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Chapter Text

"She won't bother you much as long as you give her enough food.", Aether said leaving Paimon with Jean.
The blonde woman giggled seeing the pixie pout, placing her hands on her hips.
"Behave and don't bother Jean. Jean, I owe you something."
"Never mind. Enjoy your day off, Aether."

Aether smiled on his way to the winery, holding a nicely wrapped gift in his hands tightly. He knew that Diluc didn't want to see anybody today but he just couldn't help it. He wanted to make him smile.
Aether knew the way by heart and didn't need long to arrive. It was unusual quiet when he walked to the entrance, nobody seemed to be around. The blonde took a deep breath and knocked at the door, waiting for Adelinde to open it as usual. Aether waited patiently, but no one seemed to come to open the door.
Aether knocked again and recognized that the door wasn't locked at all. He sneaked in quietly and got even more confused seeing that nobody was inside the house either.

"One should not enter a house uninvited. Didn't you know that, Aether?", the red-haired asked walking down the stairs. Aether squeaked startled but smiled as soon as he saw the other.
"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to break in, but no one answered and..hmm..Happy birthday!", he replied scratching his head a little embarrased, smiling warm at the last words.
"You didn't have to come. I told you that I don't want to celebrate."
"I know...but...I still got a present."
"I don't need a present."
Aether sighed. He knew it wouldn't be easy but Diluc really was stubborn sometimes. The blonde looked almost a little sad when he placed the gift on a table. The sad expression made the red-haired knight sigh.
"Now that you're already here, why don't you stay a little longer?", he suddenly asked, turned and gestured Aether to follow him. The blonde rapidly grabbed the gift and followed him upstairs. His eyes widened entering the big, cozy livingroom. It looked so warm and pretty, Aether already enjoyed being there. He reflexively sat down on the carpet in front of the fireplace and smiled pleased. Diluc watched him and sighed feeling a small smile sneak into his face.
"It's not even cold. And there are plenty of chairs.", he mentioned as emotionless as always but Aether didn't mind it. He still smiled happily.
"Hmh..but that reminds me of my grandmas home. She always read something to us in front of the fireplace when Lumine and I were little. Come, take a seat, it's not bad.", Aether replied and patted the free space next to him. Diluc sighed. It seemed so stupid to him but he still nodded. He sat down next to Aether, looking displeased.

"Why are you here, Aether?", he then asked and looked at the blonde which still had a warm smile on his face.
"Because I don't want you to be alone on your birthday...AND I brought a present...", he replied blushing a little, reaching the present to Diluc again.
This time the red-haired took it but didn't mind to open it.
"I appreciate it.", he simply said and placed it on the shelf next to him.
"Don't you want to unwrap it?"
"Later."
Aether sighed annoyed. Why did he have to be like this? Aethers mission would definitely fail if it went on like this. But Aether got an idea pretty fast. He grabbed the bow from the present, placed it on his head and jumped up smiling bright.

"I'm you're gift now and as I am already here, you can't just ignore me. Come, a birthday needs a cake.", he stated, reached his hand to Diluc and dragged him into the kitchen fast. The red-haired groaned a little annoyed but followed him without arguing.
He leaned against the door frame watching Aether roam around the kitchen to gather some ingredients.
"I don't need a cake Aether."
"Pshh...every birthday needs a cake."
It took a few minutes until Aether had convinced Diluc to help him.

The first minutes weren't exactly something that Diluc enjoyed, but seeing the flour-covered Aether spin around so happily, he felt strangely at ease. He couldn't deny that he liked it anymore.
"Now try it!", Aether said but stopped Diluc as soon as he tried to grab a spoon.
"Not like this...", he added, grabbed the others hand and dipped Dilucs finger into the frosting. The red-haired looked at him confused.
"That's..questionable..", he mumbled looking at his finger a little dissatisfied.
"Nobody died from licking frosting of their fingers~", Aether replied and chuckled a little, grabbed the others wrist and licked the frosting of his finger not noticing the ambiguity of his actions. He first noticed it seeing the expression on Dilucs face, a mixture of skepticism and affection.
Aether blushed heavily.
"..eh..I..eh...we should...uhm..", he stuttered nervously and immediately turned to hide his red face.
"Let's...put the dough in the oven...", he mumbled and turned back to Diluc. He was still blushing, his heartbeat faster than before. Aether gulped but smiled and tried to grab the cake pan. A few millimeters before he reached it, Diluc grabbed him by the waist and picked him up to place him on the counter. Aether squeaked again, covering his face with his hands feeling his cheeks heat up even more.

"D-Diluc?..w-what are ..you doing?", he asked quietly and peeked through his fingers. The red-haired smiled a little but his expression was mostly still a little stern.
"Aether..What is your intention behind all of this?", he asked cupping one of Aethers cheeks, the other placed on Aethers waist. The blondes heart tried to jump out of his chest. Why was he so close all of a sudden?
Aethers words were caught in his throat when he took his hands off his face. What was he supposed to answer? He had a crush on Diluc for such a long time but never thought there would ever be closeness between them.
"I..uh...I..want...to..see...y-you...happy..on..on ...your birthday... and in g-general... ", he stuttered nervously but leaned into the hand that cupped his cheek.
Diluc leaned closer to place a kiss on Aethers lips.
The blondes eyes widened. His heart missed a beat feeling the others lips on his own and his hand grab his waist tighter. It took a few seconds until he had processed what was happening. When Diluc moved back, Aether rapidly grabbed his collar and pulled him closer again, stealing another kiss from his lips, making the butterflies in his stomach go crazy.

Diluc actually smiled when he broke the kiss and looked at Aether. He looked adorable blushing like crazy.
"You didn't have to bring a present.", he said making Aether look at him confused again, tilting his head a little.
"This one is everything I've ever wanted.", he added and took the bow that was still resting on Aethers head off. The blonde giggled flustered.
"..cheesy...", he mumbled but couldn't feel happier.
Diluc wrapped his arms around the blondes waist and rested his head on his shoulder, placing a kiss on his neck.
"Thank you, Aether."

Chapter Text

Maybe the fear had always been there. Maybe Aether had always known it but he never wanted to listen to the voice in his head that wanted him to be careful. Maybe he wanted to lie to himself because living a lie was much easier than facing the truth. But every lie would eventually be exposed one day. And now that it was exposed Aether could no longer look away.

The blonde stared at the sleeping blue-haired next to him. His heart ached looking at the man he loved. The man he thought he knew. But know it felt like he looked at a stranger. Did he ever know him? Did he ever know the man he trusted so much? Kaeya didn't know that Aether had discovered the truth a few days ago. The blonde hadn't said a word about it. He couldn't say anything because he couldn't process it, but now he couldn't be silent any longer.
Aether didn't know what to do.
He sighed heavily when he sat up and shook the other to wake him up.
Maybe he should have just killed him, but he couldn't. Not after all this time.
"Kaeya.", Aethers voice was shaky.
"Hm?..what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?", the warmth of his voice made Aether's heart ache even more.
"I wish it would be one.", the blonde replied and Kaeya sat up to look at him concerned.
"Aether, what's going on?"
"Kaeya..I..I want to break up.", Aether had to look away to surpress his sadness. He couldn't face the others devastated expression.
"Aether,... that's... not the right time to joke around."
"I am not joking. I know who you are. I know that you lied to all of us the whole time. Kaeya, if that's really your name, I can't and don't want to be with you anymore. ... I really loved you, but if you get in my way, if your  decision is against us, I will not remember this love anymore...", it had never cost Aether so much strength to speak as it did at that moment. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. But he did nothing of that. Aether grabbed his clothes and his bag and left the room without looking at the blue-haired again.

Arriving at the dawn winery Aether couldn't hold his tears back any longer when Diluc opened the door.
The red-haired was wearing pajamas and looked at him confused when Aether fell into his arms crying like a baby. Diluc sighed when he stroked the blondes back to comfort him.
"You know now don't you?", he asked earning the most upset and sad expression from Aether.
"Y-you..knew..it?"
"All the time."
"Why...didn't you...do something?"
"For the same reason you didn't do anything today."
"But...but...I..."
"To this day he didn't do anything against us. That's why I couldn't do it. But I will when the day comes."
Aether was crying too hard to get a word out. He soaked Diluc's pajamas in tears and clawed his hands into the red-haireds back.
"..will...will this day...come?", he mumbled even if he didn't want to know the answer.
"He will have to make a decision. The only question is which one it will be."

Aether stayed with Diluc for that night. He didn't want to be alone and really needed the platonic cuddles. The red-haired didn't feel overly comfortable but couldn't fail him either. He sighed when Aether had finally fallen asleep. Diluc carefully moved him away, covered him up with a blanket and quietly left the room.
"You have no business here. Leave.", he whispered sharp when he arrived back at the entrance hall.
"I want to talk to him.", Kaeya replied stern.
"There's no way in hell."
"You have nothing to do with it. None of this has anything to do with it."
"You're a threat to all of us, brother."
Kaeya sighed heavily. He had no intention to fight Diluc.
"Take my sword. Take my vision. Take whatever you need. Just let me talk to him."
"You're a lying piece of shit, Kaeya. You have nothing more to say to him. You have no right to say anything at all."
"It's true. I lied. Maybe I lied about my entire life, about who or what I am. About everything but I didn't lie about what I feel for him. You can hate me if you want to. Aether can hate me if he wants to. I deserve all of that but I want him to know that I love him. That was never a lie. I know I really fucked up. I knew that one day my lies would take everything away from me but I didn't know that they'd take away what is the most precious to me...", he never had sounded this honest ever before. Diluc sighed still looking at him sharp, his sword ready to erase the other from the surface.
"Answer one question. In all these years, was what ever this gets you worth to fool the ones that cared about you and treated you as if you were their family?", the red-haired asked emotionless and chuckled pejoratively when Kaeya shook his head.
"Not anymore. Losing the knights would have been worth the price. Losing you wasn't worth it anymore, but I accepted it. But losing him...feels like the universe in my hands is falling apart. ..Hah...I missed talking to you. What a shame it has to be like this.", his sad expression changed into his usual one but for once it was only to hide his vulnerability.
"Some things are irreversible but maybe others can still be saved. It's up to you to change something. Make a decision. If it's against us, I'll wipe you out. But if your decision is for us, for Aether, I will wipe out everyone who threatens you because of it.", Diluc stated offering the first warm expression Kaeya had seen from him in years. He could see it underneath the hard words and sharp eyes, it made him sigh heavily.

It had already been five days since Kaeya had left the winery and the city.  He had left wordlessly after Diluc's last words and has not returned since. Diluc hadn't told Aether about it. He hadn't told the knights about it. He gave him a chance and waited for it to expire.

Aether roamed around the winery late at night. He needed some fresh air and a few minutes to himself. But he already knew that he had never been alone.
"Aether...would you listen to me for a minute?", the blue-haired knight asked just above a whisper.
Aether turned to him. It hurt but he had to look at him. He had to see him again.
"There is nothing to be said.", he replied even if it was really hard to not start to cry immediately.
"It is. Aether..I may have lied about everything I am and have ever been, but what I feel for you was always real. I may have made many mistakes, many that cannot be forgiven, but I don't want you to be one of those mistakes. I don't know what to expect, I don't know what will happen if I make a decision, no, if I stand by my decision, but I want you to know that I never intended to hurt you. If I could I would turn back time, even if that means I would never have met you. Love is a strange thing isn't it? So long she had no meaning to me and now I would sacrifice everything for the only person I have ever loved. For you. I guess I said enough. This seriousness doesn't suit me at all."
Aether had looked at him the whole time. Each of his words echoed through his mind getting louder with every second. Aether wanted to scream. He wanted to scream out his pain, he wanted to insult the other, he wanted to do everything to silence him, but he didn't do any of it.
"What's your decision?", he asked instead. It was now that Aether recognized that Kaeya wasn't wearing his vision, that he wasn't carrying a weapon and not even his eye patch.
"Isn't it obvious? I will pay whatever price the truth costs."
"What will be the price?"
"I will see. But I am ready for anything."

Aether had left him after that and Kaeya had started to organize his life.
Jean was disappointed, maybe hurt too. It was hard for her to fire one of the best knights, but she had to. But she forgave him. Kaeya had to face Lisa's anger, Albedo's anger, everyone's anger, but he endured every word, every gesture. He accepted the silence, the punishing looks. He accepted to lose everything to start over.

"It'll never be the same again but if it was the same, nothing would have changed, right?", Aether said taking a seat next to Kaeya. Kaeya nodded smiling a little , cupped the others cheek and leaned closer to kiss him.
"The only important thing hasn't changed.", he replied and placed another kiss on Aethers lips.
"And I'm ready to wait for anything else."

Chapter Text

Xiao wasn't exactly thrilled when Aether first asked him to join him on a mission, but he had still agreed. By now he had accompanied him several times. And Albedo joined them most of the time too. Xiao wasn't really interested in Albedo in the first place, but found it strangely pleasant to talk to him. Albedo wasn't annoying. He didn't waste time with idle chit-chat and his art was worth looking at. Without wanting to, Xiao started to like him. A little more each time they met.

Xiao kept watch while Aether and Albedo slept. Seeing the blonde alchemist twitch in his sleep, panting and sometimes moaning like he was in pain made Xiao feel uncomfortable.
...a nightmare..Everyone is haunted by them...
He thought looking at Albedo and sighed. He didn't know why but he didn't want him to suffer. Xiao freed Albedo from his dream, devoured it completely and didn't think about it any further. It wasn't the first dream he devoured and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"I've always lived with it. It's nothing new to me.", Albedo whispered when he sat up looking a little drowsy. It startled the yaksha. Nobody before had ever noticed when he had devoured a dream.
Xiao turned to him and looked at him expressionless even if he was a little confused.
"It's not a nightmare, it's an eventuality. Something that could happen. But it's not your job to carry this burden for me.", he added still whispering but soon smiled a little.
"But still, thank you. I accept your gift and will enjoy sleeping in peace for a moment.", Albedo leaned to Xiao, placed the softest of all kisses on his lips and snuggled back into his blanket to sleep afterwards.
Xiao was confused. He felt angry, Albedo didn't have to tell him what to do. It was none of his business. But the kiss felt strangely good. But why did he do that? What was the point behind it? Xiao found it difficult to understand human affection. He rolled his eyes annoyed by his own confusion and got up to take a little walk.

Scouring the area for opponents was enough to distract him, but sooner or later the thoughts of Albedo's words came back.
Eventuality?...This is nonsense...just nonsense ... a dream is not an eventuality...
He thought grimly and wanted to forget it again but couldn't.
As he sat back on his guard post and watched Albedo sleep, he couldn't help but look at the dream.
It wasn't as if he could play the dream like a movie, but experience it for himself through meditation.

He flinched feeling the pain that was trapped inside the dream. He couldn't understand what he was seeing. Xiao gasped breaking free from the dream. His heart raced, he felt nervous and almost nauseous.
..this is unusual...thats not a normal nightmare... What are you?..
Xiao stared at the sleeping alchemist in suspicion and also somewhat worried. He stepped closer and shook him a little to wake him up, he didn't want to wait for an explanation.
"Wake up and follow me. Now.", he demanded and left without waiting.
Albedo showed no emotion, he just got up and followed Xiao to a lonely place.

"You're a threat, aren't you?", Xiao asked looking at him sharp and Albedo actually sighed for once.
"Without knowing who I am, I cannot know if I will be a threat. But I am afraid I could be one.", he replied strangely calm.
"Who you are? That's a worthless question. Easy to answer according to human criteria. What do you intend to do when you've answered that question?"
"My research is far from over. I cannot answer at this point what I will or will not do. But I understand if you are worried."
"I've seen worse than you could ever be. And may the day come when you threaten what I protect, I will be able to do my duty. But if you are unable to protect what is of value to you, then stay away from it.", Xiao replied stern but rather warm than threatening.
Albedo looked at him lost in thought.
"..of value to me...", he whispered to himself and sighed again.
"Xiao ... will you stop me when I'm not what I think I am anymore?", he soon asked and stepped closer to the yaksha.
"I am not your babysitter.", Xiao replied annoyed, his eyes widened when Albedo suddenly was really close to him.
"Do not get too close.", he hissed but didn't step back, he just looked at Albedo vigilant.
"I am not afraid of you. You wouldn't let trivialities hold you back when the time would come to end me. I thought Aether would be the one to do it, but I now know that friendship and affection would stop him. But not you, Xiao. You don't even know the meaning behind words like love and affection. And as strange as it sounds, that's exactly what I was looking for.", Albedo said incredibly calm, stretched his body to wrap his arms around Xiaos neck and kissed him.

Xiao's first thought was to push him away, but his body did not respond to the thought. In the end it wouldn't matter what happened at that moment. At some point everything would become meaningless, why waste too much thought on it now?
Xiao wrapped an arm around Albedos waist and returned the kiss, sinking into it as if there was already no tomorrow. The blonde willingly parted his lips to welcome Xiaos tongue, letting him discover every inch of his mouth. Xiao held Albedo tightly, his other hand buried in the blonde soft hair. Only the lack of oxygen made them break the kiss, leaving them heated and lost in the moment.
"You are ... strange..", Xiao mumbled looking into the others teal eyes, still holding him close.
"Just like you..", Albedo replied whispering against Xiaos lips and kissed him again.

Chapter Text

Aether and Venti had been traveling together for some time now but the bard never agreed to join whenever Aether had to go to Liyue. At first the blonde didn't think about it, but slowly began to wonder.
What could be so bad about meeting his oldest friend?
"Hey, join me today? I have to do something in Liyue but after that we could go out to eat?", Aether asked innocently, wanting to finally find out why Venti didn't want to meet Zhongli. As always, Venti blushed and shook his head.
"uhm..I really have something else to do...today....like right now..", Venti answered and grinned mischievously. When he wanted to leave, Aether grabbed his wrist and looked at him sternly.
"Why do you always make up excuses if it's about going to Liyue? It's not like Morax and you are ex-lovers or anything..", Aether said looking at Venti curiously who suddenly blushed  heavilly. Venti shook his head frantically and giggled almost hysterically.
"Ehe...he...hmh yes, it's not like that. Totally not like that. Nothing ever happened between us. Totally not.", he replied fast and nervous trying to free his wrist.
Aethers eyes widened and he suddenly started to laugh.
"Ha! I knew it!...eh...nevermind...ok I get that this could be a little akward then but...Did it end badly?", it bursted out of Aether which tried to hide his excitement quickly again.
Venti looked at him completely embarrased and shook his head again.
"Not exactly but....no! You don't question me now! I'm really busy. A bard has to make a living, you know.", Venti said, broke free from Aethers grip and vanished before Aether could stop him again. He wasn't going to be questioned now, that was far too embarrasing.

Venti sighed when he sat down on the hands of his statue in Mondstadt. He didn't want to think about this part of his past anymore, but Aether had stirred everything up again. But why should he think about it now? Wasn't he actually happy anyways? Venti sighed again. If he had ever been honest with himself, he would have noticed that it was never really over.
..meeting him can't get that bad, can it?

"You will definitely be late if you walk  that slow.", Venti stated smiling when he appeared next to Aether again who was already on his way to Liyue.
"Did you change your mind?", Aether asked a little startled but smiled at him soon.
"It's just...Traveling can be dangerous, you know?"
"If you say so."

It felt strange to be back in Liyue after such a long time.Venti felt almost relieved when he simply accompanied Aether and Morax was nowhere to be seen. What should he have said to him anyway? He couldn't just pretend he hadn't avoided him for many years. Or as if nothing had happened.
Maybe it's better that way ...
Venti thought just seconds before he heard a voice he hadn't heard for so long. He unconsciously winced and avoided turning around. Why the hell did his face suddenly feel so hot?

Aether chuckled seeing his fire truck red face and turned to greet Zhongli properly. The dark-haireds eyes were focused on Venti while he was talking to Aether.
"I suppose you want to keep ignoring me, Barbatos?", Zhongli asked after a few seconds, a small smile gracing his lips. Venti turned rapidly and waved his hands frantically.
"No never. Why should I? As if I had the slightest reason to do so. You don't think I'm scared to talk to you, do you? Absolutely not. Everything is great, really great.", again he spoke way too fast to convince someone.
"Well, it was fancy to see you but now I'd better go again. I'm very busy, you know.", he added fast and grinned a little still blushing like crazy.
"As if.", Aether said making Zhongli chuckle.
"I may have a few minutes ... but only a few.", Venti mumbled quietly and looked at both a little embarrased.
"I'ts a pleasure to hear that.", the dark-haired stated seeming to be a little amused about Ventis behaviour. To Venti's surprise, he didn't seem to be angry or bitter.
When Aether left to finish his duties, the bard felt his heart beat faster.
"A walk would be nice, don't you think?", the geo archon asked and Venti nodded.

They walked through Liyue in silence for a few minutes until Venti could no longer be silent.
"You are not angry or anything?"
"The smell of wine doesn't please me, but that's no reason to be upset."
Venti rolled his eyes but giggled a little. He wanted to make fun of his stiffness but decided it wasn't the time to fool around.
"That's not what I'm talking about..", he mumbled instead.
"I am aware of that. Various stories are written over time that lead to memories. Not all of them are happy, but not all are sad either. While the way we parted bothered me, you always shined like gold in my memory.", Zhongli said calm. His words made Venti blush again.
"You blush a lot these days."
"No I don't! I'M NOT BLUSHING!"
The taller archon only chuckled as a response.
"Somehow you're still you and somehow not ... you've gotten really soft."
"Time changes everyone, even gods, doesn't it...Venti?"
Venti stared at the floor while he kept walking next to him quietly again. Somehow, being with him felt better than he expected. Somehow like before, somehow familiar. And somehow he wanted it to stay that way.

"Can I come by more often?"
"Whenever you want."
"But next time we'll have wine, okay?"
Zhongli only smiled warm when he looked at the other male next to him.
He didn't want to comment something about him either. Maybe it was just really good the way it was right now.
And maybe someday it would be like it used to be.

Chapter Text

Two souls bonded together, a little more with each kiss, which left nothing but desire. Aether was still asleep, safe and sound, there was nothing to worry about. So why not give in to the feeling? Why not letting the heat take over for a while?

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Even if the ground wasn't providing a comfortable place to sleep, Albedo felt  cozy resting his head on the yakshas chest, slowly giving in to the exhaustion. He didn't care if Aether would see them like that and he didn't care how the world would be when he woke up again. Even if the world were to end during this time, he would not be disappointed. Right now, there was nothing that could be better than falling asleep to the sound of Xiao's heartbeat. The yaksha tried hard to stay awake, to still carry out his duty to guard them. At first he didn't want to touch Albedo at all. He didn't want to be all cuddly but at some point he lifted his hand to the soft blonde hair, playing with it mindlessly. The cute soft noises he made while sleeping made Xiao smile a little. He sighed closing his eyes. A few minutes of sleep couldn't be that bad.

Xiao wasn't used to having dreams of his own. He felt more like an observer. He didn't know the place where he was, but he felt at home. He felt freer and, if he could read it correctly, happier. He heard Albedo talk to a young woman and noticed that she was looking at him smiling a little shy. She said she had been worried at first, which felt ridiculous now that Xiao had been by Albedo's side for so long. For so long? Was he actually dreaming of a possible future? A lucky one? If he could, Xiao would have made an annoyed noise and had rolled his eyes. He would have found that ridiculous. But to be honest, it didn't feel too bad for him at all.

"Xiao...", he heard Aether whisper.
Did he sound sad? The yaksha slowly opened his eyes just to discover that Albedo wasn't anywhere close anymore. Xiao made a dissatisfied noise before he sat up and looked at Aether.
"Something wrong?", he asked cautiosly. The unknown feeling he had worried him. When he took a closer look at Aether, he noticed all the blood on his body and immediately jumped up to rush to him.
"What happened?!", he hissed ready to kill whoever had caused whatever had happened to Aether. The blonde sighed and Xiaos heart suddenly felt incredibly heavy.
"I...I'm..sorry..but...I had to do it ... I know ... I know that ... that you should have done it but ... I ... I didn't have time to wait .....", Aether's voice was shaky, it was difficult for him to speak at all.
"What hap-", Xiao wanted to ask but one thought suddenly hit him right into the face and made his heart miss more than one beat. His breath caught as he looked around looking for Albedo. He was nowhere, only traces of blood led in one direction.

Without thinking he ran off and followed the tracks. If his heart hadn't skipped a few beats already, it would have done it now. He froze in place staring at the pale blonde that was leaning against a rock covered in his own blood. A dim purple glow radiating from his neck, eyes cloudy, hands pressed against chest. Xiao couldn't move. He couldn't process the sight infront of him. It couldn't be that the one person he cared about, the one he was beginning to like, has already been taken from him.  He suddenly felt so angry. Angry at himself for even allowing anyone to get close to him.  Angry at Albedo for being whatever he was. And angry at And as angry as he was, in truth this anger only came from the helplessness he felt. He knelt down and tore Albedo's hands from his chest to see the wound. He had already seen many wounds. It didn't take him a second to know that this one was fatal. Pressing his own hand against Albedos chest he felt that his heartbeat wouldn't last much longer. He was so weak, so ephemeral human. The blonde was unable to speak or move, but his teal eyes looked at Xiao apologetically.

The rapid movement of Xiao's body startled Albedo as the yaksha sat up and gasped. He blinked and looked at the other, confused and drowsy.
"Get off!", Xiao suddenly hissed and stood up as soon as Albedo had moved a little.
"Did something happen?..", Albedo mumbled trying to come to his senses. The look on Xiao's face almost worried the blonde.
"I have no time to waste on trivial human feelings that lead to nothing.", Xiao said seeming to be somewhat angry.
"May I ask what you are talking about? I understand if you refer to the effort you have to put into any sort of relationship, but it didn't seem to bother you a few hours ago.", Albedo said when he got up and tidied his clothes.
"It is just a waste to approach someone doomed to die. I have no desire to like you just to kill you one day. ", Xiao replied annoyed and turned to leave. For him the conversation was over. Even what could have been between them was over for him. Xiao vanished just seconds later. Albedo was not someone who would feel very hurt because of it and not even able to see himself sad, but it still bothered him.
At least he wanted to know what had led to Xiao's behavior. And somehow, somewhere, he was disappointed.
At least the idea of having someone until the day it was over had probably been more pleasant than he had thought. Albedo sighed when he returned back at the place where Aether wasn't sleeping anymore.

The blonde traveler looked at him a little sleepy but smiled.
"Don't blame him. Xiao simply doesn't know how to... interact with others. . I guess something scared him.", Aether said which made Albedo wonder.
"I guess you heard the conversation?", he asked and Aether nodded a little embarrased.
"I can't imagine that something scared him.", Albedo then stated consciously ignoring that Aether had probably noticed more.
"Well ... feelings scare him I guess. He only trusts one person completely, I think he's the only one Xiao likes at all. That I got somewhat closer to him was a hassle too. Sometimes I think he doesn't think he's worth experiencing good things...."

Chapter Text

A few weeks had passed since Xiao had left Albedo. He never intended to care about the situation any further but couldn't help but think about it. The good dream kept haunting him and he didn't know how to handle that. Xiao wasn't used to the positive emotion it caused inside him at least for a few minutes every morning. At first he was incredibly annoyed by it but now it caused nothing more than confusion. Though he never wanted to seek advice, one question had been on his mind for a while.

"Why do you get involved with  mortals? They are nothing but a meaningless moment in your life.", he asked sounding something between annoyed and curious.
"Interesting question...Well, while the death of a loved one is unfortunate, a life of solitude is even more unfortunate. While a mortal's life may seem short, it is neither insignificant nor worthless. For everyone, it is the memories they carry that are meaningful in the moment of death. Will they be full of regrets or cause the possibility to accept the inevitable?", the only person Xiao really trusted replied a little warmer than usual.
"But it's a waste of time when the end is already set.", Xiao seemed to be displeased with the archons reply as he just couldn't understand his motives.
"Is it, Xiao? No beginning and no end is predetermined. Countless possibilities lead to countless results. Only your decision determines a direction, but not necessarily the goal.", Zhongli replied and Xiao made an annoyed noise.
"It doesn't make sense to me. ... you...got soft ...  What if he becomes a threat?"
"Even if that would be an unfortunate turn of events, I would not hesitate to end him. A feeling does not necessarily lead to an inability to act. It is not a weakness. But I do understand that it is hardly possible for you to understand. It also took me a long time to understand that.
Xiao, when you've found something that allows you to escape the rut of existence for even a moment, hold onto it.", Zhongli answered and turned to leave.
"It will prove its worth even if you can't see it yet.", he added and finally left leaving a still confused yaksha behind.

It took him another few days to accept the archon's words even if he was still far from understanding them. The whole circumstance annoyed him terribly, as he actually had better things to do. Well not really, but he didn't even want to admit that. His lost thought ended harshly when the person who caused it showed up at the Inn unexpectedly. Xiao didn't really want to talk to him but wanted to hear what he had to say. At least that was what he would allow him to do based on Zhongli's words.

"Give me a moment of your time and listen to me. I will not waste more of it than necessary. Probably my appearance is inappropriate given the brief moment we spent together, but in the end the attempt matters. It was not possible for me to understand your motives even if I tried to do it for the last few weeks. I don't intend to force you to do something that doesn't make you feel good, but ask you to give me an explanation. Knowledge is the key to further development and I have dedicated myself to the task of determining the indefinite. Well what is it that caused your behavior?", Albedo asked calm.
The yaksha had turned his back to Albedo and struggled with the decision of what to do. And that also made him dissatisfied. Why should he owe him an explanation? Why did the blonde have the audacity to invade his safe place?  After all, Xiao hadn't asked him to do so.

After a few minutes of silence, Xiao sighed.
"This way of talking and thinking seems to be an annoying appendage to the geo vision.", Xiao suddenly mumbled. He went to the railing of the balcony and looked into the distance, not interested in looking at Albedo right now.
"I don't owe you an explanation." , he added but no longer sounded completely dismissive.
"Answer me something. What do you want from me? I don't ask because I'm looking for confirmation from you, I just don't understand your motives.", the yaksha then asked stern.
"I have already told you and I assume that you do remember it."
"What do you expect to get from your efforts?"
"It's not expectations that guide me, it's the belief that trying is what counts. And repeated attempts may lead to a satisfactory result. Well maybe not, but one shouldn't be stopped of a contingency whose existence is not certain."

Xiao shook his head annoyed, his nails clawed into the wood of the railing to surpress his impulse to jump at Albedo to end this life-affirming drivel. Why did everyone feel the need to share such thoughts towards life with him?
"Stop. That was enough now.", Xiao said and took a deep breath before he finally turned to Albedo.
"I do not promise you the least. It is your problem when your expectations are not met and whatever you are or will become is your problem too. It does not concern me. But you can stay if you want.", he then said and turned to get back to his room.

The blonde alchemist sighed but smiled a little when he followed the yaksha into his room.
He never expected a fairytale, reality was always what he wanted. Xiao was mercilessly honest and didn't care what anyone thought of him. That was exactly what Albedo thought was real compared to the behavior of many other people.

"Come in now."  the yaksha hissed and closed the door after Albedo followed his words. Albedo was about to say something when Xiao's hand covered his mouth. The adeptus was suddenly very close and looked at him sternly.
"Those were enough words for today. I don't want to listen anymore.", Xiao stated unintentionally harsh but moved his hand to Albedo's cheek and leaned even closer to kiss him.
Kissing him haven't been too bad after all. And it wasn't now either. If it were really moments that counted, then this one could count too.
Who could know what tomorrow would be?

Chapter Text

"However, if you want to read something else, I would recommend this book to you. This novel is very popular in Liyue at the moment and, as I have heard, in other parts of Teyvat too.", the vendor at Xingqiu's favorite store said and held a book in front of his face. The blue-haired looked at the titel curiously. It wasn't exactly his favorite genre, but it wouldn't hurt to read it either.

Already five days had passed since Xingqiu had left the store and hadn't taken his eyes off the novel since then. Actually it was a classic youth novel, two best friends who at some point discover that they are in love with each other. In fact, exactly the same as many other books, but this one was different in Xingqiu's eyes. One of the protagonists just reminded him a lot of Chongyun and without noticing it, he himself  was pretty similiar to the other protagonist.
"Are you still reading this? Come on, let's go eat something. I'm starving.", Chongyun said when he approached Xingqiu from behind and ruffled the others hair.
"Hmh...just one moment...I have to finish this chapter first...", Xingqiu mumbled not minding Chongyuns tries to annoy him. The light blue-haired sat down next to Xingqiu to wait, crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"Gonna take a nap until you're ready.", he stated and rested his head on Xingqius shoulder. He knew that it would take some time until Xingqiu was able to put the book aside. It always took some time.
"Hmh..."

The blue-haired didn't notice how much time had passed until it already became dark outside. Chongyun was still napping when Xingqiu finally closed the book and looked at the other boy. The goofy face made him smile. Chongyun was kind of cute when he slept. Xingqiu sighed when he tried to wake him up carefully but failed. Well, then just like always. Xingqiu just got up quickly which caused Chongyun to fall over and wake up.
"Heeeeey.....that was mean! Now you have to pay for the food as an excuse!", Chongyun stated fake upset and grinned. The blue-haired nodded.
"Of course my liege."

They went to grab some food at the Wanmin Restaurant. As always Xingqiu tried to fool Chongyun into eating spicy food while he was only hoping to get something that wasn't too unusual.
"Tell me, are you finished with the book soon?", the light blue-haired asked while cautiosly taking a bite of his food.
"I think so. Do you mind me reading while we are together now?"
"No no, it's not like that... Just looks like you like this better than me right now."
"Huh?... I always read when we're together...That is nothing new.."
"Yeah but you look different while reading this and you read it twice now."
"Different?"
"..hmh...happier I guess...ugh nevermind..."
"You're not jealous of a book are you?"
"What?! No way! That would be stupid and friends aren't jealous of anything at all.", Chongyun replied and laughed a little. In fact, he was kind of jealous, he just didn't understand why.
The blue-haired nodded and ate his meal in silence. Somehow Chongyun's words weighed on him.
Friends aren't jealous..Yes, that is indeed true...
He thought mindlessly shoving another piece of food into his mouth and looked at the other boy who also was focused on his meal.
Friends...
The word echoed through his mind until he finally noticed why Chongyuns words weighed on him.
It wasn't the book that he liked so much. Xingqiu blushed a little. It wasn't the image of his friendship with Chongyun that was potrayed in it that he liked, but what followed between the characters.
The blue-haired shook his head.
... We've been friends for so long ... why are you even thinking about that?
Xingqiu tried to brush it off but felt his heartbeat increase.

"Are you ok? You're kinda red, you know.", Chongyun asked slightly concerned but didn't really worry. Eating Xianglings meals often caused strange reactions.
"I'm not. ..eh..Am I? ...I guess it's just the food ...", Xingqiu mumbled trying to not blush more out of embarrasment.
"Nevermind...Shall we get popsicles now? I know you like them as a dessert ... and actually always."
"Sounds good. Let's go."

They went to get them and walked along the harbour like they often did. Chongyun told the other a story about a few days ago but Xingqiu still seemed to be distracted.
The light blue-haired sighed when he noticed it.
"You're not thinking about that book aren't you? Xinnie?", he asked and stepped infront of Xingqiu to stop him from walking.
"Your interest in that is slowly really not normal anymore .. maybe you are obsessed .. I can help if that is the case!"
"Huh? Obsessed? ..Do not be absurd. I was just thinking about something."
"About what? You're red again, you know. And you know that you can tell me everything, right? I'm starting to worry."
"No, don't worry. But tell me... Have you ever thought about the future?"
"Eh? Why are you asking that now? But sure everyone does, right?"
"And what did you think of?"
"Well at some point I have to earn money ..."
"I didn't mean professionally."
"You mean my private life? Hm..I hope we are still together in the future.", Chongyun replied and smiled bright which made Xingqiu smile too but soon he looked almost a little sad.
"I hope that too.."
"Then why are you looking like that now?"
"Yun ... what ... what if..."
"You are really strange today. Finally tell me what's going on. And give me your ice cream before it's all melted."
The blue-haired chuckled and handed it to Chongyun. It was actually good the way it was, wasn't it? Why change something? Why take a risk? As long as they stayed together, it wouldn't matter what happened. But the thought didn't feel as satisfying as Xingqiu had hoped.

He suddenly wrapped his arms around the other boy and hugged him tightly, nuzzling his face into the nape of his neck.
"Huh? Uh...", Chongyun giggled surprised but placed his free hand on Xingqius head to stroke it slowly.
"Yun..."
"Hmh?"
"Don't be mad at me ok?"
"Why should-", before Chongyun could finish his question the blue-haired had placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Xingqiu turned around immediately after the short kiss and starred at the ground embarrased.
Oh by the archons ... that was definitely a mistake ...
He thought and slowly started to walk away not able to face Chongyun again.
The light blue-haired looked at him with wide open eyes, blushing like crazy, completely confused.
"H-hey wait!", he yelled and followed Xingqiu quickly even if he didn't know what to do himself.
"Is that why you were ... so weird today ...?", he asked quietly when he walked next to him again.
Xingqiu didn't reply and only nodded a little.
"You are so smart but sometimes...you're not. You don't just walk away after kissing someone. Even I know that."
"..I beg your pardon?"
Chongyun chuckled and grabbed the others hand.
Xingqiu blushed a little again, still not able to face Chongyun. But holding his hand was at least a good thing. That meant he wasn't angry, right?
"I already told you that I always want to be with you."
"But that doesn't mean that you ..."
"Hm.......You always think too much.", Chongyun said, placed his hand on Xingqius cheek to make him look at him and leaned closer to kiss him. The kiss was also short, soft and a little awkward, but this time it was returned.

Chapter Text

"Ugh ... asleep again? Charles? How many did he have today?", Diluc asked looking at the bard that was fast asleep leaning against the bar counter.
"Hm? ..About four, I guess? Not as much as usual .."
Diluc sighed. Actually, Venti only seemed to sleep in the tavern.
"Say, do you even have a home?..ugh...fine. I pray that I don't regret that...again.", Diluc talked to himself rather than Venti, put his coat around Venti's shoulders and picked him up. Carrying him like his newlywed bride, he brought the smaller one, who was still fast asleep, to his home.
It was already late so he put the archon in a guest bed and covered him with a blanket before he went to bed himself. His coat still around Venti's shoulders, the boy was too cuddled into it to take it away.

The noises in the house slowly woke Venti up. He stretched himself leisurely and smiled, his eyes still closed.
"Hah~ Haven't slept so well in ages~ ehe...", Venti slowly sat up, the coat made a dull noise as it sank from his shoulders onto the bed.
"Huh?", finally opening his eyes Venti looked around confused.
"Where...wait..that's Dilucs coat..uwahh! I'm at the winery?! Again?!.. .. ehehe .. could be worse..but slowly I really owe him something...", his heart raced a little. It wasn't the first time Diluc had taken  him to his home. And each time Venti felt happier at the thought that Diluc seemed to care about him, even if he always ignored him in the morning.  He sank back into the bed and unconsciously snuggled into the coat again.
"..smells nice.....just like him...... .. .. .. ohh....ehe..he...", despite his young appearance, he wasn't a child anymore. He knew exactly why his heart started to beat faster again when he embraced the others scent that was adhering to the coat. He had developed feelings for the redhead.

"Great. Thanks, Diluc. Now I just have to ask Venti..", Aether had arrived at the winery early, he had a job to do in Dragonspine and asked Diluc for help.
"You won't have to look for him. He's  in the guest room.", Diluc replied and turned to leave into his room to get ready. He didn't feel like explaining anything to anyone.
"Did he say the tone-deaf bard is in the guest room?!", Paimon squeaked surprised and Aether nodded.

About an hour later the four left. Aether and Paimon were still curious why Venti had been at the winery but didn't dare to ask. The bard himself was in a good mood and walked happily beside them, having a crush after so many years was really uplifting. Diluc kept a serious eye on the area and kept a little distance from the others. Enough not to have to listen to their chit-chat but not enough not to be able to protect them. Whenever a hilichurl approached them, he was the first to kill the it before it could even get close to others. No, close to Venti. Just as he had the need to take care of Venti the night before, he now had the need to protect him. It wasn't the first time that he felt this way, nor the first time that he bluntly ignored his thoughts about it. He considered it simply his duty to protect the archon of his country. At least this was the best excuse to not think about his own feelings.

The mission itself was done quickly, but the cold went deeper and deeper into their bones. The weather was worse than normal, a blizzard was brewing. Although they were ready to leave, they couldn't go on like this. The ground was frozen, the paths impassable. Paimon was clinging to Aether to not be blown away.
"We should seek shelter until the weather has calmed down. I don't mind it but you seem to struggle with the temperature.", Diluc suggested and the three nodded.
"A few meters down there is a small cave .. ", Aether said and tried to show the way, but slipped on the ice. He made a pained noise when he sat up again after his body hit the ground.
The red-haired only shook his head a little annoyed and used his vision to to de-ice a narrow path. He lit a fire as soon as they reached the cave and leaned against the entrance to guard the area while the other three snuggled up by the fire.

The weather barely calmed down in the next few hours. The fire could hardly warm the cave, the cold bothered Venti a lot. Aether for once had thought along and put on a coat, he could stand the cold like this.  He and Paimon had fallen asleep cuddled up in it as the cold really exhausted them.

Venti's chattering teeth could hardly be overheard. He was shaking all over and walking restlessly in hopes of warming up a little. Diluc watched him for a moment and sighed.
"Come here.", he demanded.
"Huh? oh I-I r-really ...c-can't... do something n-now...", the cold made it difficult for him to speak.
"Ugh...come here now.", he demanded again and grabbed the bards wrist. Although Venti was startled, Diluc pulled him close, closed his coat around both of them and wrapped his arms around the others small body.
Venti blushed heavily. The warmth the redhead exuded felt great, but the sudden closeness made him nervous.
"I..uhm...ehe...he...", Venti mumbled not knowing what to do.
"Be quiet. I just don't want you to freeze to death.", Diluc stated and turned his gaze back to the landscape around them.
Venti nodded quietly. He buried his face in Diluc's chest and hugged him tightly, the coat covered him perfectly.

As soon as Venti could no longer see him, Diluc looked at him again. He felt warm. Not the usual warmth of his vision, this warmth came from within. His heart beat a little faster as he looked at the bard who was hugging him so tightly.
"Nervous?", Venti asked softly, he could hear Diluc's increased heartbeat. The red-haired rolled his eyes.
"Why should I be nervous?"
"... uhm ... maybe because of me?"
"Nonsense. Just be quiet."
Venti giggled a little when  he looked up to Diluc which tried hard to avoid his gaze. The red-haired looked to the side, a strained expression on his face.
Forced to think about it, he knew Venti was right. Being so close to someone had become very strange to him over the past few years. As a child he had cuddled with Kaeya often, but since the death of his father he had avoided any closeness. Not just avoided, he hated it. Venti's closeness was unfamiliar, but he'd have to admit that it didn't feel bad.
The redhead sighed and rested his head on Venti's which made the bard blush and giggle again.

"Not so bad, isn't it?"
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
"I'm way too old to listen to you~", Venti replied teasingly.
"Hmpf...But you look like I'm the one who does illegal things when you're so close to me."
"Oh? So you do think about doing things with me?", Venti laughed and Diluc growled.
"Don't go too far."
"..hehe..or what?"
"I'll let you freeze to death in the cold."
Venti tightened his grip around the others body and clawed his hands into the back of Dilucs shirt. He wanted to make it impossible for him to get rid of him.
"You're such a meanie...can't you be a little nicer to Mondstadts beloved archon?"
"Tzz.....yes, whatever you please, Lord Barbatos.", Diluc in fact, chuckled a little. The rare sight made Venti nervous again. Diluc looked pretty when he smiled. Without thinking about it, Venti stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on Diluc's lips. If he hadn't already clung his hands tightly to Diluc, they would have been shaking like leaves in the wind. He expected to be rejected, but the redhead didn't move. He almost seemed to be a little overwhelmed.
"Uhm...sorry...I...", the bard suddenly felt insecure.
"...No, it's okay. It just has been-..nevermind.", Diluc didn't want to talk about it, not now, maybe never. Ignoring himself, he leaned over to Venti and kissed him, this time properly. He was definitely not even sure why he was doing this, but at that moment he just didn't care. For once he just did what he felt like doing. Of course Venti returned the kiss and moved his arms from the others body to his neck, wrapping them around it.

"Paimon doesn't want to disturb.. buuut.... Paimon is starving. Oh, and the weather has calmed down....", she said, disturbing the moment more than a little. Diluc immediately broke the kiss and moved away from Venti fast and flustered.
"Yes, we should leave.", he replied and left the cave. Earning a serious side eye from Venti, Paimon squeaked and Aether grinned a little embarrased.

"Paimon!...do you know how long it'll take to get him to kiss me again?"

Chapter Text

"So..you're free today?", Kaeya asked slowly approaching Aether, the usual smug smile gracing his lips. Aether nodded looking insecure, asking for forgiveness.
Wouldn't you usually spend as much time as possible with someone you've only been dating for a few weeks? Aether wanted that too but barely had time between all the jobs and favors he was doing. He felt guilty, unable to be a good boyfriend.
"Don't look at me like that, cutie.", the knight cupped the smaller males cheek and placed a kiss on his forehead.
"It's okay, don't worry~ I'm mostly busy myself. Let's forget about that and continue our last date, shall we?", Kaeya asked making Aether smile happily. He blushed whenever Kaeya showed his affection to him in public, but right now he needed it to feel better.
"Yes, please..."
"All right, but don't run away again, hm?"
"..I didn't want to...really..."
The blue-haired chuckled, wrapped his arm around Aethers waist and lifted him up making Aether squeak surprised. He giggled wrapping his arms around Kaeyas neck and looked down to him, blushing and smiling.
"You're not mad?"
"How could I be mad at you, hm?"

No matter how much Aether protested, still giggling, Kaeya carried him in exactly this position to the Favonius headquarters where he lived. Shortly after they reached Kaeya's room, there was already a knock on his door.
"Don't pay any attention to me, Kaeya. Aether, while you're here, could you help me and Succrose out for a moment?", Albedo asked entering the room without permission, unaware that the two were dating.
"N-now?..I can't.."
"Preferred now, yes. It shouldn't take up much of your time. As far as I know, Kaeya still has some preparations to make."
Aether sighed and before he knew it he was already in Albedo's laboratory.
"But please let's get it done quickly, ok?"

Even if Albedo had assured him that it would not take long, it was already dark when Aether left the laboratory again. He hurried back to Kaeya's room, but the knight was no longer there. Aether sighed heavily imagining Kaeya to be really mad at him now and grabbed a piece of paper to leave him a note.

Their next dates weren't much better either. With luck, they spent an hour together before someone asked for Aether's help, simply wanted to talk to him or invite him to something. Kaeya hadn't been mad at him and wasn't mad at him now, but he would have had to lie to say he was happy.  Aether didn't notice but Kaeya noticed the girls who looked at Aether in love all the time. He also understood that some of the gifts Aether received were not without ulterior motives. He knew what many of Aether's admirers thought, after all, he thought so often enough himself.

"Kaeya I'm so sorry!", Aether stated honest when he arrived at the Good Hunter.
"Well~ Did you say no at least once or twice?", Kaeya asked, his mood clearly wasn't the best.
"I'm really trying .... But it's not that easy...", Aether replied taking a seat across from Kaeya and grabbed his hand to squeeze it softly.
"I'll stay with you today, I promise."
Kaeya sighed but put on a smile a few seconds later.
"All right, pretty. ..So what do you want to eat? It's on me, choose whatever you want."
Aether smiled happily. In fact, they could eat and talk together for a while without being disturbed. But this time too, the calm did not last long.

"Honoary knight, I have a favor to ask.", a known voice asked but Kaeya didn't recognize it at first. He had enough. The knight slammed his flat hand on the table and growled.
"You folks really don't have no sense of privacy. We're on a god damn date. Would it be so hard to leave him alone for a moment?", he asked stern, sounding annoyed and upset.
However, the uncomfortable look on Aether's face made him turn around.
"..acting grand master....hah...."
Jean looked at him confused. After a few seconds her expression changed into a warm but stern one and she sighed.
"Forgive me. I didn't know... you're..Nevermind. Kaeya, you should pull yourself together. It is not proper to address someone like that, no matter how much frustration you are burdened with."
"Of course, I beg your pardon."
"Hmh....Aether, I would ask you to come to me as soon as time allows. But there's no need to hurry.", Jean said before she left the two alone again, happy to be able to leave the embarrasing situation.

"Are you in trouble now?", Aether asked cautiosly, stroking the others hand with his thumb lovingly.
"Oh no, it's okay. Don't worry~ Sooo, what do you want to do now?", he replied with a small smirk on his lips, resting his elbows on the table, leaning closer to Aether.
The blonde blushed again.
"..uhm...I would like.. to go to your place...and maybe lock the door properly this time?", Aether mumbled and stared at their hands embarrased.
"Sounds good to me~", Kaeya replied and chuckled a little.

