In fact, I'm currently preparing to release a short fanfic about Kaeya, who was given a teapot of serenity.
English is not my native language and I am writing through a translator, but why not try?
The idea of the fanfic is that Kaeya, although he has a house in Mondstadt (maybe rents a small apartment across from the Gete Hotel), still doesn't feel like it's his home after he was kicked out of the Winery Dawn . Like, he can buy it, yes, then no one will kick him out, but he still doesn't know the future, and is afraid to ever leave it because of the reaction of the Mondstadt residents to his Khaenri origin. But the Teapot from the Travellers is really his thing, his albeit magical, but home, which no one can invade without his consent or permission.
Over time, he will arrange it for himself and will start inviting his closest people there, starting with Klee and ending with Tartaglia (I believe in their crazy, but friendship). It will be funny when Diluc learns about Kaeya's "house" from his friends, and Kaeya himself will be afraid to invite Diluc there for a long time because of their past (they are brothers, no ship). Slowly revealing Kaeya's feelings, realizing his value and love for his friends, and a little angst with a change of abode, where he experiences his dark times without letting anyone in, and then returning back with a smile on his face.
I hope I can make an interesting story and I will share it here. If you have any thoughts or ideas about this idea, we can discuss them together!
After one of the fairy tales for Klee, Kaeya decided to give his cute little "sister" an adventure in "Wonderland". To do this, he placed a variety of charming trees in a semblance of a forest and, together with the Traveler, Paimon, Jean, Noelle, Amber, Fischl and Albedo, wrote an entire game that changes depending on which room of the manor Klee enters.
The idea of such "quests" became so popular among the children of Mondstadt that sometimes Kaeya arranged such adventures for adults and children of his beloved city, friends from other regions and the children of Arlecchino (they were not shown Kaeya's teapot - they were asked to close their eyes, pretending to read a spell, and at that moment Kaeya transferred them to his world, usually in the form of the abode of Sumeru, but sometimes in Natlan or Fontaine)
Everyone was delighted, and on Kaeya's birthday, they prepared the same quest for him, only at the Dawn Winery (and Diluc, who knows all their secret places, passages and hiding places, helped develop a scenario so exciting that Kaeya forgot that it was just a quest)
This little idea started with me just wanting to make a colorful forest around Kaeya's house (and it would be some kind of idea for a fanfic with witches, werewolves, etc.)
Kaeya, on his way to plot Dottore's fallout so he can get rid of him without many political issues: 6(^^)9
Arlecchino, minding her business: ...👀
Kaeya: :) 🔪?
Kaeya and Arlecchino, on their way to plot Dottore's demise in more than one way: 6(^^)9 6(-.-)9
Childe: *appears* 👀!! >:) 🔪?
Kaeya and Arlecchino: 🔪!!
Kaeya, Arlecchino and Childe, on their way to ruin Dottore's whole career and maybe fight something while they're at it: 6(^^)9 6(-.-)9 6(°u°)9
Diluc: >:( *about to lit something on fire*
Kaeya: 🔪🧑⚕️?
Diluc:...
Kaeya, Arlecchino, Childe and Diluc, on their way to throw Dottore on the bin and incinerate the trash: 6(^^)9 6(-.-)9 6(°u°)9 6(•`^’•)9
Ha-ha, yes, that's exactly it!!!
Dottore in his lab: Well, I don't know what it is, but I have to find out what this feeling of death is hanging over him.
Dottore, when he found out: Oh. Fuck?! (´◉◞⊖◟◉｀）
Kaeya, Arlecchino, Tartaglia and Diluc when Dottore "died suddenly due to an accident": (◕‿◕) (¬‿¬ ) (◕‿◕) ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ )
(I'm not so good at choosing kaomoji, but Kaeya and Tartaglia will have the same faces because one got positive from avenging Crepus, and the other got a good fight)
And after all this history, when the four of them met in Kaeya's teapot, they looked at each other with this look of people who keep a secret between them and joke about it while drinking tea, while the other guests of Kaeya's teapot were like: Guys, are you okay?...
It's actually well past my bedtime, but I thought I'd just jot down some ideas for my AU and just headcanons about Kaeya.
