[It hadn't been easy over the years. So much happened over the span of a few short days that time, but it had truly left their mark on Kaeya. It didn't help that it truly had been a stormy night when his father left him to be found by Diluc's family. Probably the only part of that story that wasn't false, given it could easily be corroborated by Diluc himself if Varka had thought to ask.
But another crackle and crash and Kaeya felt himself clinging tighter, his heart racing once more. He hated this. Hated feeling so vulnerable and scared over something he had originally grown out of.]
Perhaps we should go inside.
[It wouldn't exactly make it any better with how loud it is, but being inside a home felt marginally safer than in a hallway. He reluctantly pulled away.]
[He does still remember the night that Kaeya was found. When Crepus had brought in the soaking, ice-cold little boy with blue hair and dark skin and Diluc had hung around his legs asking a hundred questions. The boy's name was Kaeya Alberich, he'd been told, and he'd be staying with them for a while.
Everything after that was history.
Kaeya clings to him in answer to that noisy crash of thunder and he tightens his arm around him, feeling his racing heart against the back of his hand.]
... Mmn. [He murmurs, feeling suddenly chilly with the distance between them and stepping back to let Kaeya walk in to the apartment ahead of him.]
I was making tea, but I can do something else. Or something stronger.
[Without the warmth, Kaeya was back to hugging his arms to his chest as he stepped further inside. He made a considering noise at the options given to him. But he shook his head at the thought of drinking. There was a reason he didn't during storms, he was already anxious and irrational now and being drunk was just going to exacerbate it.]
Do you... have anything sweeter? Not juice.
[It could be fruit tea for all he cared but... something sweet was always kind of nice and it reminded him a bit of their childhood. When Adelinde would make the two of them hot chocolate or even warming up some milk and honey. Being warm and cozy and helped Kaeya acclimate to his new home back then. Why not now?]
Mm... [He gives some consideration to the request as he stands in the kitchen space looking at the closed cupboards. Despite their not being open he can visualise what's inside and he knows he's not all that prepared for the request.]
Right. [After a little thought he grabs a saucepan and starts to gently heat some milk, and while it's warming he walks quickly to the bedroom and grabs a thick, soft blanket that he drops off beside Kaeya on his way back to the stove.]
You can stay here until it's over if you like. I--.. I wouldn't mind.
[Kaeya toed off the sandals at the door, just in time to hear the saucepan on the stove. What was Diluc heating up? He missed the milk going in and Diluc was pretty fast with the blanket. He took a hold of it and opted to sit at the couch. The apartments were small, so it wasn't like it was far from the kitchen.]
Well, you did invite me over. Why... did you want me over, anyway?
[He felt a little awkward on the couch like this, but as the thunder rolled again he was in the blanket and resting his chin on his knees before he really knew it. He really was pathetic, wasn't he? Some kind of Knight he was. He leaned back a little against the arm, his head resting on the back of the couch he idly watched Diluc stir whatever was on the stove.]
[It sounds so simple when he puts it like that, but with the weight of the last years of anger between them still hanging it means a lot for Diluc to say so easily that he just... wanted to have Kaeya around.
He stirs the milk lightly to make sure it doesn't burn and brushes his hair back over his shoulders. A few rogue curls bounce forwards again within moments.
When he glances over and sees Kaeya so swiftly bundled up under the blanket, that small frown flickers over his brow again before he quickly shifts his attention back to the milk.]
[It was a soft murmur of a protest. He was certain it was only the two of them in this apartment so it would have been unthinkable to ask anyone to wonder out in this storm. Again, why couldn’t there just be a convenient time surge right now?
He watched Diluc absently work on whatever he was heating up. His eye caught Diluc’s for that moment and he looked away. He didn’t like feeling as though he were being studied. He knew Diluc didn’t mean it, Kaeya was acting in a manner reserved for when he was home alone. No one had ever seen this. He sighed through his nose and then caught sight of a hair tie on the table at the end of the couch.
He looked back over as Diluc tried valiantly to keep his hair from sliding forward but that hair of his was always wild and there was a reason the redhead was rarely seen with it not in some kind of tail. After another bit of thunder rolled on through, Kaeya forced himself to calm as he scooted over to the table and grabbed the hair tie, getting up from the couch and leaving the blanket so he could go into the kitchen and gently gather the red and blue locks.]
