Chapter Text
It was rather cold for this time of year. The harvest was over, and most of the farming staff had moved into different roles throughout the estate. Diluc was sitting at his desk, going over the list of names and their new assignments. Obviously some did stay as farmhands and groundskeepers, helping clear any snow and care of the winter plants that thrived in a chillier climate. Most had moved to helping out with production and creating new barrels for their wine, while a few had volunteered to help Charles out at Angel’s Share, much to Diluc’s relief. He despised making the ride to the city during the winter, and he hated working the counter.
He hated how loud and warm it was, how rowdy it was, how it felt like he couldn’t even hear himself think. It always felt like a disaster waiting to happen, of course that was mostly leftover paranoia from long gone days on the move surrounded by uncertainty. He also hated being so close, yet unable to make a connection, to watch his younger brother drink, and drink and drink. If the only reason he had to go into the city for the next few months was under the guise of the Dark Knight hero, than that would be perfectly fine.
“Master Diluc?” Adelinde poked her head into the office, “Some large customers from Liyue were going to stop by tomorrow,” she explained, “And the staff wanted you to do a once over of the presentation and visit itinerary they had planned.”
“Oh, that’s tomorrow,” he sighed, stretching his back out, “Are they out in the warehouse?”
“Yes sir,” she nodded, “They have everything set up.”
“Great,” he set his papers down and stood up, “I’ll be there shortly.”
“Bundle up please,” she chided, “A fresh layer of snow is falling.”
“These Liyuens will be freezing,” he huffed, thinking about the humid air of the harbor and salty sea breezes.
“Should I provide some winter wear for them?” She teased.
“Honestly, not your worst idea,” he shrugged, finding his own winter coat, stored in a wardrobe near the entryway. He tugged on the thicker version of his normal coat, the fur lining more robust, tickling his neck. He made sure his gloves were snuggly in place. His eye caught on something red. “Addie, did you bring this down?” He asked, pulling out a simple red scarf, “I thought it was in a box.”
“Oh, I did,” she nodded, eyeing it, “It seemed silly to keep it up there when the weather has been so chilly. You don’t own another scarf, do you?”
“No… no I don’t,” he shook his head, the red fabric limp in his grasp.
“I can put it back,” she offered, noticing his strange bearing.
“No, it’s fine,” Diluc took a moment, tying it around his neck, tugging it up so it covered his nose. He should have known it wouldn’t smell like anything but the soap Adelinde used to launder it, but it was not… unpleasant, but just a simple surprise. It would have lost its scent anyway, considering that its original owner had handed it off to him years ago. It shouldn’t have brought the amount of comfort it did, or had at the time it was given to him. It was an act of kindness that had fueled Diluc through many cold and companionless nights in Snezhnaya. He had not wanted to think of its previous owner, and where he had ended up. If he was even alive.
Opening the door to the cold air cleared his mind, the chill reinvigorating him as he stepped out on to the shoveled patio. A couple groundskeepers nodded to him as he strolled by, his hands firmly in his pockets to keep them from numbing. The ground was slick still, a thin layer of ice having developed on the paved walkways. The snow was thick, blanketing the vineyard, making it look like a pristine canvas against the cloudy gray skies. Once upon a time, the snow would have had countless tracks in it, snow angels and little igloos dug into the banks. He remembered his father dragging both of them inside by the scruffs of their jackets, setting them near a roaring fire to defrost.
The first time Kaeya had seen snow, he was scared. He nearly screamed when Diluc fearlessly jumped into a thick pile, disappearing under the surface. Diluc owed him many apologies after that, the younger boy convinced he was swallowed up by the earth. In retrospect, it made more sense why young Kaeya had been afraid of so many things. Hailing from a dead nation, where the creatures lurked in the shadows and the very air sought to kill you was a terrifying prospect. When Diluc was awake alone at night, he wondered how Kaeya could sleep, if the shadows did not scare him as they had when he was child.
After their fallout Kaeya had never come for his belongings, even while Diluc was away. Anything that had brought his brother any semibalance of comfort as a child was still locked away in his bedroom, untouched from when he was a young man. He wondered if that bothered Kaeya, if he even wanted anything to remember his time with their family by. When Diluc had come back to Mondstat, it was as if they were strangers. Aside from a sly comment here and there, Kaeya preferred to act as if they were mere acquaintances. Diluc had accept it then, he was the one who made a mistake that night, so fueled by anguish and pain. He had no right to insert himself in Kaeya’s life, when he clearly desired nothing from Diluc.
