Whether or not they are directly linked, or the characters know each other, I think of my stories as all having happened within the same little world! In my stories. I frequently mention things that have happened in others I have written, but most of them should be able to be read stand alone without issues.

Also, while I try to keep it very close with Genshin lore, I don't know every single bit of lore, and can't remember it all. So, some things are slightly different, there are also some things that are only guessed. I'm just here to write stories for people to read, should they choose!

As always, thank you for reading, I hope everyone enjoys it!

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Abyss Gone Amiss

Chapter 1

"You don't even know where you're going."

Diluc stared at the blue haired man, who looked like an older version of his little brother. He didn't answer. Instead, he stuck his thumb in his mouth and held it out to the wind, of which there wasn't any, because they were in a dense forest.

When that didn't work, he looked back and forth between the few rays of sun they could see, and the trees. In the short time Diluc had known Kaeya, he'd learned that he was bad with directions. If you told him to go north, it was just as likely he would go west. It was ok, he was young, and still learning. This person certainly had the same sense of direction as his little brother.

"Did that help?" Diluc asked sarcastically and crossed his arms.

A few minutes earlier, Diluc had woken on the ground, looking up at the canopy. He didn't have long to think about why, when a groan came from nearby. Right next to him, apparently unconscious, was this man, who looked like Kaeya. Upon waking, and discovering that neither had any idea where they were, the man had insisted that he would get them home.

"Nope." Old Kaeya looked defeated, and upon closer inspection, frightened, "There isn't a single windmill in sight, and the grass is all weird! Did dad take us somewhere without telling us?" He turned around, and looked in his direction with uncertainty, "You… you are Diluc, right?"

"Of course I am!"

"Well… you look weird too, Luc!"

Everything really was weird. "Kaeya" looked weird, their surroundings looked weird, the fact that they both had actual Visions was weird, even his own voice sounded weird, and he felt too far off the ground. His father was tall, and while he was still small right now, he had been hoping that he'd be as tall as his father someday. Maybe they were given growing potions. Maybe that really was Kaeya standing across from, acting just like Kaeya would.

On the other hand, how was he to be sure that he wasn't kidnapped by this man? This could all be a big ploy to lure Diluc into a false sense of security, and it could lead to hurting his real brother and father.

"Diluc? I can see that you are overthinking something…" the bluenette sat on the ground, pulled his knees up to his chest, and rested his chin on them, "I-I… I want to go home. When will dad come get us?"

The other really did seem frightened. Even if they weren't his brother, the fear seemed genuine, and it stirred Diluc's need to help. How should he go about this? If the man was harmless, and perhaps delusional, it might be best to just play along.

"I don't think dad is coming for us…"

To his horror, "Kaeya" started crying. Right, that was a really stupid thing to say to someone who was abandoned by their real father only a year ago.

"W-what I mean is, I don't think he knows where we are! I'm sure he's looking for us!" he backtracked.

If this were his Kaeya, he'd give him a hug. The man started crying harder. Diluc didn't see any other options, and he couldn't stand it when people cried. He sat down next to the bluenette, and put his arm around his shoulder to pull him into a half hug. It was always effective for Kaeya when he needed some comfort, which was understandable. While he was starting to improve under their father's care, since he joined the family, Kaeya had spent a lot of time being sick early on. It made Diluc unbearably sad to think that someone would hurt a child on purpose. It was scary, too.

Diluc had refused to leave Kaeya's side. When Kaeya had been brought in by their father, he was thin and frail, obviously starved, and shivering from fever after having been out in the rain for who knows how long. He barely opened his eyes at first, and Diluc thought he had finally gotten the sibling he'd prayed to Barbatos for, just to lose him within a few days.

When Kaeya did manage to pry his eyes open, he was terrified, lost in the haze of fever. Diluc had been the only one who could calm him, they learned quickly. At one point, when Kaeya had woken, their father was asleep in a chair, exhausted from days of not resting, but Kaeya was crying, afraid of the unknown room he was in. Diluc climbed onto the bed, and snuggled up to him while he spoke to him. The frightened boy and Diluc were both back to sleep in minutes.

"It's okay. We'll find our way, or dad will find us."

"Huh? Master Diluc? -Ah!"

Another boy landed in a heap close-by, Diluc put himself between Kaeya and the stranger. The boy was covered in bandages, what had happened to him? Did he need help too?

