#implied kaeluc

[kan-be]

how about some angsty hanahaki au ☺️

[dawn-waltz]

Tattoo artist Kaeya AU

[rainixdra]

It was odd.

It was terrifying.

A Mondstadt that had a ruling body, a royal family of sort.

A world that was the same yet different to his own.

Same history, same origin.

The only difference was that the people had decided they still needed a king, a ruler to manage the knights, nobles and church as a whole. Barbatos had not rejected the idea, stating that it would still be a far better decision than their previous one, one that was still a choice made out of their free will, and in the end, many had chosen the Ragnvindrs to take the throne.

A decision that led him to where he was now.

It seemed that fate would still have his father taken from him by the Delusion he'd acquired.

Diluc sighed, looking out the window at the pale moon. Ironic, how he was truly called king within this version of Mondstadt. And unfortunately in this world, he could not leave to deal with the Fatui or the Abyss Order without his absence being questioned.

It mattered not though, as so much was still the same despite the altered history. Varka would leave on an expedition, Jean would take up the role as temporary Grand Master, Alice would arrive with Klee and leave like the chaotic storm she was, Albedo would arrive with her recommendation, Eula would defy her family's expectations and join the knights, the Outriders would be established and then fall apart, leaving Amber as the last member, Lisa would become head librarian.

And yet there was someone missing.

The timeline of events still remained the same. Diluc had utilized his memories and experiences from the other world as much as he could. Even if he could not work undercover like he used to, he would do his best to use his knowledge for their sake.

But then the lights went out.

As if snuffed by an unseen wind.

The moon was blotted out by clouds, suddenly plunging the room in darkness.

Diluc was quick to summon his claymore, looking at his surroundings. It had been too long since he worked in the dark, and his eyes were no longer as quick to adjust.

He breathed, and saw the vapor in the air. He could feel a chill that did not match the cool spring weather at the moment.

A Cryo user was in the same room as him.

Was he here at last?

A cool blade pressed to his throat, arms suddenly wrapping around him and trapping him against his attacker.

"Being asked to assassinate a king really is a lot harder than infiltrating a noble family, wouldn't you say? And yet here you are, so defenseless, not even protecting your back. It's like you're asking me to succeed, Master Diluc," a soft voice tickled his ear.

And Diluc relaxed, leaning into the "assassin".

"Kaeya," he said, and immediately, he was turned around, red eyes meeting the other's singular blue.

"You remember," Kaeya said. Eye wide with wonder. Joy. Devotion. An honesty in his expression that Diluc had not seen in years.

"Of course I remember," Diluc replied, a soft smile gracing his face. "How could I not?"

Kaeya frowned, "I thought you would not have had your memories, what with you being king."

"And when you did not turn up at the kingdom's door, I thought the same, Kaeya," Diluc sighed, "Considering the history of Mond is slightly different to the one we remember, I had thought you not showing up was yet another deviation."

But Kaeya was here. As his would be assassin. Khaenri'ah still sought Teyvat's fall then.

Diluc did not want them to fight. Did not want to chase Kaeya away. Not again. It had been a mistake in their old world. He was not making it again.

"Be my personal knight?" Diluc asked.

The singular starry eye searched his face for any lie, any deception. But Kaeya knew Diluc hated lying, and he could only sigh and give a wry smile.

"Make me Chief of Investigations and we have a deal."

"Done. It'll let Albedo focus on his work as Chief Alchemist anyways. Plus you always did handle those jobs, even if it was not your own."

"Still calling the knights ineffective even though you have greater control over their management now? Also, we were short handed, you can't blame me for doing those jobs."

"Not when you and Jean were so overworked, don't you dare think I never noticed! At least now I'm handling part of the responsibilities Jean had."

"She does looked less exhausted."

"... how long have you been looking for an opportunity to get in my room?"

"... a while?"

Things were the same yet different in this world.

But if there was one thing Diluc would make sure stayed different, it would be the state of his and Kaeya's relationship.

King and knight now, and perhaps to the world.

But both knew that it was so much more.

And perhaps, that would be a secret they would keep to themselves.

[rainixdra]

A Summer Dream

Hearing Kaeya complain about their opposing visions and being stranded, him vaguely referring to their childhood.

Diluc didn't mind, even if he now kept a more closed off front.

