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“And there are Cecilias. And this is Small Lamp Grass – my favorite. And this is Calla Lily. And these are Sweet Flowers-’’
“Diluc, you’re overwhelming him”, Crepus said softly, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Why must you do this now?”
“But Father, Kae doesn’t have a favorite flower!” the young master said, stomping his feet before turning to the subject of debate. “By the time it’s your birthday, we’re gonna help you pick a favorite flower.”
“Sure”, Kaeya shrugged. Despite being younger by two years, Kaeya felt Diluc was being more childish now. Favorite flowers was a stupid thing anyway, when Teyvat itself was so full of life and colour.
Just then, their tutor arrived and the matter was forgotten.
But only for the day. At night, Diluc snuck into Kaeya’s room (Crepus giving them individual rooms was a lost cause. Every night was a sleepover for the two).
“From tomorrow, Project Blume begins. The duration will be as long as it takes for you to pick a favorite”, he said in his best Captain voice. Diluc wasn’t Captain yet, but Kaeya couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed by how well he got that tone down.
“Aye aye”, he rolled his eyes beneath the blankets.
“See, Kae? You’re so good at this stuff, why don’t you just try out for the Knights, you’d be awesome!”
“No thank you”, Kaeya said at once. “Sleep, Diluc.”
“Night, Kae.”
“Good night.”
The next night, when they went for a stroll, Diluc commenced Project Blume with Small Lamp Grass.
“I love it because it glows in the dark and a good Knight uses his environment to his advantage. They are very pretty, don’t you think?”
“Do they still glow after you pick them?”
“I – I don’t know actually. Let’s try, shall we?”
The boys never did get the chance. Their late-night excursion had stirred the whole staff awake after the Head Maid noticed the boys were missing. A very irate Crepus Ragnvindr stomped over to the boys, hugged them, tucked them in under their beds, and announced their punishments next day.
Diluc was let off with leniency (for once) on account of his duties as a Knight, while Kaeya got grounded for two weeks. Seeing Diluc and Jean gallivanting around on ‘Knight duty’ while he stayed cooped up must have bothered Kaeya quite a bit because by the end of a week, he had decided to try out for the Knights, much to Crepus’s delight.
The two weeks’ punishment was cut down by half, much to the children’s delight. Kaeya had never really liked being cooped indoors and anyway, he wasn’t expecting to get selected. It would be very inconvenient to join the army of a nation you ought to destroy.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Kaeya to get selected.
“Congrats, my boy”, Crepus said affectionately. Diluc smothered him with a hug. Maybe joining the Knights wouldn’t be that bad. It wasn’t like it was against his mission, really, so it can’t be a sin right?
Kaeya tried to justify it as an opportunity to gather insider intel because Kaeya absolutely was not going to abandon his mission, he was still loyal, he still held love for his nation, and-
Any other chances to ruminate over the matter were destroyed when Diluc almost set the mansion on fire in his attempt to endear Kaeya to Sweet Flowers by cooking them as part of Project Blume. Of course, that also meant that Project Blume endured a long hiatus.
By long, it was three weeks, until Kaeya officially joined and began his training period. Beginning with cliffs.
“Cecilias”, Diluc said in a determined tone, dragging Kaeya towards the precipice. “Do you like them? Kae? Watch your step. Kae, you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m just a bit dizzy”, Kaeya said softly, withdrawing away from the cliff and sitting on the grass, focusing on the sky instead. Yes. Totally normal stuff like that duck shaped cloud or the birds. Not the impeding fear of almost falling off to death or maybe being pushed off the cliff if his identity was discovered or other ideas his brain definitely would’ve spiralled to if Diluc wasn’t panicking right beside him.
It was the first ‘normal’ fear Kaeya discovered about himself. That he was scared of heights. It hadn’t seen much significance in Khaenri’ah, but with Teyvat’s topography it was a fear that would’ve come out sooner or later.
The older Master Ragnvindr had much to say of the matter. Like how Kaeya could always quit if he wanted, that he would do everything in his power to make sure Kaeya overcame his fear in a safe way, how dangerous it could’ve been, and other things Kaeya tuned out of.
He never got to understand why Master Crepus was so protective of him, more than Diluc.
Emboldened by his brother’s company, Diluc ate a raw mint plant with Kaeya.
Kaeya hated the taste.
Mint was struck off from Project Blume.
An hour before the clock struck midnight for Kaeya’s birthday, he snuck down and sat on the kitchen table, just to think. To clear his head.
“Kaeya, child, you shouldn’t be awake so late. Give it another hour and Diluc would have woken you,” Crepus said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Would you like some hot chocolate, since you’re already awake?”
“Yes, sure”, Kaeya said, straightening up. “Thank you.”
“Is Diluc’s side project still continuing. What did he name it? Project Blume, was it?” Crepus asked, sliding a large mug towards Kaeya.
“Yes. That. I don’t understand why he’s being so adamant about it. It’s silly. And childish”, Kaeya lamented. Especially because there weren’t many flowers left on the list that continuing it seemed unnecessary.
