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Kaeya looked up from the document he was reviewing when he heard a long sigh from the only other occupant in the student council room.
“Something bothering you, Jean?”
The student council meeting was long over, but Jean and Kaeya, the ever-reliable duo, had stayed behind to make decisions on some pressing matters. With the end of the school year approaching, there was a never-ending list of things to approve, like the budget for the physical copies of the yearbook.
“No… I was just looking through the final plans for prom from the planning committee… And I suddenly realized that… I will need to attend too, won’t I?” Jean said regretfully.
“Not a fan of prom, then?” Kaeya thought she might be into it, given her secret love for romance novels, but considering what an introvert she was, it also made perfect sense that she was not.
“Not particularly. Having to dress up in formal wear and dance all night doesn’t sound like much fun.” The blonde said honestly. “But it’s not a good look if I don’t attend.”
“You’re the student council president, Jean. You set the rules. You can do whatever you want.” Kaeya smirked.
“I don’t want to encourage other student council members to skip too. So many of them have senioritis and would be perfectly happy to skip. I should be setting an example for them.” Jean, as usual, was extremely good at foisting unnecessary responsibilities on herself.
“Student council members with senioritis… Why do I feel like that was a not-so-subtle jab at me?”
Jean laughed lightly. “Not at all, Kaeya. I was not worried about you skipping. You’re such a gossip, you wouldn’t miss prom for the world, if only for the opportunity to tease our classmates.”
He grinned. “You’re right on the money. There is nothing more entertaining than observing awkward teenage romances at play. Beautiful young love!” He did a chef’s kiss for good measure.
“You are also a teenager…”
“But a cut above the rest!” Kaeya flipped his hair for effect, getting some more chuckles from Jean. “Well, if you’re going to go anyway, do you want to go with me?” He had said it casually, with not much consideration, but as soon as he did, another thought made his blood turn to ice. He tried to backtrack as smoothly as he could. “That is, unless you want to ask Diluc?”
Jean was quiet for a few moments. When she finally spoke, her tone was light, with a touch of wistfulness. “Can you imagine Diluc at prom? He would hate it so much. We’re far too alike that way.”
“True. But even our resident grump might make an exception for our beloved president.” He said with more levity than he felt.
“Maybe he would have gone in the past, just to be a good sport. I don’t know about now…” The wistfulness in her tone became more pronounced.
She didn’t need to elaborate. Kaeya knew what she meant to say. Diluc might have (reluctantly) gone to prom in the past. That is, he would have before their father’s untimely death. After Crepus’ death, he had become a social recluse, not even bothering to attend school regularly anymore. He didn’t need to – he had gotten into his top choice college already. These days, he came to school just enough times to secure his graduation diploma. He also resigned from his duties in the student council, something he had taken great pride in in the past.
As to what Diluc did with his free time, Kaeya wasn’t sure. Even if they lived under the same roof, they weren’t exactly on speaking terms. For a time after Crepus’ death, Diluc had been obsessed with the indictment of the driver who had caused their father’s accident. It had been a hit and run. When the police were unable to find the perpetrator, something in his adoptive brother seemed to have snapped.
Kaeya was glad Jean didn’t continue on the subject of Diluc. Thinking about his brother nowadays made him develop a strange, unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want to think about him. Instead, to break the sudden gloomy atmosphere in the council room, he sauntered over to Jean’s side of the table.
When he held out his hand toward her, Jean looked at him quizzically. “Madame President, as you are in want of a dance partner, I humbly offer my assistance to you. I may not be the strongest contender out of the no-doubt long list of your candidates, but I assure you, I will show you a good time.” He finished with a wink and a deep bow.
Kaeya was pleased to see Jean’s furrowed brow smooth into a giggle. She squeezed his hand lightly and mimicked his mock bow from her seat. “I’m sure you will. I humbly accept your offer, Mr. Vice-President.”
***
They were quieter than usual on their walk home today, mostly because Kaeya was pensive. He was walking so absentmindedly, even their pace was slower than normal.
“Are you and Diluc still not talking to each other?” Jean asked at one point.
“He does speak to me on occasion.” Kaeya smiled reflexively. “When he absolutely needs to.”
Jean made a sympathetic noise. “It’s not you, Kaeya. He’s been like that with everyone. It’s just the way he deals with grief, I suppose. Give him time.”
That wasn’t quite the whole story, but he didn’t bother correcting her.
