Work Text:
On the rare days Diluc Ragnvindr considered himself a brother at all, he wouldn’t exactly say he was a good one.
When it came to being a future brother-in-law even less so, which is exactly why it took him by surprise when Albedo came knocking on his door that day, looking frantic.
‘What—’
‘It’s Kaeya.’ Albedo brought out, still trying to catch his breath. It was almost as if he’d run here all the way from Dragonspine, the wet spots on his clothes looking suspiciously much like those caused by melted snow.
At the mention of Kaeya’s name, Diluc tensed.
‘He’s-…he’s in trouble, we have to-…’
‘Slow down.’ Diluc spoke, sounding much calmer than he felt. ‘Come inside for a moment, then we can discuss what that idiot has gotten himself into now.’
‘There’s no time.’ Albedo argued. ‘He was supposed to come visit me on Dragonspine today, but a severe avalanche hit and I-…I don’t know if he’s-…’
Diluc sucked in a sharp breath, blood running cold.
‘You don’t know if he was caught in it or not.’
‘The affected area is close to the lab.’ the other explained. ‘If Kaeya was indeed on his way during that time, then it’s almost inevitable he got caught up in it.’
‘Why didn’t you go and search for him then?’ Diluc huffed, almost sounding a bit snappy. ‘Why did you waste time in coming here?’
He was already putting on his coat at that point, determined to find that idiot as soon as possible. Why was it that without someone there to keep him out of trouble, Kaeya would always get himself caught up in the most ridiculous situations?
‘I wanted to.’ Albedo argued, impatiently moving from one foot to the other as he waited. ‘I tried to, but the area is way too big for just one person. I already sent a messenger bird to Mondstadt as well, but who knows how long that’ll take. I told the handful of people at the camp at the foot of the mountain, but they’re all without a vision. Other than that, Dawn Winery was closest. I didn’t know what else to do.’
‘Never mind that.’ Diluc growled, before turning his back on the other man.
‘Adelinde!’ he yelled, waiting a few seconds for the maid to come scurrying his way. ‘Tell the others to set up a search party. Kaeya’s gone missing on Dragonspine.’
As expected, Adelinde went to work right away, doing her best to contact as many people as possible. Content with her reaction, Diluc turned back to face Albedo.
‘If he dies on that godforsaken mountain, I’m blaming you.’ he spoke, striding past the him in the direction of Dragonspine. There wasn’t any time to waste, let alone by acting all nice and polite. He’d apologize for his behaviour after finding Kaeya.
‘So will I.’ Albedo agreed, before walking after him.
Diluc knew it was ridiculous and unfair to blame his brother’s lover for him getting caught in a natural disaster, though he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter. If only Albedo hadn’t set up camp on a snow-covered mountain, staying safely inside the city like any sane person would, none of this would have happened. Or maybe if Kaeya hadn’t decided to date some crazed alchemist-…
Of course if Kaeya had indeed decided not to date said alchemist, he’d still be a drunk and depressed heap in the tavern every night. Even if in that case an avalanche hadn’t killed him, something else would have.
‘Do you know what his last location was before the avalanche hit?’ Diluc asked, making an effort to sound less hostile this time.
‘Not exactly.’ Albedo spoke. ‘But I can narrow it down quite a bit if I base it on his usual route.’
Diluc nodded, all the while walking as fast as his legs would carry him. It was tempting to start running instead, but he’d be out of breath by the time they’d even reach the foot of mountain, the sheer cold not helping either. He needed to preserve his energy enough so that he could burn down the entirety of Dragonspine if he had to.
‘This way.’ Albedo told him, rushing towards one of the narrow paths, and Diluc followed.
As snow started to become a more common sight, he couldn’t stop his heart from hammering inside his chest, the anxiety about what they would find rising high.
‘Stop walking for a moment and take a few deep breaths.’ Albedo told him, sounding stern.
‘We haven’t got the time.’ Diluc hissed.
‘We do.’ Albedo argued, faltering in his step. ‘We do for this. You’re melting the snow with your footsteps. If we go on like this, you might just cause another avalanche.’
As much as he hated it, the other had a point. He was letting his frustration get the best of him, allowing emotions to control his vision’s powers.
Diluc took a few deep breaths, trying to get himself to focus, then looked at Albedo. ‘Can we go now?’
