Chapter Text
Diluc woke up slowly, opening his eyes and blinking at the ceiling as he tried to get his bearings. He heard a book snap closed and tilted his head to see familiar blue hair and an equally familiar scowl. “Kaeya,” He said, surprised by how weak his voice was. “What-”
“You gave half of the citizens of the city a heart attack, is what.” His brother chided, crossing his arms and standing so Diluc could see him better. “Aether and Bennett appeared in the middle of the city and lugged you and the Harbinger’s bodies through the streets to reach the church.”
“The Har… is Childe okay?” He found himself moving to sit up in a panic and Kaeya gently held him down with a firm hand on his chest, studying his face.
“You’ve really done it this time, Diluc.” He muttered, voice annoyed but fond. “He’s fine. You woke up a bit when they first brought you in and you wouldn’t let the sisters near him. They had to come get me so they could get you to stop without hurting you.” He chastised, and Diluc’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I- what?! I don’t remember that.”
“You had a pretty bad concussion. I’m not surprised by that, more that you did it all, especially half lucid as you were. Honestly, it was pretty funny to see. Uncrowned King of Mondstadt, bane of the Fatui, drunkenly stumbling around with your big ass sword, waving it at the sisters who were trying to heal you because you were protecting your Harbinger boyfriend from the big bad nuns.” Diluc felt his face growing red and he scowled at his brother.
“He’s not my… we’re not…” he muttered at Kaeya, suddenly unable to make eye contact with him. Kaeya rolled his eye in exasperation.
“Sure, Diluc.” Kaeya did not sound convinced. Diluc opened his mouth to protest more when there was a knock on the door, which opened to reveal Childe himself. Diluc felt the words die on his lips, whatever he was about to say to Kaeya immediately forgotten.
“Childe,” he said, relief evident in his tone, and Kaeya scoffed in disbelief.
“Yeah, I’m not hanging around for this.” He muttered, passing Childe as he left the room.
Childe seemed vaguely confused by Kaeya’s actions, but turned back to Diluc with a smile that Diluc thought might be the best thing that he had seen in his entire life, and maybe Kaeya had been a little bit right, after all. He usually was.
Childe moved into the room and Diluc took in the way he held himself- his leg didn't seem to be bothering him, but he looked absolutely drained.
“Are you okay?” He asked, slowly sitting up now that Kaeya wasn't there to chastise him. His head spun a little bit from the motion, but settled once he was sitting up.
Childe tilted his head. “I should be asking you that.” He muttered, moving across the room and sitting at the foot of Diluc’s bed. “I’m okay. I won’t be using my delusion for a while, but. I’m fine.”
“That’s good.” Diluc said in relief. He knew firsthand that Childe had gotten off easy with how he had abused his Delusion.
“How’s the head?”
“Fine. I’ve had worse.”
Childe narrowed his eyes at him. “Having had worse before does not mean you're fine.” He said with a knowing look, eyes appraising as he studied Diluc, as if he could see the extent of his injuries just by looking. Diluc rolled his eyes.
“I’m fine, honest. My arm doesn't hurt at all, and a small headache is to be expected for the level of concussion I apparently had.” Childe hummed in agreement, seeming content with that answer.
“...Thank you for saving me, Master Diluc.” Childe’s voice was pitched low, and his face was very close, and Diluc felt his heart pounding in his chest and the blush rising to his cheeks.
“...Y-You’re welcome. You saved me, after all, so I wouldn’t j-!” Childe interrupted Diluc’s rambling by kissing him gently, and Diluc felt his brain completely short circuit.
“Just paying you back for earlier,” Childe teased as he pulled away.
“...Of course,” Diluc felt himself saying, feeling rather dazed, eyes locked on Childe’s lips. Childe burst out into a laugh, and Diluc felt a smile break out across his own face.
“You're making the same face Tonia makes at the neighbor boy, Master Diluc. Puppy love is an adorable look on you.” He teased.
Diluc felt himself blushing again and was going to retort when something else about that sentence caught his attention. “Tonia? Is that a common name in Snezhnaya?” He questioned.
Childe blinked at him. “Ah, I guess? Not super common, though- I only know one or two others beyond my sister. My dad was a bit weird with names- me and Teucer got our names from an old myth. Why?”
Diluc felt vaguely faint. “You have a younger sister named Tonia, and a younger brother named Teucer?” He confirmed.
“Well- yeah. I have another younger brother named Anton- Why are you…?”
Diluc was hiding his face in his hands, laughing and shaking his head. “The first time we met,” he started, “when you left me in the woods? I was taken care of by a Snezhnayan family with a girl named Tonia, and two boys named Anton and Teucer.” He explained, and Childe blinked at him incredulously before bursting out into laughter.
“You- you didn't notice the resemblance? Me and Teucer are near identical, not to mention my dad-”
“I thought your dad was you, at first. I thought you had come back to finish the job. When you never showed up after that I thought I must have been wrong. And then they didn't mention you, just Ajax the toyseller and your brother in Sumeru.”
Childe laughed again and shook his head in disbelief. “My given name is Ajax, Diluc. Teucer doesn’t know I'm in the Fatui, so that’s the cover I use. What a coincidence, that my family is the reason you're around to kiss me today. That is fate, if I have ever heard it, or perhaps the Tsaritsa pulling some strings. She is the God of Love, yknow, so she would know that we’re compatible.”
“Compatible, huh?” Diluc said quietly, reminded by his words of the problem that plagued their relationship- Diluc’s hatred for the Fatui was not lessened by his feelings for their Harbinger. Childe watched his expression change, and he gently clasped Diluc’s uninjured hand in both of his own.
“Listen- I know this is a problem for you. We can figure something out, I promise. Okay?”
Diluc looked up at him, seeing the resolve in his eyes. “Okay,” he said gently, and Ajax burst into a grin.
“Good. Now I’m gonna go get some paper- this might end up being my best letter home yet!” He cackled as he swept out of the room.
Diluc watched him go with a smile, and decided that he would believe the other for now- believe that they would find a solution and both be happy. He did not know what that would look like, but it had been a long time since he had decided to just be happy, and he thought it was high time that he was selfish for once.