Work Text:
It was a day like any other in Mondstadt. Being in the middle of November, the cold in the city was already normal so, after a long week of work, a large part of the staff of the Knights of Favonius spent Friday nights sharing drinks at Angel’s Share.
Yes, today was a winter Friday like any other at Angel’s Share… except for one small detail. Instead of the cheerful Charles dealing with the drunks at the bar while preparing cocktails, it was Diluc in his place. Charles had had a last-minute mishap and, given the immediacy of the situation, Diluc himself had decided to take his place as bartender that night. Besides, after having spent the last week cooped up in the vineyard due to a heavy load of paperwork, a change of scenery wasn’t bad for him.
Or so he thought. At least until the strident noise from the table in the background began to bounce around the room. Diluc didn’t even have to look to know that it was the table where the Cavalry Captain was. Apparently Kaeya was in a good mood and that only meant that the table where he was would be a din all night. The worst part? He wasn’t even the one causing the ruckus, always maintaining his own tone and demeanor while he infected the other men with an extra energy that alcohol only enhanced.
When it became too annoying for the rest of the clientele, a sharp look from Diluc was enough for the table to tone down, but not for more than five minutes until one of Kaeya’s occurrences once again plunged the table into a rampage. It was almost as if he was doing it on purpose to annoy the redhead.
Diluc let out a tired sigh: of course he wasn’t going to have such an easy quiet night. Having only made eye contact with Kaeya once, he already knew the night was going to be long.
The voice of a man made him redirect his attention to the bar, proceeding to prepare the daiquiri that the man had just ordered. The contact of his bare hands with the ice-filled glass caused a slight shiver to run down his spine, making him flinch at it. In the rush of Charles’s departure, he had forgotten his gloves at home and, ironically, Diluc was someone who always had cold hands. Of course, the gloves had the main function of protecting his hands when carrying his claymore, but that they also kept his hands warm the rest of the time was an added bonus.
It would be easy to think of using his vision to warm his hands, but regulating his own temperature was more difficult than transmitting heat out. Besides, if he didn’t keep it up continuously, his hands would get cold again, and keeping it up all night was a waste of energy and concentration that wasn’t worth it. Adelinde would scold him when she saw him come back with his hands chapped and slightly purple, as if he were a child, but sitting a while next to the fireplace would do most part.
A fleeting memory passed through Diluc's head at that moment.
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --
He and Kaeya were on the shores of Cider Lake after having a picnic with Adelinde on the Windwail Highland, playing with the water and trying to catch the poor frogs that were there.
“Diluc! To your right!!”
The little redhead looked towards the indicated direction, trying to catch the elusive little animal, but failing in the attempt and only getting splashed.
“Wait, I’ll cover you! I catch you!” Kaeya dove to Diluc’s side, thinking he had trapped the small creature until it escaped from his grasp, knocking both children into the water.
“Kaeya!” Diluc complained, feeling drenched from head to toe with the blue-haired boy on top of him.
“Sorry”. A small laugh dismantled all credibility of that apology, managing in return to get another small laugh from the redhead. “We almost had it!”
Before being able to answer anything, a gasp was present behind both children, causing them to stand still in place, only being able to look at each other in fear and say an “oh oh” at the same time.
After a good scolding, Adelinde had covered them in a couple of blankets that she had carried in the picnic basket, taking both children back to the Vineyard. Along the way, even though the blankets had dried them enough and the heat was beginning to seep into their bones, Diluc could feel how his hands were still as cold as snow.
He felt a small prick in his side, turning to see Kaeya with a grin from ear to ear extending his hand towards him, which he didn’t hesitate to take instantly.
It was something that little Diluc was fascinated by: Kaeya’s hands were always warm.
-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------
The man thanked Diluc for the drink snapping him out of his reverie, watching as the gentleman left the bar and headed to Kaeya’s table. Great, more fuss.
That made him pay subtle attention to the table for some reason, inadvertently listening to the conversation they were having.
“Captain, how come you're still single? You are one of the most coveted men in Mondstadt!”
Diluc frowned upon hearing that sentence. He well knew that Kaeya was…conventionally attractive, plus his position in the Knights of Favonius made him quite famous.
He also knew about the absurd rumors that were going around in the streets about him due to the flirtatious way of talking, but the coveted cavalry captain had never made any relationship public, nor had he been seen with anyone in an intimate way. They were always meaningless and unfounded rumors.
That made Diluc think. Before…everything changed, when they still told each other everything, Kaeya hadn’t had a partner either, but it wasn’t like he was averse to the idea.
Kaeya laughed in response, shaking his head, keeping that sly smile of his. Diluc looked back at the group and, for a second, he thought he had exchange glances with him.
“Perhaps the breezes of love haven't wanted to bless me with their luck yet”. There was some booing, clearly in the form of a joke, and some laughter from another knights.
“Does that mean that our captain’s heart is already taken by someone? An impossible love perhaps?” A few giggles floated across the table at the tease, turning into expectation as Kaeya was taking his time to say something.
“Hmm, sometimes the heart asks for things it can’t have. But do you know what mine asks for now? To order another round! On me, guys".
The table erupted in cheers, the topic of conversation immediately forgotten, quickly two of the knights rising to the bar to order the round.