Hold still, you’re going to burn your hair at this rate.
[It wasn’t going to be anything fancy, not without a brush, but Kaeya gathered it all and pulled it through the hair tie. He also took a glance at the milk heating in the saucepan and couldn’t help the small smile pulling up one corner of his lips.]
Milk with honey? I didn’t think you remembered that.
A lot of people don't live three doors down the hall.
[And a lot of people aren't people he would think to send a message to after waking up in the middle of the night. Until recently, even Kaeya wasn't someone he would thik to send a message to in the middle of the night. Things have certainly changed.
He hears the other man moving around but doesn't look over at him again. While he's keeping half an eye on Kaeya's condition, he doesn't want to make it seem as if he's... watching him. Bit too late for that, probably, but he can still avoid making it worse. So it's a surprise when he feels hands in his hair and he visibly flinches, only the fact he knows who it is keeping him from pulling away entirely.]
It isn't that long. [Diluc mutters, but he tips his head back slightly to make it easier then gives it a little shake once his hair is tied. He glances over his shoulder and smiles faintly.]
I don't know why you'd think I'd forgotten. Adelinde would make it for us.
[And Elzer, too, if he was around in the evening.]
[Kaeya fought a light chuckle when Diluc jumped, he hadn’t intended to startle him and thought he had been noisy enough. Guess not! There was a murmured apology as he backed up once the hair tie was secured. He let himself lean against the adjacent counter, it was warmer in here. He crossed his arms against, though.]
No, she made hot cocoa most of the time because someone requested it over hot milk all the time.
[Which certainly didn’t help the two kids already being wide awake for whatever reasons. But Adelinde indulged them at times but she’d go with honeyed milk when she could so the two rambunctious boys could get some sleep.]
Not that I can blame you. She made very good hot cocoa and I can never do it justice myself.
[So he'd had a preference! And Kaeya had never tried too hard to argue against that preference, for reasons which become clear with what he says next. The hot chocolate that Adelinde made was indeed very good, and Diluc had never quite been able to replicate it either.
But she was still his head housekeeper, and every so often when he was feeling particularly nostalgic for the past, he would ask her to make it for him.
She would never refuse.]
The honey is in the cupboard there, would you mind?
[Kaeya had his own sweet tooth so it wasn’t like he had any room to argue, but it was fun to joke about. Something that not many knew about Diluc.
He reached into the cupboard that his brother indicated, rummaging only for a moment before pulling out the glass jar and setting down on the counter next to the stove.]
…thank you. You didn’t need to go that far for me, you know. I would have been fine with some fruit tea or something.
[There were a lot of things that Kaeya would know about Diluc that few knew, and some that no one else knew. They had been so close, after all. Closer to each other than to anyone else in some ways.
He smiles and shakes his head to dismiss what the other man says, and picks up a couple of mugs to portion the milk out into. With that done he adds some honey to each and stirs them, the spoon ringing lightly against the side of each cup.]
It wasn't any trouble. Besides, [And he picks up the mugs, offering one to Kaeya while he takes a sip from the other.] It's been a long time since we did this.
It’s been a long time since we did a lot of things.
[He took the mug, only to set it down really fast when the lightning flashed. He knew he was going to jump and while the milk spilled a little, it was better than the alternative that would have happened once the thunder hit as well. He closed his eyes, willing himself to calm his heart.]
Sorry.
[He looked for a towel to clean up the mess he made.]
[The storm is moving over them and since there's a delay between the flash and the noise, Diluc remains unfazed. He still looks a little concerned though, when Kaeya reacts like that again.
He hands him a towel, sensing that he needs to be able to clear up his own mess rather than have it done for him, and while he deals with that Diluc makes a point of pulling the tie out of his hair again and shaking it entirely loose.]
Let's sit down. [Diluc suggests, nodding towards the couch and Kaeya's abandoned blanket.] After you.
[It was easier now that he had company, but it wasn't going to go away any time soon. He was grateful that Diluc didn't say anything about the mess, letting him clean it up and rinse the towel clean. He laid it over the edge of the sink to dry and took his mug from the counter. He held it in both hands as he nodded and went back to the couch.