Maybe it was the time of year that was getting to him. He had never considered himself this nostalgic. The wind picked up and the trees rattled, a loud screech in the distance. Diluc froze, watching the skyline for the flap of wings. Dawn Winery was closer than Mondstat. Stormterror could very well make the vineyard its first stop. Another failing of the knights, he supposed. Another dragon terrorizing their home, yet, he did not know if he wanted Kaeya near it. Considering the last time a family member had faced a dragon. If anything, he would be the one to face it. He continued to watch for a moment, debating if he should go back for his broadsword, but nothing rose above the tree line, and the winds settled. He breathed out a sigh of relief, and brought his focus back down to the vineyard.
His staff eyed the sky nervously. Another point against the Knights. The citizens of Mondstat were terrified every day and they could do nothing, nothing without Varka and the rest. He knew Jean was doing the best she could, but, it still wasn’t enough. So much was brewing in the nation, the Fatui were crawling all over the city for Archons only knew what reason. Something felt wrong, and no matter who he contacted, no one knew the answer.
“You should all head home,” Diluc called the groundskeepers, “The sun has been setting earlier, make your way home before dusk, understood?” The last thing he needed was someone breaking a leg on the ice or being hunted by a dragon. They called out their agreement, shuffling to finish a few task before heading back to the gardener’s shed. Diluc carefully picked his way through the ice and towards the main part of the winery.
It didn’t take long for him to sign off on Conner’s tour for their guests. The man knew what he was doing, and Diluc had no doubts that they would have a new partner by the end of the week. Shrugging his coat back on, he stepped out into the snowy night. The stars above shined brilliantly, and he could almost hear his father explaining the constellations to him before bed. He lingered for a moment, in the warm pool of light that came from a nearby lantern. It was so quiet.
Or well, it had been.
There was a crash near the outskirts of the manor. Diluc let out a heavy sigh. Who dropped what? Wine better not be staining the stone, the scent alone would linger for weeks. He poked his head around the corner, surprised to find a broken wind glider splintered across his patio. Further away, were a pair of legs sticking out a bush. He winced at the odd angle one of the feet was at. Also who was wearing shorts in this weather? He approached, a peered into the bush.
“Bennett?” Diluc’s shoulders dropped in exasperation.
“Uh… s-sorry Mister Ragnvindr,” Bennett whined, “Uh, give me a second, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Bennett it’s snowing,” Diluc bluntly said, “You are in shorts and tank top.”
“Oh, uh, well, my jacket tore this morning and um, then I lost… my pants?” He said, blushing hard, so even Diluc could see it in the dim light.
“I can’t,” Diluc sighed and shook his head, “Come on, up you go.” He grabbed on to Bennett’s arm and tugged the boy out of the bush. As soon as he was on his feet, a squeal of pain left the boy’s mouth.
“I’m okay,” he quickly covered it up.
“Your foot looks atrocious,” Diluc blandly muttered, running his leather clad fingers through his red locks. This boy. He had thought Razor was a handful sometimes, then Bennett was carriage full of trouble. There was always a little bit of anger simmering under his thoughts as well. The boy had guardians, did he not? He never saw them. They never checked up on him. Diluc couldn’t count the amount of times he had seen Bennett off on his own, with some new bandage adorning his skin.
“I-I uh, I’m okay,” he repeated nervously, wobbling and trying to stay upright.
“You’re very clearly not Bennett,” Diluc sighed, “Come here. I can’t imagine why you’re out here alone at this hour.”
“Wolfhooks!” Bennett shouted, “Sister Barbra wanted wolfhooks, and I took her commission.”
“Wolfhooks in winter?” Diluc puzzled, “Maybe one or two are growing in log, but… they’re a spring and summer fruit. You wouldn’t have found them.”
“O-oh…” Bennett seemed to deflate.
“Now come here,” Diluc said again. Bennett bit his lip and tried to take a hobbling step forward. He stumbled, tipping over, but luckily Diluc was fast enough to catch the teenager. “Seriously, how do you get into these situations,” Diluc huffed, mostly to himself as he hoisted the light teen up into his arms.
“M-master Ragnvindr,” he stuttered, “You don’t…”
“I don’t have to what?” Diluc snapped, “You want me to leave you out here with a broken foot?” Diluc rolled his eyes, “By the archons, I’ve seen men die for less in a snowstorm.” Diluc hefted him up and started to stalk towards the warmth of the manor. “Also just Diluc is fine. My father was Master Ragnvindr, I am not him.”
“S-sorry,” he squeaked, stiff as a board in Diluc’s arms.
“Stop apologizing Bennett,” Diluc breathed, “You do not need to apologize for every little thing.”