The two of them reached the room without being stopped and Kaeya made sure that the door was locked properly. He took a seat on his bed and looked at Aether who was standing next to the door nervously.
"Come here, I won't bite."
Aether nodded slowly and walked to Kaeya even slower. He looked at his lover embarrased but took all his courage and sat down on his lap, arms wrapped around the knights neck.
"K-Kaeya ... I uh ..."
"Take it easy, handsome. We won't do anything you don't want to do, hm? Which doesn't mean that I wouldn't want to do that~", the smirk on Kaeyas face made Aether blush even more. The blonde punched the others chest playfully, completely embarrased by only imagining what they could do.

"..I-It's not like ... like I ... don't want to...I..I just...", the blonde didn't really know how to phrase it.
"Oh?..What an honor to be your first~", the knight chuckled and placed his hands on Aethers waist. Placing a few soft kisses along Aethers neck, he pulled him even closer.
"And if I have my way, I'll be your last too.", he whispered into Aethers ear, making the smaller one shudder.
"..last?..Kaeya..I...ngh....", Aether could only whisper, a surprised mewl leaving his lips when he felt Kaeyas hands trace down his sides to grab his butt tightly.
"I want you to be mine and only mine, Aether. I'm sick of all the people trying to get close to you or all those who need your help all the time.", the blue-haired whispered in a strange mixture of jealousy and hunger.
The tingles that ran down Aethers spine made him gasp, the color of his cheeks reaching the reddest of red shades.
"..you..you want to t-tell them..?"
"No sweetie~ I want them to hear you scream my name."
"KAEYA!"
"Ah don't worry ~ Not today.", he replied and chuckled a little.
"Maybe~"
"Kaeya!"

Chapter Text

Surrounded by stillness and cold night air, Albedo sat on one of the walls of Mondstadt, the moon the only light that illuminated the paper in his hands. Sleepless he used the moment to devote himself completely to art and his thoughts. The sketch on paper slowly turned into one of the many masterpieces that adorned the alchemist's laboratory. But he himself was dissatisfied. For some time now he had been looking in vain for a new muse, for inspiration. Albedo put the paper aside and sighed, looking at the moon and stars, inattentive to the things around him.

"Watch out!", was the last that he heard before the burning shield of a hilichurl hit him and forcibly tore him from the wall. The pain he expected from the impact did not occur. When he opened his eyes surprised, he was looking into bright red eyes, caught  and saved from the impact by the real hero of the night. His eyes meeting the other's longer than necessary, fascinated by their color and the warmth they radiated. A slight blush graced the blonde's cheeks even if he wasn't aware of it.
"You weren't hurt this time, but you better be careful.", Diluc said as he dropped the alchemist and turned to leave.

"Sucrose!", Albedo called her name when he entered the laboratory a little later, before he realized that she had fallen asleep at the table.
"..ngh...ah! I'm sorry!", Sucrose mumbled, embarrassed and startled.
"...do you need ...something?"
"The red color palette."
"It's ... pretty late ... shouldn't you ... get some rest?"
"I can't let a moment of inspiration slip away. The silence of the night is just right to devote yourself to this inspiration."
Sucrose just nodded, knowing that he couldn't be stopped anymore and handed him the red colors that lay next to her. In order not to fall asleep again, she went home after preparing some tea and food for him.
When she returned the next morning, Albedo had already disappeared, paints and brushes spread out on the table, with a drawing of some red eyes in the middle.

Albedo had also heard the stories about the hero of the night, although he already knew who he was, solving this riddle wasn't the reason why he was sitting on the walls of the city again the following nights. Although he came to find inspiration from the redhead to turn it into art, he just watched him most of the time, rapt by the beautiful spectacle that the flames of his vision created.
"Fascinating... it seems to be as destructive as Klee's vision, but his way of using it is far more graceful.", he whispered, still focused on every movement of Diluc's body and his sword.

Absorbed in jotting down his observations, Albedo did not notice the footsteps approaching him. 
"Watching me? Is there a reason for that?", Diluc asked sceptical as he stood next to Albedo. Throwing a look at the drawings, he realized that the alchemist had been watching him for quite some time.
When Albedo finally looked at him, he almost got startled and quickly gathered the drawings together.
"...This has no meaning.", he replied a few seconds later, getting up slowly, holding his utensils and drawings in his hands.
"I see. As long as you don't get in my way, it doesn't matter to me either.  Please keep my activities to yourself.", Diluc said when he turned away to leave him alone again.
"The way you deal with fire is very different from what I am familiar with. It fascinates me. Would you be willing to give me an hour of your time?"
"To serve what purpose?"
"Research. If that appeals to you more than my personal interest."
"I am not interested in research."
"Well, then allow me to pay for your time."
Diluc sighed. It didn't make any sense to him why Albedo was even willing to pay for his time.
"One hour."

A short time later, Diluc was sitting in Albedo's laboratory and watched him gather a few things.
"I am aware that you are averse to conversations, but allow me to ask a few questions.", Albedo said when he was back in front of Diluc.
At first Albedo actually only asked him questions about his vision, but without realizing it, the whole thing turned into a conversation that lasted several hours. And neither of them seemed to be upset about it.
Likewise, neither of the two thought about why this process was repeated almost every subsequent night the following weeks.

"A pet turtle?"
"Yes indeed. This seems to be more unusual  than I suspected."
"No, I wouldn't consider it unusual itself. I just find it difficult to imagine. Should you now reveal to me that you gave it a name, I assume that this world can still surprise me."
"Well, that would be a bit of an exaggeration. Given my age at the time, naming a pet seems quite common to me."

Only when the sun rose did he notice how much of the others time he had claimed again. And every time he noticed that, he noticed that the moment the redhead left was uncomfortable for him. Even if he had already clarified many questions in this world, he was unable to find the solution to this riddle. He was only aware that he valued Diluc's company and preferred to be with him.

"Sucrose, allow me to ask you a question. I think you are closer to knowing an answer than I am.", he said when she entered the lab after Diluc left a few hours earlier.
"Me? ... I ... don't think ... that I know something ...  you don't know ...but ... what is it about? ", she mumbled nervously, barely able to look at him.
"Is there a term used to describe the feeling of preferring to be close to another person?", Albedo's question made the girl blush.
"...I think ... that is ... depending on the ... reason for it ... one would be to avoid loneliness ... another would be based on affection for someone ...", she answered quietly.
"No, avoidance of loneliness is incorrect. So I have to assume that it is affection. However, this affection differs from the one I know. It's a very different feeling when I compare it to my affection for Klee."
"... Well ... there are different ... types of ... affection ..."
"So? I am listening."
Sucrose tried her best to explain why and for whom affection could be found. As uncomfortable as it was for her, she managed to make the difference clear to him. It surprised her that he seemed to understand so little about his own feelings, even though he could express himself so carefully and poetically.
"I see. Then I suppose I need to find out what kind of affection I feel. Thank you for your explanation.", Albedo said when he got up and suddenly left the lab, leaving Sucrose confused. She sighed, receiving confirmation that he hadn't spoken about her again.

"Albedo? What a rare sight. There are probably still pleasant surprises today.", Kaeya stated chuckling when Albedo entered the tavern.
"Forgive me but I don't have time for a chat.", Albedo answered when he looked at Diluc instead of the blue-haired knight. Diluc seemed very amused by this answer, while Kaeya wondered about it.
"Would you have a moment?", Albedo asked still looking at the red-haired.
"Would it serve a specific purpose? If not, I'm afraid I will have to say no."
"As given, primarily research."
"Does it require to leave the tavern?"
"I suppose that is not necessary."
"Well then, follow me."

Kaeya watched them confused and curious as Diluc and Albedo went into the tavern's back room.
"What the hell ... "

"What is it?", Diluc asked after he had closed the door behind their backs.
"Just hold still.", Albedo answered and just looked at the other for a moment. After a minute or two, he stood on tiptoe, put a hand on Dilucs cheek and simply kissed him. The kiss was neither returned nor averted, but was enough to clarify Albedo's question while he generated questions from Diluc. Albedo smiled a little when he got back on his feet again.
"Thanks, that was enough to answer my question.", he stated calm, unconsciously blushed a bit and waited to be able to leave the room again. Diluc, however, looked at him clearly confused and quite skeptical.
"I beg your pardon? Which question?"
"Whether my affection for you is based on friendship or being in love."
"And what is your conclusion?"
"Well I guess I fell in love with you."

Unusual for him, this answer made Diluc laugh rather than a more appropriate reaction. Although Albedo had been neither nervous nor insecure before, this reaction generated exactly these feelings.
"..Why ..are you.. laughing?"
"I'm afraid that was the most unromantic confession I've ever heard, Albedo. And that from someone with your abilities."
"Confession?...oh ... it wasn't meant to be a confession. But I'm afraid that's what it was, wasn't it?"
"I suppose."
"Well... that brings up another question."
"Which one?"
"Now if this is told as a confession, it requires your answer."
"Well I am not averse to your company, I have to admit that. And admittedly these things are not my forte either. So let me put it another way.", before Albedo could reply, the redhead had put his arm around the waist of the smaller one and leaned over to kiss him. Albedo reflexively wrapped his arms around Diluc's neck and returned the kiss, one of his hands buried in his hair. The need for closeness that Diluc had locked away for so long escaped it's cage, while Albedo indulged in the new sensation that created a strangely comforting feeling inside him. A thin string of saliva connected their tongues as Albedo broke the kiss with a soft mewl, but remained in his position, his mouth only a few millimeters from Diluc's.
"May I propose a second round for tonight?"

With his hair tie between his teeth and his hands in his hair to tie a new ponytail, Diluc left the back room  followed by Albedo.
"What the hell did you do in there?", Kaeya asked watching the two closely.
"Research.", Albedo replied before he left the tavern as quickly as he had entered it.
"Research? What kind of research?", Kaeya asked again, earning a slap to the back of his head from Rosaria.
"Use your imagination and be quiet."

Chapter Text

"Gosh..this...it's fucking huge. How am I supposed to know where A112 is? I don't even know where the hell I am now...", Childe muttered to himself,  accidentally knocking over other students, looking for the room where his first lecture should take place. 
"Watch out, asshole!", Keqing scolded when she got up from the floor again, picked up her books and stared at Childe angrily.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to...Uh, hey, do you know where A112 is?"
"Don't tell me you're this Tortilla guy..."
"...Tartaglia. But Childe will do, ok?"
Keqing sighed, put on her friendly face and motioned for him to follow her.
"...Listen, I'm Keqing, we're studying the same thing and I'm supposed to show you around here. But don't expect too much.", she stated a little friendlier and went to the lecture with him.

"Guys listen, thats Tortilla but you can call him Childe. Here we are, just sit down somewhere. After the lesson I'll show you the most important places, ok? So don't dawdle.", Keqing said and sat down next to Mona, completely ignoring Childe now.
"Ayo mate, Tortilla huh?..Whatever. You can sit here.", Beidou greeted him and tapped the chair next to her.
"It's Tartaglia. But just forget about it. Is she always like that?", he asked when he took a seat next to Beidou, staring discreetly at her eye patch.
"Beidou. Yeah, whatever. Haha...curious about ma eye, eh? Got stabbed. Nothing I couldn't take."
Childe laughed, fascinated how easily she took it and relieved to have met a person with whom he could get along pretty well.
"Stabbed? Alright, it's not that dreary here after all. So what are you guys doing all day?"
"Hm .. Wanna join us grab a few drinks tonight?"
"On a tuesday? Yeah, sounds great."
"Yeah normally we go on wednesdays but little miss perfect over there doesn't dare to go alone today."
"Huh? Why?"
"Ah girly got a crush on one of ma girls fellow students and since she's meeting him there today, we will too."
Childe chuckled. With Beidou at his side, the first day passed better than he expected.

A few hours later the brunette was standing in front of his door, accompanied by a bunch of other people.
"Let's go, huh?", Childe grinned, ready to start his new life in Liyue properly.
Ningguang was wearing a blouse and a pencil skirt combined with black high heels and a Prada bag while Keqing wore a pretty but almost too revealing dress. Only Beidou and the guy that also wore an eye patch looked exactly as Childe had expected. As if they wanted to get heavily wasted.
"Tartaglia, right? Ningguang, pleasure to meet you. Please refrain from nicknames. It impresses me how quickly you managed to get Beidou excited about you. But considering the scars on your skin, I'm able to understand.", Ningguang greeted him formally and Childe smiled politely, wondering how the two could fit together.
"Kaeya. As long as you don't collapse after two beers, I'm sure we can get along~", Kaeya said with a grin and shoved a beer in Childe's hand.
"Nah don't worry. But I'm in if you want to challenge me~", Childe replied also grinning.
"Sounds good to me."

Without knowing it, that was the moment when the evening should take a direction that Childe had not expected.

Sitting at a table in the bar, Childe watched the other guests, curious to know who Keqing might have a crush on.
"Beidou, which one is it? The redhead is the only one who works here who's kinda hot.", Childe asked in a whisper, although Keqing was distracted by talking to Ningguang.
"Oh my god please don't call my brother hot. And no, it's not him.", Kaeya replied before taking another shot.
"Eh? Ah..none of them. Babe, where's the pretty fella?", Beidou yelled, making Keqing blush heavily.
"Beidou!", Keqing hissed ashamed and stared angrily at the brunette.
"Girlie, if you wanna get laid, you gotta make an effort."
"He should be here in 20 minutes.", Ningguang answered and placed her hand on Keqing's shoulder for support.

"What about you Tartaglia? Do you have someone in Snezhnaya?", Ningguang suddenly asked to distract from Keqing's condition.
"Huh? Oh... don't ask. I'm really not in the mood for a relationship right now. It's way too strenuous for me. "
"I see- oh excuse me just a moment.", Ningguang answered when her iPhone started ringing.
"Where are you?......I beg your pardon?.... Zhongli, dear, by now you'd have to take out a loan to be able to pay off your debts.....But well, I'm coming, just a moment please.", Ningguang ended the conversation with a sigh, apologized to the others, and got up to leave the bar. A little later she returned accompanied by a dark-haired man.

"Dear, you already know Kaeya and Beidou. May I introduce you to Keqing and Tartaglia?", Ningguang introduced him and not only Keqing stared at him now. Fearing that he would get a nosebleed like he had seen it on many TV shows, Childe covered his nose fast, grabbed the shot that Kaeya had in front of him and downed it quickly. As well-behaved as he was, Zhongli first introduced himself to Keqing.
The purple-haired one couldn't manage a meaningful sentence, too nervous to have a conversation and instead asked him to just sit down.
When the golden eyes finally met the ocean colored ones, Childe understood even more why Keqing had behaved like this.
"Tartaglia? It's a pleasure to meet you.  Forgive me, I'm afraid I'm a little out of practice when it comes to speaking the snezhnayan language.", Zhongli said in perfect snezhnayan and smiled slightly. Childe didn't know if it was because he was already tipsy or because of the man who was talking to him, but his heart started to race.
"..fuck ... you don't happen to be single?", Childe replied, luckily in his mother tongue, which at least saved him from being made fun of by Beidou and Kaeya. When he himself noticed what he had asked, he nervously scratched his head and chuckled a little embarrased.
"An unusual way to start a conversation with a stranger.", was the only thing Zhongli replied before he took a seat next to Ningguang.
Childe sighed and stole Kaeya's shot again. He needed it badly right now.

For the next several hours Childe avoided talking to Zhongli, even if he really wanted to get to know him. Fortunately, Keqing wasn't more successful either. After Kaeya had left to safely accompany Keqing home and Beidou and Ningguang had fallen into couple mode, Childe looked at the other again and grinned mischievously, being more than a little tipsy.
"Sorry for earlier. Really didn't mean to be rude in any way.", Childe tried hard to behave appropriately, although he could think of a thousand other things that he would have preferred to say.
"There's no need to apologize. I take it as a compliment. ", Zhongli replied which made Childe sigh in relieve.
"Lucky me. ... you're studying the same as Ningguang?...oh..by the way,  I have absolutely no idea what she's studying."
"History. With the difference that Ningguang's focus is on economic developments, while I prefer archaeological aspects."
"Sounds interesting... Ok no, that was a lie. Fossils and bones and stuff are kinda cool but economics?"
Zhongli chuckled a little hearing his response, thanks to his own alcohol level.
"Hm ... yes, I guess I can't disagree."

Childe didn't notice when Ningguang and Beidou left the bar, too focused on talking to Zhongli about all sorts of topics. He also didn't care how much money he was spending by inviting the other to drinks over and over again. Being drunk now, all he decided to do was to try to hit on Zhongli again.
"So to get back to my question ... are you single?", he asked hoping that he would get an answer and grinned when the other chuckled this time.
"That seems to be a very bothering question to you."
"Just wanna know."
"I see. Well, I guess I owe you this answer given the amount you've already paid for me."
Before Childe could answer, the dark-haired had already grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards him until their faces were barely an inch apart. Childe blushed unintentionally heavy, he could feel the other's warm breath on his lips, the look in Zhongli's eyes made him almost lose it.
"Guess.", Zhongli whispered, causing a tingle that ran down Childe's spine. He didn't let the ginger answer, instead he just kissed him passionately for a hot second and sat back again to drink his wine like nothing had happened.
"...fuck...", Childe mumbled turned on. Being drunk and horny now, he didn't want to let it end like this. Childe got up as if by remote control, pushed Zhongli a little away from the table in his chair and sat down on his lap, straddling his hips. Wrapping his arms around the others neck, he kissed him again, let him enter his mouth submissively and mewled a little when he felt the others hands grab his butt tightly.

Childe could barely move when he woke up the next morning in a strange bed, covered with small bruises. Holding his head, plagued by a hell of a headache, he slowly turned around when he noticed movements next to him.
"...holy shit...", he mumbled as he stared at the scratched back of the handsome dark-haired man who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You're already late for your lecture."
"..huh?......Oh......FUCK!", Childe immediately jumped up, put on his clothes as quickly as possible, kissed Zhongli again and ran out of the room, not even knowing where exactly he was.

"Yo, Childe, had fun last night? Compared to Keqing, you got laid, huh? Good job, mate. Lucky you, the professor is late too. ", Beidou greeted him in amusement as he sank into the chair next to her.
"What kind of lecture is it?...damn ... I'm zero prepared, smell like a whole bar and my head hurts like hell..."
"... eh..something about some old stuff that was found on the ocean floor.."
"... and is the professor bearable?"
"Dunno. Don't know him either."
Childe just nodded and laid his head on the table. Only when Beidou started to laugh did he look up again and almost fell off the chair when he saw who would give this lecture.
"..oh shit ... Beidou! ... didn't you say he's a fucking student?!"
Beidou was still laughing when she nodded.
"Yeah, true. Well.. he is but he already has a doctorate degree. Ma babe said that he just wants to get another degree."
"Beidou! ...fuck, fuck, fuck ... oh god what am I supposed to do...fuuuuck ... I've only been here since yesterday and fucked the professor ... I'm doomed. Beidou...How am I supposed to graduate here? I'll be kicked out ... And under these circumstances, I'll never be able to be fucked by him again ... let alone do anything else with him ..."
"Calm down. It won't be that bad. ...And besides, do anything else with him? Didn't you just say yesterday you don't want a relationship?"
"Look at him .. if I could just hold his hand until I die, it would be good too."
"Yeah, you're doomed. Worse crush than Keqings, eh? Pretty fast, pretty boy."
"Oh shut up....."
"Just wait and see. Maybe it'll be a super secret affair .. secret kisses somewhere in the hallway, sex in his office... doesn't sound too bad."
"God you're just making it worse ... I really don't need fantasies like that right now."
"Haha...ya, just remember, the office down here at the end of the hall doesn't do it. Thin walls ya know."

Beidou made Childe laugh. He tried to distract himself and especially to listen to the dark voice he liked so much, but he couldn't help but just stare at Zhongli. The ideas that Beidou had put in his head made things worse. He was hungover, tired and now also horny again. Somehow he still survived to the end of the lecture.
He was relieved to be able to take his books and leave, but felt the need to clear things up with Zhongli.

"Hey, do you have a minute?", he asked when everyone had left the room.
"Tartaglia, is there anything you want to talk about?", the other answered a little dismissively as he turned to him.
"..eh? Yeah? Last night? Remember?"
"Would you mind accompanying me to my office?"
"What? ... yeah ok, sure."
Zhongli was silent while he went into his office with Childe and completely ignored the way Childe looked at him. Only when he had closed the door behind them did he turn properly to Childe again and looked at him attentively.
"So.. what do you want to discuss?"
"I guess you wanna pretend nothing happened? And besides, couldn't you have told me you'd be my god damn teacher?"
"I apologize for not informing you. In my defense, considering my alcohol consumption yesterday, I didn't think about it. Still, forgive me."
"It's ok. ..ok no it isn't but..whatever."
"In view of my position, yesterday night was highly inappropriate."
"Got it.", Childe answered and turned to leave.
"I did not allow you to leave."
"I beg your pardon? What else am I supposed to do?"
"As far as I know you have an hour off, what do you want to do?"
Childe stared at Zhongli for a moment, confused and questioning.
"Eh? Are you serious?...So you ... don't want to pretend nothing happened?"
"In the presence of any other person, you are no more than one of my students."
"And outside of the presence of others?"
Zhongli just shook his head before he grabbed Childe by the waist and pushed him against the door of his office.
"If you always need so long to understand, you won't make it this semester."
Childe grinned as he buried his hands in the other's hair.
"How about private lessons?"

Chapter Text

"You're Aether, aren't you? Ah..sorry! Didn't mean to scare you..", Chongyun said a little startled when he suddenly stood next to Aether at the harbour, looking at him rather expressionless but friendly.
"Ehuh... Are you Chongyun? Xingqiu has already told me that you are looking for me.", Aether replied with a polite smile which made Chongyun suddenly look at his feet instead of him.
"That's me. Thank you for agreeing to help me. I've heard that you can't take part in the challenge alone, but I urgently need to review what's going on there. If there are evil spirits, I have to take care of them immediately.", Chongyun told Aether before he explained what information he had already gathered. To be honest, the blonde had a lot of doubt that anything about it was true, but simply couldn't tell him. He was kind of just too cute when he somewhat enthusiastically talked about it.
"Well...shall we go?"

On the way to Wuwang Hill, the two talked about all kinds of things. Well, actually Chongyun was talking about the evil spirits while Aether just listened, but it didn't bother him. When they got there it, Aether immediately knew that this was really just a game. He watched the couples walk through the grounds while he listened to the game master and wondered what the drink was made of.

"..uh..I ... shouldn't drink that. If it really boosts yang energy it could get dangerous for me...", Chongyun said and Aether turned back to him in curiously.
"You see...I have a rare constitution called 'pure-yang spirit'..it helps my to scare away evil spirits but also makes me prone to emotional impulses..", the light blue-haired explained calm but a little embarrased, Uncle Jia chuckled at that.
"Don't worry too much young man. I am sure your boyfriend will take good care of you. Just enjoy yourselves.", Uncle Jia spoke amiably and handed both of them a cup, but Chongyun waved his arms too hectic to even take the cup.
"We actually..just met..", He mumbled just as nervously as he was and was relieved when Aether took both cups.
"I'll just drink it alone. I don't think it will do anything. And if it does, then you surely know what to do about it.", Aether finished his cup quickly and smiled at Chongyun, waiting for him to finally enter the grounds.

The two asked the other participants about any abnormalities, checked the area and this time actually talked about various topics. But as Aether had expected there was no evil spirit, just bad actors.
"..I guess I got too involved, didn't I? I'm sorry I wasted your time.", Chongyun sounded honest but also a little bit disappointed.
"Don't worry. How about really doing this for fun next time?"
"For fun? Oh..I'm not used to the concept of doing this for fun...Wait. You want to meet me again?"
"Sure, why not?"

Originally, Chongyun only agreed to meet him again because he felt guilty. Not that he didn't like Aether, but he hardly had time for anything like that.
After a few more unsuccessful searches for evil spirits and a few afternoons in which they actually did things for fun, the light blue-haired got used to Aether's company. And if he was honest, he always looked forward to seeing him.
"It's just because he's so easy going. Maybe he has the right energy. It's almost like I'm more in control when he's around.", Chongyun told his blue-haired friend, whose eyes were the only thing that could be seen behind the book he was reading.
"Ehuh. My expenses have decreased significantly since I no longer have to buy you so many popsicles.", Xingqiu replied with a giggle, folded the book and slammed it a little too hard on the floor while he looked at Chongyun fake seriously.

"But, my liege, I believe you fell in love with the traveler~"
"No, I did not!", Chongyun replied a little too quickly and nervously to convince Xingqiu and sighed heavily when he looked at his feet embarrased.
"Isn't it romantic? Brought together by  his one and only best friend, the impulse control disordered exorcist falls in love with the mysterious fearless traveler. Almost like in an inferior novel."
"Xingqiu, stop reading stuff like that. I am not in love with him."
"Yes, that's what the protagonist asserts in almost every of these novels until one fine day they realize how they really feels."
"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM!"
"Hey ... uhm ..what's going on?", Aethers voice was like a jump scare for Chongyun. He immediately jumped up reflexively, making a startled noise while Xingqiu just laughed wholeheartedly.
"Calm down, it's just me. Sorry if I scared you.", Aether was at least as irritated as Chongyun but tried to calm him down. He put his hand on the other's shoulder to offer support, but that only seemed to make it worse. The light blue-haired was breathing quickly and stared at the floor, blushing and visibly confused.

"Popsicle?", the blonde asked gently, smiling warm and apologetic.
Taking a deep breath, Chongyun nodded slightly.
"..yes, please.."
"Well, I still have some errands to do anyway, so..have fun~", Xingqiu sounded amused and winked at the light blue-haired before he left lightly. He had nothing to do, but was interested in teasing Chongyun about being their match maker one day. Always giving him false information about evil spirits got boring in the long run anyways.

"There you go.", Aether said after he bought a popsicle for Chongyun and handed it to him. Chongyun grabbed the popsicle nervously, hoping that it would really help against this kind of nervousness. Of course it didn't, but at least eating it was a bit of a distraction.
"Chongyun, don't get me wrong, but it feels like Xingqiu is kidding you pretty often.  Why do you always let this be done to you?"
"Huh?.. Oh it's not that bad. He doesn't actually want to hurt or harm me. That's just the way he is. Everyone has their own peculiarities. And after all, we've been friends for a long time."
"Friends ... ", Aether mumbled to himself until Chongyun looked at him questioningly.
"Nevermind. Just don't always put up with everything, no matter whether it is about Xingqiu or your work. You deserve more than that."
Hearing him say that, Chongyun blushed again, heavily flustered by his words.
"Aether, do you worry about me?", the exorcist asked quietly.
"Uhm..you really don't have to. My family has been doing this job for generations, I know what I'm doing and Xingqiu doesn't really tease me that much either.", he added quickly and again much more nervously, embarrassed by the fact that he had even thought about Aether being worried.

Aether merely nodded in response and looked at the sea infront of them.
Chongyun sighed inwardly. For a while he just sat silently next to Aether, thinking about what Xingqiu had said, completely forgetting the second popsicle in his hand.
The melting ice dripped onto Aether's hand, whereupon he briefly looked back at Chongyun before he simply licked it off.
"Doesn't taste that bad at all.", he just commented and smiled at the boy who had been watching him a little too closely. Chongyun nodded in confusion before he shoved the melting remains of the ice into his mouth to prevent it from making any more dirt.
Aether chuckled. In a smooth move he put his hand on Chongyun's cheek and wiped the remains on his mouth with his thumb. Chongyuns face could never have been redder than it was at this moment. And surely it had never been before. Every particle of the energies in his body got confused. Caught in a chaos between the feeling of passing out and more energy than he had ever had, Chongyun had no choice but to pursue the first impulse he had. He suddenly grabbed the fabric on the shoulders of Aethers shirt with both hands, pulled the other towards him and pressed his lips to Aethers with his eyes tightly closed. His heart almost popped out of his chest when he heard a nervous gasp, but felt Aether sink into the kiss and return it.
It was a clumsy, rather inexperienced kiss, but enough to show what Chongyun felt for Aether and vice versa.

Although he was incredibly excited,  he felt a lot calmer than before and smiled slightly as they broke the kiss again, Aether's hand still resting on his cheek.
"Sorry. I was just a little confused."
"Don't worry. How about doing that again?"
Chongyun felt like he had heard Aether say something similar before and felt strangely warm when he remembered that it was once Aether's suggestion to keep meeting.
But instead of asking if Aether really wanted that, he just nodded briefly, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Didn't I tell you? After all, I'm the best match maker in all of Teyvat."
"...really? Praising yourself?"
Xingqiu and Xiangling giggled while Paimon put her hands on her hips, all three tucked behind a pillar a few meters away from Aether and Chongyun.

Chapter Text

"Do you want to write a poem too? Paimon thinks whoever you like would be happy about it!", Paimon asked smiling happily while she shoved sticky honey roast into her kirby-esque mouth.
"Whoever I like? ...You know that I like somebody?", Aether looked a bit confused, almost embarrased.
"Now I do!", the pixie giggled and Aether sighed. Yes, now she knew that he actually had a crush, luckily she didn't know who and Aether would do his best not to reveal it either.
"...I don't think I'm good at writing  poems. That would be more embarrassing than romantic in any way..."
"Yeah.. Paimon is pretty sure you'd suck at this. Hehe...But we could buy a gift. Or go out to dinner with them? Food is always good idea!"
"Paimon ... if I ever go out with that person, you definitely won't come along. You don't just take your traveling companion with you on a date. And not anyone else either."
"Meanie! You're about to get a nickname too!"
Aether laughed and Paimon stubbornly shoved another piece of meat into her already stretched cheeks.

A gift. Without wanting to admit it, Aether didn't think the idea of getting a present was too bad. But what should he buy? Of course he knew what Venti liked, but wine and apples didn't seem like the best gifts. Not to express what he couldn't say. Majorie's offers didn't quite convince him and since he wanted to keep it a secret, he couldn't ask anyone else.
He was about to give up when Jean inadvertently gave him an idea. Maybe, but really just maybe he wasn't as unromantic as he'd thought. Hopefully he wasn't as unromantic as he'd thought.

The Windblume festival took its course and Aether fulfilled his task of offering a flower to the anemo archon. It was not difficult for him to choose a flower, he knew exactly which one to take, regardless of whether someone else thought it was the right choice. Helping Venti clear Dvalin's territory, he thought about how to tell him what he needed to tell him. Getting more and more nervous he could hardly concentrate as they looked at the landscape and Venti explained that there was no right choice in the sense of freedom and love.
"Ehehe, enough serious words.", the bard stated, sat down on the edge and swung his legs in the air. Aether slowly sat down next to him and took a deep breath. Before he turned to Venti, he took something out of his pocket and held it out to the other.
"Huh? ..ehe..you don't have to give me a flower personally too.", Venti said with a grin when he accepted the windwheel aster anyway.
"I know ... it's not a gift to you as Barbatos, but to you as Venti .. you know ... I didn't choose the windwheel aster for nothing ... I ... uhm... whenever I see them I have to think of you. The way they swing in the wind, how the leaves turn, it all reminds me of you...and that makes me smile. ..it makes me feel at home even if I'm far away from home..it makes me feel in company even when I'm alone ... you..you make me feel this way ...", Aether's voice was shaky and most of the time he looked into the distance instead of looking at Venti. Fiddling nervously with his scarf, he waited for some reaction from the bard.

Venti was blushing heavily. For once he lacked the words to answer directly, he didn't even giggle like he usually did.
"..Aether...", he started to whisper but stopped himself again. Aether's heart raced, that Venti didn't answer made everything worse. He would have loved to just jump off the edge, embarrased and confused. When the bard suddenly swung his arms around his torso and hugged him tightly, Aether couldn't suppress a nervous giggle.
Venti was almost sitting on Aethers lap when he looked at him and grinned happily.
"Does that mean you want to date me? Hehe...only if you pay.", he said cheerfully and squeaked when Aether poked him in the side, looking at him fake upset.
"..Venti..I'm serious..", the blonde mumbled, slowly lifting his arms to return the hug.
Venti giggled but instead of answering, he pressed a kiss on Aether's lips, wrapped his arms around Aether's neck and looked at him lovingly.
"I know. So where are we going? After these words I do have some expectations for our first date~"
"...first date...oh..hmm....how do I impress an old man like you?..hm what do old people like to do? Feed birds? Go for a walk? Or is that too strenuous?", Aether said excessively serious and laughed when he saw the look on Ventis' face.
"Hey! You Meanie!"

Chapter Text

Warmth. It felt warm, like home, like love. A feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling he thought he would never feel again. But now, in that moment, he felt it. And it felt so incredibly real, even though he knew deep down that it couldn't be true.
But Childe had hoped for so long that everything that had happened was just a dream that he didn't dare to believe this feeling he had inside.
Sitting on the archon's lap, he wrapped his arms around his neck and smiled his most beautiful smile when the dark-haired wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I've missed you.", Childe whispered so softly that it was barely audible, an unbelievable vulnerability in his voice.
"I was never gone.", Zhongli replied so calm, almost like it was the most honest thing he'd ever said.
"That's not true and you know that. You've been gone so long already. I can barely remember you. Your eyes, your smell, your voice. It disappears more and more. And, although I never wanted to admit it, it scares me.", no one had ever seen Childe the way he looked at that moment. So sad, so lost. Zhongli slowly stroked his back and sighed.
"I am really sorry, Childe."
"You lied to me."
"No, I didn't lie. What I said was what I honestly believed. Nobody is in a position to predict which turn life is about to take."
"I believed you when you said you wanted to marry me. I believed you when you said you would never leave me. And when you promised to take me back to Snezhnaya if I should die here."
"You believed it because it was the truth."
"The truth ... now why is nothing like this truth?... I'm not even allowed to visit you."
"There is no need to visit me. I am not there. I did not die."
"Where are you if not there?"
"I am everywhere you want me to be. I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
And even if you are not able to see it at the moment, to feel it, the day will come when we will both return to where everything begins and nothing ends."
Childe scoffed, a few tears rolling down his reddened cheeks. He wanted to hit him as well as just hold on tight. Hate and love him. He was afraid to forget hin but at the same time wished it had never happened.
Zhongli pulled him closer hugged him tightly and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I am sorry.", he whispered while Childe clawed his hands in his back, hoping he could never leave again.
"... how is it where you are?", Childe asked carefully.
"I am nowhere. Only sometimes, on particularly dark days, I can see what could have been. It's beautiful and incredibly painful. I am not aware of what it means, but I regret that it did not turn out that way."
"...what did you see?"
"I shouldn't be telling you this, Childe. I don't want to hurt you anymore. But someday, maybe it will happen. Not here, not now, not us as we were, but we what we can be."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I have to believe in something to make the silence a little less loud."
Childe sighed and moved a little to kiss the archon. He felt his heart beat again when he felt the other's lips, the warm breath, the love he felt for him.

When he woke up it was cold. The bed empty, the room dark. It didn't smell like anything and felt lonely. Almost more than before. Childe sat up slowly and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. He sighed before stood up, dressed himself, took the bag he had packed months ago and stared at the picture on the wall that he had avoided looking at.
"Maybe it will happen, hm?", he whispered as he took the golden ring from the dresser and put it on his finger.
"..maybe it will."

-

"Ajax!"
"I'm coming! Just a sec!"
"Have you misplaced that weird ring again?"
"I need it! I don't know why but I think it's my lucky charm!"
"Ugh...That you believe in something like that...haha.. go now!"
The boy ran off, almost too late, as always, to catch the bus in time.
He sat down on the only free seat and smiled at the attractive man sitting next to him. The dark-haired simply smiled back.
"Peww...made it in time again. Believe without my lucky charm here I would miss the bus everyday. Maybe it'll bring me luck in other things too.", Ajax sounded happy even though he didn't even know why he was talking to a stranger, a bright grin gracing his lips.
"Maybe it will."

Chapter Text

Almost nothing had changed after the mission in Dragonspine. Venti had already feared that, but had somehow still hoped that Diluc would at least be a little more approachable. Maybe he really was. A little bit. A really tiny bit. But definitely not enough for Venti to even think about calling him his boyfriend. Were they even a thing at all?

Venti sighed as he watched Diluc clean some glasses and only half-heartedly listened to the conversation between Rosaria and Kaeya.
"Dare to place a bet?", Rosaria asked, a ominous smile gracing her lips, Kaeya nodded chuckling.
"Who would I be to say no to such a fun-promising opportunity~"
"Who would have thought this evening could turn out to be interesting."
A few minutes later the bets were placed and another bottle of wine emptied.
Maybe Venti should have listened. But since he hadn't done that, he didn't know that the bet would affect him too. And that the rather dangerous duo would cause both chaos and a change.

It took a while, but at some point the evidence of the crime began to show.
Diluc smiled. Quite a lot. When Venti heard him laugh about one of the absolutely not funny jokes of a guest too, he walked closer to the bar, put his arms on the counter and looked at the redhead very closely.
He had the feeling that something was wrong although it was nice to see Diluc smile more often. Now sitting at the bar he just watched the other and hardly noticed that Rosaria and Kaeya had also changed their seats.
For a while it seemed as if Diluc was actually just in a better mood than normal. Just when Venti just wanted to relax again, Diluc suddenly stood opposite him again and looked at him, somehow differently.

"You look cute today.", the redhead said as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him.
"..ehehe..tha-......wait, what?", Venti had blushed a little but just looked at Diluc confused, almost a little worried.
It got worse when the redhead put his hand on Venti's chin to lift his head a bit, leaned in and ... kissed him? In the middle of the tavern? Out of nowhere?
"I said that you look cute today.", he whispered against Venti's lips, a dangerous glint in his fiery eyes.
Venti blushed. Heavily. The all-too-familiar taste on Diluc's lips confused him, but his heart was beating far too fast to concentrate on it.
"Ehuh..Always trying my best to be the cutest bard in town~", he replied jokingly, maybe just to calm himself down again. He was damn old, why did this redhead manage to make him so nervous?
"I would say you are successful with that."

After that Diluc concentrated on his work again and Venti drank more than one cup of wine, again, just to calm down. Apart from that moment before and that he still smiled strangely often, everything seemed to be normal.

"I won. You'll pay.", Rosaria said, this time Venti listened.
"Hmm~ wouldn't say that.", Kaeya replied and chuckled a little.
"He literally kissed him. Do you need more evidence?"
"Wouldn't it be more interesting to see what else happens?", Kaeya asked and earned a slap on the back of his head from Rosaria.
"Ouch~"
"Admit that you've lost and make yourself useful. Not gonna waste time starring at an empty cup."
"All right, all right~"

Venti observed the two and listened carefully to them. He didn't know what they'd done, but that they'd done something. The longer he thought about it, the clearer it became to him. The taste on Diluc's lips was that of alcohol. No wine, sweeter, but definitely alcohol. Venti jumped up, climbed onto the bar, swung his legs to the other side and stopped Diluc from whatever he was doing.

"You're drunk. That's it.", he stated, a little amused but mostly worried.
"Nonsense. I'm fine. And besides, I already told you not to sit here.", Diluc replied like always but pushed himself between Venti's legs, grabbed him by the hip and lifted him from the bar. That wouldn't have been unusual if he'd just dropped him off, but instead of doing that, he just sat him on the counter on his side of the bar, stayed between his legs and kissed him again. A little more passionate this time. Of course Venti returned the kiss but giggled a little as soon as they broke it again.
"..ehe.. ...yep, you're dru-", before Venti could finish his sentence, Diluc kissed him again, shoving his tongue into his mouth to shut him up. The little surprised squeak that wanted to leave Ventis lips fell silent between their tongues. It felt nice to feel him everywhere in his mouth, everything of him was warm. The red eyes that looked at him when they broke the kiss again were half-lidded and dangerously hungry but it was exciting to see them just focused on him. And only him.

It had been quite some time since someone had last looked at him like that. But even though he was willing to just ignore where they were, Venti knew very well that Diluc would freak out tomorrow if he wouldn't stop him now. The bard slowly wiggled out of Dilucs grip and pushed him away a little, trying to create some space between them. When the redhead was about to growl, Venti pressed his finger to his lips to shush him.
"It's not proper to do that in company, Mr. gets-horny-when-drunk~..hehe..", he whispered amused. Perhaps he thought that this was enough to wake something up inside Diluc, but the fact that less than a second later he wasn’t sitting on the counter but was dragged out of the tavern and back to the winery convinced him otherwise. Venti giggled most of the time. It was very surprising to see what a little, or maybe a little bit too much, alcohol could do to the ever-dapper redhead.

Venti felt like he hadn't even blinked since they left the tavern and the moment his back slammed onto the satin bedspread of Dilucs way-too-big-for-one-person-bed.

-

Exhausted, tired and satisfied, Venti curled up a little, laid his head on Diluc's chest and listened to his heartbeat, which was still fast. He smiled happily when the taller one took him in his arms and slowly closed his eyes. He didn't care if he was clean or not, if his wrists ached or  his legs still trembled, he just wanted this moment to stay as it was for as long as possible. If he had noticed, he would have been sad that he fell asleep only a little later.

-

The chatter of the maids in the house was slowly waking the redhead. He groaned in annoyance and a bit of a headache as he opened his eyes.
It took a few seconds before he realized he wasn't alone and even more seconds until he halfway remembered what had happened that night. The bite marks on Venti's neck and bruises on his wrists, that rested on Diluc's chest, were an unpleasant confirmation that his memory was true. It shot a booming pain into his head and let Venti fall harshly back onto the matress again when he sat up rapidly. Drowsy eyes looked at the naked man that now sat on the edge of the bed like he was petrified.

"...mornin'..", Venti mumbled rubbing his eyes, a tired smile on his lips.
"Get out.", the incredibly harsh tone in the other's voice made him wake up faster than he would have liked.
"... huh?", Venti slowly sat up, rubbing the bruises on his wrists, and looked worriedly at Diluc.
"Get out of my house.", his words made the bards heart ache.
"...What's wrong? I..thought...maybe.."
"Whatever you thought is wrong."
Venti sat there in silence for a few seconds, he definetly felt like crying. At some point he slowly crawled out of the bed and gathered up his clothes, but paused for a moment before he got dressed again.
"Diluc....If you really regret it, the night and me, then I'll have to accept that. But listen to me for a moment. I promise to go after that.", Venti, no, Barbatos, sounded a lot more serious than normal.

"Birds have wings to fly. Every day when they open their eyes they know that their wings are there to carry them where they belong. Their muscles set the wings in motion and for a brief moment, for a bit, that is enough to let them soar into the air. But without the wind, they can't make it far. Without the wind, they would never reach the top of a tree or cross the seas. They would just be trapped where they were, even if they might never have gone there willingly.", Barbatos spoke incredibly calmly as he dressed. He wasn't going to explain what he was saying and just snuck out of the room afterwards even if it hurt incredibly.

Venti sighed when he went to the tavern for the fifth day in a row and Diluc wasn't there again. He hadn't seen him since that night and was beginning to really believe that it was over before it started. Charles didn't know where he was, Rosaria was temporarily banned from the house and Kaeya, who didn’t obey the ban, was too busy cooling his bloodshot and swollen black eye to care about where Diluc was. Even Albedo, who hadn't even known what he had created the special liquor for, had traces of an encounter with Diluc on his skin.
Somewhat depressed, the bard went to his favorite place and sat down in the branches of the big tree, looking into the distance. He closed his eyes and wiggled his legs a little, enjoying the breeze. That had always helped when he wasn't feeling well, even today it was enough to calm him down. For a while it was just quiet, the soft footsteps in the meadow could hardly be heard.

"I'm not going up there."
"Will you catch me if I jump down?"
"Always."
Venti giggled a little but just jumped off the tree, of course he didn't really need to be caught.
"I was afraid I won't see you again...you know, outside the tavern."
"Forgive me. Expressing feelings is not exactly my forte. And dealing with them probably even less."
"Ehuh. We all know~"
"Venti."
"Hehe..sorry~ So? You love me, don't you?", Venti asked teasingly, making Diluc sigh.
"I wouldn't go that far yet. But that doesn't mean that it won't be like that one day.", Diluc replied but wrapped an arm around the others waist and pulled him closer, the other hand raised to cup Ventis cheek.
The smaller one smiled warm and nodded.
"Hmh. I think that's enough for now.", he replied and carefully placed his hand on Diluc's chest.
The following kiss was short and gentle but meaningful.
Diluc even smiled a little when they broke it and Venti grinned.

The redhead didn't know what he was getting himself into but, yes, he was ready to find out. Sober. And because he wanted to.

Chapter Text

"The Golden House? Aaagaaaiiin?", Paimon asked annoyed, almost reproachful but Aether only nodded.
"Are you telling me again that it's aaaall about materials?", she asked making Aether roll his eyes. For the past few weeks she had always insinuated that he would go there for other reasons and Aether had always denied that. But slowly it annoyed him a lot. Even if there were other reasons, it was none of her business.
Yes, to be honest, the blonde was looking forward to the meetings with Childe. The training was good for him too, the materials were important, but most of the time it was the conversations that followed that he treasured. Something in them was familiar to Aether. If only the fact that they were both far away from home and Childe loved his siblings as much as Aether loved Lumine. For those brief moments, the world didn't feel as lonely as usual anymore. Still, Aether knew only too well that Childe was dangerous. And actually his enemy. But who determined who was his friend or enemy in this world that he hardly really understood?

The Golden House seemed to be empty. It was still in ruins and although it was guarded it looked deserted. The mood in there was strange, threatening and yet very calm.  The blonde walked around the huge hole in the ground to check on Childe, but all he saw was blood, more debris and a broken arch. The sight made him feel strangely restless and worried.

"Childe? Are you in here?", he yelled through the hall but received no answer. It didn't feel good. Something was definitely was wrong.
"Childe? Is everything ok?", he yelled again and slowly climbed down over the rubble to look around. At first he saw nothing, then more blood, new debris, the traces of a broken pillar that looked a lot like one of the archon's pillars and then he saw him. Trapped under a rock, unconscious, half himself half in his foul legacy form. The mask shattered. Out of reflex, Aether stormed off, smashed the rock that had trapped Childe and knelt next to him to examine him. He breathed. He had a weak but stable pulse. Several bad injuries were all over his body. Stab wounds, wounds with fragments of rock in them and some that looked like cracks. Aether took a deep breath to collect himself, as his hands were shaking and his heart beating way to fast. He knew what to do but he hesitated. This moment would be perfect to end it. To get rid of this enemy for good. And even though his mind told him it was the right thing to do, his body didn't move an inch. He was frozen in place and just stared at Childe. Most likely it would take care of itself if he would just wait because Childe was badly wounded, but Aether didn't want that either. The enemy was supposed to die, but did he want to lose a friend?

"...do it...if you want ... I won't...blame you ...", Aether heard the faint, barely audible words of the ginger and looked up immediately. The ocean eyes, which were bloodshot and glassy, looked at him so incredibly warm as he had never seen them before. It ached just to look at them.
"What happened?", Aether wanted to say a lot and nothing at all. He crouched next to Childe and just looked at him almost expressionless.
"..you..look...pretty...right now...I'm...not mad...to see you...the moment... I die ...", Childe replied,  every word seemed to cost him a lot of strength and yet he grinned weakly, but as he had often done before.
"Really? Do you want to say that now? Now that it could be the last thing you say? You're really stupid, Childe."
"..maybe...I am..."
The ocean eyes closed. And suddenly it was incredibly quiet in the golden house.

"Well, will you explain your decision to me?"
"I can't... but I know it was you that caused his condition."
"It was. There are rules that he must obey or face the consequences. As I can see, fate was merciful to him this time too, but I won't be next time."
"..do you hate him?"
"No, not a bit. Whether he receives my protection or my anger depends on his actions. Not on my feelings."
"....Thanks for helping me anyway."

Childe could not see but hear them, distant and dull but still every word. He knew the voices. And the feeling he just had. The feeling of all and nothing. Of loud and quiet. Of warm and cold. Of calm and restlessness. His body trembled a little, the muscles ached, it was hard to breathe, almost too strenuous and yet he was relieved that he did it. That he breathed. That he could hear their voices. That he could feel the pain and the cold cloth that was on his forehead.

"You are awake, aren't you?", Aether asked quietly after Zhongli left and exchanged the cloth on Childes forehead.
"It will get better soon, don't worry.  Your wounds are deep but not life threatening. The fever is already going down. As soon as you can sit up a little, I'll get you some soup and tea. Oh and those cookies your sister sent.", Aether explained and put his hand on Childes uninjured upper arm to stroke it cautiosly.
"...my...sister?", Childe whispered and tried to open his eyes.
"Yes, she sent a package after hearing about your condition. Snacks and gifts and a letter for you and one for me."
"...Why ... does she ...know?"
"She wrote letters. I haven't read them but at some point I thought she might worry if you don't answer, so I wrote to her."
Childe smiled a weak smile. A thankful one and looked at Aether. His eyes were still a bloody mess but at least he could see the blonde who was sitting by his bed.
"...you're...my savior, hm?...a..pretty...one"
"Childe, don't say that. I thought about letting you die. I wanted to let you die. I am not a savior.  Not your savior."
"..and yet here ...I am ..."
Aether sighed, stood up, turned and was about to leave the room when he turned around again and looked at Childe.
"Get some sleep, I'll check back on you later. As soon as you are healthy, we will go our separate ways again. I am not your savior. And just like Zhongli said, if you harm me on my journey, then I will not spare you again. No matter what I feel for you.", he stated and left the quiet room quickly.
Childe stared at the ceiling. He had so much to deal with. He almost died, defeated by the archon, spared by the traveler. Saved by the traveler. He thought of his family, his homeland, his queen, the fatui, his mission and his plans. He thought of everything he had been, what he was now and what he could be. But in spite of everything, only Aether's last sentence echoed through his mind.
"...what...he feels..for me..", he mumbled to himself and closed his eyes exhausted. There was nothing else he could do in this condition. At this moment.

