Oh, Brother Of Mine

Chapter 5

Work had been rather calm today. Relaxing, even. He'd simply had to send off a few of the Knights to handle a camp of hilichurls, fill out a stack of paperwork, and head down to the tavern to help Father out. Even the tavern was less hectic today, with the usual customers wishing a happy birthday to him and keeping their rowdiness on the down low. A true feat, really, considering how the people of Mondstat loved to drink. 

Under Father's insistence, they closed the tavern early today. Diluc said over and over again that they really shouldn't, that his birthday wasn't any special event and that he was more than happy to help work through the whole day, but Father had shut him down, saying that Diluc's eighteenth birthday was very much a special event. 

They had decided that they'd end their work days a little earlier today than usual. Easy for Diluc - he was the Captain, after all. He could leave whenever he wanted. For Father, that was a pretty simple task, too. He literally owned the tavern. He could decide when he wanted to close it, if  he wanted to close it. For Kaeya, though, it was a little harder - he still had a few tasks to finish up on, so they'd decided that Diluc and Father would head home early to ensure that everything was prepared.

Completely unnecessary, in Diluc's opinion, because it was just another day and his birthday wasn't that important, but Father and Kaeya had practically forced the idea of a proper celebration on him. 'Proper celebration' roughly translated to Adelinde preparing an entire feast for the three of them and spending the rest of the evening reminiscing over how things had been when they were younger, but it still felt a little too grand for him.

It felt way too grand when, as they stepped onto the bridge leading out of Mondstat, a whole carriage came to pick them up. Granted, they decided to load the carriage with the supplies from the tavern that needed to be brought back to the winery, but still, it felt like far too much, considering that Father had gotten an entire fleet of guards to accompany them.  It was by some miracle that Diluc had managed to convince Father to let him steer the carriage, because apparently, even that was meant to be done by the guards.

(Okay, at the back of his mind, Diluc registered that he was supposed to relax, and that he was supposed to not be doing anything, but not doing anything made him feel useless beyond belief.)

They rode at a comfortable pace, one where they could maintain a proper conversation. Diluc spoke of his day as a Knight, while Father told him of his own ambitions. It felt... wrong, for them to be here without Kaeya, but Diluc calmed himself with the thought that Kaeya would join them soon enough.

"You've succeeded where I failed," Father said in the quiet of the early evening. "The Knights are lucky to count someone as brilliant as you in their ranks."

Diluc found himself laughing softly. "Hey now, Father, don't belittle yourself like that. You contribute to Mondstat just as much as the Knights do, just  in a different way. Trust me, those at the tavern are much more grateful for you than they are for me."

"Hah, I guess you're right," Father replied, his tone cheery.

"Of course I am," Diluc muttered under his breath, not quite loud enough for Father to hear him.

Father, in response, also mumbled something indistinguishable. They rode in silence for some time, enjoying the calls of birds around them and the slight breeze of spring winds passing by. It felt so strangely peaceful, even with the host of guards marching behind them. He should spend more time like this, with Father, out in nature. And besides, maybe Father was right - it did feel rather good to finally take a break after working for so long.

"Diluc?" Father called from the carriage.

"Hm?"

"I'm so proud of you, my son."