Chapter Text
For some reason that night, a certain Cavalry Captain felt compelled to leave his apartment to take a walk outside, on the streets of Mondstadt, at an ungodly hour, during an ungodly storm. Rain poured down outside, louder than ever. Just as he was about to get out of bed, a sudden purple light came crashing straight into his face. Wait, purple light? That's not right- oh Barbatos! Kaeya instantly falls back into bed, his entire body quivering from the strike. Blasted Electr* Archon! He silently curses as he stays rooted on the spot, feeling his consciousness fade in and out of his poor living body. Lightning? In his own house? How does that even work?! …And that would be the last thought he would ever think before succumbing into the excruciatingly electrifying sensations.
The moment Kaeya opens his eyes again, he thinks that at least a decade must have passed because of how wonderfully crusty he feels. Droplets of rain still hit down on him hard, almost painful. Too real to be a dream, even. Since when was he so susceptible to pain, rain no less? He only realises when he looks down. Rags..? He looks up. Dawn Winery? Why was he dressed so shabbily? Didn’t he make it past the financial hurdle already?! And what was he doing outside Dawn Winery?! He quickly looks around, finding out that everything looks much too tall, much too larger than him. A newfound dread flits through him. He knew this scene all too well, remembered the voices all too clearly. Memories flicker right in front of his eye as he reaches up to touch his eyepatch. A bitter laugh escapes his chapped lips. He knew that Khaenri’ans were sinners, knew that sinners were bound to divine punishment one way or another. But to have to re-live this all over again? To have to feel the glorious warmth and crush it with his bare hands once more? He almost thinks that ending himself right there and then would be the most mercy one could show themself.
Just what in the world had brought him here? A ley line malfunction? Some Archon toying with him? Or was he finally facing his divine punishment? Perhaps a dream realm? He doesn’t know. All he knows is that he tired.
So instead of doing what his biological father told him to do years ago once again, this time he takes a different route. It was a dream anyways, and this is the land of freedom. It was about time he reclaimed what little freedom he had left to his name. He knows that in his weak state, he would barely survive the night in such conditions. Instead of standing at the door, waiting, he goes behind the manor, where he can only hope that he’ll go unnoticed for the night. He sits down and leans against the wall of the building, curling as tight as he could, trying to squeeze out the remnants of warmth in his little body, the only proof he was still alive. Perhaps it was because he took on the body of a child once more, but it seems his emotional maturity had fallen a few levels as well. All of a sudden he feels like curling away and crying. Holding his trembling head, he shuts his eyes and pleads for his consciousness to leave him once more.
The next morning, he would wake up to the sun illuminating his face, a slight wind gently glossing across his skin, as if welcoming him home once more. How ironic, does he really have a home? The first was destroyed by a disaster, and the second he crushed himself. Kaeya finds the concept of home funny now. Just where on Teyvat could he call his home? But rather than a hard wall and rough ground, he lay on a quilt, with a blanket tucking him in. His hair was dry and smelled of cecilias, his clothes didn’t quite fit him, seemingly a few sizes larger. Another achingly familiar environment, his old room, or rather what was once his room. He’s startled at first, looking ahead to see a wide-eyed redhead, his eyes instantly doubling in size as he rushes out of Kaeya’s room. Soon after, a familiar lady, one much younger than he remembers, scurries in, along with an older man, the spitting image of the youth. He holds the hand of his young boy. Diluc, Adelinde, Master Crepus. He knows these figures all too well.
Kaeya suddenly feels a wave of dread wash over him. What if he makes the same mistake again? No, he wouldn’t, shouldn't allow it to happen. He’s long overstayed his welcome, ever since he stepped foot into Dawn Winery in fact. He has the advantage of knowing the future. Why should he allow all this unnecessary pain to happen again? He scoots back into his bed, curling up once more as he looks at the three of them, staring right back at him. Adelinde offers him a warm glass of milk which he barely responds to, shaking his head slightly. He mustn't take more than he can return. Master Crepus remained silent, and the young boy simply watched, his fingers gripping his father's shirt hard.
