[Kaeya scoffed in amusement at Diluc's show, taking another drag of the cigarette as he waited for the eventual, true answer. He made his own considering sound.]
You're the one who spent so long just barely tolerating my presence while I more or less brute forced my way back into your life, I hope you remember. Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?
[He even playfully slurped the tea, loudly, while looking over the rim of the mug with a raised eyebrow. Can you tolerate him being a bratty business partner?
Except he wouldn't be bratty, he would take it seriously as much of a greenhorn as he was regarding the actual day to day business. He only remembered so much by this point in time, but he was willing to learn.]
[He shoots Kaeya a deadpan look at that. It's been so long since he moved past simply tolerating the man, and poorly, that the way he chooses to bring it up now verges on jarring. Besides, as much as Kaeya likes to joke around and act the brat he knows full well that he would take business with as much seriousness as he took his work for the Knights.]
You know I had my reasons. Even if they weren't very good ones. [That's something he can at least admit now. Keeping Kaeya at arms length for so long had only served to hurt them both, when the other man's only real crime was poor timing.
Diluc rolls his eyes and takes another drag of his cigarette, sighing out a breath.]
And if I didn't want you to do this with me, I wouldn't have asked. I just don't want you to feel you have to spend so much of your time stuck to my hip if you have other things you want to do.
[He might joke about it later, but it seems he's looking for a serious answer first.]
[Not very good ones at all, but Kaeya wasn't going to dwell on that either. He set the mug down and reclined back on his hand, cigarette back in his mouth. He gave a one sided shrug.]
I don't feel like that at all. My schedule is erratic because of the bounties so having something a bit more consistent would be nice. Besides... [He tilted his head toward Diluc, smiling lightly as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth, putting the rest of it out with a bit of cryo magic.] If you and I hadn't become Knights all those years ago, I imagine this is the thing you and I would be doing by now. Don't you think?
[At the time his reasons had felt perfectly valid and even after they had managed to patch things up with each other he would have still had trouble with admitting that he wasn't justified in how he had reacted that night.
He does see now, though, that it had mostly been the result of a grieving teenager being pushed utterly to his limits by a perceived betrayal of all the values his father had died for.]
Maybe. [Probably. He had always known he would take the winery when his father wanted to retire, though they had both no doubt thought that would be some years in the future when his best years in the Knights were behind him.
He finishes the last of his own cigarette and shakes his head, holding it up for Kaeya to snuff it out as he exhales the smoke.]
[The answer came so easily as Kaeya reached out with frosted fingertips to put out the cigarette with a soft sizzling sound. He took it from Diluc after and set it next to his own.]
When we joined, I only did because you did. I wanted to follow you wherever you went. The Knights hadn't held my attention like they had yours, but I wanted to be with you anyway. It was a risk to join in the first place, but it was a risky choice I was willing to make.
[He leaned back on both hands, looking up at the morning sky as his fox ears twitched lightly.]
You and M-... And Father made me feel warm and safe. I figured it would stay that way even within the Knights, should anyone find out. [He tilted his head in Diluc's direction, one ear tilting down.] Seems like I was right.
I'll still follow you, Diluc. Whether you want me to or not.
[They don't often talk about their time spent in the Knights even now, but Diluc listens quietly while Kaeya speaks. Knowing what he knows now, how much of a risk it was for Kaeya to follow him into the Knights and always be at his back was truly a risk... and he had never really thought about it before.
He settles next to the other man, placing his hand close enough to Kaeya's that their pinkie fingers can link together.
Back then, Kaeya had been his best friend, his confidante, always in his shadow but never complaining, always supporting him in everything he could have ever needed. Diluc had been the confident one, charming, always smiling, while Kaeya had always been slightly more eccentric in manner... but none the less well-liked.]
I wouldn't have it any other way. [He replies with a gentle warmth, softly bumping their shoulders together.] And I know... it's not the most pleasant of topics... but did they ever tell you why I resigned?
[Kaeya smiled a little brighter as their pinkies linked and he huffed a small laugh at the shoulder bump. He settled down at the question and shook his head.]