‘Just be careful.’ Albedo told him as he continued walking. ‘You’re not the only one that’s worried about him, you know.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Diluc spoke, and meant it. He’d gotten ahead of himself, doing more bad than good by getting this worked up. All he wanted was for Kaeya to be alive, and here he was taking out his frustrations on someone who wanted the exact same thing.
The rest of their walk was spent in complete silence, save for the one time Diluc made the mistake of calling out Kaeya’s name, earning him a glare from Albedo.
Right. Yelling on snowy mountains with threats of avalanches was…probably not his best idea.
Once they reached the affected area, the two of them got to work by shovelling snow and keeping an eye out for anything that so much as resembled Kaeya. Some of the people from the Adventurer’s Guild had already begun searching as well, but much like Albedo had anticipated, it was a slow process for those without a vision.
Until help arrived though, this method of searching was the only thing they could do.
Diluc was particularly grateful for his own Pyro vision in that moment, able to melt away snow with his bare hands. He didn’t care about the way they turned blue from the harsh weather conditions, he’d warm them up once they found Kaeya.
Albedo’s own Geo vision turned out to be surprisingly useful as well, using his familiar flower lift as a makeshift shovel to quickly lift up big heaps of snow.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll find him.’ one of the adventurers tried to comfort them, though his reassuring smile turned awkward when he felt Diluc’s glare burning into him. ‘I-I mean…he’s got a Cryo vision, surely that’s a good sign in terms of how well he can handle the cold…?’
‘I wouldn’t count on it.’ an all too familiar voice sounded from behind him only a moment later.
‘Rosaria.’ Diluc stated, only looking at her briefly before he continued shovelling snow. He couldn’t let anyone’s arrival distract him.
‘Cryo visions only help in making you cool off even faster.’ Rosaria told the well-meaning adventurer, before kneeling down next to Diluc to start shovelling as well.
He didn’t miss the way she observed him for a few seconds, almost as if trying to read his mind.
‘What, surprised to see me here?’
‘On the contrary.’ she answered. ‘I’m impressed the mountain is still standing.’
As if on cue, she froze over the entire layer of snow they were currently working on, turning it to ice instead. With just a simple push of her hand, the layer got shoved aside, effectively clearing a good chunk of the area.
‘Are you trying to get him decapitated by shards of ice?’ Diluc snarled, unimpressed by her showing off.
In response, Rosaria chucked a piece of ice against his coat, causing it to shatter immediately.
‘It’s not strong enough to do that.’ she told him. ‘It’ll shatter the second it even touches him. Now do you want me to help or not?’
‘Will you two shut up and continue searching?’ Albedo snapped at them from just a little further away, startling them both. The alchemist was usually the image of serenity, always managing to stay calm and collect no matter the circumstances. To hear him actually getting upset was strange, and a good eye-opener.
Both Diluc and Rosaria quickly got to work again.
Thankfully, the longer they searched, the more people arrived to help.
A lot of the knights were there, all trying to find their friend, and for once in his life, Diluc didn’t complain about their inefficiency, fearing that by doing so he would jinx their chances at ever rescuing Kaeya.
A whole hour passed by the time someone finally found something.
One of the members of the Adventurer’s Guild frantically started signing for the others to come take a look, and in a matter of mere seconds, Diluc found himself standing in front of her, Albedo and Rosaria close in tow. He hated how hopeful he felt. Hated how, against better judgement, he still believed they’d find Kaeya alive.
‘I-I think…I think he’s-…’ the adventurer stumbled over her words, shakily pointing at a diamond-shaped clasp buried in the snow.
Diluc didn’t give her any time to finish her sentence, dreading the words she intended to speak in the first place. Instead, he got on his knees, melting and shovelling snow as fast as he could.
Albedo and Rosaria joined him immediately, while the other members of their search party gave them their space, knowing full well they’d only get in the way if too many people joined in at once.
‘I swear to the archons, if you went and got yourself killed—’
Only a moment later, an unnaturally pale face peeked out from under the snow.
Diluc let out something akin to a wail, something he’d later deny, and started shovelling impossibly faster.
‘Damn it Kaeya-…’ he hissed, finally capable of pulling the other out of the snow to check for a heartbeat. ‘Don’t you dare—’
With trembling fingers, he tried to feel the other’s wrist for a pulse. When he found none, he moved on to his neck, vision growing blurry.
