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Language:
English
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Published:
2021-06-20
Words:
354
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
4
Kudos:
38
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3
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292

late summer

Summary:

Starlight below, in Kaeya's eye, on the leaves underwater.

Notes:

for the love of all things holy don't read this romantically at all i s2g. i can't believe i have to say this

a few calla lilies - one of kaeya's ascension materials - grow near dawn winery :)
jewelweed also features here hehe

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

There’s flowers by the riverbank, calla lilies, so says the book of Mondstadt’s floral species in Crepus’ library, and there’s others as well near stiller waters, small orange flowers which catch the rainwater in their petals like cups. Diluc shows how their leaves turn star-silver underwater, and Kaeya could watch this happen all day and all summer by the pond’s edge, gently turning a leaf this way and that, fingers fluttering over the shimmers. Releasing the leaf makes it pop back up to the surface and when it floats, it’s green again.

The jewelweed, from where it grows at the pond, is taller than Kaeya and probably Diluc, currently crouched on rocks around the pond’s edge. With utmost care, he guides another leaf down, submerges it, admires the sudden glow, a sort of earthly light. Stars below and in his eye, and little leaves bring about their own shine, cool like the water. Soft to the touch.

“Hey.” Diluc, behind him - he taps his shoulder. “You’ve been here for a while.”

“I like it,” Kaeya says.

Diluc squats beside him. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Kaeya murmurs. “Who are the lilies for?”

“You.” Diluc waves around the bunch clutched in his hand. He must have picked them. “I thought at first we could bring them home to Dad, but you like flowers so much that I changed my mind.”

Back home, Adelinde offers to show them how to press them, but Diluc shakes his head - No, thank you though, we've got a good idea! - and for worry of taking a beloved vase, they wash out an empty bottle and fill it back up with water and stick the flowers in. Kaeya sets it on their shared windowsill and the next day they go running back to the river, and the pond, laughing, smiling, and the next day and the next, under the sticky sun. Kaeya crouches on the rocks. Flowers were glasses for Seelie, he decides, leaf under fingers, once upon a time. He tells Diluc later, on top of their blankets since it's too hot to be under them. The flowers fill up.

Notes:

thank you for reading :)