Well, let's go:
• Varka, Albedo and Lisa know that he is a spy for Khaenri'ah. I thought for a long time about who and how would find out about it, and decided this:
— Kaeya will tell Varka himself: it will happen quite quickly, within 1-2 days after the quarrel with Diluc. He will, of course, expect the worst, but Varka will say that he guessed about Kaeya's origin, and he bad spy, very bad. In fact, I think Crepus and Varka were good friends, and when Crepus picked up the abandoned Kaeya, Varka helped to investigate where the child was from and who he could be, and then together they covered up any traces so that Kaeya could live peacefully, without the ghosts of the past.
— Albedo also guessed about Kaeya's passing (how unexpected), but they did not discuss it. However, as they were getting closer to the level of family thanks to Klee (only platonic family relations!!!), Kaeya decided to reveal his secret to Albedo because he was worried - everyone knows that Kaeya considers Klee his little sister, and if someone from his "life before Mondstadt" comes, Klee might be harmed. But Albedo shrugged and said that if that happens, he will be there and will not let anyone even touch Klee. And Kaeya, of course. That evening, Albedo, Klee and Kaeya fell asleep on the same bed, after a good fairy tale from Alice's collection.
— Lisa was simply in the right place at the right time. She helped with errands for Jean so that she could rest a little, and noticed how Kaeya was communicating with the abyss mage. She did not interrogate or interfere: she invited Kaeya for tea, started a pleasant conversation, and then told him that he should be more careful during conversations with hilichurls and others: Kaeya would then almost choke on his tea, start to feel panic, but Lisa would calm him down and say that she did not suspect him of anything. Then Kaeya would begin to unconsciously avoid her, and when the girl got tired of it, they almost quarreled: Lisa would be soft but persistent, and Kaeya, due to excitement, would be rude and desperate, and in the end he would tell her his secret. Lisa will only exhale and hug Kaeya, promising not to divulge it to anyone - she did not believe that someone in Mondstadt would raise the captain on a pitchfork because of his truth (hello Diluc), plus he loves his city very much, which dismisses the possibility of espionage, but she will compare Kaeya's past, his quarrel with his brother, and understand that it is very important for Alberich to keep such personal secrets. But she will be there, and in a lazy but interested manner to listen to what gossip the hilichurls spread (even if Kaeya does not translate it literally, only the meaning), and also help Kaeya cope with the fear of his origin and the possible return of his biological father (several times Kaeya was really close to full-fledged breakdowns, and Lisa never tired of reminding him that he is not alone - he has loving friends, a family (she spoke mostly about the knights, but also subtly hinted at Diluc), and also a city that will never turn its back on him). For Kaeya, Lisa was both the main listener and the main adviser. They are very good friends, I believe (even if Lisa is sometimes capricious, saying that Alberich owes her a lot of cookies and sweets for their "therapy sessions")
— I want to mention Jean separately, because I like two versions of events with her. The first one — Kaeya tells her everything on the same night, how the quarrel with his brother happened, hoping that Jean will finish him off or banish him from the city (because in Diluc and Jean he always saw the ideals of the knights of Mondstadt and those closest to him (also Crepus), and if they both cannot accept him, then no one could. But then, she heals Kaeya, hits him on the head, and says that spy or not, Kaeya will never betray Mondstadt, and she will personally beat the crap out of Diluc, since he did not see it. The second option concerns my idea with Kaeya's teapot: Kaeya has a very bad day after meeting the Herald of the Abyss and several mages in one of the new Dungeons, he is wounded and mentally tired, does not go to the Cathedral, but goes home to get his body and mind in order, in the teapot. Jean and Diluc, who has begun to restore relations with his brother, are worried, and Jean suggests checking if Kaeya is in the teapot. In the end, she remains outside the house, Jean goes inside, tries to persuade Kaeya to visit Barbara, but he simply asks everyone to leave him for a while. Diluc is irritated by his brother's stubbornness, he loses his temper, presses him, and Kaeya breaks down, saying that he got it from the Abyss today - dozens of voices shouted at him "Traitor! Renegade! Liar!", and he continued to cut the Hilichurls under the laughter of the Herald of the Abyss and his attacks, under his statements that Kaeya is the biggest sinner of them, because he kills his people, but the