Two weeks had passed since that moment. Aether came regularly to check on him, sometimes Zhongli, or the green-haired doctor whose name he no longer knew. Everyone was distant, alienated and yet they came to see him. It was just a job for the doctor, but why did the other two come to visit? Out of guilt? Affection?
Childe didn't know. He sat in the bed and read the letters Tonia sent him quietly. Archons, he really missed her. But the last letter brought a smile to his face.

'We're glad that you have such a nice friend. Aether is his name, right? Take him with you when you come back home. Mom says he seems to be too good for you, but if he manages to beat the stupid shit out of your head, then she'll agree to accept him as a son-in-law.'

Childe laughed softly. No one had ever talked about it and yet his family was talking about something that wasn't even true. Even if it didn't feel that bad at all. It actually felt good. Down to earth. Calm. The opposite of plans to conquer the world. Childe chuckled and put the letter aside when Aether entered the room.

"You're in a good mood, eh? Did something happen?", the blonde asked and took a seat on the bed next to Childe.
"My family loves you. I don't know what you did, but they seem to talk about you a lot. In a good way. My mom even seems to like you more than me, haha..", Childe answered with a grin and raised his arm to put his hand on Aether's leg, but pulled it back before he even touched him.
"Oh..uhm I only wrote them letters when you were barely awake. Just that they don't worry.", Aether hadn't moved away but didn't respond to Childes' stopped try to touch him.
"Nevermind. Now that you're feeling better, I'll continue my journey. Doctor Baizhu and Zhongli will still check on you every now and then. Give greetings to your family when you see them. And take care of yourself.", Aether sounded strange when he said that and got up again. Childe wanted to stop him, tell him what he had been thinking about for the past few weeks, what he was feeling, but he couldn't. Actually, they weren't even friends, were they? And just because Aether had taken care of him, it hadn’t changed much, had it? No, they were so different. They had different dreams and different goals.
Childe sighed and nodded silently, the grin gone from his face.

"There'll always be a tomorrow, you know?", Aether said, bent down to Childe and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Without saying another word, he turned and left, leaving all sorts of emotions behind.
"Tomorrow eh?"

"Are you all right?", Paimon asked when she accompanied Aether on the way out of Liyue. The blonde nodded.
Yes, at some point in all the chaos he had fallen in love with Childe. Maybe even before. He had enjoyed being around him, he had cared for him and even felt joy writing the letters. He had slept by Childe's bed many lonely nights and held his hand. And on even lonelier days he had dreamed of what they could be if they weren't what they are. And it felt good. Too good. Aether knew it wasn't true. And couldn't be true. But each morning brought a new day and maybe, if only maybe, one day he would meet Childes family. As something he wasn't, but wanted to be. His friend. His boyfriend.

Chapter Text

A small stretch, a little yawn, drowsy eyes and hazy memories of last night. Chongyun didn't know where he was and even less why he was there. The room was too nice, too expensive, the bed too soft. That was clearly not his sleeping place but ....
Rubbing his eyes, slowly sitting up he recognized the room as Xingqiu's. He had been there once or twice, not too often, but often enough to recognize the room. He stretched again and winced at the burning sensation on his back. Did he hurt himself? Feeling the skin with his hand, he felt scratches, several too far apart to have come from a cat. Had he fallen into a thorn bush? Or fought something? Had the evil spirits come to get him? No, it wasn't like that. only when he looked around did he finally notice that Xingqiu was sleeping next to him. He jumped out of bed as if struck by lightning, his cheeks immediately turned tomato red, the energy in his body immediately became chaotic. He looked down at himself almost panicing, but sighed in relief when he realized he was dressed. At least partly. With a racing heart he slumped back on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. He needed a popsicle. As quickly as possible.

Drowsy Xingqiu looked at Chongyun and grinned slightly when he saw how frightened the other looked. Did he really panic just because he slept here?
"Good morning my liege~ Slept well?", he asked as he sat up and stretched his body, a cute little yawn leaving his lips afterwards.
"...uhm..yeah I guess I did..but why am I even here?", Chongyun replied, he still couldn't look at Xingqiu with that shiny red blush on his cheeks.
Xingqiu paused. He could just tell him the truth, but when else would he have the chance to play such a prank on Chongyun again? He suppressed a giggle and looked fake worriedly at the other.
"What do you mean, Yunnie? Don't scare me like that.", he replied concerned. The sound of his voice made the light blue-haired finally turn around, his heart raced even faster when he noticed how worried Xingqiu looked.
"....I..I'm sorry..uhm but what are you talking about? Should I know..why I am here?", he asked confused, worried, and above all, much too amiable to continue playing this game, but now that it had started, Xingqiu didn't want to end it that fast.

"YunYun...Did you hit your head? Please don't tell me now that you no longer know that we ..."
"..that we..what?"
Xingqiu sighed and moved closer to Chongyun, wrapped his arms around his waist from behind and planted a kiss on his neck.
"..that we started dating?"
He was glad that Chongyun couldn't see how red his cheeks had turned. In the first place it was a lie to prank Chongyun, but if he would believe it and agree, then Xingqiu wouldn't be angry at all. Actually he would be happy. And while he was thinking about it, it occurred to him that this prank had been a very stupid decision.

"DATING?!", it bursted out of Chongyun, shocked, startled, confused. The question was followed by silence. Awkward silence. Agonizing silence. Xingqiu could feel how fast the others heart was beating, how his hands were shaking and his breathing was unsteady. What felt like an eternity later, Chongyun turned around and looked at Xingqiu as if the world had just ended infront him.
"Yun..I..uhm.."
"I'm sorry! Oh archons how could I forget..I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened. Maybe I really hit my head yesterday. I was on the road a lot and stressed and I ran out of popsicles and ... Please don't be angry. You know I love you, you do, right?", every word that left the light blue-haireds lips sounded incredibly sorry and honest. Maybe it would have made Xingqiu laugh, make him say it was just a joke, but Chongyun's last words made his heart skip a few beats.
"....you do?", Xingqiu asked blushing like crazy, now incredibly confused himself and Chongyun nodded.
"Of course, always did...Wait ... Xingqiu? Have I never told you that before?", maybe now it would have been time to finaly tell the truth, but the blue-haired couldn't. For once, he didn't know what to say anymore. Xingqiu just shook his head and stared at Chongyun.

In impulses, the exorcist wrapped his arms around the other and pulled him close, hugging him tightly.
"Don't be angry with me. I promise this won't happen again.", he whispered, the boy in his arms froze in place even if his body trembled from the sudden closeness to Chongyun. Only after a few chaotic heartbeats did he raise his arms and returned the hug and nuzzled his face into the nape of the exorcists neck. Xingqiu took one or two deep breaths and suddenly began to giggle.
"You are very special my dear. In a lovable, slightly stupid manner. I could never be angry with you, but would you promise me not to be angry with me either?", Xingqiu whispered after he had calmed down a bit.
"Huh? Why should-", Chongyun paused. He was thinking. And when he finished that, he suddenly pushed the other away and looked at him really and honestly angry.
"Xingqiu! Don't tell me that you've been kidding me again! Do you know how confused I was? And what's more, you let me say things like that without stopping me. You're ... just awful.", he stated and rapidly stood up, grabbed the missing pieces of his outfit and went to the door of Xingqiu's room.
"I need some popsicles ..", he added and left, leaving a really devastated Xingqiu behind.
After a few seconds the light blue-haired came back and looked at Xingqiu questioningly.
"Are you coming now?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"What do you think who pays for it? That should be the least to apologize."
Xingqiu laughed and wiped the tears from his face that he couldn't stop before.
"Of course, my liege."

Holding a ton of popsicles in his hands Chongyun walked next to Xingqiu, looking like a hamster with all the popsicles in his mouth.
"..It didn't have to be that many...", he mumbled as soon as he could speak again and struggled with all the already melting popsicles in his hands. Xingqiu just grinned. He was relieved that Chongyun seemed to forgive him, but something did not leave him alone.
"Yun, have you been serious earlier?"
"What? That you're awful? Definitely.", the exorcist replied and laughed when Xingqiu pushed his arm into his side.
"Thats not what I meant."
"I know."
"So?"
"I firmly believed that I forgot that we were a couple, do you think I was able to lie to you?", Chongyun replied, but didn't look at Xingqiu anymore. The whole thing was embarrasing enough for him. Xingqiu nodded. And was silent for a moment. Another agonizing long moment.
"I reciprocate these feelings.", he mumbled at one point, also too embarrased to look at Chongyun.
And this time Chongyun just nodded, His cheeks tomato red again, but a happy smile on his otherwise confused, popsicle stuffed face.

"But could you tell me why I slept next to you?", Chongyun asked and Xingqiu blushed so hard that he couldn't hide it.
"I would rather not do that."
"Xingqiu! You didn't drag me into your room while I was fast asleep just to prank me, did you?"
"I deserve the reproach, but I'm really not that terrible. You came voluntarily. And you stayed voluntarily. And I pulled you out of the bushes completely confused. You better tell me what you did yesterday."
"...If only I knew. ...wait I think someone took a picture..", Chongyun rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled picture. On it he could be seen together with Aether, a nun and a man with an eye patch whom he knew just as little as the nun.
"Have you been a little drunk my dear Yun? ..I think I have to have a serious word with Aether. Who does he think he is to let my boyfriend be so drunk?"
"..Boyfriend?...", Chongyun asked and Xingqiu giggled which made Chongyun giggle too.
"Boyfriend.", the light blue-haired repeated with a small nod and smiled.

Chapter Text

1095 days.
26280 hours.
No, 26281 hours and 32 minutes.
Exactly 26281 hours and 32 minutes.

"He's still counting the hours, isn't he?", Ganyu asked, her eyes lingered on Xiao as she spoke to Zhongli. The archon nodded.
"Losing something that made the world around you, and yourself, change, is hard to bear.", he replied calm, a fatherly, slightly sad smile on his face.
"I almost don't dare to ask but do you think he'll come back?", Ganyu asked. It wasn't her pain and yet she felt so much compassion for Xiao that it hurt herself. And Zhongli was silent. Maybe he didn't know the answer. Maybe he knew. But whatever it was, he decided not to talk about it.
"He promised.", Xiao answered instead. Although he seemed absent, he had heard the conversation. And he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand them talking about him. Talking about Aether. The promise, those few words, were all he had. All that was left since Aether returned to his own world. To his home. With his sister. Taking her with him and leaving him behind.
26281 hours and 39 minutes ago.

Xiao got up. He couldn't stand sitting at a table with the adepti and pretending everything was fine. He couldn't stand the way Ganyu looked at him. And although he still valued him the most of all, he couldn't stand being around Zhongli either. As he left he noticed that the archon was following him, but didn't stop. Not this time. And Zhongli just walked next to him in silence for a while until they were far enough away from the other adepti. But it wasn't the archon who broke the silence.

"You didn't answer her. Would you answer if I asked the same question?", Xiao asked, looking at him just enough to see his expression.
"Do you assume that I know the answer?", the dark-haired asked expressionless, but it was precisely this lack of expression that was painful for Xiao. He nodded, slowly, tormented, and waited. Waited for a sign on Zhongli's face. Something that would tell him the truth. But there was no sign. Nothing that gave him a clue.
"Xiao, once I granted you freedom. And yet, since that day, you have never been free. The past, the present and now the uncertain future, everything is a prison for you. A small cage whose guard is none other than yourself. Whether I know an answer or not wouldn't change that.", the archon replied calm feeling the pain and hate that radiated from Xiao. Even if he was sorry, he could endure it in silence. Yes, he knew the truth, by chance, by fate, but he wasn't going to tell Xiao yet. Not today.

Xiao hadn't said another word. Hadn't looked at him again. He had just returned to his home. The place that gave him peace. But also the place that had become so excruciatingly quiet since Aether left. Everything there reminded him of the blonde traveler. The window through which they had watched the stars and Xiao had listened to Aether's stories for hours.  The flowers that had withered years ago and yet still stood where Aether had left them. The bed in which Aether had held Xiao in his arms on many nights and also on the one on which the yaksha finally understood what he felt for Aether. Everything. Everything reminded him of Aether. But nothing was there. Nothing of Aether was really there except the faint memories.
Xiao sighed when he slumped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
He was used to pain, suffering, torment, but never before could he endure it so badly as he did since the moment Aether had left him. On particularly bad, particularly dark days, he sometimes even wished he had never met him.

"Liar...", he whispered into nothingness and to himself and was about to just sink into his grief again when an almost silent noise startled him. With the tip of his polearm, he reflexively pinned the small yellowish creature against the wall that had previously floated into his room as if it belonged there. A Seelie. A yellow seelie.
"What do you want?", he asked, knowing full well that these creatures couldn't talk and withdrew his weapon. The Seelie bumped against Xiao's forehead as if it was angry and shook its little body afterwards. Only then did Xiao notice that there was something in the small body that looked suspiciously like Aether's earring.
He grabbed the Seelie and held it tight to look at it closely. Yes, it was definitely Aether's earring. Pain, anger, sadness and a tiny bit of joy rushed through him when he realized it. Was that Aethers Seelie? Aether had all sorts of pets. Seelies, Endora, Paimon. It was possible that this Seelie once belonged to him. It must have belonged to him. How else could it have his earring if Xiao didn't even have something from him?

"Aether.....you were with him, right?", he asked and although he didn't expect an answer, the little creature shook itself as if it were nodding. And Xiao was convinced that he had finally lost his mind.
"You understood what I said?", he asked and it 'nodded' again.
He didn't want to show it or even feel it,  but he couldn't suppress how excited he suddenly was. Xiao sank back onto the bed and just stared at the Seelie for several minutes in silence. Overwhelmed. And somehow, and if just minimally, happy.
"Did you come here all alone?"
It nodded.
"Brave. And way too careless. Just like him."
Xiao sighed. As happy as it made him to finally have something that could remind him of Aether, as much did it hurt.

The next morning it was still there. Also the next week. And the next month. It didn't matter how many times Xiao ignored it. No matter how many times he had told it that it should just leave when the anger or the sadness overwhelmed him. It stayed with him. And even if he didn't want to admit it, he had gotten used to it. And started to like it. At some point he had started to talk to the Seelie. To tell him stories of Aether. And of himself. And even if he didn't understand it, it at least made him feel a little better. At least for a while.
One evening he was standing on the balcony of the Inn, the Seelie beside him, staring into the distance. Actually he had sworn to himself not to ask the Seelie any questions about Aether but he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to know if it knew anything.

"Do you still remember him? Aether?", he asked quietly but the Seelie just shook its body as if to say no. It seemed to want to calm him down, maybe even to comfort him, but the implied 'no' had already caused too much harm.
"...I see."
For a moment he was just silent again. He hated himself for having hope. That he believed this little creature could bring Aether back to him. And even though he didn't want to, he got angry.  Incredibly angry.
"I was stupid to think you could change anything.", he stated before he just disappeared into nowhere, into the darkness. The yellow being tried to follow him but Xiao was gone and so it just sank back on the bed and waited. Minutes, hours, days. Days in which Xiao did not return.

"Was giving this opportunity enlightening enough to come to a decision?", a dark  voice asked and could it sigh, the Seelie would have sighed heavily. It slumped on the archon's shoulder and barely moved. It was almost palpable how desperate it was.
"I can't give you any more time. Not under these conditions. Not for the high price I've already paid to give you this opportunity. You already knew about his condition before you came here and now you could see for yourself. Perhaps you have hoped that he will forget or that you can give him comfort this way, but he cannot deal with this loss. Decide. If you stay, it will be forever. If you go, then also forever. With the morning sun it will have to be decided.", Xiao heard the Archon talk. He spoke to the Seelie, Xiao knew that although he couldn't see them, lurking behind the door, but he didn't understand anything of what the dark-haired was saying. When he bursted into the room, Zhongli had already disappeared and the Seelie floated to him as soon as he entered the room and settled on his head. It looked happy and yet somehow depressed. The yaksha took it in his hand and placed it on his chest after lying down. Although he did not know what the archon was talking about, although he did not understand it, he had the uneasy feeling that the next morning could bring a change that he could hardly bear. He held the Seelie tight until he fell asleep, forced by the exhaustion caused by the restless wandering through the country.

Chapter Text

".....If you asked the moon he would always choose the sun. No matter what question you ask. No matter which price he would have to pay. And no matter how far they were already apart. But if you were to ask the same question to the sun, all you would get in response would be a faint annoyed sound, hardly audible and yet as clearly as if you were the scorned lover who has to endure it silently. It had not always been that way; in the old days they were inseparable. The warmth of the sun healed the deserted moon that was barely old enough to understand who he was. And the moon promised the sun to be with him forever, to always protect him in return, and if he had to fall from the sky to prove it, then he would. He really would have done it. But on the day that changed everything, on that very day when the sun needed this proof so badly, he couldn't do it. So it happened that the sun expelled the moon, embittered and wounded. Even when the moon wanted to sacrifice the light that illuminated him, always admonishing him to his failure, in order to win back the sun, the sun only moved further away from him. So it happened that the fire of the sun grew hotter, driven by anger and bitterness while the cold enveloped the moon like a comforting embrace."

"Oh ...I can almost feel how sad the moon must have been. Say bard, does this story have a happy ending?"
"..truth be told, the end of this story has not yet been written ... who knows what tomorrow will bring .... hehe...."
The eyes of children and adults had rested on Venti as he told this story. Only one in the crowd of depressed faces knew that this story was not a fairy tale of days gone by.  That it was his story wrapped in the glittering cloak that fairy tales cast around every sad story. And although he knew that, his face hardly showed a sign that would have portrayed the bitterness in him. Only the sun itself could have guessed it, would have looked at him again with the big red eyes that looked at him so lovingly as a child.

Venti heard the sarcastic clap before he could even guess that Kaeya was near.
"What a heartbreakingly dramatic story you have told. I myself would hardly have been able to make such wonderful profit from someone else's story~", Kaeya's voice sounded sarcastic yet amused while his face showed the same smug expression as it mostly did. Venti giggled in return.
"Well, a bard has to earn his money.", he replied a small grin gracing his lips.
"But isn't it a bit exaggerated to use the sun and moon as symbols? An oh-so-dramatic story between two people would have served the same purpose."
"Perhaps there is more to a fairy tale than the narrator's imagination. ..ehe.. it's time to leave for me my friend~"
And with just a blink of an eye, Venti had already run away. Kaeya could barely catch a glimpse of his green cloak as he disappeared into the crowd.

Sun and moon. How ridiculously dramatic that was. Kaeya tried to brush the story off with a tired smile as he left to continue his work, but the story, the bard's words didn't leave him alone. The sun. His sun... No, he hadn't been his sun in a long time. The knight sighed as he put the papers back on the table and left Jean's office again, too distracted to deal with the frustratingly boring affairs.

Although he didn't know, and even though Venti didn't know, someone else had also recognized the story. Not as part of the crowd, but as a silent listener far enough away not to be seen. Diluc made a contemptuous noise when he left the main square. What nonsense, he had thought. As exaggerated as only the pesky bard could have put it, he had mumbled to himself. As if the sun had ever needed a moon. He loathed everything about the story, but for a brief moment he felt like he could feel the sadness of the moon. His moon. Annoyed, he shook the thought off. What nonsense, he had thought again.

This day was hardly different from any other, maybe the night sky was a little brighter and the wind a little warmer, but otherwise this day was hardly distinguishable from any other. There was nothing special about it and yet it had robbed two souls of the sleep they both needed. Kaeya, although he was often more appearance than reality, was honest with himself and allowed himself, if only for the moment, to sink into the feeling that the story had created inside him. Diluc couldn't and didn't want to do the same. But even he could not protect himself from his subconscious that chased the feelings in the sense of truly vivid dreams and nightmares through his mind.
"My sun ..."
"My moon..."
Even though they were so far apart, these words left her lips at the same time. One was followed by a chuckle, the other by an annoyed sigh. And yet it was the same expression that graced their faces.

The first time Kaeya came into the tavern and teasingly called the other his sun, Diluc ordered him to shut up and if he didn't want to be useful, to leave too. Also the second, third and fourth time. The fifth time he was silent. Even the sixth time. And countless times after that.
One evening Kaeya could have sworn that he had heard a quiet 'my moon' from the other, but in life he would not have dared to say anything about it. So he drank his wine silently, ignoring the sweet feeling that had caused his heart to miss a beat.

Maybe hours, weeks or even months had gone by since they both had listened to the story but it was tattooed into their minds, no drug of this world could have erased it. And even if one little bard could have erased this story from their minds, he was hardly interested in tearing this little bond of fate that was beginning to form again.

That night was very different from the first night where it started. The moon was covered with clouds, rain washed over the land while the wind only made the cold crawl through the windows of the barely illuminated houses. That night felt ominously lonely as Diluc was on his way back to the winery. He didn't care about the rain, nor the darkness, nor the cold. But an uneasy feeling did not leave him alone. It was hardly to be called fear and yet this would have been the right name for what Diluc felt. Fear. Of what?, he wondered. Poured by rain, he looked up at the cloud-shrouded moon and sighed. At that moment it looked like the moon would never light up the night again and although he wasn't aware of it, it was exactly what scared him. That this moon would no longer illuminate  the sky. No not this moon. His moon.
He hardly noticed how soaked his clothes were or how cold his limbs got as he stood there and stared at the sky.  Only when the strange and yet so familiar feeling of a weight on his shoulders tore him from his thoughts did he look around and met the periwinkle eyes that smiled at him.

"Not the best weather to enjoy the view, don't you think my sun?~", his voice had a teasing undertone and yet a noticeable touch of affection that had never passed. It was his coat that protected the redhead from getting more soaked and cold now, no matter how wet he was himself. Diluc didn't say anything. He said nothing for an agonizing long time and at some point just turned away to look up at the sky again.
"And yet not bad enough.", he said, adding to Kaeya's question, subconsciously wrapping the coat more tightly around himself even though he didn't feel cold.
Kaeya chuckled. And nodded.
"Then... let's wait together until the clouds disappear."

And they did. Soaked, completely exposed to the rain, they waited until the sky cleared, the rain disappeared and even until the sun rose. And they talked. For the first time in so many years.

"Didn't I tell you that it would work?", Venti asked, protected by someone else's umbrella and giggled as the other nodded.
"A truly fascinating way to reconnect two souls."

Chapter Text

The morning sun only lit up the small room through a gap between the curtains and yet it was enough to end the cozy trance of the night. Without opening his eyes Xiao knew that the Seelie was no longer with him and yet he ran his fingers over his chest to be sure. He was alone. He had already suspected it, no, feared it, and yet he could feel a pain in his chest where his heart was. The decision had been made against him. The sound that left the yaksha's lips was so soft and yet full of pain and contempt. Contempt for himself for having hope, for believing in something he didn't even understand, and contempt for ever allowing himself to fall in love. No, to love. Truly. Deeply. 'Love, what a worthless word', he thought bitter and got up to start his day like every other day. After all, it had never been and never would be more like any other day, right?

"..Xiao..", a voice he knew so well whispered sleepily. In all the bitterness about the missing of the Seelie, the adeptus had not noticed that he was not alone. He hadn't heard the quiet breathing next to him or smelled the scent of the other. He was so convinced that the decision had been made against him that he did not believe in what his senses were telling him. He got startled now that he had heard the voice. In a flash he turned around and pressed the tip of his polearm against Aether's neck. It was a reflex, a habit, trained to destroy what threatened him and yet the spear instantly fell to the floor when he realized that there was really Aether sitting on his bed. A little more grown up, a little taller, but a frightened, a little lost Aether.

He could barely take a breath before his heart began to race and his body to tremble. Aether, it echoed through his head, so loud that it took his breath away. Aether, Aether, Aether, again and again, always a little bit louder, almost threateningly. He couldn't say anything, couldn't move, couldn't think. Xiao could only stand there and stare at the blonde, overwhelmed and torn between the warring feelings inside him. He gasped when the oxygen levels in his blood began to drop, triggered by holding his breath for too long.
"...Aether...", he whispered cautiosly, fearing that it wasn't true, that what he was seeing wasn't reality.
"Xiao...I...I am back...", the blonde replied insecure and almost ashamed, filled with guilt and regret and yet he smiled, happy to finally see Xiao again. Xiao backed away, getting one step closer to the wall until his back felt the cold of it and his hands clawed the wood until his fingers began to bleed. It was too much for him. Far too much to understand, to process. Aether, he had waited so long for him, longed for him and hated himself a little more every day and now he was sitting there. Now he sat there as if he had never been anywhere else. Xiao winced as Aether slowly moved out of bed, trying to sit up and get to him. But being a Seelie had weakened his body, impaired the connection between body and soul. So he just sank on the floor in front of the bed as he tried to approach Xiao. It wasn't an impact, it didn't hurt either, and yet Xiao reflexively ran to catch him. Although he could hardly breathe himself, everything he felt about Aether outweighed his own overwhelming, warring emotions. His bloody hands held the other so tightly as if they wanted to prevent him from ever leaving again. Without thinking, the yaksha hugged the other even tighter and buried his face in the nape of Aethers neck, another gasp leaving his lips as he did so.

Aether chuckled very quietly, surprised and relieved, and put his arms around Xiao's trembling body to hold him tight. It was so long ago that he had felt him, that they had been so close. Maybe after four years it should have been strange but it wasn't. It was familiar. Aether was here. He was at home. He was finally back where the one he felt at home with was.
"..Xiao.. I'm home again... and I'm not leaving again ... Xiao, I'm so incredibly sorry ...", Aether whispered while hugging Xiao so tightly, fearing that he would not forgive him, that this moment, driven by worry, would soon end and with it everything that he had hoped for. Aether's heart ached as he thought about it. He knew it was and would be his fault. That it was he who would have ruined everything and that if Xiao didn't want to forgive him, he never would. But Xiao did not leave. He didn't talk to him either, but he still clasped his hands in the fabric of Aether's shirt and pressed his face to his neck so tight that he could hardly breathe.
"...I am so sorry...", Aether whispered again but this time Xiao backed away from him a little, held him a little less tightly, and looked at him, cold, expressionless.
"I don't want to hear it.", he replied harsh and let go of Aether completely after he had helped him back on the bed.
"Apologies are nothing but empty words.", he added and turned even if his whole body told him to stay, but he needed time. Time to process, time to heal. And at that moment he wasn't ready to listen, he wasn't ready to forgive. And he would never be willing to pretend those four years didn't mean anything. Without another word, he disappeared in an instant, leaving Aether behind. It hurt incredibly, so painful that it took his breath away, but Aether knew that it was all his fault.

Just as he had waited for Xiao as Seelie, he waited now too. There was nothing else he could do, his body obeyed him very slowly and before he would visit anyone else he had to sort things out with Xiao. He had to tell him the truth. He had to tell him why he hadn't come back but also that he would never leave now. Aether had lost the sense of time when he woke up hours, days maybe weeks later one night to the creaking of the wooden floor in the room. It was too dark to see and yet he knew, when he saw the amber eyes that were looking at him, that he had nothing to fear.
"..Xiao..", he whispered, afraid that Xiao would leave again.
"Please...let me explain...Just once ... please just listen to me for a moment ... I just want you to know the truth...", he almost sounded begging as he sat up.
"I don't want to hear it.", Xiao again sounded so harsh, so dismissive but he didn't go away, he didn't disappear, no, he slowly came closer to him.
"Xiao...please..."
"I don't care what you have to say. Words are worthless. You had made your decision, why doesn't matter. It never matters. Words cannot change what has already happened. You cannot change that. Humans.. tsk ... you are always convinced that meaningless drivel can fix the damage...or wash away your own guilt just to make yourself feel better.", Xiaos voice had an undertone of contempt but sounded less harsh. Without another word he sat down on Aethers lap so that his legs straddled his hips and wrapped his arms around Aethers neck. He pressed his whole body against the other's and buried his face in the nape of his neck again.
"There is nothing to explain and nothing to forgive. What has happened cannot be undone. If you want the future to be different, bear the guilt of the past alone and keep it as a reminder.", Xiao whispered against Aether's skin, the blonde could feel the warm breath and hesitantly returned the other's embrace. Aether just nodded, tormented, but still he didn't feel bad. Yes, he wanted to explain everything to Xiao, but if Xiao was willing to forgive him without all of that, then he would endure the feeling of guilt willingly.

"I will not leave anymore...never again. I thought I was at home where Lumine is, but I'm at home where you are...and only where you are .."
"Prove it instead of just saying it."
"I will."
"What about her, your sister?"
"She lives, she loves, she is free. I won't be able to see her often, but that's...ok. My home is here, my family is here and maybe one day she will be able to be part of it again. But time will tell. It is her life. And it's time to live mine."
Xiao only nodded and if it had been possible at all, he had snuggled up to Aether even more. Aether could barely breathe with all of Xiao's weight on him, but that didn't matter.
The blonde buried one of his hands in Xiao's hair while the other was around his waist and hugged him tightly.

"...I've missed you all the time ..", Aether stated quietly but only earned a low growl close to his ear which made him chuckle. He tilted his head and closed his eyes to enjoy each kiss the yaksha placed on his neck.
"..we don't have to..", Aether whispered while his fingers traced over Xiao's back, feeling every scar on it like he wanted to memorize every inch of his skin again.
Unexpectedly, Xiao slipped back a little and looked at him blankly.
"You do not want to? Fine.", he answered and was about to move away from Aether completely, when the blonde suddenly grabbed his wrists, using his newly acquired size to turn and pin him on the mattress far too easily. Aether grinned now towering over him, bending down to whisper into Xiao's ear in a seductive voice that he had never heard from himself before.
"Didn't say I don't want to. Just thought that you might need some time but if you already react that way again ... How much do you think can be made up in one night?"

-

"I..missed you..too..", Xiao whispered between his still unsteady breaths as he sank down on Aethers chest, rested his head on it and closed his eyes listening to his strong but calm heartbeat.

He didn't know when sleep would envelop him, but he knew that he no longer feared tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Absolutely nothing went according to plan. The mission on which he had accompanied Aether failed, the weather was unbearable and the use of his foul legacy had exhausted him more than expected. Childe loved to use every opportunity to train, still, today was probably the shittiest day in a long time. Completely soaked, exhausted and frustrated both dragged themselves to Mondstadt, it was too late for Childe to return to Liyue, and ended up agreeing to visit the Angel's Share. Warming up and having a drink sounded quite pleasant after that horrible day.

"..but Childe ... before we go in ... could we please just not talk about who or what you are?", Aether asked sounding stern but insecure to the same amount. Childe grinned and hesitated to answer long enough to annoy Aether.
"Yeah, sure. Let's just get some drinks comrade.", he finally said, opening the door of the tavern.

Inside, it was warm, somewhat cozy, enough guests to not feel alone but not too much for it to be crowded. Charles worked at the bar, much to Aether's relief, Kaeya and Rosaria sat apart from the other guests and Venti was busy trying to explain why he should definitely get more free wine.
"Quite okay, kinda reminds me of the ones in my homeland... But didn't you say a hot redhead works here?", Childe asked smug, making Aether blush more than he wanted to.
"...I said that he sometimes works here ... and that he has a pyro vision ..", Aether mumbled embarrased.
"He isn't hot?"
".....ngh...he is...."
Childe laughed taking a seat at the bar, briefly glancing at Venti before he turned back to Charles and ordered whatever Charles could recommend and whatever Aether was allowed to have.
"Say friend, if you're already that generous, you've surely got a few coins to spare for a new friend, don't you?", Venti asked smiling overly cute whereupon Aether just rolled his eyes and sighed.
"You have no shame at all, do you?", he asked in disbelief, wishing that his apple juice would actually contain alcohol to drown how embarrassed Venti made him feel.
"Friend, huh? Didn't know we're friends yet~ See, someone taught me that you should get something in return for what you give, what are you offering me?" Childe replied with a small grin and Aether could swear that Venti knew immediately who had taught the ginger something like that.
An exaggerated sigh was followed by a giggle and Venti simply grabbed the bottle of wine that was in front of Childe. Before Childe could stop him from running away himself, someone else had already grabbed his collar and lifted him slightly, a smug expression on the strangers face.
"You truly know no limits, hm? I thought Diluc had taught you some manners by now~", Kaeya stated and winked at the bard when he set him down again and took the bottle from his hands. Venti only rolled his eyes over-dramatically and giggled a little, turning back to Charles to keep annoying him instead.

"Could have done that alone, but thanks.", Childe said rather emotionlessly but couldn't help but stare at Kaeya. A slight smirk started to form on his lips when his eyes lingered on the other's chest longer than they should. Well, who could blame him?
"Like what you see, harbinger?", Kaeya asked and chuckled, thinking that Childe was cute enough to not be mad about it, deliberately adressing him like that to challenge him.
However, it was Aether who winced and looked at him almost worried, confused why Kaeya knew this and aftaid that this would end in chaos.
Childe, on the other hand, only chuckled about it.
"What if I do?", he asked taking the bottle out of Kaeyas hands. If he tried to flirt with Zhongli he had to do it skillfully, rather inconspicuously, but the knight who was standing in front of him seemed to be able to take it directly. And Kaeya was, he seemed rather amused by it than offended. Aether recognized the glint in his eyes and now wished even more that there was alcohol in his juice. He couldn't bear to watch them .. he didn't want to have to think about it, gulped down the rest of his juice at once and left the tavern quietly. Maybe he could just stay at Albedo's again ..

The knight took a seat next to Childe, supporting his head with his arm on the counter, smiling at Childe. He was thrilled to see how far he could go until Childe wouldn't be so bold anymore. At first they chatted about random topics, like the reasons Childe was here, trying to find out what he was up to and Childe trying to ask Kaeya about his eye patch.
Every now and then they threw compliments at each other, only as much that it was obvious what intentions the respective one had, but not too much to overdo it. A new bottle of wine in his hands, Kaeya looked at Childe smiling viciously.
"Tell me pretty boy, do you already know where to sleep tonight?", he asked and Childe immediately knew what he was about to suggest, but didn't want to give in too easily.
"Guess I'll just rent a room at the hotel.", he replied like he didn't know Kaeyas intentions.
"Well I could offer you to stay at my place, but wouldn't promise that you'll get a lot of sleep there~", the knight replied with a wink, earning an over-dramatic eye roll from Childe.
"You're really full of yourself, eh?", he asked slightly annoyed even if he really wasn't annoyed, the grin on his lips portrayed what he really thought about it.
Kaeya chuckled. It was an almost viciously amused chuckle. Without hesitation he put two fingers to Childes chin and leaned closer to him, so close that hardly a finger would have fit between their lips.
"Hmm..I couldn't be the only one that's full of me~", he whispered, his warm breath brushing against Childe's lips. With that, he clearly had won the 'challenge'. Childe blushed unintentionally heavy, his cheeks weren't the only thing that felt hot now. Shifting nervously in his chair, he needed a second to calm down again but even an hour wouldn't have done anything goodto him. Taking a deep breath he jumped off his chair, grabbed Kaeya by his wrist and dragged him outside.
"Where?", he just hissed trough his clenched teeth, already getting rid of the most difficult accessoires of his outfit.

The door to Kaeya's room was barely closed properly when Childe pushed him onto the bed and dropped onto his lap, his legs straddling his hips, his lips lashing against Kaeyas.
He heard a chuckle, mingling with the sound of wet sloppy kisses. Cold hands traced over his sides, stopping on the bare skin on his hip, pleasantly cold, soothing for the heat in Childes' body.

-

"Sneakin' out already?", Kaeya whispered, a small smile on his lips, when he watched Childe put on his clothes again. The room was still only barely illuminated by the faint moon light, the silence of the night still lingered over Mondstadt.
"Yeah, you know, cuddling is only for lovers. Just as you said, no love, right?", Childe replied while he tidied his hair and placed the mask back onto his head.
"Just like I said~"
Childe grinned and disappeared into the darkness as quiet as possible. He had been loud enough in the last hour, he certainly didn't want to attract more attention now. Not in the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, not with Jean just a few doors away.

Of course both of them had agreed to the 'just fun'-rule, but, in the next few weeks, Childe was seen more often in Mondstadt and Kaeya in Liyue. It had always been for sex, that's what both told themselves everyday, but slowly it became noticeable how often they actually met. Jean no longer reacted when she saw Childe and Zhongli greeted Kaeya like an old friend when they met. Yes, it must have been quite often. Even Aether didn't care anymore when he met either of them in the other city. Somehow it had become normal. Somehow everyone was aware of their relationship. Probably everyone except Childe and Kaeya...

Snuggled up against the knights chest, Childe sighed. Since when did they cuddle afterwards? How long has Kaeya been here? Three days? Was it a date when they were eating together? Was it a date yesterday when they took a walk at the harbor? Was it a secret shared between couples when he was allowed to look under the eye patch?
".....shit..", Childe mumbled to himself but of course Kaeya could hear it.
"Hm? Something wrong?"
"You know we're dating, do you?"
Kaeya chuckled and wanted to deny it, but he realized it much faster than expected. For a brief moment he didn't say anything before he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah looks like we do.", he replied at some point, rather expressionlessly, which irritated Childe quite a lot.
"Do you want to quit before it gets worse?"
"...Get's worse?", Kaeya asked and chuckled, tracing his hand back up to Childe's cheek, cupping it gently.
"Guess it's already at the worst for me~"
Childe smiled stupidly.
"If that's already the worst, then let me be your absolute nightmare, eh?"
"Haha..sounds good to me~"
Childe stretched a little, leaning in for a kiss. Although it was never planned that way, he felt happy. And happiness wasn't anything to get mad about, even if it came in the form of a Knight of Favonius or possible Prince of Kaenriah and the 11th harbinger of the fatui.

Who would be able to plan something like love anyways?, he wondered and maybe, just maybe the chuckle of two retired, bored gods could be heard somewhere, but thats a different story to tell....

Chapter Text

There was one thing that had kind of bothered Kaeya for a long time now. The fact how much time and effort Albedo put into each of his works of art no matter what he drew, but when it came to Kaeya, it was never more than three strokes of the brush. Maybe it made his ego crack, but maybe it just forced him to question his friendship with Albedo. Something he really didn't like questioning. Kaeya considered them to be friends, but maybe that wasn't what Albedo felt and that very thought was uncomfortable, for whatever reason.

" 'Bedo?", he called his name when he entered his laboratory and just sat down on the small sofa in it without waiting for an answer.
"Just a second please.", Kaeya heard Albedo reply, followed by loud clinking sounds. After a few seconds the blonde appeared in front of Kaeya and looked at him questioningly.
"Do you need anything? I still have a lot to do, so if you came with the intention to chat, I will have to refuse.", Albedo stated expressionless, different colors staining his clothes and hands, mainly hues of blue and darker skin colors.
Kaeya placed a hand over his heart and faked a hurt expression but couldn't help but chuckle
about how disheveled the normally decent blonde looked.
"How easy you reject me~..hah...Well I just came to ask about the picture you painted of me for Klee.", Kaeya replied with a small smile, pulled the picture out of his jacket and held it up to Albedo so that he could see it.
"Really? Three strokes?", he asked with a chuckle covering up that it really bothered him.
"In my opinion you are easy to recognize despite the simplicity of the picture. Isn't that the basic idea behind Klee's inquiry? To recognize you and therefore get a memory of something that is seen as positive?", the alchemist replied automated, almost as if he had memorized this answer, but, as unusual as it was, grinned a little. Only a little. But enough to tease Kaeya.
The knight simply rolled his eyes but chuckled as he got up again.
"You just don't have an eye for real beauty, do you?~ Anyway, will you come over later?"
"I am really busy. I have to refuse again."

Even though he hadn't shown it, Kaeya was annoyed by every response he'd gotten from Albedo today. He knew that the blonde just wanted to tease him and still it annoyed him that even Diluc had gotten a nice picture recently. And then he began to refuse to spend time with him too. That happened not only that day, but also the next day and the day after. And the more it happened, the more Kaeya questioned their friendship. It seemed obvious that Albedo didn't want to spend any more time with him. He had even refused to take care of Klee with him and seemed to do everything possible to avoid a lengthy conversation with him. When he saw Albedo meet up with other people, for example Diluc, with whom he had hardly anything else to do, it was even more obvious. The logical part in him told him that it was normal for friendships to change and end, but the other side was hurt. There was no reason Albedo should avoid him. Until recently, they had got along well and Albedo also seemed to enjoy hanging out with him. To see that it no longer seemed like that was uncomfortable. For various reasons. Mostly because he was lying to himself when he described his feelings for Albedo as nothing more than the feelings for a friend. Actually it was never the simplicity of the drawings that bothered him but the thought, that crept in so ungraciously, that Albedo didn't feel that way for him too. All over, it were annoying feelings that plagued the knight, feelings he didn't like to think about at all.

-

A few days had passed. Several days in which Kaeya had not gone to Albedo's laboratory. In which he had not visited him and had not even tried to talk to him. Days in which he had thought about it a lot and yet mostly suppressed any answer that came to his mind. To determine what he was really feeling wasn't exactly helpful when he wanted to try to accept Albedo's decision. Even if in truth he had known for a long time. Feelings like love were nothing that he had not felt before and nothing that he would not recognize again.

It was very early in the morning after a night in which he had not slept at all when he went back to Albedo's laboratory. He wanted at least an answer to the question why Albedo wanted nothing more to do with him. Kaeya knew that Albedo was barely sleeping. It almost didn't matter when he went to see him. When he was there, he was usually awake too. Still, this time he knocked before he went into the room.

"Albedo? Are you here?", he asked but even after a few seconds he got no answer. Only faint breathing could be heard from the other room if you concentrated, hardly loud enough to be heard at all. Kaeya walked quietly through the room to check on Albedo in the other room, noticing how many drawing utensils were scattered everywhere again. Lots of crumpled papers, clean and dirty brushes, open colors, mostly blue and darker skin colors, a broken pencil, another broken pencil, more crumpled papers and between all the chaos a sleeping Albedo whose head lay on the table top, hand on a picture, colors on fingers and on the face. Kaeya took a moment to examine the scenery and smiled a little, the blonde was cute to look at like this.
"..Oh 'Bedo. Is that why you avoided me? Stuck in the idea of drawing whatever but you failed?", he whispered stepping closer to the alchemist, slowly and carefully picking him up to carry him to bed. It wasn't the first time he'd done this. Maybe only the second or third time, but not entirely unusual. On a few days the otherwise sleepless man got tired and almost everytime Kaeya had found him in such an uncomfortable sleeping position a few minutes after he fell asleep.
When Albedo's hand fell from the table after Kaeya had taken him in his arms, the blue-haired could see what he had painted. What he saw there made him smile quite bright. Brighter and more honest than usually.
"Haha...it bothered you more than it bothered me, eh?", Kaeya whispered and smiled again when Albedos head sank against his chest, nuzzling his face into it subconsciously.
"...couldn't do it....was .. never ... good enough ...", Albedo mumbled sleepy, hardly really awake, making Kaeya chuckle.
"You are  a strange one 'Bedo.", Kaeya sounded soft as he spoke and moved slowly to Albedo's sofa, as he had no bed, to place him on it and cover him with the thin blanket that was hanging over a nearby chair.
"Yeah I felt offended, a tiny bit, but no need to try so hard. Get some rest and maybe don't avoid me tomorrow, eh?~", he whispered adjusting the blanket and turned to let Albedo sleep in peace.
"..Kaeya...I'm sorry ... I tried ... but I can't ...put on paper ...what I see in you...some things are so simple in their complexity but you are not. Not for me.  ... I cannot grasp what it is, cannot explain, because it deviates from the things that I have already deciphered in this world. I've been trying to understand it for the past few days, but it seems to defy logic...", Albedo hadn't opened his eyes yet and was actually more snuggled into the blanket than sitting up, but was talking almost normally. Maybe just a little slower.

"Defy logic? Haha you flatter me 'Bedo~ I know I'm pretty but that may be a bit of an exaggeration, eh?"
This time the drowsy blonde rolled his eyes that he had opened just a second before and tried to sit up again but only leaned against the backrest, being unusually lazy.
"Thats not what I was talking about. To draw you as others see you poses no difficulty for me. Klee loves these stick figures and Jean was also satisfied with the picture I drew for your documents. But these pictures don't reflect anything for me when I look at them."
"...that kinda.. hurts? I liked the first variant better haha..."
"If maybe you could just listen?.... It feels different when I look at you now than when I look at the pictures. That bothered me because I usually try to capture every detail the way I saw it. So I assumed the works weren't good enough and that I have to try again. But the result was the same all the time. I did not consciously avoid you, just tried to find out what the difference is. A useless endeavor. I still see everyone I have met and decided to immortalize on paper just like I drew them. Except you. So in the end I don't know why I'm failing and that's what concerns me."
Kaeya listened to Albedo carefully but didn't really understand what he was talking about. When he grabbed the others hand just to assure that it wasn't that bad after all, the blonde flinched a little. It was like an unconscious reaction. Not out of fear, he looked more like he understood a little more about the things he couldn't understand up to that moment.

"What do you see when you look at me?", Kaeya asked, still holding the others hand gently.
"It's less what I see than what I feel.", Albedo looked at their hands, a tiny little smile gracing his otherwise  expressionless face. Kaeya chuckled a little, feeling a tiny bit of warmth inside his chest just looking at that little smile.
"What you feel? I thought you didn't like me anymore, that did hurt quite a lot 'Bedo~"
"I didn't say it isn't like that.", He answered sternly but looked back at Kaeya, grinning slightly when he felt the others body stiffen. Kidding someone was something he'd learned from Kaeya. (and Kaeya was starting to regret it a lot).
"To be serious again, I don't feel empty when I look at you. It is not an emptiness due to sadness, but a lack of emotions. I already know that with Klee, but it's different with you. It feels warm. Warmth that attracts you, that attracts you like a campfire in Dragonspine but not out of necessity. What is strange is that you tend to feel colder than other people. So I assume that it has nothing to do with body temperature."
Kaeya still couldn't understand it completely but got the feeling that he could try something to make it easier. And maybe get an answer gor his own unasked question.
"Albedo, stop thinking for a moment."
"And what do you expect me to do? I'm just trying to understa-", he couldn't finish his answer before a pair of cold lips brushed against his, sending a massive tingle down his spine. Cold lips touched his, a cold hand touched his cheek and yet he felt so incredibly warm. Strangely warm and complete instead of his usual emptiness. He didn't move, not knowing an appropriate reaction, but closed his eyes out of instinct, leaning into the others touch. The dissatisfied sound he made when Kaeya backed away was just as instinctive and made the other chuckle.
"Did that make you feel warm, 'Bedo? Maybe not everything is based on logic,  ya know.", the knight asked just above a whisper, the typical smug expression on his face mixed with warmth and affection and a tiny bit of worry as it took a few seconds for Albedo to respond.
"...Ehuh... ... ... uhm...could you do that again? ....For research purposes, of course.", the blush on his cheeks betrayed his statement, the way he still snuggled into Kaeya's hand betrayed it even more.
But everything he said made Kaeya feel immensely happy even if he didn't show it.

"I would love to be your test subject~"

Kaeya kissed him again. Once, twice, getting more and more reactions from Albedo. He could taste the foreign sweetness of his mouth, could hear the tiny mewls he made whenever they broke another kiss, could feel his soft yet slightly drier skin under his fingertips, the increasing heartbeat in his own chest and the warmth Albedo had talked about. Satisfying, calming warmth. Nevertheless, at some point he broke the kiss completely and backed away a little, Albedo unconsciously followed his movement in search of more.
"Isn't patience key of your hobbies?", Kaeya whispered and chuckled a little.
"Repeated test runs are a prerequisite for the correctness of a completed study....", Albedo replied leaning closer, placing his lips on Kaeyas again, kissing him on his own, wrapping his arms around his neck.
Kaeya chuckled even more, wrapping one arm around the smaller mans waist. He returned the kiss but broke it again shortly after.
"What if I don't want to complete it?"
"I didn't say how many test runs would be needed..."
"Oh? Well, if that's the case~"

Even if none of their questions were really answered yet, that was probably the best way to find out. And definitely a way that Kaeya wouldn't refuse to try. No matter how many test runs it would take.

Chapter Text

Unusual circumstances. Coincidence. Fate. Whatever you call it, it was what led Diluc and Zhongli to become friends. It had begun with Aethers' request to accompany him on a mission, by no means a special mission, he actually wouldn't even have needed help, but nevertheless he had decided to ask both. Maybe that was the part that could have been called fate. On this particularly rainy, cloudy day he had noticed how different Diluc behaved, in the vicinity of Zhongli, the longer they were on the road. Little things that were hardly noticeable. That he never looked at him as contemptuously as  he looked at many others. That he listened to him carefully, no matter how long he talked about a simple, boring stone. That he talked to him even if the subject seemed meaningless. And that he had smiled, one of the rarest things Aether had ever seen.

