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If you had told Kaeya that his birthday would be filled to the brim with smiles and cheer, he would doubt your claim with a bashful uhuh . He knew that he was well liked through the city, being a Knight of Favonius—and a captain at that—gained more popularity than the casual citizen would have. His status alone called for attention of which special day was his special day, and the once son of Crepus Ragnvindr meant that people more often than not knew the day despite Kaeya not knowing who they were.
“Have a happy birthday today, Captain Kaeya!”
“Uh, thanks… you?”
It was flattering in some ways, he supposed. Having people love you unconditionally as if you had done something to deserve it.
Deep in his mind Kaeya reasoned otherwise. He had been sent to Mondstadt to betray them all, to leak information to the leaders of his clan so that they would have the upperhand in an eventual war.
Mondstadt didn’t want that, it was done with rulers and tyrants running amok. The people who lived there just wanted to spend the rest of their lives in peace without judgment or heartache. Kaeya could somewhat understand that as a child of mixed race, unsure of what culture was his and what culture he should follow even when growing up in another culture all together. There was a difference, of course, between a confused child and a drunkard drinking as much wine as he wanted but the principles somewhat remained the same.
Still, the winds change direction.
Someday, they will blow towards a brighter future…
Take my blessings and live leisurely from this day onward.
The Anemo Archon had only shown him warmth throughout his years in the land of wine and song. Days went by in a pleasant fuzz as Kaeya grew up. His days were filled with wine, warmth, and hearty laughter. His father, the adoptive one, would always smile at him with a genuine crinkle in his eye. There was no judgment in his gaze, and as Kaeya looks back at it, his father probably had some idea of the boy’s true intentions for being left in the rain on that fateful day.
Crepus treated him as if he really did share the same blood. He just wishes that he could have thanked him while the man was still alive.
A sigh slips through his dry lips, not quiet cracking yet but rough enough to catch against each other in a noticeable way.
Kaeya was, despite how popular he was, spending his birthday with the only family he had left in the world. Even if his adoptive father was dead, warm memories of smiles and hugs motivated Kaeya to take some time for himself instead of accepting offers to drink himself into a stupor. Not that he would have accepted it anyways as he tended to spend his birthdays alone and… somewhere out where no one would happen across him.
He didn’t want there to be a big celebration if there was no family to celebrate it with.
So that was how Kaeya had ended up here, wanting to shake up his usual birthday routine. He stood in the cathedral’s graveyard, where those who had passed were now resting peacefully. The area was empty, in concern to those still alive, the only other person leaving a little while ago to grant him privacy. Kaeya thanked them, because of course he did, and watched them leave with nothing else.
When Crepus had first passed and Diluc went off without as much as a word, the preparations for the funeral had been left to Kaeya. His feelings on this were mixed, of course they were, but he made the decision to see things through before requesting necessary paperwork from the cathedral that had allowed him to change his name. A part of him hoped that his brother would come back for the funeral, that maybe he didn’t mean what he said that night and was just scared to come back home.
Diluc never came to the funeral. The then teenager waited all day until Adelinde had to drag him back inside.
As Kaeya was in charge of making the necessary preparations, the decision of where to place the grave was up to him. The winery was a fitting place, since miraculously Diluc hadn’t sold that in his hasty departure, but it felt too lonely and out of the way for those who wished to visit his late father. Some people, when prompted with his need of advice, supported the idea of laying Crepus down at the winery as he was the leader of the Ragnvindr clan—a renowned businessman throughout Teyvat’s wine industry.
This thought made Kaeya stop to think, his father wouldn’t want him placed on such a pedestal even in death. Crepus was a man for the people and would prefer to be treated as one rather than someone above. With that line of thought in his mind, Kaeya finalized the decision to have Crepus buried in the graveyard behind the Church of Favonius in a nice spot by a tree.
Truthfully, Kaeya wanted to place his grave next to Diluc’s late mother but he didn’t know where her headstone was. Crepus always visited her alone and, when Diluc did leave to visit with him, Kaeya didn’t think it was his place to join them. The two protested, of course, but the boy was persistent and told them that one day he would be ready to go.
Kaeya wasn’t sure if he was ready now but he’s kept Crepus’ late wife waiting long enough. If only he knew where she was buried then he could properly thank her for bringing two wonderful men into his life.
“Hello!” The knight greets the stone in front of him with a small smile, awkwardness pulling at the edge of his lips at the uncertainty of it all. “I know it’s been awhile since I came to visit, it was the birthday before the birthday boy came back from his travels abroad I believe. Though I guess I shouldn’t call him that since it is my birthday today.” Kneeling down, the man softly lays a bouquet of cecilias on top of his father’s grave. “It wasn’t my intention to give you the cold shoulder for… eh, almost two years, I think? I was just being a coward and avoiding you, pathetic, is it not?”
The grave doesn’t give him a response. Kaeya sighs once more.
“Today was nice. Jean let me come into work today since she knows that I haven’t been feeling my best as of late,” a bashful smile pulls his lips apart, “nothing bad, I promise. Just feelings and memories taking hold of me as another important day approaches. She just had me file out paperwork—exciting, I know, since she was probably worried I’d do something dumb if I was sent out on field work.” Kaeya glances away from his father for a moment, preferring to keep eyes elsewhere as he feels somewhat ashamed by his next words. “I’m not like that anymore, you know that, Jean knows that—though I think she lets fear tempt her too much. I’ve never wanted to… do anything like that again for quite a few years now.”
A soft breeze flutters by his eye lashes, causing them to tickle the skin around his eye. It’s not the response he was hoping for but it was more than enough to bring a genuine smile to his face.