He had the blanket draped over his lap and handed some of it to Diluc as well, taking a sip with a raised brow. Aren't you cold, Diluc?]
[He joins him, but looks at the blanket when it's offered as if he doesn't understand, just for a moment. Then he smiles slightly and scoots in close enough to be shoulder to shoulder with the other man and tugs the offered portion over his lap.
Diluc hums softly as he sips his drink, closing his eyes as fond memories come rushing in. Memories he used to try to avoid, but now tentatively allows.
When the next flash from outside brightens the room up, he shifts and puts his arm around Kaeya's shoulders.]
[It was easy enough to settle in against Diluc once they were shoulder to shoulder. In fact, it was almost automatic. He slouched against him, even. He sipped the warm drink, humming softly in satisfaction as the warmth settled into his stomach and filled him from the inside out. This whole moment reminded him of when they were younger, when times felt simpler.
It was nice even if the nostalgic feeling left him saddened that they likely would never get those times back. But, assuming things went in the direction they seemed to be headed, new memories were never a bad thing.
He saw the lightning and the sudden feeling of Diluc’s arm around his shoulders distracted enough that when the thunder hit (notably not quite as loud as the storm was finally moving along), he didn’t jump so much as tense. His eyes closed, grip on his mug tight, but overall much easier than before. He settled again once he forced himself to relax, almost sagging against Diluc. He was tired. He sighed heavily, his head landing on Diluc’s shoulder before he realized what he was doing.]
[Not for his own sake - he doesn't mind it, even if it did wake him up - but he finds he hates to see how much it bothers Kaeya. Part of that is undeniably the knowledge that he caused this, in no small way, and that this fear wouldn't exist if he hadn't lashed out so furiously those years ago.
Kaeya's head drops to his shoulder and he grows quite still. His heart jumps up to his throat and he looks silently down into his drink as his pulse feels as if it momentarily stops before racing on.
... What was that?
He exhales softly, slowly, and tips his head to rest it against the top of Kaeya's.]
I know how nights like this goes, I won’t sleep. It’s fine.
[He can deal, he’s had to for the last four years. And this time, no Knights of Favonius work which meant less worry about dumb mistakes while tired. Although it also meant he was going to have to figure out another way to keep his mind occupied so he didn’t do a midday nap and ruin his sleep schedule.]
[He's not the one petrified of the weather. Diluc wouldn't have suggested such a thing if he hadn't heard the exhaustion weighted in that sigh Kaeya had let out. He shifts his arm to make it more comfortable around his brother's shoulders, having the unintended effect of tucking him in all the closer.
It feels strange to do this now. His memories of when this would happen involve them both being a lot smaller.]
And you don't have to try to sleep. Just try to rest.
[He grunted lightly into his mug, not really in the mood to keep protesting any longer. He sighed again, relaxing as best he could in between the thunder and the warm honeyed milk settling in his stomach and making him sleepy. Eventually, the mug was emptied and sat loosing in his lap as his eyes drooped.
For a moment, he felt like he was a kid, experiencing his first moment of brotherly bonding over being without his biological father during another storm and realizing he had a new family to keep him warm and safe.
Kaeya pulled his legs up, curling them right on top of Diluc’s as he sleepily pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. He let out a contented sigh through his nose, closing his eyes completely now.]
[Somewhere between the mug falling loose in Kaeya's hold and the moment he shifts his knees up onto the couch, Diluc takes the mug from his hand and places it down on the floor beside his own. The weather grows calmer by the time they finish their drinks, with only the rain hitting the windows and an occasional, distant roll of thunder.
He makes a soft sound of surprise when Kaeya moves and curls up on him like that, but he doesn't have it in his heart to push him away. Instead he shifts him very carefully to make things more comfortable for them both, and moves the blanket so it's less tangled up. With one arm under the blanket around Kaeya's back and the other over the top, draped lightly over his curled legs, he's all but cradling the man against him.
Diluc sighs softly, closing his eyes and pressing a gentle kiss to Kaeya's hairline. Something warm swells in his chest and he murmurs very quietly.]
