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"I'm cutting you off."
"Master Diluc I've barely had any! Who are you to refuse a paying customer?"
"Go to the Cats Tail."
"I can't hang out with Venti if I leave. Plus my deck needs some reworking before I play again."
"Then stay."
"You? Telling me to stay? Well, isn't this new!?"
"If you're going to stay you need to shut up."
"Oh? You may take alcohol from me but my tongue is mine."
"Ehe! I believe you've learned something about poetry after all!"
Venti sat up on the bar swinging his feet, cup in hand listening to the argument, smiling way too much to be sober.
"Why thank you dear bard! With your lovely verse how could I not pick a thing up or two?"
"You're drunk most of the time. It's kind of hard to learn when blacked out."
Rosaria stood up next to Kaeya, put mora on the counter before waving and walking out of the tavern.
"Goodbye, you pretender of a nun!" Venti called, his drink spilling out of his glass and onto the bar top.
"Get off Venti." Diluc wiped at the liquid, trying to prevent it dripping on to the floor.
"Fine, fine."
"You seem quite cheerful today, don't you Master Diluc."
"If you think I'm happy you might need your other eye after all."
"Too bad it's unusable at the moment."
"Hmph, yeah right."
"Why thank you for agreeing!"
"Shut it."
Kaeya did in fact get another drink. If only to keep him here. He almost left after Venti did but that would ruin everything and he had promised.
Diluc debated giving him yet another. It might be better for Kaeya to be inebriated for what he planned to say.
The tavern slowly emptied and Kaeya's constant talk subsided. When Diluc looked back to the Captain he was staring at the half full glass of golden liquid, swirling it.
His gaze was sad. Lonely even. Diluc stood watching as Kaeya, unawares, put his head down on the wood top, covering his face with his arms, leaving his drink unfinished.
This was the third time this week he had done this, though he usually finished as much alcohol as Diluc would let him have before he slumped over. He wasn't drunk, that was for sure. Kaeya could handle a lot more than 3 drinks. So why?
This is what Diluc was worried about.
This was why he went to Klee earlier.
Klee was one who could always make Kaeya smile. She even coaxed his real one out once in a while. After spending time with her the Captain seemed lighter, more energetic. Happier.
Diluc went to a seven year old for advice.
"Just tell him you love him." She said like it was obvious, kicking her feet behind, focusing on her crayon drawing in front.
"It's not that simple!" He tried to argue.
Arguing with a child. This was how stubborn he was.
"Yes it is!" She looked up. Even more defiance in her red eyes than in his. "You old people always make things more complicated!! Klee knows it makes everything better when you just say what you mean! Dodoco agrees."
She stood up hand on hip and held out her stuffed toy. "He says yes. Weird grownups always make it harder than it is! Big Brother said so!"
"Did he..."
"Yup!" She plopped back down on the floor grabbing a red crayon. "And he knows everything."
"Hmm... Have you-- done this before?"
"Has Klee done what?"
"Told Kaeya you loved him."
"Yup!! And he smiled and laughed and brought me fish blasting!"
"I-- okay."
"If you're going to try take me too!"
"Take you... Where?"
"Fish blasting!"
"Ah, ok."
"...."
"Thank you Klee. D- Don't-- tell anyone about this, okay?"
"Ooh! It's a secret! Klee loves secrets! Klee won't tell. Dodoco won't either so no one knows!!"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome!!! Do you like this picture?"
She held out the paper. On it was drawn a figure with blue hair and an eyepatch, obviously Kaeya, who was smiling wide. Next to him was Klee who had Dodoco in her hand. And next to her was...
"Is that me?" He pointed to a frowning figure with red hair, his arms crossed, standing next to Kaeya.
"Yup! It's me, Dodoco, Big Brother Kaeya, and you going fish blasting tomorrow cause you're going to tell him you love him!"
"I am?"
"Haven't you been listening to Klee?! Of course you are! Then he'll smile and be happy like you said you wanted!"
"I don't think it will work."
"If it doesn't Klee will do it after. And Dodoco! Master Jean says it's a-- a fail-- uh."
"Failsafe?"
"Yep!!"
"Okay..."
"Yay!!! Weird grownup agreed!!!"
