Chapter Text
Seawater washed over his feet, its chill a stark contrast to the heat of the summer sun high above. He stared at the sky, hypnotized by the bright color. Crabs scuttled across the boulders half-buried in the sand behind him. The wind raced from the ocean to the shore and played with his hair in a manner far gentler than the whipping gales he only knew from before. He’s still surprised so many of the stories his father had told him about Teyvat were true. Knowing only the world he had been born into, those stories had seemed so outlandish and impossible he had doubted every single one.
Except for birds. He had believed in birds a long time before he left Khaenri’ah. That was only because of the time a little one had somehow found its way into the heart of their land. A “sparrow”, his father had called it. Beautiful, fragile, and fleeting in that harsh environment.
Unintelligible yelling from behind had him turning around to see Diluc running across the beach, grinning ear to ear, hair a mess from his beach activities, and sand coating his legs up to his knees.
“—eeya!”, Diluc finishes yelling as he comes to a halt with feet slapping on wet sand. “Kaeya! Guess what I found!” This was a rhetorical statement, as rather than actually making Kaeya guess, he opened his hands to reveal two similarly-pattered clamshells halves with holes at the thickest part of what had been the hinge. “Look at where the moon snail made its holes! We can make matching necklaces to remember your first time at the beach!” Diluc exclaimed, bouncing with his usual ceaseless energy.
Kaeya gave Diluc a small smile at the thought. After a moment of silent thought, he backed out of the surf and hesitantly gestured for Diluc to follow. Without question, Diluc obliged, rambling about where and how he found the shells as Kaeya listened to every detail, nodding to encourage Diluc to continue his monologue. However, as the two reached where Kaeya had left his shoes on the dry sand and Kaeya knelt to begin nimbly removing the laces, his mind led him elsewhere.
Kaeya had been with the Ragnvindrs for only a few weeks, but he had quickly become uncomfortable, keenly aware of his hidden true motive. When Kaeya had first arrived, he had offered his help as a servant, but had instead been met with overwhelming kindness by both Diluc and Crepus, who took him under their wings without hesitation and never asked anything of him. It made something strange writhe in his chest.
When Kaeya stood up with his hand out holding the laces from both shoes, Diluc was still speaking, but halted and grinned broadly as he realized what Kaeya was silently suggesting. “You’re a genius!” he yelled, eliciting another small smile from Kaeya at the compliment. Holding out a shell for Kaeya, Diluc took one of the laces for himself, the two boys each stringing their individual shells.
Kaeya deftly tied a knot using the ends of his shoelace first, but before he put his new necklace on, he noticed Diluc struggling with making his. Gently, Kaeya held Diluc’s strings so they was no longer taut and easier to knot. Diluc grinned at him once again, in thanks this time. As Diluc held the finished shell necklace up with a look of pride to show Kaeya, Kaeya lifted his own up so Diluc could see as well. With an “oooh” Diluc’s attention shifted to what they had made, admiring their handiwork. But Kaeya, as he often had these past few weeks when outside, couldn’t help but steal a glance west, as if he could see the thousands of miles in the direction only he knew lay the entrance to his homeland, to his family, to home.
The upraised necklaces waved in the wind, shells so similar they could have been mistaken for being two halves of the same whole.
~ ~ ~ / / / ~ ~ ~
10 years later
Diluc had known Kaeya would pull a stupid stunt, but he had thought he would at least get to make it to the barrack’s common room before he was subjected to whatever Kaeya had planned.
Instead, the moment he opened his door to the main hallway to begin his day, he was greeted by a face full of pressurized confetti.
The noise alone was undoubtedly enough to wake up any oversleeping Knights, but having said noise directed towards him with no protection, no warning, and in what was wrongfully assumed to be a safe place, would have momentarily stunned even the most experienced Knight. It most certainly did so to Diluc. Sputtering out pieces of brightly colored paper, he could do nothing but stand agape, door open and the doorknob in hand with Kaeya in the hall and the cardboard tube still pointed at Diluc’s face. Silence hung in the air, as if the world, too, needed time to process the last few seconds.