"Uh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare ya!' he glanced behind Diluc, "Captain Kaeya? Are you alright? I have bandages here if you need!" he started to pull random items out of his bag, "Somewhere…"

The boy was odd, but seemed harmless, and his bright green eyes were kind. The weird part was that he knew them. He must have been at least six years older than himself, yet Diluc was currently towering over him, and he was sure he'd never seen him before. He just wanted to get Kaeya and himself home.

"We don't need bandages. Just… we're lost. Do you know the way back to Mondstadt?"

"Lost? This close to the winery?"

The winery? Father's winery? If they were that close, why didn't he recognize his surroundings. He wandered the wilderness close by all the time… unless.

"We're in Wolvendom?"

The boy nodded, and Diluc felt the color drain from his face. They weren't allowed to go into Wolvendom. Father was going to be so mad. He looked down at Kaeya, who had taken interest in the conversation. Kaeya looked back at Diluc expectantly, waiting for him to make the choices they needed. Right. Big brother time.

"Could you show us to the winery, then? Or at least point the way?"

"I- uh… sure. I never would have imagined either of you losing your way. Especially so close to home." the boy laughed.

It really wasn't far at all. Only a few hundred feet through some thick trees, and Dawn Winery was in sight. It looked… different. Weird, like everything else. No matter, if their father wasn't down there, an employee would be able to find him for them.

Diluc turned to the older boy, "Thank you so much for your help, uh… I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

The kid's expression changed from worried to confused, "It's Bennett! Maybe I should help you guys get to Barbara or something…"

Barbara? Jean's little sister? She was too little to help with, well, pretty much anything yet.

"It's alright. Thanks again for your help." With that Diluc and Kaeya made their way down to the winery.

Kaeya had stopped crying, and Diluc was now pretty certain that he really was Kaeya, but he was dragging his feet, and looking at the ground. When Diluc went to open the door, he was stopped by hands scrunching up his coat. Not that he minded, it was a weird looking coat, but this was usually a sign that Kaeya was terrified of confronting their father.

Diluc could never have asked for a better father. He was kind, and loving. He always set aside time for them, and when they did something wrong, he was fair. Diluc guessed Kaeya's reaction came from before. He gave his brother a moment to breathe.

"H-he's going to be so mad that we went where we weren't supposed to…"

It was possible, but - "... I'll just tell him we have no idea how we got there. It's the truth. It's going to be okay."

A moment longer, and Kaeya nodded, but he still clung to Diluc's coat, crowding his space as they walked inside.

"Dad?" Diluc called out, "Dad, something happened…"

"Master Diluc?" Adelinde bustled out of the kitchen, she looked different, too, older. "Were you… were you just calling for Master Crepus?"

She looked more than concerned, and pulled off his jacket to look closely at his chest.

"Are you hurt? I don't see anything. Is it Master Kaeya?" she switched to checking over Kaeya, but stopped short of checking for a fever to put her hands on his cheeks, "... Have you been crying? What's wrong?"

Kaeya nearly lunged at her, and pulled her into a hug. Since he was the size of an adult now, Adelinde nearly disappeared in his embrace.

"I'm sorry! We don't know how we got there, we didn't mean to!"

Fresh tears fell, and Adelinde looked to Diluc. He clasped his hands and lightly toed at the floorboards with his boot. He felt guilty, but he didn't know why.

"Something happened, and we woke up in Wolvendom," he mumbled at the floor, "But we didn't go there ourselves! I swear we didn't! I-I don't want dad to know, please!"

Diluc didn't know what the look Adelinde gave him was. Sadness, maybe? He knew she'd have to tell their father. Something had happened to them, and he would certainly notice the moment he saw them.

"Alright. Let's just get you cleaned up, and… we'll figure this out. Go up and shower, get changed. I'll have some food ready for when you come down."

When Kaeya didn't move, Diluc took his hand, and gently tugged him towards the stairs. He made sure the bluenette was going to be ok on his own before he headed to his own room. Father hadn't brought them to stay at the winery for a few weeks, but the change to his room was beyond that.

Instead of being covered by his drawings, the small table was covered in files. It looked a lot like his dad's desk. Hanging from his armoire was a bright red coat. It matched Diluc's eyes and hair very well. His toys were gone. No knights, or their noble steeds, no farm house with carved barnyard animals. Nothing.

