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Kaeya Alberich, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, for all he was praised for his brilliant mind and quick wits, could not process it. The sounds around him were muffled, as if his ears were covered by a cloth. His eyes could only stare, wide open, at the blade that had embedded itself in his chest. There was no pain, only the feeling of something pushing deeper into him. He only felt the pain when the blade was yanked out of him, gasped as the searing white flash of agony rippled through his body as he fell. His blood dripped off of the sword, held in the hand of a familiar blonde with amber eyes full of remorse and pain.
Aether...? It wasn’t Aether. Aether’s hair was a long gold, always carefully tied back in a single braid. Aether didn’t have two pure white lilies in his hair, nor was his figure so slim and small. Ah, this is Aether’s twin isn’t it? The one he has been searching for all this time.
“Lumine...” He heard himself murmur, watched her eyes widen before she leapt back, crimson flames burning violently before him. A black coat billowed in front of him, the fur-trimmed edge was familiar and he recognised it instantly as Diluc’s coat. Diluc, who stood before him with his claymore held aloft, burning viciously.
He must’ve zoned out because the next thing he knew, Diluc was by his side; hands pressing down on his wound and Kaeya bit back a scream because holy Celestia and to the seven archons above did it hurt like a bitch. Diluc was muttering something, murmuring something with such desperation and fear in his voice that Kaeya wanted to reach out with his hand to comfort his brother.
Say something, something witty that will surely annoy him, something that will make him forget what caused him such sorrow to begin with.
“My, Master Diluc. ‘Tis but a flesh wound,” He raised his head, glazed blue eyes gazing into crimson red orbs filled with an emotion he couldn’t understand. “If I didn’t know any better I would’ve thought you were concerned for my well-being!”
He forced himself to laugh, and regretted it as he choked and coughed up blood that dribbled down the corner of his lips. His taunt must’ve worked, the pressure on his wound increasing so suddenly Kaeya couldn’t repress the gasp of pain.
“A flesh wound?” Those crimson red eyes darkened with fury and an emotion Kaeya was beginning to recognise, though he wouldn’t dare associate it with Diluc, not when it concerned him. “In case you didn’t notice, you were stabbed, Sir Kaeya. So just shut up, save your strength.”
Huh. Was that really concern he heard in Diluc’s voice? Must be the blood loss making him delirious. He closed his eyes, ignoring the shout of alarm coming from his side as he focused on his breathing. Ah, was breathing always such a chore? How tiring. He tried taking a deep breath but it burned and he must’ve hacked up more blood.
Was his head underwater? It seemed like it. He could barely hear Diluc, could barely make out what he was saying. So he really was going to die here. Can’t say it’s pleasant, if Kaeya were to be honest, not at all. It hurts, and was agonisingly dull. If he were going to die he had hoped it would be due to him drowning in alcohol. He was going to die like this, pathetically laying in the arms of his brother.
Kaeya flicked his gaze up to the sky, a dreary and bland grey. Something wet fell onto his face. Oh, it must be raining. His vision was already darkening around the edges, the pain was fading as were all his senses. A part of him, the small persistent part of his mind was begging him to fight on. To hang on just a little longer, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Diluc.
“Kaeya! What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” He doesn’t know. What is wrong? Was he really crying? He doesn’t know, he really does not know anything, he-
“Oh...don’t worry I’ll protect you, that’s my job as your big brother after all!” Oh...this memory. From a time long passed, when they were but mere children who knew nothing about the cruelty of this world. When Kaeya was still wary and had lied to Diluc about being so jumpy because he feared for “bad men” who would hurt him.
He zoned back into the moment when another drop landed on his face. His single eye focused on Diluc, who was...was he crying? The last time he saw Diluc cry was on that day four years ago. The day of his eighteenth birthday, the day Master Crepus passed and the day he confessed about his origins, the day...their brotherhood was broken and shattered beyond repair.
Why are you crying, Diluc? Don’t cry, it hurts when you cry. Kaeya wanted to say, but when he parted his lips to speak he could only muster up a single word.
“Di...luc...” He watched as more tears fell from Diluc’s eyes, saw the raw pain and grief and anguish. It seemed more like he had been the one who was stabbed, not Kaeya.
He wanted to move his hand, to raise his arm and lay his palm against Diluc’s face to wipe away those tears the way Diluc did for him in their childhood, but his finger only twitched his response.
Ah, his vision is fading so quickly. He can’t seem to see anymore, not Diluc’s face that was shrouded by that veil of darkness. But there was something he still had to say, something he should’ve said earlier even if Diluc would just shrug him off with a cold glare. Even if Diluc hated him, he was still his brother. The one who had beamed and shone so brightly like the sun in their youth. The one who kept to his promise of protecting him, the one that was by his side, a warm presence of comfort.
“Luc...I...love you...” Everything faded to black, a scream echoing faintly in his ears from afar. Was it too late to apologise for all the pain he’s caused his brother? Maybe he would save Diluc a seat in Celestia, though he hoped the redhead wouldn’t rush to join him in a hurry. Maybe he would watch over Diluc up in Celestia with Master Crepus. Yeah, that sounds good. Perhaps they have Death After Noon up there too.
Although...I wish I at least had the chance to apologise...