When Kaeya laughed, it was usually accompanied by a specific emotion for Diluc, something along the lines of embarrassment, glee, annoyance, fondness, or a combination of such. This time, there wasn’t time for Diluc to place a label on emotion as it was Kaeya’s belated peal of wild laughter that brought Diluc out of his stupor.
With a yell, Diluc lunged at Kaeya. His fingertips reached for the lapels of the black and blue Knights’ uniform Kaeya, seeking out the easiest place to grab to shake some sense into the biggest pain in the ass he’d ever had. But confetti on the slick hardwood floor beneath his feet made for poor traction and so he fell short. Instinct took hold as he was just barely able to get his hands under him so he wouldn’t faceplant into the ground. Kaeya danced out of the way of Diluc’s first attempted retaliation and at the subsequent futile attempt to grab Kaeya’s feet.
With his laughter becoming a breathless wheeze at seeing Diluc nearly eat wood for breakfast, Kaeya chucked the empty tube at Diluc and sprinted down the hall. The tube made a hollow thunk as it hit Diluc’s head and he was briefly stunned into silence for a second time. But within moments he snatched it up in fury, righting himself and taking off in hot pursuit of his assailant.
The dark blue runner beneath his feet offered the traction he had been missing before and his boots dug hard into it, seeking out every bit of speed he could muster. Decorative paintings he knew by heart passed him by, now nothing more than smudges of bright colors as his only focus was on the path ahead of him. Doors the same dark shade of wood as the floor blurred past, only interrupted by the smaller hallways leading to other sections of the building and to the sections housing the other Companies. One, two, three corner turns to the main room. Diluc used the baseboards at these points as leverage to change his direction as quickly as he could manage.
Kaeya’s speed was one of his greatest strengths. The agility and grace to Diluc’s strength and power. That mobility became ever more useful in this environment of narrow hallways and sharp turns, giving him an advantage Diluc couldn’t compete with. Combined with his head start, Kaeya was able to bolt down the open staircase leading to the common room, reach the ground floor, and swing himself around the last part of the banister just as Diluc slammed his hands into the railing at the top of the flight of steps. Throwing a teasing Knight’s salute and one of his signature smirks to Diluc standing on the floor above, Kaeya sprinted on the level just below and stretched out a hand to reach the main barrack door and complete his escape, aggravatingly close and yet still out of reach.
Not to be denied his revenge, Diluc nimbly vaulted the bannister, his fall taking him straight on top of Kaeya’s shoulders.
With a sharp yell of surprise from Kaeya, the two hit the floor, Diluc rolling to cushion his fall with practiced ease and getting up fast enough to pin his unprepared and winded victim. A knee on Kaeya’s back and a hand locking arms in place, Diluc glowered at Kaeya, who turned his head to see Diluc from his uncovered left eye. Despite having the breath knocked out of him, Kaeya’s eye was still full of sparkling mirth, which didn’t help to quell Diluc’s thirst for retribution. Finally remembering that in his free hand he still gripped the empty confetti cannon, Diluc put it to good use.
“Are—” thunk “—you—” thunk “—serious,” thunk, the tube’s hollow tone as it hit Kaeya’s head punctuated each of Diluc’s words, “You’ll be—” thunk “—the one—” thunk “—to clean that up—” thunk “—and I swear to Barbatos—” thunk “—I’ll be putting you on toilet duty for a month—”
“Don’t—don’t forget about your audience,” Kaeya wheezed out between hits. With that simple statement, Diluc’s tunnel vision vanished in a snap. His head whipped around, eyes alighting on the doorways, full tables, and the staircase above to find many of the Cavalry Knights they had sprinted past, many of whom glanced away immediately, doing a poor job at pretending to not be watching their Captain chase and pin down their unruly Second. One even had the audacity to begin whistling and looking about. “Quite inappropriate for someone of your age, wouldn’t you say?~” Kaeya’s lilt coming back as he regained his breath.
As fast as he had pinned Kaeya, Diluc was again standing up with his back ramrod straight and straightening his shirt and retying his hair, attempting to reclaim what he could of his tattered dignity. Kaeya, still sprawled on the floor, groaned and flipped himself over on his back before sitting up with a long-winded sigh and an exaggerated look of disappointment, “You really should try to set a better example, Captain.” It was downright infuriating how Kaeya was able to look like the victim, clothes rumpled and hair awry, while also maintaining an air of authority where Diluc had lost his so easily. Kaeya’s head tilted to the side as a mischievous grin took over his features, “Especially today of all days…”Kaeya’s final tease brought a returning threat to Diluc’s lips that he thankfully managed to withhold, avoiding instigating a second wrestling match.
