FOR FOREVER
X; DISTANCED LONGING
—
STARING UP AT THE TALL BOOKSHELVES that lined the inside of the familiar office brought you the same sense of home and nostalgia that you had experienced just as you were a while ago. the windows were always kept clean and spotless like ever.
"well well..." a smooth voice interrupted your thoughts for a moment as you reminisced about the memories you had in the same room. "look what the cat dragged back in." you turn your head from the shelves to the figure who leaned against the doorframe of the office.
"hi kaeya." your lips curling upwards in a soft smile. he hasn't changed a bit in the past few years you've been gone, but he looks taller, and much more mature than before. "did jean tell you i was here?"
"she didn't, but i did overhear some bright outrider of your initial arrival." he closed the door behind him before continuing. "i'm hurt you wouldn't even come to see your best friend, y/n." he snided with a sly smirk playing across his face. "-and to come walking in the city with diluc too. archons i was surprised to hear that."
you rolled your eyes, stepping down to meet (almost) eye to eye with the captain.
"you've gotten taller." he cocked an eyebrow at your sudden growth spurt from the last time he saw you. "not so little as before, hm?"
"not all all."
"you're different now." he paused, his eyes scanning your figure for a moment before speaking again. "it's like how you were when we were children, but more mature and experienced."
"what's that supposed to mean?" you rose an eyebrow at the captain.
"nothing bad of the sort, y/n. i just mean that your smile is the same from back then." kaeya answered, taking a few steps towards the window of the grand masters office. "how did you and diluc reconcile anyways?"
"i wouldn't really say reconcile, i'll tell you about it over a drink or two." he simply nodded in response with a smirk playing across his lips, "i didn't just come back home for nothing though, ludi harpastum's in the coming month or two, yes?"
"so you remembered," kaeya smiled, glancing in your direction. "it is. but you're pretty early for it."
"i'm staying here until i'm called back for duty if needed. kaeya, i'm back home."
"y/n, come here for a second." crepus called over the young kid run around the plaza with their two friends. they sighed before bouncing up to the adult, "here, happy ludi harpastum."
to their surprise, it was a small brooch of a flower, the last name "ragnvindr" engraved on the back of the accessory.
"it's just a small thing so you can always walk into the estate as if you lived there." he said as if the young child wasn't there like it was a nine to five job but actually having fun. "plus, the boys said it'd be nice to give you a gift."
"do you like it y/n?" the redhead asked, coming up from behind them.
"i do! its very pretty, thank you mr. ragnvindr, thank you diluc and kaeya!" they smiled, placing the brooch on their dicky collar with the help of crepus.
"i still have it, you know. the gift from years ago."
"the brooch of the cecilia? i assumed you let it collect dust somewhere after departing mondstadt." kaeya turned around, seeing the brooch in your hand. it had lost some of its shine along the years, but overall it looked like it was still in great shape. "-but i guess you kept every gift you received from the ragnvindr's."
"ah, y/n. sorry it took me so long." the office door opened with none other than the acting grand master with a few papers in hand. "i see you've been kept busy with captain kaeya however."
"i have!" you chuckled. "kaeya, me and jean have some things to discuss. i'll catch up with you another time." the calvary captain let out a soft sigh but bid his own farewells to wrap up.
—
the ever-so renowned owner of the dawn winery wasn't hard to find most of the time, especially during the early evenings. he was usually hanging around the angel's share despite disliking any sort of alcohol. so when the captain walked in, it wasn't hard to find the other latter.
"there you are." he chimed, taking a seat right at the bar where the redhead glared at his figure on the barstool.
"what do you want?" he said sternly, turning back to the barrels of wine and picking up a glass.
"one dandelion wine if you'd be so kind." moments later, a glass of wine was placed in front of him. "you've been gone awhile." the other brother was quiet as he stood facing kaeya, wondering what words would come out of his mouth. "i also have a feeling that you meant to bring y/n back home."
"stop speaking nonsense."
"i'm offended that you think i am."
"i just happened to bump into them when i was in liyue." diluc said. "they were planning to return home anyways, i just decided to keep them company."
"that's a lie and we both know it." kaeya added, taking a swig of his drink. "y/n had answers you wanted, so you went searching for them." diluc clicked his tongue in annoyance. "you don't want to admit it, but they've had a big impact on you, diluc."
"you act like you haven't been impacted by them either."