"My name is Diluc you know."
"I know."
"Then why--?"
She grabbed another paper from the pile and grabbed the almost completely depleted dark blue crayon. "You keep that one to remind you to do it. I'll draw another one for me and Dodoco."
".... Thank you.... Goodbye then Klee."
"Byeee!! See you later to go fish blasting! But don't tell Jean! She'll lock me up."
Diluc left wondering what in the world fish blasting was and why it warranted the Grand Master to lock up a little kid.
__________________
He called for everyone to leave, trying not to wake Kaeya. After searching upstairs, to make sure there was no one left, he started wiping down tables and chairs, giving Kaeya more time to rest, not to procrastinate, of course not.
He wasn't scared to say it, it was the truth, he loved Kaeya. He was worried and if this would help he'd do it. The problem was he doubted it would help. He knew Kaeya would laugh it off or insult him.
Or get mad. Tell Diluc he doesn't have the right, which was true, and say he didn't, and never did, love him back.
Diluc used to be able to say he loved his brother, easy as taking a step on a flat path. Now it felt as though the road was rocky and sloped steeply up. As though his legs were broken and the air was too thin.
"Are you going to throw me out or leave me here all night?"
"Kaeya, you're awake."
"I never fell asleep."
"Oh... I thought you did. I-- I was giving you some time to rest."
"How kind of you. Well I guess I'll be going then." He downed the rest of his lukewarm drink and stood up, walking towards the exit.
"Wait!"
"Hmm? Going to berate me?"
"I-- no, why would I?"
"I don't know, because I'm here an hour past closing time or because I'm an inefficient knight or because you hate me? All of them sound like plausible reasons to yell at me."
Diluc stared open mouthed at the Cavalry Captain.
'Hate him? He thinks I hate him?! What--'
"If you're just going to gawk at me I'll take my leave now, thank you very much."
He opened the door, the click making Diluc jerk forward.
"I love you!"
He hadn't meant to say that right away. He meant to ask Kaeya to come back in, ask if they could talk. And yet his mouth never obeys his mind.
Kaeya had stopped cold at the exclamation, back still turned. "...What?"
Couldn't turn back now. "I-- I love you Kaeya."
Silence. then, "who put you up to this?"
"I-- what? No one."
"It was Jean wasn't it. She saw I was more tired than usual and she somehow convinced you to say that."
"No, Kaeya! I mean it!"
"STOP LYING!!" He took a breath that shook his entire frame. "--I know you don't mean it and I know it will just hurt both of us so please, shut up."
"I don't hate you!"
Kaeya didn't answer but his back continued to shake. In anger probably.
"I-- Kaeya, I don't hate you, I never have, I promise. I just want to see you happy! I-- I never meant--"
The door closed.
"Kaeya?"
"..." He turned from the exit.
"Kae!? Why are you crying?!" He rushed forward to try to comfort his younger brother.
"...Is this a joke?"
"What?! No! Of course not!"
"... promise." His voice was small and shaky, and he stared straight into Diluc's eyes.
"Yes." Diluc pulled him into a hug and squeezed tight. Kaeya broke down in his arms, a myriad of sorrys flying from his mouth.
"Don't apologize, if it's anyone's fault it's mine."
"But--I--I" he sobbed again, clinging to Diluc.
"Shhhh, I've got you."
Eventually they sat and fell asleep, leaning on each other, Kaeya curled up in Diluc's arms, warmth radiating from the pyro Allogen. And for the first time in years he slept deeply knowing his big brother would be there to protect him.
"Night Kae, I love you."
"...goodnight 'Luc--
--I love you too."
***************
Kaeya blinked, eye blurry from sleep. He felt a weight on his head pressing it down, his own head was resting on something warm and a black coat was wrapped around his shoulders. A black, tasseled coat.
He stared around at the tavern, he was sitting at the front next to the door and, if he twisted just right, he could see....
Bright red hair.
Everything came flowing back making his throat burn and he turned his head into Diluc's shoulder, getting it wet.
"Mm...Kae? What's wrong?"
Diluc stroked his hair, voice rough from sleep, head still leaning on his.
"N-nothing."