No, they didn't. I figured it out on my own. It's why I took your Vision from them. They didn't deserve to hold onto it. [He probably would have gone to grab it regardless of the truth, but he had been unsure at the time. He wanted to respect Diluc's wishes but at the same time, something had nagged at him. So, being the sly little fox he was, he investigated and figured out the truth himself. It was long after that Eroch had been expelled from the Knights too. Fancy that.] I thought about what to do with it after that. Never came to a decision so I just held onto it hoping you'd come back for it one day.
[Come back to him. But when Diluc did return, he was Sir Kaeya. And the Knights were useless and inefficient. Diluc never called him that, but it certainly had stung as if he had and it hadn't been easy to not take it to heart (he still did, at times).]
[He breathes out the words, almost sighing, and despite what he says he doesn't sound particularly angry now. Of course Kaeya knows already either way, thanks to Amber's excited explanation of her youthful eavesdropping during the Black Fire Incident (something Diluc himself had not been present for, but had inevitably heard about later from Lisa), but he had always wondered if he had been let in on any of it back then. It's no surprise that the resourceful man had worked it out for himself.
Hearing that Eroch had been expelled as a traitor while he was gone had done little to soothe the sharp sting of being betrayed by the Order he had put so many years of his life into.
Diluc smiles, soft and bitter all at once. What would Crepus have thought if he had known that the Knights of Favonius, who he had always regretted never being a part of, had been able to turn their back on him so easily? He could still get angry about it now if he let himself, and perhaps Kaeya might be able to see it coming, but instead of those barbed emotions welling up Diluc simply takes a breath, holds it for a moment, then sighs it slowly out again.]
But thank you, Kaeya... for keeping it safe for me. And for not pushing it into my hands at the first opportunity. [His smile turns wry.] I don't think I would have been able to accept it if you had.
I'm fairly certain one would have been in your shoes.
[Kaeya had been, when he found out. Even contemplating quitting the Knights. Maybe he should have. Would Diluc have received him better? He didn't know. But the Knights were all Kaeya had left at the time, so he stayed.]
I wanted to. But settled for a gaudy vase instead.
[It wasn't that he knew Diluc wouldn't accept it. Because at the end of the day, he hadn't been sure. So, Kaeya kept it to himself for awhile, contemplating and feeling Diluc out. It was then he knew he had to be sneaky about it. Find the opportune moment.]
I hate that damn vase... [The redhead says wistfully, looking up at the slowly brightening sky. He hated it, yet he had never thought to throw it away and it was still sitting on its plinth in the entrance hall of the winery along with a few other slightly out-of-place ornaments.]
It doesn't look good no matter where you put it.
[And yet!!
He's sure Adelinde found the Vision tucked inside the thing long before he did. Diluc wasn't going about cleaning the place after all. She hadn't told him, and eventually he had found it himself. Some consideration had been given to simply tossing the thing right at the man, but by then it had been so long that doing so felt ridiculous to do that. And besides, he'd missed the warm weight of it at his hip.]
[Kaeya laughed as Diluc began to complain about the vase, drinking the last of his tea and setting is aside as his tail swished on the wooden deck from side to side. He lifted his hand and shrugged one shoulder.]
Why not a vase? I never said I wanted to be subtle about it. Besides, I doubt you even knew the Vision was in there at first, hm?
[It had taken a bit after Diluc accepted the vase to start showing up with the Vision at his hip. He knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but the amount of time it took let Kaeya realize that Diluc likely hadn't known it was in there. He wondered what triggered to look inside of it, unless it was Adelinde. Probably Adelinde.]
[Not the first time Kaeya has expressed such a sentiment, though Diluc rarely denies it. When it comes to him one must be a little forceful, particularly if trying to get him to do something that he might not wish to. Back then he wouldn't have wanted to have his Vision presented to him and he would not have wanted to feel like he owed Kaeya a debt for keeping it safe as he had, so the younger man had chosen the right course of action in the end.
His own tail swishes from side to side, occasionally bumping against Kaeya's as the movements synchronise.]
I expect that Adelinde found it before I did. She never told me, one way or the other. [The winery's staff had always respected Diluc's wish to not speak about the past and they did not mention it, at least not in front of him.] I actually discovered it in there myself in the end.