Kaeya offered a lazy outstretched hand to Diluc, asking for help getting up that he clearly didn’t actually need, the smile on his face ever present. Diluc’s anger had dissipated already, as it usually did with Kaeya’s often annoying yet harmless pranks, but he momentarily contemplated pretending otherwise. After some thought, he sighed heavily. Diluc couldn’t deny Kaeya anything, not even something as unnecessary as this, could he? A disgruntled grunt from Diluc had his hand grasping Kaeya’s and hauling him up with a little more force than required.
Kaeya used the extra momentum to nimbly get up with a small hop reversing the hand grasp to pull Diluc into a hug. Diluc automatically wrapped his own arm around Kaeya, pulling him close, not one to pass on physical affection. “Just wait a few months, I’ll be sure to return the favor,” Diluc said monotonously, a hidden grin of his own spreading across his face where Kaeya couldn’t see.
Kaeya pulled back, light purple eye taking in the smile Diluc couldn’t smother quick enough. “Oh, I’m sure, but I’ve still got the day to torment you and I plan to take advantage of that.” Diluc punched him in the arm lightly at the threat and Kaeya staggered back exaggeratedly, before stopping and looking Diluc directly in the eye, a fond expression softening his features.
“Happy birthday, brother.”
~ ~ ~ / / / ~ ~ ~
Despite initial impressions, the day is filled with only good things. The teasing that Diluc endured from the occasional Knight was made in good fun, with even those who hadn’t witnessed the spectacle joining in. While some of it might have made Diluc flush as bright as his hair, with one particular instance causing him to stutter a response and a nearby Kaeya to stifle a laugh, the rest of it was returned with camaraderie and a few teases of his own. As embarrassed as Diluc was, he felt an underlying sense of companionship with those who were comfortable enough around him to make such jokes.
Diluc had become a Knight at age ten and Mondstadt’s Cavalry Captain at age fourteen. While Diluc’s entrance to the Knights at such a young age hadn’t been unheard of, and he certainly had made friends of similar ages, becoming the youngest captain in the Knights’ history had created distance between him and those he had grown close to pre-Captaincy. He had been forced to learn to project authority, lest others underestimate or even try to talk down to him given his age. For years, Diluc had struggled with maintaining a balance between being their Captain and being one of them, listening to others’ advice but also asserting his rank when his capabilities were questioned. Jean’s own rapid rise through the ranks, Kaeya joining the Knights at the same time and becoming Diluc’s Second, and their respective developing reputations had helped quiet comments that he was relying on the reputations of Crepus and Varka. Though Kaeya was even younger than Diluc, he was a constant presence by his side and a strong advocate for Diluc when Diluc himself was unable to defend himself. But as Diluc had grown older and proven himself many times over, it had grown easier to feel like one of the Knights without having his authority questioned when it mattered. That’s not to say those old challenges had completely disappeared, but they had become far more infrequent and, now that Diluc now in adulthood as of today, he hoped for them to become rare occurrences.
Like he been since he first arrived at the Ragnvindr household and like Diluc knew he always would, Kaeya had taken the opportunity to be by Diluc’s side by joining him on patrol and letting companionable silence take over.
As they walked, Diluc took a moment to bask in the sun and light spring breeze. Mondstadt’s weather this time of year was always mild, clouds covering the sun just long enough to drop enough precipitation for plants to grow lush again and then leaving for the sun to again take over and warm the ground. While the past winter had also been relatively tame, with only the occasional snowstorm barricading citizens indoors to wait for it to pass, the warmer weather was still greeted with open arms and shutters. Merchant vendors had once again left their enclosed tents behind and brought out their open-sided stalls, bright colors lining the streets outside of the permanent stores with doors propped open for the breeze, the apartments above those stores and the houses outside of the market area doing the same with their windows.
Diluc’s route took him around the central plaza, where the greatest number of storefronts resided and people gathered.
“Good morning, Captain!”
