Unlucky.

Just a heads up I had no intention of ever doing something like this to myself, but here we are. I blame tiktok user @/bed.headd for the way that this is written. 

It might be absolute dogshit but it's okay i guess.

I apologize for the hearts this will break, and the tears that will be shed.
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Things had been going great for Bennett because he had found a mentor he could count on, the one and only Cavalry Captain, Kaeya Alberich. Bennett had grown quite fond of the man, he didn't even question Bennett once when he'd gotten himself into a rough situation but instead offered him a strange comfort that he hadn't felt from those he considered family. Kaeya was the best mentor he could ever ask for, from new battling techniques to advice he needed. 

Kaeya was there, he always was.

Nothing was ever bad whenever Kaeya was around.

 Everything seemed to be okay, even if he felt like sometimes he didn't ever measure up to Kaeya, he was reassured that he was enough by him. It was like, he found someone older he could finally talk to, look up to and trust onto. 

From Kaeya's perspective, it was like he found a new brother, one that didn't ignore his efforts to talk to him and one who appreciated his advice. Bennett was a rambunctious and restless kid, he admired the energy he had reminded him of the days when he was younger; chasing after dreams nestled in the sun. 

"Kaeya, do you think...I'll get to be a knight some day?" Bennett asked promptly, his words becoming a mumble, unsure of how this conversation would go.

Kaeya's eyebrows raised slightly, the question caught him off guard. 

He thought about his answer for a moment, he needed this answer to be clear, but one Bennett could understand. This had to be decisive, smart and fast. 

"I do believe you could be one day, perhaps not today but perhaps when you're a bit older." He answered, ruffling Bennett's hair, receiving a laugh out of Bennett.

"R-Really? You think so?" said Bennett, eyes filled with excitement and a smile wider than his tooth gap. 

Kaeya grinned, a slight nod.

Bennett put a hand behind his neck, embarrassment decorated his eyes, a sly little grin growing. 

"nobody's ever believed me as much as you did Kaeya...it means a lot that you put so much trust in me-" he was interrupted by a sudden hug from Kaeya, one that it's grip held on tight. Bennett couldn't see it, but Kaeya was crying.

Bennett hugged back, now both of them were crying, not a word was shared between the two in that moment, just utter silence until Kaeya broke it with a chuckle. 

"no, it should be you I thank." He said, breath grasping whatever air his lungs had left. "You have simply given me the grace of calling you 'brother' and the opportunity for letting me be your mentor. I should thank you for believing in me enough to be there for you as you are for me." 

Kaeya cupped Bennett's face, bennett's hands gripping Kaeya's. Bennett's nose sniffling, Kaeya's hands still cupping Bennett's face. 

"I am so proud of you Bennett, you have exceeded the expectations of those who doubt you, and you have succeeded so much. I could not be more proud to call you my youngest brother. For that I thank you." he said, Bennett threw himself onto his elder brother Kaeya. 

"Thank you big brother Kaeya, thank you so much" he said, his eyes still watery, Kaeya patted the boy's head.

A few days after

Kaeya had been busying himself with work at the Knights' HeadQuarters with work and business Jean couldn't possibly do alone everyday a mountain of work had always come up for her, someone had to help. 

Then he looked outside through the window, a crowd of Monsdtaters surrounding the center of the cathedral, it looked like they were surrounding someone. Kaeya sighed, instantly dropping whatever he was doing, Jean however stood in his way a rather worried expression on her face.

"Kaeya, I advise you not to go out, you're not going to like it." she said, looking directly at him. 

Kaeya, however, nonchalantly chuckled and gently moved Jean off to the side. "What? Nothing I most likely haven't seen before right?" he said, but the look on Jean's face changed to one of sadness that suddenly made the Knight's nonchalant expression change to one of worry. 

"Do not say i did not try to warn you, i suppose." she said, walking away from Kaeya off to her headquarters, picking up where Kaeya had left off. Kaeya opened the door and suddenly he raced to the top of the cathedral, weaving through people as familiar faces shook their heads at him.

His face was changing the more people he saw look at him, he felt himself sweat and his hands shake, this was probably the most nervous he had ever been. He reached three men from the adventurer's guild, their whisperings coming to a sudden stop as Kaeya's breath took a hold of him. 

"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem here?" Kaeya asked, his voice was masked by his usual nonchalant voice and composure, some would even say you couldn't see through his mask. The men turned around in guilt and shame as they held a boy in their arms, the man in front had finally raised his head and shook his head as the words 'I'm so sorry' were the ones that kept leaving his hoarse and shattered voice. 