[His expression turns thoughtful for a few moments, then he leans a little of his weight against Kaeya's side.]
[Kaeya turned as Diluc leaned against him, he laid his head against the redhead's. It had been a pretty relaxing morning, but of the two them, he was the one that got the more restful sleep since he wasn't the one with the nightmare. So it was understandable that Diluc was still a little tired.]
Sleep a little more then. I can clean up here. Maybe get breakfast started before Lumine takes over the kitchen. Hm?
[He doesn't relish the idea of going back to bed by himself. When had he become so dependant on Kaeya's company? The thought occurs to him as he glances sidelong at the younger man, then he nods with a soft sigh and pushes himself up.]
Yeah, all right. [It's also not like him to go back to bed once he's up, but his sleep had not been restful at all and he has no pressing concerns that day.]
[He idly laces his fingers into Kaeya's while they head back to the bedroom, but when he sits down he doesn't try to pull the other man after him. Instead he leans forwards, pressing his forehead gently to Kaeya's sternum.]
We can go out and get something, how does that sound?
[Kaeya honestly could not help the soft "aww" that left him when Diluc pressed his forehead against him like that. He was not one to really coo at anything except perhaps cute animals or when Klee was being especially adorable. His fingers gently carded through the fluffy curls as he considered the slight change in breakfast plans.
He saw nothing bad about it, aside from having to actually put on more appropriate clothes and it would probably be enough time for the animal features to disappear so putting in proper pants on particular weren't a hassle. He would have to think of a place then.]
Sure, why not? I will think of a place unless you think of one in your dreams, hm~?
[He would probably just spend the next couple hours doing some light cleaning. It was his turn coming up anyway.]
[It felt like the right idea in the moment and even though he feels his cheeks heat at the strange intimacy of it he doesn't move his forehead away from where it's resting. While Kaeya combs his fingers through his hair, Diluc's wolf ears twitch and flick back slightly each time the other man's hands come near to them.]
I'm sure there are plenty of options. [He says, though he is mildly amused by the idea that he might wake up spontaneously having an idea of where to go.
With a sigh he sits up, coaxes Kaeya down to kiss him, and then smiles.]
And I mean it. Wake me up. Don't let me sleep all morning.
[He chuckled softly. He wanted to pick a good place but he needed to mentally catalog what was out there and what seemed to be the best choice for a day like today.
He leaned down to kiss the other man, smiling all the while.]
Yes, yes. 8am, on the dot.
[He didn't look at the clock but he was only guessing that it was around 6am by now. Either way, he would do as asked. He gently pushed Diluc down to the bed with a hand on the his chest.]
Now, get some sleep and be sure to wake up with an appetite.
[He goes down easily, not resisting the push against his chest, and settles himself comfortably with one eye half-open and his gaze slanted towards Kaeya. Though it doesn't happen often, these times when the other man can confidently look after him like this are always nice.]
Love you. [Diluc says then, the words half-muffled by a yawn as he shuts his eyes entirely and lightly grips the corner of the pillow in one hand.]
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You're the one who spent so long just barely tolerating my presence while I more or less brute forced my way back into your life, I hope you remember. Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?
[He even playfully slurped the tea, loudly, while looking over the rim of the mug with a raised eyebrow. Can you tolerate him being a bratty business partner?
Except he wouldn't be bratty, he would take it seriously as much of a greenhorn as he was regarding the actual day to day business. He only remembered so much by this point in time, but he was willing to learn.]
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You know I had my reasons. Even if they weren't very good ones. [That's something he can at least admit now. Keeping Kaeya at arms length for so long had only served to hurt them both, when the other man's only real crime was poor timing.
Diluc rolls his eyes and takes another drag of his cigarette, sighing out a breath.]
And if I didn't want you to do this with me, I wouldn't have asked. I just don't want you to feel you have to spend so much of your time stuck to my hip if you have other things you want to do.
[He might joke about it later, but it seems he's looking for a serious answer first.]