“Oh I’m s-“ the words died in the boy’s throat with a swift look from Diluc. Diluc used his elbow to nudge the door to the manor open. The warmth that washed over his cold limbs was a blessing. Addie had started the fires, casting a cozy glow throughout the entire home.
“Adelinde,” Diluc called out, “First aid kit please.”
“Oh!” Addie gasped, “Did little Razor stop by?” She bustled out of the kitchen carrying the kit in two hands. “Bennett,” she blinked, “What did you do?”
“U-uh my wind glider broke,” he admitted, hanging his head.
“Gliding in this weather,” Diluc sniped, shaking his head. He settled Bennett down on a couch and gently tried to slip off the boot on his injured foot. Bennett whimpered, covering his mouth, trying to hold it in. “I know it hurts,” Diluc tried to soothe him, “You can cry, it’s okay Bennett.” Addie hovered over him, fretting quietly. Diluc shifted the shoe again, Bennett screamed, tears rolling down his cheeks. It hurt to hear. Diluc hated it with every fiber of his being. He pulled again and the shoe finally came loose. Bennett was sobbing by now. It tugged at Diluc’s heart in a way that stung.
He got up, leaving the wound dressing to Addie’s capable hands. He was bad with tears. He always had been. He had always been a happy boy, the only tears he could remember were Kaeya’s. His father had adapted surprisingly well to having an overly emotional child.
Diluc pushed open a door to a room he hadn’t been in for years. Kaeya’s room was left unchanged. The rows of stuffed toys, the blankets, the creature comforts his brother had so often reached for, well reached for before he discovered alcohol. Diluc stiffly pursued the room, grabbing a few silky soft blankets, some toys and a change of warm clothes. He wasn’t sure Bennett would want any of this. What did kids that age like anyways? He wasn’t sure what he had liked other than riding and practicing his swordsmanship.
He took a detour through the kitchen and set two kettles on the fire. One to heat up enough water to clean and warm up Bennett, and another for tea. When he arrived back in the foyer, Bennett was sniffling still, as Addie applied a splint to his ankle, and was carefully wrapping it in bandages. He was sure she had already slathered it in the finest healing slaves money could buy, courtesy of Bubu Pharmacy. When Bennett heard him, his eyes wearily looked up. They were round with surprise as set the items in his arms aside.
“I set a couple kettles on the fire,” he told Adelinde, “One for tea, the other for a wash basin. He’s bound to be freezing still.”
“Excellent thinking Master Diluc,” she hummed, sounding oddly proud of him. She got up and dusted herself off, then with a little bow she made her way to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone.There were a few beats of awkward silence, only broken up by Bennett’s sniffles. Diluc hovered near the couch, before dropping down on his haunches.
“You did a good job,” he said with a little awkward stilt in his voice. This was easier with Razor. Diluc would never call Razor stunted, the boy excelled in so many different ways, but he certainly did not have the same intellectual awareness that other kids his age had. Razor said what he was thinking, and Diluc liked that. He liked that he knew what Razor was thinking at any moment, because the boy would just tell him outright. Bennett was a different story. He was sure there were many things buried down in his mind, things he hid carefully under a facade of cheerfulness. Diluc wasn’t unfamiliar with concept. All people wore masks, including him, but that didn’t make him an expert on deciphering them.
“Th-thanks,” Bennett said quietly, sitting extremely still and stiff.
“Does something else hurt?” Diluc asked, scanning his leg.
“Oh no,” Bennett shook his head forcefully, “I… uh, it’s nothing.” Bennett chewed on his lip for a few minutes and Diluc was unsure of what to say. “Master Diluc,” Bennett chirped, “I didn’t think you would own anything blue.”
“What?” Diluc startled, blinking owlishly.
“I didn’t mean to offend you or anything,” Bennett stuttered, “I guess now that I say it out loud it sounds really silly,” he laughed at himself. “I mean I’m a pyro user and I prefer red too. So blue,” he pointed to the blankets Diluc had brought, “Seems weird.”
“Oh, those aren’t… mine,” Diluc blinked, “I really don’t have any clothes left here from when I was younger.” Bennett cocked his head to the side, but otherwise stayed quiet. “Those belong to my… my brother.”
“You have a brother?” Bennett’s green eyes went wide in surprise. Diluc shouldn’t have been surprised. The kids of Mond had been so young when the whole thing played out. Most of them couldn’t remember a time before Diluc was the Master of Dawn Winery. Diluc slowly nodded his head.
“Well, at one time,” Diluc sighed, “We are really no longer on speaking terms.”
“Oh…” Bennett’s small shoulders dropped. “I… don’t want to pry.”
“It’s not really prying,” Diluc shook his head, “Most people in Mondstat know him after all. Your brilliant Calvary Captain. Hence the blue. Kaeya always did like it.”
