Chapter Text
Kaeya had several questions.
First, he might as well address the elephant in the room, why was he stuck in the body of a child?
Kaeya mulls over this singular question several times throughout his day. Even now, as Adelinde tries to convince him to play, Kaeya thinks about how he could have possibly landed in these circumstances. The last he remembered, he’d had his heart pierced by a spearhead, caught by surprise in the heat of battle. Kaeya could recall the exact moment he took his last breath. He’d felt the grass curl between his fingertips, his chest rattle, and his heart scream with painful agony. He’d died with his eye staring up at the sky.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he’d blinked. He came back into existence, turned his head, and realized he’d somehow teleported into a room at the Dawn Winery. Diluc had been fast asleep at his side, holding tight onto his hand, and then Adelinde had walked in with a platter of sandwiches.
Kaeya could recall her image in his mind’s view. She laid her eyes upon Kaeya’s waking form, and loosened her grip until ceramic shattered across wooden panels. Diluc had woken up with an abrupt jolt. He twisted in his chair, glared at the source of the noise, pausing only when he noticed Adelinde’s shaky gaze. He followed her stare to Kaeya’s form, and then he mentally checked out. Frozen in the construct called time.
Before Kaeya knew it, Diluc was lunging for him, wrapping his arms around him, calling him sweetheart, and holding Kaeya close to his heart.
Sweetheart.
Kaeya can’t recall having such a nickname.
It’s probably because he’s not in his world anymore.
Kaeya isn’t a fool. He’s aware that the world is filled with phenomenons that can make dead people walk again. He also knew of gods that could render civilizations in half. He originated from such a civilization. Waking up in a different world was not outside the realm of possibility. Kaeya only needed to look at the traveler for instance. Aether was not of their world, and that much was made clear by his strange abilities. Kaeya could only assume that he, like Aether, had somehow managed to pop between planes of existence.
“Why don’t you go looking for buried treasure? I know you love to pretend you’re a treasure hunter,” Adelinde’s voice draws him back into the present. “You should try to do something that might bring your energy back.”
Kaeya opens his mouth to respond, even though he had no plan, but then pauses when reality hits him.
Here was Kaeya’s second question; Why was he, a man who couldn’t keep his mouth shut, mute?
Apparently, it wasn’t normal, because the servants worked hard to get Kaeya to speak. It’d been a new development. He’d once been a talkative child - if maid gossip was to be believed. Kaeya would love to prove them correct by whipping out his usual charm, but he genuinely could not get his throat to work. His body was not cooperative.
Kaeya shuts his mouth in frustration. His brows pinch together. For a moment, he truly contemplates Adelinde’s suggestion, and thinks about entertaining her request. However, he felt no motivation to be active, and it probably had something to do with his third question.
Why am I always so sleepy?
Kaeya found himself in strange positions throughout the day. One moment, he’d be strolling along thoughtfully, and then, in the next, he’d wake up with his cheek squished against the dirt. He was constantly exhausted. Kaeya felt as if he couldn’t get enough sleep. His body was never satisfied with a full night’s rest. He needed to take spontaneous naps throughout the day. If he didn’t, he’d get moody, and then he’d collapse against his will.
It wasn’t fun.
Kaeya had always been a good investigator. He trusted in his own abilities of deduction. He knew that, if he put his mind to it, he’d be able to find some clue as to how he’d ended up like this. He just couldn’t put his abilities to use when he was always drowsy. It was torture. Pure, unadulterated, torture.
Kaeya didn’t want to do what Adelinde suggested he should do because he wanted to go to bed. He’d rather lay down in the middle of the vineyard, and drift away into a haze of lazy dreams. He had no motivation to go ‘treasure-hunting.’ He imagined that any treasure-hunting would yield cheap results. He had no doubt that the servants planted treasure boxes around the property just for his sake. The contents of said treasure boxes probably didn’t involve mystic enchantment ore, or semi-rare weapons unavailable via local blacksmith. He’d probably only end up finding little trinkets gathered up by the servants.
Kaeya sighs out of his nose. His head bobs in a droopy manner. He does his best to suppress an incoming yawn. It’s not the most comfortable thing to subdue.
Adelinde didn’t seem to like whatever he was doing. “No, no, no, Kaeya. You mustn’t fall asleep. We have to try to get your energy back. Right? Don’t you want to play?”
Kaeya doesn’t answer because he is incapable of it. He lazily lifts his head to consider the head maid, and then looks off at the vineyard with hooded eyes.
His environment shifts when two hands pluck him up off the ground. Kaeya moves onto his fourth question.
Why is Diluc treating me like we’re best buddies?
He imagined the past must be different between the two of them in this world. Diluc was much older than Kaeya remembered him being at… his current body's age. He had no problem carrying Kaeya around as if he were delicate cargo.
Kaeya only had recollection of Diluc handling him like a sack of potatoes. Kaeya had once sprained his ankle defending Mondstadt’s walls, and Diluc had thrown Kaeya over his shoulder with disdain. Saying something like, “You’re problematic. I shouldn’t have to carry you back to the cathedral.”