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I don't feel like that at all. My schedule is erratic because of the bounties so having something a bit more consistent would be nice. Besides... [He tilted his head toward Diluc, smiling lightly as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth, putting the rest of it out with a bit of cryo magic.] If you and I hadn't become Knights all those years ago, I imagine this is the thing you and I would be doing by now. Don't you think?
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He does see now, though, that it had mostly been the result of a grieving teenager being pushed utterly to his limits by a perceived betrayal of all the values his father had died for.]
Maybe. [Probably. He had always known he would take the winery when his father wanted to retire, though they had both no doubt thought that would be some years in the future when his best years in the Knights were behind him.
He finishes the last of his own cigarette and shakes his head, holding it up for Kaeya to snuff it out as he exhales the smoke.]
Do you think you would have joined if I hadn't?
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[The answer came so easily as Kaeya reached out with frosted fingertips to put out the cigarette with a soft sizzling sound. He took it from Diluc after and set it next to his own.]
When we joined, I only did because you did. I wanted to follow you wherever you went. The Knights hadn't held my attention like they had yours, but I wanted to be with you anyway. It was a risk to join in the first place, but it was a risky choice I was willing to make.
[He leaned back on both hands, looking up at the morning sky as his fox ears twitched lightly.]
You and M-... And Father made me feel warm and safe. I figured it would stay that way even within the Knights, should anyone find out. [He tilted his head in Diluc's direction, one ear tilting down.] Seems like I was right.
I'll still follow you, Diluc. Whether you want me to or not.
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He settles next to the other man, placing his hand close enough to Kaeya's that their pinkie fingers can link together.
Back then, Kaeya had been his best friend, his confidante, always in his shadow but never complaining, always supporting him in everything he could have ever needed. Diluc had been the confident one, charming, always smiling, while Kaeya had always been slightly more eccentric in manner... but none the less well-liked.]
I wouldn't have it any other way. [He replies with a gentle warmth, softly bumping their shoulders together.] And I know... it's not the most pleasant of topics... but did they ever tell you why I resigned?
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No, they didn't. I figured it out on my own. It's why I took your Vision from them. They didn't deserve to hold onto it. [He probably would have gone to grab it regardless of the truth, but he had been unsure at the time. He wanted to respect Diluc's wishes but at the same time, something had nagged at him. So, being the sly little fox he was, he investigated and figured out the truth himself. It was long after that Eroch had been expelled from the Knights too. Fancy that.] I thought about what to do with it after that. Never came to a decision so I just held onto it hoping you'd come back for it one day.
[Come back to him. But when Diluc did return, he was Sir Kaeya. And the Knights were useless and inefficient. Diluc never called him that, but it certainly had stung as if he had and it hadn't been easy to not take it to heart (he still did, at times).]
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[He breathes out the words, almost sighing, and despite what he says he doesn't sound particularly angry now. Of course Kaeya knows already either way, thanks to Amber's excited explanation of her youthful eavesdropping during the Black Fire Incident (something Diluc himself had not been present for, but had inevitably heard about later from Lisa), but he had always wondered if he had been let in on any of it back then. It's no surprise that the resourceful man had worked it out for himself.
Hearing that Eroch had been expelled as a traitor while he was gone had done little to soothe the sharp sting of being betrayed by the Order he had put so many years of his life into.
Diluc smiles, soft and bitter all at once. What would Crepus have thought if he had known that the Knights of Favonius, who he had always regretted never being a part of, had been able to turn their back on him so easily? He could still get angry about it now if he let himself, and perhaps Kaeya might be able to see it coming, but instead of those barbed emotions welling up Diluc simply takes a breath, holds it for a moment, then sighs it slowly out again.]
But thank you, Kaeya... for keeping it safe for me. And for not pushing it into my hands at the first opportunity. [His smile turns wry.] I don't think I would have been able to accept it if you had.
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[Kaeya had been, when he found out. Even contemplating quitting the Knights. Maybe he should have. Would Diluc have received him better? He didn't know. But the Knights were all Kaeya had left at the time, so he stayed.]
I wanted to. But settled for a gaudy vase instead.
[It wasn't that he knew Diluc wouldn't accept it. Because at the end of the day, he hadn't been sure. So, Kaeya kept it to himself for awhile, contemplating and feeling Diluc out. It was then he knew he had to be sneaky about it. Find the opportune moment.]