“Sir Kaeya’s your brother?” Bennett screwed up his face, looking like he thought Diluc was pulling his leg.
“Adopted,” Diluc shrugged, “But not really anymore. The only time I see him is when I work a shift at the bar.”
“That’s… kind of sad,” Bennett mumbled. Before Diluc could reply, Adelinde came out of the kitchen, carefully holding a large metal tub, full of steaming water. With the conversation shelved for now, Diluc helped Adelinde wash off the rest of the scrapes and bruises, bandaging the teenager up and getting into warm clothes. Adelinde left them once more to make tea, leaving them in another stretch of awkward silence.
“Do you need me to send a bird to your guardians?” Diluc asked, reaching for a piece of parchment.
“No,” Bennett twiddled his thumbs.
“Then just how long do you intend to stay here for?” Diluc said dryly.
“Oh, um,” Bennett shot up, “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to imply that…”
“I was joking,” Diluc said in deadpan. He hadn’t been. But the panic that overcame Bennett made him feel bad, almost as bad as the fact that Bennett didn’t feel the need to inform any one he had been grievously injured. “You can stay as long as you’d like.”
“Well, I guess Captain Kaeya might want to know,” he admitted shyly.
“Kaeya?” Diluc paused, “Why?”
“You don’t spend a lot of time in town, do you?” Bennett rose his brow skeptically.
“Honestly no,” Diluc grumbled, “I’d rather like to avoid it. How does this relate to Kaeya?”
“The captain looks after me sometimes,” Bennett shrugged, “Like he lets me sleep at his place, and cooks for me. Especially when I accidentally ruin my own food.” Bennett let out a long sigh, as if recalling just how many times he had messed up. “It’s nice though, considering, you know,” Bennett wobbled in his spot.
“Considering what?” Diluc paused.
“You don’t know?” Bennett let out a little laugh. “People say I’m cursed. I have super bad luck.”
“Nonsense,” Diluc huffed, rolling his eyes.
“No, it’s true,” Bennett’s shoulder’s folded in on him, “All the other adventurers won’t join my team, because something always manages to go wrong. So, uh Benny’s adventure team, consists of one person.” He weakly held up one finger to emphasize the point. “Captain Kaeya isn’t really bothered by it,” Bennett elaborated, “Which is just nice… to feel normal around him? He’s always so calm. He knows everything. He can fix anything,” the boy whispered in awe.
Diluc rose a brow and hummed, “Not sure he knows everything, but alright.” Diluc’s hands shook a small amount as he carefully started to pen a letter to the Calvary Captain. Letting the man know that Bennett was at the Manor, safe, but would be needing assistance to travel back to the city. He kept it concise, impersonal. Rolling it up carefully, he sealed it with wax and set it aside for a moment. He would send it off with Vanessa whenever Bennett fell asleep.
While he was finishing up Adelinde came back with piping hot tea and some sandwiches. He heard Bennett thank Addie quietly and the clatter of dishes. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the delicate curve of the teacup’s handle crack away from the base. Without much thought his hand shot out and caught the cup, the hot tea sloshing over on to his palm.
“Master Diluc!” Adelinde gasped, grabbing a nearby towel to gather the steaming, broken cup.
“Why did you do that?” Bennett asked, frazzled and distressed.
“It would have burned you?” Diluc answered slowly.
“But it burned you instead!” Bennett cried.
“I don’t have a lot of sensation in my hands,” he said, peeling off his uncomfortably wet glove. Scars, reminiscent of healed burns covered his hands, dulling the sensations he could feel. A side effect, he hadn’t particularly cared about at the time. Now though, he could almost see the black fire engulfing his fists. He frowned and summoned his own fire, making the two others startled. He shook his hand to put it out, evaporating the left over tea with the heat.
“You could have asked for a towel,” Adelinde grouched, waving her dish rag in the air to clear the smoke.
“Sorry,” Diluc said halfheartedly.
“You can get your fire that hot?” Bennett gasped, clearly distracted from the fact he had almost been scalded by tea.
“Mm,” Diluc nodded, “It’s not terribly difficult, but to do it for long periods can be exhausting.”
“Do you think you could teach me?” Bennett leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “That’d be so useful during adventures, especially since I tend to fall into water a lot,” he laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
Diluc fought the words coming from his mouth valiantly, “I suppose.” It was happening again, another rascal that would pop in and out of his home whenever they felt the whim. Diluc let out a little sigh, noticing the vibrant exclamation of excitement from Bennett. “But do mind that your clothes are not fireproof,” he added, watching the boy flounder and blush. He did not understand why Razor, and now Bennett, wanted to be around him. He considered himself rather dreary. He doubted he’d be a good teacher in any respect. Lisa was a much better teacher, but maybe all Bennett wanted was the advice of another Pyro Vision holder. He could do that at the very least.