“Master Diluc! You’re back early!”
Kaeya feels Diluc guide his head by gently cupping the back of his skull. He encourages Kaeya to rest his cheek on his shoulder.
“I wanted to see how Kaeya was doing. How is his condition?”
Adelinde sighs. She places her hands on her hips, and then shakes her head sadly. “I’m afraid not much has changed. I haven’t been able to convince Kaeya to do much of anything. I fear whatever happened to him must have affected him detrimentally.”
“I see. I don’t suppose Barbara has stopped by, yet?”
“No, sir.”
“Hm.” Diluc rubs a hand in between Kaeya’s shoulder blades. Kaeya doesn’t know what to think about the affection. Kaeya had never been treated so… warmly. Diluc was the last person on his list to carry him and- and- rub his back.
Ah, but Kaeya was so tired, and he couldn’t do much to protest. Diluc’s magic hands were lulling him back into a tranceful sleep. He just hoped he didn’t drool this time.
“Knowing Kaeya, though,” Adelinde’s voice floats in the background, “I’m sure he’s going to get better. He’s always been a tough one. Stubborn, too.”
“Don’t I know it,” Diluc says.
It’s all Kaeya hears before he drifts off into dreamland.
Kaeya makes a startling realization that Diluc is not his older brother in this world. At first, he had thought that to be the case, what with his own experience. However, when he accompanied Diluc to Mondstadt, he encountered a curious question.
Sara, the waitress at Good Hunter, asked, “Kaeya! I bet you were the one who convinced your dad to come here, huh? I rarely see him anymore!”
Dad.
Kaeya mentally blanks.
“Actually, this was my idea,” Diluc pipes. “I thought that Kaeya could use some cheering up. He’s been rather down lately. You know, after the, uh, incident.”
Sara blinks her violet eyes. She covers her lips with a hand, and then makes a small, “Oh. I’m sorry. I thought that maybe things have improved since then and-”
“It’s fine,” Diluc says. “I take it that you have Fisherman’s Toast in stock?”
Sara brightens. She claps her hands together. “Always! It’s a signature dish, you know?”
“Wonderful,” Diluc says. “I’ll just have a chicken-mushroom skewer for myself. How much will that amount to?”
Sara waves her hand in dismissal. “It’s my treat! I need to thank you for all that you do for Mondstadt! We wouldn’t be as peaceful as we are now if you weren’t around!”
“Ah-” Diluc squeezes Kaeya’s hand in his own. “It's not just me. I don’t do it on my own. You have the Knights of Favonius to thank as a whole."
“Who all happen to follow your orders,” Sara reminds.
Kaeya thought he couldn’t have any more surprises, but Sara goes ahead and pulls the double-whammy.
Diluc? A member of the Knights of Favonius? It was unthinkable. In addition, if Kaeya were to properly mull over Sara’s words, was she saying that Diluc was the grand ma-
Kaeya feels Diluc tug his hand gently. He nearly trips over his feet to follow Diluc to a table. Diluc pauses briefly only to make sure Kaeya hadn’t hurt himself.
Kaeya sits down silently with hundreds of questions in his mind. Unfortunately, much to his frustration, he knew he wouldn’t be able to ask anything.
Kaeya frowns to himself. While being mute had its own pros, like not raising suspicion, it was aggravating. He couldn’t make the usual quips, he couldn’t ask questions, and he couldn’t make any comments. He was stuck.
“Grand Master Diluc!”
Kaeya spots Amber waving her hands up in the air excitedly. She jogs over to their table, rests her hands on her hips, and then smiles.
“I didn’t know you’d be in town today! I thought you’d taken the day off!” She gives Kaeya a warm look. “I see you’ve brought your son along! I haven’t seen him in a while. It sure is a rare sight! I guess that’s what happens when you have a super over-protective dad.”
Kaeya stares up at Amber. He felt… odd. Amber was his junior. Now? Now, in a strange twist of fate, she was his senior. Kaeya wasn’t sure what to think of that.
Diluc gives Amber a blank look. “You don’t have to call me Grand Master when I’m off-duty. I’d prefer if you just used my name.”
“Oh, of course, my apologies!” Amber scratches the back of her head. “I guess I just got too excited. It’s hard to think of you as a normal person sometimes.”
“Huh?” Diluc furrows his brows. “What does that mean?”
Amber puckers her lips in thought. Her eyebrows pinch together. “I mean, you’re kind of, I don’t know, unreachable? In a dignified, cool, way!”
Kaeya watches their exchange mutely even as Sara sets down a plate in front of him. It takes him a moment to tear his eyes away from the conversation, and to look down at his delectable Fisherman’s Toast. With some glee, Kaeya delicately lifts the toast up, and then takes a big bite out of it.
I see some things don’t change.
“-uess we just need to spend more time together outside the field!”