Abyss can forgive him if he wants to return to the side of his home. Kaeya says that he's had a bit of a hard time today, and he demands that Diluc leave him alone, just now, until he's okay himself. Diluc says that he doesn't want to leave Kaeya alone like this, and Kaeya's brakes completely fail: Diluc is already pushing him too hard with his desire to finally make peace, and Kaeya very sarcastically reminds him that sometimes Diluc does a good job of leaving his brother, sent to Mondstadt as a spy for the Khaenri'ah, alone. But after his words, Kaeya immediately cools down, wants to apologize because he didn't think about what he said, and then Jean comes in. And Kaeya realizes that she heard EVERYTHING. And he is frightened by her confused look, not knowing how to interpret it - he has talked to Lisa many times about wanting to tell Jean everything, and was preparing for this, and now she finds out about it from his hysteria, and Kaeya himself is clearly not ready to answer any of her questions. Or to Diluc, who has turned pale due to the realization of his mistake. He wants to be alone, and one word is enough for Jean and Diluc to be thrown out of the teapot, without a chance to even return or say a word. After this, Kaeya does not leave the teapot for several days, forbidding Tubby to let anyone in. But then Tubby will still let Jean and Diluc in, they will talk about everything and a huge burden and fear of her friend will fall from Kaeya's shoulders, I think. And with Diluc, everything will go smoother, because he will stop pressing so hard and will go towards his brother more slowly.
• Animals. Kaeya loves animals - horses (especially), birds, cats, dogs, fish, lizards - and crystal butterflies! His teapot is jokingly called a "petting zoo", but he can't help himself, especially when the Traveler catches new animals in his teapot once a week (he really looks forward to at least one horse, and once Aether promised that someday he would give Kaeya a horse for home. Alberich doesn't always believe people, but he really wanted to believe Aether). However, not all guests of the teapot like certain animals, and, for example, before Venti's arrival, he has to clean up and take the cats to the "cat room" so that the bard doesn't suffocate. But there is a lot to say about animals, and someday I will dedicate a whole post to this!
• Kaeya has two cute fairies that were given to him: one, a water fairy he named Eri, was given to him by Aether and Paimon; the other one, Mira, is a cute dendro fairy that was given to him by... Collei. Yeah, yeah, as scary as it is, I think that once she stopped being an enemy, showed that she wasn't a threat to Mondstadt (the place he was willing to die for), and accepted his apology for Kaeya's overly painful manipulations (and dropped his jokes on the girl), they became pretty good friends. So yeah.
• Collei and Kaeya are friends, that's what I'll say again :3
• Kaeya sleeps in the pajamas Furina gave him. Why? We'll definitely get to that later (and I haven't even brought up the headcanon of Kaeya once disappearing for a week and returning with gifts from the Harbingers of Fatui and confirmation that he spent three days in Meropides Fortress drinking tea with Wriothesley and Sigewinne)
In general, I'm a little ashamed of my ideas, and I think I need to think about them more, but for now I'll just enjoy what comes to mind when I think about my beloved Kei and his difficult but happy life in a teapot :3
And I apologize if there are mistakes here - English is still too difficult for me and I use a translator, but someday I will learn it!!!
I actually really like the idea that at some point Kaeya's teapot will turn into a "kids' camp" because it will increasingly be visited by Klee, Fischl, Razor, Bennett, Mika, Gaming and many others whom Kaeya regards as his little brothers/sisters.
He will start preparing entertainment for them: he will set up the stage given to him by the Traveler so that Fischl can put on small performances, get lots of animals so that Razor can feel more relaxed, scatter several chests with sweets for Bennett, set up a small teahouse for Gaming and make a "Dodoko zone" for the sweet Klee.
When Jean, Lisa, Noelle, Sucrose and Albedo come to him for tea, it will become the main topic of their jokes, I am sure. But even so, Alberich will not be embarrassed, but will continue to arrange his abode so that first of all it will be comfortable for the guests, because their joy is his joy. I think later he will arrange a library for Lisa, an alchemy room for Sucrose and Bedo, a shooting range and a hilichurl camp for training Noelle, Amber and Eula, and a study for himself and Jean, who will start working there sometimes in the evenings, secretly from Lisa and the captains (so that she will not be scolded for overtime, she will hide at Kaeya, and he, in turn, will monitor Jean's rest as her reliable friend).