Aether didn't know how many days or weeks had passed since then, but he knew that it was no longer uncommon to meet Zhongli at the Dawn Winery. Once he had even seen Diluc in Liyue, even if he was still not sure whether that was really the case or if he had simply imagined it.

-

"Check mate."
A soft chuckle followed the redheads words, golden eyes traced across the chessboard, the small figures reflecting in the darkness of his pupils.
"You have improved significantly.", Zhongli's voice sounded calm, almost satisfied, not in the least like that of a disappointed loser, more like that of a proud teacher.
"I assumed I was good at it before, but you proved me wrong. I simply had to improve.", Diluc replied, his red eyes meeting the other's gaze. A sight he had seen a few times before and yet he started to feel different each time. It was a slow process, barely clear enough to notice and yet he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears as it got faster, could feel this unusual nervousness inside him that wasn't unsettling, more like a million tiny wings of butterflies. Only when Zhongli tilted his head to one side, a questioning expression on his face, did he notice how long he must have been looking at him without saying a word. Maybe he hadn't even blinked.
Diluc shook his head a little, turning his gaze back to the chessboard.
"Do you want to play another round?", he asked trying to just ignore what had happened, slowly putting the pieces back on the board. 
"Unfortunately I have to refuse. It is already very late, I should be leaving by n-"
"You can stay if you want."
Zhongli had not finished his sentence when he heard the redhead's words, which seemed more like a reflex than a conscious act.
"...as I intented to say...the mansion has several guest rooms. Should you want to avoid the long journey around this time of the night, feel free to use one.", he added fast, trying to conceal his unplanned expression of one's own wishes as pure generosity.
He didn't expect Zhongli to agree, the other hardly ever seemed to shy away from anything and could hardly fear the darkness, but yet he couldn't deny the small leap of his heart when Zhongli nodded in agreement.
"I will gladly accept your offer. Seeing the grapevines in the morning dew is actually something I had set out to do, but to visit at such an early hour seemed inappropriate to me.", he replied, a pleased smile chiseled into the otherwise expressionless face.

-

The sun had barely risen when the archon sat on the wall in front of the property, a cup of freshly brewed tea in hand, his eyes lingering on the fields in front of him. The faint light, golden and pink hues that danced over the pale clouds, framed him like a divine cloak and yet they seemed so insignificant compared to the soft glow of the amber tips of his dark, silky hair that hung openly over his shoulders. He was still dressed in the night wear Diluc had lent him, almost as if he had put his composed and neat self aside to simply enjoy the moment, and yet he looked more beautiful than ever, divine almost pure.

"Mind to join me for a minute?", he asked not turning around to meet the red eyes that had lingered on him for quite some time now, drawing a small gasp from the redheads lips. Diluc himself hadn't noticed how long he had stood there and just looked at him, rapt by his appearance, his heart beating in a fast and steady rhythm, his fingertips aching to get a glimpse of what the divinity infront of him might feel like. He cleared his throat and stepped closer to the dark-haired, taking a seat next to him as soon as he had reached the wall.
The way Zhongli smiled at him caused an overwhelming need to protect him in Diluc, a need to treasure him, to keep him away from everything that could mean harm and from everything that could take him away.
It felt like it flipped a switch in Diluc's head. One that he didn't even know he had. One that scared him deep inside.

-

Just an hour later Zhongli was back to his usual self, sitting neatly on a chair across from Diluc to loose himself into an endless explanation about the different foods that were arranged for their breakfast. That it were only dishes from Mondstadt didn't mean that he didn't know the origin of each ingredient.
"...forgive me, I did not intend to bore you with my excessive tales.", he said at some point, a small apologetic smile on his lips but Diluc immediately shook his head in return.
"I am not bored. I just wonder about the endless amount of knowledge you have to offer. Almost too much for the short span of a lifetime.", Diluc replied innocenly. The dark-haired's spontaneous, almost knee-jerk reaction, however, caused even more for Diluc to wonder about. He seemed like he was looking for a way to dodge the unasked question, almost uncomfortable. A moment of silence was followed by a faint chuckle until Zhongli grabbed one of the tiny pastries to eat it gracefully, surpressing the sigh that wanted to leave his lips urgently.
"Despite your generous hospitality, I don't want to keep you from your obligations. If there is anything you need to do, you don't have to feel obliged to keep me company.", he said politely at some point, looking at the cup in his hands instead of Diluc.
Diluc looked at him skeptically but decided to leave it like this, there was no need to ask a question that he did not know and that Zhongli clearly seemed uncomfortable with. At least he trusted him enough in order not to assume that there is something evil behind his behavior.
"I actually have a few things to do but feel free to stay as long as you want. I could suggest that you accompany me to town, since I noticed that we have never been there."
In the end, Zhongli had agreed after hesitating for a moment.

-

In the meantime he was walking through the alleys of Mondstadt only to find that, as always, he didn't have a single mora in his pockets. He sighed looking at the expensive wooden sign with the silver decorations that Majorie held in her hand. Too distracted by the grievance he didn't notice how little feet approached him silently until the other archon was already clinging to his back like a backpack, legs and arms wrapped around his body, giggling loudly. He didn't need a second to recognize who it was and sighed, but chuckled softly just a moment later, turning his head a little to get a glimpse of the others face.
"Mo-..ehehe...better not say that too loud. What are you doing here? You didn't even tell me that you'd come to visit!", he said pressing his cheek against the others, so hard it almost hurt.
"It smells like wine as soon as you are around. I should brew you some tea...."
"Oh, don't be like that, you old blockhead. ...ehehe...wanna grab a drink at the tavern? Brewing the stupid tea must at least be worth it~ And if you ask nicely you might not have to pay at all~"

A discussion later, the younger archon dragged the older one into the tavern, his wrist firmly in the grip of Venti's hand. Only millennia of training patience and his generally calm nature prevented Zhongli from summoning a pillar, no a meteor to get rid of the lively god.
"Master Diluc! I brought a friend with me, an excellent opportunity for you to show your generosity~ ..hehehe..."
"I don't care. You won't get anything for free.", Diluc replied stern but his eyes widened a little when he finally looked up to see Venti squeezed against the other archons side, grinning at him stupidly. Zhongli on the other hand just smiled politely, rather tense than relaxed.
"I didn't know that you know each other.", Diluc stated and turned his eyes back to the glasses he was cleaning, an unpleasant feeling spread inside him, another one he had never felt before.
"Yep, we've been friends for ages already~"
"Sometimes I wonder if 'friends' is the correct term to describe our relationship."
"What do you mean, eh? Of course we are!..ohh or would you say I'm more of a family to you? That's so sweet!"
"No."
"Hey! Mo-...Zhongli, it's pretty mean to reject me like that..ehehe..."
Venti playfully hugged the older archon, a teasing grin of his face.
"Master Diluc, get us some wine please~ He pays!"
"No. ..Even if I wanted to, it seems to me that I forgot my wallet. Again."
"Maybe, if Master Diluc is interested, you could tell him one of your endless tales. He'd forget that he even asked for money. And if he doesn't, you just pay with your ass. You got enough of that.", Venti giggled but dodged as soon as he saw a dangerous golden glow in the others eyes and little golden sparks on his hands. In his giggling attempt to jump to the other side of the bar to hide behind Diluc, he failed to realize that Diluc had choked violently. The image of Zhongli's ass had forced itself into his head the second Venti had said it, unintentionally and at lightning speed. Coughing, Diluc grabbed Venti by the waist and lifted him back to the other side, throwing him more than dropping him off. He was still trying to get back to regular breathing when he wordlessly grabbed a bottle of wine and glasses to hand them to Zhongli.
"You don't have to pay.", he mumbled a little confused and turned back to cleaning the glasses (for the third time), anything to distract himself.

-

He knew heat but he didn't know the burning sensation that rushed through his veins triggered by the sight of the two archons a few tables away, smiling and chatting peacefully.  Was it jealousy or envy? He didn't know, but it was there and it was annoying, agonizing. Why did the little brat make him smile in this beautiful, warm, openhearted way? Did they really knew each other for so long? Were they really like family? Or was it something else that connected them? Something....no. Diluc had no reason to think about it. Why should he even care? Well, he and Zhongli were friends. And if the dark-haired was friends with Venti too, then that was perfectly fine. ...yes, perfectly fine...
Diluc growled quietly, annoyed by himself and these unnecessary thoughts that clouded his mind. When did he even start thinking about such things? And why did he always have pictures of Zhongli (and his ass) in his head?
"...that's nothing I should be thinking about...", he unconsciously whispered to himself, finally taking his eyes off the two men as José was waiting for his drink for quite some time now.

-

Even if he hadn't had a mora in his pocket, the archon still had managed to be a little tipsy when he walked next to Diluc late at night on the way back to the Dawn Winery. Actually, it wouldn't have been so noticeable if his facial features hadn't been so much softer than normal. Yes, he did smile regularly, but always with the same stoic face. Now it wasn't stoic at all.
"I'm afraid I've taken advantage of your generosity. The next time I visit you, I will return the favor.", he stated, the same calm and dark voice, yet warmer, almost affectionate.
It wasn't anything that Diluc had thought about, he hadn't wasted a second thinking that Zhongli had to do something to return the favor, but to hear that he was wanting to visit him again made his heart miss a beat. Another nonsensical reaction. If they were friends, it was normal that he would visit him. ..friends...Why did that word sound so damn wrong in Diluc's mind?
"Don't think about it. Since it's my business, it's not a big deal at all.", he replied a little lost in thought, only getting his senses back to full attention when he heard the other chuckle so softly.
"... I may have forgotten that you are 'The tycoon of a winery empire in Mondstadt, unmatched in every possible way.', if I may quote how the locals describe you.", Zhongli replied a little teasingly, something that amazed Diluc. That was new of him.
"Well with the exception of this one woman, Donna, if I remember correctly. Talking to her was more of an unpleasing experience.", he added, for the briefest of moments there was a strange golden glow on his eyes until they looked perfectly normal again when he smiled softly.
Diluc was silent. Everything, every word in these sentences was confusing. Not that he didn't understand the content, but he didn't know how to react to that. And if there was anything he should react to. He knew how Donna was talking about him, but was there any need to explain that he didn't share her feelings? He guessed not. And remained silent for the rest of the way home, which did not prevent Zhongli from reporting on his experiences of the day. It made Diluc smile. Quite a lot. Logically speaking, there was no reason why he should even tell him about his day and yet he seemed to have the need to do so. It was cute in a strange way. Zhongli was cute....

...shit...

-

Although he had said good night to Zhongli shortly after arriving at the winery, Diluc had been lying awake in his bed for some time now, staring at the ceiling. Actually, he usually slept reasonably well. He was used to sleeping everywhere and at any time  and yet today he couldn't keep his eyes shut. He thought of too much and yet nothing, no thought he could grasp except for the pictures of Zhongli that were occupying his mind for quite a while now. His amber eyes, the smile with which he had looked at him that morning...a smile he didn't want anyone else to see...
"Shit...", Diluc mumbled, finally aware of what he was feeling. What he had been feeling for a long time, what had started the day they first met and only got stronger over all the time they spent together.
For a while he tried to suppress this knowledge, he had no time for something like that and actually no interest in it. He wasn't even good at expressing feelings at all and yet the knowledge that he had fallen in love could no longer be suppressed.

The redhead sighed getting out of bed again, he probably wouldn't get any sleep tonight. What he hadn't expected was to meet the man in the kitchen which was to blame for his insomnia, standing there barefoot, somewhat disheveled, brewing tea as if it were already in the morning.
"Zhongli?..", Diluc spoke softly and yet the other was probably so absent that he dropped the cup he was holding when Diluc's voice unexpectedly tore him out of his trance.
"Oh.....forgive me...I have a habit of drinking tea at night, I wasn't expecting to meet anyone...", Zhongli mumbled a little drowsy, trying to collect the broken pieces of the cup, something else Diluc hadn't expected to see. He had almost been convinced that it must be a strange ability of the other to look perfect anytime and anywhere. ...well actually he still did...
"I guess I became too comfortable around you to be sufficiently vigilant... of course I will replace the cup."
Diluc shook his head and actually chuckled a little.
"For someone who never has mora with them, you run into quite a lot of debt, don't you?", he asked and even chuckled a little more when he saw Zhongli's almost helpless expression.
"Don't worry, I don't expect anything in return. I am just wondering how someone like you can be so bad at dealing with money but seem to get away with it at the same time."
"....most people are very generous to me. Either someone else will make the payment for me or no payment is expected at all. According to Barbartos' assumption, it is my appearance that causes these spontaneous bursts of generosity    but that seems to me to be absolutely unbelievable."
Diluc blinked confused, incredulous about how little the other seemed to have a clue of his own attractiveness  and what others seemed to be hoping for from treating him that way.
"Allow me to ask a possibly rude question, but don't you realize that people treat you like that because you're incredibly handsome?"
"Even if that is the case, I do not see any benefit for the other party."
"...It has none in the first place, but if I put it nicely, I assume that most people hope to get closer to you through this."
"For what purpose?... ... Oh. ...Is this a known practice?"
"..known practice? ..hm, I guess it is."
"Does this also apply to you?"

Although this conversation was unusual enough, Diluc hadn't expected this question. In fact, he hadn't bought anything for Zhongli, nor did he expect anything in return for what he gave him. Yes, he wasn't expecting anything in return, so it wouldn't  be a lie if he would just say no....But it wouldn't really have been the truth either.
That he didn't answer for so long seemed like enough of an answer to the archon. Zhongli straightened without a word, grabbed Diluc by his wrist and dragged him with him.
Diluc struggled to follow him out of confusion, feeling more nervous with every second they got closer to his bedroom.

It was strange how calm and collected Zhongli looked when he closed the door of the room behind them by pressing his back against it and pulling Diluc towards him, his hand released from his wrist to place both of them on Diluc's waist. For a second Diluc instinctively wanted to back off, but this instinct was immediately silenced when Zhongli's lips touched his, the tart yet sweet taste of the tea clinging to his warm breath. Maybe he should have hesitated, thought about it, but he did neither. He sank into the kiss, his eyes closed, hands subconsciously clutching the other's shirt, his heart beating
at a dangerously high rate. The first kiss was was rather careful but the second one was hot and feverish, downright needy, and the tongue that slipped over Zhongli's bottom lip was impossible to deny, giving him all the consent he needed to pin the red-haired down on the soft matress with a smooth, almost otherwordly strong yet gentle move. Diluc moaned feeling the archon's hot body on his own, plump reddened lips placing kisses along his jaw and down his neck...

-

"..What was that for?...", Diluc asked breatheless, slowly sitting up, his fiery eyes fixed on the naked back infront of him, following the movements of the tiny beads of sweat down the others spine, along these slightly golden shimmering lines that seemed to fade, pulsating slowly.
"Debt repayment.", it would have been fascinating how quickly and blandly he replied, had it not been so incredibly depressing.
Diluc blinked confused. Actually, he was hardly shaken by anything, but Zhongli was able to confuse him quite a lot. The archon looked over his shoulder at Diluc and chuckled when he saw how lost the disheveled redhead had to be to look at him like that, turning to him completely now,  taking his hands in his own, causing the redhead's heart to almost jump out of his chest again.
"Dissatisfied with the currency I have chosen to pay my debt?", he asked, a stonecold expression on his face but the little curve of his lips betrayed it.
He had had enough time to understand what he was feeling himself. Maybe not that deep yet, but enough to be explored.

Diluc was someone to press forward no matter what. Ambitious, straightforward, intelligent. But there was nothing left of it whenever Zhongli looked at him like that.
How was he supposed to tell him that he was perfectly fine with this repayment method but didn't want Zhongli to get closer to any other soul in this way? Or in any other way? Or that he shouldn't call it debt repayment? Or, worst of all, that he had a fucking crush on him?
Tactically, he could have thought about it longer but the previous short circuit of his mind didn't leave much more than the little 'here goes nothing' of the voice inside his head.

"I-", he was about to confess what he was feeling, for the first time being able to empathize with how the fathers had to feel when they presented their daughters to him at every party, afraid to be rejected, but he didn’t get a chance to say a single word. Still reddened lips brushed against his own, much gentler than the many times before. Affectionate. Almost loving. Slightly golden glowing eyes met his own again when they broke the kiss, sharp but reassuring.

"Do not force yourself to rush to say what can also be said later.", Zhongli whispered, dark discolored arms wrapped around Diluc's neck, strong thighs straddling his hips again.
"But if you want to continue, we need to train your ability to keep your vision in check. I may possess a quick wound healing ability, but burn blisters are nothing to consider as pleasant.", he added, followed by a quiet chuckle that was quickly choked off by a hungry kiss. One of many that night, that morning and on many more days ...

Chapter Text

Bad luck. Sure, Bennett was used to being unlucky. Bad luck had been his loyal companion for a long time, not a loved one, but he had become friends with it ...or...well, he accepted his fate. Actually everything worked out somehow in the end, whether it was through the help of others or by chance, it didn't matter, somehow he always made it through another day. And hey, if are used to bad luck, hardly anything can upset you. Or at least that's what he thought. What he thought until he was faced with a problem that was almost impossible to solve. Having feelings for your best friend, the one that doesn't understand most human things...oh archons...could there be anything more complicated?

-

"You sure you don't wanna come to the city? It's pretty cool during Windblume!"
"Wind..bloom?"
"Yeah! So actually it's a celebration to honor Barbatos but...I like to try the special food! And drinks! And it's great how happy everyone is!"
"Everyone is happy?...why?"
"It's the whole vibe! Some days off for the ones that work really hard, the decorations, everything...uhm...and..it's kinda...romantic..haha..Not that I mind that...but lots of people celebrate their love..and stuff."
"..hmm...too many...humans...Razor would rather not go there .. We could hunt ... that's what I like ..."
That wasn't exactly what Bennett was hoping to hear, but what was he hoping anyway? That he could take Razor into town, spend time there and that like a miracle he would suddenly reveal that he felt the same way Bennett did?
"..ugh stupid...", the blonde mumbled but shook his head seconds later, the usual smile gracing his lips again, followed by an enthusiastic nod.
"Yeah, let's go! Maybe we'll find enough to share with the others. We could have a little party of our own, only with those you like, of course."
This time Razor just looked at Bennett a little longer than normal but simply nodded after a few seconds, he noticed that something was off but was far away from being able to tell what it was.

-

"That was great! You're the best hunter ever!"
" ... voice frightens animals ... have to be quiet to hunt..."
"..I just..... ... sorry."
Razor nodded, focused on the prey in front of them again, all that mattered to him right now was the hunt and nothing else.
Bennett on the other hand sighed quietly, wondering why he even tried to compliment him.
"..so stupid..."
Actually everything was fine the way it was, right? Why ruin their friendship with stupid feelings? It wouldn't work anyway, Razor could never feel the same for him...
But what if he did...and he would be unlucky because he just said nothing? Should he just tell him directly?
He could just tell him later. That was good enough, it didn't need a stupid party for something like that.
All it needed was the two of them. Together with some food, a campfire and some rest.
After all, that often happened. So if Razor didn't like him, they wouldn't meet that often in the first place, right? Right!
With renewed enthusiasm, Bennett turned his gaze back to the boars infront of them, trying to be as quiet as possible.

-

It had felt like an eternity until they finally finished the hunt and sat around the campfire together. All day Bennett had been too distracted to concentrate on the hunt, but at least he hadn't caused any trouble. The fall down the slope, the burning bush, and the charred meat were hardly worth mentioning compared to the many times the blonde had been struck by lightning. But even though nothing too bad happened today, he just felt incredibly nervous right now. Much more nervous than ever before.
Bennett just stared at the other for a while, cleared his throat whereupon he choked heavily, coughed for an eternity and then just looked at Razor again, scratching his head, grinning stupidly.

"Uhm...Razor? I think I have to tell you something."
"You..say everything...I'm listening."
"Ahaha..uhm..It's a little more complicated, you know. I really want to tell you but..uhm, well maybe it's stupid but..I think I like like you."
"Like..me? Hm.... Yes. Lupical like eachother...I like you ... and the others ...Wolves are family ... you too ... little girl too ..."
"No, no, no, not like that! ..uhm..that's really great! I love that we're lupical, really! But I ... I don't like you, you know? ...Oh..oh archons I didn't mean it like that! I do like you! Of course I like you! You are my best friend! But I ... I like you more than that."

Razor had tilted his head a little, looking questioningly at Bennett. What he said didn't make too much sense to the wolf boy.
"Lupical ..are all the same...all are family...no difference...I do not understand.."

Bennett sighed heavily but smiled again just a few seconds later. He had told himself that he had to say it directly, so he just had to do that. And well, if he didn't understand it, that would be...hm..frustrating, but they could just continue to be friends...After all, nothing would have been ruined and he would have tried. That would be enough, wouldn't it?

"Hmh lupical are family and I know that you like all of them. But sometimes there could be someone you like more..No not more, but different. That's how I feel for you, you know..I uhm ... I think I'm in love with you. So .. uhm I have a crush on you...ok? Ok cool."

For a moment, that felt way too long again, the gray-haired just said nothing, seeming to be a confused and lost in thought. For a brief moment he seemed to be talking to himself, but Bennett couldn't understand what he was saying. It was too quiet and indistinct, but with every moment and inaudible word, the blonde felt more nervous again. Had it been a mistake? Oh archons, of course it was a mistake! Almost panicing, Bennett jumped up to stop Razor from thinking to much about it, but before he could say anything he heard Razors voice again.

"For Razor..all lupical are the same ... not more..not different..don't know love but...I will ask wolves..now eat. Meat cold again if you don't eat."

Was that bad? It wasn't a rejection, but it was clear that Razor didn't feel the same, right? Well what did he expect? Although he wasn't expecting anything, it was unusually painful to hear that Razor didn't feel the same way. Ok, maybe he just didn't get it, but if everyone was the same to him, then Bennett was nothing special to him either...
"...Of course we are all the same .. Sure .. what else....", he whispered to himself, a pained expression on his face that he tried to conceal quickly again. He smiled a weak smile and nodded, shoving a piece of meat into his mouth to surpress the million other sighs that wanted to leave his lips. He was silent for the rest of the evening, perhaps for the first time since they had known each other.

-

"Well you know that he didn't grow up like we did. I don't think the wolves taught him such things .. honestly I don't even know if they know such social..uhm..things .. do wolves live monogamous? I don't believe that they live the way many people expect to live their lifes. After all, they're wolves. They don't care what others think about them. We shouldn't either, but you know how it is.", Amber talked and talked while Aether just nodded over and over again. After not seeing Razor for a few days, Bennett felt the need to speak to someone. Actually he liked doing that with Fischl, but she was nowhere to be seen either, so he talked to someone else he trusted. That Amber was the one who talked so much wasn't planned, but hey, it helped to distract himself.
"I don't think that's the point ... But yes, I also think that he at least doesn't know these ideas about relationships. Whereby feelings are feelings and you can feel them even if you don't know what they are called....
Sorry Benny.....I know it hurts...", Aether finally added to the conversation, placing a hand on Bennetts shoulder to show compassion.
"Ah no..It's nothing more than a stupid crush..that'll stop again and at least I'm lucky if we just stay friends. Maybe I'll just go to him and ask if he wants to go hunting. As always. I'll just ignore it myself, he might just forget about it too. And then we can be friends and maybe one day I'll find someone else that'll love me too. Just like my dads. That'd be cool. It's not like he's the only one in the world ..
Even if he's cute ... and pretty...and pure...and I prefer to hear his voice over anything else...and I like how soft his hair is .. ... ... Oh come on ... that's not fair!", for a moment Bennett had seemed like he believed what he was saying, but with every word about Razor he looked happier until he suddenly looked incredibly frustrated again. He couldn't deny his feelings. He didn't know since when they were so strong, but that wasn't something that came overnight anyways. They had known each other for a long time, spent a lot of time together, shared good and bad times. It didn't have to happen like that, of course, but it wasn't Bennett's plan after all. Feelings just happen. That's the way it is. And once they were there, they didn't leave anytime soon.

-

"Hey, so about last time, just forget about that...Isn't that important anyways...uhm..do you want to go hunting?", it had definitely not been easy for Bennett to go back into the woods. A thousand times he had practiced what he would say, but in the end it was just best to try to ignore it. He was convinced that Razor had already forgotten the whole thing, but when he saw the other shake his head, he knew that he didn't. Suddenly his heart prepared again to run a marathon, causing his hands to shake slightly.
"Don't you wanna go hunting?", he asked quietly, unsecure, staring at his feet to avoid the others stern expression.
"..no hunt today....Razor talked to lupical..now I have to talk to you.."
"Ehehe..uhm..there's nothing to talk about .. just forget about it."
"..no. Lupical said I shouldn't ignore it ..Should say what I think ..They explained ...what you said....I did not understand but crow.. explained ..what woman said .. now I understand...Wolves don't live like that ..not with humans. Not with me. They're Razor's family...but what you said is different ...I do not know... I do not know how... humans love.", Razor said, partly confused, partly convinced, and Bennett could swear that he had never talked so much in one go. It was nice to see that it seemed important to him to say something, but it was also incredibly exhausting. Exhausting for Bennett's poor heart.
"You don't have to worry too much. If we can just stay friends, that's really cool too."
"No."
All hope was dashed in that one second it took Razor to say no. Had it not been for Bennett's hands to tremble already, they would have started to tremble now. Violently and uncontrolled.
"..I...I..I'm always unlucky, huh?..."he mumbled quietly, unable to cover up how sad he suddenly was. He turned around in silence, dejected and discouraged, finally accepting that maybe it was up to him that no one wanted to be with him for long. He had already started walking when he felt a hand around his wrist that prevented him from walking any further.

Before he had even realized that the other had made him turn around, Razor's nose was already pressed against his, very lightly and carefully, the gray-haired's eyes closed. Bennett blushed in the darkest shades of red, his eyes widened, hands trembling even more than before, his heart missing several beats.
"W-whaaa..."
"Wolves ... do that ...if...they like each other ... I don't know ... how humans do it ..."
The words and the little blush on Razors confused face made Bennett grin bright, the happiest grin that one could imagine.
"D-do you want...to try? Kissing? You don't have to. Really not! It'd be cool but you really don't have to! Not that I would not want to .. I want to .. but... People don't do that when they don't want to..you know. Just because you said that you feel the same for me as you do for your other lupicals .. And it's ok if we just stay friends .. Ok?"
"...you..talk much.....about what I don't understand ... I want to understand .. I should try ...then I know ..."
"Hmh, cool, uhm..now? And here? Are you sure? You know that you really don't have to do that?"
"..Bennett..."

Razor rarely said his name but when he said it, he was serious about something. And somehow it was all worse than before. incredibly great but somehow so incredibly cconfusing. What if he then realized that he didn't like it?  That he didn't like Bennett at all? That they couldn't even be friends? Wouldn't that be much worse? The blond's mind threatened to explode while Razor just waited patiently. He didn't know what to do so he watched Bennett wordlessly, a little irritated by his rapid breathing. It took a few more seconds until he nodded nervously, took a deep breath and leaned closer to the gray-haired. To say that it wasn't akward would have been a lie but nevertheless he couldn't have been happier as when he carefully placed his lips on the wolf boy's and closed his eyes, waiting for him to return the gesture. Razor still held him by his wrist, he could feel how he squeezed it a little when he hesitantly returned the kiss. It was a very gentle, careful kiss. Short and fragile but enough to get Razor's heart out of sync. When Bennett backed away, the gray-haireds face was tomato red, his eyes squeezed tight, the pressure on the other wrist almost painful.
"...Was it..bad?", Bennett asked cautiosly, fearing to hear what he didn't want to hear but Razor shook his head fast enough to make the worries go away immediately. He smiled when he opened his eyes a little.

"...can...we try...again?"

-

"Thanks for talking to him..You know, after I told him..."
"I did worry about your well being after my eye had seen with unmistakable clarity how your heart longed for the boy of the woods. A strange yet lovable companion of yours. I have not done more than necessary in view of the fact that I consider you to be my companion too."
"What Mein Fräulein tries to say: You're welcome, friend. If I may ask, how did it turn out?"

"For once, I'm no longer unlucky."

Chapter Text

Nothing in the world could have prepared the redhead for what he was about to do within the next 20 seconds. He could have plunged into the abyss and offered himself to everything that was able to simply move a limb and it would have been less unusual, less weird. In comparison, it would have appeared like the most normal thing in the world, almost boring. Possibly this comparison was nothing but a sheer exaggeration, formulated much too dramatically, but if Diluc had been told by someone else before it happened, he would have felt this way. Maybe even worse. But at that very moment, 20 seconds later, he didn't feel any of it. He only felt the searing heat in his veins that did not come from his vision and nothing else than the low hum of his mind that had long since given up to work properly. The dull but fast beating of his heart drowned out every noise that approached his ears while he buried his tongue in the salty, sweet wetness of his counterpart, trying to burn everything about him into his memory.

-

"I would appreciate if you could just shut up. There is neither a need for a conversation nor do I want to waste just a second of time to listen to you.", Diluc stated harsh, his brows furrowed, his eyes narrow. He never let Childe out of his sight. The fiery eyes pierced through the pale slightly freckled face as he watched the others every movement and the stupid grin that slowly started to form. Childe chuckled. It was almost hearty but even more teasingly. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed seeing how much it annoyed Diluc if he just dared to breathe. He was excited to see how all the pent-up anger in Diluc would one day discharge in an epic fight against him and just the thought of it made Childes' pulse skyrocket. An even more stupid grin forced its way on the gingers face before he managed to put on the trained professional mask of Tartaglia again.
"Hmm.., I agree, but we should at least discuss our approach~", Childe replied, remembering why he was in the same room, in the same hotel as Diluc in the first place.
"I would suggest it like that: Go in, gather information, kill the traitor, leave. Simple and efficient.", as convinced Childe seemed to be, as unconvinced was the expression on Diluc's face. He couldn't suppress the deep sigh that forced itself out of his throat before he stood up and turned away from Childe for the first time since they had met.

"Your suggestion alone is the simplest form of proof of how useless the whole organization is with whose worthless titles you adorn yourself.", Diluc replied completely monotonous, unimpressed by Childe's annoyed growl. When he turned around again, the ginger had already thrown himself on the bed and was staring at the ceiling, a bored attempt not to tear Diluc to pieces on the spot. No wonder  they had almost completely ignored eachother the past two days.

"What do you suggest to do then?", Childe asked anyway, unwilling to listen but curious to know.
Diluc sighed again. It took him a few seconds to overcome himself to even bother to talk to him, but at least he didn't want to have come here for nothing. After all he had promised Aether to try. What a mistake that had been.
"Assuming that you can be made into a decent-looking human being, it would be wise to stick to the plan I had already suggested a few hours ago. I've already gone through the information we received. ....Would you mind to listen?"
"Did you just say that I'm ugly?"
"No. I tried to imply that everything about you is screaming 'Fatui' right into the face of every person you meet. That, in fact, is absolutely unfavorable for our endeavor."
"Oh....yeah whatever, go on."
Diluc rolled his eyes and sighed again. He felt like not even Kaeya did make him sigh as often as Childe did, that was something very very unusual.
"Well, if you're ready to change, it shouldn't be a problem that we mingle with the crowd unnoticed. I myself never took part in the festivities, which means that I seem completely insignificant as long as my name does not come up."
"Ragnvindr, eh? ..haha don't look at me like that. I'm not stupid. I won't just scream you name. Well, as long as you don't make me.", Childe thought of it as a threat and only noticed through Diluc's expression how wrong that must have sounded.  While he was coughing for his life after he had choked on his own spit out of sudden movements, the damage was already done. There was nothing that made him notice it yet, but he definetly would later that night. Way to vivid for his own good.

The redhead only cleared his throat. To Childe's surprise, there wasn't the digust on the other's face that he had expected, but nothing else either, it was as unfazed as it had been before the incident.
"...however, as far as I know, you shouldn't be too well known either. I assume that we will pass as simple guests."
"..ah..hah...shit...", was the only thing Childe managed to reply at first. It took several minutes of deep breathing before Childe had calmed down and felt a little more alive again.
"Ok ok, so you say we should just join that stupid ball and act like anyone else?"
"Exactly."
Childe groaned displeased. The whole plan sounded way to boring but he knew better than just to go the way he would prefer. In the end, he was used to something like that, not every activity allowed him to go into a fight right away.
"I can do that. But, while we're at it, I don't think we'll get completely lost in the crowd if we've never been seen before.", he suddenly said, now completely fused with his way more professional self.
"What do you mean by that?"
"See, all visitors spend time in the city beforehand. It is irrelevant what they do, but if they have already been seen as guests, nobody cares anymore if they also attend the ball."
"So you suggest that we spend time in the city to be seen so that we won't be seen later?"
Childe nodded which made Diluc nod in return, had it not been too absurd for himself, he might even have smiled. After all, this side of Childe was far more bearable.
"Together."
"You don't have to remind me of the most unsatisfactory part. I am well aware that we have to be seen together."
Childe started to laugh now that he finally saw the digust in Diluc's face that he had previously expected. He fell back on the bed but rolled over on his side and propped his head on his arm as he looked at Diluc.
"So, Mr Ragnvindr, how about dinner?", he clearly had fun teasing the redhead which rolled his eyes and Childe could see how tense he suddenly was, one of his hands was already clenched into a fist.
"Wonderful idea.", Diluc managed to hiss through his teeth, the red eyes reflecting how much he would have liked to knock the grin off Childe's face.

-

Childe hadn't thought about what clothes to take with him when he packed his bag for the trip.  Of course, he had nothing that would have passed off as a decent outfit. He'd bought a suit for the ball, but for now? Well, that he was still standing in front of the mirror in boxers was enough of an answer.
"Hey 'Luc, guess I forgot clothes that'd make me look like a decent being~", he yelled so that Diluc could hear him in the other room and clicked his tongue pleased when he heard an annoyed growl in return. Childe could hear noises from the other room for a few seconds before the door suddenly opened with a loud bang, being slammed open hard enough that he could hear the wood crack.
"Never call me 'Luc again.", the redhead hissed, slamming a pile of clothes against the gingers chest.
For a moment Childe was completely unintentionally distracted by the sight infront of him. Diluc's hair hung loosely over his shoulders like a red waterfall, framing his face perfectly while his eyes seemed to glow like fire. Dangerous. Hot.
"..fuck...", Childe mumbled subconsciously but shook his head as soon as he heard his own word echo inside the small room.
"What's that? Your clothes?..oh come on, I'm not going to wear that. Bet it's just as boring as you are.", he replied grinning mischievously, saving himself from the tiny thought that had been trying to occupy his mind.
"Fuck off."

-

In the end, Childe had put on what Diluc had given him. A black tshirt, over it a dark gray shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark gray pants paired with a brown belt. He wasn't going to admit it, but it, well he, looked better than he had expected. Unfortunately that was also true for Diluc. The black turtleneck shirt, the tight black pants, the black coat that just hung over his shoulders and the high ponytail. Shit, he was handsome,  just noticing that was already more than a nuisance. A person declared as persona non grata by the Fatui shouldn't be looking good. What a cheek.
"Thought you'd never been done with all this hair stuff. Way to much effort for that...", Childe said fake annoyed, waving his hand up and down to indicate that he was talking about Diluc's whole appearance. Everything was better than further thinking about Diluc not being that ugly and provoking him was still the best thing to archive exactly that.
"I'm glad my appearance doesn't please you. If that were the case, the time used would actually have been a waste.", the redhead replied unfazed, glancing at Childe through the mirror.

-

Sitting in a restaurant with the harbinger was the last thing Diluc expected would ever happen. And as expected it was ...fine. Stop... what? No, he hadn't expected that at all. In terms of credibility, Childe behaved impeccably, almost like a pleasant conversation partner. Almost.
"...ey firefly, don't you dare to space out while I'm talking to you."
"Hm? ..Oh forgive me."
"Eh? ...What!? You're not supposed to ask for my forgiveness! You're supposed to tell me to fuck off."
"Don't tell me what I'm supposed to do!"
"..haha.. way better~ so as I was saying, I guess it's not one of our regular recruits. But it seems like there has to be a connection between us and someone from Mondstadt."
"I agree. Unfortunately the documents received do not give any details about the person but it doesn't seem to be someone related to the knights."
"Oh lucky you it isn't someone of the great knights~"
"They are just as useless as your organization. I do not do this on behalf of or for the knights..."
That statement made Childe chuckle. For the first time he found Diluc actually and honestly personable. Strange.

-

Four rounds of fire water, which Childe had downed all by himself, later, he came to the conclusion that the whole thing wasn't that bad. Most of the time, when they had talked, they had talked about the case, but slowly things became a little more relaxed on both sides.
"...really? Do they live near Mondstadt? I had never seen one until I was in Liyue for the first time."
"No, a merchant had brought a basket full of turtles and of course every child loved them. I believe this was the merchant's most successful day ever."
"Hmh, bet. My siblings would have loved them too but they would only have frozen to death. The snezhnayan climate is not exactly turtle friendly...haha.."
"That is to be assumed, yes."
Nothing they talked about really mattered, nothing too personal, not too confidential but it was peaceful. Of course Diluc was warry of their surroundings and noticed how they gradually became nothing more than guests of the place. Perfect.
"I think our job is done for today.", he suddenly stated, put money on the table and got up to leave. Alone, of course, but Childe felt something strange deep down inside his stomach. Was it dissatisfaction? Why? Everything had gone according to plan so why should he be dissatisfied?
"Whatcha up to now?", he asked following the redhead, Walking a little faster until he caught up with him.
"Exercise."
"Ohh...hey, fight me! There's no better exercise!"
"No thanks, I've spent enough time with you for today."
"Afraid to lose, firefly?"
"No. I just can't stand your face any longer."
The streets weren't empty enough to not cause a stir if he would just attack him on the spot. Childe had no choice but to accept it but vowed that Diluc wouldn’t get away that easily. He would fight him sooner or later.
"..ugh...anyways, it's your turn to use the room. Eight o'clock in the morning as always?"
"If two days are 'the same as always' for you then yes, see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Childe."

-
Sleeping outside wasn't something that had ever bothered Childe, but even after fighting a dozen treasure hoarders, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. He was staring at the clear, cloudless sky for what felt like hours but was only a couple of minutes.
"Nights can be quite lonely, mind if I join you for a moment?", he heard a voice he knew by now and sat up to look at the redhead that was standing next to him. 
"I could have killed you. It's never smart to sneak around like that."
"But you didn't."
"...ugh...What do you want? I think you're the one who feels lonely, aren't you? I'm quite fine by myself."
"I do not deny that."
Without Childes approval, Diluc sat down next to him and just looked at him quietly. Attentive but ... somewhat careless. Strange.
"..you just wanna sit here and stare at me?"
"There could be some reality in every pretense act, don't you think?"
"...what? Accidentally had some fire water instead of water, firefly?"
"I was just wondering about something."
"..uhu... Better go get some rest and god damn, stop looking at me like that. That’s...fucking weird."
The moment Childe had said that, Diluc turned his gaze away, much to Childe's confusion. The last time he told him not to watch him all the time, Diluc had just rolled his eyes but couldn't be bothered to stop watching him.
"..there's something wrong with you, isn't it? ...hm..hey 'Luc, fight me. Now.", Childe said, convinced that Diluc must have had a drink. Why shouldn't he take advantage of that?
"If that's what you want."
"Really?..ah splendid!..stop, wait a second.", that he agreed, didn't complain about the nickname and still didn't look at Childe again was too strange. Was that a stupid plan to fool Childe? Oh no, no one would fool him that easily, after all he was the 11th harbinger of the fatui. A cheek to even try that but fun to see how far he could go until Diluc would snap out of this game again.
"Look at me and could you smile a little, I'm sick this ever so stoic expression of yours.", Childe commanded and Diluc obeyed immediately. That already felt like a victory but unfortunately also like he had lost. Shit, he was handsome when he smiled. Way too handsome.

Giving him simple commands would be to boring after just a few seconds so Childe decided to push the boundaries directly. It would be over faster this way but he would have really annoyed Diluc with it and that was definitely worth it. When he asked him to sit on his lap, he had neither expected that Diluc would do that nor that he would straddle his hips with his ass nicely sitting just right above his dick. And even less how much this docile behavior would turn him on. He didn't touch the other yet but slowly felt itchy in his fingertips.
"...You keep doing this? What else are you willing to do?"
"What do you want to do, Childe?"
"...fuck...", it was a whisper, an expression of something that shouldn't be, and by the archons, it wasn't an order in Childe's eyes. Well, in his eyes and suddenly everything happened too quickly.

One second he felt warm, soft lips forcing him into a hot, feverish kiss that drew the air out of his lungs until he felt dizzy, the next second all he saw was the image of a pale body with cascading red hair, trashing underneath him, offering the most delicate sounds. It felt good. Too good. addicting.

"A-Ajax..nghh.."

-

Childe jumped up hearing his name, his chest rose and fell quickly, his pulse was skyrocketing. Only the morning sun that blinded him inexorably made him aware of what had happened. And maybe the massive boner that ached against the now much too tight jeans.

He had been dreaming. He had been dreaming a painfully vivid dream. A painfully satisfying dream. He had been dreaming a painfully vivid, painfully satisfying dream about Diluc...

"FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!", the ginger screamed slamming his hand against his forehead like he wanted to beat the shit out of his own mind.
"..fuck fuck fuck ..."

-

Chapter Text

After several minutes of staring down at his own body, still struggling with the images the dream had created inside his mind, Childe sighed heavily. It certainly wasn't a good idea to jerk off to the images inside his head, but thinking about everything hell might have to offer didn't work to let his boner die either. He could've decided to sit there until...well, he didn't know until when but he did know that it was already morning and that he had to meet Diluc soon. Childe wasn't the type to be bothered by the thought of meeting the main actor of his wet dream, but he knew that he didn't want to spend time with him as long as it wasn't necessary. And it would only be necessary this evening when they had to attend the ball together.

About 10 minutes later his body had finally accepted that there was no relieve in sight and Childe was able to leave his tent to meet with Diluc. He didn't know if it was already 8 a.m. but as the sun was already mercilessly blinding his eyes, he assumed it was late enough for Diluc to be awake by now. The redhead didn't seem to sleep much anyways. Maybe if he would've knocked before he entered the room, maybe then he wouldn't have been reminded of his dream way to soon, but Childe didn't knock. Diluc was still asleep, lying on his stomach, his face turned to one side, his hair in red waves on the white silk covers, reminding Childe of his favorite image, the image of blood on fine snow. The blanket had long failed to cover him, allowing Childe to glimpse at the pale, burn-scarred skin, at the curve of his back, the minimal movements of his muscles, of his...

"Fuck no...", Childe mumbled, feeling his sanity crumble again and turned his gaze to the wall on the other side of the room, trying to stop himself from looking at Diluc any longer. He shouldn't think of him as someone beautiful. He shouldn't feel attracted to him. And by the archons, he shouldn't have these kind of dream about him. All of this was wrong. Completely wrong. And nothing more than a distraction. Feeling his heart jump against his chest, Childe grabbed one of the documents to leave a short note for Diluc, telling him that he would be back in the evening. At first he thought he simply didn't want to spend time with him until the ball, but now he knew that he shouldn't spend time with him. Not if he wanted to keep his cool, not if he wanted to be able to do the job this evening.

-

When Diluc finally woke up and read the note, he went straight into a crisis. Why didn't he notice that Childe had been there? Why didn't even a single cell of his brain ring a bell to alarm him? When did he let his guard down? All relaxation sleep had brought to him was gone within seconds, making him feel like he hadn't slept at all. He sat on the edge of the bed, the note in his hand, starring into the void. It took him a few minutes to calm down again, to accept that his mind had made a mistake. Slowly sorting his thoughts again, he went back to reading the documents, trying to focus on their mission again. If they could find the traitor tonight, he would be home by tomorrow and whatever his mind was plotting against him would nip in the bud. He could just continue his life in Mondstadt like he had never met Childe at all. What a pleasing thought that was...

-

Even if he had been so confused in the morning, he managed to spent the afternoon in peace. He took a bath, had a stroll through the city, got some food at a local restaurant, the one he had visited with Childe the evening before and bought a bottle of fontainian wine for Kaeya, not as a gift, just to let him try it. Simply for business reasons. It wasn't the most interesting day, but enough to distract him from everything that could make his sanity fall apart a little more. He didn't want to find himself thinking about Childe ever again.

-

A few hours later Diluc was back in the hotel room, slipping into the suit he had bought for the night. Childe wasn't there yet, but it was still enough time until they would have to leave. Combing his hair, the redhead studied the documents again, not wanting to overlook any detail. This time he noticed when Childe returned, the smell of blood and sweat could have given him away from afar. Glancing at him through the mirror, Diluc could see how wrecked the ginger looked, covered in blood, mud and things he didn't even want to know about.
"Gonna take a quick shower, should be ready in 20 minutes.", Childe said, grinning a little as he still felt high from the battles.
Diluc answered nothing as there was nothing to say and just watched him enter the bathroom. For the next twenty minutes he could hear the shower, but also curses and annoyed groans. He didn't understand what Childe was saying since it was in snezhnayan, but could decipher that he seemed to be angry about something.

"Ey firefly, could you give me a hand?", Childe yelled from the bathroom, waiting for any kind of response.
"I'm not going to join you in the bathroom.", Diluc replied unfazed, covering up that the request had startled him a little.
Just a few seconds later the door hit the wall, revealing a halfway dressed Childe holding a bandage in his hand.
"I'll bleed on my fucking suit if I don't stick it on. Could you just stick that on? Don't worry, I don't think it's great to have to ask you either."
Diluc looked at him attentive, trying to see where he was injured. Noticing this, Childe turned around, waving his arms in an attempt to point at his back even if it was completely unnecessary.
The wound was big and gaping, definitely not something a band-aid alone could solve.
"That won't be enough.", Diluc stated, ripping the bandage out of Childes hand, taking a closer look at the injury.
"Dagger?"
"Eh? How do you know?"
"Based on the edge of the wound. It's not that difficult to tell which weapon can leave which wound. It won't heal on it's own without proper treatment."
"Yeah anyway, just put that thing on and I'll take care of it tomorrow."
"Wounds can only be properly sutured for a certain amount of time. I think it won't stop bleeding anytime soon."
"Oh and what should I do now? Do you have anything else to offer besides speaking cunningly?"
Diluc rolled his eyes, pushing away the urge to just let him bleed to death (he wouldn't). He knew better. He knew he had to work with Childe.
"I could stitch the wound."
"Yes, of course, as if you could do that. Or would do that."
"I can. Make a decision."
Childe sighed for a hot second, but nodded shortly after. He had no other choice anyway.

"Lie down there."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
Diluc sighed, he had to try very hard to stay calm. It was straining.
After Childe had finally followed his order, he sat down on a chair in front of the bed, again inspecting the wound.
"I can't numb it, it will hurt."
"Just do it."
Childe was sure it wouldn't hurt, he was sure he wouldn't feel it, but it was, in fact, painful. It did hurt. It burned, it pinched, it stung. He bit into the pillow inconspicuously, trying not to make any noise that could reveal that it did hurt. He couldn't admit that to Diluc.
"Done. It won't be a pretty scar, but it should be able to heal properly like this."
"Hmh..yeah whatever. I don't care about scars."
"You seem to be proud of them."
Childe swung back into a sitting position and grinned at Diluc.
"I am~"
"... ... ...  Hurry to get ready."

-

"Put them into a high ponytail."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said: Put them into a high ponytail. Your hair."
"No."

-

"It would look better without it."
"Eh?"
"Don't wear the tie. It's incredibly ugly. "
Childe growled, ripping the tie off his neck but grinned stupidly a few seconds later.
"My mother said that I would surely impress a girl with it one day."
"...with a tie? Possibly if you strangle her with it. Otherwise...no."
Childe chuckled in return.
"Would you like that, firefly?"

-

Twenty minutes and a few flying objects later, they were both dressed for the ball. Diluc wore a black suit, tailored in Fontaine, his hair in a high ponytail. Childes suit was gray, the top buttons of the blue shirt were open, revealing his neck and a few inches of his collarbones, the tie was nowhere to be seen. Both stood in front of the mirror and stared at each other without saying a word, completely expressionless for a few seconds.
"How should I call you? Childe or Tartaglia are too conspicuous, everyone linked to the fatui would recognize it."
"...oh uhm...call me ... Ajax."
"Ajax?"
"Hmh. That's my name. Do you have any complaints about it?"
"Your real name? Ajax like Ajax the Great?"
"Eh? You know the story?"
"I do. I read it as a child. ... But you didn't have to tell me your real name. You could have thought of one instead."
"Doesn't matter to me. It may be my name, but it's not me anymore. Ajax is long gone. So call me what you want."
Diluc just nodded. He didn't feel like giving him a typical answer, not when Childe was much more bearable that way.
"Should I just call you Diluc? It's all about your last name, isn't it?"
Diluc nodded again, pinning the last strand of loose hair to the back of his head.
"Let's go.I can't wait to go back home.", he stated turning away from Childe, not noticing the way the ginger looked at him. And even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared, would he? 

