my life. You and Dad arrived soon after that and took me to the Cathedral. They said that although I was miraculously able to survive the fall was hard enough for my head to get a good hit, that hit messed up my brain and now I can’t show any type of emotion.” Kaeya stopped talking after that, letting Diluc process everything he had just said.

After all of that there was only one question Diluc had in mind. “Why don’t you hate me? Or, well, Diluc.” He got an expected answer.

“He’s my brother and he has actually made an effort since then. I mean we are in this whole situation just because he was trying to make a deal with someone to get back my emotions.” Abruptly, Kaeya stopped looking at the ground to look directly at Diluc. “And you, when did you get your pyro vision?” 

Diluc had completely forgotten about the fact that they were basically interrogating each other. “There is not much to talk about it, I got it when I was like 10 while I was training.” Pretty much a boring story compared to everything Kaeya had told him.

“Really? My brother got it on his eighteenth birthday. Just after Dad died.” That was brutally honest. “What about your Kaeya, you mentioned me having a vision when we met, how did he get it?” That was not a question he wanted to be asked. “If you don’t want to answer that’s okay, I understand that-” 

“He also got it after Dad died,” he had to be honest, there was no point in denying what happened. “He told me his secret, he told me that he was a spy from Khaenri’ah and I… I was furious. In my head he had just told me that he had killed our Father, the man who took him in and raised him,” when in reality I was the one that killed him. I was just looking for another culprit because my hands felt dirty with his blood on them and Kaeya had created the perfect opportunity for that. “I tried to kill him and Celestia had more sympathy than I did and granted him his cryo vision right before I delivered the final blow.” 

He was not going to talk about all the years he spent avoiding him and treating him worse than he treated a random Fatui. All because he didn’t want to accept his guilt, and look where that got him. Now his brother is gone and he was never able to hug him one last time before he left.

“What a weird life we have.” That was a pretty positive summary.

“Not more weird than dating a Fatui Harbinger.” The tension disappeared with that simple statement.

“It was an accident!” 

“How do you start dating a Harbinger by accident?!” It was way more worrying to date a Harbinger by accident than when it is completely on purpose. Maybe he should keep an eye on Tartaglia for now, just in case.

“I have to go to work.” That was obviously an excuse but Diluc didn’t really care now that the tension was gone.

They went to the stables, with a lot of playful banter that mostly came from Diluc’s side and was mostly focused on his brother’s relationship, then they got on their respective horses and they rode to Mondstadt city. Deep down, Diluc wanted to think that there was no way to get back to his world just so that he could stay here but he knew that was selfish. Still, he couldn’t help but dream.

Chapter Text

It was the same routine as yesterday. They said their proper farewells to each other and then went on their way to their respective jobs. Now, Diluc normally wasn’t the most enthusiastic about going to the Knight’s Headquarters and all the trauma he had just relived on his couch just a few minutes ago wasn’t helping much with that task.

He completely ignored the guards that were in the entrance, he was probably ruining this Diluc’s reputation within the Knights but that wasn’t his problem. And just like yesterday, there was a neat stack of papers threatening to kill him at the desk. Guess he really had to work if he wanted to get out early.

❆✦❆✦❆

It had been almost an hour since Diluc had talked with Albedo and he was just reaching his destination. He felt bad for Albedo since in the alchemist’s mind he knew every single spot in which Kaeya could be, but in reality there was one spot he was not aware of.

One that only Diluc and Kaeya knew about. 

They had found it while they were collecting seashells, their Father was on a business trip and the person taking care of them was way too easy to distract so they easily escaped from any adult supervision. Now that he is thinking about it their caretaker was probably very terrified when they realized they were both gone but back then that wasn’t their first thought.

They had found a little cave that was hidden by some very tall bushes, since it was a little far away people normally didn’t notice it. But the cave was not all what caught the kids attention, no, it was where it led to. There was a tiny opening in the cave that opened into the seaside. That day they found their own little place in which they could collect seashells without being disturbed by any other adults, and not only that! They had a place to store those seashells and many other treasures.