Things weren't right. Nothing was right. He was worried, and afraid. Would they be able to fix whatever had happened, or would he and Kaeya have to get used to being big? He had always wondered what being an adult was like, but he didn't think he'd find out in only a few hours' time. He wasn't sure he liked it. Diluc wanted his dad. He'd know what to do.

Chapter 2

Adelinde had no idea what to do. Diluc coming home and calling for his father, that was a difficult shock to deal with. A sure sign that something was wrong. She hadn't expected the brothers to think they were about to get a stern talking to from their father. Now, they were expecting him, and she had no idea how to tell them the truth.

Oh, dear Lord Barbatos, how was she going to do this? She'd sent a message off to Jean, asking for help. She realized that would probably be another shock to their system, but she had no other choices. It would still be hours before the Acting Grand Master would arrive, though.

As far as she knew, the last thing the boys were doing was a patrol for the Knights. Kaeya had asked Diluc to come along, and the older had agreed. It was nice to see them spending time together, but who could have expected this to happen? How could this have happened?

She finished heating some soup just as Kaeya and Diluc were trudging down the stairs. Adelinde watched as the boys swirled the contents of their bowls around instead of eating it.

They looked tired, and both wore the same face they used to when they were young, and were going to be getting into trouble from Master Crepus. It was heartbreaking.

"Did you send a note to dad? Why isn't he here yet?" Diluc asked.

Adelinde wouldn't lie to him that way, but she was afraid to just come out and tell him about his father's passing. She realized she'd be telling this to a child, and she hadn't had time to mentally prepare herself for it. She knew Kaeya would take it horribly, having taken to Master Crepus quickly. Diluc, though, as brave as he tried to be, he had been very sensitive as a child. Even now he was the same, but being older, he processed his feelings faster, and by himself. She wasn't sure what "age" they were, but there was no age that made it easier to deal with the loss of a parent.

"I sent a note out, but it will be a while before we receive a response," she said, trying to keep it as vague as possible. She had an idea that might tell her their age, "Kaeya dear, you are looking so much healthier these days. How long has it been since you came to live with Master Crepus and Diluc?"

The way he responded alone told her that it hadn't been all that long. He was quiet, and meek.

"Um… a little over a year…"

Alright, he was around nine, then. If they were both equally reduced in age, then Diluc would be nearly eleven. So young.

"My, how quickly the time passes!" She tried to keep a smile on her face, "Why don't the two of you wash up, and go read in the study."

"I'm tired." Diluc sighed, and let his head fall onto the arm he had stretched across the table, "I wanna go to bed."

"Me too… Can we sleep until father gets here?"

Looking at them, she felt they would probably just fall asleep in the study anyway, "Alright. Off to bed then. Goodnight, young Masters."

"Goodnight Adelinde!"

They each hugged her, and went to their rooms.

Oh, Barbatos. What were they going to do about this?

Chapter 3

Kaeya was so tired, and his head hurt. This room, the room he had been given at the winery, it wasn't right. Things had been moved, his things were gone, his clothes and toys. He'd had to use the larger clothes that were in the wardrobe, clothes that weren't his, but at least they fit. An adult had moved into his room, and he couldn't help but panic that there may be a reason they felt he didn't need a room anymore.

He kept telling himself that wasn't true. This family wasn't like that, he felt loved now. That made the anxiety worse, and Kaeya found himself in the hallway, hovering just outside Diluc's door. Slowly, he opened it, and peeked inside. He was worried he'd woken his brother, until the redhead sat up.

"Dad?"

"... My room is weird. Can I sleep in here?"

"Of course, come on."

When Kaeya entered, he noticed Diluc's room was different too. In a weird way, it made him feel a little better. Maybe they weren't going to send him away. He pattered over to the bed, and slipped under the covers, pulling them up until only his eyes were visible.

"Did you have a nightmare, Ky?"

Kaeya shook his head, "I couldn't sleep…"

"It'll be ok. They'll figure out what to do."

"But how will they even know what happened? We don't know what happened, and we were there…"

Diluc was silent. Neither of them had answers to questions the adults were bound to ask, and if they couldn't answer those questions, what came next? The questions swirled around in his head as he slid off to sleep.

"No, papa! I didn't break it!"

"Stop lying and accept your punishment. You are far too old to behave this way."

He couldn't stop the tears, and shaking that came with the word punishment. He couldn't go through it, no again. Kaeya backed up, with his arms out, but it was pointless. There was nowhere to go, and he was too small to get free from the hand that was holding his wrist hard enough to bruise.