-

"Good evening, are you already on the guest list?", a short-haired woman asked, looking them up and down before she smiled a little.
"Unfortunately not.", Diluc replied, putting on the fake politely smile he had trained over the years.
"Oh don't worry, I'll take care of that right away. ..uhm ... Which name should I enter? Yours or your partner's?"
"Both?", Childe asked a little confused, looking back and forth between her and Diluc.
"...Well ... according to the guidelines of this year's ball, only couples are allowed to participate. Due to these guidelines, only the first and last name of the ... husband is entered. ... in your case ... um ... what's you name, Sir?", she explained, turning to Childe when she was asking for a name. Diluc had to try really hard to not lose control on the spot. His emotions were about to boil over. Out of aversion, out of anger, out of disgust, out of ... he didn't know it himself.
"Ajax Telamon.", Childe replied remembering the story that inspired his father to call him Ajax and unnoticed, extinguished the small flame at Diluc's fingertips with a drop of water given by his own vision.
"Calm down, it is just an act.", he whispered leaning closer to Diluc, turned and smiled politely at the woman when he carefully pushed Diluc towards the entrance as it had already taken a lot of acting to keep it from looking like he was pushing him. He redhead growled quietly before he took a deep breath to get his composure back.
Glancing at Childe, Diluc noticed how much Childes' appearance had changed. He looked more grown up, more serious and less like the bloodthirsty oddball the redhead already knew.

"Didn't know that you can be so... short-tempered. You're usually pretty emotionless most of the time.", Childe remarked with a smile, walking next to Diluc when they entered the ballroom.
"I'm just intolerant to bullshit.", Diluc replied unusually straightforward without even bothering to find more appropriate words, much to Childes amusement.
"Switchin' roles? ..Haha.. If only I had known how moody my wife can be~"
"Don't you dare call me your wife again, Ajax."
"There there, don't get upset. Everything for the job, right?"
Diluc rolled his eyes, surpressing another quiet growl. It would be a torture to get through the evening, he was convinced of that.

-

Even if he really found it rather uncomfortable that they were viewed as a married couple, the first hour of the evening passed fast. They both mingled in the crowd, had superficial conversations with even more superficial guests and ate some of the actually disgusting snacks. They knew that it would take longer for the higher-ranking guests to show up. Waiting for a sign of conspicuous behavior, Diluc and Childe sat in one of the quiet corners on the edge of the ballroom, drinking wine and water.
They rarely talked, and if about nothing in particular, only when someone was around. They watched the dancing guests and listened to the speech of an apparently important person. It was boring, in a pleasant way. Minutes passed in which nothing seemed to happen, but when Childe recognized a certain person in the crowd, he growled in annoyance.
"..shit..", he mumbled glancing at the person from afar.
"What's wrong? Did you discover something?"
"Rather someone. See that ugly midget over there?"
Diluc followed the direction Childe looked at and sighed. He recognized the person even if they had never met face to face. Luckily they had never met face to face.
"The sixth harbinger."
"You're well informed, firefly. If he sees me, all of our efforts will be ruined."
Diluc looked back at Childe and sighed again.
"Will he know who I am?"
"I don't think so, except for Signora and the Fatui resident in Mondstadt, nobody knows what you look like.  We have only been informed of your name."
"Hmm...do they know about your reasons for staying in Fontaine?"
"No, I had officially applied for leave. However, I announced to take part in a social event."
Diluc nodded, his eyes focused on the other harbinger again, seeming to be thinking about something.
"Act as if you were actually here for your private pleasure only.", Diluc said after a few seconds, just before he saw Scaramouche actually approaching them. Before the dark-haired one could notice that they had seen him, Diluc had turned back to Childe, smiling at him a little.
"If you say a word, you'll burn to death and not even ashes will remain.", he added threateningly, the heat already reflecting in his eyes.
"What are you talking abo-.."
Childe couldn't ask. He couldn't move. He couldn't insult the other harbinger when he arrived. All he could do was go into a state of shock when Diluc suddenly sat on his lap, his warm lips brushing over his own. It felt good and daunting at the same time, tempting and confusing. It was too much and too little. He wanted to grab him to pull him closer just as much as he wanted to push him away. In the whole time he hadn't reacted, Diluc had heard the smaller harbinger curse and noticed that he disappeared again. As quickly as he sat on Childes' lap, as quickly was he sitting on the sofa next to him again, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Had he not been so taken by surprise, Childe would have complained about the gesture, but now he just sat there and stared into the void. Was he still breathing? Was his heart still beating? He did not know.

Diluc managed to focus on the mission. He ignored, no, already suppressed what had just happened. It didn't take long until, now that the higher ranked guests had arrived, he discovered a conversation between the sixth harbinger and a face he knew from Mondstadt. He couldn't hear them, but could see that they  seemed to be trying not to be heard either. A person from Fontaine joined them a few seconds later, the missing piece of the puzzle. Watching them interact, he saw Scaramouche leaving shortly after. Was he part of it or had he discovered them before? It was impossible to judge from a distance.

"The harbinger left. However, another member of the fatui now seems to be attending the conversation. Apparently it is a new candidate for the knights, a messenger of the noble house of Fontaine and one of your recruits. It shouldn't be a challenge to get them to talk, but I'll settle the matter in Mondstadt. This is not the right place."
Childe blinked several times, unable to grasp anything of what Diluc had said. He was subconsciously touching his lips to which the taste of grape juice still stuck, starring at the redhead.
"Ajax, would you mind to listen to me?", Diluc asked after he noticed that Childe hadn't even heard what he had said within the past five minutes.
"..I'm listening..Heard everything you said...fatui recruit, messenger and that guy from Mondstadt...", Childe mumbled shaking his head a little, trying to get back to his senses.
Diluc sighed but smiled when he turned back to Childe. He smiled. Why did he smile? And why did he look so handsome smiling?
"Is that your weakness? Physical closeness?", he said looking at Childe curiosly, sounding neither friendly nor unfriendly. The ginger took a deep breath, exhaling in an annoyed manner and jumped up to turn away from Diluc. This was too much. Diluc was too much. Too much for his mind to handle. Too much of a distraction.

"No. I don't give a shit about closeness. The only thing I can't stand are distractions and you are nothing more than that. Gonna take care of the recruit.", he hissed, nothing but dislike in the ocean blue eyes and sprinted away to confront the recruit on site. Diluc could only hear the crowd talking as Childe revealed himself to the recruit, the whispers, the shocked breathing. He could see the recruit following Childe, his head bowed, knowing full well his fate while the other two tried to flee. Neither of them got far, of course the guards noticed the hustle and bustle inside the ballroom. Diluc sighed, slowly creeping out of the hall. He himself had no interest in being discovered, nor in confronting the monstadtian on site. He would take care of it in Mondstadt, not here, not now. Here and now he could return to the hotel. He could pack his things to leave Fontaine tomorrow. He could get some sleep and leave early in the morning.

He ...couldn't.

-

He had returned to the hotel. He had packed his things too, he had changed and he went to bed. But he couldn't sleep. And he couldn't just leave in the morning. Or could he? He didn't really know anymore himself. He didn't know why he even thought about it. He didn't know why he was worried about Childe and especially not when it had started. He didn't know why the things Childe had said bothered him. And he didn't know why he kissed him. He didn't have to. Not even to give Childe a cover. They could have just talked to Scaramouche, too, or ignore him.
Had his mind taken so much damage in such a short time? When did that happen? And why did that happen? Was it because he was near a delusion for so long? Or was it another Fatui trick?

Or was it really because of him? Not the Fatui Tartaglia, but the person behind it, Ajax? Was it because of the few bonding moments, even if they seemed meaningless? Was it because he had quietly got a glimpse that the harbinger's mask wasn't all Childe was? Was it when he saw him write a letter to his sister? Or when they had talked about such trivial things at dinner without it feeling wrong? When he saw that Childe had so many different sides? Good and bad ones? Fake and incredibly honest ones?
Thinking about it, there were probably more moments than he'd first noticed.

Diluc sighed again, letting his back sink back into the matress to stare at the ceiling. Seldom, very seldom did anything bother him so much.
"Is there a logical reason for this? Anything that would explain it? To say the time we spent together, was comfortable enough for this development, would be an exaggeration. Considered logically ... it's illogical. ... completely illogical. That is bad. Really bad... ", the red-haired was talking to himself, a way of thinking about something that he only displayed when he didn't know what else to do.
"He's a Fatui. Not only that, he's a Fatui harbinger. In view of the small likelihood that it is not a temporary effect on my mental abilities, this alone would mean that none of it would ever...", Diluc groaned annoyed. Why did he think about it? It was a pointless waste of time. He should just return to Mondstadt tomorrow morning. And possibly see a doctor to have his mental health assessed. Or not. Working would probably be enough like it always had been. Maybe he could just take it out on Kaeya, as he stopped asking what was going on for a long time and just endured it whenever Diluc was.. mean. But he could also talk to him about it....maybe...

-

"I'm leaving.", sometime deep in the night he could hear the voice of the ginger in the room. Did he fall asleep at some point?
"..where are you going?", Diluc asked drowsy, he must have been in a deep sleep until just now.
"Snezhnaya. The mission is done. No need to stay here any longer.", Childe replied stuffing the rest of his things in a bag, only looking at Diluc through the mirror again.
The redhead slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and felt like his brain was still out of order.
"...It's the middle of the night."
"Who cares? The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back at home. Anyway, If we ever meet again, I'll insist on a fight."

Without saying anything else, Childe tossed the bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. It was over now. The mission. The trip. The time with the red-haired he should actually hate. But now just hated that he didn't hate him. He stood in front of the door for a few seconds but just shook his head. Pointless. Whatever it was, it was pointless.
The door had almost closed behind his back when he heard the sound of bare feet on wood behind him. He felt a tight grip around his wrist, stopping him from moving any further. When he turned around he looked into the still sleepy face of the redhead, the fiery eyes fixed on him.
"Need anything?", he asked, feeling his heart beat a little faster, his palms felt sweaty.
"Ajax....Oh fuck it.", 20 seconds had passed between the moment Childe asked and the moment Diluc answered. 20 seconds that had felt like forever, but also 20 seconds that now felt like nothing when Dilucs lips lashed against Childes, causing his brain to short circuit. He knew it was a mistake but he couldn't care less. freeing his hand from Dilucs grip, he wrapped his arms around the others waist, returning the kiss wantonly.
Childe did not ask permission to slip his tongue into Dilucs mouth, earning a quiet growl, but any resistance was immediately forgotten. The kiss tasted of salt, of grapes, of sleep, of heat. Of regret. Of passion. Dilucs back hit the matress again, this time way harder than when he was lost in thought.
He growled again, a short attempt to regain the upper hand before every defense was nipped in the bud again, drowned out by soft mewls and wet kisses along his neck.

-

Short circuited brains, heavily breathing bodies, eyes clouded with passion. Nothing more was left when Childe slumped on Diluc, drawing a breathless groan out of the other's mouth. He chuckled pressing another kiss against the redheads neck that was covered with traces of him. One high enough that no sweater or scarf could cover it up.
"...You know that was a mistake?", Diluc whispered, pushing Childe off himself to be able to breathe again.
"A hot one~", the ginger replied grinning stupidly, tracing his fingers over every mark, over every scar on Dilucs chest.
"That's no excuse."
"Do I need one?.. hmm...How about that?"

"..A-Ajax..."

Chapter Text

"Worry much eh?...ehehe now you look even older~"
"As far as I know the common people call me handsome. .. But if you have tried to ask if I am worried about something, then yes, I am."
Venti sighed heavily, over-dramatically throwing his hands into the air.
"You're no fun...", he mumbled, sinking onto the ground next to Zhongli.
"So, what's up?"
"I fear that his condition has rather worsened than improved despite the relaxed situation.", Zhongli replied lifting his hand to point down the cliff to where Xiao was sitting.
"The yaksha? Why?"
"Aether reported to me that he doesn't seem to sleep anymore. They were traveling together for a while and despite changing watch shifts, Xiao never slept. Aether also mentioned that he did not eat."
"Not even almond tofu?"
"Not even almond tofu."
"Ohh...", Venti still looked down to where Xiao was sitting, seeming to be worried now. He had always liked the yaksha even if they never really got to know eachother. Of course they had met hundreds of years ago but to meet someone and to know someone are two different pairs of shoes.
"And what are you planning to do?"
"I have already talked to Doctor Baizhu about mood-enhancing medication, but I do not assume that Xiao is easy to convince to take it. In addition, medication is only one component of a possible therapy. I may be one of the few with whom he actually talks, but he is not ready to share his suffering with me either..."
"I see...hmmm....", Venti replied resembling a certain statue thinking hard about a way to help.
"Even if it is incomprehensible to me, Xiao seems to have always liked your music...", Zhongli mentioned after some time, earning a nudge against his arm and a fake angry glare in return.
"And I can't understand why everyone calls you handsome! Ehehe...But do you think it would help?"
"I will only admit that once, but I assume that your cheerful manner, with the knowledge that you can also be serious, could have a positive effect on Xiao. If you don't mind, it would at least be worth trying."
Venti giggled, beaming happily like he had just won a competition. He would've loved to reply anything in return that could've annoyed the other archon, but kept silent and nodded after some time of celebrating his victory.
"Will try, after all, he's cute~", Venti replied and giggled again hearing the deep sigh from Zhongli.
"Whatever."

-

"How to...hmmm...sedu-..no...how to get the yaksha to smile, part 1!"
"If it were possible I would already have a lot of gray hair because of you."
"Ehehe...I have to remember what works and what doesn't~"
"I do not think that this is a common procedure."
"No it's not, it's Barba-theory...got it? ..ehehehe..."
"I should have eaten you back then."

-

Sitting on top of the Wangshu Inn, Venti was watching Xiao a few days later. He himself had come to the conclusion that most of his ideas were utter nonsense considering Xiao's personality. He didn't want to meet him as Barbatos, not even as Venti, just as a friend. And you don't become friends overnight, he knew that. He thought about playing a melody to soothe the others mind, but it didn't feel right to just follow him around playing calm tunes. He used to do this often, playing the flute near the water, and Xiao often listened from afar, but at some point he stopped to get near the water to listen. Somehow Venti felt guilty at the thought, should he have noticed that Xiao was worse off?

"Why are you here?", Xiao suddenly asked from behind the bard, looking at him expressionless. He didn't sound as dismissive as always, but neither did he sound inclined.
"Eek!", Venti squeaked, falling backwards in shock but giggled when he looked up at Xiao from below.
"Ahh~ you know, I like to look after my protégés from time to time~", he replied followed by a sweet smile.
"There is something called privacy.", Xiao mumbled glaring at Venti, but turned around to leave him alone again as he at least wasn't a threat.
"Wait! I thought we could spend some time together!"
"No."
"Come on, just a few minutes. I've always wanted to spend time with the mighty guardian yaksha~"
"For what purpose?"
"Does everything have to have a purpose? We could just talk. About the good old days or whatever you want. I've brought some wine with me too~"
"I do not like wine."
"Hmm...Then I'll drink the wine while we talk, ok?"
"Then talk."
"And you just wanna stand there?"

It wasn't the easiest thing to have a conversation if only one of them was talking, but Venti didn't mind to tell stories anyways. First he tested what Xiao seemed to be most interested in. Apparently not the stories he had to tell about Mondstadt, neither his experiences in the tavern nor fairy tales about adventurers. The first time Xiao seemed to be listening was when Venti talked about his meeting with Morax without mentioning that they talked about him. Well, actually he should have known that right away. He should have known that Morax, Crystalflies and the past were things that Xiao was at least listening to, even if he still didn't say anything.

"...And then I asked if I should put some in his hair and do you know what he said? That I can't braid hair! I mean...", Venti held his own braids in his hands offended but laughed at the same time. 
"I just think Aether doesn't like it when someone else..braids his hair.", Xiao replied although he wasn't about to say anything and Venti smiled at that, feeling like it was another small victory.
"Why? I like the tingles hehe.."
"His sister used to do that."
"Ohhh...I see. Did he tell you that?"
"Yes. He talks a lot."
"Weeeell since you don't talk much he has to talk a lot himself."
"I don't see any point in talking a lot."
"Oh uh no...I didn't mean to imply that you have to. For not talking a lot, you are an even better listener~", Venti replied, the sweetest smile gracing his lips. Xiao didn't smile back, but he didn't seem so stiff anymore even if he didn't seem to be relaxed either.

After that, Venti told stories and Xiao listend to him silently for another hour. The bard told him stories from the past, stories about the time he had spent in Liyue as a young archon, about the one time when the dragon Morax almost ate him or the other time when Azhdaha almost ate him. Even if very slowly, at some point Xiao seemed a little calmer. That he was still there and was now sitting next to Venti was a good sign, wasn't it?
"...You've almost been eaten many times....", Xiao stated at some point even if there was no emotion to be heard in it and Venti just nodded with a grin in return. A few seconds later, Xiao got up and turned to leave again. Venti already feared that it might not have gone as well as he thought, but when he heard the other's soft 'thank you' he smiled warmly. He didn't have to answer that nor did he have to ask him to wait again. For today it had been a success and that was enough.

-

Maybe it was only a few days, maybe weeks, but no matter how long it was, Venti regularly accompanied the yaksha during this time. Almost always he was the only one who talked, but that didn't matter to him. That Xiao stayed with him and listened was enough. The bard wasn't the most patient of all people, but with Xiao he had all the patience in the world. With every day it became more important to him that he wanted to help Xiao until at some point it was no longer a job or a request, but his own wish. He wanted to see him smile. If only once.

"...I do remember her...", Xiao mumbled when Venti talked about Guizhong, staring at the floor in front of him and Venti noticed that he had poked into a memory that seemed to hurt Xiao.
"She was very...lovely, I still remember that even if I never knew her as well as you and the old- ..soryy...as you and Morax did. Do you remember when she scolded Morax so hard that Ganju started crying? The girl cried for hours even though he got in trouble and not her.", Venti spoke more calmly, more seriously, realizing which emotions the topic triggered inside the adeptus.
"..I do. ... wasn't that your fault?", Xiao answered very quietly but didn't seem to be upset.
"..ehehe...hmm..maybe?"
"...You're a real troublemaker..." Soft. His voice was soft and if he didn't imagine it, Xiao's voice sounded warmer than usually.
"But not on purpose. Ok..maybe a little bit on purpose..It's just fun to tease him and ... to be honest, he's pretty much the only family I've left. ...Don't you dare tell him that, Xiao!", Venti pouted, looking fake angry at Xiao but melted away the second he heard the rarest thing he had ever heard. He heard the yaksha chuckle. Venti's heart missed a beat, something he hadn't felt in a long time, something he couldn't remember at all.
"...I..uhm...hehehe ...", he stuttered, distracted by the brief smile on Xiao's face which was more than enough to make his heart miss one more beat.
"You're a ..weird one,...Barbatos."

-

"...She...When I first met her ... she reacted as if my master had brought ... a wild animal into their home.", days had passed again, but Venti had noticed that Xiao was talking about Guizhong and continued this conversation. And actually it really made Xiao tell something about his past. Even if Venti found it strange that Xiao still called the other archon 'his master', he now just listened patiently. He knew how fragile the trust Xiao placed into him was.
"... but she wasn't angry at him.... She bathed me... and combed my hair...while she was singing a song...she was ... very patient.", Xiao didn't look at Venti while he was talking, but that was okay as it didn't bother the bard. He was happy by just listening to him.
"...Guizhong ... was...irreplaceable. For him and for me."
"I see ... she meant a lot to you too, didn't she? I can understand that. And also how it hurts to lose someone like that."
Xiao nodded, he didn't want to talk any more about Guizhong, but he felt understood. And subconsciously he appreciated that very much. Just as he valued Venti's company, even if he was still far from admitting it to himself.

-

"You should be..careful...you're not invulnerable.", Xiao mumbled another day after Venti had told him where the wine he brought was from.
His expression was stern but Venti could see a little hint of concern in it.
"...ah hehe...he throws me off the counter sometimes but he doesn't hurt me..", Venti giggled when he answered but Xiao didn't look happy at all. The yaksha growled quietly but turned away from Venti to gaze into the distance again.
"...uhm...nevermind, ok? It's nothing to...worry about."
"Hmpf."

-

"I brought you a present~"
"I don't need gifts."
"Well uhm .. it's not a real present ... "
Venti smiled another one of his sweetest smiles, handing a small box to Xiao. It felt warm when he touched it and smelled pleasant.
"Almond tofu?"
"Ehuh! Made by none other than me! You have to try it!"
"I am not hungry."
"But it's made with love!"
Xiao rolled his eyes but nodded defeated, slowly opening the box he held in his hands. Maybe it wasn't the best almond tofu he had ever eaten, Venti had clearly different qualities than cooking, but still it made him happy. If only very secretly deep inside. Although he hadn't wanted to, he ate everything except a small bite Venti had stolen from his spoon. While the bard giggled, Xiao was very quiet but looked at him the whole time. Calm. Maybe almost relaxed.
"...What food ..do you like?"
"Apples!"
"Apples?"
"Ehuh! They're my favorite!"
"...hm."

-

"Here.", Xiao said a few days later, placing a nicely wrapped box on Venti 's lap as he sat down next to him again. It was always the same place and the same time and each time Xiao noticed that he started to worry if Venti was only a few minutes late. And by celestia, he was often late.
"Eh? For me?", Venti beamed. He didn't even care what it was, the fact that Xiao gave him a gift was enough to make him smile brighter than the sun.
"Hmh... I made it."
"You made something for me?!", without thinking, Venti jumped up to hug the other tightly but stepped back the second he noticed that Xiao flinched at his touch.
"..oh..uhm..I didn't want to..."
"It's nothing."
Venti nodded, although he was still visibly concerned, he decided not to ask any further. Instead he carefully opened the present and beamed even more when he saw what it was.
"Applepie?!"

-

It was dark, a calm breeze refreshed the night air, and although Xiao never sat next to Venti at night, he did so today. He didn't say anything for a long time and Venti, as rare as that was, just enjoyed the silence too, but at some point after half an eternity, Xiao turned to him, a serious expression in his eyes.
"Why are you doing this?", he asked calm but almost as dismissive as at the beginning.
"Hm? ...I'm just sitting here?"
"Why are you spending time with me? Why are you talking to me? What do you get from it if I don't give you anything in return?"
Venti turned to him, his expression warm but also a little sad.
"Have you still not understood that I don't want anything in return?", he replied more like Barbatos than Venti.
"I do not believe that. Everyone expects something in return for what they do."
"...hmm..yeah maybe ... but does that mean it's always selfish?... If it's selfish that I want to see you smile, that I want you to be fine, then yes, I am selfish. And that's perfectly fine with me."
"Why? Why do you care how I am?", Xiao sounded angry but Venti knew that it was just an act of self-protection, he kept smiling a warm smile, softly placing his hand on Xiao's. Xiao did not pull his hand away, but did not respond to it in any other way either, he just stared at their hands as if it were something completely unbelievable to see the others hand on his own.
"Why?...hmm maybe because I like you, maybe not, who knows?~"
"I am not going to be a part of your games, bard.", Xiao hissed, now pulling his hand away and got up fast. He was just about to vanish when Venti suddenly but carefully grabbed his hand to stop him. He didn't want to force him to stay but he didn't want him to leave like that.
"Please wait a second.", he said and immediately released Xiao, knowing that stopping him like this had already caused some damage.
"What do you want?", the yaksha hissed again but at least stopped even if he no longer looked at Venti.
Venti slowly got up and stood in front of Xiao to look at him, carefully and cautiosly taking one of his hands in his own.
"I didn't lie. I like to joke a lot, but I didn't lie about the reason why I'm being with you. I wanna see you smile. And I want you to be fine. Or at least that you are ..ok.. because not everyone can be fine as some things will never heal completely. Why? Because I like you. I already liked you when Morax brought you in even if that was still meaningless....you know, maybe I wasn't being completely honest after all but I didn't lie either. I came here because Morax was worried about you, because we talked about it, and because I thought you'd at least be worth trying. That's why I came here, but that's not why I'm still here. So why am I still here? Because you're more than worth it. Because my heart forgot how to do its job that on time you smiled. Because the apple pie was the most valuable gift I've ever received. And because I don't care if I ever get anything back as long as I can just sit here with you every now and then. That's why.", Xiao had never seen Venti as serious as in that moment, but everything he said overwhelmed the yaksha enormously. There was too much of things he didn't understand and too little of things he expected to hear. The touch of their hands, the lovingly stern face of the archon, the content of the words that Xiao always thought could only be empty. It was too much. Far too quickly he released his hand from Venti's embrace and vanished, almost as if he was fleeing something. Which he did. The bard sighed and sank back onto the roof where they had been sitting. He had always known that he would need a lot of patience and yet he couldn't help feeling frustrated for a moment.

-

Venti had never planned to sleep on the roof but probably even less he had expected not to wake up there. When he woke up he saw a wooden ceiling above him, silk bed sheets around him and only a ray of sunlight through the curtained window. He had never been there before but although everything was alien to him, he wasn't afraid. For a few minutes he enjoyed the comfortable bed, rolling from side to side like a cat and yawned extensively when he finally sat up. The room didn't look cozy, it could hardly be called decorated, but he recognized a few small things at the other end of the room that gave clues to the occupant, although he knew from the start who the room belonged to. He recognized a something that looked like a piece of Morax pillars cut into the shape of a dragon entwined with a dried glaze lily, a bunch of dried qingxing flowers with a piece of paper attached to them, a weathered picture of Xiao and a really small Ganyu next to him and ... was that the box the tofu was in? Oh Venti definitely had to give him something else for his collection.
The bard smiled a soft smile, slowly walking closer to the collection, the second his finger was about to touch the picture, he couldn't even blink as fast as Xiao had already torn him away from it.
"Do not touch it.", he hissed pinning the other to the wall across from it, staring at him threateningly.
As menacing as he looked, Venti blushed heavily instead of backing away and giggled a little, feeling his hearts rhythm turn into pure chaos again.
"...I...uhm...Sorry...", he whispered earning a nod and was almost, no actually, disappointed when Xiao let go of him again.
"Just don't do that again. Never touch it, not even next time you're here."
"..next ...time..I'm..here?", the blush grew even worse making him look like a little tomato. A cute little tomato.
"I don't mind being with you."
Venti beamed again. Well that wasn't actually a confession but in terms of Xiao, it was almost the same.

-

"Thank you.", Zhongli said looking at the bard next to him and the yaksha that slept resting his head on Venti's lap.
"..hmmm...nooo~ not for that ~", he replied quietly, smiling a sweet smile again.
"However, I still cannot recognize how this has developed from the story you told."
"Maybe I forgot to mention one or two things...ehehe...But I don't ask about your husband either. Unless you want to tell something ~ I'm always in for a few spicy details~"
"Definitely not."
"Just as I said, you're no fun blockhead!"
Venti heard a small growl from his lap which immediately ebbed when he stroked the yaksha's head, again replaced by calm breathing.
Both archons chuckled turning their gazes back to the scenery infront of them.

It was true, he hadn't told him that he was at Xiao's home more often after that day. He also didn't tell him that Xiao had apologized in his own kind of way for running away that night. Also not that he woke up there one morning and Xiao just slept next to him. Or that they cuddled without even having spoken a word that morning even though Venti still didn't know what Xiao felt for him at this point. And even if he would have liked to tell, the story of their first kiss had remained his secret too. Even in a family, you don't have to tell everything. And that was perfectly fine.

-

"If you want to tell him more, I don't mind. I know that you love each other in this weird father-son adeptus-archon way..hehe..", Venti said later that night when he was home alone with Xiao again. The adeptus rolled his eyes, growling a little.
"..it's not...like...-"
"It is!"
"...hmpf... fine...But no, I don't want to. Not now."
Pulling Venti onto his lap, Xiao placed a soft kiss on his lips to erase that stupid grin out of his face.
For a few moments, filled with soft kisses, it worked, but the grin was back as soon as they looked at each other again.
"Gonna call him dad at some point. He'll hate that~"
"...Why?"
"Now that you're my boyfriend and he's your father in a weird way he's my father-in-law...."
Venti couldn't stop his laughter, allowing the tiny tears to roll down his cheeks. Just the thought of Zhongli's face was enough to amuse him for days. The yaksha again only rolled his eyes and sighed a little this time.
"..I hate it when you disrespect him..."
"Ehehe...Am I in trouble now?"
"Definitely."
Venti giggled knowing that he would be only too happy to take the punishment for it.

Chapter Text

This morning had seemed like any other, the sun was shining, the harbor was busy and the sky was cloudless. It too could have started like any other, completely meaningless in an eternal cycle of day and night and yet this morning was by no means like any other. The sun had barely risen when there was a knock on Ganyu's door which roused the girl from her sleep. She hadn't expected a visit and even less the person standing in front of her door.
"..M-Morax?", she mumbled confused as she still hadn't fully processed what had happened some weeks before.

-

"Are you sure?", she asked after she had made some tea and sat down next to Zhongli on the tiny sofa. The reason for his appearance was even more difficult to process and yet her heart was beating a little faster with excitement.
"I am.", he replied, his voice as calm as always but Ganyu could see the tension of his body. He was restless, worried.
"...do you intend to tell him? I ... I think he should know ... in case you intend to ...keep it. ..Will you?", actually she shied away from getting too close, out of respect, but now she took one of Zhongli's hands between hers and smiled a little, trying to comfort him.
"I have been thinking about it for the last few hours and yet I can't answer any of the questions."
"...Are you uhm
...afraid... of his reaction? ..My lord, I can't understand but I've seen the way you look at him. ..And the way he looks at you. ... ...Is there a reason to fear rejection?", Ganyu didn't like Childe but compared to the other adepti she was willing to accept him.
Zhongli sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath.
"At the moment I would describe our relationship as complicated should there be anything that can be called a relationship at all. I assume that he continues to resent me for not having been initiated. We still occasionally spend time together, but apart from dinner and purely physical get-togethers, he acts very dismissive.", Zhongli explained expressionless, making Ganyu blush a little. The woman coughed as she turned her gaze to the other side but turned back to him after taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the unwanted images inside her head.
"Will you ...meet again any time soon? If so, I would suggest that you just tell him. In the end, it's up to you to decide, but I think he should know...because..uhm you know..I don't know why.... anyways.. you'll have to change your form soon, won't you? I don't want to know how that could even happen, no ...really not, but..if you want to keep it..."
"Yes, in that case I will have to take a temporarily feminine form as the partial change alone will not be sufficient."
"...ehuh..so..uhm..If you need me, you know where to find me, ok? I'm sure Childe will have a hard time understanding, but I don't think he's going to be angry.... As far as I have noticed, in addition to his malicious sides, he seems to be caring and loving towards his family. ...Maybe he will be happy about it?"

-

Sitting across from Childe had never felt so uncomfortable as it had on that evening a few days later. It wasn't necessarily the fact that they had dinner together or that Childe still seemed dismissive, more like knowing what he had to tell to him. Rarely was anything actually able to make the archon nervous, but that evening he couldn't have denied it. He was damn nervous. Childe didn't notice, he was talking about irrelevant subjects, nothing special, nothing personal and rarely looked directly at the other. Sometimes he laughed, sometimes he grinned, but mostly the ginger seemed rather expressionless. The more time passed, the more dismissive he seemed to be. The sound of his voice had changed, his posture was tense. Everything about him indicated that he seemed to be thinking about something that angered him and yet Zhongli had little choice but to tell him now.

"Childe, I-"
"No."
Before the dark-haired could even begin, Childe had already interrupted him and looked at him disparagingly. Upset. Only very experienced beings could have seen that some kind of hurt feelings was hidden behind it.
"I beg your pardon?", Zhongli was confused, he didn't show it but he felt it. Maybe he should have shown it, maybe that would've helped to calm the other down a little, but he just waited, expressionless.
"You take me for granted, don't you? Asking me to cough out mora wherever you go for whatever you want. Use me as a pawn in your machinations. I'm sick of it, Zhongli. I'm sick of you.", Childe hissed, his fists clenched when he got up to leave. He didn't want to hear a reply, didn't want to look into the amber eyes. He just wanted to go and not come back. Ever. The last few weeks had thawed more and more emotions in him. Many that he did not understand, that he had never known. He hadn't been able to see why he was reacting more sensitively to the other every day, why he felt so rejected even though they were together. The chaos inside had made him angry. Defense for something he couldn't fight off anymore but tried to.
"Childe.", Zhongli's voice was cold, it didn't allow Childe to recognize how devastated Zhongli was for a moment. And not the moment when the dark-haired slipped into the role of the god he had once been again. The role that could suppress any feeling in order to act out of his mind and not his heart.
"Your opinion of me is unfortunate in view of the intention for which I wanted to meet you. Originally I intended to make this decision together with you, but now I do not see any justification on your part.", the archon said strangely calm, slowly getting up again.
"I am expecting a child. Your child. Do not feel obliged to care.", he added cold, dismissively, the voice the way Childe had imagined him speak as Morax, powerful enough to make him listen.

Childe had heard every word and understood none. Two words echoed through his mind, over and over again, everytime a bit louder. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. First his hands began to shake, then his whole body, so much that he sank into the chair from which he had got up earlier. He reached for the other's hand that had been lying there on the table before, but he felt nothing. The moment he wanted to apologize, even if he still couldn't understand a thing, even if he didn't know if he had to apologize at all, he noticed that the archon was no longer there. Out of sheer shock, he had not noticed that Zhongli had left, he had not seen that he had paid for his meal himself and had not allowed to see how beautiful he had looked this evening. How beautiful and how different, even it were only a few days since his body had started to change. Out of false pride Childe had overlooked what had happened right in front of his eyes.
"..fuck..", he whispered again and again to himself. Confused, angry, disappointed, insecure and excited somewhere deep down.
"FUCK!"

-

"Oh you're looking for the consultant, lover boy? He has taken a break. Dunno when he'll come back. ..but if you're already here, I have an offer for you-", Hu Tao had told him the next day. He hadn't had time to hear the offer, he had to find Zhongli, but this was easier said than done.

"Get out!", was the only thing he had heard from Xiao before the yaksha attacked him like a fury, only the presence of the traveler had ensured that they did not engage in a battle of life and death.
"He doesn't know either.", Aether had said before he had shoved Childe out the door to calm the yaksha afterwards.

"...Childe...I .. it would be a lie to say that I'm happy to see you but I know you're not here for me. I dare to doubt that he would want to see you, but come on in. After all, it's not just about the two of you anymore. ", Ganyu said when Childe stood in front of her door in the middle of the night, completely exhausted and desperate.
"You ...know it?", the ginger asked when he entered the room and looked around. He couldn't see Zhongli anywhere but doubted that Ganyu would have invited him in if he wasn't there.
"I do. In fact, I encouraged him to tell you, even if I now doubt this advice. Please sit down and wait a moment.  Don't move, if you'd want to do something stupid I'll turn you to ice on the spot.", he had never heard her voice so serious and threatening and yet he could see some warmth in her eyes. Ganyu disappeared into another room and Childe couldn't help but feel watched. Only after a few seconds did he notice the other girl in the room, it was the purple haired Qixing if he remembered correctly. Keqing glared at him viciously, hugging a pillow that looked suspiciously like Zhongli's dragon form. Childe wondered why she was there and how long she knew about everything, but when Ganyu came back and kissed the girl's forehead, he didn't have to ask any further questions about it.
"He's waiting for you on the terrace.", Ganyu said and turned to Keqing which was still starring at him like he was born out of hell.
"I'm keeping an eye on you, don't forget that.", Keqing added and Childe nodded. At any other time he would have asked the girl to fight, but now he had more important things to do.
He slowly got up and went to the terrace, unsure of what to say. He had screwed it up, he knew that. He also guessed that  Zhongli was able to understand why he had behaved like this, but feared that understanding alone would not be enough.

Mentally he had gone through the conversation thousands of times but when Zhongli stood in front of him every word was gone. Childe just stood there as if frozen, completely overwhelmed. He gulped, feeling his hands starting to sweat a little. He was nervous, not like the thrill before a fight, no, just completely and thoroughly nervous.

"...I...I'm so-", this time Zhongli interrupted him before he could say anything.
"An apology based on words alone is a worthless attempt to ease one's conscience. For many years I have contradicted my yaksha in this regard, but in this case I agree. But I am willing to discuss the matter with you as I am able to understand what led you to your statement, be aware of it, but I will not accept your way of telling me. I expect that you are able to express yourself sensibly without assuming intentions that I am not pursuing. Take a seat, I will get some tea.", Zhongli said, his voice cold and dismissive until he had asked him to sit down. For a moment the archon disappeared into the apartment and Childe could hear Ganyu and Keqing talk to him, words of approval but also of contempt for Childe, but only a little later Zhongli came back with two cups of tea, one of which he handed to the ginger before he sat down on the bench next to him.

"Well, did you think about it?", Zhongli asked and took a sip of the tea, looking into the distance somewhere far away.
"Every goddamn minute... May I ask you something? ...But please don't get me wrong.", Childe asked unusually cautios, clutching the cup. He hated hot tea, but right now the warmth was very comforting.
Zhongli nodded turning to the ginger, allowing their eyes to meet again.
"Are you really sure?...Are you really ... and is it really ... mine? My child?", Childe's hands were shaking, he had no intention to accuse the other of being unfaithful. Actually, it wouldn't even have been unfaithful as they hadn't had a real relationship yet and he knew that even if the mere thought of someone else touching Zhongli made him angry. God, why hadn't he noticed earlier what he was really feeling?
"I am. And yes, it is. I can guarantee you.", Zhongli replied unfazed and took another sip of his tea, turning his gaze away from Childe again. It was such a strangely uncomfortable situation for both them. Yet, Zhongli had already made his decision, now it was all about whether Childe would be part of it.
"...This is ... Zhongli I ... I don't know what to say. In the last few hours I haven't thought about anything else and yet I don't know anything useful to say. I, if I'm honest, it scares me as hell, I've been in constant panic since you left. I have no idea how to do this, how to be a father, but I want it. It's a new, completely different challenge, I like that. It's a thousand times more exciting than anything I've ever done before. I want to be the kid's dad. And ... I want to be with you.", Childe just talked, without thinking, only out of his feelings. He took one of Zhongli's hands between his and just held it tight, waiting for an answer. He wanted to be a part of it even if he was still barely able to really understand. Even if he, for the first time ever, wasn't really sure if he could do it. Every second he waited was hell, worse than any moment he had spent inside the abyss and just that he felt that way made him chuckle quietly. Who would have thought that the 11th harbinger of the Fatui was afraid of rejection.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhongli sighed quietly and entwined his fingers with Childes, still having almost no expression on his face.
"Why did you assume that I was only taking advantage of you?", the archon asked, calm but curious, his voice a little bit warmer than before.
"..uhm.. Guess I just felt toyed with and that felt like shit? I had no idea what I feel for you, only that it overwhelmed me. And you can't blame me for thinking that you only want my money when all we do is buy you something or fuck. I mean, you're not the brightest light when it comes to feelings either...", Childe scratched his head feeling a little uncomfortable and still nervous, but also grinned a little.
"Hmm. Yes, this seems to have been a mistake on my part too. I assumed that physical contact adequately satisfied the extent of your needs."
"Yeeahh... guess not."
Looking at their hands, Zhongli sighed a little, clueless about what to say, a strange feeling for someone who had experienced almost everything over the past 6000 years.
"Childe.."
"How about...calling me Ajax instead of Childe? That would be a start, wouldn't it?"

-

Of course settling into a relationship wasn't easy for both of them at first. For Childe it was the first he would have called serious and that the man he loved had taken the form of a woman, a pregnant woman, didn't make it easier. For Zhongli it might not have been the first serious relationship, but it was also the first time under these circumstances. There were some things that they needed to sort out and some that they had no idea about. The fact that the adepti loathed Childe didn't make it any better, but some serious words from their archon made it a little easier to bear. Childe and Zhongli lived in what could have been described as chaos, but they were happy the way it had turned out.

"I still find it hard to..process ..well...uhm.. everything.", Aether mumbled when he met Zhongli for dinner with Ganyu and Xiao.
"That is quite understandable to me.", Zhongli replied shoving a tiny pastry into his mouth, the one he had taken out of Paimons hands just seconds before. Childe had warned the blond in advance, but only now did he understand what he had meant.  Pregnant Zhongli was unwilling to share food, constantly tired and a bit confused at times. Aether found that quite amusing to watch, even if he earned angry glances from the yaksha every time he giggled.
"Do you know when..uhm.. do you know when the child will be born?", he asked pushing his plates to Zhongli to offer him the remains of his food.
"Not exactly as I do not know if my former power is still having an effect."
"..Oh, I haven't thought about that yet ... You're still an adeptus so ... will the child be a half adeptus like Ganyu?"
"It is to be assumed. At least I suspect that without considering the circumstances of the conception...ah forgive me, this is really not something to talk about."
"...uh..hah..ha..eh..ehuh ..better not....Paimon I don't think you should do that!", Aether said looking at the tiny creature that had gone over to sticking to Zhongli's belly and whispering things to the baby inside.
"It's okay.", Zhongli replied patting the pixies head and chuckled a little listening to the things she said.
"Well anyway, I forgot to say it, but congratulations. If you are happy, so am I. If we can do something for you, let me know at any time, huh?"
"Thank you Aether, I appreciate that. If I remember correctly, Childe mentioned that he wanted to speak to you. I assume that he can currently be found at the Northland Bank. Paimon is welcome to stay here in the meantime.", Zhongli said with a soft smile when he looked down to Paimon and Aether nodded. He didn't necessarily want to meet the ginger, not when the probability was high that he just wanted to fight, but he agreed anyway.

-

"Ah comrade, so Zhongli remembered asking you to come and see me. Haha..would have bet that he forgot...uh where's Paimon?", Childe grinned as usual and put a stack of papers aside when Aether entered the office which Childe used temporarily.
"Cuddling with your wife's belly.", the blonde replied with an equally stupid grin and took a seat across from Childe.
"What? What is she doing?"
"Sticking to Zhongli's belly to whisper things to the child. Since we found out, she's been talking about nothing but food, as always, and your baby. She's hyped. But that's not the point. What do you want? I don't think I should come here to have a little chit-chat with you."
"Oh comrade, as harsh as ever eh? haha..but, actually, I have to ask you for a favor. Even if I'm the last one who should ask you for something I guess. It's about Zhongli, not me."
"Spit it out."
"From next month I will return to Snezhnaya for two months. It doesn't matter what I have to do there, it's just a matter of whether you can check on him every now and then."
"Me? Why me? Ganyu and Xiao are here after all."
"Because of all of them, strange as it sounds, I trust you the most."
"Is there a reason I should check on him? You look .. concerned.
..ugh..weird."
"I noticed something that worried me and I'm afraid he wasn't telling me the whole truth about it. I would be grateful if you could check on him and write me letters about how they are actually doing. I will of course reward you accordingly."
"It's so weird to see you dead serious about something that isn't related to murder and manslaughter...But yeah I'll do it. For him, not for you, understood?"
Childe rolled his eyes, much in contrast to his now re-appearing grin,  but nodded.
"Thanks."

-

"Childe, please let go of me."
Since Childe would leave for Snezhnaya tomorrow morning, he had not left Zhongli alone for a minute during the whole day. It was cute as it was something you wouldn't expect when meeting Childe for the first time, but for Zhongli it was almost a bit of a nuisance.
"Ajax."
"Ok ok, don't look at me like that. Call me if you need me, promised?"
"I assume that I am perfectly able to bathe on my own...But yes, promised."
"...or I'll just keep you company,..no?"
Zhongli sighed looking at Childes disappointed expression but turned to go to the bathroom.
"Hurry up before I change my mind."

-

When Childe came to Liyue, he didn't expect that it would be so difficult to leave the city one day. He didn't want to leave, but he had to. He had jobs to do, had to have a conversation with the Tsaritsa and a small part of him was looking forward to some action. A not so small part of him had definitely missed to shed some blood in the past few weeks. Yes, he'd missed the sight of red blood on white snow. Just thinking about it poured adrenaline into the gingers system, but he knew that he could only leave in peace because he knew that Zhongli was taken care of. And that Aether would write to him.

'They're fine. Zhongli eats a lot, almost worse than Paimon. Xiao moved in temporarily after Zhongli talked to him. He's always been at your door to guard them anyway. Ganyu went shopping for them yesterday, she said you owe her money. - Aether'

The first letter reached Childe after a week. He smiled when he saw the blurry photo that Aether had sent, a picture of Paimon and Zhongli taking a nap. It would probably be better if the archon never found out that this image existed and who would Childe be to tell him? Presumably he looked in love while looking at the picture, it was no wonder his subordinates were  confused as they stood  in his doorway, not knowing if they should talk to him.

'Zhongli sleeps a lot. We haven't talked much the last few days but Xiao said that they're fine. Ganyu didn't seem so convinced, but she's been very tense lately anyway. I wouldn't worry about it. Keqing brought a present over yesterday. I don't know what to think of it, but I think you will like it. - Aether'

This time Aether had sent a photo of the present. It was the biggest plush toy Childe had ever seen and, oh wonder, again it was designed like Morax dragon form. The ginger chuckled. At some point he would have to have a serious word with her, a very serious one, but for now he just found it amusing. That he always had to wait a week for a letter was annoying, but it was comforting to read that they were fine.
It was probably very irritating for the new recruits to see their boss grin so stupidly in the middle of training. And in general it was probably not the right time to read a letter but Childe didn't care. He made the recruits quickly regret that they dared to be curios about it instead of waiting for the right time to read it. Of course the Tsaritsa had found out about the letters, but since Childe worked more focused after each letter and was less of a nuisance, she simply ignored it for the time being.

'I don't want to worry you, but to be honest I'm a little worried. It's probably nothing, but Zhongli has been really different the last few days. Very absent-minded. I asked about Liyue's history and got no answer. Actually he wanted to write to you too, but Xiao said that he looked at the paper for hours without even writing a word. I'll keep you updated. - Aether'

This time Aether hadn't sent a picture and even if he had, it wouldn't have made it any better.  At first Childe tried not to think too much about it. If he was honest, he had no idea how pregnancies could affect someone, but the more time passed, the more worried he became. Maybe it was nothing, he kept telling himself, but it was obvious how distracted he was. The Tsaritsa did not talk to him about it, she did not blame him yet, but somewhere in secret she began to investigate.
"Shit...", the ginger mumbled to himself, kind of worried, kind of angry. On the one hand he wanted to return immediately, on the other hand, the side that had returned from the abyss, he was annoyed that he had ever let it get that far. That he had ever allowed himself to get attached to someone. Love could be a weakness. A family would be a weak point.  A vulnerable point.
"Fuck!", he mumbled again, slamming his hand on the table.
Why was he so angry? Did he regret it? Would he have preferred that it never happened?
Confused and annoyed, he decided to do what he had always liked. For some unfortunate soul in the cold of Snezhnaya that meant an unexpected end to its life. And a lot of red on white.

'Hello Childe. Today I am writing to you instead of Aether. I am not aware of what exactly he wrote you in advance, but I assume that it is about Morax's condition. I thought about explaining something to you about Celestia's false generosity, but that would be too much for a letter. In short, he's not doing well. Xiao has extraordinary hearing, he says that the child is fine, that it has a strong heartbeat but that doesn't apply to Morax. I am staying here now too, I don't feel comfortable leaving. I hope that his condition will improve soon, unfortunately the other adepti don't know anything about it either. If you've been honest to him, I hope you'll come back soon, even if I don't know if this can change the situation. - Ganyu'

Childe read the letter once, twice, three times, but no matter how often he read it, it didn't get any better. And no matter how many times he read it, it didn't change the fact that he was worried. Damn worried. So, did he regret it? No. Did he wish that it had never happened? Absolutely not. Yes, he was overwhelmed. Yeah, he was fucking scared. But he wouldn't have wanted to change it. And since when would he have shied away from any challenge at all? Childe didn't know what was going on, he didn't know what to do, but he knew he had no time to waste. He had to meet the Tsaritsa. As quickly as possible.

-

Actually, he had made up his mind to be confident, strong and convincing, but the Childe who stood in front of the Tsaritsa a few hours later was not at all the Childe she knew. Perhaps just a few minutes of thought had been enough to push everything that was Tartaglia into the background and everything that was Ajax to come to the front. She could immediately see how restless, how nervous and how worried he was. Something she had never seen from her 11th harbinger before. As repugnant as she found this weakness, she was also curious about this behavior.