Kaeya couldn’t be dead.
He couldn’t be.
Wasn’t allowed to be.
Not before—
‘He’s alive.’ Albedo brought out, making Diluc realize the other had checked Kaeya’s breathing in the meantime. ‘…but only just.’
‘Then there’s no time to waste.’ Diluc spoke, hoisting Kaeya up to carry him. Another reason he was glad to be a claymore user. In comparison to his blade, Kaeya wasn’t all that much heavier. ‘We have to get him to a heat source.’
‘The camp.’ Albedo spoke. ‘The camp is close by.’
He didn’t wait for Diluc to give him the okay, stumbling towards the camp to lead the way almost as if in a daze.
Diluc didn’t blame him, hurrying after him in a similar state.
He could faintly hear Rosaria giving orders behind him, from telling people to light more fires, to demanding supplies to be brought to them, though that was about all the attention he had to spare. His main priority right now was getting Kaeya to safety. Getting him to warm up.
‘He needs dry clothes.’ Albedo spoke as they reached the camp, rummaging through drawers and knocking things from shelves. ‘I’ve got some spare ones here that I can change him into. Can you light the fires in the meantime?’
He briefly gestured at the unlit sources of heat, and while Diluc was hesitant to put Kaeya down, he knew he needed to trust Albedo to know what he was doing. The man spent a lot more time on this mountain than any of them, and he cared for Kaeya. Loved him, as Diluc was well aware. If he had to entrust the wellbeing of his brother to anyone but himself, Albedo was the obvious choice.
‘Got it.’ he replied, carefully putting Kaeya down on the bed and getting to work.
He barely even registered the other people occasionally joining them in the cramped space, bringing along heating pads, blankets, and even some potions. Anything that would help in warming Kaeya up and save him from particularly awful fates.
When all the fires were lit, he returned to Kaeya’s bedside frantically. At this point the man was covered in blankets and heating pads from head to toe, yet he still looked equally pale as before. The only noteworthy changes were the short breaths he let out, more noticeable than before at least.
‘He’s-…’
‘Would body heat speed up the process?’ Rosaria asked, snapping him from his thoughts.
‘What…?’
‘Body heat.’ she repeated. ‘You know, like a hug.’
Albedo, who was sitting on the other side of the bed, bit his lip in thought.
‘…most likely, yes.’
For some reason, the two of them then turned to look at Diluc, who looked back and forth between them in confusion.
‘Hold on, why are you-…?’
‘Hugging.’ Rosaria told him, crossing her arms. ‘My body temperature is ridiculously low because of my Cryo vision, and Mr chalk stick here doesn’t even have a heartbeat to speak of. So get to it, master Diluc, and be a good brother for once.’
Rosaria’s words felt like a taunt, above all else. A way of putting him in his place.
‘I’m not hugging him while he’s on the verge of death.’
Simply saying the word was enough to make Diluc feel like he’d been punched in the gut, yet he couldn’t stop his mind from straying in that direction. He’d been hoping to postpone having to acknowledge that miserable fact for a little longer.
‘What, didn’t your mommy teach you how to hug someone?’ Rosaria taunted him further, unaware of his state.
‘My mother died when I was a baby.’
‘I’m not here to talk about your childhood trauma.’ Rosaria snapped at him. ‘You’re the one with a Pyro vision, and his brother on top of that. You’re the best chance he’s got. Now get to hugging before I make you.’
‘I-…’
The pleading look Albedo gave him made his heart ache, and with a defeated sigh, he got under the blankets with him, using his vision to further increase his body heat.
It was awkward and uncomfortable, Kaeya’s body frighteningly cold to the touch despite the layers of clothing Albedo had put on him, but Rosaria had been right by saying this would be their best chance at saving him. Not even the heating pads were capable of withstanding the sheer cold of Dragonspine, cooling off much quicker than usual.
Diluc tried pushing away the fearful thoughts occupying his mind, though in that moment even swallowing a live Cryo slime seemed like an easier task. Being this close to someone on the verge of death made him feel sick to the stomach, especially with that someone being a person he cared so much about.