"No! Please, no! Please!"

"Stop begging, boy! This will make you stronger, it's for your own good!"

The closet was dark, and very, very small. His wrists hurt from being bound. It was his punishment, for breaking something that he didn't even break. Sit in the dark to think about what he's done, hands bound for breaking the object, no food for two days to make up for the replacement of the item.

Kaeya knew that crying would only keep him in the dark longer, but he couldn't stop. He tried to choke down the sobs, but they just kept coming.

"I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it."

"Kaeya. Wake up, shh, it's okay. It's alright."

He didn't know the voice, but he knew the tone. Diluc was talking to him, rubbing his back.

"It was a nightmare, Ky. It's okay."

Slowly, Kaeya sat up, and took in his surroundings. It came back to him, something strange had happened, and his head hurt. He rubbed his hands down his face, and his stomach churned as another stab of pain made its way through his head. It was going to be one of those bad headaches that kept him in bed all day. He'd have to ask Adelinde for some soothing tea later.

"Are you okay?"

"... I'm fine." Kaeya let his hands fall to his lap, and he looked at Diluc, "Are you?"

Diluc didn't look like he felt well, either. Shadows under his tired eyes, and a little pale. Well, more pale. Maybe they should ask for tea for the both of them.

"Yeah, just a bit of a headache."

Were they both getting sick? They really didn't need that right now, not that they needed it ever. There were too many other serious things to worry about, though. Couldn't it just be one thing at a time? He was starting to feel overwhelmed, and tears made his eyes sting. A light knock on the door startled them.

Diluc jumped out of bed, and ran to the door to throw it open, "Dad?!"

It was Adelinde, she gave him an apologetic look, "No, I'm sorry. We have someone downstairs who would like to speak with you both. They are here to help."

She looked from Diluc, to Kaeya, "You both look a little pale. Come, I'll make you some tea after you speak with our guests. Then you can get some rest."

The two of them shuffled down the stairs, and into the sitting room only to stop in their tracks. Two women with blonde locks, and blue eyes were looking back at them. That had to be Jean and Barbara, who else could it be? Why were they old too?

"Master Diluc." Jean greeted the redhead with the same smile she always had, but Diluc took half a step back.

"W-who… that can't be right. Where's dad? I-I want my dad now… please?" he stuttered.

Jean and Barbara gave Adelinde a look that gave away far too much. It was the same look adults always had when they talked about Diluc's mother, and Diluc definitely caught it. He had started shaking, and Kaeya reached out, but Diluc backed up more.

"Why won't you tell me?! Where is he!" Diluc was close to hyperventilating now.

Adelinde inched closer, like approaching a wounded animal, "Master Diluc, you're father… he-"

"NO! No! H-he can't be - that's not true!" Diluc was sobbing now.

"Luc-" Kaeya tried to hold back his own tears, if only for his brother, but he wasn't strong enough.

Diluc was fast. He bolted out the front door before anyone could even think about reacting.

Kaeya was blocked by Jean when he tried to run after him, "Kaeya, I know you want to make sure he's safe, but I need you to stay, please? I'll get him, but please stay."

Her words were foggy to him. He could see she was desperate, he could hear it in her tone, but the sound of blood rushing in his ears quickly drowned everything out. He needed to go find Diluc, his brother needed him, he needed help, but the world was spinning, and suddenly the headache exploded with a force that brought him to his knees.

Kaeya felt hands catch his body as the world faded around him.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

The already bad situation had become even worse in mere moments. As much as she didn't want to, Jean had to stop Kaeya from leaving. Adelinde had explained what she knew about Kaeya and Diluc. They thought they were kids, and they were acting as much. She couldn't let a child, well, another child, go running out the door just to get lost, or hurt.

Jean barely asked Kaeya to stay before he stumbled and nearly fell face-first to the floor. She just barely caught him to slow his fall. He immediately started twitching and shaking.

Barbara pushed Kaeya, so he was on his side, "Seizure. Jean, I've got him, go get Diluc."

As hard as it was to leave Kaeya like that, Diluc was in danger. With a nod she was out the door. She couldn't tell which way he had gone, the stone courtyard left no prints behind, but she guessed he would go straight out from the door. She took off at a run, he had too much of a head start on her, and he was fast, but she hoped he'd stop at some point.