[Kaeya didn’t respond. Not because he didn’t hear, but because he wasn’t sure he heard correctly. He was barely aware of curling up against Diluc, to be honest, until his brother said that. But he was too tired and exhausted to move. And to answer. But that warmth in his chest that he had been feeling since they left the hospital was felt once more, warmer and brighter than before.
Kaeya didn’t know what to make of it.
His hand shifted around his stomach to where he felt Diluc’s hand under the blanket at his back and gently curled a couple fingers into it. He couldn’t reach all around, of course, but he managed to snag a few digits, just a subtle and quiet way to let the other know he heard and he was responding in some fashion.]
[He hadn't said it with the expectation that Kaeya would be too deep into sleep to hear him. Maybe he'd even wanted him to hear it. What was the point of saying something like that if it wasn't heard by the person it was directed at?
Diluc smiles faintly to himself as he feels Kaeya's fingers curling around his hand. He gives the other man's body a gentle squeeze with both arms and relaxes into the back of the couch.]
[Without the thunder constantly jumping his heart and the feel of being wrapped up in comforting warmth, it wasn’t too difficult to follow that request. He was asleep within a few minutes.
He awoke to the morning light in his face, it seemed the storm passed over completely and the sun was shining. He snuggled back deeper into his blanket, closing his eyes to catch a few more ZZZs… only to open them right back up with his brows furrowed as he realized he was now laying down rather than being upright. He lifted his head and that’s when he realized that at some point during the night, both he and Diluc had gone from sitting up to laying down… with Kaeya using Diluc’s chest as a pillow. He was still being cradled between the couch and his brother’s warm body.
He honestly didn’t know if he should be embarrassed, mortified, or utterly pleased at this. His face heated right back up and slowly, delicately, he tried to push himself up to disentangle himself from the blanket and Diluc’s arms without waking him.]
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But another crackle and crash and Kaeya felt himself clinging tighter, his heart racing once more. He hated this. Hated feeling so vulnerable and scared over something he had originally grown out of.]
Perhaps we should go inside.
[It wouldn't exactly make it any better with how loud it is, but being inside a home felt marginally safer than in a hallway. He reluctantly pulled away.]
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Everything after that was history.
Kaeya clings to him in answer to that noisy crash of thunder and he tightens his arm around him, feeling his racing heart against the back of his hand.]
... Mmn. [He murmurs, feeling suddenly chilly with the distance between them and stepping back to let Kaeya walk in to the apartment ahead of him.]
I was making tea, but I can do something else. Or something stronger.
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Do you... have anything sweeter? Not juice.
[It could be fruit tea for all he cared but... something sweet was always kind of nice and it reminded him a bit of their childhood. When Adelinde would make the two of them hot chocolate or even warming up some milk and honey. Being warm and cozy and helped Kaeya acclimate to his new home back then. Why not now?]
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Right. [After a little thought he grabs a saucepan and starts to gently heat some milk, and while it's warming he walks quickly to the bedroom and grabs a thick, soft blanket that he drops off beside Kaeya on his way back to the stove.]
You can stay here until it's over if you like. I--.. I wouldn't mind.
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Well, you did invite me over. Why... did you want me over, anyway?
[He felt a little awkward on the couch like this, but as the thunder rolled again he was in the blanket and resting his chin on his knees before he really knew it. He really was pathetic, wasn't he? Some kind of Knight he was. He leaned back a little against the arm, his head resting on the back of the couch he idly watched Diluc stir whatever was on the stove.]
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[It sounds so simple when he puts it like that, but with the weight of the last years of anger between them still hanging it means a lot for Diluc to say so easily that he just... wanted to have Kaeya around.
He stirs the milk lightly to make sure it doesn't burn and brushes his hair back over his shoulders. A few rogue curls bounce forwards again within moments.
When he glances over and sees Kaeya so swiftly bundled up under the blanket, that small frown flickers over his brow again before he quickly shifts his attention back to the milk.]
And you look like you need the company.
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[It was a soft murmur of a protest. He was certain it was only the two of them in this apartment so it would have been unthinkable to ask anyone to wonder out in this storm. Again, why couldn’t there just be a convenient time surge right now?
