seasonsrpg | 🔥 Permanent Catch-All 🔥

[He's so careful about it. Never so warm that he risks alarming the other man or making it obvious what he's doing, never so warm that he pushes the encroaching chill back too quickly. It's a simple warming of the edges, a soft furling curl of orange energy against the ice, and he keeps his full attention on it.]

Mm... what is it?

[A quick glance up tells him that Kaeya still has his eyes closed. Good. Diluc smiles a little to himself.]

You're doing great, it's still there.

[Knowing it was truly still there was a bit of a relief to Kaeya, that the warmth he felt at the palm of his hands was still his own and not something Diluc was tricking him into feeling. Besides, it was very nice. He had always known that fire was never only a dangerous thing. That there was good in it too.

When they were kids, Diluc showed Kaeya his fun tricks all the time. The little firebird being one of them. The memory brought a different kind of warmth to him, in his chest rather than his hands. He shook his head faintly, relaxing a bit more.]

Nevermind.

[It felt a bit like an eternity. But with Diluc's constant touch keeping his energy in check and the warm gently keeping the Cryo at bay, it eventually faded away. Leaving only warmth, only the blue flame. Untouched and unfettered. It even grew a little. A little rounder, a little more solid (as solid as fire can be, anyway).]

...I don't feel it anymore. My Vision.

[Can he open his eyes now? Can he confirm the hope in his heart?]

[Now that he's doing it he doesn't know why he didn't try it before. Doing something like this had felt too direct and - in the beginning at least - a breach of that still fragile trust between them. The last time Diluc had used his Vision against Kaeya in any way was not a pleasant one, after all.

With how long they have been working on this, this really was close to an act of desperation and nothing more. He hadn't actually thought that it would work. The whole time, he had expected the ice to suddenly overtake everything and fight against him.

Slowly, Diluc lowers his hands from beneath Kaeya's and leaves them there with that little blue flame nestled between the palms. It looks stronger now, he thinks.]

You can look now. It should be fine.

[Honestly, it probably would have. The month of encouragement and training, despite the frustrations, likely helped soothe his temperament, however subconsciously, against fire in a way to more readily accept the outside warmth that had come from the cause of trauma. The ice had wanted to overtake, but it reacted in kind to the amount of Pyro seeping in. No need to burst when the "fire" was nothing more than a gentle heat and not a firey phoenix.

Act of desperation or not, it was the last push Kaeya needed to finally break down the proverbial wall.

Kaeya blinked his eye open, vision focusing on Diluc's face for a moment before looking down. He saw the flame and his eyebrow rose, mouth dropping open slightly. It wasn't going away. And his Vision continued to remain dormant. He chanced at fueling it a little more. He widened the gap between his palms a bit, allowing for more room for the flame to grow. So far, so good. But he did not want to overdo it, so Kaeya refrained from making it any bigger.

Of course, Kaeya was unknowingly smiling very brightly. All teeth and flushed cheeks as he played around with the ball of flame, even brushing his hand through it. He felt the heat, but it didn't burn. He really could make it harmless!]

I did it. [He laughed.] I did it!

[Truth be told he hadn't been sure how he would feel if Kaeya finally succeeded, either with or without his help. He's relieved, happy for him, but what he doesn't expect to feel is the intense surge of pride that pushes up into his chest alongside everything else. How long has it been... since he last felt proud of Kaeya like this?

He keeps his attention on the fire too, until he feels the other man's eyes on him. Diluc looks up to be met with that dazzling smile and feels something in his ribcage lurch suddenly, his pulse spiking a moment later and a faint heat rising up to his face.

Outwardly he doesn't lose his cool. He smiles in return and claps Kaeya gently on the arm, nodding his encouragement.]

Knew you could.

[No need to boast of his own part in it. If Kaeya wants to ask what he did then he will - the point is that it worked.]

I think this calls for a small celebration. Drink? I have some wine.

H-Huh?

[Kaeya was not sure why he sounded surprised at the suggestion. Enough that the fireball eventually dissipated and he only pouted at himself. But with this newfound confidence, he took a moment to bring it back. Mostly as a test to himself that this wasn't a fluke. But it stayed once again.

He sighed in relief.]

Er, yes, please. I'm surprised you have some. You hate the stuff.

Tch, just because I don't drink it doesn't mean that I hate it.

[He pats Kaeya's arm again and pushes himself up, shaking off that strange feeling in his chest as he makes his way to the kitchen and pulls a bottle of red wine from a cupboard. Taking two glasses down he fills both of them half way, then heads back and hands one over to Kaeya. He holds his own glass up.]

Cheers.

[Surely it could only get better from here. With that first hurdle overcome... and now Diluc knows what to do if Kaeya starts to struggle again.]

[Kaeya made a face at Diluc's back. Well, he certainly had him fooled with all the lack of drinking anything alcoholic. But he settled and waited patiently for the glass of wine.

He smelled nice once he had the glass. He raised it.]

Cheers.