At the edge of the vineyard, close to the road, she saw footprints in the dirt, spread apart wide from someone running. Relief flooded through her as she followed them, but her luck ran out. He'd gone off the path a little ways down, the prints disappeared. She still had a small idea which way he had gone, and kept her eyes open for broken branches on bushes and trees, or roughed up grass.

"-No!"

Diluc's voice caught her attention, just to her right. She came into a clearing just in time to see him hit the ground, and two of the three abyss mages surrounding him grab into a limb each, while trying to dodge attacks from Dawn. Jean sent a gust of wind at the third, taking it by surprise, it ended up stunned in a nearby bush.

She tried to reach Diluc's outstretched hand in time, but with a pop, he and the mages were gone. Jean was left shocked, staring at the ground where Diluc had just been, and Dawn took off to circle the skies in search of her human. The rustle of bushes behind her brought her back to the present. The mage was trying to cast its shield, but she was faster. She pulled in her power to grasp the mage tight with anemo, pinning it in the air.

"Where did they take him?!"

The mage laughed, then shrieked when she tightened the hold she had on it.

"Tell me now."

When the mage still said nothing, she pulled more anemo to its throat, partially cutting off its air supply.

"This is the last time I'll ask. Where did they take him?"

"ACK! Augh! Stop! Stoppp! A domain -s-south of Springvale!" the mage shrieked.

With a swift slice of Jean's sword, it was silent. She wanted to go after him right now, so badly, but logic told her that she needed to bring some back-up. Wishing Kaeya was able to help, Jean took off for Mondstadt at top speed.

Chapter 4

The way the world blinked out, only to reappear in a bright flash of piercing light had Diluc reeling. His headache tripled its efforts to drag him down. Pulling back the arm he'd been reaching for Jean with, he curled himself into a ball on the cold surface he could only feel below him.

It took some time to tell if he was going to vomit or not. Thankfully, he didn't. Slowly, he opened his eyes a crack. Diluc was inside a cage, bright lights shining directly on him, but beyond was dark. He squeezed his eyes shut again, and covered his face with his hands to drown out more of the light.

Usually, Diluc tried his best to be brave. He needed to be, for his father, and for Kaeya, but right now, he needed his dad so badly. He couldn't stop the tears that began to fall freely again. His dad was gone. He was gone, and Diluc was never going to see him again. This was a nightmare, some sort of horrible nightmare, or a hallucination. It had to be.

Diluc could hear the mage's squeaky voices coming from the darkness. They were talking about something that was reversing, and needing to fix it. He didn't care what it was, he couldn't care. He was starting to feel like he was on a boat as it rocked, making the world around him sway, and his headache decided it was a good time to reach a peak.

He could hear the pained noise that came out of his own throat, and his muscles started to twitch uncontrollably. It hurt. Everything, every single thing as he lost any control he had over his body. As much as he wanted his dad, Diluc found he welcomed the darkness right now.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

By the time she got the group of Knights to the location indicated by the abyss mage, the sun would be coming up soon. As other times, she was wracked by guilt for having to take so long to rescue Diluc. She had to calm herself, and remember that it was worth doing something the right way if it meant someone she loved didn't die.

At the entrance, they were cautious. There was nothing there, no guards or anything else, still, they couldn't afford to be sloppy. Not far in, they found hilichurls, not unusual. Three normal, and a mitachurl by the fire-

"I'd bet there are at least three more on the other side of that wall," Kaeya whispered from right next to her.

Jean nearly jumped out of her skin, "What are you doing here?!" she whispered sternly, "You should be in bed, how did you even know we were here?"

"The note you sent Adelinde. You said a nearby domain, and there was only one I could think of. Did you really think I'd let you have all the fun?"

Jean took a deep breath, and directed the knights to take up their stances. They fought their way in. From here, there was only one direction they could have taken Diluc. Time to get him back.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

Kaeya woke to Adelinde and Barbara hovering over him. He might have made a joke about mother hens, were he able to functionally speak at that moment. He already knew where he was from the moment he opened his eyes; his room at the winery. His brain was having a hard time figuring out how exactly he got there.

He supposed he'd better respond to the women asking him questions, "'m fine. Nothing to worry about…"

Kaeya had hoped that'd be enough to make them happy, and perhaps give him some space, but it simply didn't work.

"Here," Adelinde helped him sit up against some pillows, and brought a cup of water to his lips, "Some juice, don't give me that face. It'll help."