I thought: what kind of lounge area could Kaeya make for his drinking buddies? (I love the dynamic of Venti, Kaeya and Rosaria. I also add Eula sometimes, but not very often.) Of course, it would be an exterior set with a fountain from Mondstadt, but what else?
And so Kaeya's house got a bar counter.
In fact, they won't drink anything there except tea, because that's what the Angel's Share is for, but much later, when Kaeya finally gives Diluc the key to her house, he will sometimes arrange a mini-Angel's Share for them right there. But not much, and when the children are not around.
Wow, exclusive cocktails and service by Master Diluc for Kaeya and his friends. I think this will make the warmth of the past really feel for Alberich for the first time... And for Diluc. So their already recovering relationship will start to strengthen even more, I think?
As for which mansion Kaeya would choose, I think his favorites would be "Cool Island" and "Emerald Peak". But as I said, each would be a different place for Kaeya. For example, he would make Emerald Peak a territory accessible to Klee, Fischl, Razor, Bennett, Jean, Rosaria, Albedo, Lisa, and others. He would divide the mansion into zones suitable for different groups of visitors:
○ Summer Peak as an entertainment and recreation area;
○ Winter Peak as a training zone;
○ Autumn Peak is like a mini-town to walk around with the feeling of someone's presence in any, even sad, state, as well as its own corner of "echoes of the past" (a large number of vineyards";
○ Spring Peak is like an island on which his house stands and something for evening walks not far from home.
So Emerald Peak is something of his, but still too public.
The Island of Cool is his dark corner, his personal place that no one should see. There are no well-kept beaches, no areas for guests: there are only places where you can immerse yourself in your thoughts and feelings (depending on how the day went - bad, full of pain, or good, full of happiness). Inside the house there will be no rooms decorated for someone - practical minimalism with an emphasis on work. And a cellar, filled to the brim with bottles of all kinds of alcohol. Not for pleasure - alcohol for taste in his house on the Peak, and here, on the Island of Cool - only high-proof, to get drunk from the first sip.
And if all his relatives will receive invitations to Emerald Peak, then only two people will be invited to the Island of Coolness: Rosaria. And Diluc.
I decided that I need to write about what kind of Kaeya, with what past and what feelings in the present I want to see in the work, so that later I don’t deviate in the character/behavior of my favorite boy.
And that's how this "character portrait" came about.
SO WHAT... Let's start with something simple - age?
Age: I'll take about 22-23, probably (because Crepus dies on Diluc's 18th birthday, he leaves for three years, and then returns at 21, and the guys let it be another year or two in contrast to the cold-brothers, oh, and Kaeya didn't celebrate his 18th birthday as is customary for the Ragnvindras, then there will be a separate chapter from this, probably)
Those who know the truth about him: Diluc, Varka, Albedo, Venti, Alice (I'm sure), Lisa, Adelinda (Kaeya doesn't know about this), Aether and Paimon.
They don't know the truth, but they will find out: Klee, Fischl, Jean (a separate chapter about how Jean recognizes is a must!!!) and possibly someone else.
Friends (separately): Venti, Mavuika.
Family (not native): Diluc (older brother), Wriothesley (almost like an older brother), Albedo (younger/older brother, depending on the situation), Klee (younger sister), Bennett (younger brother), Adelinda (mom), Elzer (almost a brother, somewhere on the level of a cousin), Navia (kind and beloved rich aunt).
In general, I think that all the children of Mondstadt are automatically considered by Kaeya to be his younger brothers/sisters, but there are still those who have thoroughly captured his heart?
Close friends:
- Fischl, Razor, Jean, Klee, Lisa (Mondstadt)
- Beidou, Gaming, Xingqiu, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Chongyun, Yaoyao (Liyue)
- Diona, Dahlia, Timmy (I know there is a separate list for NPCs, I just want it that way) (Mondstadt)
- Ganyu, Lan Yan, Xinyan, Qiqi, Shenhe (Liyue)
- Yoimiya, Sayu (Inazuma)
- Kaveh, Candace (Sumeru)
- Clorinde, Emilie (Fontaine).