Home didn’t feel like home anymore. At the Ragnvindr mansion since Crepus’ death, for many reasons, he felt like a guest that had overstayed their welcome. He just had to hold out until graduation. He could make his own way after that. There was the small matter of paying for his room, living expenses, and tuition but he would figure that out when the time came. Dwelling on the future caused no small amount of anxiety. And so, he didn’t.
Out of the four people closest in his life, one had abandoned him. One had effectively cut him off. The third was dead, and even beyond that, for certain reasons, Kaeya felt betrayed by him. The fourth, he was still holding on to.
He looked ahead to Jean’s back. Because he was walking so slowly today, she was a few steps ahead of him. These last few months had been hell. Jean’s presence in his life had made it somewhat tolerable. The thing he loved about her the most was that she didn’t press him for details he wasn’t ready to talk about yet, but she was there for him when he needed her.
Right on cue, she turned to him, shocking him a little. “What’s on your mind, Kaeya?”
He plastered a smile on his face. “Me? Oh, you know me, not a care in the world.” He grimaced inwardly. That had come out a lot more flippant than he had intended. He knew Jean wouldn’t call him out on it, but he didn’t want to trample on her kindness too much. “I’m just… feeling a bit reflective today.” He amended.
Jean nodded at him. “Well, if you want to talk, I’m here. Otherwise…” she gestured to the intersection. “This is where we part ways.”
He started a little. Jean was right, they were already at the part of their walk home where their individual routes branched out. The fact that he hadn’t noticed was testament to how spaced out he was.
“Right…” Kaeya recovered. “See you tomorrow?”
His blonde friend hesitated. “You sure? If you need to talk, I’m not in a hurry to get home.”
He gave Jean the most reassuring smile he could manage. “I’m fine for now but thank you for the offer.”
But as soon as she turned to go, the image of what was awaiting him at home flashed before his eyes. He wondered what would be better. To dine alone in the Ragnvindr dining room, which had already been too big before for three people, or, be graced with Diluc’s stony silence for company. Suddenly he was loath to return home anytime soon.
He caught up with Jean in three long strides. “Actually, let me accompany you on the rest of your walk. It’s such a beautiful day, it would be a shame to waste it.”
If Jean noticed his barefaced lie, she didn’t comment on it. It was a perfectly average day in Mondstadt.
The rest of the walk was disappointingly short since their homes weren’t that far from each other. As they turned the corner toward the Gunnhildr home, Kaeya wracked his brain on what he could do to kill some more time. Before he had an answer, Jean inquired, “Is Diluc expecting you home?”
He suppressed his desire to scoff. Jean didn’t deserve his derision when she had done nothing to cause it. “If he was, no-one would be more surprised than me.” He kept his tone pleasant, as if it didn’t hurt at all. It didn’t.
“I didn’t think so, but just wanted to make sure,” Jean said apologetically. “Do you want to stay for dinner? It’s my turn to cook today and I could certainly use an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.”
He was touched by her offer (and it lifted his spirits that she somehow always seemed to know what he needed) but also a bit confused considering her home circumstances. “I would love to…. But is your mom home?”
Jean shook her head. “You know how she is, always working late.”
Yes, he did know. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. But that wasn’t why he was asking. “Won’t you get in trouble for inviting me inside when she isn’t there?” Frederica Gunnhildr was quite the strict disciplinarian and a master of propriety. And she wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of Kaeya, despite him being in Jean’s life for a decade. She most definitely favored Diluc over him.
“Oh, it’s just you, Kaeya,” Jean waved him off. “You’ve been here so many times already.”
“Oh? Just me? Am I not charming enough for Ms. Frederica Gunnhildr to be worried about my unchaperoned presence alone with her daughter?” He couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “Well, then, once she returns, I will be my most enchanting self, so that next time, she definitely feels threatened.”
Jean chuckled and Kaeya smiled back. The joke was worth it to hear her laugh.
Inside the Gunnhildr house, as Kaeya opened his shoes and exchanged them for slippers, he couldn’t help but feel that something was different from the last time he was here. It took him a few moments to place what was different.
This was the first time he had stepped inside the house without Diluc.
***
After Kaeya put the final touches on styling his hair, he surveyed himself in the full-length mirror beside his dresser.
Not bad, not bad at all.
It was his first time wearing his new tuxedo to an event. Father had asked him to get a set of clothes made for formal occasions, and to spare no expense. Kaeya had hired a tailor who was known for converting their customers’ original concepts into reality. They had done a stellar job – it looked better than he had envisioned. The tuxedo jacket was fashioned in indigo velvet and embroidered with a snow-flake motif in a lighter shade of blue. He was particularly fond of the patterned, sheer dress-shirt, which was the same color as the embroidery. It hit all the right notes.
He wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that Crepus had not lived to see him wear the outfit. The eldest Ragnvindr wouldn’t have been happy with it, that’s for sure. The flamboyant, over-the-top design was a subtle act of rebellion from Kaeya.
As Kaeya passed by the main corridor in the Ragnvindr mansion, he almost did a double take. Diluc’s door was open for once. He was in a conversational mood then.
Before Kaeya could decide whether to say something, like mention that he was going out, the other teen beat him to it.
“Kaeya.” The redhead acknowledged, looking up from his book.
Kaeya took a few steps forward, hovering on the edge of the doorway. While he prided himself in being articulate, on being a smooth talker, words failed him today. He couldn’t remember the last time they had properly spoken. Was it days or weeks?
Diluc gave him a once over, then made a noise of disapproval when his eyes landed on his neck. “Your bowtie knot is off.”
The bowtie was purposefully kept loose instead of tight around his neck. He never got why men’s formal clothing had such high necklines. Why hide your assets to that extent? Still, when Diluc stood up to fix it, he let him.
“Not going to prom, then? You can still make it if you get ready quickly.” Kaeya commented, also taking the opportunity to scan Diluc’s room quickly. It looked the same as ever, except there was a new shelf in his bookcase entirely dedicated to law reference books. Some of the titles might raise eyebrows: Grey Areas of the Law, Anatomy of a Murder, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, Making your Case. He felt a pang when he saw that the framed photo of Diluc, Jean, and himself still had the cherished position on Diluc’s desk. It was from a martial arts competition last year. Crepus had taken the photo.
“Not interested,” Diluc replied coolly.
“Suit yourself, dear brother.” He said airily as Diluc tightened his bowtie to a stranglehold. “Ack! Except don’t choke me. I would like to live a long life.”
The redhead rolled his eyes and completed the knot. As he did, he eyed Kaeya’s studded necklace, his sheer dress-shirt, and tall leather boots. “Really trying to break tradition this year, are you?” he said drily.
“You know me. Have to give the juniors an example to strive for.” Plus, he was on the student council. Why bother with that if you weren’t going to push the boundaries on things like dress code and tradition?
Diluc’s eyes drifted from the blue boutonnière on Kaeya’s lapel to the plastic container in his hand that held a matching corsage. Adelinde had helped him pick them out. “I see you have a date. At least be considerate toward them.”
“I’m sure Jean won’t mind,” he said without skipping a beat. She accepts me for who I am. And even though that thought had come unbidden, he knew it was true.
He could have easily shrugged and moved on after Diluc’s comment. He didn’t need to tell him who he was going to prom with. But part of him felt vindictive, felt the need to hurt Diluc as much as he had hurt him after Crepus’ death.
“You’re going with Jean?” He saw a complicated series of emotions pass through Diluc’s face and he tried to guess each one. Confusion (When did his two friends become that close? Close enough to date?). Regret (Would they be going together if I was still in the picture?). Indignance (Kaeya is a snake. He doesn’t deserve Jean).
Indignance seemed to win out in the end as Diluc said icily, “Don’t hurt her.”
“Such lack of faith in your own brother. I’m not sure where you would get that idea. You may have known Jean longer, but she is my friend too.” His tone was light, but he prickled at the presumption.
“You think I don’t know about your night-time activities?”
“Oh? If we’re going there, should we talk about yours?” He saw Diluc’s eyes widen a fraction. The redhead must not have realized that he would catch on so quickly, but seriously, he should know his own brother better. Stuff like this was child’s play for him to figure out. “We all have our own ways of dealing with grief, don’t we, dear brother?”
Diluc scoffed. “Don’t pull the grief card. As if you’re actually mourning for father.”
If Kaeya had worse self-control, he might have punched Diluc. As it were, he turned on his heel and walked off, making a great show of undoing his bow tie in one smooth tug, also unbuttoning some of the top buttons of his dress shirt in the process. Why pretend that their bond was still intact when it was not? Better to unravel the knot. His outfit looked better without it anyway.
He had made a lot of concessions for Diluc these past few months. Told himself that he was grieving and not in the right state of mind. After all, Diluc was in the car with Crepus when the accident happened. Having watched his father die, he blamed himself. Why wasn’t he fast enough to move out of the way when the car hurtled toward them from the opposite direction? That was the first thing Diluc said when Kaeya made it to the hospital after receiving the call.