[Well, he was not at all surprised that the quality was good. Of course Diluc would know where to find a good quality brand. He hummed in contentment.]

This is good. I could probably use this one in the fruity skewers.

You can have the rest of the bottle. By the time I get around to it the wine will have soured.

[Of course, he planned to give the rest of it to Kaeya anyway... One way or another he wasn't going to finish drinking it himself. He takes a small sip of the glass' contents and swallows without making a face at it, then exhales a soft sigh.]

I wonder what Adelinde would make of all this.

[Just what 'all this' is should be obvious, but in case it's not...]

I suppose she'd be proud we'd finally stopped arguing.

Then why even buy it to begin with?

[Honestly, Diluc. But, he wasn't going to say no to free wine. He was definitely going to be drunk within the next few days at best.

He swirled the wine in the glass as he listened. He snorted softly, yeah, she would be proud of that. Although she wouldn't say anything, just smile knowingly. He took another sip.]

She would just be happy, I think. And say as much.

[Because anything else she would say could easily be read in her face and in her voice.]

... For this, obviously.

[He could try to be coy and say 'for a special occasion' but that isn't really the kind of angle he goes for. Besides, it would embarrass Kaeya more if he was blunt about it. The other man is right about Adelinde being happy to see the two of them sitting like this though... and that she would say as much. She would probably have the both of them steaming from the ears with the comments she would make.]

I knew you'd get there eventually, it was only a matter of time.

[And... trust, because Diluc had had an idea of what he needed to do to 'help' quite early on, but he had needed Kaeya to trust him enough to get it done.]

[It still ended up embarrassing Kaeya, just a little. To think that Diluc bought wine just to wait until Kaeya would succeed, knowing he would succeed eventually. He looked away, sipping the wine to hide the flush in his cheeks.]

You really had that much faith in me?

[He sounded almost doubtful. He did trust Diluc, he sort of never really stopped trusting the older man. But trusting him with fire was definitely a different thing entirely but one that he had been willing to work on. It paid off.]

I don't see why I wouldn't have. We knew what the problem was, it was simply a matter of getting around it.

[One way or another Kaeya would have got there. He might not be quite the same person he was when they were young boys but the two of them have always shared the same headstrong determination when it comes to achieving their goals. Both subtle in their own ways but always getting the job done.

He lifts his glass in Kaeya's direction.]

You never did know when to quit, after all.

[He wasn't sure how to answer that. Kaeya was used to people believing in him, sure, because he was a capable captain in the Knights for the last four years and had been a capable knight prior... but it was just different hearing it from Diluc.]

That's not true. [He murmured around his glass.] I was at the edge of quitting before you offered to help.

... Hm.

[Interesting. Diluc's posture shifts as he considers this, his elbow sliding a little across the table and his head propped up on his hand. He observes the younger man for a few silent moments then sips his drink again, looking down into the liquid as he mulls over the taste after swallowing.]

Then it's a good thing I came along when I did.

[He'll take Kaeya at his word that he was going to quit rather than arguing about it.]

But I still think you would have figured it out sooner or later.

[Such confidence in him. Kaeya was not sure what to do with that. So, he did what he did best and changed the subject. He nodded towards the glass.]

You don't need to keep forcing yourself to drink it, if you don't like it. The thought of you having a bottle for me is enough.

[He felt a little shy as he spoke, but he was sincere. He drained the rest of his glass and set it on the table. It was a very good bottle, he had to admit.]

You know me better than to think that I would drink if it I didn't want to.

[There's no forcing himself about it, he's just taking his time with the glass since he intends it to be his only one. That Kaeya finishes his own in short order is not surprising and Diluc just makes a small gesture towards the bottle.]

Have some more if you like.

[The other man's tolerance for alcohol far outstrips his own in any case.] Unless you have somewhere to rush off to.

Yes, I know.

[Kaeya still couldn't help but think of the fire water incident, though. And the fact that the other man truly dislikes alcohol. But he was not going to push it and instead, poured himself another glass now that he knew he could.

He shook his head.]

I don't. But... [He scratched his slightly pink cheek.] What would you said if I treated you to dinner? As thanks for helping me with this.

[It hadn't been easy but Kaeya really couldn't thank Diluc enough for stepping in when he did. And with a lot of patience. Kaeya hadn't exactly been the best student because of how emotional he could get regarding this situation.]

Dinner?

[From his point of view it wasn't really that much... All he'd done was finally find a way to instill the confidence in Kaeya that he always knew the man had but was somehow struggling to access.

Not that much.

He exhales a soft sigh, then shrugs and nods.]

Sure, your treat.

[Kaeya already knows the kinds of things that Diluc likes, so finding a place they will both enjoy shouldn't be a problem.]

[Kaeya looked relieved when Diluc agreed, but was quick to cover it up with a sip of wine and a nod.]

Good. Then, I'll let you know when and where.

[They hadn't really been in Sunwaning long enough for him to really try all the places yet, or even in the other segments. He knew Diluc's tastes, so while he already had a few ideas, it couldn't hurt to browse a little more before deciding.]

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