He watched Diluc absently work on whatever he was heating up. His eye caught Diluc’s for that moment and he looked away. He didn’t like feeling as though he were being studied. He knew Diluc didn’t mean it, Kaeya was acting in a manner reserved for when he was home alone. No one had ever seen this. He sighed through his nose and then caught sight of a hair tie on the table at the end of the couch.
He looked back over as Diluc tried valiantly to keep his hair from sliding forward but that hair of his was always wild and there was a reason the redhead was rarely seen with it not in some kind of tail. After another bit of thunder rolled on through, Kaeya forced himself to calm as he scooted over to the table and grabbed the hair tie, getting up from the couch and leaving the blanket so he could go into the kitchen and gently gather the red and blue locks.]
Hold still, you’re going to burn your hair at this rate.
[It wasn’t going to be anything fancy, not without a brush, but Kaeya gathered it all and pulled it through the hair tie. He also took a glance at the milk heating in the saucepan and couldn’t help the small smile pulling up one corner of his lips.]
Milk with honey? I didn’t think you remembered that.
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[And a lot of people aren't people he would think to send a message to after waking up in the middle of the night. Until recently, even Kaeya wasn't someone he would thik to send a message to in the middle of the night. Things have certainly changed.
He hears the other man moving around but doesn't look over at him again. While he's keeping half an eye on Kaeya's condition, he doesn't want to make it seem as if he's... watching him. Bit too late for that, probably, but he can still avoid making it worse. So it's a surprise when he feels hands in his hair and he visibly flinches, only the fact he knows who it is keeping him from pulling away entirely.]
It isn't that long. [Diluc mutters, but he tips his head back slightly to make it easier then gives it a little shake once his hair is tied. He glances over his shoulder and smiles faintly.]
I don't know why you'd think I'd forgotten. Adelinde would make it for us.
[And Elzer, too, if he was around in the evening.]
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No, she made hot cocoa most of the time because someone requested it over hot milk all the time.
[Which certainly didn’t help the two kids already being wide awake for whatever reasons. But Adelinde indulged them at times but she’d go with honeyed milk when she could so the two rambunctious boys could get some sleep.]
Not that I can blame you. She made very good hot cocoa and I can never do it justice myself.
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Ah. Guilty as charged.
[So he'd had a preference! And Kaeya had never tried too hard to argue against that preference, for reasons which become clear with what he says next. The hot chocolate that Adelinde made was indeed very good, and Diluc had never quite been able to replicate it either.
But she was still his head housekeeper, and every so often when he was feeling particularly nostalgic for the past, he would ask her to make it for him.
She would never refuse.]
The honey is in the cupboard there, would you mind?
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He reached into the cupboard that his brother indicated, rummaging only for a moment before pulling out the glass jar and setting down on the counter next to the stove.]
…thank you. You didn’t need to go that far for me, you know. I would have been fine with some fruit tea or something.
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He smiles and shakes his head to dismiss what the other man says, and picks up a couple of mugs to portion the milk out into. With that done he adds some honey to each and stirs them, the spoon ringing lightly against the side of each cup.]
It wasn't any trouble. Besides, [And he picks up the mugs, offering one to Kaeya while he takes a sip from the other.] It's been a long time since we did this.
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[He took the mug, only to set it down really fast when the lightning flashed. He knew he was going to jump and while the milk spilled a little, it was better than the alternative that would have happened once the thunder hit as well. He closed his eyes, willing himself to calm his heart.]
Sorry.
[He looked for a towel to clean up the mess he made.]
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[The storm is moving over them and since there's a delay between the flash and the noise, Diluc remains unfazed. He still looks a little concerned though, when Kaeya reacts like that again.
He hands him a towel, sensing that he needs to be able to clear up his own mess rather than have it done for him, and while he deals with that Diluc makes a point of pulling the tie out of his hair again and shaking it entirely loose.]
Let's sit down. [Diluc suggests, nodding towards the couch and Kaeya's abandoned blanket.] After you.
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He had the blanket draped over his lap and handed some of it to Diluc as well, taking a sip with a raised brow. Aren't you cold, Diluc?]
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Diluc hums softly as he sips his drink, closing his eyes as fond memories come rushing in. Memories he used to try to avoid, but now tentatively allows.