“Great day for a celebration, don’t you think?”
“Come have a drink with us later, Diluc!”
Well-wishes of citizens were in constant flow around Diluc and he did his utmost to reply to each individual, smiling and greeting many of them by name; Cyrus, Nimrod, Blanche, Sara, and Wagner, the last of whom he received a curt nod from as he walked past the blacksmith during the latter southern part of his route.
“You just might be more popular than Father at this point,” Kaeya joked after they had passed.
A young woman, no more than a year or two younger than him with a navy blue ribbon around her neck and her light brown hair in pigtails blushed and turned away when Diluc noticed her staring. He hummed, “I think some of that popularity is of a very specific kind, and not any I have time for at the moment.”
Kaeya’s eye, sharp as always, caught the interaction. “Oh? Mondstadt’s most eligible bachelor has no interest in courtship? You’d be breaking the hearts of more than just those who are interested in you~” A lazy grin crossed his face as he took a few long steps forward to walk backwards in front of Diluc, “Who could all the poor, sweet grandmothers ever try to set up their grandchildren with if you don’t want the attention?”
Diluc responded by pushing a hand into Kaeya’s face and shoving him to the side lightly, “You’re rather popular yourself. I don’t think I’d be hurting too many people.” Kaeya only responded with a laugh as he fell back into step.
Unfortunately, Kaeya’s presence was short-lived, as only Diluc was to be Crepus’s caravan escort while Kaeya was to remain at HQ to finish some administrative duties. Diluc suspected Kaeya’s last-minute insistence on the unusual split-up had something to do with his birthday. If Diluc knew Kaeya at all, Kaeya wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity to toss in as many surprises as he could manage. The only problem was, nothing had happened since the cannon incident and Kaeya was completely unreadable. Other than the morning, everything about his day was…normal.
Two celebrations were to be held, a formal party would be held tomorrow night at the manor involving the noble houses of Mondstadt while a more personal one with a small number of family and close friends was to be that evening at the Angel’s Share. It was unlikely that Kaeya could change the location of that night’s party without one of the guests slipping up and revealing the surprise, so Kaeya was likely to do something at the party instead. Putting out a mix of Diluc’s favorite and most hated dishes? Embarrassing photos hanging on every wall? Having a band announce Diluc’s arrival at the tavern? Seems too small scale, unless Kaeya were to do all of them… but it still didn’t feel like enough. Internally, Diluc felt like he was being driven up a wall.
Before he could leave for the Angel’s Share, Diluc needed to find Jean to drop off some paperwork. He found her in the Cavalry Company’s office space with her head down and buried in several books. Likely doing research on whatever case she was currently assigned, if he had to guess. Her desk, as usual, was the most organized than the rest around her, and certainly far better kept than Diluc was managing to keep his Captain’s office.
Gently, he set down the papers he was carrying on the open space he knew she preferred to put new assignments. “I’m leaving for the caravan escort. I’ve brought the new stable plans, I’d like you to take a look at them by the end of the week.”
Despite his best efforts, Jean still startled slightly. She blinked, seeming to take a moment to come back to the present. “Diluc. Yes, I’ll take care of that.”
He squinted, noticing a slight crease between her eyebrows. “Is something wrong?”
Jean sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Right at the moment, no. I’m checking to be sure, but I don’t think it’s anything. That conversation can wait until tomorrow. You should be enjoying today.” She stood up and walked around the desk, “Spend this time with your father. It’s good that you were able to find an opportunity to work and see him at the same time. He doesn’t get to see you very much these days.”
He gave her a lopsided smile, “I knew what I was getting into. We all did.”
She returned his expression, “That we did.” She then put her hands on his shoulders, flipped his around, and forced him to the door, marching him in front of the other Knights in the office. “Now. Captain, I think you have other tasks to do than standing around talking to me.”
“Jean,” he protested, attempting to free himself of her iron grip as more and more heads turned toward them. He heard a soft laugh from her. Oh she had certainly already heard what Kaeya had done this morning and wanted to embarrass him herself a little.
With one final light push, Jean shoved him beyond the threshold and dusted her hands. “See you at the party, don’t be late,” and closed the door in his face. Archons above, Diluc was okay with only two people under his command treating him like a sibling, and both of them had taken the opportunity today to prove the sway they had over him. But he wouldn’t have their relationship be anything else. They both meant the world to him.