Many of the seashells they had collected were still laying in the cave; he also found some notes and carvings on the walls with their childish handwriting. Diluc admitted that even in those times in which Kaeya was starting to learn Teyvat’s language he still had a more neat handwriting than Diluc ever had.

It was hard for Diluc to get out through the small opening but he eventually succeeded. Not without almost having to dislocate some of his limbs and having great pain when getting up. 

He was welcomed with a cold breeze and a sudden flash from the setting sun. Kaeya was at his left, sitting in the soaked water seemingly not caring if his clothes got wet in the process.

“I knew you were reckless but I didn’t think you would just disappear from everyone in the situation we are in. Did you know everyone was looking for you? Did you even care?” Yeah, he knows those were not the best things to say but he really didn’t know how to talk to his estranged brother. 

“Do you know what the Loom of Fate is?” Kaeya immediately dodged all of his questions, almost as if he hadn’t heard them. “It is a device created by the Abyss Order to fight against the Heavenly Principles. They believe that with it they’ll be able to weave the Ley Lines and basically change history in their favor.” Kaeya started playing calmly with some sand as if he wasn’t just telling Diluc about a weapon of mass destruction. 

“But they are stupid and too optimistic for their own good. Anyone who has studied Ley Lines would know that something like that could completely erase all of Teyvat’s history, including the Abyss Order. Yet, the Abyss Order ignores it and prefers to think about fate as if it was written in stone, as long as you can polish the stone you can rewrite any of the writing in it without changing anything else. But they don’t realize that fate is something you weave and in order to change something in the middle you would also need to unweave the other parts. It’s like erasing the middle part of a building and placing a different one that doesn’t fit and expecting it to be stable.”

Diluc got closer to Kaeya, noticing that he wasn’t wearing his eyepatch, letting him see his golden eye. “Kaeya, we need to go back.” The aforementioned ignored him and kept talking.

“I thought that they had failed, but a few weeks ago I started feeling some disturbance in the Ley Lines. The Abyss monsters were more aggressive but also more weak, not to mention the couple of confused Abyss mages that didn’t even try to attack me. I don’t know how but they were able to complete it and it was starting to show its effects.”

Diluc started walking back towards the cave with the intention to go back to the city and tell this to Jean. They had to be prepared for something like that. But he was stopped in his tracks by Kaeya, who had placed himself in front of him. 

“What are you doing?! We need to tell this to Jean!” He tried pushing past Kaeya only to fall to the ground when his hand went completely through Kaeya. 

“Diluc, please listen to me. I only have much time left and I need to tell you everything.” It’s not like Diluc was going to oppose, not when he had just gone through his brother as if he was a ghost.

“I investigated for days and I finally found a solution. See, one of my ancestors wasn’t the best guy, now that I think about it many of them weren’t exactly the best. Anyways, he accidentally made a deal with a deity he could not comprehend and that ended in his son’s body being used for the Loom of Fate. The deal he made means that my bloodline has a different curse and that curse makes us able to somewhat manipulate the Loom of Fate.” Kaeya ‘placed’ his head on Diluc's shoulder but there was no warmth.

“But I can’t manipulate the Loom, the simplest of changes can eradicate millions of Ley Lines which would cost millions of lives. So, I had a better idea. Since the Loom of Fate was not supposed to exist in the first place I could just eliminate it. How ironic is that? The Loom of Fate being created by an Alberich just to be destroyed by another Alberich, I can guarantee you that my ancestors will not be happy with me.” Kaeya laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh, it was a melancholic one.

“Did you make it? You destroyed it?” He saw Kaeya nodding. “Then why can’t we just go home?” Another laugh.

“Luc,” Diluc will pretend he did not almost cry when he heard that, “just like the only way to destroy something made by an Alberich is with another Alberich. The only way to destroy something made with a sacrifice is with another sacrifice.” Diluc most definitely did not cry.

How was he supposed to just accept that? It had to be a lie, an elaborate prank or a plan of the Abyss Order to keep his guard down. And as he looked at Kaeya his first thought was, if you are really dead then how are you here? Diluc could still see his baby brother so that meant Kae was still there, right?

