Chapter Text
Fanart by Fain!
Day 0: Late at Night
The bell of Angel’s Share chimed happily, a familiarly welcome sound after Kaeya’s exhausting day, which sung promises of alcohol and light conversation. He had run around like a madman all day, chasing leads across the length of Mondstadt; he was exhausted.
There had been whispers of some sort of plot stirring but, despite all of his efforts to investigate, he couldn’t seem to find any kind of concrete lead; which served to put a tight ball of stress in the square of his back. He desperately needed to unwind it, which was what led him to Diluc’s door.
Kaeya’s head buzzed with frustration and puzzlement, and he looked forward to a drink and a light conversation before he headed home.
The absolute absence of noise caught his attention immediately as he stepped inside, which put him on alert. He only relaxed after he looked around and determined that he was alone.
Though ‘alone’ wasn’t entirely accurate. Standing behind the bar, cleaning glasses, was his ‘brother’, Diluc Ragnvindr. He knew the man’s expressions, and could immediately tell he wasn’t a welcome sight; it was hard to say if it was due to Diluc’s subtle but evident fatigue or just his distaste for Kaeya personally.
Whelp, might as well embrace the role and see what he could get out of it.
“Awfully empty for the hour. I do hope you didn’t just chase them all away so you could go home early.~” Kaeya said as he approached the bar, a teasing lilt in his voice as he took on the precise tone he needed to get on the redhead’s nerves.
Diluc turned and gave him a deadpan look, which Kaeya only chuckled softly at.
“No, as it so happens.” Diluc replied, brusquely. “But since, by fortunate coincidence, all my customers left of their own accord, we are closing up early.”
Kaeya knew full well that was ‘Diluc’ for ‘get out’, but he was on a mission and refused to be chased off so easily. With a mischievous look on his face, Kaeya sat down pointedly on one of the bar stools.
“You would really turn away your best customer, after I spent all day working hard for citizens like you?” Kaeya leaned on the bar almost pathetically, continuing his conscious effort to annoy the living hell out of the bartender. It seemed to be working, if Diluc’s sudden and blatant ignoring of him was any indication.
The man had turned and was focusing on cleaning glasses, not even giving him so much as a response. Not one to ever willingly lose a fight, be it of blades or wit, Kaeya decided to take matters into his own hands.
He leaned over the bar, making no effort to be discreet, and reached blindly for one of the closest wine bottles on the shelf below. Unsurprisingly, Diluc sensed his intentions instantly, due to having to contend with the same childish misbehavior regularly, and snatched the bottle out of his reach. Kaeya smirked at him and leaned back up, crossing one leg over the other.
Diluc put the bottle on the back shelf, frowning. “I said we’re closing.” He repeated.
“How cruel of you to leave a stalwart Knight of Favonius, of the City of Mondstadt, high and dry.” Kaeya shamelessly hammed it up, making it a point to seem genuinely distraught even though he was anything but.
“Stalwart nuisance more like it.”
Kaeya resisted the urge to laugh at the quip, and instead sat up to face the tycoon properly. “I feel I’ve hardly done anything wrong, coming here as a paying customer, just looking for a drink, and you won’t even give me the dregs of a bottle.” He said, sounding playfully put out. “If anyone is being difficult, it’s you.” In that last sentence he allowed his facade to slip by the barest of margins, permitting his irritation to have but the briefest of glimpses at the light before being quickly hidden away once more.
“If I give you the bottle, will you stop being a pest and just go ?” Diluc asked with audible exasperation.
“I think we can make a deal.” Kaeya smirked again, knowing he won.
Diluc picked up the same bottle from before and walked around the side of the bar to approach his unwelcome guest.
Kaeya stood to meet him, but suddenly had to shift his stance as the bottle was shoved into his chest, lest he be forced backwards. He grabbed the bottle on reflex as he stood his ground, resisting any change in the power dynamic in that instant. The two of them locked eyes-
And a moment later Kaeya allowed himself to be herded towards the door.
“Then good night, Sir Kaeya.” Diluc said as he nudged him along.
“You know, dear Brother,” Kaeya began as he paused at the door, his hand on the knob. “You should perhaps treat those around you more kindly. Your temperament may be what leaves you alone one day, and you’ll have none to blame but yourself.”
Kaeya turned to look at Diluc properly as he turned the knob and pulled the door open slightly. “Good night, Master Diluc.” He said as he finally stepped through the door and out into the warm Mondstadt air, pulling it closed behind him with a soft click.
Kaeya lingered outside the bar door for a moment, giving a half glance back to the building.
The faint pang of ever-present grief lanced through his heart as melancholic nostalgia of a time less bitter flashed through his mind. He exhaled and forced the thoughts from his mind. He channeled cryo through the wine in his hand and chilled it before yanking the cork out and just taking a heavy swig directly from the bottle.
The trip back to his home wasn’t long, and he took more leisurely sips as he made his way there. It was the comforting waft of cool air from the mist flowers by his door that told him he was home, his mind elsewhere as muscle memory guided him.
He took the time to remove his outermost layers, leaving only his boots, shirt, pants, and Vision on. He fetched a wine glass and settled at his desk to work by candlelight.
Fatigue caught up to him quickly, and it was only an hour later that he finally snuffed out the lantern and trudged his way to bed.
He pulled his boots and pants off, crawling under the blankets and falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.