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Kaeya is used to eyes following him around. His skin and hair were darker than most, he was attractive, and he dressed to show it off. He often took it as a compliment when people’s eyes stayed on him just a little too long, relishing in the feeling of being seen and admired.
But now the eyes bore into him. Whispers behind his back lost to the wind, and pitying glances. They notice the new vision hanging on his hip, the smell of burnt hair, and the bruise on his face. They know .
He walks faster through the city center. Even though it’s late, the nightlife thrums around him. He hears people dancing and singing along with bards, arguing with each other, and drinking bountifully. How he longs to be there with him.
But right now is not the time.
His heart pounds in his throat as he ascends the steps toward the cathedral. He rarely travels there outside of work, but now he feels little choice but to go and pray the gods listen to a sinner like him.
The cathedral is silent as the grave as he steps in. Not a sister in sight. He walks forward, feeling increasingly more awkward with each passing step. Does he sit in the front to prove his piety, or in the back for an easy exit? Perhaps somewhere in the middle? He ends up shuffling into a seat toward the center and sitting on the hard wood seat.
Despite this being a cathedral to the anemo Archon, there is very little to show that fact. There are no statues, no murals. Simply clean marble gilding and rich stained glass depicting Mondstadt’s history. If he looks away from the pipe organ above the pulpit, he can almost ignore the fact that this is a place of prayer.
But he has a mission.
The marble floor is cold against his knees as he lowers himself to the floor, but he doesn’t bother with the pillows resting nearby. A part of his brain bites at him that he doesn't deserve them, and he's too tired to fight the thought.
“So…” he starts. His voice echoes around the empty cathedral, and he immediately quiets. Can Barbatos hear his thoughts? The idea scares him, so he continues in a whisper. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you. After all, what have I done for you? And yet… There’s no one else to ask. Please,” his voice catches in his throat as tears prickle the corner of his eyes, “if there’s any way to go back and fix things. I’ll take his place if need be, hell, that’s what I want !" He continues, voice rising with his emotions, "I just want our father back, I want things to go back to the way they were before, I wish I wasn’t around for what’s happening now, I wish you hadn’t given me this… thing !” He spits, grief bubbling into anger and frustration in his chest. He pulls the vision from his hip and slams it on the ground for some form of catharsis, but the stupid thing just bounces and skitters away.
“Oh, my.” A new voice from behind makes him jump to his feet, reaching for the sword clipped to his side. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m guessing this is yours?” A figure holds out his vision to him, not a blemish in sight.
The voice belongs to a familiar bard in green who often performs in taverns around town. “Yes, thank you,” Kaeya replies mechanically, swiping the vision from the boy’s hand and securing it to his belt. “Venti, right? How much of that did you hear?” He asks, biting back the sting of frustration. He just wanted to let his emotions out one time, to be able to express what he was really thinking without anyone judging him for it, but no.
Seems the gods really did hate him.
Venti purses his lips, as if he’s considering how to answer. “Enough,” is finally his response.
Kaeya sighs. “Just forget it. Sorry to interrupt… whatever it is you’re doing here.”
“Actually, I came here for you.”
He blinks. “Pardon?”
The bard moves to sit down in one of the pews and motions for Kaeya to follow suit. He hesitates a moment, but eventually complies. “I noticed you walking up here and thought it was odd. You also look injured,” he points out. “Paired with what I overheard…”
Kaeya pushes his emotions down and out of the way. Anger at this stupid bard butting into his business, grief at Crepus’ death, fear at what the future may bring. He clasps his hands in his lap as if to contain them all and prevent them from spilling out, squeezing tightly to let out some thing, even if only silently. “I appreciate your concern. But with all due respect, this doesn’t concern you.”
“On the contrary,” Venti cocks his head to the side with a gentle smile, “you brought your concerns to me, so it’s only natural for me to meddle, is it not?”
The frustration that’s been threatening to bubble over gets closer to bursting out as he sighs, heaving himself to his feet. “What are you talking about? You’re the one coming to me.” He starts to stalk away, “And if you’ll excuse me, I should-”
Venti’s hand wraps around his wrist and drags him back, deceptively strong. “You’re not listening,” he chides gently, “please sit, there is something I need to say.”
The hand slips off his wrist, but he doesn’t move away. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest and waits for the bard to say his piece.
“Or I suppose standing works,” the bard shrugs. His face turns up and his eyes lock onto Kaeya’s, bright yet gentle. He can’t quite tell if his eyes are blue or green or some mixture of the two colors. They’re truly mesmerizing.
“I am truly sorry for everything. I wish there was more I could do, and I am sorry you feel burdened by the vision bestowed upon you, and I hope you can move forward. But for now,” Venti stands, reaching up to cup Kaeya’s face and pull him down to his level, “don’t you ever forget what I am about to say.”
He waits for Kaeya to nod in confusion before continuing. “No matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what you’ve been told to do, you are a child of Mondstadt and of the wind. Kaeya Alberich, you are one of my children, and you need not do anything to deserve my love.”
Kaeya’s frozen in shock as Venti leans forward, brushes his bangs aside and presses a chaste kiss on his forehead. The gesture is so kind and familiar , memories of bedtime at the Dawn Winery and Crepus tucking him in start to bubble to the surface, and the dam of emotions finally breaks
His face crumples as the tears fall in earnest. “I don’t understand,” he manages before his legs give out and he’s half-crumpled on the ground. Venti goes down with him, wrapping thin arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug.
He smells like apples and Cecelias.
“It’s okay, just let it out.” Venti hums, gently running his hands up and down Kaeya’s back. Despite himself, he can’t quite find the strength to resist. So he cries.
Somewhere along the way, the bard starts humming a lullaby, painfully familiar, and the tears fall harder. He’s not sure how long they just sit on the floor, holding and being held, but it’s long enough that his legs start to go numb and his throat starts to feel raw.
He pulls away, wiping stray tears from his cheeks. Though Venti looks at him, he can’t return his gaze. “You said ‘one of my children?’” he asks, though he suspects he knows the answer.
“Hmmm, did I?” Venti asks innocently. “Strange. Anyway, would you like help getting back home, or would you prefer some privacy? I’ll turn my ears off so you can say anything.”
Kaeya glances up in surprise as the bard winks. He pauses for a moment and thinks. “Perhaps some time to myself would be advisable. I need to….process things.”
With that Venti gets to his feet and makes a show of dusting off his knees. “Well then! I think it’s about time to reward myself with a bottle of wine after working so hard,” he says with a grin. He stops halfway through the door and looks back, smile slipping off his face for a moment. “But I meant what I said. You do belong here, please don’t forget that.”
The door closes behind him, leaving Kaeya alone with his thoughts.
He’s torn between complete exhaustion and confusion. Probably a huge mix of both, all muddled together in his brain until he couldn’t think straight. Of all the ways Barbatos could have responded to his prayers, in person wasn’t what he had expected. He’s half-convinced that Venti was just fucking with him. While he didn’t know the bard well, it seemed rather in-character.
And yet, there was something about the way that he spoke that just convinced him. He’d definitely have to keep an eye out, but life in Mondstadt just got a whole lot more interesting…