Dendera Temple
Mondstadt was beautiful, Kaeya had always loved how peaceful the city was, how relaxed everyone moved around, how at the end of the day there was always room for everyone in the tavern.
Maybe what Kaeya liked most was the fact that being in Mondstatdt made you feel part of the city.
Soon they reached the city, Diluc seemed nervous, looking where he was directing his gaze he realized he was watching who was on duty, it was kind of adorable and he couldn't resist smiling.
They passed the bridge, where luckily Timmie was not there which Kaeya was grateful for, and arrived at the gates, luckily those on duty were Huffman and Guy.
Kaeya knew that Huffman probably wouldn't make a comment but he wasn't so sure about Guy.
Guy, as soon as he saw them, decided he could stop them to talk.
Kaeya sometimes wondered if the knights had always been that bad at their jobs, and as soon as he thought that he realized that he had just looked like Diluc, he couldn't help but frown.
-Master Diluc! Who is your companion? Wouldnt this be your lover?
Both Diluc and Kaeya watched as Guy laughed at his own joke, which no one but the other knights understood.
Diluc started to turn red and Kaeya simply watched the situation with amusement.
-Pleased to meet you, my name is Kaeya and unfortunately I'm not Diluc's lover!
Kaeya knew how to charm everyone when it was necessary, so handling poor Guy was easy, he would feel a little guilty later but now he wanted to go out with Diluc for a quiet walk.
For his part Diluc had turned even redder after the mention of 'unluckily'.
-Kaeya right? I'm Guy! You really are easy to like at a first glance! Do you want to come on an expedition with us tomorrow? We'll pay you well! Besides! Master Diluc is coming with us too!
Kaeya really wanted to say no but what if something happened to Diluc on the expedition? Besides it would be interesting to fight a little and save some Hilichurl, the Field Tillers could be easily defeated too so helping a little would be nice.
-I don't see why not, it sounds interesting, Diluc will you come and pick me up to go?
Diluc, now horrified at the situation and white as a ghost could only nod.
-Then I'll see you tomorrow Captain! And you too Kaeya!
As Diluc passed by Guy whispered something that Kaeya, thanks to years of practice listening to gossip could hear, "Captain! this way you can become his knight in shining armor and save him! Don't you think I've done a great job?"
Kaeya had to use all of his strength to keep from laughing while Diluc only looked even more exasperated.
"Poor Luc, what he has to put up with."
The afternoon passed quietly, they did not talk about anything really important, Diluc asked him about his work and Kaeya asked him if he enjoyed being a knight.
Diluc asked him about Liyue and his friends there.
Kaeya told him about Hu Tao, who couldn't shut up, about the delicious food of Xiangling and Gouba, about poor Chonyung who still couldn't hunt spirits, about the beautiful music of Xinyan...
Diluc listened and listened and from time to time added his bit to the conversation, the afternoon passed faster than they both wished.
-Hey Kaeya, do you ever intend to return to Mondstadt?
Diluc seemed vulnerable, it was already quite late and neither of them had proposed to return.
-I suppose I should come back here sometime, you can't be away from home for too long, can you?
Diluc looked confused at Kaeya, who had admitted to being from Mondstadt out of the blue.
-You were born in Mondstadt?
Kaeya's smile did not reach his eyes, but still he continued speaking.
-No, rather I lived in Mondstadt for many years but circumstances made me move to Liyue.
Diluc looked at Kaeya in confusion.
-But I never saw you in Mondstadt before?
Kaeya smiling deviously looked him in the eye.
-Because I'm like a shadow.
His tone exuded exaggeration and Diluc couldn't help but laugh and let the question pass.
When Kaeya decided to tell the truth Diluc would listen without judgment, making that promise they began to walk home.
-Kaeya, if you are a shadow, I am a bat-man.
Kaeya couldn't help but laugh loudly at that.
The next day Kaeya realized something, after work he had promised to go on an expedition, he cursed his yesterday's self that thought it was a good idea.
They had returned quietly and Kaeya had put another calla lily on Diluc's nightstand, which had allowed Diluc to get a good night's rest.
Everything was fine until he realized that Diluc had come to pick him up to go on the expedition.
At first everything was fine, the knights were friendly, although they still seemed to be trying to lump him in with Diluc all the time.
Although the knights were beginning to realize that there were fewer enemies than usual.
-Is it just me, or have we not encountered any hilichurl in all the time we've been here?
-It's okay, our mission is to stop the Ruin Guards, three of them have been spotted, we shouldn't worry about the hilichurls.
