Chapter Text
The first time Kaeya picked up a blade was when he was seven. It wasn’t to kill or intimidate, no, but to cut his own share of meat. Despite Crepus insisting that Adelinde do it for him, Kaeya refused. He was adamant about being a “responsible” and “noble” child.
Kaeya ended up with a bloody finger or two that night and his knife privileges revoked.
Thankfully the second time he picked up a blade was much less disastrous. Though thinking back on that, perhaps it was because it was a mere toy. The sword was made out of the finest hickory Crepus could find. It was fitted perfectly to fit with Kaeya’s at the time small frame: light, perfectly balanced, and with a slight curve to it. Diluc, on the other hand, had no need for a fake sword of all things. By the age of eleven, he’d already become a knight. This never stopped him from playing with Kaeya, though.
So he asked their father for one anyway. Unlike the sword Kaeya got, his was to be wielded with a heavy hand. The blade was also sturdier. Both him and Kaeya could not wait for the wooden claymore to be constructed. After all, Diluc promised time and time again that he would teach Kaeya some of the things he learned with the knights. Hence when it arrived, the two bolted down the stairs and out of the mansion to greet the carpenter. Adelinde could hardly keep up with them as they weaved around the furniture. The moment Diluc stepped outside, he greeted the carpenter with a big grin. Kaeya was much shyer, resigning himself to hide behind Diluc.
It didn’t take long for them to head off to the garden with both swords in tow, with or without Crepus’s permission. Diluc gave his claymore a few swings before sticking it straight into the ground.
“Come on, Kaeya!” Diluc said, beckoning for the other boy to walk over. Kaeya, in turn, nervously stepped into the garden with his weapon buckled to his belt. He’s seen enough to know how to hold a sword, but not swing one. He did his best to replicate Diluc’s movements.
“You can’t use it like that!” Diluc interjected, just a tiny bit panicked. “You might break it by swinging it too hard.”
Kaeya gave Diluc a rather puzzled look and put his sword down. Diluc, noticing the confusion, continued, “you know, my claymore is built for heavier hits. It’s harder to break than your weapon. You can swing yours, but not like that. Let me show you.”
Kaeya could only muster up a small “okay” before handing Diluc his sword. Diluc ended up demonstrating the proper footing and handling of the weapon. He even managed to steal a twenty pound bag of flour from under Adelinde’s nose for practice. When he had gotten Kaeya to hold a decent stance, he then strung up the bag of flour on a tree branch.
“Is this what you do with the knights?” Kaeya asked, tapping the bag curiously with the sword in his hand.
“No, we normally use those hilichurl things that we can get! You know, those triangular looking ones. They’re pretty sturdy,” Diluc replied, picking up his claymore. “Come on, hit it!”
Kaeya warily glanced at the bag of flour before lightly slashing at it. He coughed as some of the particles jumped out at him.
“Maybe we should try something else,” Kaeya muttered. Diluc could only agree, so he backed up and stood in a defensive position. Kaeya merely blinked.
“Well, try to hit me instead. I won’t spit flour at you.”
“But–”
“No buts! I’m a trained knight, Kae. I can handle whatever you throw at me.”
Knowing just how persistent Diluc could be, Kaeya aimed to strike Diluc. When he brought down his sword, he was pushed back by Diluc.
“What was that for?!” Kaeya huffed, landing in a few dandelions. He brushed the soil off of his knees before standing back up.
“Your opponents aren’t going to just let you hit them. Try again.”
And so, Kaeya kept swinging and swinging. Diluc either blocked or dodged the majority of the time, only barely pushing back to prevent himself from injuring Kaeya. Eventually, after a grueling twelve minutes, Kaeya managed to slip behind Diluc and landed a strike on his back. Kaeya went still the moment he realized what happened.
“‘Luc..?” he whispered, watching as Diluc winced just the slightest bit. Diluc merely turned to look at Kaeya with a small smile.
“Good hit. Let’s try again, but this time I’ll be doing a bit more moving. You try defense.”
With that, Diluc began to lift his claymore. His footing changed as he slashed at Kaeya. Kaeya did his best to keep up with Diluc’s movements, nearly falling over multiple times. At some point, Diluc has Kaeya cornered against the tree. He gave his wooden claymore one final swing, controlled enough to where he could stop it at any point. Kaeya giggled as he ducked, and the weapon hit the bag of flour hanging from the tree. With a resounding thump, flour went up into the air. It coated the two boys in the powdery substance. Kaeya sneezed again, finally speaking.
“Diluc!” Kaeya shouted.
Of course, Diluc couldn’t respond when a very displeased Adelinde looked down at them from the balcony.