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It doesn't look good no matter where you put it.
[And yet!!
He's sure Adelinde found the Vision tucked inside the thing long before he did. Diluc wasn't going about cleaning the place after all. She hadn't told him, and eventually he had found it himself. Some consideration had been given to simply tossing the thing right at the man, but by then it had been so long that doing so felt ridiculous to do that. And besides, he'd missed the warm weight of it at his hip.]
Why a vase of all things? It's hardly subtle.
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Why not a vase? I never said I wanted to be subtle about it. Besides, I doubt you even knew the Vision was in there at first, hm?
[It had taken a bit after Diluc accepted the vase to start showing up with the Vision at his hip. He knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but the amount of time it took let Kaeya realize that Diluc likely hadn't known it was in there. He wondered what triggered to look inside of it, unless it was Adelinde. Probably Adelinde.]
One must be a little forceful with you.
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[Not the first time Kaeya has expressed such a sentiment, though Diluc rarely denies it. When it comes to him one must be a little forceful, particularly if trying to get him to do something that he might not wish to. Back then he wouldn't have wanted to have his Vision presented to him and he would not have wanted to feel like he owed Kaeya a debt for keeping it safe as he had, so the younger man had chosen the right course of action in the end.
His own tail swishes from side to side, occasionally bumping against Kaeya's as the movements synchronise.]
I expect that Adelinde found it before I did. She never told me, one way or the other. [The winery's staff had always respected Diluc's wish to not speak about the past and they did not mention it, at least not in front of him.] I actually discovered it in there myself in the end.
[His expression turns thoughtful for a few moments, then he leans a little of his weight against Kaeya's side.]
I'm still tired.
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Sleep a little more then. I can clean up here. Maybe get breakfast started before Lumine takes over the kitchen. Hm?
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[He doesn't relish the idea of going back to bed by himself. When had he become so dependant on Kaeya's company? The thought occurs to him as he glances sidelong at the younger man, then he nods with a soft sigh and pushes himself up.]
Yeah, all right. [It's also not like him to go back to bed once he's up, but his sleep had not been restful at all and he has no pressing concerns that day.]
Wake me up in a couple of hours.
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Anything in particular in mind you want for breakfast? So I know when to start.
[He didn't need a couple hours to make breakfast, but if it wasn't something quick then he was going to need to prep a little bit.]
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[He idly laces his fingers into Kaeya's while they head back to the bedroom, but when he sits down he doesn't try to pull the other man after him. Instead he leans forwards, pressing his forehead gently to Kaeya's sternum.]
We can go out and get something, how does that sound?
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He saw nothing bad about it, aside from having to actually put on more appropriate clothes and it would probably be enough time for the animal features to disappear so putting in proper pants on particular weren't a hassle. He would have to think of a place then.]
Sure, why not? I will think of a place unless you think of one in your dreams, hm~?
[He would probably just spend the next couple hours doing some light cleaning. It was his turn coming up anyway.]
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I'm sure there are plenty of options. [He says, though he is mildly amused by the idea that he might wake up spontaneously having an idea of where to go.
With a sigh he sits up, coaxes Kaeya down to kiss him, and then smiles.]
And I mean it. Wake me up. Don't let me sleep all morning.
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[He chuckled softly. He wanted to pick a good place but he needed to mentally catalog what was out there and what seemed to be the best choice for a day like today.
He leaned down to kiss the other man, smiling all the while.]
Yes, yes. 8am, on the dot.
[He didn't look at the clock but he was only guessing that it was around 6am by now. Either way, he would do as asked. He gently pushed Diluc down to the bed with a hand on the his chest.]
Now, get some sleep and be sure to wake up with an appetite.
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[He goes down easily, not resisting the push against his chest, and settles himself comfortably with one eye half-open and his gaze slanted towards Kaeya. Though it doesn't happen often, these times when the other man can confidently look after him like this are always nice.]
Love you. [Diluc says then, the words half-muffled by a yawn as he shuts his eyes entirely and lightly grips the corner of the pillow in one hand.]
See you later.