Kaeya assimilated the information, three was no problem but he should pretend a little.
-Three?! Captain! Don't you think that's a bit too much?
More than one knight seemed nervous and Diluc seemed to be trying to calm them down, so Kaeya decided to intervene in the end.
-It's alright, don't worry, I can take care of one of them and you guys take care of the other two, shall we?
They all looked at him with admiration.
-Are you going to take care of one by yourself?
-Not even the captain can do that!
-Are you sure?
While everyone was gossiping Diluc was worried.
-Kaeya, are you sure you can do it?
At this Kaeya just smiled.
-Do you think I'm an adventurer just because Diluc?
With a sigh Diluc decided that he was going to keep watch just in case, but accepted the plan.
The ruin guards were near Starfell Clift, but contrary to the usual there were three of them.
With signs Diluc sent the knights to take care of one and two or three to accompany him.
Kaeya would take care of the last one.
As soon as the signal was given they all ran towards the Ruin Guards.
Kaeya simply ran fast and stabbed his sword into the eye of it, then attacked the joints, in less than a minute the guardian was completely destroyed.
As soon as he finished Kaeya turned to see how the others were doing, they were doing relatively well, Diluc and his group were dodging the guardian's bullets and the other knights seemed to be avoiding the annoying spinning they usually did.
Kaeya, with the core of the Ruin Guard in hand decided to help.
In no time he joined the knights, who looked at him in bewilderment as he jumped and hit the Ruin Guard in the head, causing it to fall to its demise.
He had deliberately avoided using his vision but still they all looked at him in awe.
Kaeya realized that he had gone too far in showing how good he was at fighting.
Nervously he watched as Diluc and his group, who had just finished their part of the assignment, looked at him wide-eyed and seemed to be gazing at him in admiration.
Diluc's face was a puzzle, he seemed to be wondering why someone who fought so well had agreed to work picking grapes.
Kaeya got a cold sweat, he really had to give an explanation but he didn't know where to start.
Finally Guy broke the silence.
-Wow, what the heck was that?
Finally everyone stopped being in a trance and started cheering.
-Come on! I'm treating today! For Kaeya!
-For Kaeya!
Diluc, unlike the others had approached him, looked worried.
Kaeya watched as Diluc started to do a check up on him, and ended up sighing and smiling softly.
-It was awesome, but don't even think about doing something that crazy again.
Kaeya smiled softly.
-Understood Captain
The other knights looked at them and ended up sighing and elbowing each other, they were really third wheeling there.
That Diluc was worried about Kaeya was an understatement.
They had decided to go on a dangerous expedition but Kaeya had joined, no matter how much of an adventurer Kaeya was, it was still dangerous.
He couldn't help but be afraid that his friend would get hurt, because whether he wanted to or not he already considered Kaeya his friend.
Besides, Kaeya didn't look like someone who normally fought, and Kaeya didn't have a vision.
Diluc wasn't sure how he had been able to sleep more than usual with the preasure he was feeling but it was time to pick Kaeya up and go on the expedition.
Kaeya immediately got along well with the knights, Diluc for some reason thought Kaeya looked like a captain bothering his team.
"Still... Aren't there too few enemies on the road?"
While he wasn't the only one to notice no one really paid much thought to it but Diluc wasn't the same.
But the only explanation would have to do with Kaeya and Diluc didn't know what Kaeya could have to do with any of this.
"I'm thinking too much."
-It's alright, don't worry, I can take care of one of them and you guys take care of the other two, shall we?
DIluc tensed but Kaeya had said he was good at fighting with a sword so he would believe in him for now.
Something told him Kaeya knew what he was doing.
-Kaeya, are you sure you can do it?
In the end the plan was as Kaeya proposed but Diluc couldn't help turning his eyes to check if Kaeya was alright.
This let him see the exact moment when Kaeya, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, thrust his sword into the eye of the Ruin Guard and kept dancing around it, attacking exact points.
It looked more like a theater performance than a fight.
-Captain! Stop drooling all over him in the middle of a fight please!
Realizing his mistake he refocused, but even then he didn't miss how, with a single strike Kaeya had defeated the other team's opponent.
Kaeya had leaped majestically and his sword had basically destroyed the Ruin Guard.
But while the others were cheering Diluc was worried.
"Is he hurt?, is he okay?"
He ended up approaching and doing a quick check on him.
In the end Kaeya was completely fine.
-It was awesome, but don't even think about doing something that crazy again.
-Understood Captain
Kaeya replied while smiling at him, and Diluc for a moment forgot how to breathe.