It was just, reassuring that Kaeya was comfortable enough to keep talking, comfortable enough to let Diluc doze on his shoulders as he continued to reminisce and complain.

(He was tired. So tired. He may have had energy to fight under the night of the moon, the energy to flick through reports and work with his network of spies, but in reality he'd been tired for far too long now.)

"Master Diluc?" he heard Kaeya ask. Kaeya's voice, smooth and sly but hiding a tone of worry under it all. It made sense. It had been a long time since Diluc allowed himself to be a bit more vulnerable, just as Kaeya was being a touch more open today.

No one was around to spy and gossip after all. No one to take advantage of either of their weaknesses to turn them against each other should the time ever come.

He heard a sharp inhale as Kaeya shifted suddenly, and Diluc found his head suddenly in Kaeya's lap, starring into a single starry eye.

"Was that why you kept trying to push me away?" Kaeya murmured, gently brushing a lock of red hair away from Diluc's face.

Had Diluc spoken aloud?

Kaeya snorted in amusement, "Yes, yes you have been mumbling aloud, 'luc. How tired are you that you aren't even noticing that?"

Very tired.

He wanted to sleep really.

"Then go ahead and rest, 'luc. I'll wake you if something happens, alright?"

And Diluc did, dreaming of summers and warmth and a smile so cheerful and honest that he truly missed on Kaeya's face.

(He hoped that Kaeya would smile like that once again.)

[rainixdra]

Kings, Knights, Spies, Assassins

AO3

Brain was thinking more cross dressing genshin again. Perhaps bc i was on pixiv the other day. But its only for a small bit in this fic.

Either way, been working on this on and off. I would like to think that though Khaenri’ah is cursed their people are still people considering how Kaeya’s father abandoned him. And ruined as they were, they were still a dynasty.

Meaning corrupt nobles for Kaeya and Diluc to kill off 

:)

Anyways do enjoy.

-------

Cursed as Khaenri'ah was, it was the common folk that suffered the worst of the curse. The nobles suffered too, but not to the extent as the commoners did.

Khaenri'ah was full a kingdom of cursed citizens and partially cursed nobles.

(The nobles were the ones who funded Gold, who pushed him and Rhinedottir to create more and more and when Gold finally trespassed where he shouldn't have, it was far too late and they were cursed as a collective for their transgressions.)

But generation after generation, the curse eventually got stronger. Fearing their eventual doom, angry at the above dwellers for ignoring them, the nobles sent their prince to be their spy. Their weapon. To destabilize the society above. And once he returned, he would be their puppet king, obeying their every whim and dancing to their tune.

And so. 

Their prince returned from the realm above one day. But he wasn’t alone. A prize, a piece of evidence of his dealings and achievements. They had sent him to destroy the Ragnvindrs. He brought back the last heir. Dressed less as a prisoner, and more as a bride to be. 

Artificial lights hanging from the ceiling, brightening up the eternal darkness of the halls of their kingdom. Whispers echoed in the ballroom as the nobles watched their puppet prince guided his prisoner, his proof, down the stairs. A means to further humiliate the captured heir, to be shown off in this time of celebration, where they would finalize their preparations for the invasion.

They laugh and rejoiced as they toast to his success. And toast to the success of the future invasion.

They never noticed the empty smile of their prince hiding something far more sinister. They never noticed the burning anger in the eyes of the red haired prize was not one of humiliation.

They paid no attention as the pair mingled and danced the night away.

Until it was far too late to notice the ominous glint of blazing red and cool blue gems on both.

And in one night, the entire nobility of Khaenri'ah was wiped out by the contradicting elements of an all consuming blaze and a winter cold blizzard that destroyed the ballroom and its surroundings.

When the guards finally arrived on scene, all they saw was a figure in black vanishing into the night.

There were no survivors.

Khaenri'ah's last hope, lost to an assassin in the dark.

------

But that was never to be the true ending.

And that was never the complete truth.

Perhaps to all that was left of the nobles, their servants and soldiers, yes, this story was the end. Khaenri'ah would once more be plunged into despair with the death of their prince.

But in the quiet night, among the clear minded of the cursed, word spread of a small tavern set up, providing a place of rest and provision for no fee.

They talked of a young man wearing an owl mask, bring food and supplies untouched by the Abyss, clearly from the lands above.

They talked of an eye patch wearing Khaenri'ahn knight, working with him to bring relief to the cursed.

