Thread by @cryovishap

cw past assault, PTSD, panic attack
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lckae ft. past mobkae where they meet one of the terrible horrible no good bad mob who assaulted kae in the past (honeytrap mission gone wrong?) and kae thought hes over it but hes not--and seeing the mob again sends him into panic

maybe the mob is someone important and kae sees him in a function/ball, all smiling and suave as if he hasn't scarred kae so badly for life, and when the mob sees him by dlc's side he leers as if he thinks kae is dlc's boytoy the way he used to be the mob's """boytoy"""

the mob walks towards them as if hes about to greet them which kae knows is sth to be expected from guests in a social function, and still he manages to ask a weak request to dlc for them to go to the other end of the room for some vaguely banal reason or another

dlc not realizing whats wrong at first bc kae is doing a very admirable job keeping himself together until they finally get away and it is only then that dlc realizes kae has gone pale and he's shaking a bit

kae says he only needs a moment but dlc can sense that hes on the verge of a fullblown panic attack so he gets them home instead...kae is still tight-lipped when they get home and he goes to sleep immediately and dlc doesnt try to push but in the middle of the night

kae has the worst nightmare hes had in the years theyve gotten together and it is then that he finally for the first time explains to dlc the full danger of his honeytrap missions...diluc getting increasingly torn between fury and heartbreak

maybe this mob is the worst of the worst bc hes, yknow, a man in power who has never had to deal with consequences before in his life...kae thought he should have gottten over it and he doesnt know why he hasn't, it's been /years/, and before he realizes it hes started crying

dlc comforting him while secretly vowing to destroy that man...and in the weeks that follow he takes it upon himself to find any dirt he can get about that man, although he keeps it secret from kae...

cw slutshaming, implied murder
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he inflitrated the man's mansion himself and he initially planned to bring him to the authorities but then the man blurts out sth like "are you here bc the slut paid you to? whatever amount he paid you i can pay double" and dlc sees red

the epilogue is sth like. a calm, beautiful spring morning. kaeya on the dining table, reading the paper--today's headline is the suicide of a merchant who is currently being investigated in secret for a long string of heinous crimes--trafficking, illegal arms deals, etc.

dlc doesnt say anything about the headline, and neither does kaeya--but once kae finishes reading the paper he puts it down, goes to sit on dlc's lap, and smiles softly as he rests his head on dlc's shoulder and takes a long shuddering breath

dlc says nothing, he simply puts down his dining utensils to hold kae and stroke his back tenderly...they just stay like that for the longest time as the breeze carries the heady scent of flowers into their bright, airy dining room.

happy end!!

why yes my favorite love language for all of my ships is specifically: unspoken affirmation of love that makes itself known, nonetheless, in wordless tacit understanding and maybe the occasional murder