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Albedo wasn’t a person who could be called unpopular within Mondstadt, but he was generally reserved and rarely approached people unless Albedo found them interesting or having knowledge that was interesting to him. Kaeya knew that Albedo’s circle of people he interacted with on a daily basis was small, and the people he truly considered friends and family was far smaller.
But Kaeya couldn’t help but notice that the majority of them were Pyro Vision bearers, especially with the introduction of Durin, who had turned out to also be part of Albedo’s family.
And Diluc, who had conveniently gone behind Kaeya’s back to join forces with Albedo temporarily, but didn’t seem to have fallen into Albedo’s grasp quite yet.
Kaeya wanted to keep it that way. He rarely saw Diluc as it was, and if Diluc decided he also had to spend some of his time with Albedo, then Diluc would certainly be visiting Albedo at the Dragonspine laboratory far more often than he visited the city. Diluc would call it “research” or “investigation” but Kaeya would know the truth.
Kaeya grumbled to himself as he stomped into Albedo’s Dragonspine laboratory. There was a low rumbling of voices from the inner chambers, but Kaeya didn’t mind them too much as he warmed himself near a torch.
Which was why he was surprised when he realised that Diluc was also at the laboratory, comparing several of Albedo’s notebooks with Albedo briefly answering Diluc’s questions while working with an alchemical bench. It looked so comfortable that Kaeya was instantly annoyed.
“Do we really have such a problem on our hands that some of the best minds of Mondstadt have to work together?” Kaeya asked lightly, attempting to stomp down on his now bad mood.
Diluc didn’t even glance up. Albedo did, but only offered Kaeya a single-shoulder shrug that said absolutely nothing at all.
Kaeya sidled to Diluc’s side with a huff. Diluc finally glanced up at him. Kaeya crossed his arms. Diluc turned his head back to Albedo’s notebooks. Kaeya glared.
“If you have something to say, Kaeya, just spit it out,” Diluc grumbled after several moments.
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be glued to your desk with Winery documents?”
“Why would I be at the Winery?” Diluc looked momentarily confused. “There isn’t anything particularly noteworthy happening. Elzer has been handling the minor documents for a week or so now.”
“Diluc, I’m afraid these steps are particularly time sensitive. If you want to continue your conversation, I can take over from here,” Albedo interrupted Kaeya’s brewing rant.
“No need.” Diluc turned back to the notebooks. Kaeya would be giving him an earful when they were done, but for now he found a nearby stool to perch on as he watched the pair work.
Kaeya was immediately suspicious to find that they worked with an ease that even Kaeya no longer had with Diluc: a question barely formed in one’s mind was instantly answered by the other. They did this often, then, or at least often enough recently to be so synchronised.
Albedo finally let out a soft exhale, and Diluc straightened.
“The two of you work together often, then?” Kaeya asked pointedly.
“I asked Albedo for a favour. It would be quite rude not to offer as much assistance as I could,” Diluc replied, shrugging back into his coat. “Especially since the deadline is quite tight.”
“If the deadline is so tight, surely another set of hands won’t go amiss?”
Kaeya caught Albedo’s glance at Diluc before they both hastily, in Kaeya’s opinion, claimed that it was the last day anyway. Which was oddly convenient seeing as Kaeya had just caught them. Albedo and Diluc exchanged another set of suspicious glances before Diluc claimed it was time for him to leave.
With his initial goal for seeking Albedo out paling in comparison, Kaeya trailed Diluc out of the laboratory and Dragonspine. Diluc made no comment or complaint the entire way, which Kaeya was certain was a result of guilt, which left Kaeya staring daggers at Diluc from the couch across Diluc’s desk in his office at the Winery. Diluc also conveniently ignored that.
“Are you planning to stay the night?” Diluc asked. A glance out the window indicating that night had already fallen. Kaeya would, if it meant answers. Adelinde appeared at the door, as if summoned by the very question.
“I suppose I will,” Kaeya gritted out.
“Wonderful,” Adelinde replied instead. “Dinner is ready. I’ll prepare your bedroom while you eat.”