Acquaintances (met several times):
- Baizhu, Keqing (Liyue)
- Kujou Sara (Inazuma)
- Alhaitham, Dori (Sumeru)
- Neuvillette (despite the fact that they don't know each other that well, Neuvillette still gave him a birthday present in the form of a ladle with a dragon on it), Chiori (Fontaine).
Friends (Kaeya doesn't believe?): Diluc.
They and Kaeya haven't met yet:
- Xianyun, Zhongli (he knows about him, but always avoids meeting him, no matter how hard Iter tries to put them on the same team: perhaps because he is the Archon who witnessed the destruction of Khaenri'ah) (Liyue)
- Raiden Shogun (Inazuma)
- Layla, Faruzan (Sumeru)
- Kinich, Mualani, Kachina, Ororon, Citlali, Chaska, Xilonen (because Kaeya was so carried away by the teapot that the Traveler did not dare to take him to Natlan, and the acquaintance with the characters from there will be later) (Natlan).
Characters I wouldn't want to work with:
- Aloy (Mondstadt)
- Keqing, Yun Jin, Xinyan (I really don't want Keqing, but I'll squeeze Xinyan and Yun Jin into the chapter with the concert in the teapot) (Liyue)
- Kujou Sara (Inazuma)
- Alhaitham (Sumeru)
- Chiori, Emilie, Neuvillette (Fontaine)
- Citlali or Ororon, I think? (Natlan).
THE NIGHT WHEN KAEYA AND DILUC FIGHTED:
1. He told because he was afraid of his own betrayal in his brother's eyes - when he saw how much Crepus' death had hurt Diluc, and realized his own thoughts of relief, he was afraid of himself - for a moment he thought that he might actually betray him, and then Diluc would be crushed again. He was immediately afraid of his thoughts, because he knew that he would never betray - he would not dare betray his home and loved ones, but these thoughts were still bursting at him, and he decided to tell his brother. Perhaps as punishment for that fleeting feeling of freedom after Crepus' death, he was ready for a fight, even if he hoped for acceptance.
2. His vision - at once a treasure, proof that he chose Mondstadt, but also proof that in his brother's eyes he is not an enemy, but a stranger (and this hurts, because Kaeya is now literally made of contradictions).
3. On the day of the quarrel, Alberich received serious injuries, after which he spent a long time recovering in the Cathedral, and then at Jean's house: a crack on his left collarbone, internal bleeding, several significant cuts, minus an eye (he has one, but he is blind), a scar on his eye, several burns all over his body (Diluc in secret helped with their treatment), a deep wound on his side and a fracture in his leg (an unsuccessful fall from the stairs, when Diluc pushed him, became a crack, and an incorrect parry of a claymore made a full-fledged fracture)... something like that? Maybe that will change...
4. After receiving Cryo, Kaeya felt like the most disgusting creature in Teyvat, because he betrayed his brother, was betrayed by him and received the eye of a god, proving that he now walks under the Archons, whom he should have hated. Pain, lack of control over the Cryo he had just received, shock and mortal fatigue made him look at his brother, who realized everything that had happened that evening, smile falsely and, leaning on his almost broken sword, go towards Mondstadt. Perhaps at that moment he did not understand that he was going to Jean, and simply hoped to die somewhere along the way, but barely being conscious, he reached his friend, and she provided him with first aid - she tried to ask, but Kaeya just kept silent, choking on tears on his friend's chest until he lost consciousness. Then Jean urgently delivered him to the Cathedral, where he began to recover, but due to the rain, he also caught a fever.