Kaeya took the cup himself, and drank the overly sweet liquid. He still didn't see why Diluc liked it so much, aside from the redhead's secret sweet tooth. He set the cup aside, and sat up the rest of the way.

"Oh! Captain, I'm not sure if that's a good idea!" Barbara stretched her arms out, as if to catch him.

"Hmph. I really am fine, just a small headache. Nothing I can't handle." He looked around the room, "Where is Diluc? He was with me…"

A look of guilt and grief passed over Adelinde's face, "Jean went after him when he ran out of the house. She'll get him home. No worries, Master Kaeya, he'll be alright."

That's right… Something odd had happened on patrol, and the entire situation ended with them finding out about their father's death. Diluc ran away when he found out. Kaeya couldn't leave him out there.

"Adelinde, does Jean know which way he went?"

"I'm sorry, I can't let you go… in your condition…"

"I'm fine. I… I remember how old I am. Adelinde, please." Kaeya pleaded.

Adelinde looked at him for a moment, "All her note said was a domain near Springvale."

Kaeya took off running.

Chapter 5

Diluc found himself staring at a stone ceiling, not remembering how he might have gotten there. He had been on a patrol with Kaeya -he sat upright suddenly, and tried to look around as the room around him spun in circles.

"K-" he gagged the second he tried to speak, but was thankful when nothing came up, "Kaeya?"

Surely if he was here, then Kaeya must be too. No… that didn't seem quite right. He was missing something. Diluc closed his eyes, and lowered his head. It all came back to him, right down to why he had run away -again. At least Kaeya had been left safely back at the winery, last he knew. Abyss mages took him.

When the dizziness seemed to lessen a bit, he slowly opened his eyes. He still couldn't see much beyond the small cage they had him in. The room was cold, part of a cave, maybe. It wasn't a great way to remember he was only in sleep clothes, and had no shoes.

Looking at the cage itself, it didn't seem particularly sturdy, and seemed as though it was made to hold animals. He reached for the door to see if it had some sort of extra barrier, or trap. With it being the abyss mages behind this, you never knew if you were going to get something clever, or if they would mess things up. They were not clever.

Diluc tested his limbs, the muscles were a little tired, but he was uninjured. Aside from a small headache, everything seemed in order. He sat completely still to listen for the mages, he could hear them chatting at a distance. He'd have to kick the door, but if he could get it open quickly, he figured he'd probably be able to take them, even without a sword. Diluc would rather go down trying than stay in captivity, anyway.

He looked at the door one more time, lined his bare feet up, and gave it a good kick. It didn't make nearly as much noise as he thought it would, and the mages didn't come after him, giving him the element of surprise.

He crept out of the cage, and along the cold rock wall. The mages were eating… something, it looked slimy, stuck on a two-tongued fork, and distracted by it. While not having a sword, or his Vision was an inconvenience, Diluc was a capable fighter without them. He charged them, grabbed them by their robes, and smashed them together.

They were unconscious, but Diluc wasn't about to leave them alive. The fork came in handy. Unfortunately, the scuffle was heard this time. Several hilichurls came running at him, yelling and swinging their weapons. He dodged the first two, but took a club to the ribs, and blocked another with his upper arm. They would bruise, but he would be fine.

He brought two hilichurls down with a few jabs to the chest with the fork. He grabbed one by the shield it had used to ram into him, brought it up over the hilichurl's head, and stabbed the fork into its skull. When another ran at him, he pulled the fork free, and threw it straight at the monster's face. The hilichurl managed to bring their shield up, the fork stuck straight out of the wood. It made a pleased sound, but Diluc had already been on the move, and launched himself this time. He easily snapped its neck.

By the time he was through a second wave, Diluc was slowing down, and more than ready to be done. The monsters had other plans. A roar came from the door, and a mitachurl came crashing in, displeased at seeing its fallen friends. Diluc grabbed the small shield he had lobbed the fork into, and ran at the mitachurl as it charged at him. When they were close, Diluc dropped to his knees, and skidded across the ground, under the giant swinging axe, and rammed the edge of the shield into his opponent's ribs.

The large creature was stunned for a moment, but shook it off with anger, and leaped at Diluc. He barely had the chance to defend himself, and ended up on the floor, sparks from the axe burned his skin, as he rolled to the side, and the axe hit the stone. The mitachurl couldn't quite figure out what had happened, and hesitated. Diluc took the opportunity to throw the shield at the beast, who threw it aside with brute force, and fling himself onto its back. He stabbed the fork into its neck.