“I’m only here because I need to warn you about something. When I finish talking the Loom will be completely destroyed but that doesn’t mean the Abyss Order won’t attack again. They’ll certainly be weaker but they will find out what I did and they will do something about it. You have to tell the Knights, I know you don’t like working with them but please put it aside for now, tell them everything I’ve told you including the potential attack.”

He could see his brother starting to vanish. Diluc desperately tried to grab him but it was as useless as trying to grab sand. 

“I’m sorry Luc, I’m sorry this is how I have to say goodbye.” What? No. His baby brother was not supposed to leave. “Try going to the Statue of the Seven sometimes, maybe it could help.” He didn’t have to go anywhere because Kaeya was going to stay. “I love you Luc. I’m sorry.”

He blinked and Kaeya was gone. He was at the seaside, alone. The peaceful scenery seemed to mock him. The least he could do for Kaeya was doing what he had told him to.

❆✦❆✦❆

He woke up feeling confused about his surroundings. The room was definitely familiar but he was too sleepy to understand where he was or why he wasn’t in his room. At least that was the case until someone knocked on the door. 

“Captain, is everything alright? You haven’t gone out for your lunch break.” That was Noelle’s voice which meant that he was still in the Cavalry Captain’s office, which also meant that he had fallen asleep while he was working. Awesome.

“Everything is alright, I was just getting some stuff ready.” Actually, quite the opposite, he had nothing ready.

Still, he got out of his office and out of the building. His dream had just reminded of doing something he had done almost daily since Kaeya died. 

The sun was setting which meant that he didn’t have much time before it got dark which would mean the path getting more difficult for his horse. He was able to make it in time.

The scene was just as in his world, some crystalflies here and there accompanied by the occasional butterfly or firefly. The Windwheel Asters were as radiant as ever. But the most beautiful thing in his opinion was not in the scene itself but in what he could see from that place. The Statue of the Seven near the Winery had been one of his favorite places to go as a child. It made him feel like an adventurer while also giving him the security of being near home.

He got closer to the statue and he saw a pyro vision lying at the feet of said statue, almost like how Kaeya’s vision and eyepatch were left in the same place. It was so similar yet so different from his, the same warm feeling was there but the ambitions were different. It was almost like carrying someone else’s hopes and dreams.

This had to be what they wanted him to find. 

Seems like this Diluc really was that desperate if he made an offering like that to a deity, maybe he actually was trying to repent for his sins. He unbuckled his own vision and grabbed the pyro vision, placing it in the same spot that his was just in. Then he left his vision at the feet of the statue and left.

Now he was able to understand why they had chosen him to do this. It was like granting two wishes at once.

When he got back to the Winery Kaeya was nowhere to be found, it was still pretty early and according to Adelinde Kaeya had a tendency for arriving late. Diluc had to take advantage of that time, he needed to get everything ready so that Kaeya wouldn’t suspect a thing. He wasn’t afraid of Kaeya discovering what he was about to do, he was afraid of Kaeya asking about it because he knew he couldn’t deny an answer to him.

Hours later Adelinde knocked on his door saying that Kaeya had arrived and they were ready for dinner. He thanked her before going downstairs. 

Dinner was not as passionate as breakfast and that was more than fine for both of them. They still made conversation before heading upstairs. “Good night Luc.” Said Kaeya clearly half asleep. 

“Good night Kae.” He said farewell as he ruffled the younger’s hair who didn’t seem to mind, maybe because he was way too sleepy. After that they went into their separate rooms and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, a redhead woke up very confused as to why he had his vision with him. He was more than sure that he had left it at the statue. Was this a sign of the Gods saying that they rejected his offer? Or, worse, did Kaeya find out about what he was trying to do and now hates his guts?

He knew that if it was the second he could always try in a different nation. Celestia knows he would go to Natlan just to find a cure for his brother’s disease, even if that meant losing his life. 

Today Adelinde had not knocked on his door which was strange but maybe that meant that the Headmaid was finally getting the rest she deserves after years of hard service and work. 

As he was preparing himself a coffee he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, it was probably Kaeya so he turned back to greet him only to almost throw to the ground the cup in his hands when he saw Kaeya’s face.

There was a smile on his brother’s face. And the smile was directed at him.