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Kaeya woke up with a yawn, stretching upward. It was late in the day, which was fine cause it was his day off, but it seemed lately he was even waking up late when he had work. People had started to comment on his tardiness. Jean had even given him a warning… He knew why he was being like this, it had been a year since he and Diluc had their big fight and the fiery haired man had moved out. He’d also been banned from the tavern. They’d had fights before of course, lots of them, but this one had been different for some reason. The last straw for both of them.
Kaeya had immediately regretted it and tried to apologize. It was honestly mostly his fault after all. However, Diluc was stubborn and continued to refuse to see him. As a result Kaeya felt like he was aimlessly going through his days without direction. He was lonely.
“Why don’t you get a pet,” a co-worker suggested. Kaeya had laughed it off at first. Him taking care of another living thing? He’d never had a pet before the idea was silly. But the more he thought about it, the more the idea started to appeal to him. Having someone else in his living space, someone to talk to even if they couldn’t talk back would be better then the still silence that greeted him when he returned home. Maybe even comforting.
He went to the adoption center the next day. He could already hear dogs barking from outside. An employee came out to greet him. “Sir Kaeya, what a surprise!” they beamed at him, “Are you looking to adopt?” Kaeya returned the smile though he was honestly a bit nervous. “Yes, a dog maybe? This is my first time,” he admitted. The employee led him inside and the barking grew louder, “Well we have a lot of sweet animals looking for homes. I’m sure we can find you a new fur-ever friend!” He chuckled at their joke.
They walked down the aisle of rooms where the dogs were kept. They all excitedly jumped up when he walked by. This was going to be harder than he expected he realized. Not only was he choosing a companion for himself, but giving one of them a home. Their energy had to be compatible for this to work. They turned a corner and Kaeya stopped in his tracks. That was the one. He excitedly went up to the glass where a fluffy red furred cat sat. The cat lazily blinked at him before rubbing against the glass. They reminded him of Diluc. “That's Bean,” the employee explained, “he came in a few days ago. Would you like to hold him?” Kaeya nodded.
His hands shook a bit as he took the cat. Bean didn’t seem to mind however and buried his head in Kaeya’s arms, then peeking up at him with ruby eyes. “I-I’ll take him,” Kaeya said immediately. “That’s wonderful!” the employee exclaimed, “Since he’s a new arrival we’ll need a few days to update his shots before you pick him up.” Kaeya nodded in understanding. “I’ll be back in a few days then.” He gave Bean one last pet before he left, feeling a bit better about the whole thing.
Kaeya spent the next few days preparing things for Bean. Maybe preparing a bit too much… his place looked like The Cat’s Tail when he was done.
“Why don’t you go say hi to Bean while I get the paperwork,” the employee suggested when he arrived. Kaeya walked over to the glass wall of cat spaces where Bean was. He could see Bean’s red fur and excitedly continued forward when a man stepped up to the wall looking at a cat beside Bean. “Yes, this is the one,” the man said in a voice more than a little familiar to Kaeya. “D-Diluc??” his voice cracked in surprise. The fiery haired man looked up at him in shock. “What are you doing here?” he accused him. Kaeya tried to regain his composure and stepped up to the glass pointing at Bean. “I’m here to take this little guy home.” Diluc looked between him and the cat. “You? You’re getting a cat?” Kaeya gave a small uncomfortable laugh, “Yah. What are you doing here?” Diluc glanced away towards the unit he was standing in front of. Kaeya saw there was a slim blue cat inside missing an eye. The name plate read; Smudge. “I… I was also adopting a cat,” Diluc admitted with a huff.
“Well, looks like we had the same idea,” Kaeya said. A silence falls between them. They suddenly spoke at the same time. “I’m sorry-” “Kaeya-” Diluc paused and sighed, “I know you are.” “Then why didn’t you come back?” Kaeya asked. “It’s just- I…” Diluc rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I said some things that day too. I was mad at first, didn’t want to admit I was also wrong, but then as time went on I worried you would reject me if I tried to come back. It was easier to pretend I’d moved on then face that possible reality… I’m sorry.” Kaeya pulled him in for a hug, their cheeks squishing together. “I don’t care, I could never hate you Diluc. I’m sorry too; for what I said and for making you think that. I must have been a really horrible boyfriend.” Diluc snorted, “You are mildly annoying at most.”
Smudge gave a little meow and Bean pawed at the glass drawing their attention. “... What do we do next?” Diluc asked. Kaeya gave him a warm smile, “I have an idea.”
***
Kaeya and Diluc sat curled up on the couch in Kaeya’s, now once again their, house. Diluc took another sip of his hot chocolate as Kaeya told him about a recent quest. The atmosphere in the space was comforting. Added to by the red and blue cats curled up on their laps.