Chapter Text
... oOo ...
Kaeya glared at the head that weaved through the grapevines, occasionally stopping to talk with an employee or two. Diluc had been weaving through the vines all morning, coming extremely close to the tree house on several occasions, but refusing to climb up to visit.
It was the second day that Klee had dragged him up to the tree house that week. It was also the second day Kaeya had specifically sent Diluc a message telling him to come visit.
“What’s wrong, Big Brother Kaeya?” Klee asked, suddenly appearing next to him and peeking in the same direction curiously before gasping. “Is that Mister Diluc?”
“Unfortunately,” Kaeya muttered halfheartedly.
Klee looked between Kaeya and Diluc’s red hair that seemed to be heading back to the manor.
“Is he not coming to visit?” Klee asked with wide eyes. “Do we need to kidnap Mister Diluc for him to come visit?”
Kaeya startled.
When had Klee heard of kidnapping people? Who was the terrible influence that had taught innocent Klee such things???
“I remember! I remember! I distract Miss Adelinde. You kidnap Mister Diluc,” Klee added eagerly.
Kaeya resolutely ignored the urge to groan into his hands. While that was possibly the worst plan he had heard, it was also not a plan Klee would have come up with.
“How about we go ask Miss Adelinde if Dlluc is busy first?” Kaeya suggested instead. ‘If he’s too busy, like Jean sometimes is, then we might not want to bother him.”
Klee nodded eagerly and raced towards the ladder.
“Slow down, Klee,” Kaeya called but Klee had already disappeared between the grapevines. ‘No one’s going anywhere!”
“Miss Adelinde!” Klee called as soon as she had slipped through the double doors.
“Klee, Master Kaeya. Is there anything you need? I’ve been baking some cookies to take back with you.”
“Can I help make the rest?” Klee asked, stars glinting in her eyes and mission completely forgotten.
Adelinde laughed, agreeing immediately.
“Is Diluc busy? We were hoping to get him to join us for a bit,” Kaeya asked.
Adelinde immediately looked apologetic.
“If I had known you were waiting for him, I would have stalled Master Diluc. I’m afraid he’s just left for the city.”
… or, Diluc was going somewhere apparently.
… oOo …
Kaeya had to seriously consider if Diluc was somehow avoiding him or if just barely missing Diluc on so many occasions was just a terrible case of bad luck.
If it was the latter, Kaeya really wanted a refund. He had seen Diluc more often when they weren’t on speaking terms than he had in the last week, when Kaeya was literally in his backyard.
Diluc hadn’t even taken up his usual shifts at the tavern. The fact that the reports of cleared out camps around Mondstadt still streamed to his desk was the only reason Kaeya believed Diluc was still in Mondstadt at all.
It might honestly have been easier to just believe that Diluc was on a business trip in a different Nation. It certainly would have been less frustrating than being constantly told by Adelinde, Charles, and Connor that Diluc had just left and that they would pass a message along the next time they saw him.
Diluc either wasn’t getting the messages Kaeya ended up leaving for him. Or, Diluc was just straight up ignoring them. Kaeya wasn’t sure which was worse.
“Did Klee do something wrong? Is that why Mister Diluc doesn’t want to see us?” Klee asked with a whine a week later. “Klee promises not to fish blast in the lake anymore.”
“No, he’s just been really busy. He’ll join us tomorrow, Klee,” Kaeya promised.
And Diluc would join them the next day. One way or the other, Kaeya would make sure of it.
… oOo …
It truly was strange seeing Diluc asleep. Not that Kaeya believed Diluc never slept, but because Diluc was always so alert. Kaeya remembered when, as children and later teenagers, Diluc was frequently woken by the sound of Kaeya carefully pushing his door open. Kaeya had woken on those days in Diluc’s careful and welcomingly warm embrace with Diluc yet again stirring almost as soon as he had.
Yes, Kaeya had been unusually careful with entering Diluc’s bedroom quietly, but Diluc had also caught Venti rustling in the bushes outside the manor frequently enough. He had fully expected to find Diluc staring at him once he had stepped through the door.
Instead, he’d been greeted with Diluc’s soft and sleep-laden exhales. Kaeya almost felt guilty about ambushing Diluc as soon as he woke up if he really was this exhausted.
The only things that truly held his guilt at bay was the fact that Diluc was
still
doing his nightly patrols
despite
running himself ragged during the day, and the fact that Adelinde had very nearly begged Kaeya to get Diluc away from his work for
one
day. His promise to Klee also bounced around his mind.
So, Kaeya sat himself on the edge of the bed furthest from Diluc, so he would feel it if Diluc so much as shifted on the bed but disturb him as little as possible.
Kaeya didn’t realise when he fell asleep. He woke to a warm blanket being pulled up around him. His pokey jacket and accessories had been removed at some point prior.
“Diluc?”
“If you’re going to sleep, at least wrap yourself in a blanket or two,” Diluc grumbled tiredly, stepping away from the bed.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Urgh, just go back to sleep, Kaeya.” Diluc shot Kaeya an extremely grumpy look when Kaeya tried to argue, which wasn’t helped by his open and messy hair. “I’m going to the bathroom. The sun isn’t anywhere near up yet. I refuse to wake up for anything, including the Winery burning down, until the sun is completely up.”
Kaeya held his tongue about the fact that Diluc was awake enough to apparently tuck Kaeya in. Diluc was spiteful enough to not return if he said anything.
It was mere minutes when Diluc returned to his side of the bed and sank into the blankets with a groan.
“Why are you here this early anyway?” Diluc mumbled into the blankets sleepily.
“You’re avoiding me and the tree house,” Kaeya muttered in response, curling closer to Diluc’s warmth that seemed to just suck him in.
Diluc’s even breaths answered him. Kaeya yawned, relaxing into the comforting warmth.
… oOo …
“If he kidnapped you, how is Big Brother Kaeya asleep?” Klee’s whisper broke through Kaeya’s dream.
“I made it very difficult for him,” Diluc whispered back. “Kicking and screaming. He was so tired by the time he dragged me up here that he fell asleep.”
“Woah! He really is the Master Thief!”
“Of course I am.” Kaeya yawned, blinking awake. He sat bolt upright when he realised they weren’t in Diluc’s room anymore. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows and leaves.
“Big Brother Kaeya, you’re awake!” Klee exclaimed. “ And you got Mister Diluc into the tree house!”
Kaeya paused. He didn’t even know how he got himself into the tree house, and he supposedly dragged Diluc ‘kicking and screaming’ with him?
… Just who was kidnapping who here?
“Of course,” Kaeya said instead, narrowing his eyes at the innocent-looking Diluc. “I did promise, didn’t I?”
Klee cheered.
“You’re the best!”