At last, the first word slipped out of Master Crepus’ mouth. “We found you at the back of the manor, in the rain. Are you feeling better?” Kaeya simply nods. A beat passes. “You…do you know how you ended up there?” Kaeya glances over at Diluc who tugs at his father’s sleeve. He coughs once, covering his mouth before replying hoarsely. “I was just tired. I must have nodded off somewhere without knowing.” he says as he looks down.
Master Crepus seems to harden at that confession. “What about your parents?” Kaeya looks at him straight in the eye before replying quietly, “Gone.” Archons, did his self control leave him because why did he just feel a tear slip from his unpatched eye? Another one soon joins, and soon enough a puddle forms in his hands. Adelinde quickly goes forth to comfort him, but he pushes her away, blocking his face from view as he says back shakily. “No, I have to go. Have to leave.” Leave, he told himself. Leave before you ruin everything again. Leave the Ragnvindrs alone. He tries to get off the bed, only for Crepus to put him back onto the sheets again without much struggle.
Diluc stays rooted, still watching. His father took a few steps forward, prying Kaeya’s shaking hands from his face gently. “You’re alone? You should stay with us until we work something out. Its dangerous out there, the number of monster camps and increased as of late.”
Kaeya feels like he truly has gone back to the past. His self control failed him, and his emotions took the better of him like a child, which he cursed to no end. The least whoever or whatever put him through this could have done was allow him to retain his emotional strength as an adult. He pushed Master Crepus’ hands away harshly, with the little strength he could even gather, his tiny frame curling up even more into a ball. “No, I’m bad. I’m a bad person. I’m Khaenri’an. Father told me I’m Khaenri’ah’s last hope. I don’t know what he wants me to do and I don't know what I can do. I'm a spy. I can’t be here, I have to leave.” He splutters, the words he wished he had said the first time Crepus took him in spilling out like a waterfall. His tears now fully soaked his eyepatch, which Crepus removed as he listened to him talk.
Kaeya truly wishes that would be enough to deter them, make them kick him out, send him to Varka to be dealt with, or even end his cruel life. But alas, the Gods are never kind to those once without a God.
Kaeya’s other eye meets the light of day. An ethereal gold greets the three of them. Golden eyes like the flames of the sun, like the shine of a polished mora, absolutely breathtaking if it weren’t for the situation they were in. Crepus lets out a breath. “I’m sorry, but you’re just a child, boy. I find you being a spy rather hard to believe, what danger could a crying boy pose right now? It doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are. We’ll help you. But that doesn’t mean you get let off easily. You’ll help with the investigation.” he said, placing a large, warm palm on Kaeya’s shoulder. Diluc still hasn’t moved, still hasn’t tore his eyes off Kaeya, but Kaeya is far too emotional to care. Oh, how he missed his father’s touch that never belonged to him anyway, how he missed this warmth that never was his in the first place, how he missed those childhood days where everything was so simple .
Kaeya simply allowed himself to be held by Crepus, allowing Adelinde to soothe his sorrows once more. So many things he thought he was over, that he thought he never needed anymore, that he thought he could survive fine without.
Kaeya is dumbfounded, confused. Why weren’t they angry? Why didn’t they kill him? Whether or not he seems like once, he’s still a potential threat to Mondstadt. So why? He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t want to know. If only he was accepted so easily in real life too. He glanced at the younger Diluc staring at him and wondered if the Diluc he knew of was sent to this realm too. The thought was quickly thrown aside. Whatever is here is a manifestation of his desires anyways.
Eventually, Diluc comes over as well. He reaches his palm to grasp Kaeya’s smaller one, holding it tightly. “It’s okay.” He repeats, as though cooing a baby. “It’s okay. Dad and I will protect you from everything.” He says firmly, an almost protective gaze bore through Kaeya. He thinks there’s a hint of something else, perhaps bitterness or heartache as well, but Kaeya simply shakes it off. He’s too tired. He’s probably looking too much into it. After all, it would be an understatement to say Diluc's still sane after all he’s been through.
Immediately, his questions are answered. Definitely not the Diluc he knew. The one he knew would never have done something so warm, he barely even wished to interact to Kaeya, he was always the one taking the initiative to strike up conversation. This surely, must be a creation of his own desires and delusion.
His words caused Kaeya to burst into even more tears. Diluc, his older brother that was never his brother in the first place. He’s so glad that whatever dream realm he’s in made it so no one remembered a thing apart from him, so glad that this was a singular joy he could treasure. He almost wishes that he may never wake up from this dream, even if it kills him.