"Tartaglia, before you waste my time asking for an exemption, let me tell you that I am not willing to agree. I expect that you remember very well which god you have conspired. But enlighten me about the fact why you would have dared to ask.", her voice was as cold as the nights of Snezhnaya, the tapping of her fingers on the cold stone of the throne was nerve-racking. She was dissatisfied.
And impatient. Childe would have loved to sigh, express his inner dissatisfaction, but if she asked for something, she asked for it and keeping her waiting would only have made things worse. He could be glad if she didn't punish him for the audacity to even think of such a request.
"I swore my life to your majesty and I will give it to your majesty should the day come when I can no longer do my duty.", Childe sounded very serious, convinced of what he was saying and yet he couldn't hide how restless he was.
"Spit it out. I demand to hear the truth and no nonsensical assurances of your loyalty."
"Yes, your majesty. Forgive me. To put it simply, I want to be with my child until they are old enough to remember me should the day come when I will not return."
For a while, only a few seconds and yet what felt like an eternity, she was silent before she began to laugh. Childe had never seen her laugh before, let alone another positive expression of emotion.
"A child? What unfortunate girl did you get pregnant my 11th?"
"It is more complicated, your majesty."
"Then be so good and enlighten me about the 'more complicated', Tartaglia."
"During my mission in Liyue I met Rex Lapis and-", before he could finish his explanation, she started to laugh again, so much so that she slapped her hands on her lap, causing her thighs to jiggle. Her whole body trembled from laughter. It was contagious, but Childe knew he wasn't allowed to share her emotion, especially since he didn't understand it. It took a few minutes until she had calmed down enough to be able to talk again. agonoizing uncomfortable minutes for Childe.

"I was aware that my 11th is ambitious, but that this includes to father the oldest and formerly strongest archon of all Teyvat, I couldn't foresee that. Hilarious!", she stated, still visible amused but much calmer again. Soon her expression turned to ice again, the tapping of her fingers continued.
"Well...that explains the deterioration in his condition. What a bittersweet development... Tell me, Tartaglia, how much is his life worth to you? Or that of your child?", the way she spoke sounded threatening and yet strangely inclined. Nobody would have been able to decipher her thoughts. It was just as impossible as to answer this question to her satisfaction. Childe was aware of this and that the choice of his answer could provoke her anger but he didn't care. Anything he could say would have been wrong in some way, so he decided to choose the truth. If only for once.

"Your majesty, I swore my life to you, but I would sacrifice it to save them."
"Knowing that by doing so you would violate your oath to me, no, would disregard it?"
"Yes, your majesty."

His answer was followed by silence. Ominous silence in which the tapping of her fingers had stopped and the room grew cold enough to freeze the blood in the veins of every creature. Without moving, he noticed how his pulse slowed down, his fingertips began to hurt before he could barely feel them at all anymore. Childe noticed how dizzy he was, how his legs slowly lost the strength to carry his weight and yet he still didn't try to move. He knew the rules. And he knew her way of testing him. If this meant freezing to death on the spot, he would have to endure it.

A few seconds before the cold would have swallowed him, she began to chuckle and suddenly the room became more livable again. Parts of his body had already been damaged, but it was nothing he couldn't take, even if the pain in his hands seemed unbearable at the moment.
"I see. The one who is not afraid to shed his enemies blood, is ready to die for someone else. A development that I did not expect to see. Tartaglia, my child, it is unfortunate to see that in just a moment all your courage could have been nothing but wasted time.", Childe didn't understand what she was trying to imply, but the feeling that was growing inside him was unbearable. It was fear, fear of losing something he hadn't known before. Something he had never believed he would ever have.
"Oh don't look at me like that, my 11th. You may have forgotten that for some incomprehensible reason I play more than one role in this game of fate. And even if it is so strange to me sometimes, I am able to see how familiar it has become to you. Love is a strange creature, isn't it? ...
Well, anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I am not going to discharge you from your duty. Your life is mine until the moment it is extinguished. You should always remember that, Tartaglia.
But just as a heart of stone is still a heart, a heart of ice is no different....give him this gift on my behalf. Tell him 'From one to the other, for an old connection that will prove its worth again in a new tomorrow.'. I am convinced that he will understand what you cannot understand. Hah..Of all of them he was always the only one .. hm...nevermind. Now leave, my child. For this one moment you have all the time in the world to wait for my orders."

-

With the small frozen box in his hands, Childe could hardly wait for the ship to anchor in the port of Liyue. The days that the return trip had taken passed excruciatingly slow, getting no news made every second worse. The sky over Liyue was hung with clouds, it was only with difficulty that he could see the mountains behind the thick fog. Rain fell from the sky again and again as if it wanted to drown the city, hardly a soul was to be seen in the otherwise busy harbor. The mood in the city was as dark as the sky above, only the little lights behind the windows gave evidence of life. Soaking wet he finally came to the building that served as their home, he had said that it was only temporary, only until ... only until he had finished setting up their new home...

It was quiet in the hallway, too quiet. He couldn't hear Paimon's squeaky voice, or Ganyus calm tone of voice, not even Aether or any other sound.  The apartment was completely dark when he stepped quietly into it, it was unusually cold, but now he could hear whispers from the bedroom. Was it Xiao talking to someome? Presumably he had never walked these few meters faster than at this moment. Zhongli was asleep and only Xiao was sitting on the windowsill cross legged, he had stopped talking as soon as Childe entered the room and looked at him in a stern manner.
"What's happening? How is he? Where are the others? Talk to me, Xiao...please...", despite all the worries, it was difficult to ask the yaksha for anything, one could hear the dislike in Childe's voice far too well.
"Living room, asleep."
"ok..ok ...uhm ..
and how is he?", Childe asked and took a seat next to Zhongli, carefully taking his hands into his own.
"Weak."
"Xiao could you maybe tell me a little more-"
"..Childe?...so you're back...", Aether mumbled rubbing his eyes when he staggered into the room, drowsy and disheveled.
"Mornin' Comrade. Would you be willing to tell me what's going on? This gremlin isn't exactly helpful."
"...morning?..it's..pretty late...but uhm....Actually, I don't know?...He got a fever this morning...and hasn't been awake since ... hmm ... days? Yeah
..for a couple of days I guess. Qiqi and Doctor Baizhu were here yesterday but he said that there's nothing they could do. It's not a human thing, at least that's what the snake said. Ganyu and Granny Ping ... uhm Madame Ping talked about something but I... well... I have no clue about adepti stuff.", Aether was still very drowsy but tried to pull himself together to explain something to Childe, at least everything he knew.
"It has something to do with a gift from Celestia, which is probably not a real gift?", the blonde added, taking a seat across from Childe but close to Xiao.
"The rule of mortal blood.", Xiao mumbled, rolling his eyes when both men looked at him confused just a second later.
"... tsk ... listen. I will only explain this once. No archon is tied to a certain form and is able to adapt any form including its peculiarities. This is the gift they mentioned. Once ... five thousand..  ... irrelevant, once this led to the conception of a child whose parents were both archons. Strictly speaking, this child would have been just an adeptus, but heaven itself was afraid of the power the child might have if it would be born. ...It's annoying to have to tell you all of this....... .... ... The birth of the child was prevented due to an injury. A forced death. Celestia herself bound the gift to a rule, the rule of mortal blood. A child conceived of two kinds of immortal blood whould lead to death since that day. The death of the mother or the child itself, a choice of fate. Only a child of immortal and mortal blood is allowed to live. That's why all the younger adepts are only half-adepti.", Childe and Aether had listened eagerly. Somehow they understood what Xiao had explained, but both asked the same question. 
Childe was a mortal, so why should this rule concern them?
"Don't look at me with this stupid face of yours. How should I know why you screwed up? Guess your Fatui bullshit is to blame for it.", Xiao hissed, he had said enough now, enough to help the ginger he couldn't even stand.

For a moment Childe had considered saying something stupid back. Someday, yes, someday he'd challenge that prick of a yaksha. But for the moment he would be silent, there were still more important things to take care of. For a few minutes Childe thought intensely, actually way too long, but when he had an idea what it might be, he choked on his own spit.
"..uhm..so only theoretically, but could ... my delusion ... be to blame for it?", he asked unusually quietly and immediately heard the blonde cough while Xiao just groaned in disgust.
"..you guys.. ... oh my god no I don’t want to know. Please don't ever mention that again....please....", Aether said utterly irritated, shaking his head as a poor attempt to get rid of the images inside his head.
"Disgusting. You are the worst that could have happened to him.", Xiao stated glancing at Childe as angry as if he would tear him to pieces any second now.
"Tsk...wasn't it you who fucked the winged one against the statue of your oh so beloved lord? Hmh he knows~", Childe answered returning the glances, grinning, murderous.
"Stop! Guys! Now is not the time!", Aether jumped between the two before only one of them had even moved and stared at them both angrily.
"Be quiet now! You're both terrible!..
Xiao could that be the reason?", Aether sounded upset but tried to sort out the situation somehow. Xiao nodded silently and turned away from both of them while Childe just rolled his eyes. What a crappy day.
"Is there a possibility to lift the rule", Childe asked a few seconds later, the yaksha shrugged his shoulders in return.
"I do not know. It shouldn't apply at all."
Childe nodded and sighed in frustration, turning his gaze back to Zhongli, slowly stroking his hands with his thumb.
"I guess it's really my fault, hm?...But you should have told me...I mean ... I want all of this. You, the child, us, but ... not like that ... not if that means ..ugh damn it! Don't you dare to die! Got 6000 years old to perish now? What do you think you are to leave me like that, eh? Do you really think I wanted to fall in love? I didn't even think I could do that, feel something...And then you showed up, turned my world upside down and now you want to be the one to run away like this? I don't want to turn it back. I want all of this. You. A goddamn family. If needed a fucking office job. God damn boredom. But only with you. Zhongli I love you. Did you hear that? I love you. And I told her that I would sacrifice my life to save yours. You know how damn stupid it is to tell your god that you would die for another god?", Childe sounded angry, sad, frustrated. Incredibly honest. And lost.
Aethers face couldn't have shown more pity, Ganyu who had heard them sobbed quietly and Xiao rolled his eyes, repressing that he had actually felt compassion for a brief moment.

"Wait ... you told ...her? The cryo archon? The...uhm..Tsaritsa?", it was Aether who at some point broke the oppressive silence to wonder about the things Childe had done the past weeks.
"Yes, that's why I was gone."
"...And uhm ... what did she say?"
"She laughed. Pretty much. And ... oh wait ... she gave this to me... " , Childe mumbled, rummaging in his pockets for the small box that he had almost forgotten about.
"..it's a gift. From her to him...It's sealed ... oh uhm...it was sealed before..  Zhongli...If you can hear me, I should give this to you. And I should tell you 'From one to the other, for an old connection that ...uh...will prove its worth again in a new tomorrow.'. That's what she said. Whatever that means."
"Could you open it, Tartaglia?", Ganyu asked after she had calmed down a bit, looking curiously at the little box in his hands.
"Ehuh."

Before Childe had realized what he was holding in his hands after opening the gift, the little golden object had already vanished. The earth trembled under their feet, the rumble of thunder choked off every sound that would have wanted to leave someone's lips and the sky turned black before the clouds broke up to drown the land in bright light. For a brief, fragile moment the darkness of the night disappeared to announce a new day. A whole new morning. A whole new day. The time was not yet ripe for the day to stay, so the light disappeared again, leaving nothing behind but a soft golden glow that pulsed in Zhongli's veins with every heartbeat. Breathless watched the four what was happening around them, the only witnesses to an event that they could not understand yet. Without thinking about it, just out of a feeling, the adepti bowed their heads, waiting for what they suspected to be confirmed.

"...The .. gnosis? Was that ..his gnosis?", Aether asked in a whisper, almost in awe, but also completely confused.
"Did she ... but their contract .. Why would she do that?", he whispered to himself again but got no answer to something that no one could answer.

-

He had slept. Zhongli had slept for a few hours after what only the four had observed had happened. They had waited patiently but the morning light hadn't saved them from falling into exhaustion. Into a peaceful slumber. When the archon woke up there was only Childe beside him, still holding his hands tightly between his. Zhongli could see the injuries on Childes fingers from the frost, the exhaustion on his face, the frustration and despair of the past few days.
Sighing softly, he only moved a little look around. Zhongli had no idea what had happened, but he could feel what had changed. He carefully freed one of his hands and placed a fingertip on his chest to feel the gentle pulsation underneath.
"...unusual...", his voice was too quiet, too soft to wake Childe.
Carefully he put his hand on his belly, almost as if he was afraid to break something and a little as if he had forgotten what form he had taken.
"...worth of an old connection ..", Zhongli whispered and chuckled a little.
"...you are still the one you always have been ...", he whispered and somewhere far away a certain woman rolled her eyes, the tiniest smile on her lips.

"..nggh...huh?...You're awake!", Childe was barely able to put a thought into words when he was awakened by a movement of the other. Out of impulse, he wrapped his arms around Zhongli and hugged him as if he could vanish at any time, if he wouldn't hold him tight enough.
"How are you?", the ocean blue eyes could have stared holes into the other's skull as Childe had looked at him so attentively, worried and relieved at the same time.
"..You do not have to worry anymore, Ajax...I am fine...", the other's voice was still  weak, but enough to calm Childe at least a little bit.
"..What about the baby? Is it alright?"
"... your son is a glutton ... If you do not mind-"
Childe jumped up before Zhongli could finish the sentence. Without thinking about it, he ran into the kitchen to get something to eat, only when he was already holding something in his hands did he notice what Zhongli had actually said.

"MY SON!?"

-

"How are you?", Ganyu asked a few weeks later, a blissful expression chiseled on her face as if it could never go away anymore.
"Exhausted...I was not aware of the strain a female body has to go through...even after a few days it still affects my ability to move properly.", Zhongli replied exhausted although his expression was warm as never before when he looked at the bundle that Ganyu was holding in her arms as if it were the most expensive thing she had ever held. Presumably she felt that way, an honor to be able to hold the son of her archon, who was exactly that at the moment again.
"How's Childe doing?", she asked out of politeness, completely lost in the colors of the little boy's eyes.
"He takes advantage of your visit to rest for a moment. A human father seems to need more rest than his less human son.", Zhongli replied and chuckled a little, carefully taking his son back into his arms.
"Will you give it back?.. The gnosis?"
"Of course I will when the time comes.  A contract remains a contract even if part of it has been temporarily suspended."
"...do you know why she gave it to you? How did she know it would help?"
"I am assuming that she didn't know, but that she knows as well as I do that a delusion is only a fraction of an archons power, easily erasable. Each game is played by more than one player, Ganyu. Not the one who creates the rules has to be the one who wins the game..."

-

"Could you smile a little?"
"Ajax....Your son fell asleep just a few seconds ago..."
"But now that you are yourself again, I can finally take a picture ...Mom will kill me if I don't send her a picture soon, haha.."
The ginger laughed a little, but quickly had another idea.
"Tell me, now that you are a real archon again-"
"No."
"I just wanted to ask if we could have a little match. For training purposes only of course."
"I was aware of that."
"... well ..so if I had asked if-"
The amber eyes glowed in a beautiful but threatening golden tone when the dark-haired moved his body with absolute ease to pin Childe against the wall. A smooth, elegant movement that Childe couldn't fight back no matter how hard he tried.
"Keep trying and tell me if you still want to challenge me.", Zhongli's voice was low, almost like a growl, sending goosebumps all over Childe's body. The ginger grinned incredibly stupid, noticeably turned on by the simple demonstration of Zhongli's strength.
"..So that's a...yes?", he asked leaning the part of his body he was able to move closer to Zhongli to place some needy kisses along his jaw, close to his lips but not close enough to taste him.
"If you wake him up, I will be the one to kill you."

- Extra:

"TONIA, ANTHON, TEUCER! Come here quickly! Your brother's letter has arrived!", Childe's mother's voice was as high-pitched as never before when the postman handed her the neatly sealed letter. As if struck by lightning, the children ran to her, followed by a slightly less motivated copper-haired man. The envelope landed on the floor in tatters just a second later, the picture in her hands shaking with the excitement of her trembling hands.
"Ohhhhh....oh my poor old heart ... Miron? Miron do you see that? Do you see that?! ... ooohhh ... I can't take it ... our grandson ... look at our grandson...Isn’t he beautiful? ...
what a lovely little angel ...And do you see how happy our son looks?...Miron! Miron we have to travel. Right now. Right know would be good. If I have to live another day without being able to hold this little cutie in my hands, I will have to die... Tonia, Anthon, Teucer, go, quickly, pack everything you need. We're going to Liyue!"

Childe sneezed. Loud and unexpected.
"Did you catch a cold?", Zhongli asked watching how  Childe had almost sneezed into their sons face.
"Hm...no I actually don't get sick easily."
"If I remember correctly, isn't there a superstition that says you have to sneeze in case someone talks about you?"

Chapter Text

"...I hope some day... I'll make it out of here ....even if it takes... all night or a hundred years....need a place to hide, but I can't find one near....wanna feel alive....outside I can't fight my fear....", sometimes when the darkness had enveloped them and Paimon was fast asleep, Aether just watched the night sky, every twinkling star up there and tried to breathe again. He felt suffocated, crushed between the weight of his heart and the sorrow of his soul. Sometimes he hummed a tune he remembered from his childhood in the hope to feel a little closer to Lumine, sometimes like today he sang whatever was on his mind softly. Over the last few weeks, a song emerged from it that he would never let anyone hear. Aether had enough. Enough of the endless search, enough of the endless tasks, the long journeys, the lonely days and even lonelier nights. The day on which he had seen her, on which Lumine had simply left after all this time, this day had squeezed the last spark of life out of Aether's lungs. What was the point of this journey if she didn't want to return to him? Return home with him? What was the point if she didn't want to hold her own brother in her arms after all this time? All the months? The years?
Aether knew for a long time that his feelings, his mood had taken a dangerous way down, that he would have had to be careful not to get lost, but in this moment, in these nights he didn’t care at all. And if the stone ground beneath him had wanted to engulf him, he would have welcomed it. Everything. He would have welcomed anything that would have relieved him of pain for a moment, for a second.

"You're alreaaaady awake?", Paimon asked and looked at Aether rather reproachful, yes, she had the feeling that something was wrong, but hoped that it would be improved through occupation, chatting and especially, food. Maybe more rest. She hadn't noticed that he almost never slept anymore, only that it didn't seem to be much, just as he hardly seemed to eat anything.
"Hmh, I don't want to waste too much time, after all, we'll be pretty busy today.", a sentence that Aether had often said in the last few weeks, no matter if it was true or not. 
"Will we? Paimon doesn't remember any plans for today..."
"I told you we'll have to collect some resources. Dandelions, Sweetflowers, Sunsettias, Iron chunks, slimes and different types of wood. To get all that we will be on the road all day, but don't worry, I have already prepared lunch for you and if you want to rest, just slip into my backpack, I'll carry you."
"...ehuh...Paimon can't wait to see what you made for lunch!"
Aether simply nodded expressionless. He tidied up his bedroll and went to begin today's journey at the nearest teleporter.

-

Hours later, Paimon took a nap inside the backpack after eating her lunch in one go. Several times she had suggested that Aether would take a break, but he never agreed. It was uncomfortable between all the collected resources, but the sleepiness after eating was enough to make her fall asleep in just a few seconds. Paimon didn't hear the blond's low humming, nor the tormented sound he made after his legs gave up to carry him. She didn't hear the quiet sobs he couldn't suppress when he was forced to rest  leaning against a tree, nor how he cursed himself as his legs trembled heavily when he wanted to get up again. It wasn't the first day that went like this. It was one of many. One of many for weeks. And one of many for weeks in which he would just continue at some point, no matter how much he had to fight against the fatigue, the soreness of his muscles, the dryness of his throat.
And one of the many days in which he would wake up plagued by nightmares after only a few minutes, even if he could hardly bear the exhaustion. Even if he actually didn't want to wake up anymore.

-

"..the dandelion seeds you asked for. Hope that's enough, otherwise I'll get for more tomorrow.", Aether said, it was already late at night, when he handed the seeds to Glory.
"Now, please take these to the top of the Anemo Archon statue and release them into the wind. The great archon himself will take them from there.", although it was the last thing Aether would have wanted to hear, he agreed without hesitation. After whispering her words to the seeds, Aether took the seeds back and went to Barbato's statue. He knew the way by heart. He had climbed up numerous times, helped clean the statue countless times or just sat there and listened to Venti. Aether had barely climbed three feet when ...

-

"...I suppose this breakdown is the price for the incessant effort."
"Paimon told him he had to take a break, but he didn't listen!"
"...It is not your fault. Did he eat?"
"No, he hasn't eaten for days, Paimon couldn't! Paimon would've starved to death in just two hours!"
"I see."

-

Every inch of his body hurt when he woke up even if wherever he was sleeping was the most comfortable place he had slept in for weeks. His head hurt, his throat was dry, his eyes burned as if he had cried for hours. Did he cry? When did he cry?
Aether slowly opened his eyes but didn't move any further. He didn't look around, didn't try to find out where he was. Simply because he didn't care. He didn't care if he was safe, he didn't care how he got there or if he would ever get away again. He didn't care that he didn't know where his things were or that Paimon didn't seem to be there. And he didn't care if it was the truth around him, if he was awake or if he was lying knocked out by exhaustion in the wild, vulnerable and threatened by everything. For a few minutes, maybe hours, he just stared at the wooden ceiling above him without moving, his mind completely empty and yet as loud as if his eardrums could burst any second. He was too exhausted to want to breathe and yet so restless that just lying down was torture. Sometimes his heart beat very calmly and steadily and sometimes, all of a sudden, as fast as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. Aether just wanted to sleep although he didn't know if he was awake and if he was sleeping he hoped to wake up soon. He hoped to wake up soon from this nightmare that was his life. A nightmare ... was it all just a nightmare? Was there a reality that he had lost touch with? A life that he missed so much even though he no longer knew it? Or that he had never known? Was there anything at all? Was there even that person that he missed so much? Was there even that life he longed for? He didn't know anymore.

"You woke up. Good. Next to you is water and soup in case you feel the need to fuel your body. If not, I won't force you. Take a rest. You are safe. Paimon is safe.", Aether heard a vojce he knew but couldn't recognize right now. Whoever it was seemed to be so close and yet Aether felt so alone as if he were the only one in a world that had become so strange to him. Or always was. He wasn't worried about his safety, why did the other even say that he was safe? He wasn't hungry, so why did someone leave some food on the bedside table?
Aether sighed and closed his eyes, he didn't want to reply anything, he didn't even want the other to notice that he heard him.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me."

-

"Almost another day has passed, you should eat something."
Another day? How many days had passed since he was...Where was he?
"I don't want to force you to eat, but at least have some soup. Your body needs fluids and nutrients even if you don't want to give them to it."
Was that Diluc's voice? Why? Why was he talking to him? Why about nutrients?
"...I..am not..hungry...", Aether mumbled without turning to the direction of Dilucs voice. His whole body hurt from not moving at all but he didn't want to move. The soft bed had been everything he had known for the past few days. The only thing that felt ... good.
"I am aware that you do not feel hungry but your body needs something that he can convert into energy to keep you alive. Even if this may not be a need for you, under this condition I will not be able to avoid forcing you to take in nutrients, Aether. But I leave the decision up to you."
"..do what you want ... I don't care ..."
"...if that is the case.", following the words, Aether felt a weight on the bed beside him, a grip around his shoulders and felt like an outside observer as his body was brought into a sitting position. He right shoulder and side slumped against the others chest, his head against Dilucs shoulder. Aether felt the others arm around his waist, holding him in this position. It felt warm. Diluc felt warm. Aether felt the warmth of his body, he noticed the other's scent, but he was too absent to bother with it. Somewhere in another reality his heart would have been racing, he would have been blushing and giggling nervously, but now and here he did nothing.
"Can you do me the favor to just accept it if I'm trying to feed you some soup?", Diluc asked, a bowl of soup placed on his lap, a spoon in his other hand.
"...ehuh...whatever."
Aether did accept it. He did what Diluc expected of him, he opened his mouth when the spoon approached and swallowed the soup. Perhaps he would have been ashamed at any other day, but even for that he had no energy. When he heard that Diluc had put the bowl down, he lost the tiny bit  body tension again, inadvertently nuzzling his face into the nape of Dilucs neck. Aether didn't even notice how close he was to him, although he felt one of the other's hands protectively on the back of his head, the other arm still wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly.

Maybe hours passed while they sat there, Aether didn't know. He only noticed that it had gotten dark and quiet inside the mansion.
"...You ... don't have to..stay here.", he whispered at some point, but didn't move as he simply didn't want to fight against whatever was happening to him.
"I am aware of that.", Diluc replied emotionless, not even moving an inch, no matter if his back hurt or his arms were numb.
"...Then ... why...don't you leave?"
"Do you want me to leave?"
"..I...don't...know..."
"Hm. Let me know if you should want me to leave, until then, I will stay."
".. why?"
"Because I want to."

-

Each of the following days Diluc continued to do the same. He fed the blonde and held him tight until he fell asleep, put him in bed a little differently every day and left. And Aether just put up with it every day. He didn't resist, but neither did he say thank you. In fact, he never said anything. Even when Diluc took him in his arms, carried him into the bathroom and placed him in the bathtub, he had not responded. He didn't care that he had undressed him, he even nodded his approval when he was asked so many times that it began to annoy him. He didn't care that Diluc washed his hair or that he dried him. It was only slowly beginning to ...bother him? Was that what he felt? Bothered?

"Diluc...Why are you ...doing..all of.. this?", Aether asked one night when Diluc was about to leave him again.
"I may tell you one day."

-

"Stop it! Let go of me!", Aether screamed one evening out of the blue, pushing the redhead away, his hands clenched into fists, angry, frustrated.
"Go away, go away, go away! Leave me alone! Stop it! Stop caring about me! Why are you doing this? Why? Why don't you leave me alone? Stop it! Just stop! Stop looking at me like that! I don't want any of this!", he continued to scream over and over again, hitting his hands against Dilucs chest, angry tears running down his cheeks.
"Stop pitying me! I do not want that! I don't want your pity!"
"I don't pity you, Aether.", the redhead sounded distant, almost cold. He didn't touch Aether in any way but didn't move away. Diluc simply endured the screaming, the punching, the rejection.
"Why are you doing this? Why? Why? Why don't you just leave me alone? Why? Just stop! I do not want that. I do not want that. I don't want any of this! I..", the screaming drowned in even more tears, bitter tears, unstoppable tears. Aether began to sob heavily, so much so that he could hardly breathe, so much so that his whole body began to shake uncontrollably. He cried and cried and cried until he didn't have a single tear left and slumped against Diluc again, exhausted.
"It's ok, take a rest.", the redhead whispered and carefully moved Aether a little to place him back on the bed.

"...don't...", the blonde whispered, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Get some sleep."
"...don't...leave..."
"Hm?"
"..please.. "
Aethers body was still trembling, he was still gasping for air, suffocated by the sadness inside him.
"If that's what you want.", Diluc sat down next to him again, but didn't touch him. He just that there quietly, his fiery eyes resting on the pale body next to him, affectionate, compassionate.
"...Why ... why ... are you doing this ...?", Aether could only whisper, he couldn't look at Diluc, couldn't turn to him, but for the first time his heart beat a little faster because of the knowledge that he was there. 
"Because I can understand how you feel, even if I may never have felt the same.", the redhead replied honest, even if a little emotionless.
"...why.."
"Why? Because every life is a journey whose paths are not always determined. Some of these paths lead to a personal abyss. I too have already walked this path, it may be very different from yours and yet I know the feeling of walking on such paths. I went alone and still do because that's how I am, but if it helps to have company, then I'll be happy to accompany you."
Aether had only listened, he had no answer, he knew no answer, he didn't even want to answer, but he had listened. And he understood what Diluc was trying to say. Maybe he didn't even know if he wanted that, if he wanted the help, but he also didn't know if he didn't want it.

-

"Aether? Go back to bed, I'll bring you some food.", if he could read it correctly, Diluc sounded astonished when he saw Aether coming down the stairs the next morning. Astonished and worried. Perhaps not in vain worried considering how wobbly Aether's legs felt, but still the blonde shook his head.
"...If you...allow me to... I would like ... to eat with you ...", he mumbled creeping to the table, more falling onto the chair than sitting down properly. He didn't look at the other directly but noticed that Diluc nodded and heard him ask the maids to bring  tea and breakfast for Aether.
He was silent for a long time, slowly munching a few bites of the food, it was still difficult for him, but at one point looked at Diluc. Somehow expressionless, somehow curious.
"...You ... said ... you know ... the feeling ... but ...you never talk about it ... actually ..."
"True. I have no need to talk about it, Aether."
"...But ... you ... you care about me...I ... want to ... help you too ..."
"That is not necessary, but thank you anyway. As I told you, if you want to accept my help, I'll be happy to help, but I don't need...no, I don't want that for myself. I've already gone my path and decided for myself how to deal with it."
Aether sighed but nodded poking a piece of scrambled egg on his plate.
He had no energy to discuss, nor did he want to discuss something that was none of his business, but he still noticed that it was probably more openness than anyone else had ever gotten from Diluc.

-

It were only once or twice the next to weeks Aether had joinded him for breakfast. On the other days he had continued to eat in bed, albeit without Diluc's assistance. Once he went to take a bath alone and once out to get somenin fresh air for a few minutes. It had overwhelmed him, but it had felt good. He was proud to have made it, if more because Diluc had praised him for it. He still hadn't talked much and if about trivialities, but he had managed to thank Diluc once. Seriously. Honestly. He also still cried a lot when alone and slept poorly, but felt a little better, if only minimally.

"...can...can I ask...you something?", he asked one evening after he had managed to waddle into Diluc's office.
"Just ask, it's on me to decided if I want to answer.", the redhead replied motioning him to take a seat.
"..do you know ...that feeling...when you feel...like you don't know...anymore?"
"I do."
"...And ... when you feel ... you no longer know ... what is true? And..what isn't?"
"Yes, I do."
"...or ...who you are?"
"Yes, I know this feeling too."
"...uhm...But ... how ... how can that ... change again?"
"I don't know, Aether. I know all these feelings but I don't know any solution either. Maybe one day it will change for no reason, maybe for a reason. Maybe it's changing because you've changed, maybe someone else is changing something for you. Maybe a little bit of everything. This is something I have never done myself, but I know that every feeling you feel has its justification and if you allow yourself to feel it, then you will understand that it is okay to be whoever or whatever you are right now. And that it's okay if you change again."
Inadvertently Aether giggled a little. The first time in months.
"Did I say something that amused you?", Diluc asked visibly confused.
"...no. No I think what you say is true, but that it is you who says it ... that is something special....oh..please don't get me wrong ... I ... I ... just ... I think ... maybe ... maybe you don't always notice ... that something has changed ...", Aether mumbled and smiled embarrased. He didn't want to say why he giggled, he feared that if he told Diluc that he believed that the same thing seemed to happen to him, that he would damage the process. So he only smiled for a short moment before he left again, whispering a soft thank you.

-

"...Why ... um ... how did I get here in the first place?", Aether asked at one of the rare moments he shared breakfast with Diluc.
"I found you passed out by the statue.", the redhead replied expressionless but his eyes lingered on Aether again, the blonde felt warm when he met the others gaze.
"..were you on patrol?"
"You could call it like that, yes."
"...um...Diluc?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks. Thank you for everything. I don't know how long I've been here but it has to be forever ... and still ... you still do it .. you still take care of me even if you get absolutely... nothing in return..."
"Hm. It's not worth talking about."
"Yes, yes it is! Nobody has ever done this for me .. And I ... I don't want ... I don't want you ... to feel exploited ..."
"I don't. Focus on improving your condition, not on me."
"..ehuh..."
Aether was visibly dissatisfied with the answer, but actually he didn't know why himself. He felt the need to thank Diluc somehow, to make it up to him, but would there be anything that Diluc would want? What could Aether have to offer him?
The blonde sighed heavily.
"There's no need to return the favor. If someone does this for you, it's because they want to, not because they have to."
Before Aether could answer, Diluc had already got up and left. The statement was as good for his soul as it generated more questions inside his head. Above all, the question why Diluc would have wanted to do all this. Of course they'd been in contact, they'd fought Dvalin together, talked now and then, and sat around the campfire once or twice in the wilderness, but it had never been more. Hadn't it?
Taking a few more bites of the Sunsettia he was eating, his mind wandered off. He thought about the whole time he had already spent in Teyvat, about the meeting with Lumine that had devastated him, about the archons, about Celestia, about the abyss and about the Hilichurls. About everything that had been. Sometimes it hurt, sometimes a lot, sometimes less, sometimes not at all, but for the first time in weeks he just thought about it without breaking apart deep inside. Maybe it was really a process of change, of acceptance, albeit slowly.

-

"...Are you sure ... that he's really ready?", a female voice asked just above a whisper on another quiet sunday afternoon.
"No, I am not. But I suppose that even if it might overwhelm him, it is something that will give him a little confidence.", Diluc replied just as quiet, placing the last plate on the way too small table. The actually large dining table was crammed with various drinks and dishes from Mondstadt and Liyue and barely offered enough space to let all the guests sit at it. But that wasn't the point at that moment. The point was to clarify something to Aether that he had not perceived in the last few months, could no longer perceive over this time.
"Should Paimon get him?", she asked, floating over the table, slightly drooling at the sight of all the delicious food.
"No, I'll do it myself.", Diluc replied, gestured the others to keep quiet and went up the stairs to the guest room.
"Aether?", he asked knocking on the door, waiting for him to allow him to enter.
"Come in."
"Would you have a moment to accompany me downstairs?"
"Oh ..uh..did something happen?"
"No, no, don't worry. If you feel able to meet someone else, please come with me."
"...meet someone? Uh..I ... I don't know ...but.. I .. I think that's possible .. Can I leave again if it's... too much for me?"
"You don't have to ask my permission for that.  If you feel overwhelmed, allow yourself to feel that way and withdraw."
"Ehuh...ok...Then ... then let's go.."

Aether slowly walked down the stairs,  his eyes fixed on Diluc who made him feel safe even when he did nothing. The blonde could already hear soft whispers from the dining room and noticed how his heart began to race, but he wanted to meet whoever was waiting for him there.  He wanted to get better, even if the path to get there was very exhausting.
When his eyes fell on the table, his eyes widened. No way there would only be one person waiting for him. Stepping back a little, as he already felt overwhelmed, he bumped against Diluc. The other mans hand on his shoulder was a sign of support, something he really needed right now. Jean was the first to enter the room, a warm smile on her face.

"Hono-..no, Aether, we came because we want to tell you something. Each of us, everyone who has come here today, sees you as part of their family in one way or another. Since the day you appeared in each of our lives, you have enriched all of our lives. I may not know which paths you have to walk on, but just as you have been a source of support on mine, you can always rely on me on yours. I am allowed to state that on behalf of everyone present. Master Diluc was very ... silent about your condition, should you not feel able to meet them all, each of them will accept your decision, with understanding and patience. Aether, we are glad that you are with us. I am glad that you are with me.", Jean's voice was on the one hand as he was used to it, but on the other hand very affectionate and warm. Her smile was loving, understanding. There was no trace of reproach or condemnation in it, not even pity that he would not have wanted to see. Aethers hands were shaking, his heart raced but above all, the tears were already pouring out of his eyes completely uncontrollably. He gasped and sobbed, but for the first time in a long time, not because he was sad. Yes, he was already completely overwhelmed, but if he was still able to recognize it, he was happy. Fragile happiness, but happiness nonetheless.
Subconsciously he squeezed himself against Diluc's side, his arms wrapped around his waist and hid his face in his chest, sighing relieved when the other took him under his wing, not even thinking about complaining over the wetness that started to seep through his shirt.

"...I ... I want ... to see the others too ...", Aether mumbled very quietly, hardly a whisper but nodded when Diluc asked if he was sure.
Jean nodded and went back into the other room to get the others.
"Finally! I already felt like I was getting dusty ehehe..", Aether heard Venti yell and felt the bards arms around him just a second later. It wasn't the only pair of arms that came to embrace him. Aether giggled hearing Dilucs growl when he was forced to endure all of it too because Aether was still squeezed against him.  When he finally felt ready to look at them all, his sobbing became even stronger when he saw who had come.

Amber, Bennett, Klee, Venti, Xianling, Chongyun, Xingqiu, Barbara, Yanfei and Hu Tao were standing right infront of him, grinning, giggling.
Lisa, Jean, Eula, Ganyu, Noelle and Ningguang were standing in the back, all smiling softly.
Mona was secretly munching some of the snacks, while Kaeya, Beidou and even Rosaria were already opening the first bottle of wine, the knight winked at him when their eyes met. Albedo was standing next to Zhongli who had casted some geo handcuffs around the snezhnayans wrists, the condition that he was allowed to enter the property. The ex archon approached him slowly, handing him a crystalfly.
"There was no way he would join this meeting, but be sure that with this sign in his name, the spoken words were also in his mind.", Zhongli said referring to Xiao, earning a quiet giggle from Aether in return.

Still crying, Aether started to laugh at some point. Seeing Childe over-dramatically argue with Zhongli about the handcuffs (the ginger laughed most of the time about it), the way Mona was trying to sneak some leftovers in her pockets while Razor ate the meat like the wolf pup he was, the peaceful chatter between Ningguang and Jean, the laughs they shared and the love that radiated towards him from all of them, seeing all of this made him feel alive for the first time in months. It made him feel welcome, loved. Most of the time he couldn't stop the tears, but often they were drowned out by his giggles. The whole time Diluc hadn't left his side, he was just there, giving him a warm smile whenever the blonde looked up to him.
"...Did you ... Did you do that for me? Invite them?", the blonde asked at some point, looking up hoping to meet Dilucs gaze. Aether could feel how tense the other was, even it wasn't noticeable in any other way.
"Partially."
"...partially?"
"I did invite them, but they have started to inform themselves of what happened to you beforehand. And started trying to help you, even if you understandably weren't able to perceive it."
"...help me?...what do you mean by that?"
"Hm...Lots of little things. The pastries, the tea, your assignments in the adventurers guilde, all of these things and much more was done or made by them. Even....that pesky ginger had made himself useful.", Diluc rolled his eyes when he pronounced the last sentence, it was noticeable how much he hated to admit that.
"They ... did that?...why?", the sobbing had intensified again.
"Didn't you listen to Jean, Aether?", Diluc asked lifting his arm to stroke the others head, finally meeting his gaze.
"Because you're worth it."

-

At some point during the evening Aether just fell asleep on the sofa, surrounded by all the people who had come to show him how much he meant to them. It had been overwhelming, but even if it hadn't been easy for him, it had put hundreds of small bandaids on the wounds of his soul. After everyone had left, to the redhead's relief, Diluc carried him back up to the guest room and placed him on the bed like he had done for months now.
"...thank you..", Aether mumbled drowsy, trying to sit up again to look at Diluc who only nodded in return.
"...I know I ...asked a lot of you but ... could... you stay here?...I don't...want to be alone ...", he added, hesitantly placing his hand on Dilucs, entwining their fingers.
"...You ... uhm...you ... you don't have to ... stay seated....", Aether grew more nervous with every word, a pale blush on his cheeks.
"If that's what you want.", the redhead replied moving to the other side of the bed, slipped out if his shoes and jacket and sat down next to Aether, taking the blondes hand in his own again.
"Take a rest, I'm here if you need me.", he said leaning his back against the back of the bed and closed his eyes. He didn't intend to sleep, but to relax a bit after having to spend the day with so many people.
Aether nodded and lay down again, but just stared at Diluc for several minutes. He didn't dare to ask what he wanted to ask and also not to do what he wanted to do. Aether sighed heavily, a dissatisfied groan left his lips unintentionally just a second later.
"Hm?"
"...I...I'd...like to....uhm..."
"Just do what you want to do."
"...but....if you... don't...I..."
"Aether, if whatever you want to do will help you sleep, just do it."
"...o-ok...Could ... you ... could you ... lie down ...?"
Diluc just lay down without showing any other reaction to Aethers request. For a few more minutes Aether just looked at him again before he slowly slid closer and snuggled up to the redhead without a word. He rested his head on Dilucs shoulder, hesitantly placed one of his hands on his chest and lifted one of his legs to rest it on Dilucs. When he finished, he closed his eyes tightly, embarrased from his own actions. Diluc hadn't said a word and didn't move either, but Aether could hear him chuckle when he felt how Diluc put his arm around him.
Aether couldn't have slept like this, as much as his heart was racing, but it felt good. It felt good to be so close to Diluc, to hear his heart beat, to feel the warmth of his body, to feel him.
For the first time he noticed how much he had got used to him, how much he had come to appreciate him And maybe that he had fallen a little bit in love with him between all the sadness and pain. He wasn't ready for such feelings, not yet, but at that moment it was okay to feel that little fragile feeling. If only for that night.

-

"I think I'll be leaving again .. I have to ... No, I want to continue my journey.", the blonde said a few days later, avoiding to meet Dilucs eyes, already ready to leave.
"If you feel ready, I won't stop you.", was the only thing the redhead answered, expressionless, almost a little distant.
"Yes, it's not easy, not like before, maybe it will never be again, but I think I can do it. ... but ..Diluc? Is it ... ok for you too?"
"Why shouldn't it be?"
"I don't know ... I've been here for so long and you've done so much for me...I don't want you to feel like I only needed you because I was in a bad condition."
"As far as I can remember, you never asked me to do any of this."
"...That's true ...but ... ... Nevermind. Thank you. Thank you for everything."
Diluc only nodded before he got up to leave again.
"Take care, Aether."

For a brief moment the blond's eyes rested on the Dawn Winery that had served him as a home for so long. He would leave, continue his journey, and maybe one day he would return. Not to the winery, but to Diluc.

"Hurts, he?"
"None of your business."
"Meanie~ I'm only here to keep you company to get through your pain..hehe.."
"You are here hoping that I am distracted enough not to notice that you want to tap the barrels."
"That's not true!...ok ok, maybe a little bit true...buuuut to get back to the point, did you tell him?"
"No, that would have been meaningless considering the situation. Sometimes the right place and the right time are worlds apart."
"... or a lifetime."
"Or a lifetime. ...hmpf, come on, one of the barrels has already been tapped. I can't tolerate to let it spoil."
"..But wine doesn't....oh...hehe..coming!"

Chapter Text

BaeDough
10 p.m.
Liuli Pavilion

Tortilla
Will be there

It was a strange coincidence that Childe had met Beidou on a business trip, but for some incomprehensible reason, she quickly became something like a friend. The only friend he had since he had moved to Liyue to be precise. Whenever one of them named a place and time, the other would be there too. It didn't matter why. Sometimes it was about a brawl, sometimes about coffee at Barbabucks, but whatever it was, Childe found it pleasant to meet her. She was easy to handle, fun to be with.
That their meeting point was the Liuli Pavilion was unusual, if Childe could remember correctly, the once historic building was now nothing more than a nightclub, nothing like the stuffy bar they would normally go to.
Since it was already 8 p.m. Childe decided not to think about it any further, instead, he took a shower and wondered what to wear, he hadn't been out for far too long.

BaeDough
Inside, back right
[Image of her and Ningguang]

Tortilla
Nice catch
Go get a few shots, ya?
Please

Liuli Pavilion was a popular nightclub, no wonder Childe couldn't even see the end of the line when he finally got there after being stuck in a traffic jam for what felt like an eternity. For twenty minutes he waited patiently, but when he realized that he didn't even seem to move during this time, he decided to try another way. Until now, a good amount of Mora had always made sure that everything went as he imagined. The bouncer was quite a different caliber, huge, muscular, intimitading and well, handsome. Not exactly Childes type, but handsome.

"Theoretically, if I asked how much it would cost to let me in, what would you say?", Childe asked grinning smug as he approached the bouncer, obviously completely unimpressed by his appearance. The guy just tapped on the sign next to him that stated the entrance fee, his amber eyes fixed on Childe, also completely unimpressed.
"You know, I don't like to wait."
"Couldn't care less."
"Would you care for.. 20000 mora?"
"Fu-"
"Forgive me, I could not make it in time.", a dark, pleasing to listen to, voice interrupted Childe's attempt at bribery as a tall slender figure pushed into his field of vision.
"Not worth mentioning.", the bouncer suddenly sounded very soft, almost docile and even smiled when he looked at the man who was now standing between him and Childe.
"Have you seen Miss Ningguang yet? She should have arrived with her partner... some time ago...hm, I don't seem to remember her name anymore."
Childe was dissatisfied to have to listen to this conversation, completely ignored by both, but the stranger was at least pleasing to look at from behind. Bored at first, his eyes wandered over the other's back, lingering on the small waist for a while before they caught on his bum. An ass like this with a waist like this had to be illegal, Childe was convinced of that. He grinned a little, not noticing the bouncers intense stares and only looked up again when the man in front of him suddenly turned to him.
"Forgive me for interrupting your conversation.", Zhongli said politely, the barely visible smile enough to make Childes heart beat a little faster.
"..uh..not worth talking..about?", shit, why did he suddenly feel so confused?
"Azhdaha, could you please let him in? I will cover his entry fee as an excuse for my rudeness.", Zhongli asked turning back to the bouncer, which only groaned annoyed in return.
"That really isn't necessary....How about we-"
"If that's what you want...Still, I doubt you will be able to pay for his entrance fee.", Azhdaha interrupted Childes' attempt to invite Zhongli for a drink on purpose, but he didn't sound angry when he spoke to the dark-haired, rather teasingly.
From his perspective he could only guess the smile Azhdaha was getting from Zhongli and damn it, he was already jealous.
"I suppose that will be enough as a deposit..."
Much to Childe's disappointment, the attractive dark-haired man stretched a little to place a kiss on the bouncer's lips, gracefully, delicately.
Even if that actually led to Childe being allowed to enter the nightclub immediately and without payment, he would have preferred to pay 500,000 mora and the opportunity to hit on the dark-haired beauty. The possibly best evening in ages had instantly turned into a shitty evening now.

When he was finally inside he had decided to end the whole thing quickly. Of course he thanked Zhongli, but disappeared into the crowd before Zhongli could answer. Childe needed a drink, or five, as soon as possible.

-

"What's with that ugly face of yours?", Beidou greeted him as sweet as always, but the shot she handed him was enough to make up for it.
"Ugh.. don't ask.", he replied and downed the shot, slumping into the seat next to her.
"Met the most fuckable guy from all of Liyue..no all of Teyvat but apparently he's already with the bouncer."
Beidou laughed patting the gingers thigh to show her compassion and offered him another shot of the dozen that stood in front of them on the small table.
"Which guy? Show me."
"Eh?..uh..the dark-haired next to the blonde one. There."
When Childe pointed to Ningguang and Zhongli at the bar, Beidou began to laugh again, almost as if he had said something incredibly funny. Forcefully she yanked him from his seat and dragged him along to the bar, ignoring his protests completely.

"YOU DID WHAT?!...Zhongli, dear, at this point I have told you a hundred times that this is not an adequate way of paying for anything. Neither your phone number nor going for coffee or anything of this kind is an appropriate form of payment.", they could hear Ningguang say, apparently upset.
When they stood behind them, she immediately turned around and stared angrily at Beidou.
"It is very likely that this is your fault. I pointed out to you that Zhongli here is the most intelligent but socially incompetent man alive, so it could only have been you who gave him the idea. You should both apologize to Azhdaha immediately. ...The poor thing.", Ningguang said, piercing through both of their heads with her eyes. While Zhongli seemed a little offended, trying to find a suitable counter-argument, Beidou just laughed dirty.
"Ya know, Azh has the biggest crush ever on Zhongli and maybe or maybe not, I told him how you can easily benefit from such things. Just like getting free drinks because you happen to have some nice tits. Not nice, but effective.", the dark-haired woman explained to Childe, who must have looked a little confused, but now also chuckled.
"Hm. If that is the case, I should actually apologize to him.", Zhongli suddenly said, earning a nod from Ningguang.
"Nah, you gave him a good time, no need to apologize.", Beidou stated and stopped him from moving, for her part, receiving an affirmative nod from Childe in return.
Ningguang rolled her eyes as much as it could have hurt and included Childe in her angry stare. No wonder Beidou's new best friend was just like her.
"... a good time? I do not think I understand why that should be the case."
"Oh my god....Zhongli, you are a disaster."
"A hot disaster."
The glare Childe earned from Ningguang could have killed a hundred men, but Zhongli's smile was far more dangerous to Childe's heart. Was that what a heart attack felt like?

-

"So... you are Zhongli, the socially incompetent disaster? Name's Childe, another disaster. I guess we should've informed the disaster protection department by now....uh...", Childe was almost ashamed of himself for the stupid saying, but the quiet chuckle he earned was definitely worth all the embarrassment.
"Pleasure to meet you, Childe.", Zhongli replied politely, amber eyes meeting ocean blue ones.
"Ah... and uhm.. thanks again. I think my attempt at bribery would have failed anyway...haha."
"Given that my action appears to have been a mistake, there is no need to thank me."
"Hmm don't worry, as she said before, you gave him a good time. I don't think he's angry about that."
"I seem to be unable to understand the connection between 'a good time' and what I was doing, but it's comforting to know that it didn't seem to be something upsetting."
Childe just chuckled. It was fascinatingly cute to see that someone as attractive as Zhongli seemed to be absolutely ignorant of such things.
"Anyways, you don't seem to be the type of guy that likes to visit nightclubs."
"I guess you are right about that. I prefer quieter places but I do appreciate good company in any environment...that said, I assume that I have been here more than expected."
"Hmh, given the way you are treated here... ... but I bet I could make you have a good time for once."
"Oh? What makes you think that I am not having 'a good time' right now?"
"You're tense."
"Hm. Indeed."
"So, do you agree?"
"Agree to what exactly?"
"That I'm trying to make you have a good time."
"...If you insist."
"Splendid!"