“Maybe to you”, Crepus said thoughtfully, settling opposite Kaeya’s chair. “But to Diluc, it is very important. You must’ve seen that he gave me Silk Flowers, and with such efforts to procure them too? It is his tradition. It gives him joy. And the thing about joy is that it is imperative you always spread it.”
Crepus took a sip from his flask and resumed, “I understand it is difficult for a child of your age to pick a favorite when the world outside is so lovely. How about a different one every year? Maybe you can make an adventure of it.”
“I never thought of it that way”, Kaeya admitted, swinging his legs. “Thank you, sir.”
“Finish off your drink and go to bed”, he suggested. “I fear you won’t have much free time tomorrow if Diluc has anything to say about it.”
“Good night, sir.”
Kaeya saw the slight strain in the older man’s eyes as he smiled back. He knew it bothered Crepus, that Kaeya still couldn’t bring himself to call him ‘Father’. But it still felt too soon, when he knew his father was waiting for him. Waiting for the completion of the mission. Calling Crepus that felt wrong and right at the same time.
Maybe next year, Kaeya resolved.
On Kaeya’s birthday, they went swimming.
“Diluc, are you still bothered about the flowers?” Kaeya asked, after about an hour of swimming around and splashing.
“Of course! Um, I mean, no? It’s your birthday, Kae. Don’t worry about it now,” Diluc said, swimming to the shore.
“Calla Lily”, Kaeya picked, because that was the first flower he saw. The first flower that came to his mind. “I’ve decided. That’s my favorite.”
“You’re just saying that because you think I’m throwing a tantrum.”
“No, Diluc” Kaeya swam over to his brother. “I think they look really pretty. And they remind me of the setting sun. And I think it’s really nice that they’re used for medicines. To calm people down. Yeah. I like it”, Kaeya said. That little speech had used up all his knowledge on Calla Lilies.
All except one tiny tidbit.
“Calla Lilies, my boy. They stand for death and rebirth. It is a good omen for us, don’t you think?”
Kaeya felt a chill that had nothing to do with the water, but Diluc’s warmth, warmth that didn’t stem from the wretched Eye of the Archons, was strong enough to drive it back and burn the cold.
Diluc never forgot to give those flowers for Kaeya’s birthday. It was a habit, just like playing in the evening or training drills at the Headquarters.
It was hard to not grow endeared to Calla Lilies.
On Kaeya’s seventeenth birthday, there were no Calla Lilies.
“This moment will be frozen in time!”
The battle was stretching far too long. When Kaeya received reports of Abyssal activity, he had been expecting a hilichurl camp. Maybe a Mitachurl or two.
He was wholly unprepared for the four Abyss Mages, three Mitachurls, and hilichurls and archers that seemed to pour in without end.
And because Kaeya had been arrogant enough to believe he could clear out the monsters and return back home and break out the birthday wine, there was no backup.
Kaeya resigned himself to an unpleasant night.
“Burn!” The gigantic phoenix nearly knocked Kaeya off balance. Diluc had gotten better at stealth, it seems.
“Perhaps a bit of warning?” he said sarcastically, throwing Frostgnaw just in time to melt an Abyss Mage. “Trying to end me on my birthday?”
“Focus”, Diluc said seriously, and that was that until the whole camp was cleared off. Masks, horns, and other remnants lay strewn across, and Kaeya didn’t have the patience to pick them up. It had been very draining, even with Diluc’s assistance.
“The Knights. Always so inefficient they don’t even carry backup”, Diluc said, rolling his eyes. “And from a Captain, no less. Not even any transport for you to head back to the city.”
“More like understaffed”, Kaeya pointed out, sheathing his sword and ignoring the part about transport. He much preferred strolling back with Small Lamp Grass and fireflies to light the path. “The rest who can deal with monsters of this scale are handling other camps.”
“How do you plan to head back to the city?” Diluc asked, breaking stride to face Kaeya. “You are unequipped to handle other threats. This fight alone drained you, Captain Kaeya.”
“Well, Master Diluc, if you insist on treating me like a child, why don’t you escort me?” Kaeya teased. He didn’t feel that tired now that his brother was here, and this conversation was a suitable birthday gift.
“Oh yes, I will escort you”, Diluc agreed, suspiciously fast. “To the winery.”
“Thanks, but no thanks”, Kaeya said at once. “I have reports to file and other, uh, Captain stuff to do.” Going back to the winery meant a whole lot of awkwardness, and Kaeya was far too exhausted to deal with that. There was a reason he typically tried to restrict his interactions with Diluc to monster hunting, or Angel’s Share.
“What pity. Adelinde is awaiting you with all your favorites, and Dandelion Wine, just like every year for your birthday. I’ll carry back the news. Elzer is probably awake, so he’ll comfort her if need be”, Diluc said, fixing his gloves and trying to disguise his smirk. Bait laid.
Kaeya was so sentimental.
“Not fair!” Kaeya exclaimed, but Diluc noticed with satisfaction that Kaeya had once again reversed his stride and was walking with him to Dawn Winery. “For poor Adelinde’s sake, I suppose I have no choice”, Kaeya said dramatically. “Lead the way, Master Diluc.”
That night, Kaeya saw Calla Lilies in his room along with a neatly wrapped box. But neither of the brothers mentioned it.