The mitachurl screamed in pain, and threw its attacker to the ground. Diluc landed hard, knocking the air out of his lungs. After a dramatic show of feebly clawing at the spurting wound, the monster fell to the ground. It seemed like nothing else was coming through the door, Diluc slowly stood, and tiredly looked at the bodies strewn across the floor. What a mess.

More footsteps caught his attention, and he bit back a groan as he readied himself.

~xxxxxxxxxx~

The roar echoed through the halls, Kaeya glanced over at Jean with wide eyes. They put a quick end to their battle, and moved on. Ahead, they could hear the sound of metal hitting, and wood cracking. It all stopped before they found their destination.

Kaeya couldn't believe the number of bodies as he slowly entered the room, and in the center was Diluc, growling at whoever else came to fight him.

"... Is that a fork?"

He could see relief wash over the redhead, relaxing his tense muscles and shoulders. Jean was already looking him over for injuries, and they both knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she knew Diluc was okay. The man was filthy, blood splatters from head to the bottoms of bare feet, staining his light colored pajamas, and obviously tired, but it looked like he didn't have more than bruises and cuts littered over his body.

"Most of the blood isn't mine… I'm fine, Jean."

To Kaeya's surprise, Diluc took Jean's hand, and offered a small smile, helping to reassure her. The touch brought a visible blush to both their faces. Did his brother finally get some moves? Kaeya inwardly smirked at that thought.

"Well," Kaeya said in the most sarcastic tone he could muster, "Looks like we missed out. Too bad, I suppose I could have just stayed home." As if he actually would have.

That earned him an eye roll from the cute couple standing before him.

"I want to go home."

Diluc's voice was barely more than a whisper as he tried to look anywhere but Kaeya. In the span of a day, they had gone from their current lives, to their past, and back again. Why had it even been done? Kaeya found his answer with a quick search of the room. Apparently, a small group of abyss mages were using Diluc and himself to test a spell on.

According to the side notes, the spell hadn't worked as intended because the brothers had put up a fight, and run the mages off at the time. They were planning on trying it again. It really didn't seem like they handled any of it well. Or perhaps they hadn't realized they chose the wrong target when they chose the fiery redhead. Either way, their plan was put to an end when they died.

Jean escorted the brothers back to the winery. Diluc had continued to avoid looking at, or talking to Kaeya. If Kaeya were to ask him a question, the redhead kept the answer as short as possible. Something was definitely wrong. He couldn't tell if Diluc might be mad at him, or-

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Kaeya glanced up just as Diluc stopped walking, "What's wrong? If you tell me you are actually hurt-"

"I am not. I… I ran… again. I'm sorry."

Ah, it all clicked into place. Diluc was feeling guilty for something he shouldn't be. Kaeya glanced ahead to see Jean resting against a tree, just far enough away to give them some privacy.

"Luc, you were a kid-"

"I wasn't."

"But you were. I thought I was nine, how about you? Ten, maybe? Eleven? How were you supposed to handle the information you were just given? You aren't some robot with no feelings. I don't think there's a single person who could blame you for your reaction, either time."

For a moment, he thought Diluc might cry, but he nodded and started down the path again, instead. Kaeya wasn't sure if he should be concerned about the lack of a fight, he'd always come to expect a small one, at least. He didn't push it, Diluc was tired, and probably suffering from the same headache he had since he woke up.

As soon as they set foot on the winery's property, they were accosted by Barbara and Adelinde. The brothers assured them everything was fine, that they just needed some rest. After Barbara checked them over, and was satisfied enough with their condition, they were each sent off to bed with a cup of water. Kaeya didn't miss Diluc giving Jean a quick, longing glance. It really wasn't any different from the previous day, or any other, for that matter. Only their mental ages had changed.

Kaeya, clean once more, lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. He was dead tired, but his mind wasn't ready to shut down. He wondered if he and Diluc had been targeted for a reason, or if it had been random. Considering his own lineage, he doubted it was the latter. It was far more likely that he had been their target, and Diluc may have been roped in due to proximity. Not that Diluc wasn't known among the Abyss Order. He'd apparently made his own waves there, too.

His mind wandered back to the numerous hilichurl bodies surrounding the redhead when they found him. He had done that, all by himself… with a fork, and looked almost feral standing there, ready to fight again. Kaeya couldn't help but imagine what those Fatui camps must have looked like by the time Diluc was done with them. A quiet knock startled him.