When the next flash from outside brightens the room up, he shifts and puts his arm around Kaeya's shoulders.]
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It was nice even if the nostalgic feeling left him saddened that they likely would never get those times back. But, assuming things went in the direction they seemed to be headed, new memories were never a bad thing.
He saw the lightning and the sudden feeling of Diluc’s arm around his shoulders distracted enough that when the thunder hit (notably not quite as loud as the storm was finally moving along), he didn’t jump so much as tense. His eyes closed, grip on his mug tight, but overall much easier than before. He settled again once he forced himself to relax, almost sagging against Diluc. He was tired. He sighed heavily, his head landing on Diluc’s shoulder before he realized what he was doing.]
The storm needs to move faster.
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[Not for his own sake - he doesn't mind it, even if it did wake him up - but he finds he hates to see how much it bothers Kaeya. Part of that is undeniably the knowledge that he caused this, in no small way, and that this fear wouldn't exist if he hadn't lashed out so furiously those years ago.
Kaeya's head drops to his shoulder and he grows quite still. His heart jumps up to his throat and he looks silently down into his drink as his pulse feels as if it momentarily stops before racing on.
... What was that?
He exhales softly, slowly, and tips his head to rest it against the top of Kaeya's.]
Try to get some rest, Kae.
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[He can deal, he’s had to for the last four years. And this time, no Knights of Favonius work which meant less worry about dumb mistakes while tired. Although it also meant he was going to have to figure out another way to keep his mind occupied so he didn’t do a midday nap and ruin his sleep schedule.]
I don’t want to keep you up on my account though.
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[He's not the one petrified of the weather. Diluc wouldn't have suggested such a thing if he hadn't heard the exhaustion weighted in that sigh Kaeya had let out. He shifts his arm to make it more comfortable around his brother's shoulders, having the unintended effect of tucking him in all the closer.
It feels strange to do this now. His memories of when this would happen involve them both being a lot smaller.]
And you don't have to try to sleep. Just try to rest.
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For a moment, he felt like he was a kid, experiencing his first moment of brotherly bonding over being without his biological father during another storm and realizing he had a new family to keep him warm and safe.
Kaeya pulled his legs up, curling them right on top of Diluc’s as he sleepily pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. He let out a contented sigh through his nose, closing his eyes completely now.]
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He makes a soft sound of surprise when Kaeya moves and curls up on him like that, but he doesn't have it in his heart to push him away. Instead he shifts him very carefully to make things more comfortable for them both, and moves the blanket so it's less tangled up. With one arm under the blanket around Kaeya's back and the other over the top, draped lightly over his curled legs, he's all but cradling the man against him.
Diluc sighs softly, closing his eyes and pressing a gentle kiss to Kaeya's hairline. Something warm swells in his chest and he murmurs very quietly.]
... I love you, Kae.
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Kaeya didn’t know what to make of it.
His hand shifted around his stomach to where he felt Diluc’s hand under the blanket at his back and gently curled a couple fingers into it. He couldn’t reach all around, of course, but he managed to snag a few digits, just a subtle and quiet way to let the other know he heard and he was responding in some fashion.]
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Diluc smiles faintly to himself as he feels Kaeya's fingers curling around his hand. He gives the other man's body a gentle squeeze with both arms and relaxes into the back of the couch.]
I know. Go to sleep.
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[Without the thunder constantly jumping his heart and the feel of being wrapped up in comforting warmth, it wasn’t too difficult to follow that request. He was asleep within a few minutes.
He awoke to the morning light in his face, it seemed the storm passed over completely and the sun was shining. He snuggled back deeper into his blanket, closing his eyes to catch a few more ZZZs… only to open them right back up with his brows furrowed as he realized he was now laying down rather than being upright. He lifted his head and that’s when he realized that at some point during the night, both he and Diluc had gone from sitting up to laying down… with Kaeya using Diluc’s chest as a pillow. He was still being cradled between the couch and his brother’s warm body.
He honestly didn’t know if he should be embarrassed, mortified, or utterly pleased at this. His face heated right back up and slowly, delicately, he tried to push himself up to disentangle himself from the blanket and Diluc’s arms without waking him.]
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