“No,” Diluc deadpans.
“What? Why not?”
“I don’t always have free time, and when I do, well, do I have to explain it to you?”
Amber glances at Kaeya.
“Oh,” she realizes. “You’re a family-man! I totally forgot! Hey, tell me, is it true? Are you really a push-over for your son?”
“What? Where did you hear that?”
“Gossip at the cathedral!”
“They don’t gossip at the cathedral ,” Diluc states assertively.
“You’d be surprised! I hear all kinds of things!”
“I’m not a pushover. I-” Diluc pauses when he glances at Kaeya. Adopting a frown, he reaches forward, and uses a napkin to clean Kaeya’s face off. Kaeya endures the treatment with some confusion. “I just do what I have to as a guardian.”
Diluc withdraws with the napkin. Kaeya takes another bite out of his toast, pretends he didn’t just have his face cleaned, and mulls over Diluc’s words.
Could it be, despite what everyone was saying, that Kaeya was not Diluc’s son? Diluc’s words seemed to insinuate such. He might not have denied anyone’s claims, but he also hadn’t done anything to affirm them. He hadn’t called himself a father, or a parent, but, rather, he referred to himself as a guardian.
“Right,” Amber says with a skeptical look. “Sure.”
“Don’t you have better things to do? What gives you the right to slack off?” Diluc huffs.
Amber adopts a sheepish look.
Kaeya finds it charming. He smiles. Amber, despite being somewhat of a ditz, was always a refreshing person to be with. She was honest to a fault, and genuine in almost everything she did. Kaeya liked that about her.
His smile draws attention because Kaeya looks up to catch Diluc staring. Amber, likewise, is looking at Kaeya with a smile of her own.
“Cute!” She laughs. “I like it when you smile, Kaeya!”
Amber rounds the table to rough up his hair.
Kaeya pulls away with a silent squawk.
What gives you the right!?
Kaeya is surprised with how natural it feels to be on Diluc’s back.
With his cheek pressed against his so-called ‘father’s’ back, Kaeya watches the world around them change, ranging from Barbatos’ statue, a plethora of stairs, stone walls, and tidy buildings. It was clear that Diluc didn’t have a clear destination in mind. After they ate at Good Hunter, Kaeya had drowsily hopped onto Diluc’s back, and then Diluc took it upon himself to stroll around town. He didn’t say much, not unless he wanted Kaeya to do something for him, like give him a sign that he was still awake.
Diluc gives a few greetings to the people they pass. He stops for a couple of them, only if he feels interested enough in small talk, and then bids his farewells. Kaeya dozes off a couple of times during the exchanges, but he eventually rears back to waking.
“Eula,” Diluc calls.
Eula, an elegant looking woman, with blue hair the color of frost, addresses Diluc respectfully in return. Kaeya listens to them speak for a couple of seconds, wondering how Diluc was strong enough to hold him for this long, before he decides he wants to get down. He wiggles on Diluc’s back in a silent request, let me down, and eventually, after enough fussing, Diluc gives in. He squats down, waits for Kaeya to jump off of his back, and then gets back up to compose himself.
Kaeya glances around the area to find that they were not exactly in the nice part of Mondstadt.
“I see,” Diluc says. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
Kaeya blinks. What did I miss? He grabs a hold of Diluc’s pants.
“It would be wise,” Eula agrees. “It’d be unfortunate if you died before I could get my revenge on you.”
“I’m not going to die. Hilichurls are hardly a challenge.”
“It’s different if you’re protecting someone else,” Eula says. “Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll kneel down before you leave. It’s disrespectful to act so familiar.”
“I’m not going to kneel down.”
“What? How crude!” Eula coldly remarks. “I’m going to have to teach you a proper lesson!”
Kaeya still didn’t know what they were talking about, but it was nice to see Eula’s personality was intact. He wonders if, in this world, her family was still at odds with the Knights of Favonius. In fact, now that he thinks about it, he was curious to know if the Fatui were hanging around. He couldn’t seem to recall seeing any on their leisure stroll around the city.
Diluc’s hand captures Kaeya’s. He leads him towards the direction of the front entrance, waving a lazy hand for Eula’s sake. “I’ll see you later."
Eula makes half-hearted complaints as Diluc leaves in the opposite direction. Kaeya glances back to see her folding her arms, looking off at them with a flash of fondness.
Kaeya can’t remember Diluc having this many friends.
Regardless, Kaeya thinks it’s a good thing, because even if they had once been at odds, Diluc deserved to have friends. Kaeya worried about him sometimes. He’d never admit that out loud, but Diluc had always been a focus of concern. He just seemed… so lonely sometimes… and Kaeya knew it was his fault.
It isn’t long before they’re headed back to the Dawn Winery. Diluc keeps Kaeya close to his side as they travel back, once more caught in a bout of silence.
I'm in a new world now.
Kaeya looks off at the horizon. A breeze runs through his hair, and caresses his pale cheeks.
It seemed he would have to adjust.