"Come in."

There was a pause before the door opened, and another before Diluc stepped in. When he closed the door again, he said nothing and looked at the floor.

"What's wrong, Diluc?"

The redhead somehow managed to frown even deeper than normal, "Nothing."

Yet he made no move to talk, or anything else. Kaeya could tell he was upset, at the very least. How could he not be? Everything that took place would be hard on anyone. Kaeya got up and gently pushed Diluc towards the armchairs, where the redhead let himself flop down. He crossed his arms, putting a barrier up, and continued to look at the floor.

"You can tell me, you know. You always offer to listen to whatever is bothering me, I'd gladly do the same for you."

The lack of response was worrisome. What could be going through Diluc's head that was bothering him so much? He was upset, that much was obvious, but he wasn't ready to share. With the stubborn redhead, it was actually a miracle he was even sitting with him, possibly even thinking about sharing at all. He couldn't complain, he knew that, being just as bad.

"We can just sit here, too. I don't mind that. I just want to make sure that you're alright," he said softly.

"Why aren't you more afraid of me?"

Okay, that was a different question, "I don't understand."

The moment that Diluc turned a light shade of green, and started bobbing his knee, Kaeya realized his brother was working his way into a panic attack. He had been triggered by something, but Kaeya couldn't tell which thing it might have been. All of them, probably.

"I attacked you, you know some of what I've done, you've seen what I can do. Why aren't you afraid of me? I could have attacked you and Jean in that domain. I could have hurt you again." Diluc's voice was low, full of fear and pain, "Why aren't you afraid of me? You should be. Everyone should…"

"Diluc, you were…" Kaeya sighed, "You were traumatized by so much, by something that shouldn't have happened. We've already talked about when you attacked me, you were broken, and I broke the last part that wasn't." his eyes turned dark, "As for what you did? I would have been there with you, if you had let me. I would have because I wanted to see them burn, too. I miss him every single day, and the Fatui are at the root of it. I don't have a reason to fear you, Diluc, and I know I won't ever have a reason to."

In response, the redhead buried his face in his hands. Diluc always had trouble accepting Kaeya's answers to questions like this, convinced that it should be otherwise, regardless of however many times he'd tell him otherwise.

"Those hilichurls, and the mages… I can deal with that. They are abyss, and attacked us, but now-" he took a few short, staggering breaths, "Now all I can see is dad, you, Jean, Adelinde, Elzer - and everyone else I love… where I killed you all. Those bodies, t-they're all of you instead, and I can't- every time I close my eyes."

"Hey, I'm right here, and I'm fine. Jean is downstairs, and she's fine too, Adelinde, and everyone else. We're all safe." Diluc didn't answer, he was shutting down. Kaeya reached out and tapped the redhead's knee with the back of his hand, "Look at me, Diluc. I'm right here."

Diluc kept his head down, but Kaeya could hear him trying to slow his breathing. He knew Diluc had something like flashbacks of certain things. Their fight, his time spent taking out the Fatui, the time spent being tortured by Dottore, and where it all started -what he'd been forced to do when their father was suffering from using the delusion.

Who wouldn't be messed up? Even knowing that you were putting an end to horrible suffering for the sake of your father, that was going to change you forever, and change Diluc it did. Kaeya didn't even know the extent of it until his brother had come back and started interacting with him again. It was deep, and Kaeya felt stupid for not realizing just how deep when he should have.

Diluc sat up, and looked at his hands for a long moment before he balled them into fists, and crossed his arms, completely hiding them. He sat back the rest of the way, letting his head fall across the back of the seat, eyes closed. Kaeya waited in silence, unsure of when his brother would be ready to talk, or let go of his demons and rest.

Eventually, Diluc's breathing evened out. Kaeya stood and looked at the redhead. Diluc was asleep, exhausted from their "adventure", his body apparently hadn't given him much choice but to shut down. When draping a blanket over Diluc didn't wake him, Kaeya grabbed a pillow and put it behind his head, that seemed better than the nearly right angle his neck was bent before.

He'd have to talk with Jean in the morning, see what he could to help clean up the mess. The headache was already going away, and he was completely uninjured otherwise. Honestly, it was nice to walk away from a situation and not be aching, or bedridden. Even Diluc was relatively unharmed.

Kaeya climbed into bed. This time, he easily drifted off.