5. At the same time : Diluc didn't dare stop his brother, knowing that if he tried to say anything now, he'd either be rude and say something he'd regret, or burst into tears and beg for forgiveness (which wouldn't do any good for either him or Kaeya at that moment). So he shouted "I HATE—!" at Kaeya's back (not him, but the way things had turned out - his father's death, Kaeya, their fight, the fact that he almost killed him, but Kaeya would think it was directed at him), and ran into the house to Adelinda: he sobbed all over her clothes, expressed all his thoughts, insults towards Kaeya, which were replaced by self-flagellation and regret, fear that he didn't know how they should behave now, because after that they were definitely not brothers. Then he realizes that Kaeya is walking alone toward Mondstadt, injured and with unstable vision, and he's unlikely to be able (or willing) to defend himself if he's attacked. So he heads to Mondstadt, follows Kaeya's bloody footprints, which the knights on the bridge have already begun to cover with sand, and ends up being detained by Eroch "on suspicion of attempting to kill Kaeya Alberich." But Jean says they can't confirm it was Diluc until Kaeya comes to his senses and confirms the charges, and for now Diluc is simply forbidden to leave Mondstadt. He asks to go to the Cathedral to see Alberich, but Jean says that even though she protected Diluc, she won't let him near Kaeya until he says he wants to, because she only knows one person whose fighting style leaves such wounds and burns.
But then Kaeya will come to his senses and tell the knights that he was surrounded by treasure thieves near the Dragonspine, and he hasn't seen Diluc since he came to him as reinforcements. Eroch will leave angry and with nothing, Jean will ask if Diluc can come to him. Kaeya will allow it, but Jean will decide to stay just in case (Keya was against it, but he couldn't refuse Jean when she was so worried about him). In the end, Diluc will come in, examine Alberich, frown, and when Kaeya tries to start a conversation, he will sharply say that they can't be brothers after this (Diluc will mean how badly he injured Kaeya, and Kaeya will think that he is talking about his secret), and tomorrow Diluc will cross Kaeya off the list of the Ragnvindr family. Without giving Kaeya a chance to say anything, he will simply leave, and will only return when Kaeya is asleep to check on his wounds and burns. Diluc will then leave Mondstadt to deal with the emotions burning within him (anger, revenge, disappointment, regret, guilt, rage, etc.), and Kaeya will be very depressed.
AFTER:
Keya will learn to live in a new way for a long time (even if it is very old, like when he lived in Khaenri'ah, and tried to be self-sufficient at 5 years old): life in the role of "not Diluc's shadow" will make him fall many times, and rise with a new learned lesson or a built line of behavior for this or that case, even the most alarming. He will learn to lie much better, will start to seriously overwork (until now, but now only on days when he feels very bad) and react to all alarming factors by avoiding the problem and belittling it. But this was only 1 year without Diluc - in the second and third, he again learns to trust people and makes friends (Jean, of course, was always with him), next to whom he feels comfortable even without his behavior strategies and smiles out of politeness. He still returns to the distillery once every six months and no one is at all against it, even, as Adelinda said, Diluc allowed it. But he can no longer call Dawn Winery home, or the knights' barracks, or the floor of the house that he, Jean, and Albedo (with Klee, of course) rent together. Yes, the last place, the house opposite the Goth Grand Hotel, is often noisy, warm, and has people close to him, but he still doesn't rearrange the furniture and only leaves things at home that he can easily take with him if something happens. And even though Diluc didn't order him to leave the Winery, Kaeya couldn't accept the fact that he, a "nobody" for the Ragnvindr family, would live there. And so he left.
In the my au, he will live relatively happily (he will at least be happy with what he has: good friends, Jean, who will always protect him from any bad thoughts, Lisa, who will listen; everything is more or less peaceful with Diluc, so much so that sometimes he allows himself to tease him as "brother" and dream that this is true when Diluc does not shut him up and just rolls his eyes with the corners of his lips imperceptibly raised), but when he has his own place, he will begin to understand that he must devote time to himself, his feelings and desires, not avoid them, but accept them, and live the way he dreamed of since childhood - freely and completely sincerely happily.
Okay, that's all for now. That's how it is!
I love Kaeya and I want to lead him to love himself and not be lonely. He deserves it because he is such a kind child, hehe!
(In the photo, by the way, is his house with Jean and Albedo. He lives on the third floor, Albedo on the second, and Jean on the first, even though Kaeya insisted that everything be the other way around, and in case of an attack on Jean, they would have to go through Kaeya and Albedo)
If anything, I apologize for my bad English - it's not my native language, but I sincerely tried to make everything readable! 💜
