Let's Make A Wager (Kaeya Alberich x reader)

No.7 The Dark Before the Dawn

~~Kaeya's POV~~

The sky became overridden with grey clouds, but Kaeya couldn't have cared less so he kept running. He couldn't afford to stop, because he needed to get to Diluc as fast as possible. The mud made some of the road uneven, but he wasn't worried about balance since he just needed to find my brother.

After he ran for who knows how long, he finally saw the lanterns that hung outside the Dawn Winery. Seeing new hope, Kaeya sped up and didn't stop until he came to the door. He knocked on it repeatedly, and shivered slightly from the rain that was pouring down and that was trickling down his back through his clothes.

Kaeya knocked again with a bit more ferocity, and Diluc opened it with a scowl on his face. When seeing it was him, his expression softened slightly.

"Kaeya? What are you doing here so late? What's wrong?" He asked, and Kaeya tried talking, only for his voice to get caught in his throat.

Diluc opened the door further for him, and he slowly trudged in while still trying to string enough words to form a sentence. Kaeya began slurring and stuttering as he pressed one hand to his forehead and his other hand frantically gesturing around like Diluc would understand.

"S-She- and then when I wasn't sleeping, Y/n's lips- I was so angry, I-I ran to the Winery- mud, mud and red all over-"

"KAEYA!" Diluc yelled, and his eye widened from his voice. His grip was firm on Kaeya's shoulder, and he could probably see just how puffy and red the distraught man's eyes were.

"Breathe, and tell me what happened. What happened to Miss Y/n, is she hurt?" He asked and Kaeya only looked down to the floor. "Kaeya, is she hurt?" Diluc asked again, and the Khaenri'an shook his head before letting out a staggered breath.

"She... this morning- That man, what did he look like??" Kaeya exclaimed while grabbing onto his arms firmly and slightly shaking. Diluc looked at him confused, and he yelled again. "The man that touched her this morning, what did he look like?!"

Diluc's eyes widened and he stared at Kaeya with sympathy and fear in his eyes. "Why? Did he..." he began and he only nodded before sinking to the floor while still holding onto his sleeves.

"I'll never forgive myself... and if it weren't for you, he might have hurt her again. I'm not fit for her, I don't deserve to even look her in the eyes after what happened. She said it was in Springvale, but... I just don't know what to do." Kaeya admitted while pathetically groveling in front of his brother.

Diluc said nothing before he knelt to his brother's level and gently grasped his shoulder.

"Kaeya, it's best if we wait until morning. I'll prepare a room for you here, and I'll go with you to Springvale tomorrow at dawn." Kaeya said nothing as he focused his eyes to the floor, but slowly nodded after some time.

~~Diluc's POV~~

Seeing Kaeya like this was a completely new fear that his body and mind weren't ready to register. The way his eyes were filled with mortification, and the way his muscles trembled with anger... it worried the redhead. Never in all of his life had he ever seen Kaeya as he was now.

"Alright Kaeya, come on." He ushered him, and he said nothing as he stood up and kept his eye glued to the floor. Diluc decided to stay silent, since he didn't want to further stress Kaeya. It made him wonder just how much of an impact Miss Y/n truly had over his adoptive brother.

He brought Kaeya to one of the spare rooms, and he sat on the bed while staring at his hands without speaking a single word. His once talkative and charismatic brother now had his lips sewn shut with anger and distress as he focused on the callouses of his hands.

"Diluc, I need to ask for a favor." He spoke, and Diluc froze. It'd been so long since Kaeya had last asked something of him, and it caught him off guard.

"That depends, if you're asking me for assistance in harming that man, the answer is no." Diluc spoke while crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at his brother. Kaeya gave a dry chuckle while looking up to him showing a forced and agony-filled smile.

"Quite the opposite, really. I want you to stop me when I see him, or surely he will die by my hands." He started before standing up and looking Diluc directly in the eyes. "I know that you are truly the only one who can stop me, so I put my trust fully into you."

The older of the two said nothing for a moment before lowering his arms. Diluc clenched his fists by his side and thought back to the last time he and Kaeya had fought... when he received his vision. Though, he figured it was fine now since he was willing to put his trust in Diluc to stop him.

"Very well. Sleep well, Kaeya." Diluc told him before turning and making his way to the door. They both stayed silent until he left the room and shut the door gently behind him. Diluc leaned his weight against the wood and sighed, looking to the ceiling in deep thought.

'Why must all of the kindest people be treated the most cruelly?' He wondered. Miss Y/n seemed completely undeserving of the atrocities committed against her, and his mind couldn't help but wander back to the mortified expression that was plastered on her face earlier that morning.

The terror in her eyes were like none he'd ever seen before as that man touched her. Diluc could only imagine what could have happened if he hadn't stepped in, and it brought a shiver to his skin.

He couldn't even fathom how violated she must have felt, and he was sure that Kaeya was just filled with pure anguish. Truth be told, Miss Y/n had in fact unintentionally enchanted him. However, Diluc could tell that there was something she was hiding from her body language.

He walked across the hall to his own room, slipping into the sheets and staring at the ceiling. After this disturbing revelation, he couldn't keep his eyes shut as he imagined Miss Y/n's smile shift into a cry of help.

~~3rd Person POV~~

The two brothers unknowingly tossed and turned in their separate rooms, unable to get even a wink of sleep. As Diluc felt disturbed and ashamed of himself, Kaeya felt self-hatred and heartache from that night's occurrences. The redhead had only known the young woman for two days, but felt an obligation to protect her due to her ties to Kaeya.

The young navy-haired Khaenri'an didn't even bother taking off his boots, that's how empty and unfocused he felt. It's not as though anyone could've blamed him, since he just felt so lost and alone without his childhood sweetheart in bed beside him.

How he wished to embrace her, hold her body close and assure her that everything would be okay. Now he wanted even more to release her from the Abyss so that she wouldn't be put through that same situation ever again. Kaeya made a promise to himself that night...

Anyone that dare lay a finger on the love of his life would suffer the wrath of Kheinri'ah and its monarchy as punishment. Archons help them if they so much as touch a strand of hair on her head, as he would not permit them to live without consequences.

Something twisted and malicious brewed in the heart of Kaeya that night; something that made him feel like he was on the top of the world. He smiled to himself, knowing that the man who touched his beloved Y/n would not survive in the morning.

Word count: 1327