Later, the fact that the law could not find the perpetrator destabilized Diluc even further. He started staking out criminals who could not be touched by the law, like some sort of vigilante. Kaeya wondered what their pacifist martial arts instructor would say if he knew what Diluc was doing with his spare time.
No matter how much he respected Diluc in the past, he would stop making excuses for him. They may have had their falling out, but that didn’t give Diluc the right to treat him as less than human.
Grief wasn’t a sufficient excuse. He was grieving too. Not only for the loss of his adoptive father, but also for the loss of his place in life. Just months ago, he had seen himself at Diluc’s side, no matter where he chose to go. How things had changed.
With how bad things were at home, it was no wonder that he’d sought solace in the bottle. These past few months, he’d attended one too many parties. His memories of these parties were hazy, but on several occasions, he ended up in the arms of someone or the other, which was likely what Diluc was alluding to. He wondered how the redhead had gotten wise to that though, it wasn’t as if he had brought any of them home. But he supposed if Diluc could stakeout criminals, he could also keep tabs on his brother.
Not wanting to let Diluc destroy his evening, he tried to push his feelings aside as he made his way to Jean’s place. When he had texted Jean earlier, she insisted they walk instead of drive because it was beautiful weather outside. (Apparently, her dress was very easy to walk in). It turned out to be a blessing in disguise; the walk helped soothe him somewhat.
Seeing Jean cured the remnants of his bad mood. She looked stunning in a blue and white knee-length gown, with her hair in curls instead of her usual ponytail. He had previously seen a picture of the dress from Lisa, who had chosen the dress and modified it, but it looked even better on Jean. Or rather, Jean made the dress truly shine.
“You look amazing,” he smiled and waved as a greeting. “The dress suits you perfectly. Lisa outdid herself.” Lisa’s personal touches were all over the dress, like the rose ornaments on the sleeves.
“Thank you.” Jean, as always, was awkward when praised, ducking her head a little. “The credit goes to Lisa and Barbara, really. Barbara came over to do my hair. I don’t know the first thing about dressing up, so I appreciate their support very much.” She paused for a second, contemplating something. “Now that I think about it… they might have been more excited about this than me.”
“Heh, we are all very invested in seeing you have a good time, Jean. You don’t take the time to relax often enough.” He tied the corsage on Jean’s arm, pleased to see that he and Adelinde had gotten the shade down pat. “Plus, prom is a pretty special event for us seniors. Speaking of which, does your mom want to take pictures of us, and whatever else parents do with their kids on prom?”
Jean had been waiting for him outside her door by the time he arrived. Leave it to Jean to be so punctual.
“You know mom.” Jean shook her head helplessly. “She’s not exactly into this type of thing. She didn’t ask.”
“Ah, don’t worry. Diluc isn’t into this stuff either. I would pay good money to see him fawn over me and be all parental.” Kaeya inwardly winced. He meant it in a light-hearted way, but it hit a bit too close to home. A reminder of what he had lost. If Crepus was still here, not only would he force Diluc to go, but he would also have taken pictures of them from many different angles. He was big on maintaining family albums.
Jean sensed it too because she patted his arm clumsily. “We’ll take pictures later. It’ll be nice to take some with our classmates too. For now, let me take a better look at you.” She nudged him toward the better lit part of the porch.
He twirled around for her benefit as Jean regarded him thoughtfully. “What’s the verdict? I designed it myself, you know.”
“It’s very… Kaeya-like. It suits you.”
“Hmmm… is that the presidential way of saying that you don’t like my outfit?”
“No, not at all,” she hastened to reassure him. “I’m not sure I can explain very well but I admire how you can express yourself so confidently through your clothes. If I had seen just the outfit and was asked to find its owner, my mind would automatically jump to you. Does that make sense? I don’t think I would be able to do the same for myself.”
“You say that, but your outfit is very Jean-like too.” Elegant but not too extravagant. You could wear it outside of parties. Comfortable enough to move in.
“Yeah, but I don’t know if I could have chosen something like this for myself,” she said ruefully.
In Kaeya’s opinion, she wasn’t giving herself enough credit, but he chose to let it go. He offered her his arm instead. “Shall we head out?”
***
They went to prom early, at Jean’s request. As President, she wanted to ensure that everything was in order before the party got started. She need not have worried. With Eula as head of the prom committee, everything was executed with ruthless efficiency. Eula as an individual amused Kaeya to no end. She grumbled so much about their high school, and yet, she contributed immensely to the success of school events. In preparation for prom, she even held a crash course on dancing etiquette, open to all students.