A long, pleasant walk to the south side of the city later, Diluc’s arrival at the Angel’s Share was met with raucous cheers from the handful of tipsy patrons who had already begun their very early night at the tavern. Most sat at the barstools with drinks in hand and some of Charles’s famous sliders scattered about. The calls of Diluc’s name drew out Crepus, who emerged from the back room behind the bar Charles was tending.
While Crepus had never been able to become a Knight like he had dreamed of in his youth, he had continued his training with the claymore, giving him an athletic figure made for wielding such a heavy weapon and posture well-suited for being one of the most influential figure in Mondstadt. Taller and broader than Diluc with strong facial features, dressed in a white vest and deep red cravat, Crepus looked every part the successful businessman he was. But his curled burgundy hair lifted into a high ponytail and matching dark red eyes were what set him apart visually from the crowd and marked his Ragnvindr heritage so clearly.
Crepus smiled broadly at the sight of Diluc and he motioned for Diluc to stay there, slipping past Charles and disappearing into the back room once more, presumably to grab a few things before they were to head out.
Content to wait, Diluc engaged in conversation with some the customers who approached him, their large beer steins in hand. While Diluc didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of alcohol, and knew that even once he came of legal drinking age today that he wouldn’t partake in any real drinking, he still enjoyed working the bar to engage with customers. The sense of community he had to build piece by piece with the Knights under his command was far easier and more natural to create with those who came to the Angel’s Share. Sure, occasionally being the one serving the alcohol had something to do with it, but Mondstadters were usually by nature easygoing and friendly.
One of them, a blond man by the name of Johnathan, exclaimed with a wide grin, “Congrats, Master Diluc! You’re an adult now!” The drink in his stein sloshing as he waved it about. “Come on, have a drink with us!”
“Thanks, but… I’ll pass this time,” Diluc politely declined.
“Right! I forgot you were still on duty!” The others around Johnathan laughed with him.
“Don’t worry,” Crepus’s clapped Johnathan on the back with his own rumbling laugh, “Feel free to stop by our winery and we’ll drink together to your heart’s content!” Mild relief found its place in Diluc’s chest and he welcomed Crepus’s redirection with a small smile, all attention turning to the elder instead.
“How generous of you Mr. Crepus!” Johnathan practically yelled, not flushed but clearly drunk.
Crepus turned to Diluc, “Let’s get going, Diluc. We should head back home before it starts raining, don’t you think?”
Home. Home and then back here again for an evening of celebration amongst the people he cared so much about. Diluc would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it. “Yes, Father,” Diluc replied and followed his father out the door, nodding to Charles in farewell.
Once outside, Crepus settled in the front covered wagon in the caravan, Diluc taking his place on the horse pulling it. With the last of the crates loaded, they set off.
~ ~ ~ / / / ~ ~ ~
Kaeya, for once, had no plans. He had toyed with many ideas for how to make this birthday a memorable one, but once the notion of doing nothing came to him, he couldn’t let the thought go. Letting Diluc’s mind do all the heavy lifting in some light sibling psychological warfare felt was enticing. It had been highly amusing the last month to watch Diluc (attempt to) secretly interrogate Kaeya to figure out what might happen, and become mildly paranoid at Kaeya’s truthful denials that he had not, in fact, planned anything.
Well, at least Kaeya hadn’t been the one to do the planning. Crepus had made a few surprise tweaks he knew Diluc would enjoy and Kaeya had assisted. Extending the guest list to more friends without Diluc knowing was no small feat for Kaeya to manage, neither was keeping under wraps from a solitary Knight Captain that the party had been expanded and now public street outside of the tavern was to be used for a social gathering. But Kaeya had done his job well. This would be the biggest celebration for Diluc that he’d had yet. By getting Diluc to leave the city for a brief period, Adelinde and the manor staff had time to extend the decorations and the larger crowd to gather for Crepus’s surprise.
While Kaeya would like to say staying behind in the city was part of the psychological game he was playing, he truly was actually stuck organizing Cavalry Company filing room. While ordinarily there would be plenty of other Knights to take care of it, miscommunication in scheduling had caused this to be overlooked for the fourth time and thus, Kaeya had decided to take it upon himself to do so despite his initial plans to join the caravan escort because, frankly, the room was getting out of hand.