At first Childe tried the usual way, drinks, many drinks, but quickly realized that this would probably not work. Zhongli didn't seem too fond of hard alcohol, beer or cocktails and wine would hardly be enough to achieve a certain degree of looseness. A man like him didn't look like he was excited to hit the dancefloor either. Looking at the three infront of him, Childe got an idea, a stupid one, but maybe a fun one. Maybe.

"Ok ok, listen, how about we play a little game?", he asked, at least getting attention from all of them.
"I'm in.", Beidou replied immediately as she didn't care what it was about.
"Haha..knew I could count on you. What about you?
"Would you be so kind to enlighten me with more details? I certainly won't just agree to something that doesn't seem like a well thought out suggestion.", Ningguang said in her usual manner, but Beidou could see that she wouldn't necessarily refuse.
"Simply put, it's nothing more than truth or dare, just a more grown-up version with the possibility of losing or winning the game. The loser pays the entire bill for tonight.", the ginger explained, apparently having hit the right nerve. While Ningguang would have had no problem paying the bill and would only have seen it as a positive side effect of saving money, it was more or less Zhongli's only way of getting away from debt at all. In case he would try in a game he didn’t know.
"Fine, I agree with this nonsense. Zhongli dear, it would be an exercise to improve your limited social skills too.", Ningguang replied unimpressed, a very thin smile on her lips.
"Even if I do not share your opinion about my abilities given the fact that I certainly do not tell you about all of my experiences, I will agree to this game.", Zhongli said expressionless, only the small crease between his eyebrows could've told that he wasn't pleased with the situation.
"Great!"

-

The first rounds were completely harmless, drinking a certain amount of shots, answering simple questions, nothing of great importance but exactly what Childe had planned,  loosening up the situation.

"Yo, let's make this a little more exciting. Since I'm definitely winning right now, the three of you get the same task, no resist talking.", Beidou suddenly said grinning viciously.
"Sure thing, there's no way you'll win, haha.", Childe replied while Ningguang and Zhongli only nodded.
"Each of you has 10 minutes to get a phone number. No, you can't ask me. And no, no business nonsense. Good ol' 'maybe we could have a coffee together' phone numbers, ya?"
Childe chuckled, Ningguang rolled her eyes and Zhongli only nodded in return.
"Ready, set, go!"

Childe was very self-confident, he was sure he wouldn’t even need two minutes for it. Approaching a group of girls, he chiseled his most handsome smile into his face, studying their reactions to see which one could be his victim.
"No.", one of them said before he could even say anything, obviously a decision made for everyone. Of course he could have tried anyway, but he only had to look at them to know that this attempt had already failed.

In fact, Ningguang didn't even have to really try. Planned tactically, she stood next to a man at the bar, smiled briefly and held out her smartphone to him. Three minutes and she was already sitting next to Beidou again, wiping the display with a cloth to get rid of the mans fingerprints.

Getting a phone number didn't sound too difficult, at least that's what Zhongli had thought, but only found himself thinking about the value of such an interaction. A few minutes passed until he decided to just follow the rules of the game, after all, rules in such an agreement were something like a contract to which he was bound and he at least knew his way around that.
"Azhdaha, may I disturb you for a moment?", he asked the taller man, mostly expressionless but as polite as ever.
"Hm? ...Yes, are you okay? Something or someone bothering you?", the stern expression immediately softened as soon as Azh had looked at Zhongli.
"Would you be so kind as to give me your phone num-"
"SURE!..eh..haha..Yes, of course."

When Childe finally got back to their seats, both Zhongli and Ningguang were already back. Beidou laughed quite vigorously while Ningguang could only roll her eyes, ignoring Childe completely.
"I have to admit that asking Azhdaha was a wise decision, but it doesn't make the situation any better. Do you know that you are about to break the poor man's heart?", Ningguang said to Zhongli, somehow rebuking but also somehow amused.
"Whatever....Mate! Did you make it too?", Beidou finally turned to Childe, smiling a little looking at his expression.
"ugh ... didn't think it would be that hard...Am I this ugly?", the ginger mumbled frustrated, slumping back into his seat.
"No, you are pleasing to look at, but I assume that the publication of such data requires more effort given the fact that you are an unknown face in this place.", Zhongli answered a question that wasn't actually a question, earning a sigh from Ningguang while Childe had stopped listening after the first seven words. He was beaming as Zhongli had just called him pleasing to look at. Who cares if he got a phone number or not?

"I'd say the loser picks the next task. So mate, what should we do?", Beidou asked and now Childe was the one who chuckled a little viciously.
"Hmm...ok, you will all hate this, but I will go with each of you individually as you try to get a drink for free. No, you are not allowed to ask each other and no, you are not allowed to ask Azhdaha.", Childe made his demand and of course, he wouldn't let Zhongli have anything to do with Azhdaha anymore. That had already gone too far, not that he felt sorry for Azh, but he feared that it could be him who'd take Zhongli home tonight instead of himself.

"I'll start. I want to finish this nonsense as soon as possible.", Ningguang said while she already got up, not even waiting for Childe to follow. This time it took her a little longer than before, but it wasn't a challenge. Holding a fancy Martini in her hand, she and Childe returned relatively quickly to the others.
Beidou asked to be next. Since it was actually she who would have bought someone a drink, she wasn't quite sure how to fulfill the task. After about fifteen minutes, Childe declared the task lost, which, however, only annoyed Beidou to a limited extent.
"Told you that I can't do that. I'm not one of those girls who just look pretty and flutter their eyelashes. I'm more into these girls, haha..", she stated and laughed heartily, squeezing Ningguangs hand a little too hard.
"Then I guess it is my turn now?", Zhongli asked and got up, leading them to the bar. He had thought intensively about the task for the last twenty minutes, again decided that he did not find such interactions fulfilling but also decided how to accomplish the task. Contrary to Ningguang's opinion, his lack of social understanding did not mean that he was unable to act accordingly. And above all, not that he could not behave calculatingly according to his observations.

"Should I just wait here?", Childe asked standing a few steps apart from Zhongli, curious about what he would do even though he didn't really want to see how the other would flirt with someone else.
"If you don't mind, I would ask you to accompany me at the bar.", the dark-haired replied, waiting for Childe to join him.
"For sure? I don't think that if I'm right there it will improve your chances.", Childe answered, still closing the few steps distance between them.
"Oh? Do you think so?", all of a sudden, Zhongli's facial expression and tone of voice had changed completely. He sounded husky, his eyes were fixed on Childe, sharp but seductive.
"As far as I remember the rule of the task did not say that I can't ask you, Childe.", he said leaning closer, placing one of his hands on Childes chest. It was impossible that he couldn't feel the pulse of the ginger suddenly skyrocket.
"Hah.ha..true...", Childe mumbled, his chuckle sounded almost confused.
"But .. that would be way too easy, don't you think? No, I won't let you win that easily~", he added as soon as he recovered, grinning in his usual manner.
"Too easy, you say? I see. Of course I do not intend to get a win for free, that would actually be a violation of the general rules of a competition. ... However, receiving something in exchange for something else cannot be regarded as a gift.", Childe didn't know exactly what Zhongli was saying, but that he had whispered it in his ear had definitely raised the room temperature, after all, it had to be the room temperature that was to blame that Childe suddenly felt hot.
"Don't you agree, Childe?"
"Huh?..uh...ehuh..."
Short circuiting , Childe placed his hand on Zhongli's waist, about to go into cardiac arrest as the dark-haired ached his back a little, closing the last distance between them, both hands now clutching Childes shirt.
"..fuck......ok ok, what do you want? Wine? How much? Order whatever you want."

The second he had the wine in hand, Zhongli went back to his usual self. Stoic, noble. Apparently completely unfazed by what had happened, while Childe had to concentrate hard not to stare at Zhongli's ass all the time when they went back to the others.
"You good, mate?", Beidou asked in a whisper as soon as Childe was sitting next to her again.
"..do you think he'll let me take him home tonight?"

-

In order to preserve his sanity, at least Childe's tasks were harmless the next minutes. Ningguang and Zhongli's task were by nature rather harmless, only Beidou had meanwhile decided to help her friend a little. Whether he wanted it or not. 
"You got 10 minutes to kiss someone. Don't care where or who, except you, you don't kiss anyone but me.", Beidou requested, the last part addressed to Ningguang. The blonde giggled, caused by the several drinks she already had.
Childe looked pained, throwing an angry glare at his friend. Zhongli didn't look happy either. The idea of kissing someone who was a stranger to him was completely unacceptable.
But after a few minutes of thought, he sighed and nodded.
"Fine. But I refuse to perform other tasks of a similar nature afterwards.", he said quite stern, his expression supported his statement.
".... ... If you kiss me... I'll pay your bill regardless of whether you win or lose.", Childe hadn't thought about the statement, but neither did he regret it. He didn't seem to have many chances, so he had to use the ones he had. And should Zhongli agree, he would make sure that the dark-haired one wouldn't regret his decision either.
Contrary to his expectations, Zhongli chuckled a little.
"....Agreed.....A kiss in return for paying my bill."
Before Childe had processed what Zhongli had said, he was already right in front of him.
"Since I assume that my bill is quite high, I leave it to you to demand the kiss that would please you."
Grinning wide, Childe grabbed the others wrist, pulling him onto his lap in a smooth, powerful movement.
"Should be worth it, don't you think?"
"Yes...but do not forget that our agreement is limited to one kiss."
"Yeah, whatever~"
A kiss. It was just a kiss, but he hadn't set any rules for the kiss itself. Having Zhongli on his lap was almost enough to make Childe combust, but that he straddled his hips and wrapped his arms around his neck was definitely the last goodbye to his sanity.
At first he just put his hands on the other's back, but when their lips finally touched, he didn't care if he was still respectful anymore.
The first seconds, their kiss was nothing more than a peck, soft, faint, barely enough to call it a kiss at all. With one hand buried in Zhongli's hair on the back of his head, Childe tried to taste every inch of the plump lips. He tried to memorize every detail, like his bottom lip being fuller than the upper one or that he tasted of wine but sweeter, more endearing, more addictive. The quiet hiss he earned nibbling at Zhongli's bottom lip made him chuckle into the kiss, already breathless but willing to reduce his oxygen level even more.
To taste all of Zhongli was all Childe could think of, engaging their tongues in a passionate dance. The heat that rose in him was already driving him crazy. He gasped feeling Zhongli's back ache, his chest pressing against his own. The way the dark-haired moved his hips, only little guided by Childes hand on his ass, drew a low moan from Childe's throat.
He was hard. And by Celestia, he wanted Zhongli. Even if it would only be a one-night-stand and even if this one-night-stand would ruin his future sex life forever, he wanted him. And he wanted to hear what delicate sounds the dark-haired could make.

The moment Ningguang cleared her throat, Childe could've sworn the speed in which Zhongli moved back to his seat was otherwordly. But he was too turned on and too angry at the same time to think about it. While Beidou was laughing her ass off, it was fascinating how composed and unimpressed Zhongli suddenly looked again. The stare he got from Ningguang in return, was less composed, rather extremely judgmental.
"Shameless. You are both completely shameless. Do I have to remind you that you are in company?", the blonde said almost disgusted, causing Beidou to laugh even more.
"Ah babe, don't be like this. Or do I have to remind you of another extremely shameless person?"
"BEIDOU!"
Had he not been busy staring at Zhongli, Childe would have chuckled. The way he smiled at him, apparently amused, didn't make it any better. 
Celestia, he wouldn't survive the evening if he had to go home alone tonight. He had, he just had to come up with something.

-

Childe felt like a hunter in search of the best tactics to catch his prey. That he had to let his boner die was unsatisfactory, but he had to think. He had to think carefully about what he was going to do so as not to screw it up. He needed this man badly, but he had already noticed that it wouldn't work just to ask him. Wouldn't it? No, certainly not as that would've been too simple. Could he make him an offer? Probably not, Zhongli was a decent man, not a prostitute. He seemed to be obsessed with rules and contracts, could he use that? Ah, no, probably not either. Perhaps he should have got back to the idea of asking, but Childe had other ideas already. When Zhongli excused himself, Childe decided to follow him. The ginger waited patiently in the corner in front of the restrooms, an amazingly quiet place. Grabbing the other one by the wrist when he left the restrooms again wasn't a good idea, at least Childe regretted the decision immediately when the knee-jerk hit against his chest knocked the air out of his lungs.
"..oh... Childe...forgive me. You surprised me... Oh dear, are you alright?", Zhongli bent down to the ginger who had sunk to the ground, tracing his fingers of his chest to check if he had hurt him badly.
Childe coughed a few times but managed to force a smile into his face seeing the dark-haireds honestly concerned impression.
"..you're strong...that's hot...", he mumbled still out of breath, even if that meant that Zhongli got up again immediately. Wordlessly he helped Childe up, the unfazed expression back on his face.
"Is there a reason you came to see me here, Childe?"
"..Well ... yeah ... but I kind of messed up haha ..."
"Hm.... Assuming that I can understand your intention, I will have to disappoint you. I am willing to admit that you are very attractive and that I also find your company pleasant, but I have no interest in one-time physical agreements."

While that statement was utterly devastating, Childe had no intention of giving up just like that. In fact, he found a bigger challenge even more interesting.

"Because you don't like it?"
"A very personal question, isn't it?"
"Yeah, you do not have to answer. I'm just curious."
"Curiosity can reach dangerous levels."
"I'm always in for a little danger."
"I see. ... Fine, I will give you an answer. Possibly unnecessarily honest. To date, such interactions have not resulted in any appreciable satisfaction on my part and I am certainly not interested in a unilaterally satisfactory agreement."
"Crap. You deserve to be properly fuc-...haha..uh...you deserve better."
Zhongli had raised his brow when he looked at Childe, his arms crossed infront of his chest.
"Now that this has been discussed, we should return to the others. It is quite rude to leave unannounced."
"Wait.", a sudden idea came to the ginger's mind, again probably not the best, but hey, no risk no fun.
"You agreed that I can try to give you a good time, right?"
"Yes indeed."
"...And we have neither set a period, a specific location, nor limits for it, right?"
Zhongli knew exactly what Childe tried to allude to, the expression in his eyes became more severe, almost a little annoyed, although he nodded anyway.
"Yes that is true, but I will not allow you to force me to consent over non-negotiated terms."
"No, no, no, I don't want to do that at all.... Ok..ok.. I would if I could, but let me suggest something instead, hm?"
"I am listening."
"..so since we haven't set a period or location I will try to convince you that this 'physical agreement would not be one-sided and unsatisfactory'."
"And how do you imagine to do that exactly?"
"You don't like strangers, so we'll get to know each other."
"A date?"
"Hmmm...if you would prefer, consider it a duty within our agreement instead of a date."
For a few seconds, Zhongli just looked at Childe. Expressionless, emotionless. He didn't even seem like the suggestion was worth considering at all, but at some point, much to Childe's amazement, he just nodded, completely unimpressed.
"A duty within our agreement, starting from today, ending with the success or failure of the agreement. For my part, in return, I agree not to reject your actions, as long as they are within acceptable limits."
The attempt to get someone into bed had never sounded so business-like and Childe would have never tried so hard before, but he really wanted the man in front of him. Even if the reasons for it were hardly worth the effort.

-

Of course, Childe hadn't taken Zhongli home that night, but at least he had his phone number, enough material for his imagination and the small victory that Azhdaha hadn't taken the dark-haired one with him either.
The ginger was damn motivated, now he just had to think about how exactly he should convince Zhongli.

-

Childe, Agreement #11
Good Morning
Do you have time this afternoon?

Zhongli, need to get that ass 
Good morning, Childe.
Could you determine the time a little more precisely?

Childe, Agreement #11
4 p.m.?

Zhongli, need to get that ass
I should be available at this time.
A specific place?

Childe, Agreement #11
If you tell me where, I'll pick you up.

Zhongli, need to get that ass
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
I would prefer not to have to ride a motorcycle.

Childe, Agreement #11
Ok.
Lookin forward to meet you

That he was left on 'read' was a bit depressing, but hey, Zhongli had actually agreed to meet him again. And that was exactly what it was about, that they would meet until Childe's nocturnal fantasies no longer had to be only fantasies.

Not taking the motorcycle wasn't a problem, he had a car or even could have walked, but deciding what to wear was more of a problem.

Tortilla
Help!
[Image of him in a grey hoodie and blue jeans]
This one or that one?
[Image of him in a grey shirt, black jacket and black jeans]

BaeDough
You look stupid
What the hell are you up to?

Tortilla
Date
Zhongli
4 p.m.

Ningguang entered the chat

Ningguang
The second outfit, do something with your hair, you're not fifteen anymore.
If he's out of his mind enough to date you, then please make an effort.
And if you hurt him, I will hurt you.

Ningguang left the chat

Tortilla
Wtf

Childe actually opted for the second outfit, desperately spent thirty minutes trying to get a different hairstyle, and decided to to take the dark blue X6 instead of his motorcycle.

"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, you stab 'em, we bag 'em~.... ... Hehe, hello~"
"Director Hu, I remember that I have told you a hundred times that jokes like this are inappropriate."
While Hu Tao giggled and Zhongli gave her a stern look, Childe had to keep himself from laughing with great effort.
"....hehehe..."
"Should I rather wait outside?"
"..oh no, no, take him with you before he spoils all the fun again... Hehe...Come on, get out of here loverboy~"

"Your car seems very expensive.", Zhongli said but did not convey any expression of impression or dislike.
"It wasn't that expensive, I got more expensi- ..... uh, nevermind...You look good, a bit formal but..good."
"Your suggested time is within the scope of my working hours, therefore I wear formal clothes. ...But thank you for the compliment, you look good too."
"...ehuh..."

Their first sober meeting was more difficult than Childe had expected. Zhongli was attractive, yes, he was also interesting and it was nice to listen to him, but he was also completely aloof. The ginger had to quickly realize that his attempts to flirt were completely unsucessful and that he could be happy when he got a smile in return. He really would have to try hard...

Chapter Text

The day Aether had left had turned into the first night ever in which Diluc was drunk. He hadn't planned to have a drink, he had hated every drop of it tastewise and yet it had happened that he sat next to Venti on the floor in the basement of the Dawn Winery completely wasted. The red hair was disheveled from the hundreds of times Venti had stroked his head, his eyes swollen from suppressed emotions that threatened to burst out of him. All in all, the night was terrible in Diluc's eyes and yet he actually appreciated Venti's company at that moment. It was comforting not to be alone, even if only once. Even if he wouldn't admit it.

The next day was sheer hell. Diluc's head ached to an unknown extent, he felt sick and dizzy, unable to get out of bed. But if he had been honest he just wouldn't have felt like getting up at all, something that wasn't typical for him. Adelinde brought him tea and waffles, but just looking at them had got him out of bed and heading for the toilet faster than he could ever have expected. If Kaeya and Venti always felt this way after every evening in the tavern, then he really didn't understand why they were so obsessed with the wine. For a long time he just vegetated in a state between being awake and asleep, barely able to occupy himself with anything. When this changed again in the evening he caught himself missing the mindless state for a short moment. The silence of the evening reminded him that Aether had really gone, that he was out there somewhere, so close and yet so far. That he hadn't told him what he wanted to tell him and that every moment the chance dwindled that he would ever tell him. A thought with which Diluc did not want to deal, but which clutched on his chest, heavy as the mountains around Liyue. Feelings, something Diluc couldn't handle for a long time, which he couldn't talk about and which he couldn't process, one reason why he tried to avoid them. But in the silence of this starry night they forced themselves on him, threatening to take his breath away until his field of vision began to blacken. All the time he'd given his strength to someone else, all that time the damage had increased inside him, on quiet paws like a cat, completely unnoticed.  The redhead groaned, annoyed by all the thoughts, the trembling of his hands, the feeling in his chest. He should never have let it get that far, he shouldn't have allowed himself to ever approach someone again in such a way that he quietly became vulnerable. With another groan Diluc got out of bed, trying to repair the damage like he had for years. With ignorance, repression and work.

The next day passed quickly, as did the next week. The redhead kept himself busy, working more during the day than before, hunting the creatures of the abyss at night. He only slept as much as was necessary for his body and only ate to be fit enough to sleep so little. Diluc avoided the city during the day, unwilling to meet anyone, unwilling to talk. He wanted to have his peace and quiet, time to concentrate on what was important or what he let himself believe was important, completely suppressing the time he had spent with Aether, telling himself that it was meaningless. The first, second and third month it worked well, but when he heard that Aether had been in Mondstadt but did not come to greet him, it hurt more than he had hoped. It was like a slap in the face, the confirmation that it had really been meaningless, something he honestly never wanted to receive. That night he felt as if the feelings threatened to tear open his chest to let the fire devour him, but the next morning he felt different. His subconscious that had cheated on him all this time in his sleep was silent. He felt calm. No, he felt free. As free as he hadn't felt in years. So free that he didn't hear the voice in his head begging him to notice that this freedom was deceptive.

-

"'Luc, hand me a bottle, will you?", Kaeya asked teasingly, the same smug expression chiseled into his face as always.
"Sure.", the redhead replied and actually reached for a bottle of wine and glasses, completely expressionless and calm. Not in the least how he usually reacted when Kaeya just looked at him.
Kaeya was too irritated to answer anything and Venti stared at the two in amazement.
"Master Diluc, could I get one too? I could pay with a song~", the bard asked expecting to be yelled at, but only received a nod and a bottle of wine in return.
"Who is he and where's the real Diluc?", Venti whispered leaning closer to Kaeya, almost scared.
"I have no fucking clue."

"Diluc, are you .. sick? I know that you wouldn't want to talk to me if that would be the case, but ..", Kaeya asked a few hours later with enough wine in his blood to start the conversation, actually worried after seeing Diluc smile a few times.
"..I'm fine, but thanks for asking."
The answer almost caused Kaeya to fall off the chair in shock, staring at the redheaded as if he had just risen from hell or fallen from heaven. He didn't really know that himself.
"'Luc, you know who I am and who you are and where you are?"
"Why are you asking such stupid questions? But, yes, I am well aware of all of this. Are you?"
"I am not so sure anymore...Do you want to talk about something?"
"I have nothing on my mind but if you have something you want to talk about, I will listen."
Kaeya shook his head several times, trying to process the redheads words but ended up putting down his glass and going home without a word. It was all too weird. Maybe the wine was spoiled, maybe the redhead in front of him wasn't Diluc, maybe the world had turned the right way again, Kaeya didn't know.

Venti had only watched it all, in silence, with a mixture of irritation and real worry. He didn't know if what was happening was good or not, but he had a feeling that it couldn't be good. It happened too quick, too easy. Fully focused on Diluc, he climbed onto the bar, swung his legs on the inside and just stared at the redhead for a few minutes.
"I have already pointed out to you several times that this is not a seat, but we'll close anyway, so stay seated as long as you're not in my way.", the first part of the sentence almost calmed Venti, but the second took away all the relief again. No, no that was definitely not normal.
"..Diluc, tell me, how long has it been?"
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"That Aether left."
"I can't tell, it's not my job or my intention to count the days."
"Ehuh..and uhm, did you meet him when he was in town?"
"He was? Good to know that he seems to be fine."
"Hmh..eh..don't you miss him?"
"Why exactly should I?"
"...because you fell in love with him?"
"I am not in love with anyone, Venti. When you are done with your questions, could you move a bit?"
"Ehuh.... Diluc, repression is not the key to healing. ... you shouldn't do that. It's ok to feel angry. Or sad. Or disappointed. It's also okay to feel desperate. Or being tired. Or scared. You know, this is completely normal. We all do sometimes."
With the statement, the fiery eyes flicked up again to look at Venti, mostly expressionless but still a little annoyed.
"To cling to a memory whose content will never happen again just to lull yourself to sleep is also not the key, Barbatos. What do you expect? If you prefer me as I have been all these years, then it's supposed to be like that. I do not mind. If not, that's fine too. I don't need conversations that just serve to express what I should be feeling, what others expect me to feel. I appreciate your sympathy, but I would prefer an ordinary conversation. Or silence, if that is not possible."
"You're an asshole, Diluc."
Looking at him grimly, Venti grabbed Diluc's wrist and pulled him towards him, wrapping his arms around him as soon as Diluc was standing infront of him.
"Tell me, Diluc, if you don't care about anything, why don't you take me home with you?", Venti asked, it wasn't his real intention, well actually it was, actually it had always been, actually it had hurt him a lot when he knew that his string was not connected to Dilucs in this life, but he just wanted to force an emotion out the redhead. Some honesty, some truth that he had buried in himself.
"I can offer you a place to sleep, but nothing else."
"Why?"
"Somebody always ends up getting hurt and it won't be me, Venti.", Diluc sounded soft, lifting his hand to stroke over Venti's cheek with his thumb before he turned back to continue to clean the glasses.
"Go home. It's already late.", he added, completely unaware of Venti's pained expression. He only heard the bard jump from the bar and the steps until the door of the tavern opened and closed again.

-

The months passed as they always had and as they always would. Some days passed quickly, others painfully slow. Some were just everyday life , some completely different. There was a saying that said time could heal all wounds, maybe it did, maybe not. Only on a few days was the night so dark that the red-haired feared to lose himself in it, but even these moments became more and more rare until they were completely gone. There was nothing in him but this feeling of freedom that hung by a thread, fragile and deceptive.

-

"I honestly didn't think you would remember ..."
"Of course, how could I forget? We spent hours trying to make keychains out of the shells."
"..and seaweed."
"Yeah right...haha...they were incredibly ugly."
"Incredibly ugly, yes. ..but we even thought about selling them."
Kaeya chuckled, warm, honest.
"Little 'Luc was already a businessman~"
"..oh no, really not, with ideas like that I would be broke today."
This time Diluc chuckled, just as honest and warm as Kaeya before.
Perhaps they weren't talking about the important things, but they were talking to each other, quietly and peacefully, surrounded by the rustle of the sea and the moonlight that magically illuminated the light mist around the islands. There were still a few hours between now and the moment the others would find them, but for the first time the thought of spending time with Kaeya no longer felt excruciating. It was ok. Strange, but perfectly ok.

The moment the others actually found them wasn't. He didn't mind to see Jean, Klee, Barbara or Paimon, but to see Aether was ... Well, what was it? In the beginning he had unwillingly thought about what it would be like if they'd meet again over and over again, but now, it was completely different. It was relieving to see that Aether was healthy and appeared to be mentally stable. Somehow Diluc felt warm looking at the amber eyes again but somehow he felt...nothing.
Kaeya, who had been looking at him concerned the whole time, could see that. He could see the emptiness clinging to Diluc like an invisible veil, ready to consume everything around him. Kaeya had seen this before and knew only too well how this would end. Both sighed, unconsciously turning their attention back to Jean at the same time. Diluc listened to the conversation, answered Kaeya's complaint, helped them to find Razor and Albedo and was at Aether's side when the machine from Inazuma came to life. He did all of this as if by remote control, somehow completely separated from the world around him. When he was able to break away from the group without being asked, he felt relieved. He hadn't noticed how tense he had been all along.
Out there on the rocks on the last island, surrounded by thick fog and the rustling of the sea, there he finally was able to breathe again. Able to think.

-

"...Diluc...?", Aethers voice was quiet as he slowly approached him,  a honest smile on his face. The blond had struggled with the decision, but decided to look after Diluc. He had missed him. All the time. Even when he wasn't even sure how he felt for Diluc. He hadn't allowed himself to feel like this for a long time. For a long time he hadn't known whether these were honest feelings at all or whether he had just gotten so used to Diluc's care. Aether had also decided not to force anything, to challenge anything, but if fate would decide that it was time to see Diluc, then he would always have been ready. When he actually saw him, an hour earlier, he hadn't felt ready anymore. He felt overwhelmed. It was a mixture of a flashback from the time he had suffered so much, but also a reminder of the closeness to Diluc and a confirmation of what he was really feeling.

"Aether, I didn't expect to see you here.", Diluc's voice revealed nothing about his feelings about it, and his expression was as aloof as ever.
"..same. But I .. it's good to see you.", in return, in Aether's voice, everything he felt could be heard. The uncertainty but also the honest joy to see Diluc.
"Mhm.... I hope your journey has turned out to be promising so far?"
"Uhm...It's not easy but....eh Diluc?"
The moment the red eyes finally looked at him, they could see the 'fuck it' expression on Aether's face a few seconds before the blond's arms were already wrapped around his body. Hugging him tightly, Aether sighed against Diluc's chest, An expression of relief, of arriving at a place that felt more like home than anything else in the world.The redhead didn't react, but Aether could hear his heart pounding against his chest, loud and fast, a sign of how overwhelmed Diluc felt right now.
"...Aether...Why are you hugging me?"
What a stupid question, a stupidly painful question. Aether sighed and something inside him wanted him to let go of Diluc again, maybe a bit ashamed, but he didn't. Instead, he pressed himself tighter against the redhead, entwining his fingers behind Diluc's back like he was planning to never let go of him ever again.
"....I missed you. That's why."
Diluc had expected a lot to hear and nothing, but that Aether had missed him, he hadn't expected that. Not after he was convinced that the time had been meaningless.
"...you missed me? Why?"
"Why? ... you do that when you like someone, don't you?"
"I see. You were gone for a while, it seems logical that you missed us considering this statement."
"..Diluc...I've missed you. Not the others. Well, I missed the others too, but not like I missed you."
Aether didn't expect that it would be so straining to tell Diluc what he planned to tell him. The red-haired still stood there rooted to the spot and showed hardly any reaction to Aether's proximity, he still hadn't returned the hug and it was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable.

With every second that Aether was so close to him, the thin thread that held the feeling of freedom in Diluc seemed to dissolve. The blonde could hear the other's pulse getting a little faster and feel the muscles in his body tightening. Aether slowly looked up at him, not expecting to see how annoyed the redhead looked.
"Then why didn't you come by when you were back in Mondstadt after months?", Diluc asked out of nowhere. He didn't move, didn't push Aether away, but seemed almost surprised himself by how harsh he had sounded.
Aether very slowly broke away from him and sighed. Exhausted, frustrated.
"...Because I didn't dare, Diluc."
"You didn't dare to visit me after living with me for months? ..tsk .."
"...Yes, I didn't dare. Because I was afraid that you would be just like that. I just thought it would be because you're disappointed in me. Maybe because back then I just left after all this time. Because I thought that ... Oh, it doesn't matter what I thought. Apparently it was better not to come by.", Aether hadn't planned on being so angry and getting so loud, but the other's rejection hurt unusually and he couldn't help himself. He was incredibly frustrated, disappointed with how the moment to see Diluc again had really been.
"This is nonsense, Aether! Did I once say something why you could have believed that I was disappointed in you? Something that made you feel that you can't dare to visit me?"
"No! But you didn't say anything else either! How the hell is anyone supposed to know what you're thinking or feeling? In the end, you keep sulking until you detest someone so much that you don't even talk to them anymore."
"Aether, if I upset you as I am, what do you want from me anyway?"
"... I don't know either."
Suddenly there was silence again. Both were silent, both looked depressed, but after a few minutes it was Diluc who looked at Aether again to speak to him, far more calm than before again.
"... I would have been happy to see you."
"You are an asshole, Diluc.", Aether sounded stern but his chuckle betrayed him.
"Why am I hearing this so often lately?"
"Huh?"
"Nevermind."
The silence that returned now had become more bearable.
Whatever it was, it'd take time. Diluc just didn't feel able to let in a feeling and Aether was hardly sure about his own. But in the silence on the rocks, surrounded by a haze of mist, that was no longer important at that moment. There was a time for everything, both knew that.

-

At some point during the evening, Aether fell asleep leaning against Diluc. For a few seconds the redhead felt incredibly uncomfortable, but at some point he put his arm around Aether, if only to protect him from everything that might have come.
Subconsciously the blonde snuggled closer to him, sighing peacefully as he felt the warmth of Diluc's body. And the redhead smiled just as subconsciously, allowing himself a brief moment of whatever feeling slumbered inside him.

-

The time on the islands passed peacefully. Aether and Diluc didn't talk much, but that didn't feel bad. It was a slow but steady process that both seemed to accept the way it was. Seeing Kaeya and Diluc talk to each other in peace had initially irritated Aether, he realized that he must have missed a lot in the life of the redhead over the last few months.  But secretly he was happy to see that something seemed to change. Only to hear that Venti had tried to approach Diluc did not please him at all, the jealousy he felt suddenly made it obvious what he really felt for Diluc. Faster than he expected.

"Didn't think he's into you, ....well no, actually it was obvious."
"Was it?"
"Yep~ Just as obvious as it is that our Aether doesn't like the conversation at all.", with Kaeya's statement, Diluc turned to Aether who suddenly turned bright red and hid his face behind his hands, shaking his head fast to deny it.
"No!..i-it's just.. strange to see you like that ... talking to each other..", the blonde mumbled nervously, still hiding behind his hands.
"Oh? I would have said that you were jealous ~", Kaeya replied and laughed a little malicious, a smug grin on his face when Aether seemed to blush even worse.
"B-bullshit!"
While Kaeya laughed and Aether almost seemed to be steaming out of sheer shame, Diluc actually just looked a little confused, but chuckled unusually soft when he decided not to stare at Aether anymore.
The sound of the chuckle made Aether's heart beat even faster. With a soft "damn" he turned and stomped off, ignoring the looks of the others strainedly.

Between Kaeya and Diluc, too, everything was certainly not all right, they still argued more often than they could get along, they still didn't talk about important things, but at least they talked to each other. Something that Jean had told Aether after he had calmed down a bit and had wondered about the situation, or maybe just tried to distract himself again.

-

The process on Diluc's side took much longer. Years of repressing his feelings, new or old, could not be resolved in hours or days. Not because he didn't want it, but because time had left him damaged. Suppression wasn't just a method he had imposed on himself, it was a state of his psyche that had burned into his mind until the suppressed feelings were no longer existing on the surface. Diluc hadn't noticed that, he hadn't understood it and felt it as freedom, but with every day that passed after they were in the archipelago, he noticed how little he was able to feel anything at all. When he actually talked to Kaeya about Crepus at some point, he felt no anger or sadness. When he talked to Jean, he didn't feel that strange shame that usually reigned between them. When Venti stuck to him to beg for wine, he didn't feel annoyed. But he also felt nothing when Aether was with him, when he sat next to him, the amber eyes looking at him so carefully and lovingly. And of all the feelings that were not felt, this was the most tormenting.

"..uhm ... I wanted to tell you something.", Aether said just above a whisper, nervously fiddling with his scarf.
"..don't.", Diluc's answer didn't sound angry, it sounded very calm, almost rather depressed, and yet it was like a stab straight into Aether's heart.
"..what? W-why not?"
"..because I can't give you an honest answer. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't."
"..Diluc..if .. you can honestly tell me .. if you .. don't..."
"No, I can't. Because I don't know. I once knew but now I don't know anymore. "
"..Because... I've been away... for so long?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But more because I just don't ... feel it."
Aether looked very sad as that actually was enough of an answer, wasn't it? The moment he wanted to get up, assuming that he couldn't change it as much as he wanted, the redhead pulled him into a tight hug. The first approach he'd made since they'd met again.
"You got it wrong, Aether.... ... I generally feel ... nothing. Regardless of who or what it is about."
Aether shyly snuggled up to Diluc, hiding his face in the nape of his neck, irritated by the statement.
"..I don't understand..."
"Neither do I. But that's exactly how it is. There is nothing. Never."
Aether thought about it in silence while he continued to snuggle up to Diluc. It took a while but at some point he came up with a thought that served as an explanation. A low 'oh' announced that he understood more than Diluc did.
"..That .. that's ok...I... so if you want ... I'd like to help you."
"How do you want to help me?"
"I don't know. But you didn't know how to help me either, did you?"
"No, I didn't."
"You see, I could just try that too."

-

Aether had taken up residence at the winery again. The red-haired gave him no closeness, not even much that could have been described as affection, but that did not prevent Aether from being a ray of sunshine. Even if he had bad days himself, it didn't stop him from trying to bring anything back to life in Diluc.
Only when Diluc consented did he hug him or snuggle up to him, they only went somewhere else if he agreed, but even if he didn't, Aether kept coming up with new things to lure some emotion out of Diluc. Aether knew that this might not be the therapeutically correct path, but he would never force Diluc to talk about something he didn't want to talk about. And who could determine which path was the right one anyway? After all, Diluc talked to him more openly than to anyone else and even if it was only trivial, Aether knew that it was by no means insignificant. He had gotten to know Diluc well enough to know that he wasn't actually talking about anything that concerned himself. That he was actually always aloof, that he hated chit-chat and found it a waste of time, so that he talked to him so much had to have a meaning, even if only a small one. And no matter how small it was, it was enough for Aether to keep going.

"..Now it's me who can't give you anything back, isn't it?", Diluc said out of the blue as they sat on the walls in front of the winery one evening, a cup of tea in their hands, eyes resting on the grape vines infront of them.
"Huh?..oh, it doesn't matter. Just as you didn't expect anything from me, I don't expect anything from you either. You know that, don't you?", the blonde replied honestly, a soft smile gracing his lips.
"..hm .. only that it was a lie on my part."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I told you I wasn't expecting anything but in fact it was a lie I told myself. Maybe so as not to have to admit that my help wasn't as unselfish as I would have liked."
"What do you mean by that?"
Diluc chuckled, it wasn't an amused expression, more like contempt for himself, but he didn't care.
"I already fell for you back when you showed up the first time. I ignored it as best as possible, but in the long run it can't be ignored. Such things are not my forte, but who do I have to tell. Yes, first and foremost I just wanted you to be better, I think because it is what you always want when you love someone, that they are fine, but secondly I hoped that ... I think I have hoped that it makes you feel the same for me. And at that moment I didn't care for what reason this would happen. In the end it didn't happen, I thought, then it did, but now, I care about the reason. Aether, I don't want you to be with me because you feel obliged to and I know you do."
Aether had listened carefully. It was strange, he felt so much,  a feeling of fraud and honesty, affection and frustration, amusement and irritation, but in the end he was just chuckling, shaking his head a little before he turned to Diluc, taking his face between his hands.
"You are so incredibly stupid sometimes.", Aether whispered softly, eyes warm and lovingly as he placed a kiss on Dilucs lips, not more than a peck but enough to express what he was feeling.
"It's kind of stupid that you did it with ulterior motives, but honestly, I'm no better. I also want to help you because the most important thing to me is that you are fine, as you said, because that is what you want when you love someone, but I also hope that it means that... that there will be a we instead of a you and a me. And Diluc, I know why I feel this. Yes, maybe it was once nothing more than that I got used to you, maybe also that I felt guilty, but I know that this is no longer the case. Do you know the difference between envy and jealousy?", Aether had sounded so confident, so convinced and unshakable as if he had never said anything more honest. For Diluc it was a lot to process, it almost overwhelmed him, but the last question was just irritating.
"...what? Why do you ask?"
"You know, envy is the fear of not getting something that someone else has. And jealousy is the fear of losing what you have to someone else. Envy can apply to anything, while jealousy only applies to people. And you know what? I'm damn jealous when I see Venti around you."
The honest statement caused Diluc to chuckle again, because he hadn't expected it, but also because he found it cute how serious Aether had stated the last part while he was still squeezing his face between his hands.
"I see....well, usually people perceive jealousy as a negative aspect of a personality but I have to admit, I'm not mad about it."
Although the statement seemed almost meaningless, it was the most honest thing Diluc had said in a long time regarding his own feelings and that made Aether smile. Even a slow process was a process after all. And even the smallest process could lead to a big result in the long run. Maybe it hasn't been the right time back then, maybe it wasn't now either, but Aether had all the time in the world to wait. And he would wait.

-

"Are you really sure?", Kaeya asked several months, maybe one or two years later, completely irritated and overwhelmed by the situation.
"Yes, I am. The winery was our father's business, not only mine. I will still have my hand over everything, but you will be the one to take care of the business while I'm gone."
"Where are you going anyway? And why?"
"Well, my sister-in-law still needs to be found and that's exactly what we're going to do. Find her."
Kaeya just stared at Diluc before he started to laugh heartily, slowly nodding in return.
"I never expected to hear that from you. ...I'm almost a little jealous."
"It's envy, not jealousy."

Aether chuckled, waving Kaeya goodbye when he left the Dawn Winery.

But this time he wasn't alone.

Chapter Text

Aether was sick of the always same questions on the same topic. Yes, he was the only one who had never been in a relationship and yes, he was also the only one who was still a virgin, even if he didn't believe all of his friends, but there had to be more important things to talk about. Or any other topics at all. It wasn't like he wasn't interested, he just had never met anyone. Yes, Aether had quickly realized that he was not into girls, but the first boy he was interested in soon was in a relationship with someone else. The fact that both of them were friends with him in the meantime didn't make things any better, but he was happy for the two of them who couldn't have been more different. He was happy for each of his friends who were in a relationship but not about the fact that they couldn't leave him alone. He was only 17, he still had enough time, didn't he?

"Aren't Xingqiu and Chongyun coming?", Amber asked taking a seat next to Lumine, already stealing a pen from her because, as always, she had forgotten everything.
"No, it's their anniversary today.", Xianling replied, carrying a bunch of  cupcakes in her hands.
As always, they met at Barbabucks to study or just chat, gathering around snacks and fancy drinks with way too much caffeine for one or the other.
"Anniversary? Already?", Aether asked slumping into his chair ungracefully, throwing his books onto the table like he always did.
"It's already the second. I bet they'll get married sooner than you even get to know someone.", of course, it was Lumine who put salt on the wound. He loved his sister but sometimes he could have killed her, especially when she didn't mince her words.
"Lumi! Give it a rest. I'm 17 and not 70!"
"Yeah 17! You act like a child, no wonder nobody wants you. What a waste of beautiful hair and long eyelashes."
"I don't act like a child."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You do!"
"Guys, shut it. We want to learn. I did not come to listen to your bickering.", Keqing interrupted putting her hands on both of their mouths, looking at them angrily.
The twins rolled their eyes at her, giggling as soon as they looked at each other again and nodded until she finally freed them again. It wasn't the last time that Aether was asked that day when he would finally have a boyfriend, but the first time that he stayed alone longer to actually learn something. He didn't even notice what time it was when he got up to get another coffee.

"One venti caramel frappucino, soy milk and no ice please."
"Sorry Comrade, we'll close in a moment, but how about a cookie?"
Aether didn't know the voice and actually he knew each of the baristas. Sometimes it was Venti who never called him by his real name or Bennett who had never given him the right order, but he had never seen the ginger behind the counter. Since when was he even there?  The blonde looked at the ocean blue eyes longer than necessary and felt his heart beat a little faster. The red-haired one was handsome, something Aether could not deny.
"..uh...sorry I..I didn't notice what time it is...I'll leave immediately!", it was more of a murmur leaving Aether's lips, a pale blush creeping onto his face.
"No worries, I'm not angry about staying longer when someone is as cute as you. Caramel frappucino, wasn't it? What's your name?", the answer only made the blush on Aether's face worse, he just nodded several times before he remembered his own name again.
"...Aether..."
"Aether? Haha, well then, nice to meet you Aether."
Childe winked at him and turned to prepare the order, fully aware of the amber eyes that sticked to his back like bubblegum.
"Here you go, Aether. ..ah no, it's on me. Just come by again soon~"
Aether could only nood again, reaching for the mug with strangely sweating hands. He tried to smile, but it probably looked pretty strained, less cute than he'd hoped it would. Childe only chuckled a little and watched Aether leave the shop shortly after. Of course Aether was cute but he didn't think to much of meeting him, in the end a cute customer was still only a customer.

-

Aether soon  noticed that the pretty ginger only worked there in the evening, a time when the blonde usually wouldn't be there anymore. He also didn't want to go there in the evening too often, afraid to just embarrass himself, but his friends never agreed to meet at a later time. In the next weeks Aether only met the other three or four times, he never had to pay for his order, but he never dared to talk to Childe a little more. Until yesterday he still didn't even know the name of the ginger, but by chance he heard Venti talk about him, telling that Childe had taken over the job after Venti quit to concentrate on the music. A happy coincidence, Aether thought, but didn't really know why he even thought about it.

-

"... yes, and I bet when we meet again in twenty years, Aether is still a virgin."
"Lumine! I definitely won't be! So stop now!"
"How so? I don't know why that should ever change."
"Maybe it already has."
He regretted the statement the moment he said it, but seeing all the eyes that were now resting on him, he did not have the courage to admit that it was a lie.
"..what?..wait..Aether! You fucking need to tell me everything! Right now!", Lumine hit her hands on the table, starring at Aether like a paparazzi over the fence of a superstar, curious to know absolutely every detail. Unfortunately Aethet didn't have details to talk about, he didn't even have someone he was talking to, but to make matters worse, he remembered Childe just then.
"..he's handsome..and a bit older than me ... and has very beautiful blue eyes ... and..", he nervously mumbled, the blush creeping into his face again, but apparently he sounded so in love that the others didn't even question his statement.
"Where did you meet him?! How old? What does he look like? What is he doing? Did you kiss? Aether don't tell me you already lost your virginity! No, no that's unacceptable!", switching into full protective sister mood, Lumine had grabbed his hands, looking at him like she was about to hit the one who was robbing Aether's innocence.
"...Lumi....this is really embarrasing...we didn't do that yet...he's a nice guy..."
"He should already start praying. ...hmpf...ok, ok, tell me more."
"He works at Barbabucks and.. his name is...Childe."
He had already regretted the statement at the beginning, but regretted this one a thousand times more. Why did he have to say anything at all? How should he explain that it was just a white lie? What was he going to do, should Childe ever find out? Oh god, he would have to play dead if he didn't actually die of embarrassment.
"..But please leave him alone ... ok? I .. if that .. should be serious ... then I'll introduce him to you ... ok? Lumi promise please!"
The blonde girl nodded without hesitation, that she wouldn't talk to Childe didn't mean that Amber couldn't talk to him.
"Promised. I won't talk to him but you have to introduce him to me soon!"
Aether nodded too, glad that he had created more time to clarify this. Maybe in two weeks he would just say they had a break up, until then he just had to prevent his friends from meeting Childe.

-

"..Hello! You're Childe, right?", unfortunately Lumine had already had other plans at that moment, so it was no wonder that she was standing in front of the ginger with Amber only two days later.
"Hey girlie, yep that's me. Need something?", he was surprised that the brunette knew his name, but didn't think much about it. At that moment he didn't notice that Lumine looked like Aether either.
"Uhm..So I'm Amber and this is Lumine and we found out that you are dating her brother..sooo.. we wanted to get to know you. So actually Lumine wanted to get to know you but she promised not to speak to you, so I'll do it now. ", the girl explained in her usual manner, ending her explanation with a bright smile and a tug at Lumine's shirt wanting her to smile a little too.
"...uh nice to meet you I guess but who's your brother?", he asked a little confused but smiled bright at the two.
Before Amber could say anything, Lumine held a photo of Aether in his face, waving it angrily.
"Oh Aether, haha, yeah we're dating. So you're his sister, yes? And that bunny is your girlfriend? Well then, pleasure to meet you girls. Want anything? It's on me of course. Gotta treat my future family nicely, hm?", Childe had fun acting like he had a clue. He would definitely ask Aether about it and ask for something in return, he didn't know what but he would surely think of something until then.
"..I don't like his stupid grin...but I'd like a vanilla cream...", Lumine mumbled still staring at him, accepting the drink without bothering about to thank him.
Amber, on the other hand, thanked him nearly twenty times for the grilled cheese sandwich and hot chocolate he gave her just seconds later. While they ate and drank the ginger easily answered the questions about himself as he had nothing too personal to report.
"Yep, we meet here a few weeks ago. You guys left a little earlier."
"..The night he stayed here alone? What a coincidence..."
"A lucky one~"
"...ugh...I got it. You have as much of a crush on him as he has on you. No wonder he turns so red when he talks about you."
"Oh he does? Haha, lucky me."
"Yes, you are lucky until I hear that you somehow hurt him. So better not do that."
"Threatening me? Haha, a come on girlie, I won't hurt him but I wouldn't say no to a little combat training anyway~"
Lumine rolled her eyes at him, a dangerous glint in her eyes but a small grin on her lips.
"We'll see, Childe."
By the end of the conversation, Lumine looked a little happier, even if she would never have admitted it.
"See you soon girls! Ah ..and tell him to pick me up after my shift, would you? For dinner only, don't worry~"

-

When Lumine told Aether what Childe had told her, the blonde felt close to death. He didn't have to ask what had happened to know what Lumine had done, but since she didn't scold him for the lie, Childe seemed to have played along and that was something he couldn't understand at all. But that was something that made him feel completely overwhelmed. His heart was racing, his hands were sweating, his cheeks were glowing. He was as close to cardiac arrest as a stroke, and if he could, he would have buried himself in the ground. How was he ever supposed to talk to Childe again? How should he explain it? How should he thank him?

After having about five nervous breakdowns, Aether still cried into his pillow. By now it was just the exhaustion that made him cry, but when he got up to really meet Childe he looked like a complete mess. He tried to put on something nice and to braid his hair again but couldn't cover the puffy eyes. Great, of course he had to look like this right now.