He didn’t want anyone else dying in his arms. Didn’t want anyone else’s life ebbing away while all he could do was watch helplessly. Especially not the life of the only family he had left. He wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Everyone he cared for always seemed to die before their time, more often than not because of him.
If Kaeya died before they’d had the chance to talk things over, before Diluc had had the chance to apologize, he might as well have killed the other himself. The guilt would be the same, the weight of his actions making him crumble beneath them.
‘Please just-…’ he brought out, unsure of what he was even asking for at this point. A miracle, maybe. He could certainly use one at the moment.
‘Easy there.’ Rosaria spoke, sounding kinder than before. ‘Too much heat at once isn’t healthy for someone with hypothermia either.’
He knew that. He knew that, yet his vision was trying to make up for all the words he couldn’t say by supplying them with more warmth. All the thoughts he couldn’t possibly speak out loud.
What he wouldn’t give for Kaeya to wake up safe and sound again. For him to call him brother again. For this to be nothing more than the late-night mischief they used to get up to as children, their father pretending not to notice the torchlights coming from under their blanket-tent as they read and talked and schemed for hours.
If only this was one of those simpler moments he so treasured, rather than a feeble attempt at keeping the other alive.
‘I’m sorry.’ he brought out, half-choking on a sob he wasn’t entirely able to contain.
Somehow, the anguish he felt in that moment was enough to drown out the embarrassment he’d usually have over breaking down in front of other people.
‘I’m sorry.’ he repeated, holding on to Kaeya just a little tighter. ‘I’m sorry, so just…wake up already…’
His eyes flew to Kaeya’s face when he thought he heard a sound coming from the other man, however faint. It remained completely silent for a few more seconds, before the sound repeated itself, louder this time.
‘…m…too…’
‘Kaeya—’
‘…me…too…’ Kaeya repeated, face contorting into a frustrated expression despite the way his eyes remained shut, the first movement he’d made ever since they’d found him. ‘I’m…sorry…too…’
This time, Diluc was unable to stop tears from rolling down his face.
He didn’t think he even remembered the last time he’d cried, the awful memory buried in a dark corner of his mind, let alone the last time he’d cried tears of joy.
‘Just shut up and focus on getting warm again…’ he murmured, causing Kaeya to let out a shaky laugh.
‘Don’t be so cold, master Diluc.’ Rosaria hummed amusedly. ‘Can’t you see the poor guy is recovering from hypothermia? He needs you to give him a warm welcome back into the land of the living.’
‘You’re never going to let me hear the end of this, are you?’ Diluc huffed, though his hold on Kaeya, who by now was finally starting to move his limbs again, didn’t falter.
‘Not a chance.’
‘S’okay…’ Kaeya murmured with a grin, patting his head in much the same manner as he did when they were children. His other, unoccupied hand was now entwined with Albedo’s, who was clutching it like the other might disappear if he let go. ‘This is kind of nice, isn’t it…? Takes me back to the good old days…’
So Diluc hadn’t been the only one getting sentimental in the face of death, huh?
With a sigh, he gave up trying to defend his dignity, instead opting to appreciate the moment for a little longer. For all he knew, they’d go right back to quarrelling like a bunch of stubborn fools after all this was over.
Though in all honesty, Diluc didn’t think he’d allow for that to happen.
Somehow, he didn’t think Kaeya would allow it either.
Epilogue
‘You do understand I don’t need my brother to escort me to my boyfriend’s camp on Dragonspine, right?’ Kaeya complained as the two of them made their way up the mountain.
‘I just happened to be in the area.’ Diluc argued.
‘You’re worried about me.’ Kaeya stated, amused smirk on his face and all.
‘Most certainly not.’
‘You are!’ Kaeya laughed.
‘Am not.’
‘You are.’
Diluc gave him a warning glare, and Kaeya finally ceased his teasing.
‘Fine, I’ll allow you to accompany me just this once, then.’ he sighed. ‘Barbatos knows you wouldn’t be able to sleep from anxiety if I sent you back now.’
‘Good.’ Diluc mused. ‘I wouldn’t have let you sent me back anyway.’
Diluc wouldn’t deny he much preferred this sort of quarrelling over the hateful and petty arguments they’d had during their falling out. Not even because of the fact he could actually win said quarrels, but simply because of the fact they finally called each other brother again.
And because he could win said quarrels, even if Kaeya liked to claim otherwise.