"oh i have. they're quite were quite an angel when we were younger." kaeya chimed, recalling all the fun and not so fun moments the three of them cherished together. "always getting us out of trouble."
diluc however continued his regular bartender duties while the blue haired captain observed. "i was just curious." diluc stated, washing up some wine glasses. "—and im still not satisfied with the answers i was presented with."
"are you now?"
diluc didn't know why he wasn't satisfied with what answers he got. in fact, all his questions were answered by you. so why would he have an odd void in his chest when he was content?
"perhaps that little childhood crush never did go away—" kaeya pressed, but got abruptly cut off with another dandelion wine glass sliding towards him. "oh? so i'm right."
"i think you're mistaken. i never dared to think of them in a romantic sense." diluc replied with a scowl as he eyed the calvary captain closely. kaeya shrugged, his eyes rolling to the side as he glanced at the taverns guests and regulars that populated it. citizens pouring in and out every now and then, leaving tips of mora on the cedar wood tables as they closed out their tabs at the bar.
kaeya however could only chuckle at the passerbys. "hey diluc," he started. diluc huffed in annoyance but decided to turn around anyways. "I got you a gift. think of it as a 'welcome home' kind of thing." seemingly out of nowhere, kaeya places a giant and vibrant painted vase on the bar counter. the colours didn't seem to go together very well, all in all it was a pretty ugly vase.
"what is that?" it sounded more of a disgusted spit rather than an actual question. if anyone had stepped foot inside dawn winery, they would know that vase would stick out like a frostbit thumb.
"a welcome gift."
"i know, but it looks atrocious."
"you're so mean."
"he's right, its a pretty ugly vase 'aya, even for you."
"see, y/n agrees with- wait, when did you get in here?"
you stared at the ugly piece on the bar counter, wondering where in the world kaeya got that thing, and most importantly why. "i just got here." you replied, taking a closer look at it. it looked like it was crafted with a lot of effort at least, but it still looked atrocious.
"y/n, i'm hurt." kaeya jokingly sobbed, clinging onto your arm. "i got this custom made for diluc, show me some sympathy."
"really?" you cocked an eyebrow at the captain, "i find that hard to believe." who could blame you? the last time you saw these two in the same vicinity was a few years ago when both brothers were bruised and bloody. then again, you assumed they didn't quite fix their relationship if diluc left mondstadt not long after you did.
"i don't want it." diluc stated.
"take the gift, don't be ungrateful diluc." you inspected the vase with your finger running over it, a slight warmth emitting from it. odd, but a familiar warmth that brought you back to when you were ten again.
"whos side are you on?" diluc narrowed his gaze at you.
"no ones! i'm just a bystander passing by. plus, i have other matters to attend to in a few moments." you answered, fixing your coat on your shoulders.
"its a quarter to ten, y/n, what do you possibly need to do at this time?" the bartender behind the counter asked, his eyebrows shifting into a furrow. kaeya's mouth turned downwards into a displeased look, but he seemed surprised with the following answer you gave them.
"there's fontaine diplomats coming tomorrow morning, just making sure they have a smooth journey here." you weren't entirely lying, there was fontaine politics swinging by for some sort of nation treaty meeting. well, thats what jean said at least.
"ah, the acting grand master did bring that up with us." kaeya nodded, a stream of relief crossing over him. "look at you, once a knight, always a knight." diluc seemed to scowl at what kaeya said, crossing his arms.
"why are you giving me that, diluc? surely mr. captain-at-fourteen has some pride in being a knight." you joked, but an odd silence fell between you three. one so loud that you could hear your heart pumping through your chest, one so deafening that all you had was their facial expressions to read.
"um..." kaeya hummed, scooting off the bar stool and slowly escorting you towards the door. "did jean not tell you?" kaeya whispered in your ear, however you shot him a confused look and shook your head.
"tell me what?"
"y/n leave." diluc demanded, his arm moving upwards as his hand guided your eyes towards the tavern door. "now." you bit your tongue, wondering what the hell happened for the both of them to share the silence together.
"fine, i was just leaving anyways." with no goodbye, you turned your heel and swung open the tavern door and let it slam behind you, the guests inside angel's share looking up at the commotion that just happened.
"you didn't tell them?" kaeya quickly turned his head towards diluc, shooting him a "what the fuck" look.
"i don't owe them the explanation."
"you don't, but at least give them that much after they poured their own secrets to you at least." kaeya hissed, leaving diluc behind the bar without a farewell as he left angel's share.
—
CHAPTER TEN FIN.
a/n: hi 😜