The cursed do not ask why their prince was among them, alive and well.

A ghost? A hallucination?

Why would he not reveal himself then? Why would he mingle among them?

The common folk didn’t know. They didn’t understand.

But slowly, they saw how the red haired young man’s provisions brought them relief, gave them a light at the end of the tunnel, a light and freedom from the nightmare that was their curse.

It was as if dawn had finally arrived in the endless night of Khaenri'ah.

(And perhaps, that was when they understood what their prince saw in the owl masked young man. Dawn and hope. Their prince was their hope, but clearly, their prince had his own hope in someone else.)

------

Kings, knights, spies, assassins.

That was what the pair of them were.

Uncrowned kings of their respective lands.

Knights, acknowledged and not.

Spies, dealers of information ill gained, hiding themselves in plain sight.

Assassins, killers in the dark, rarely noticed.

They were this to each other, a pair of anti heroes who served as each other’s knight, served as spies for their respective networks, and served as assassins for the safety of Mondstadt itself.

It took them far too long to heal, to mend the gaping abyss that had sprung up between them.

But now the distance was a farce, a trick, a lie.

A performance to everyone to show that neither could be used against each other.

They were each other’s knight.

They were each other’s king.

Kaeya sought the dawn that Diluc brought. The light of hope that came out of the darkness of the night.

Diluc sought the night that Kaeya represented. The safe blanket of darkness, of quiet and peace, even if the monsters roamed about.

And so where one went, the other followed after.

Where Kaeya once followed after Diluc into the light, now Diluc chased after Kaeya into the darkness.

Followed him down, to root out the corruption that choked Khaenri’ah, that threatened Mondstadt.

Much like Kaeya had done in his absence, in his mourning, rooting out the corruption in the knights that had attempted to snuff out the bright light that was Diluc.

(The dress was unnecessary, though Diluc had always been comfortable with it. Less a humiliation and more a familiar act. A fantasy once played out between he and Kaeya both, but now weaponized to fool their enemies.

The nobility would not know, would think it an act of humiliation.

They would underestimate them, forgetting they’d abandoned their prince in Mondstadt.

And Mondstadt was full of liars.)

But removing the corruption would never have been enough.

The threat was gone, but what of the ones left behind?

Diluc knew Kaeya, though his loyalties were to Mondstadt, would never truly abandoned the ones who played no role in his own assignment as spy.

Diluc knew Kaeya had no heart to abandon the lost.

And so where Kaeya once protected Mondstadt in his absence, Diluc would do the same for Kaeya’s people. Provide protection. Help. Healing.

(If Kaeya smiled brightly when he made his suggestion, well, that was simply a bonus.)

So.

Kings, knights, spies, assassins.

Saviors, perhaps too.

Anti-heroes with bad attitudes indeed.

------

The one who assassinated the nobles was never found.

The mysterious tavern and its two main inhabitants stayed, unquestioned, undisturbed.

Stayed till one day they were able to lead the cursed out.

And Barbatos would greet them at the opening to the Abyss with a smile.

To greet them with that freedom once more.

[rainixdra]

Manipulate my Strings

Warning: unhealthy mindsets feat. Broken Diluc, implied Dark Kaeluc. Diluc Pov.

Take my strings.

Take control.

Give me a purpose.

Beyond the anger. Rage. Hate. Guilt.

Beyond the tears that I can no longer cry.

Take a collar and leash me to you.

Don't let me wander aimlessly.

Don't let me self destruct.

Take my hand.

Guide me like you once did.

Pull me out of that deep darkness into the ethereal moonlight.

Show me that even in the blackest of nights, the light of the stars can pierce it.

The moon to my sun.

The night to my day.

Take control of my cut strings.

Never let me go.

Rather a puppet with a master than a masterless puppet.

Rather a toy to be used than an abandoned one.

Rather a Visionless failure than one a Vision holder who utterly failed.

Rather a dreamless man, than a man who has dreams.

A tool.

An instrument.

Something to be used.

So please.

Take your revenge on me in this way.

For hurting, for not listening.

For being a blind little puppet whose strings were just severed.

For being a useless little puppet who couldn't even control his own self.

Fulfill your mission to send us into ruination.

As long as I can't leave you.

As long as you won't let me leave.

I'll be satisfied with just that.

Is it manipulation, after all, if I know and accept it all the same, Kaeya?