Diluc held him close, warmth spreading through his body as his older brother made his vision pulse brighter.
They sat in silence until Kaeya reluctantly pulled back. Immediately grieving the loss of heat and the safety of his brother's arms.
"... What time is it?"
"I don't know," Diluc yawned, sitting up straight. "Late."
"I have work."
"Hmm? No, we have something else to do."
"Uhh..."
"Don't just stare at me" Diluc stood and stretched. "Go get some new clothes on, meet me outside the city, don't stop to eat. I'll take care of Jean for you."
"... Why?"
Diluc grinned. "I have a promise to fulfill."
Kaeya didn't get anything else out of his brother and eventually agreed. Changed quickly and locked his door before hurrying past Good Hunter to get to the end of the bridge.
He stood alone for almost five minutes. Getting weird looks from the guards and glares from the little boy who always seemed to be there.
He was starting to wonder if Diluc would actually come when he saw two figures walking to the gate. Both started running as they passed onto the bridge and arrived laughing.
"Big Brother Kaeya!!!" Klee threw herself at him and he picked her up spinning her around.
Diluc ruffled his hair as Kaeya stared in awe at the normally stoic face grinning so wide.
"What's this about!?" Kaeya helped Klee climb onto his shoulders, ignoring the odd looks the guards in the distance gave the two men who usually seemed to hate each other
"Let's get going. We'll tell you on the way." Diluc started walking down the path. "Klee how about you tell him?"
"Ok! So Weird Grownup came to Klee yesterday while Klee and Dodoco were coloring and asked me how to make you happy!"
"How to make me happy?" Kaeya glanced at Diluc who raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, now let her finish."
"Okay, okay, continue."
"So Klee said that he should tell you he loves you and then--"
"So someone did put you up to this."
"I-- I... Well yeah ... I guess-- but I meant it!"
"I know I know." Kaeya laughed and Diluc joined in.
"I'm almost done then you guys can laugh!" She tried to close his mouth by placing her hands over it, stifling the laughter. "So Klee told him about the story when I told you I love you and you took me fish blasting and you were happy. And he promised to tell you he loves you and I gave him a picture to remember!!" She took a deep breath before asking, "are you happy Kaeya?"
Kaeya looked again at Diluc who smiled then down at the little girl who squirmed out of his grip to walk next to the adults. "...Yeah. I think I am."
"Here." Diluc handed a folded up piece of paper to Kaeya, who opened it slowly. Then burst out laughing.
"Is that Diluc?!!"
"Do you not like it?" Klee stopped walking and frowned, eyes filling with tears.
"Of course I like it. Very accurate." He pulled Klee into a hug. She giggled then broke through his grasp when she saw a sparkling blue lake.
"We're here!!!" She ran to the water, jumping up and down in excitement.
"What's fish blasting?" Diluc whispered in his ear, eyeing the water.
"It's--" he was interrupted by a huge boom as Klee threw one of her 'creations' into the pond. She emerged from the wave of water soaked, spluttering, and holding two perfectly cooked fish.
"...oh" Diluc stared at the little girl. Half in awe, half in something near terror. "That's why Jean would lock her up..."
Kaeya snorted. "What did you think 'fish blasting' was? Kinda obvious if you actually ponder on it." He took a fish from Klee and started to de-skin it.
"Here you go Mister Diluc!" She handed him the other than ran off to collect the ones floating in the surface of the lake. She was a surprisingly good swimmer.
"She called me Diluc...."
"Hmm?" Kaeya was already done with half his fish, sitting on the damp grass. "Are you going to eat or can I have yours?"
"I'll eat it! It's just... Not very good for the ecosystem is it..."
"No one cares about the ecosystem except you and Jean."
"Sounds about right."
_________________
Klee watched from the other side of the pond as the two laughed and talked. They seemed to forget about her and she hid so they couldn't see her.
After finishing the fish Big Brother Kaeya leaned his head on Mister Diluc's shoulder and both of them fell asleep.
Klee was happy. She hadn't seen Big Brother Kaeya this happy-- ever. She'd have to study Mister Diluc and see if it was something specific and if she could replicate it so she could help Kaeya too.
Maybe she could even get Albedo to dye her hair red!
THE END