He powers through, intending to get as much done as he can before he needs to head to the Angel’s Share. As much as he wishes he could spend more time with his brother and father on this day, he is still on the clock. And he knew the mess was starting to get to Diluc. He had caught him in the room muttering curses to himself on more than one occasion. So, organizing it was.
One shelf and half an hour later, Kaeya regretted not being a part of the escort. He couldn’t help loosing a long sigh at taking stock of how far he had to go. The noise must have been louder than he thought because Felix Weber, a young lower-level Cavalry Knight whom Kaeya actually rather liked, popped his head in.
“Good afternoon, Sir Ragnvindr…” Taking stock of what Kaeya was doing, Felix’s eyes widened.
Kaeya gave a short laugh, “Sir Weber,” he greeted.
Felix stepped into the room, taking in more details. The multiple stacks of boxes chest-high, the loose files Kaeya had shoved into one pile to deal with later, and the full shelves already bursting with boxes stuffed with more loose papers. The dust in the air made Kaeya want to sneeze, but he refrained. Archons, he really didn’t want to be doing this.
“Did scheduling miss this room again?” Felix asked.
“Unfortunately,” Kaeya replied, crossing his arms and turning slightly, eyepatch side away from Felix, to casually examine the dust motes he had been kicking up floating in the sunlight of the windows. Felix hummed in sympathy.
He heard Felix take a breath to say something, likely to dismiss himself with an excuse, when Kaeya was overcome by a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before.
He felt it reverberating in his skull, like something intangible and smooth being dragged across his teeth, like inaudible nails on a chalkboard, like feeling something incorporeal being moved.
After a second and just as quickly as its onset, the feeling vanished, leaving Kaeya absolutely bewildered. With a questioning look, he turned back to Felix… who looked absolutely unconcerned. As if Kaeya had been the only one to feel whatever that was.
Felix, who still looked like he was about to say something, closed his mouth. He tilted his head and blinked, as if he were rethinking about what he was about to say. A small shake of his head and seeming to have made up his mind, Felix gave a bashful smile. “The first and third time the schedule skipped this room, it was supposed to be my duty and I was assigned to something different. I can’t help but feel responsible. If you’d like, Sir Ragnvindr, I’ll take over for you. I’m sure you have other duties to attend to.”
Kaeya lowered his hands in surprise. Felix was hardworking, but this was still highly unusual. Was there an ulterior motive here to try to get on Kaeya’s good side? They already had a decent working relationship. Was he trying to climb the ladder? Based on past patterns, Felix didn’t seem overly ambitious and more content to stay where he was in the ranks. Was there evidence Felix was trying to tamper with or hide? Yet he had already been eliminated as someone who would be on Kaeya’s ever-growing list of corrupted Knights.
Kaeya closed his eyes, just for a moment. He couldn’t figure out what Felix’s motivations might be. While Kaeya prided himself on his skepticism, as it was something that had saved him many times, he knew sometimes he was prone to overthinking.
Kaeya was meant to be on the escort. It could use more protection. That escort had existed for a reason, after all. This wasn’t a responsibility that a Captain’s Second was ordinarily meant to do.
Opening his eyes, Kaeya gave all these points another thought and came to a decision.
“I would be grateful, Sir Weber. Thank you for your help.” Kaeya would keep an eye on Felix’s behaviors, but Kaeya had done his research on the man and he figured Felix deserved the benefit of the doubt.
With a salute, Felix picked up a box and began his task immediately. Kaeya returned with a nod and left the room, appreciating the feeling of clean air with a deep breath and heading straight to the stables to tack up one of the faster horses. He would catch up to the escort relatively quickly.
With a quick glance up at the sky as he mounted, he took note of the clouds. Despite the storm brewing in the east, Kaeya was relatively unconcerned about how it might affect Diluc’s party. It would likely pass over the city as they usually do thanks to Barbatos’s blessing. Though he hoped it wouldn’t rain before he, Diluc, and Crepus returned to Mond. That would be an annoyance.
With a gentle kick, he urged his horse to a trot and rode across the bridge.