Kaeya looked down at the man's arms and gently turned the boy's face to his own. 

His eyes widened, he felt himself shake, now gently holding the body of the boy. Looking up at the men, not even bothering to speak to them; he had enough composure to not blame them, they didn't do this. 

"Sir Kaeya, Bennett had strayed far off to fend off a ruin guard that had been tracking us for days, we warned him of the dangers, but..he was so determined to defeat it that he must have forgotten the risks." The man cried out to Kaeya who had been standing there in awe, Kaeya hadn't dared move a muscle; the man kept talking, babbling about this tragedy had occurred.

It was in one ear out the other one.

Kaeya didn't hear it.

He didn't want to hear it. 

"Enough." Kaeya stated, the men in question knew that answer was enough to face the cold man, burdened by a grief he didn't think he'd ever see again. The men and the rest of Mondstat had left him be, as Kaeya looked up at the statue. 

"Why..?" he asked, at first a whisper, tears now decorating his face, a few landing onto bennett's cold, dead body he held so close onto. "Tell me, oh gracious Barbatos, tell me why you have forsaken my trust in you over again?" he said, much louder, almost like a scream.

He fell to his knees still holding onto the body, now caressing Bennett's cheek, now cold with ice.  "Gods bennett, why couldn't you have stayed with everyone else..you could have been safer, you could have been here with me and i could have finally taught you that technique you wanted to master." he choked out, his back bending more and more onto the floor, sheltering bennett's body from the breeze. 

"You could have met my estranged brother Diluc, albeit he never talk to me but he never had a problem talking to you" he chuckled, but bennett didn't give him an answer, what the hell was the knight expecting?

"People loved you Bennett...i hope that you at least died with a smile, you shone bright my youngest brother." he perhaps would have stayed there, had it not been for the adventurer's guild setting up a burial for him that same day. 

Kaeya didn't even go to angel's share, because what words could Diluc offer him? He instead opted to sit atop the hands of the cathedral's statue. He didn't get any last words, not a damn goodbye either. 

"You haven't visited the tavern, what's on your mind?" Kaeya's eyes widened as down below stood Diluc, the brother he had lost first. He didn't want his sympathy, he didn't want anything right now. 

"Not talking? I understand" he said, staying on the ground. 

"What words could you possibly offer me, you don't even like me Diluc." said kaeya "As a matter of fact, shouldn't you be at the tavern attending some of your customers?" Diluc knew he had no right to be there, because he didn't know what to say to him.

Diluc walked away back into the tavern, guilt washing all over his body as kaeya was left alone atop the statue. Kaeya looked up at the stars, spotting the brightest one right above him and he swore up and down he could hear Bennett's laugh again, calling out to Kaeya again. 

He sat there sobbing on his own, the gods have been so unfair to him. Taking away a boy who's life was shrouded with bad luck and he was one of the only good things around a star amongst many. 

He looked back up at the stars and reached out his hand to it, tears still flooding his eyes. Bennett's light would surely now shine above with the rest, but he was going to be the brightest one, he could light up the whole sky.  Kaeya's vision became blurred, his teary eyes thought they saw Bennett again, maybe it might have been him having a hallucination out of grief, but he wanted to see him again.

"Bennett...?" he said, questioning everything. 

"Kaeya...!"  

"Oh gods, Bennett" he choked up again. "I am so sorry for not being able to rescue you.."

"But Kaeya..it's not your fault i'm gone"

"Why did it have to be you..? Out of everyone the gods picked, why didn't they pick me?"

"Big bro Kaeya, please"

"You left so soon, you didn't even get to become a knight like you wanted"

"That's okay, because i got to be a hero just like you!"

"what?"

"You always fight even when you know the risks! You risk your life, knowing you might not come back, and even if i didn't come back this time i'm still happy i got to be like you." a smile again, gods that smile.

"So don't cry just because my flame wore out, i want you to keep being the hero you are Kaeya, like you were to me!" and just like that, he was gone as quickly as he came.

It was over. 

It had to be over.

"I'll try."

He held tightly to Bennetts faded vision he was given, holding it tightly onto his chest as he spent the rest of the night there, crying. Now a shell of the man he once was for the rest of the night.

Truly, the world had become cruel.

And so had Kaeya's heart.
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I apologize.