And so he stays with them, just as he once did. Now they know. The worst has been avoided, right? Kaeya thinks he should leave, that he will when he’s older and more capable of taking care of himself. He’ll leave before Crepus dies, and he’ll disappear from Diluc’s life before it even truly begins. Children often forget much of their childhood when they grow up, it would be like he was never there at all. He will, he thinks. But until then, he thinks it's alright if he stays a little longer, just a little longer, so that he can bask in their warmth a little longer, before he returns to eternal frost.
The first week, Kaeya holed up in his room, hesitant to leave what he determined a safe zone unless Crepus asked him too. Crepus would visit and the two would begin a to and fro, asking and answering questions. At the end, both had come to a conclusion that whatever Kaeya’s family intended of him was unknown. Apart from an inference that they wanted Kaeya to somehow rebuild Khaenri’ah, there was nothing else they could find. Not a single trace was left by his father, and neither could Kaeya remember which direction they had come from.
Diluc would often peek through the door or window to take a look at Kaeya. When he’s eating alone in his room, staring into blank space, when he’s reading a book, when he’s curled up on the bed lost in his thoughts.
The second week, Kaeya left his room more. He now dined with the red-heads at their family table, and would help Adelinde with simple chores around the house. Doing laundry with her in the morning sunlight, baking cookies in the evening glow and warming up milk in the gentle moonlight. It was almost absurd how he fell right back into place as he did in the past. He would almost laugh about it, if he wasn’t busy soaking up these moments, carving them into his heart. Memorising the way Adelinde’s lips would curve when she gave him the gentlest of smiles, the way her fingers brushed through his hair as they danced the ballad of a braid, ending with a deliberate slip of a cecilia into his braid.
Elzer would bring Kaeya around the winery and Diluc would tag along, holding onto Kaeya’s hands tightly, like an elder brother guiding their younger one into the unknown. He stood just half a step in front of Kaeya, essentially shielding him from whatever, leading him, protecting him. He smiles at Kaeya brightly, shares everything and too much at the same time, which Kaeya gladly listens to and memorises by heart. He had always been the quieter of the two, so how did he end up as the charismatic one as an adult? He knows the answer well, it was all just an act anyway.
Master Crepus brought him out once in a while showing him the places around Dawn Winery, showing him things he’s already seen as an adult, but he’s happy to learn once more. Calla lilies, windwheel asters, lampgrass, wolfberries, squirrels, birds, everything and anything in between. He would hoist little Kaeya up onto his horse with himself jumping up behind, teaching him the reins. Kaeya would cling to Master Crepus, but never called him anything other than that. It was the one time he accidentally called Master Crepus “Father” did the entire winery throw a celebration. Master Crepus was overjoyed, Adelinde made a cake, and everyone celebrated Kaeya’s slip of the tongue. A mistake celebrated rather than reprimanded. He was embarrassed, but how could he ever hate it? Crepus also personally taught Kaeya swordfighting, in which he found out that Kaeya was naturally good at. Kaeya is rather pleased to find out that his body never forgot his training, because the praise Master Crepus showered upon him was sweeter than honey.
He doesn’t know when this will end, and he doesn’t want it to either. Everything felt so natural, so correct. It was almost like he fit into this place, almost like he wasn’t the intruder he has always been. Diluc spoke to him, ate with him, and dragged him around. Smiled at him, laughed with him and hugged him tight. His only regret is that he can’t engrave this feeling into his bones.
The third week, Diluc sought him out. The red-head seemed more reserved than he remembered, but Kaeya paid it no mind. After all, this was all part of his dream, all part of his imagination. The fiery young boy watches him, shuffling into his room at the break of dawn. “...Dad said I should take you outside more. Would you like to play..?” He seems almost bashful, and Kaeya is reminded of the fearless young boy he used to know, the brother he loves so dearly. So many memories of their childhood whirls in his head, memories he swore he locked up long ago. Kaeya looks at him in a daze, the words “Are you sure?” slipping past his lips, carried by the wind to Diluc’s ears.
Diluc wants to spend time with him. Diluc wants to play with him. This is nothing short of a dream.