The other knights might have taken the bait, but it was clear to Diluc that Kaeya had deliberately changed the subject. Would it be true? Was Kaeya in love with someone?
Diluc shook his head, ignoring the unpleasant feeling that was building in his stomach and threatening to get stuck in his throat.
It didn’t matter, it wasn’t any of his business.
But if it truly wasn’t, why couldn’t he put that conversation out of his head?
Diluc stopped paying attention to that table, deciding to make himself a grape juice, taking advantage of the fact that the bar was quiet at that moment. His rest did not last long since, after a few minutes, another group of people entered the tavern.
Well, back to work. If he kept himself busy, he wouldn’t have to think about unnecessary things.
And Diluc had known for a long time that certain topics shouldn't be touched in his head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⋆⁺₊⋆☾⋆⁺₊⋆~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diluc looked up from the glass he was cleaning, seeing how Kaeya accompanied the last remaining knights in the room, both clearly drunk.
A sigh escaped from the redhead’s lips, the clock barely showing 10 minutes for the official closing.
Well, maybe if he cleaned up what was left quickly, he’d be out before the first rays of sun began to light up the city.
Hearing the door close, his hands instinctively reached under the bar for his keys, stopping before he could get them when he heard footsteps walking towards him.
“A Death After Noon to close the night, please, Master Diluc”. Turning around, Diluc found Kaeya sitting on the other side of the bar, his head resting on the palm of his hand and his characteristic smile pointing at Diluc.
“It’s almost closing time, Sir Kaeya”.
“Oh come on, don’t be like that. There’s still 10 minutes left and I’m your last customer. Besides, I’ve always been good at drinking fast”.
With a simple sigh in response, Diluc turned around to start preparing the cocktail, letting silence settle around the both of them.
Of course, Kaeya was going to annoy him until the last moment. Also, after the thoughts of the past hours, that night Diluc felt more awkward than usual when he was alone with Kaeya.
“Aren’t you wearing your gloves today? Showing some skin to conquer the young ladies?”
Kaeya couldn’t see it, but he knew that Diluc had one of his deadpan faces on.
“I just forgot to bring them with me”.
He set the glass down in front of Kaeya, and before he could remove his hand from there, he felt a faint warmth wash over it.
“Your hands are cold.” That little comment was enough for Diluc to look down, finding Kaeya’s soft fingers covering his lightly.
For some reason, in that thousandth of a second, air didn’t reach his lungs.
Before he could pull his hand away, he felt a slight tug, his hand now being completely covered by Kaeya’s.
“Kaeya, what…?”
“When you were little your hands were always cold. Ever since that day at Cider Lake, whenever you forgot your gloves you asked me to hold your hands to keep them warm”.
Diluc swallowed dryly, feeling a strange nervousness settle in his stomach.
If Kaeya only knew that most of those times he hadn’t forgotten the gloves…
“We are no longer kids. This-“
“A little more. Just leave it like that a little longer”. There was no trace of Kaeya’s mocking and smug tone in his voice. Instead, only a quiet and sad voice, almost as if he was begging.
Diluc’s gaze returned to Kaeya the moment he heard the other man like that. Kaeya dropping his defenses? Allowing himself to be seen… vulnerable?
“…okay” was the only thing that came out of Diluc’s lips, lowering his gaze to their hands.
Nobody said anything else, both men focused on their joined hands, on how the warmth of Kaeya’s hand was transferred to Diluc’s with the passing of seconds.
Ironic, right?
Even with the silence outside, Diluc’s head was in complete chaos and, among all that chaos, the word why? stood out.
Why is he doing this?
Why does he have that expression on his face?
Why don’t I want him to let go of my hand?
He didn’t quite know what it was: if his mental chaos, Kaeya’s gaze, the warmth of their hands…
Kaeya’s eye widened at the sight of Diluc’s other hand on the table, then looking at him questioningly, genuinely surprised and confused.
“Both hands are cold".
Was that of his look… fondness? Diluc couldn’t be sure, it had been too fast.
He felt Kaeya bring both of his hands together, covering them with his own, stroking with his thumb almost shyly, as if waiting to see Diluc's reaction before doing anything else.
Seeing that there was no rejection, the touches began to be caresses, Kaeya’s thumb slipping into his hands to begin to walk over Diluc’s smooth skin softly, slowly.
Little by little, the temperature was equilibrating between their hands, until a pleasant warmth covered them completely. Not knowing which one of the two started first, their hands changed positions until slowly, as if they were afraid that this union might break, they intertwined their fingers.
Nobody said anything. Their hands were intertwined and Kaeya’s thumbs continued caressing those of Diluc, who began to reciprocate his caresses.
Both men looked up, finding the same feelings in the opposite eyes: confusion, fear, longing… hope.
So many words unable to be spoken, all of them flowing through their joined hands.
It was Kaeya who bowed first, Diluc following his lead almost magnetically. The warmth of their breaths began to intermingle until the softness of their lips became one.
Kaeya tasted like Death After Noon, Diluc like grape juice. Did it matter? Not even a little bit.
An inexplicable sweetness was being poured into them through that kiss, a touch that they had both wanted for so long, but had been forced to lock in the depths of their hearts.
Their eyes were still closed when they parted, just enough so they could still feel their mingling breaths.
“You could forget your gloves more often”.
A snort. A smile.
“Maybe I could”.