A ton of people came up to Jean to ask her to dance, or to chat with her. As student council president this year, she had doubled the amount of funding available for student clubs and saved some clubs from certain ruin. As such, she was extremely popular. Kaeya managed to sneak in some dances in between. Jean’s dancing form was perfect, but also very rigid. Clearly, it was not one of her favored pastimes.
When they sat down to rest, he got them both a drink.
Jean scrutinized her punch. “It’s not spiked, is it?”
“Nope! As much as I would love for you to develop a taste for alcohol, I know you don’t care much for it.”
Since the drinking age in Mondstadt was 16, most of the students could drink. Despite that, Jean wanted to have a dry prom because she was worried about things getting too rowdy. Kaeya, as a lover of all beverages, passionately advocated to have alcohol, convincing Jean that even if they officially banned it, students would still find ways to sneak it in.
As Jean took a few sips of her drink, she let out a wistful sigh.
“Hm? Are my ears deceiving me? Surely, you’re not yearning for a different type of drink, are you?”
She shook her head, nudging her head towards the dancing couples. Kaeya followed her line of sight to Eula and Amber, who had been busting out dance moves for a while. Amber’s movements weren’t half as elegant as Eula’s but together, they were clearly having the time of their lives. “They’re so cute, aren’t they? We all know Eula is a sweetheart despite how cold-hearted she pretends to be, but there’s something different about the way she looks at Amber. Like she’s the best thing that happened to her.”
Well, considering Eula’s family history, Amber probably was the best thing that happened to her. He knew exactly what Jean was talking about and could relate but he couldn’t resist teasing Jean. “Makes you think of your romance novels, doesn’t it?”
He liked to steal her romance novels, memorize passages, and slip in some out-of-context quotes here and there during student council meetings. No-one else realized what he was doing, but it was still fun seeing Jean turn interesting shades of red. Really, he was just trying to train Jean to choose better hiding places. No matter where she hid her novels in the council room, it never took him more than two minutes to find them.
The blonde was unfazed by his ribbing because she was deep in thought. “Actually, theirs is the real deal. It’s much better than the novels I read.”
Before he could respond, a smooth voice chimed in. “Hi, cuties. Taking a break?” Lisa was a vision in purple. The rose motif in her dress was far more prominent than Jean’s. She looked over at Jean with a pleased sigh, probably for third time today. “I’m still in awe over your look, Jean. I couldn’t have done better if I tried.”
“That’s true. Flawless execution on your part, Lisa,” Kaeya humored her. “But to be fair, Jean is doing at least half the work. The dress wouldn’t work on anyone else.”
Lisa’s eyes twinkled. “I love how you managed to butter up both of us at the same time. Would either of you care for a dance?”
“Sure,” Jean stood up, setting her drink aside.
When they turned to look at him, he said, “You ladies enjoy yourselves. I’m going to sit a while longer, polishing off my drink.” It was an excuse to check out some of the newly formed couples, to file for reference later.
“Alright, but when we get back, you have to tell me where you got that darling tuxedo of yours. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lisa said before she glided away.
Jean got intercepted by two more of her admirers after finishing with Lisa. Ever the dutiful president, she was unable to say no. He was about to go rescue her when she managed to escape, returning to his side. He could tell that her enthusiasm for prom was rapidly dwindling.
“Do you want to leave, Jean?”
Clearly, she wanted to say yes, but she hesitated. “I, uh… it’s still early, right? You don’t have to worry on my account, Kaeya. I’m fine. It will look bad if we disappear so soon.”
He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. You can leave right now, and no-one would be the wiser.” She didn’t seem to believe him, so he pulled out his trump card. “Lisa left right after your dance with her, did you notice?”
“She did?” Jean carefully looked around the crowd. “Wasn’t she going to come talk to you about your outfit?”
He winked. “That’s it. That’s a classic trick. If you give people the impression that you’re going to be there for a long time, it maintains the illusion. Because then, when people look for you, they think they just happened to miss you, or you went to the bathroom or something.” He admired Lisa. She knew how to play the game, but she followed her own rules.
Having reluctantly convinced Jean, they made their surreptitiously casual exit with no issues whatsoever.
It was nice to have the feel of the crisp evening breeze after being in that crowded ballroom. “What do you say to getting some food?” Kaeya asked. They had some snacks at prom, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Jean always had a healthy appetite – the maniac worked out every day of the week. How she had the time, only she knew.