Diluc’s stiff eating posture, and the fact that Adelinde, Diluc, and Elzer all refused to make eye contact, began to grate on Kaeya’s nerves. There was something they were all keeping from him – very poorly at that – but Kaeya didn’t even know where to start, other than with Albedo, but was this even the same thing?
“You don’t look like you’re going to the city tonight,” Kaeya commented.
“The city? What for?” The fact the Diluc grew a little bit stiffer wasn’t missed.
“Your nightly endeavours,” Kaeya deadpanned.
“Oh. Not tonight, no.” Diluc went back to picking at his food.
“You know, you’re acting awfully suspicious,” Kaeya said idly.
“No, I’m not.”
Was Kaeya about the engage in this childish argument? Absolutely.
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not!”
“You are!”
“Boys,” Adelinde interrupted them as she always did.
The pair mumbled an apology, and Kaeya could imagine them as teens again. Until Adelinde reminded Diluc that he had some mail, and he fled up the stairs like his life was at stake.
“Would you like to rest near the fireplace or in the library, Master Kaeya?” Adelinde offered, before her smile turned a touch more amused. “Or would you prefer to continue keeping an eye on Master Diluc? I believe Master Diluc should have returned to his bedroom.”
Kaeya always knew Adelinde liked him more.
The full-body jolt that ran through Diluc when he saw Kaeya almost made Kaeya’s irritation worth it. Kaeya couldn’t help the snicker that escaped him.
“I’m going to sleep,” Diluc informed Kaeya, diving into his bed before Kaeya could even utter a word.
“You’re still wearing the clothes you went to Dragonspine with!” Kaeya argued. There was about a minute of shuffling, before a hand with Diluc’s outer clothes popped out of the blankets to drop said clothes onto the floor.
“Am not.”
“Adelinde is going to kill you if she finds those there in the morning.”
There was an incoherent mumbling that forced Kaeya to take a few steps towards the bed in attempt to here.
Diluc took that as an opportunity to attack, wrapping Kaeya in his blankets and laying him on the bed.
“You’re tired. Sleep.”
Kaeya tried to argue, but it was comfortable, and Diluc soon settled beside him, so it was also warm and relaxing.
“I still have questions for you!”
“Save them for the morning.”
It was unfair that Diluc then used his Vision to make it just that little bit warmer that was perfect for Kaeya fall asleep.
The next thing Kaeya knew was the rustling of material. The warmth next to him that he vaguely remembered to be Diluc briefly disappeared and reappeared as a gentle nudge on his shoulder.
“Kaeya? Are you awake yet?”
Kaeya groaned, swatting at his hand and turning over.
Diluc huffed a laugh. “Come on, Kaeya. Wake up.”
“Why... it’s warm and comfortable here...”
“Didn’t you have questions last night?”
Kaeya jolted upright. “Questions. Right. You’re going to answer all my questions today!”
“Mhmm. All your questions, and all your requests too. Happy birthday, Kaeya.”
A hoarfrost core was thrust into Kaeya’s unsuspecting hands. Kaeya squinted at it for a moment before realising his constellation had been carefully carved into the center of it.
“Albedo was helping me preserve it so it wouldn’t melt when you found us yesterday, so I had to have someone fetch it after I left.” Diluc stepped away from the bed. “Go on and freshen up. Everyone’s waiting for you downstairs.”
“Downstairs? Everyone?”
“We managed to move your party from Angel’s Share here, since you are here already.”
Kaeya flopped back down onto the bed. The arm still clutching the hoarfrost core covered his eyes.
“This is why you were all acting so suspicious last night.” Kaeya groaned. “I didn’t even realise the date. It should have been obvious by how badly you were at trying to hide it.”
“Me? I’m not that terrible at hiding it, you just threw me off-guard by showing up at Albedo’s lab yesterday.”
“About that, I can’t believe you colluded with Albedo behind my back again!”
“Colluded?”
“What else would you call this? Now, leave me alone to get ready and think up ways to boss you around all day.”