Diluc replies almost instantly. “Yes. Let’s play together. We can collect seashells at the beach, and we can collect wild berries to eat on the way back. Don’t you ever get tired of grapes?” He smiles, so bright, so blinding. A familiar pink dusts Diluc’s childish cheeks, a reminder of youthful innocence and warmth. Kaeya thinks he might start crying again but by the grace of the Anemo Archon his tears return to where they come from.
All he wants to do is say yes. To be brothers with Diluc again, to reconcile, to pick seashells and play hide and seek, to get in trouble and get scolded together, to eat together, to teach each other things once more.
So he does.
“Yes!” Kaeya says, his smile purer than a dew, his blue eye shinier than a noctilucous jade of the highest quality, his cheeks dusting a rosy red as he stands up excitedly. A chance to play with his brother once more is one he would never skip, how could he allow it to slip away? He’s surprised by his own change in demeanour, quickly calming himself down, placing his arms by his side as he toned down the curve of his lips. “Sure. We can go. I don’t mind.”
The red-head seems to stifle a laugh, but an amused huff escapes anyways. Diluc takes Kaeya’s hand, leading him out of the house to Falcon Coast.
Kaeya thinks that this was all he needed to fix his life really, his childhood and his brother back. They pick seashells together and watch as little red crabs skedaddle across the sand. They run along the shore, the waves gently crashing into their ankles as they pick stones and try their luck at skipping them. It was all he could have ever hoped for.
The hours pass by too fast, the sunset arrives too quickly. It's bittersweet, that the day has to come to an end. Why can’t it last forever? But the more Kaeya thinks about it, being stuck in a time loop is a rather unpleasant idea. He can't allow his selfishness to hold others back. He quickly dismisses that thought and instead starts appreciating the orange glow lighting up the ocean. He sits shoulder to shoulder with Diluc, the both of them tired from playing so much. A serendipitous silence embraces them as they watch the sunset together, until Diluc breaks the silence.
“I’m happy, Kaeya.” he smiled as he fidgeted with the end of Kaeya’s braid. “I’m so happy you’re my brother. You’re the best, Kaeya. I hope we grow old and wrinkly together, and then we can do fun old people things together.”
Kaeya freezes momentarily at that dazzling smile, warmth creeping into his chest as his cheeks turn pink. He isn’t worthy of such praise. If only this younger Diluc knew what would happen in the future. He looks straight at the sea and mumbles, “Are you sure? I’m not even your real brother. Master Crepus…simply took me in for a while. I’ll be gone as soon as I’m older.”
Diluc pulls him into a hug. “Dad thinks of you as his son already, so stop being silly. And do we really need to be of the same blood to be brothers? I'm the Young Master of Dawn Winery, I get to call the shots too. If I say Kaeya is my brother, then Kaeya is my brother.”
Kaeya laughs, the warmth now replaced by bitterness. Ah, the joy of youth, the bliss of innocence. Regardless, he hugs Diluc back. “Thank you for accepting me then, Diluc.”
“I love you Kae. You’ll be my brother forever and ever. Even if we fight, or if we get each other into trouble, we’re still going to be brothers okay? Pinky promise me that?” Diluc asks as he offers his pinky.
Kaeya almost starts crying. He offers a shaky smile as he sticks his pinky out as well. “Pinky promise. I love you too, Luc. I’ll be your brother for as long as you want me to.”
The two of them laugh, before a golden glow envelopes their figures. Before Kaeya even has time to react, his surroundings have changed and he’s already back in his bedroom, kneeling against the bed and gripping his head. He looks around with a resigned sigh. “I knew it was some weird dream realm. I suppose it wasn’t too bad, though. Though it did feel quite long and realistic…hm. No matter.” He checks the clock. 2.30am. He has work tomorrow. How dreadful.
He heads to his balcony instead, the rain now subsided and replaced with the gentlest of wind, carrying the softest of songs as it caressed Kaeya’s cheek. If one listened close enough, the blessing of the Anemo Archon flows within the currents, embracing the child from the land without Archons, accepting him as a child of its own and welcoming him into the Land of Freedom once more.
And for a while, Kaeya feels a peace he hasn’t felt since he first stepped foot into entered Dawn Winery.