“I am better, and a lot of it was thanks to your warm memories.”
Kaeya stays quiet for a moment, still kneeling down at the foot of his father’s grave as he takes a moment for himself. It was overwhelming, to say the least, the last time he had been here was years ago after all. He wants to steel himself and his emotions, to package them back into a neat little box and hide them from the person who now stood somewhere behind him.
The unannounced guest had been there for a while. Kaeya isn’t entirely sure when he had arrived but for whatever reason it was for didn't matter as his estranged brother’s arrival meant that Kaeya had overstayed his welcome.
Taking a deep, slow breath, Kaeya sends one last wistful look towards Crepus’ resting place before standing to his feet. He turns his head instead of booking it out of the graveyard, wanting some explanation as to why the only thing he wanted for himself had to be ruined by an intrusive son by blood. It was Diluc’s right to be here, he supposed, but Kaeya should be able to enjoy his father’s presence on his birthday, of all days.
“Nice of you to drop by,” he hums with a certain sharpness to his tone, “do you like the preparations I made for Father? I made sure that he had all the shade he needed when the heat of summer blares down from the sun.”
It was a low blow but it, Kaeya reasoned rather immaturely, was his birthday.
Diluc scoffs but doesn’t say anything else in response. That was unusual, usually the man would have some snide remark to quip back. Instead he made his way over to Kaeya, stopping next to him as he cast his gaze towards Crepus’ headstone. Kaeya takes that as his cue to leave and is about to walk away when a firm hand stops his upper arm. His estranged brother still refuses to look at him or say anything but keeps his grip tight enough so that Kaeya could not easily pull away. The knight frowns, giving Diluc a hard glare in hopes that it would provoke something, yet the redhead does nothing.
“What are you doing?” Kaeya asks, unsure if he’ll actually receive an answer.
“It’s nice,” his estranged brother finally responds, “the headstone—I mean. You did a good job with the preparations.”
Diluc’s voice lacked any of its usual bite. Unusual instance numero duo.
Kaeya went to open his mouth to question the other further when the redhead beat him to it.
“I’ve never been to visit Father before, despite being home for a few years. I never realized that you had stopped seeing him because of my return.”
The knight frowns, unsure of where this was going. “Well, you and I both know the reason for that. If you want an apology for my appearance here tonight then I’m afraid you won’t be getting one from me, he was my father too.”
“I’m not—” Diluc finally turns towards him, panic and irritation flashing in his eyes. Numero trio, he supposes. “That’s not why I’m here. Tonight, I came here for you.”
“Huh,” Kaeya can only gape at what was numero quattuor. His former brother was here for him? He tries to steel himself slightly, closing his mouth as he tries to put all those emotions back in their box. “This has to be good, go on then.”
Diluc sighs, the softness in his eyes hardening slightly before he glances away. “I wanted to invite you to have a late dinner with me down at the winery. Adelinde has been dying to cook for you since Weinlesefest and I—well, I think it would be nice to spend dinner with your family on your birthday.”
Numerus quinque.
“You don’t have to, of course, if you’d rather stay here with an audience of stone then be my guest.”
An invitation to have dinner with family ? Had Kaeya drunk too much wine and dreamt up this entire birthday scenario in a fever dream? Diluc and him had a mutual tolerance of each other, something that had only softened after Weinlesefest, but he didn’t think anything of it. They were acquaintances who happened to share a history and ideals, Kaeya didn’t think anything could be salvaged.
“Uh, sure?” Awkwardness pulls at his features once again. “I missed Adelinde’s cooking anyways, it might be nice to indulge once again.”
His estranged brother smiled, something small yet full of warmth and hope. It confused Kaeya but let a similar smile pull at his lips, finally being able to pull his arm from Diluc’s loosened grip.
The redhead turns away first, sparing little time in wishing their father goodbye before walking out of the graveyard. The action would be Kaeya’s numerus sex if not for the fact that he somewhat understood why Diluc kept his distance. It wasn’t his place to dictate whether or not his estranged brother was ready to come to terms with his own heart but he knew he wanted to be there to support the man in his journey. Kaeya knew what it was like to be in your own head after all.
He turns to follow Diluc, speed walking to catch up to the other so that they are now walking side by side. The soft smile he saw before was still on the redhead’s face and Kaeya couldn’t help but let his smile widen. Nudging an elbow into the other’s side, the knight whistles lightly. “So, how did you find me, anyways? I don’t usually spend my birthdays with such a quiet crowd.”
“Jean said she saw you head up towards the cathedral when you left work today. It wasn’t hard to figure things out from there.”
Kaeya chuckles, “I’m sure she would be pleased to know that I’m spending dinner with you.”
“Yeah, she would be.”
“ Would be ?” The knight smirks, pulling closer to his estranged brother by resting a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “You did tell her, didn’t you?”
The redhead pointedly avoids Kaeya’s gaze and the knight can only laugh. “It’s not funny,” Diluc grumbles.
“She’s going to kill you!” He cackles, the glint in his diamond eye definitely not going unnoticed by the other—who shoves Kaeya away in response. “Ompf—she, hehe, she’s going to bury your body in Starfell Lake! You know how invested Jean’s been in us getting along.”
Crossing his arms, Diluc huffs and begins to walk faster towards the city gate. The message he sends is clear, fall behind and you can forget about dinner because you’re not funny . Kaeya begs to different and jogs to catch up with the other.
Despite everything he’s been through, Kaeya is willing to try being Diluc’s brother again.