Adelinde gathered up the broken cup and left, muttering to herself about checking for cracks in other cups. He was sure Hillie and Moco would receive an earful about proper porcelain care in the near future. Diluc sat in an armchair across from Bennett and took a sip from another cup, after he had inspected it for hairline cracks.
“Bennett,” Diluc said slowly after a few moments, “Why do you wish to be an adventurer?” He took another breath, “You seem to be littered with injuries at any given moment… and well, as you have said, others tend to avoid you. That just makes adventuring all the more perilous.”
“I know,” Bennett said, sounding oddly rational, “But I love it. Adventuring is something I don’t think I could ever give up! It’s a big challenge, yeah, but you grow so much facing down obstacles. You get so much freedom to explore and well, the commissions are pretty nice too. I like being able to help out my Dads as much as I can, since they’re all retired, ya know?”
Diluc frowned a bit, “Going alone is dangerous.”
“Maybe, yeah,” Bennett agreed, “I’d love to have a team, but… I also know that I can accidentally put others in danger.”
“You don’t put others in danger,” Diluc groaned, trying beat the silly bad luck curse idea from the teen’s mind.
“Master Diluc,” Bennett sighed, “Weird stuff happens all the time. Like this one time I was with a few others in a cave, and something dropped in and exploded! My team quit after that.”
“Exploded?” Diluc muttered.
“And Master Diluc,” Bennet huffed, crossing his arms, “Aren’t you like, considered the king of lone wolves?” He was clearly teasing, but Diluc scoffed in mild offense. “You never come to the city,” Bennett pointed out, “You’re a really skilled swordsman. Razor says he sees you hunting monsters at least once a week.” Bennett paused for dramatic effect, “Without any help!”
Diluc winced, the kid had a point, “Fine, fine.” He crossed his arms and shifted a little uncomfortable with how on the nose Bennett was. Bennett grinned, busying himself with a sandwich now that he had scored a point on Diluc.
“So…” Bennett said, mouth full, “You were gone a long time. Were you adventuring?” Diluc winced a bit, but Bennett’s big green eyes were staring at him with such enthusiasm, he couldn’t help but relent.
“I don’t know if I would call it adventuring,” Diluc mumbled, “I did travel a fair deal though.” Bennett perked up and he leaned forward, as if to encourage Diluc to continue. “Would you like to hear some stories?”
“Yes please!” He cheered, nearly jumping out of his seat. That was dampened by the whine of pain from moving his foot too suddenly. Diluc hefted out a sigh and stood. He shed his long coat and loosened his cravat. Gently, he lifted Bennett’s leg, and then sat, resting it, elevated, on his lap. That would help decrease the swelling a bit.
“Well,” Diluc sighed, resting his arm on the back of the couch, “There was this one time I ran into the most annoying member of the Fatui. I ended up, unfortunately having to spend a few days trapped in a cave with him.” Diluc spun the tale, glossing over anything to do with his revenge or hunt for information. Also that he was a wanted man in Snezhnaya. That would raise a few questions.
Diluc’s voice was hoarse by the time that Bennett nodded off. With a little effort, he managed to carry the sleeping boy upstairs to one of the many guest rooms and tuck him in for the night. Before retiring, Diluc sent off his hawk, carrying a the little note to the Calvary Captain.
The reception the next morning had been icy, so to speak. Little words passed between Diluc and Kaeya. Barely even a glance. Bennett waved goodbye from the back of a wagon, towing him back into the city. The next time Diluc had to cover a shift at Angel’s Share, things were a bit different though. Bennett was there, finishing up a commission, and enthusiastically started telling Diluc about his newest members of Benny’s Adventure Team. A girl he had never met, and lo and behold, Razor. Bennet promised that he would stop by the manor to show Diluc all the things he had learned. He also eagerly request a spar, which was promptly turned down in favor of a less destructive lesson.
When the boy left, another patron took his place at the bar. Diluc turned to take their order, only to find Kaeya sitting there, staring at him with his uncovered eyes. His countenance was somewhat aloof, a small and easy smile on his lips.
“One Death After Noon, Master Diluc,” he said smoothly, leaning his cheek against the palm of his hand. Diluc paused for just a breath. Was this the first time Kaeya had spoken directly to him since the incident? The first time his brother had spoken his name, albeit with a honorific?
“Mm,” Diluc nodded very slowly, “Coming right up.”