“Sounds lovely. Did you have somewhere in mind?”
“Good Hunter is down the block. I bet it’ll be crowded with other students who have the same idea as us though. How about that pizza joint you love so much?”
Jean’s eyes lit up for a moment before she thought of something. “Isn’t it inappropriate to go there when we are all dressed up for prom?”
“Yes, very inappropriate. I can imagine the headlines in the school paper on Monday.” He gestured dramatically with his arm. “Student Council Leaders Ditch Prom to Stuff Themselves with Greasy Fast Food. Maybe they’ll want to vote us out of office.”
“Oh no! Maybe we shouldn’t have left prom after all.” Jean was, in fact, being completely serious. She was so earnest, sometimes she missed his jokes.
“I’m kidding, Jean.” He steered her in the direction of the pizza joint. “We’re going. Literally no-one cares and if they do, you can blame it all on your lazy Vice-President. The pizza place is going to be honored to receive such well-dressed guests.”
Choosing the pizza joint was the right decision. It was empty save for one other group of students that had the same idea. Of course, they had to be careful not to get grease over their fancy clothes but neither of them were particularly clumsy people.
Jean loved pizza so much, she savored every bite, with her eyes sparkling. As she ate, she tried to discern every ingredient, so she could try to recreate it at home.
This is what Jean is like when she isn’t occupied with responsibilities, Kaeya thought idly. Here she was herself, enjoying the moment without a care in the world, with no-one to watch her but him. He wanted to see that side of her more often.
Then came another realization.
Everyone knew that student council was an odd choice for him. The dance club or the drama club would have worked better. He only joined because Diluc and Jean were deeply involved in it. The fact that he ended up relishing his time in the council this year was a bit of a surprise, even to him.
Maybe he enjoyed being on the student council because he could pull strings behind the scenes to execute Jean’s vision. Helping cross off items on her list meant one less worry for her.
It was a strange thing to realize on his last few weeks of being VP.
After dinner, Jean was so stuffed, she suggested they walk around the block. He was happy to oblige. It was Friday night – he had nothing better to do.
“I’m surprised your mom doesn’t have some sort of curfew for you.”
“She does…” Jean admitted sheepishly. “But I told her that as President, I have to stay back at school till prom ends to ensure everything goes smoothly.”
He whistled, genuinely impressed. “Wow, I didn’t think such deviousness was possible from our president. Way to go.”
Something in Jean’s lopsided smile didn’t quite sit right.
“Wait… don’t tell me that’s actually what you thought?” Her embarrassed expression told him he was correct. He sighed. “Classic Jean.”
Jean ducked her head. “That’s why I have you and Lisa around to keep my workaholic tendencies in check.”
“What are you going to do next semester when you go to college, hmm? We won’t be there to force you to relax.”
“I’ll miss you, Kaeya. We’ve gone to the same school for ten years and I appreciate you very much.” Jean said warmly.
Just like Jean didn’t know what to do with his jokes sometimes, he didn’t know what to do with her sincerity.
“Maybe you’ll see more of me than you expect.” he said cryptically instead.
They were technically going to colleges in different cities, but now that he was a penniless teenager with no guaranteed financial support, well, everything was in flux. He was still figuring that out.
Before they parted ways that night, Jean said, “I had fun, Kaeya. Let’s do this again sometime.”
And as much as it sounded like politeness, he knew that she meant it, because she never said things she didn’t mean. He was happy to hear that, but all that came out from his lips was, “Do prom again? That might be difficult to arrange.”
If Jean was the type to roll her eyes, maybe she would have at that point. Instead, she said, “That’s not what I mean. I know we have only a few months together before we move to different cities, but let’s make the most of those.”
“Mmhm.”
It was moments like this that no matter how silver-tongued he was, he had no idea what to say. It had happened with Diluc earlier today, for a completely different reason. He cared about Jean, wanted her in his life, but he felt frozen.
“When we talked about prom a few weeks ago, I didn’t know if I was going to go, let alone take anyone with me. I’m glad it was you.”
Jean wasn’t that good with words, but he knew what she was trying to say. While they had a Diluc-shaped hole in their hearts, they had each other, and Jean wouldn’t have it any other way. Even if Diluc had been there.
As he walked the rest of the way home, he had one final thought for the night.
He didn’t have faith in much these days, but he had faith in Jean. For now, that was enough for him to hold on to.