𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 || 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

<FAMILY> Diluc & Kaeya [-] Dandelion Wine?

Diluc began wiping down glasses, "so why would you order it? Are you having a long needed break from Death After Noon?"

"Not at all," Kaeya answered. "Swan said it was too strong for him, so I dialed it back for the night."

Swan was the guy's name. That makes a lot of sense. He couldn't tell because to him almost all of the guards looked the same to Diluc.

"What made you decide to take Swan out on... a friendly date?" He spoke the last part like a question.

Kaeya thought about it, "I don't know. What's the harm in taking a few of your subordinates out for a drink?"

"Subordinates?" Diluc echoed.

"Come now Diluc, it's just an expression." Kaeya clarified. "I haven't done any calvary captain things in a while, so I-"

"You took a co-worker out for a night at the tavern and called that 'cavalry captain things'?"

Kaeya chuckled, "Spot on."

Kaeya left and went back over with Swan and started up a conversation like there was no tomorrow. Diluc almost found it laughable. Deep down, he knew Kaeya was not the extrovert people make him out to be. However, he wasn't going to expose his introverted nature to anyone.

A chime, and Diluc knew it was back to work.

***

After he finished serving three other people, Diluc began to pick up the messes left behind on the tables and floors. He found that cleaning was almost a very tranquil activity to do. Even with him having maids at the Winery, Diluc still organizes and cleans things himself. Much to Adeline's distress because she fears that it's because she and the others aren't doing their jobs correctly.

Diluc always dismisses this theory and claims it's because he just wants to. He even told Adeline if there's ever a day that they all want a day off, they can go elsewhere and still be paid the exact same. He'd do all the cleaning himself.

He was upstairs, wiping down tables and making things ready to close up and open tomorrow. Honestly, Angel's Share is almost always open. Except when Diluc is in charge, there is a curfew.

The upstairs was empty and the last couple patrons were finishing up. The quietness was slowly but surely returning.

When he arrived back downstairs, he noticed something odd. Kaeya's shoulders began to slouch, and his head drooped off to the side. It was hard to tell if maybe he was bluffing earlier about dandelion wine not being able to get him drunk, or if he was sinking into drowsiness.

Diluc shook it off because Kaeya was still laughing and chatting it up.

He brought the extra glasses back behind the counter and began wiping them down before neatly stacking them back on the rack. During this time, he watched the final patrons leave the tavern. The only two he didn't see were Swan and Kaeya.

Diluc glanced over his shoulder to their table. Now Kaeya was laying on his folded arms. His head was down and turned facing towards him. Swan stood on the opposite side of Kaeya's turned head and gently shook his arm.

"Aw man, Kaeya, I thought you were taking it easy tonight?"

The hand Diluc was using to wash the cups came slowly to a stop as he observed the scene. From afar, it looked like Kaeya had just gone into another one of his alcohol slumps. But the longer he stared, he could see Kaeya's lips moving, like he was saying something back to Swan.

However there was no sound coming from his lips. Instead, he was just mouthing words out.

'Help me, please.'

It was a wordless plea and even though Diluc was not a lip reader, he could make out those words clear as day.

He took no time in stopping what he was doing and taking action. Diluc made long strides over to the table and unknowingly was making his presence a lot more intimidating than usual.

"Swan, was it?" Diluc started, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Swan seemed to take offense to his words, "Leave? I was just about to take Captain Kaeya home for the night. He drank too much."

That's when it clicked in Diluc's mind. It was no coincidence that Kaeya had ordered dandelion wine. It was also not a coincidence that he specifically told him it wasn't enough to get him drunk. Somehow, Kaeya must've known something was going to happen to him, and gave hints out just in case.

Because Kaeya was right, his tolerance is high enough to probably not even feel the dandelion wine.

"I'll do it, for now, just take your leave." Diluc stated.

"No worries! I got it." Swan smiled and went to pick up Kaeya's limp body.

Diluc slapped Swan's hands away and burned a hole into his skull with his intense glare. "Don't touch him."

Now Swan was taking a more defensive stance, "what's up with you? I was just going to-"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, but I've asked you to leave." Diluc spoke clearly, making sure every word was properly executed.

Swan lowered his eyes, "I get it now. Kaeya caught onto me then, what a joke. I can't believe I thought I could fool the cavalry captain."

Kaeya shuddered and tried to speak but his voice came out drier than expected, "Can't believe I even let you get me in this state."

"Heh," was all Swan said before he ducked and dashed out of the tavern. Diluc's first instinct was to run and get him so he could get some answers. But he didn't want to leave Kaeya like this. As much as he couldn't stand the man, and resented him for what happened, he couldn't find it in his heart to abandon him.

"Don't... don't let him get away." Kaeya choked, "I've been keeping tabs on him. He takes people out to the Tavern, poisons them and then they go... go missing."

"Kaeya, I will not leave you here like this." Diluc murmured looking at his sad state. "Can you move?"

"Sort of, my head feels... heavy. Foggy..."

Diluc didn't know what type of antidote he needed for a poison, but there were probably people in the Knights of Favonius that did. Hopefully someone reliable. "Would Lisa or possibly Albedo know how to treat you? I doubt simple healing will do the job."

Kaeya groaned, not wanting to bother anybody else about this because he took on the case alone. "I'll be fine." He lifted his head up and pushed himself from his seat, "Swan needs to be stopped... first."

"Quit the act." Diluc swung Kaeya's arm over his shoulder and helped to stabilize him. "I'll get him later, I'm bringing you home. Possibly seeing who I can get for your antidote of kind. Until then, I need you to stay conscious."

"Swan is still out there..."

"Forget him for now. I'll handle it. Worry about yourself." Diluc told him sternly.

Kaeya stayed quiet, but soon let out a soft chuckle, "Are you going to go all Dark Knight hero again?"

Now it was Diluc's turn to stay quiet. Soon, he also chuckled, "Yeah, I think I will."

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I like to think they don't ALWAYS hate each other's presence.