When he got to the shop, Childe was already waiting for him, grinning even wider than normal. Aether could immediately feel his pulse skyrocketing and his face lit up, but went to Childe anyway, at least he wanted to apologize. He had to apologize.
"If this isn't my cute boyfriend~", Childe said teasingly, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed infront of his chest and Aether would have loved to die again.
"...I...I...s-sorry...", he mumbled just above a whisper, unable to look into the pretty blue eyes that looked at him curiously.
"Sorry? For what? Lying? Ah I don't care. Everyone has to lie sometimes, guess you had a reason. How about you tell me while we go for a walk?", the ginger suggested sounding a little softer. Going for a walk with him was the last thing Aether wanted, but he still nodded in agreement. He probably owed that to Childe after all.

"So why exactly am I your boyfriend?", Childe asked after walking silently next to eachother.
"..y-you're not...", even though Aether had calmed down a bit thanks to the silence, he still felt incredibly embarrased.
"Not? What a pity."
"...s-stop..teasing me...please..."
"'aight, sorry..haha.."
"...If I tell you why ... then ... then I have to throw... myself off the bridge ..."
"Ah no, come on, it won't be too bad, will it?"
"...I...they...they always ... teased me about ....being...they always teased... me because ... I haven't had a boyfriend ..."
"So you're a virgin?"
Aether felt close to crying again, he couldn't handle the amount of embarrassment he felt along with his racing heart and how nervous it made him to only walk next to Childe.
"Hey, it isn't that bad, okay? You're 17 right? No reason to panic. You've got all the time in the world and when you are ready, then you are ready for it. Fuck what they say.", even if he still smiled the way he usually did, his words were actually comforting to Aether.
"So you got fed up and said you met someone? I feel almost honored that you thought of me ...haha..", he added placing his hand on Aethers shoulder to show his support, accepting the tiny nod as an answer without asking any further.
"...Why ... why did you ..play along?", the blonde asked as soon as he could control his voice a little more again, finally feeling able to look at Childe at least for a moment. Illuminated by the yellow city lights, he looked even prettier in Aethers eyes. Enough to make him blush violently again.
"Why not? As I said, there are always reasons why someone lies. Good or bad, I don't care. And besides, you owe me now haha."
"..ehuh...Whatever ...you want, even if I don't have ...much to offer ..."
"Ah don't worry, I already got an idea."
"Y-you do?"
Childe nodded grinning but kept his mouth shut a little longer even if he could see how curious the blonde was. He enjoyed teasing Aether, he would've had to admit that but didn't plan to hurt him in any way.
"... c-could you tell me?"
"Hmmmm....no~"
"...b-but I can't do... anything if I don't know.. what ..."
"I know, who said that you'll have to do something?"
"..huh? .. but ... I..."
" Nope. Let's just walk a little longer, ok? We'll be at your dormitory soon, then you'll be through it~"
Aether simply nodded again. He enjoyed the silence, catching a glimpse of Childe again and again, blushing whenever Childe caught him doing it. It wasn't that bad at all, he thought after a while, smiling slightly the next time they looked at each other.

"Here we are. You live here, don't you? Together with your friends that are sticking to the window up there. We should have walked longer, then they could have waited forever..haha..", Childe said with a little vicious chuckle, stopping Aether when he wanted to look up to his friends.
"No more lies, huh? And if so, let me know beforehand."
"..so ...you're really ..not angry?", meeting the others gaze, Aether felt his pulse skyrocketing again but managed to keep a soft smile on his face, a thankful one.
"Nope. You're cute after all."
"...d-don't say that..."
"Why not? Nervous about getting compliments?"
"...I've made it ...all complicated enough for ...myself anyway ..."
"Oh?...hmm..Then let me make this even a little more complicated~"
Aether didn't understand what Childe meant until the other's pale hand was on his cheek, warm lips touching his own. Soft, gentle, but far too much for Aether to process. It was his first kiss, he didn't even know what to do, but as nervous as he was, he wasn't upset that Childe had stolen this kiss from him. After a few seconds he squeezed his eyes shut, leaning into the hand that stroked his cheek so gently. As Childe backed away, Aether leaned to him, subconsciously stealing another kiss. He liked the butterflies he had in his stomach, the feel of Childes' lips on his and this time even how badly he had blushed. It had been wrong to lie, but this moment didn't feel wrong at all. The ginger chuckled when he broke away from Aether again, a soft but teasing smile on his lips.
"Liked to kiss your boyfriend, huh?", he asked grinnind stupidly, chuckling again when Aether covered his face behind his hands but nodded.
"So, you owe me absolutely nothing but if you want to know more about me than your sister does, how about a real date?", Childe asked as he turned to leave but Aether couldn't have nodded any faster. It was more of a reflex than a conscious act, but he didn't mind. He would have had to lie to say that he didn't like the kiss and he didn't want to lie anymore.

-

"I thought he was lying."
"Yep, me too."
"Hmh...I honestly thought so too."
"Ehehe...who knows, maybe he was but I guess he won't be anymore ~ "
"... if that stupid guy hurts him .."
"...we will take revenge ..."
"Ohh ..hehe...scary~"

Chapter Text

At their first, second, third and fourth meeting, it seemed that there was no progress no matter how hard Childe tried. Most things he tried didn't seem to have an effect on the other, except for the one moment when he bought a weird glittering stone for Zhongli. The smile he got for it in return nearly caused him to go into cardiac arrest, but he had to come up with something. After all, he wanted to fuck the handsome man, not marry him even if the thought didn't feel too bad even if he didn't really think about it. Of course he had noticed that Zhongli had been much more approachable in the nightclub back then, but he didn't know if it was the wine, the tasks or both and he could hardly put Zhongli under the influence of alcohol on a daily basis.
Looking at him as they walked along the harbor, Childe wondered if there was any way to convince the other. He sighed unconsciously, almost a little demotivated. If he wouldn't be the man he is, he would just give up by now. After all, that was a lot of effort for a hoped-for one night stand.

"Is there anything bothering you? You are noticeably silent today.", Zhongli asked after he heard the ginger sigh, looking at him with almost no expression.
"Huh?.. Ah no, just thought about something.", Childe replied emotionless, he clearly wouldn't tell him what he had been thinking about but Zhongli wasn't stupid. There may be social things he didn't quite understand if he did them himself, but years of watching others helped him to recognize what someone else might be feeling, at least if he was aware of the situation. He hadn't been when it came to Azhdaha, but he was when it came to Childe.
While they were both silent about details that were too personal, Childe had tried very hard when it came to everything else. He had been very generous, always trying to find something that Zhongli would like. Childe had offered a lot but didn't get much in return. Of course, that wasn't part of their agreement, Zhongli had simply agreed not to refuse, but he didn't like this unbalanced relationship. The offer of both sides of a contract should be equivalent, not unilateral.

"Would you prefer to do something different the next time we meet? I may have a suggestion.", Zhongli said after what felt like an eternity of silence.
"..uh..yeah, sure. What is it?", Childe asked a little startled. He had put so much effort into thinking about the activities Zhongli could like and now he wanted to do something else? The ginger almost felt a little hurt, but at least as curious.
"I remember Ningguang once told me that she had visited a thermal bath with Beidou. I have to admit that I've never been to such a place. Would you be interested in accompanying me there?"
A thermal bath. In the first second Childe couldn't have imagined anything more boring, he was on the verge of refusing until he remembered what the whole thing would mean. Water, swimwear, naked skin... when he noticed that he couldn't hide his big grin. Sure, he would have preferred to see more of Zhonglis body in bed, but if things went a little faster that way, he'd be the last to say no.
"Sounds great. When? When is it open? Today?", he asked a little too excited, drawing a chuckle out of Zhongli's throat.
"I'm glad you like my suggestion, but we will have to postpone it to the weekend."
"Don't you have a day off today?"
"I do, but I already have an assignment for tonight."
"An assignment?"
"Yes, I was again made aware of my misbehavior in a two-hour phone call and I will meet with Azhdaha to rectify this."
Breathe. Childe had to breathe. Ok, Zhongli wasn't hiding it from him, which was good, especially since he didn't have to tell him. But he met with Azhdaha of all people who would surely think that the meeting was a date. That was bad. No, that was actually the worst. Childe had to breathe a lot to not snap at Zhongli. He had the urge to forbid him to meet the other but he was aware that he had absolutely no right to do so. And actually no reason either. They weren't a couple. No, they weren't even friends, but he couldn't deny how much he hated the thought of Zhongli meeting someone else.
"...ehuh...great..you are a ... very polite person ...  it's ... logical ...that you want to... do that ...great...yes, great.", he answered through closed teeth, hands clenched into fists in his pockets.
"...what are you ..going to do?"
"I will go see him at the nightclub."
"...Wait...so he doesn't know about it?"
"That is to be assumed."
Hearing this, Childe suddenly felt relieved. It wasn't a date with Azhdaha. It wasn't even close to a date and as he assessed Zhongli's approach in this regard, it would rather lead to Azhdaha perhaps giving up. Still, he didn't want to risk that it would somehow end differently.

"Do you want to stay there then? We could go there together ... if you feel like it ... ", he suggested, hoping Zhongli would agree. If that worked, he could a) monitor what Azhdaha was doing and b) maybe move his plan forward. That Zhongli was silent for so long didn't seem like a good sign, but when he nodded Childe felt his heart beat a little faster again.
"I have no objection to your suggestion.", Zhongli replied as if he was negotiating a contract but Childe didn't mind. He was already happy enough with the answer itself.

-
Shortly after the agreement, Childe drove Zhongli home and used the afternoon to think about a new plan. He thought a lot about what he could say and do, how he could convince the other, lost focus when he thought about what would be if he were successful and what would be afterwards. While 'being succeful'  made him grin stupidly, he didn't feel so good with the 'afterwards'. Afterwards. Afterwards would mean that their agreement would be over and there would actually be no more reason to see Zhongli again. Thinking about never meeting Zhongli again felt terrible. To think that he would just meet, date or fuck someone else at some point felt even more terrible. He didn't even know why he was thinking about it, but Childe hated the idea.  He didn't want to see Zhongli with anyone else. Never. He wanted him by his side. He wanted him to be with him only. And only with him.
Childe groaned annoyed. He knew the feeling. He knew the feeling of wanting to own someone, and he wanted that, he wanted to own Zhongli, but he had already learned that nobody wanted to be owned. Owning someone was what Childe thought was love. That was how he felt and when his previous relationships had failed because of it, he believed he had never been loved in the first place. He had learned that this wasn't so true, that it was wrong to want to own someone, but he still didn't know what it would feel like to love and be loved. What a stupid big word.  Love. Overrated, Childe thought and slipped into the outfit he thought Zhongli might like. He would just focus on his plan again. He had to focus on that.

-

When Childe got to the nightclub, Zhongli was already there talking to Azhdaha. He immediately noticed two things. Two things he didn't like. First that Azhdaha had put his hand on Zhongli's back and second that the dark-haired laughed at something that Azh had said. The whole thing would have been too easy to misinterpret as flirt and of course Childe understood it that way. He looked angry as he approached both of them, driven by jealousy. The way Azh looked at him as soon as he recognized him didn't make it any better. Did this bastard smirk? Was he really that bold to look at him so arrogantly? Childe knew exactly whose car was going to have no functioning brakes tonight and it certainly wouldn't be his.

"Is that who you were talking about?", Azh asked when Childe was closer to them, lifting his finger a little to point to him. The ginger wanted to bite off his finger, but the way Zhongli smiled at him when he turned to him, all the maliciousness immediately turned to dust again.
"Sorry, I'm a little late, the traffic was terrible...", Childe said now finally standing next to Zhongli, looking at him attentively.
"Way too late, hm? You shouldn't let your handsome boyfriend be here on his own for too long.", Azh said taking his hand from Zhongli's back.
"Eh? What are you talking about?", Childe replied, confused about Azh words. How did he come to the conclusion that Zhongli was his boyfriend? Why didn't he seem to care? Why shouldn't he leave him alone? And why didn't the dark-haired one say anything?
"Ah nevermind. Maybe you just take him home."
"No..I don't want to..go home.."
While Azh chuckled, Childe looked at Zhongli again, confused. It took a few seconds for him to notice, but obviously the other was drunk. An irritating but interesting circumstance.
"..drunk? Really? How long has he been-..... ... ... here?", Childe asked But stopped when Zhongli suddenly leaned against him, arms wrapped around Childes' waist, face nuzzled into the nape of his neck.
"Hmm..about three hours?"
"Three hours? What the hell happened?"
"He came when we opened to talk to me but I was too busy then...Well, he must've been waiting for me, the boss discovered him, you and I are not the only ones interested in him, by the way, congratulations, and now he's drunk. That's all I guess.", Azhdaha shrugged his shoulders, a little, bitter smile on his lips.
"...I see. ..who's your boss? And..... did he talk to you then?", Childe sounded a little displeased but wrapped his arm around Zhongli's waist to support him. The little noise he made was dangerous to Childe's heart. Again it started to beat much faster and that stupid feeling in his stomach area had also returned. What a nuisance.
"I don't think I should tell you..just take care of him now, otherwise I'll do that.", Azh answered, smiled at Zhongli and turned back to go about his work. He'd talked enough to someone he didn't like.

Now Childe stood there with Zhongli who stuck to him like chewing gum, somewhat confused but not necessarily dissatisfied.
"Hey pretty, do you want me to take you home?", Childe asked looking down to Zhongli, who was actually taller than him but was snuggled up against him in a way that made him a little smaller. As he had almost expected, the dark-haired shook his head, slowly looking up at him. Childe hadn't known that a grown man could look so cute, but he had briefly felt the need to put the world at his feet. Right now. And forever.
"...no...no I don’t want to go home...yet.... ... Childe?", the alcohol level couldn't be denied when you heard Zhongli talk, something Childe found amusing.
"Hmh? What's up?"
"..I don't want to go..home.."
"Haha yeah, you already said that. But where do you want to go then? Should we walk a bit until you feel better?"
"..no...I am fine...Childe?"
"Yeah? Let me guess, you don't wanna go home?"
Hearing this, the dark-haired growled softly and bit into the sweet spot of Childes neck, not firmly but enough to express his drunken dissatisfaction.
Unfortunately that was something Childe liked a little too much. Almost reflexively he raised his hand to bury it in Zhongli's hair, subconsciously encouraging him not to stop. Shivers ran down his spine when he felt the hot tongue on his skin and the soft kisses along his jawline stopping at the corner of his lips.
"..I ...really... should take you home ...", he mumbled, knowing that Zhongli was barely in control of his senses, even though he was reluctant to suggest it at all.
"..If that's.... what you want."
"Oh no I don’t, believe me, but I should.......let's go, my car is back there."

Childe hated himself all the way to the car. He knew he was doing the right thing, but doing the right thing had never been so unsatisfactory.
"Hop in. Don't hurt yourself."
It took a while until Zhongli got in as he whined a little that he didn't want to go home, but when Childe had helped him he sat in the passenger seat well-behaved again and Childe caught himself grinning stupidly in love. Cute, Zhongli was cute that way and Childe couldn't deny that.
"Did you settle the matter with Azh?", he asked as they drove, too curious not to know.
"Ehuh...I did.", Zhongli replied turning his gaze back to Childe, an expression in his eyes that Childe did not recognize yet.
"What did you tell him? He seemed to think that I'm your boyfriend...uh..not that I'd mind that .."
"..The truth."
"And that would be?"
Instead of an answer, Childe suddenly felt a hand on his thigh, far too close to his crotch, a circumstance that was somewhat distracting when you tried to drive.
"...You really shouldn't do that ....ah....fuck....", he mumbled trying to focus but could barely as Zhongli's hand brushed his zipper, slender fingers tugging at it. His hands clenched the steering wheel as he felt the button on his pants open and a warm hand that slipped into it, cupping his bulge with only the thin material of his boxer shorts in between. Biting his lip, Childe managed to pull over to the side of the road, stopping before he would loose control.
"...You should really ... stop  ...", he mumbled sounding absolutely unconvincing, not really trying to stop  him at all. The look in Zhongli's eyes didn't make it any better. Childe knew he was drunk but he also knew how lust looked and that was something he loved to see. Although he had said that Zhongli should stop, he groaned dissatisfied when the dark-haired withdrew his hand but couldn't react as quickly as he was suddenly sitting on top of him. Childe chuckled when he pulled the seat back, a necessity since Zhongli's ass was pushing the horn dangerously, but the chuckle choked under the warm lips that pressed against his and the feeling of Zhongli's body on top of him. He knew he shouldn't but feeling how perfect that ass fit on his lap, he couldn't help but dig his fingers into the soft flesh.
Arms wrapped around his neck and the headrest, Zhongli's lips parted, letting Childe taste everything of him again. The kiss, which started slowly, soon became more and more heated, hungry, mind-boggling Childe as he noticed how submissive the otherwise stoic man let him do whatever he wanted to do. He took his time to discover every inch of the wet hot cavern, ran his tongue along the grooves of Zhongli’s teeth, over the roof of his mouth, around his tongue, everywhere, but couldn't help but moan into the kiss every now and then. The way Zhongli's body rubbed his already hard dick was driving him insane, he wasn't going to survive the night this way.

-

When he finally woke up, his whole body ached. Sleeping in the driver's seat probably wasn't the best for his body, but even though he could hardly move, he immediately noticed that the weight on him had disappeared. Lifting his head to look around, he noticed that Zhongli was no longer there. Not in the car, not with him.
"Fuck...", he whispered through gritted teeth, slamming his hands against the steering wheel.
By no means did he regret what had happened but he doubted that Zhongli was so happy about it. He had been drunk and Childe had not stopped him. If that hadn't been bad on its own, that meant that their agreement was over. And that they were now nothing more than strangers again.
"Ah..FUCK!", slamming his hands against the steering wheel over and over again, Childe suffered a minor nervous breakdown. He couldn't bear the thought that it was over now. That he might not see Zhongli again. That his words last night had been nothing but drunken chatter. Lies. Unplanned lies but lies. He had never had sex in a car before and by Celestia, it had been amazing, uncomfortable but amazing but yet he didn't feel as happy as he had hoped.

Tortilla
10 p.m.
Liyue harbor?

BaeDough
Ya

Tortilla
Thanks girl

The evening was getting out of hand pretty fast. Childe had planned to just get into a fight, get drunk and distract himself, he'd done all of that together with Beidou, but in the middle of the night his thoughts bubbled out of him like water out of a broken pipe. At this time, he looked like shit. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose, bruises in bright colors began to form on his light skin and the wound on his arm should have been sutured, but he didn't care at the moment. Resting his head on the bar counter, Childe looked at Beidou's bloodshot eye but barely looked at her at all.

"It's so fucked up. I'm not complaining about it, it was fucking amazing though..."
"Ya u told me about 300 times already haha.."
".....yeah I know, it's just.."
"Havin' a crush, mate?"
"Nah...I...ugh... I dunno, I'm just dissatisfied."
"..Because you're scared of not meeting him again, eh? Guess your heart beats faster when you think of him, doesn't it? ...yeah it does, haha.  Ya..I don't wanna pop ya bubble but boy, you do have a crush on him."
"...I don't. ..he's handsome and smart and cute....hell, who wouldn't want him to himself? It's shit to think about that he could meet someone else .."
"...aaand why if you don't have a crush? What do you care if he dates someone else now? Azh is a nice guy, wouldn't be too bad. You wanted to fuck him, you fucked him, done."
"No, he's mine!... eh...I don't want that...uh.. that he dates someone else. None of them is worth it anyway."
"Yours? Don't think he's yours mate. Don't think he's the type who wants to belong to someone."
"But he said it."
"..How drunk was he again? Heavily drunk? Guess he would've said anything you wanna hear. ...But boy, just tell him that you want to date him. Maybe he's up for it."
"Nah...It won't work anyway. And I don't have any time either. "

Childe sighed and reached for his beer, annoyed by himself and the situation. He didn't notice what Beidou was doing at the same time.

"Yeah Beidou here, got a sec?", she said on the phone, shoving Childe aside when he wanted to know who she was talking to.
"Great, ya I wanted to ask if you wanna join us on Saturday? Ning and I are..huh?... you can't? Watcha up to? .... ... ... you'll visit the thermal baths with Childe? Ahhh sounds fun. ... ... Hmh ya bye, see u.", The phone call lasted barely three minutes and yet Childe felt close to death twelve times during this time. Staring at Beidou directly now, he waited for her to say something. Anything.
"Seems like you gonna meet him on Saturday. So stop whining."
"I hate you really."
"Love you too mate haha.. "
"..ugh..thanks...but I could have done that easily myself."
"Gonna tell him you like him?.... ...haha see you couldn't."

-

He didn't even know if the dark-haired was really willing to meet him when he stood infront of the mirror trying to decide which swim shorts he should wear. The ginger had never been self-critical in terms of his appearance but at that moment he felt like a fat 14 year old boy going to the swimming pool to meet his crush for the first time. That he had overdone it the night with Beidou wasn't of advantage either. Deciding on the swim shorts which would compliment his skin color, Childe tried to think about something else instead but ended up wondering about the dark-haireds swim clothes. He would go to hell voluntarily if the guy actually put on a wetsuit instead of showing the tiniest bit of skin even if it would hardly be surprising considering that Zhongli wore gloves even in summer. He hadn't really seen much of him that night in the car and never before either. did he ever wear anything a little looser?
Childe laughed at himself and the idea of Zhongli going to a thermal bath fully dressed and went to his car. He definitely didn't want to be late even if Zhongli might not come at all.

-

When Childe arrived Zhongli wasn't there yet and slowly the worry crept in that he would not come at all. Childe imagined him snuggled up to Azhdaha now that their agreement was over, totally forgetting about his date and him, and didn't even notice when the dark-haired suddenly stood infront of him, the prettiest smile on his face as he tried to get Childes attention.
First thing Childe noticed was of course the pretty smile that made his heart beat faster but also the sudden relief he felt looking into the amber eyes that looked him almost a little curiously.
"Good morning Childe, I hope I did not keep you waiting for too long.", Zhongli said as politely as ever, the smile still gracing his lips, there was evidence of antipathy.
"Uh..mornin'! ...Nah don't worry, I would wait forever ..uh.. haha in case you'd be late of course.... Wanna go in?.... ... ... We're not here to stay outside after all." Childe said trying to force his face into keeping its pale color but smiled even brighter as soon as he heard the other chuckle a little. For the first time ever Zhongli was paying for himself but Childe didn't feel good with it. It was too unusual. Too strange. He didn't want to really end...whatever that was, did he?
"You're paying?"
"... ... I tried not to forget my wallet today and I am glad my new concept for organizing has already paid off."
"An organizational concept?"
"Yes indeed. When I thought of you I noticed that I was invited by you quite often, a fact that I intend to change."
There was so much Childe could've said but that Zhongli had thought about him turned any possible thought into blissful silence. He could only smile happily, quietly following the dark-haired until they were infront of the lockers.
"..I don't mind paying for you.", Childe said like he hadn't been silently smiling for a few minutes by now, earning a brief confused expression in return.
"Thank you Childe, but I suppose I am still able to cover the locker fee by myself..", the dark-haired replied as expressionless as always, making Childe feel like a complete idiot again.
Childe only nodded in return scratching his head and turned to squeeze his bag into the way too small locker. If he wanted his stupid heart to survive today, he really would need to focus and maybe take a couple of deep breaths. He only saw from the corner of his eye how Zhongli disappeared into one of the changing rooms and used the moment to do just that. Breathe. Focusing on his breath he simply slipped out of his shirt and jeans, already wearing the swim shorts underneath, and waited for the other to return. Childe felt a little like a kid on christmas waiting for its present, praying that no wetsuit was involved. Again the ginger was too lost in his thoughts to notice when Zhongli came back, he almost squeaked out of surprise when he felt a touch on his shoulder.

"You seem to be very absent-minded today. Again. Is there anything bothering you?", he heard the dark-haired ask, acoustically, but didn't understand a word anymore when he looked at the man in front of him. There was no wetsuit involved but right now Childe didn't know anymore if that wouldn't  have been better for his sanity.
He didn't even know how long he was staring at the others body or whether his mouth had been gaping open, but he knew that he quickly felt alive in other parts of his own body again. This man was definitely going to be his death one day.
"...fuck..you're.."
"Hm?"
"...uh....tattooed? Didn't know that."
"Yes indeed."
Of course, Childe had noticed the tattoos and was thoroughly fascinated by them, but his eyes were practically glued to Zhongli's slim waist, the movements of his lean but well built body...
"..it's on your back too, isn't it?", he suddenly asked trying to focus on something else, not expecting Zhongli to turn around to show him his back. He had tried to distract himself, but it was only worse now. He saw the elaborate image of a dragon with its head resting on Zhongli's shoulder blade, the animal's tail winding around his leg. He couldn't see part of the art on skin, but that didn't stop him from staring at that part the most. Childe felt his body temperature rise, aching to touch the treasure infront of him again, this time completely. Everything. There was no single thought left inside his brain, only primal needs and dwindling self-control. He gasped lifting his hands, his fingertips almost touching the dark-haireds hips when he rapidly turned around. He needed to take a shower, a cold one, but if Zhongli would take one too, little water droplets on his chest, swim shorts sticking to his body like a second skin, hugging every curve...
"Fuck..", he said again, this time accidentally a little too loud, drawing Zhongli's attention back to him.
Never in his life had he sat down as quickly as at that moment, a pathetic attempt to cover up his body's unequivocal reaction to Zhongli. He couldn't even stop the embarrased blush that crept into his face when the amber eyes looked at him way too attentively. They had already done it, he had already gotten what he wanted, why the hell did he still react like that?
"..go ahead ... I'll be right there, ok?", the ginger said hoping that Zhongli would simply agree but he didn't move an inch. He just stood there looking like god, an expression on his face that Childe couldn't quite decipher.
"I suppose it would be inappropriate for you to enter a public space..in this condition. Together with your injuries, this could cause an unwanted stir.", Childe didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at Zhongli's statement. Not knowing what to say he scratched his head again grinning stupidly.
"What exactly did you do to look so battered?", the dark-haired ask, failing to be aware of Childe's unfavorable situation.
"Ah it was just a brawl. Nothing special.", Childe replied immediately regretting his honest reply. Zhongli didn't look impressed and even less satisfied.
"...Did you win?"
"What?"
"I asked if you won."
"Since Beidou and I were the last ones standing, yes I think so."
"I see. Then I would suggest that you improve your defense in the future as I do not assume that you will refrain from such activities."
"Improve my defense? Nah..I think I'm pretty good at it."
"The interplay of foresight, timing and reaction are crucial for a functioning defense."
"Interplay of what?"

Childe had expected that Zhongli would go now or say something else to explain it, but not that he would move so fast that he couldn't react at all. In a second he was still sitting on the bench in front of the locker, with the next breath his back crashed against the locker, one hand wrapped around his neck, the other pinning his wrist above his head. Only part of his legs were still touching the bench. The grip on his neck didn't restrain his breathing, but he felt dizzy nonetheless. Dizzy, turned on and only a little need to fight back.
"Recognize what someone is going to do, react accordingly and coordinate when which reaction to which action should take place. If you cannot meet these aspects, your defense must insist on appropriate protective measures, but I do not assume that this would be appropriate in the sense of a brawl. Recklessness on the other hand, is inappropriate in every sense.", the dark-haired explained in a low voice dangerously close to Childe's ear.
"..You're so hot...", the ginger could have done a lot. Acknowledge what Zhongli had said, ask what he meant, try to free himself but he settled with the bare expression of the low activity of his mind. The traitor inside his pants called for a repetition of the night in the car, the traitor in his chest overflowed with sheer admiration for Zhongli. Neither was exactly conducive to the situation in which he found himself. Zhongli closed his eyes for a second, a gesture of resignation, before he sighed and suddenly let go of Childe again, turning to grab his towel.

"Wait!..Hey that's unfair!", Childe yelled when he ran after Zhongli, ignoring that other guests had stared at them for a long time by now.
"Unfair? It would be unfair to take advantage of someone else's disadvantage.", Zhongli replied, while he looked as expressionless as Childe was used to, the statement stung somewhere deep inside. Zhongli was mad about that night. Childe knew it, he had feared it. Somehow he wanted to ignore the statement but somehow he didn't want to risk that this really meant that they would go their separate ways. And he didn't want that. He was already too invested. It hadn’t been just what they agreed on for a long time. It was more. More that he didn't really understand but also more that he didn't want to lose.
"Wait. ...I think we have to talk about something.", Childe said sounding much more serious again.
"Oh do we have to? Well then, I am listening.", Zhongli said and stopped on his way, now completely turning to face Childe again.
"I would have to lie to say that I regret what we did, so I won't, but I know I shouldn't have taken advantage of your condition. But I guess that an apology hardly changes anything, hm? I dunno if there is anything that can make it up to you, but I'll try if you tell me.", Childe sounded so serious and honest, his expression reflected that too, but nothing helped to cover up how confused he was when the other suddenly chuckled, his golden eyes amused but warm.
"I see. Well I could have foreseen that this is what you wanted to talk about...I may be different in a drunken state, but losing control of my actions is hardly part of it. Childe, I was fully aware of what I was doing. It is indeed true that taking advantage of such a condition is highly condemnable, but you can refrain from worrying about me.", he replied strangely calm, continuing to move on again.
"But what you said ... about unfair behavior.."
"Hm? Oh, now isn't it unfair to take advantage of someone else's disadvantage?"
"Yes of course but ...uhm....you're not upset?"
"I am not. As I had a pleasing night I see no reason to be upset."
Childe smiled a little, still a little worried but also relieved.
"... but if you didn't want to talk about that, what did you think we would be talking about?", he asked but Zhongli just smiled and disappeared behind one of the green tiled walls in the shower area.

Again completely mindless, Childe just ran after him, definitely disregarding his privacy.
"I assume that the showers are only intended for one person."
"I don't give a fuck. What did you think we'd talk about?"
"You are very bothered about it, aren't you?"
"..ugh...just tell me. ... ... please."
"I assume that you do remember the night correctly."
"Fuck yeah.", Childe still had no idea what Zhongli was getting at but thought nothing more as soon as dark colored fingertips traced over his hipbone, slowly inching dangerously close to the little bow  that held his shorts in place.
"What..are you doing?", he asked through closed teeth, pressing his hands against the wall behind him, trying to avoid doing anything wrong.
The dark colored fingertips carefully digged into the skin on Childes' waist, keeping him in place as Zhongli leaned closer. Childe gasped feeling the soft plump lips on his neck, delicate kisses slowly moving over the sweet spot to his ear.
"You want to own me, don't you, Childe? I do remember everything you said.", the husky sound of his voice, the hot breath, the touch of their bodies, Childe couldn't help but shudder under his touch, a quiet mewl leaving his lips instead of a proper reply. The dark-haireds chuckle was low, almost sublime but the way his lips moved over the shell of Childes ear, his hot tongue on his neck, the curve of his body, all of this seemed hungry.
"What would it mean to own me, Childe?", the dark-haired whispered sucking on the soft skin on Childes shoulder, his fingers slowly moving along the waistband of Childes' shorts, pulling them down even slower.
"..I-", the ginger tried to reply something, anything but could only moan quietly feeling the others hand on his length, slender fingers tracing along the veins.
"..fuck...yes, yes I want that.", Childe hissed, his hands still clawing into the wall behind him, earning a pleased hum in return.
"What if I agreed to that? Under certain conditions, of course."
"..all the conditions you want. All. I don't care what."
"Agreed."
This answer in that voice broke the last thread on which Childes' decency hung, causing him to shove Zhongli against the slightly wet wall, hands moving over every inch of Zhonglis body that he could reach. The kiss was rough and heated, teeth clashing, saliva dripping down the corner of their lips when their tongues moved back and forth inside their mouths. He wasn't hesitant when he pulled down Zhongli's shorts, suffocating whatever he had wanted to say in an even more intense kiss, eager to make the dark-haired feel more than a little dizzy.

-

"Do you know a good lawyer?", Childe asked resting his head against the cold wall, his damp hair leaving a stain on it.
"Yes, but I would prefer not to contact her.", Zhongli replied visibly dissatisfied, fiddling with his coat to look reasonably adequate again.
"I don't think we have a choice."
"I am aware of that."
"Hey! We wanna call someone! I know you have to allow us to do that!", Childe called earning on annoyed nod in return from someone on the other side of the bars.

"Good morning. Forgive me for disturbing you so early, but we will need your help.", Zhongli said sounding a little defeated when he spoke on the phone, looking at his feet instead of looking at someone.
"Since I have saved the number, I am already aware that you are in trouble. If it was only about you I would suspect that it is about tax evasion and I would send you Yanfei, but since I assume that 'we' is you and Tartaglia, I doubt that Yanfei can take on the task. Zhongli, dear, I'm not going to defend him for murder.", Ningguang sounded derogatory but also interested, at least a little curious about the trouble the two got into.
"It is neither one nor the other."
"What is it then? Bank robbery?"
"Ningguang...the situation is uncomfortable enough."
"Then spit it out. You're wasting my time right now."
"Public nuisance."
"Public nuisance? Alright what did you guys do?"
"...It is complicated."
"It seems simply enough to have you arrested for it."
Zhongli sighed. A deep frustrated sigh but nodded to himself. It couldn't be helped anyway.
"We had sexual intercourse in the shower area of the thermal bath."
"..you..had sex...in the thermal baths?"
While Ningguang sighed more than dissatisfied, Beidou's laughter in the background almost made Zhongli's ears bleed. She sounded like she was almost suffocating with laughter and Zhongli could guess how angry Ningguang was staring at her. As angry as she would stare at him the next time they saw each other.
"Zhongli, dear, you are selling yourself below value if you continue to be with Tartaglia...But it is not up to me to judge you. The judge will do. Well, anyway, he would be able to pay a fine?"
"That is to be assumed."
"Great. I take care of it but never do that again... ... Zhongli, have you heard? Do not ever do that again."
"Hmh."
If rolling eyes made noises, he would have just heard that from Ningguang.
"... and what's going on between you now?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You and ... Childe, what is that supposed to be?"
"I will let you know when we've discussed our terms."
"..terms?..wait, no, I don't want to know. ... ... ... Just take care of yourself."

Chapter Text

"Purple rose dating agency, Lisa Minci, how may I help you?", resting her feet on her desk, shoes nowhere to be found, Lisa took another call. She laughed when she heard the voice and name on the other side, despite all these years, she still knew them well.
"Ah I never expected you to call me, sweetheart~.... .... ....oh don't be like that, it's not me without the nicknames...now tell me Diluc, what are you looking for?", Lisa still smiled overly amused, eagerly listening to the things Diluc told her taciturnly.
"I see, I see. Well, you've come to the right place, dear. I'm going to create a file for you right away~", she said already taking notes to put them into a file as soon as she would be in the mood to do so.
"Once a month I'm throwing a party, there you could get to know everyone but guess that wouldn't be so convenient for you? ...ehuh, thought so. Do you want me to choose someone for you?.... ... ... will do, don't worry, I will remember to inform them in detail. Is it okay with you if I just pass your number on then? ... .... ... Okay. Same preferences as before, love?....It was a pleasure to talk to you and don't forget to visit me someday~", Lisa didn't know why, but she already had two people in mind when she ended the call.

Calling the first one, the one that could perfectly implement Diluc's request, she waited for him to take the video call, something that always took a little longer as she knew.
"Good morning dear. Hope you had a restful night? Well, I've got a new assignment that I wanted to discuss with you.", she said as soon as she saw the dark-haired one on the other side, but before he even opened his mouth she heard a loud 'no' from somewhere in the room. Just a second later, a head full of tousled orange hair appeared in the picture, a face she knew too well by now.
"Ajax.."
"You're with me, you cannot agree to meet someone else."
"You are aware that this agreement in no way implies that it is excluded-"
"Yeah I know...but no. Still just no."
Lisa just watched them quietly for a hot minute and chuckled when she saw the two of them looking at each other, dissatisfied and yet very affectionate.
"..I don't know if this is still a relationship within the framework of my agency, dear. But who am I to judge ~ Well, I'll contact someone else, but Ajax?", she said and waited until he nodded still a little displeased.
"I'm increasing your membership fee."
"Agreed."

As soon as she had ended the call, she was already waiting for her second choice to pick up.
"Mornin', what's in store for today?", the younger looking man asked when Lisa showed up on his screen.
"Good morning sweetheart. I got a new assignment I wanted to discuss with you."
"I'm listening~"
"Well, he is actually an old friend of mine and needs company for business events. I honestly don't know why, he was never interested in something like that, but apparently special circumstances, which he did not tell me about, require that someone pretends to be in a relationship with him. Before you answer, let me tell you that he can be a little special. A bit bad-tempered, not angry, just moody.",
"Ehuh...All I have to do is pretend I'm his boyfriend?"
"Yes, exactly. And to behave accordingly when you accompany him. So no joking around, sweetie."
"Oww...boring~..hehe ok, ok, got it. But tell me more about him now, will you?"
"Look at the name on you bottle there on the table."
"The wine? From the Dawn Winery?"
"Hmh."
"...Ragnvindr?"
"That's him, love."
"Ohhh.. ... ....ehehehe.....awesome~ Ok, I'm in. Send me his number, will you?"
"No further questions?"
"Nope! Surprise me~"
"All right, I'll send it to you in a moment. Venti? It will be quite a challenge, just that you know."
Venti just nodded with a bright grin, willing to make the best of the situation. He didn't have to know much, that the man was rich and owning the Dawn Winery was enough to motivate him.

-

Unknown number
Hi, Lisa gave me your number.
Just tell me when to meet :3

Unknown number
Did she inform you what
I will pay you for?

Unknown number
Yep, in detail.
Don't worry, I'm quite good at pretending ;P

Unknown number
I see.
Are you familiar with business matters?

Unknown number
Noooo, but as your boyfriend I don't have to be, do I?
But I know how not to embarrass you, don't worry.

It took an eternity until Diluc replied again, an eternity in which Venti thought that this was already over, but the answer that came late in the evening made him smile again. He certainly wouldn't refuse free clothes, he hadn't had time to wash for too long anyway.

Unknown number
If you send me your address, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 5 p.m.
You will need adequate clothing to accompany me.

Unknown number
[Shared location]
Allrighty, see you tomorrow :D

-

For Diluc the next day passed like any other day, but for Venti it was quite a novelty. He still didn't know who he was going to meet, except that he was the owner of the winery, but actually wanted to try really hard to be good company. Reading online guides about ettiquette was, however, more boring than he expected, so it was no wonder that he only woke up completely stressed shortly before 5 p.m. The fact that he hadn't done any laundry for days also took revenge, he was definitely too colorfully dressed, even for his taste. Sighing, he left his tiny apartment to wait for Diluc in front of the complex. The car that drove up was a rarity in the poorer area where Venti lived, for that reason alone he knew that this had to be the car of the man who would pick him up. That the windows were tinted dark was hardly of any help, if he were in a dark AU that would have been the moment in which he would have made a wrong decision to get in, but since this was not the case, he opened the door and grinned as he looked at Diluc. If he was the man he was supposed to be fake dating and not just the driver, then he would be perfectly fine with what he saw.
In Diluc's case, even if he noticed that Venti was cute, subconsciously, he was rather irritated by the outfit that looked more like what a parrot would wear.

"It seems to me like I made a wise decision to go shopping for clothes with you.", he said bland, waiting for Venti to fasten his seatbelt.
"Don't be a meanie, somewhere else this is sure to be totally hip!", Venti replied unfazed, curiously looking closely at the redhead.
"..if everyone there is color-blind, then surely it is."

Though that would have been more normal, Diluc didn't talk much while they drove to another part of town and Venti accepted that. He already had a blast sitting in such an expensive and fast car that had so many buttons to press. That Diluc allowed him to listen to his favorite song on full volume made it even better. At least for him. Diluc, on the other hand, wasn't exactly convinced of Venti's taste in music, but at least his voice was pleasant when he sang along. It took them 40 minutes to get to the store and when Venti got there he was enthusiastic about the fact that it wasn't one of the stores he knew, of course not, he probably wouldn't even have been able to afford socks there.

The way the security guard looked at Venti when he entered the shop with Diluc wasn't exactly friendly, but the smaller one simply didn't care. He was too busy looking at the expensive things that didn't seem to be to his taste at all.

"What should I wear?", he asked sucessfully getting rid of the way too eager saleswoman after walking pointlessly around the store ten times.
"Choose whatever you like.", Diluc replied, arms crossed infront of his chest, not necessarily interested in looking at five hundred different outfits.
"Whatever I want?... Splendid!... soo... how about these?"
"Guess the color would suit you."
"Ehuh!... hmmmmm...and this one?... ohhh..ehehe...and how about this one?"
"Just choose some clothes and show them to me when you've tried them on."
"Will do!"

At first the store didn't seem to have anything he would like, but after making the decision that he didn't care if it was from the men's or women's section, Venti had quite a blast again. Most of the time he ran back and forth, picking whatever seemed to have a fun color and dragged Diluc to the changing rooms when he had so many things on his arm that he could no longer carry them. Diluc wasn't enthusiastic about everything he'd chosen, but his happy expression was too pure to be destroyed. And well, at least it was better than the parrot x toddler outfit.

"Together ...that's 324,000 mora.", the saleswoman said, clearly happy about the fact that they bought absolutely everything that Venti had chosen.
While Diluc paid for the whole thing with absolutely no expression, Venti looked almost guilty.
"..I. uh..sorry? Didn't think it would be that much..."
"If I hadn't been willing to pay such an amount of mora, then I would not have chosen this store. Just make sure I won't regret it."
"Yessir!~"

-

After Diluc drove Venti back home, another five days passed before he messaged him again. Five days in which Venti was very busy taking pictures for his social media account, of course only with all the outfits and cute poses. And a few pictures that should never the surface but maybe he would need them later. After all, Diluc had said that he should make sure that he wouldn't regret it.

Diluc :3
[PDF file attached]
It says everything you need to know to be believable but keep it confidential.

Venti
Yessir!
Not gonna print and sell it
Big Venti promise :P

Diluc :3
I'll pick you up tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Try to be on time.

Venti
Yep! Can't wait :3

-

At some point in the middle of the night Venti had decided to send the redhead one of the unholy pictures, if he had known that Diluc would almost choke from coughing because of it, he might not have done it. Well, no, he still would've made the same decision and would laugh heartily about it one day. Cheeky and heartily.

This time he hadn't fallen asleep when he had read the document and thus had enough time to choose a suitable outfit. It wasn't quite what he was used to wear, but he wasn't feeling uncomfortable. He felt like a prince, a business prince but a prince nonetheless. Or maybe a princess, he didn't really care. Venti always thought that he was cute, but today he tried even harder to be adorable. He wanted to please Diluc, even if only to get more great things paid by him in the future.

"Olah!..haha...how do I look?", Venti had barely opened the door of the car when he turned for Diluc to admire his outfit. Well, he didn't admire it, but at least he looked a lot happier  than when they first met. Or at least Venti suspected that the expression on his face meant that, although he didn't know why he was looking away so akwardly, blushing a little.
"..not happy?..I tried sooo hard!", Venti sounded whiny, slumping onto the passengers seat.
"...No. You look great. I appreciate your efforts. ...anyways, did you read the document?", it took a few seconds until Diluc replied and only then did Venti remember what a picture he had sent him at night. He giggled as he simply nodded to answer.
"Hm. Any questions?"
"Nope! I have read everything~"
Diluc hummed pleased, finally starting the car again. This time he didn't talk much either, but at least they discussed how they would address each other infront of Diluc's business partners. Venti had various, quite creative suggestions, but agreed to simply call him Diluc. Even if that was really boring in his opinion.

To Diluc's surprise, dinner with Venti by his side turned out better than he'd thought. The lively boy showed himself to be more serious and didn't even fail to think of something when asked about his relationship with Diluc. He actually seemed to charm the other guests easily, behaved quite well for someone that wasn't used to this kind of meetings and also served as a source of entertainment when the evening got a bit tough. Nothing of what he did made Diluc feel dissatisfied with Lisa's decision. It would have surprised the woman herself had she known.

"Aaaand? What do you think? I did great, didn't I?", Venti asked as soon as he was sitting in the car again, looking at the redhead with big puppy eyes, waiting for a praise.
"I have to admit I didn't expect that. I am impressed.", Diluc replied starting the car, smiling a little for the first time ever since Venti had met him.
"Ehehehe....told you I'm good at pretending! ...Soooo.. are you keeping me now?"
"I don't think I'd call it 'keeping', but yes, I'm willing to agree. You just have to tell me what you expect in return. In terms of payment, of course."
"...hummm...fancy stuff, maybe some wine, can't I just let you know if I need anything?"
"....As long as you don't refer to me with the name  that would fit the type of agreement, it's fine with me."
"Splendid!"

-

"...ah shit...I forgot my wallet, I'll go get it fast, ok?", Aether said as he waiting to order a menu at KFC, but Venti just shook his head.
"I'll pay~", he replied grinning smug, already trying to take his phone out of his bag.
"You? You want to pay? Since when? Are you sick?... Oh no it's terminal, isn't it?", Aether asked overdramatically fake worried and laughed when Venti just rolled in return.
"..but seriously now, you want to pay? You actually want to pay this time?"
"Ehuh! The incredibly generous Venti is going to treat his best friend to a fancy meal at KFC ~ ...haha.. just gimme a sec."

Venti
Could you send me money for food at KFC? Pleeeease? :3

Diluc
This is not what I expected to be your first request.
Maybe you should consider doing a part-time job for such purchases.

Venti
But then I wouldn't have time to be such a lovely fake boyfriend, ya know ;P

Diluc
You don't have anything to eat at home, do you?

Venti
Maybe? >3<

Diluc
We're going grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon.
I won't pay for fast food.
For today, tell the employee your name, you won't have to pay then.

Venti
Ok!
Thankies :3

"...soooo, what do you want?", Venti said as he focused on Aether again.
"I can really order what I want?"
"Ehuh!"
"Cool...ok..uhm..."
Just a second later Aether and Venti ordered almost everything that was on the menu, not minding that they couldn't even eat that much. Aether was still worried that Venti had just screwed him, paying for it all would cost him his whole month's wages.
"..hmm..so that's 37000 mora, cash or credit card?", the cashier didn't necessarily look like he was convinced that the two guys could really pay.
"Venti. That's what I'm paying with..ehehe .. "
"Venti! You can't just offer something like that!"
"..Venti? Ah....Well then, enjoy it. See you next time."
"Ehehe...thanks!"
"What? That's it? ...Venti? Hey! Wait! Explain that to me!"

-

"37000 Mora for fast food? You have to be kidding me, Venti.", Diluc sounded more than a little displeased when he picked Venti up the next day to get some groceries.
"...uhmm...sorry Da..Diluc? Hehe..I was there with a friend and...usually he's the one paying all the time..", the smaller one replied with the cutest expression on his face, not really sorry but trying to appease the other.
"Our agreement doesn't include your friends."
"Sorry! Not gonna happen again, promised!"
Diluc rolled his eyes but nodded. He wasn't really convinced, but sure that he just wouldn't pay for it again. Venti would have to see for himself how he'd pay it, should he break his promise.

Following him through the grocery store, Diluc wondered how Venti had survived in the first place. Except for a few apples, absolutely nothing in the cart was particularly nutritious.
He rolled his eyes when Venti grabbed even more sweets, but said nothing about it. It was fascinating how he could be so slim if he just ate such crap.

"Have you ever tried these?", Venti asked waving a bag of apple flavored candy infront of Dilucs face, smiling like the happiest person on earth.
"No, I don't like sweets that much."
"You haven't? Oh what a shame! They are amazing!...hmm...ehehe....wait a sec~", without thinking too much about it, Venti tore open the packaging, shoved a piece of candy into his mouth, and reached up to kiss Diluc. Using the brief moment in which Diluc was too surprised to react, he slipped his tongue into his mouth to give him the candy and giggled when he just ran away afterwards to continue shopping. He actually liked how warm Diluc's lips felt and that he tasted like grapes, but couldn't waste a thought on it now. Or preferably never. Diluc, on the other hand, blinked confused for a few seconds. He stood there in the middle of the aisle rooted to the spot with candy in his mouth whose taste he couldn't stand. But that wasn't really what bothered him. He groaned annoyed when he followed Venti again, wanting to stop him from putting more trash into the cart.
".. little brat..."

-

"Owww....this is waaaaay to heavy...", Venti whined loudly as he got all the bags out of the trunk, looking at Diluc  pleading. The redhead sighed grabbing most of the bags at once, wondering if Venti could do anything on his own at all. He had no problems whatsoever with the weight of the bags, but with the confusing, chaotic apartment of the smaller one.
"Where's the kitchen?"
"What do mean? We're in the kitchen!"
"Isn't it your living room? ...Bedroom?"
"Yep!"
"...you don't have a fridge?"
"Look! Tadaaa! Here it is!"
"...that's not even close to a fridge."
"Hey what are you saying? Exactly three cans of Apple Cider fit in there, that's enough!"
"...I bought fresh groceries for you, where do you plan to keep it cool?"
"Hmmm...I'll just cook something with it right now. Wanna join me?"
"Are you even able to cook?"
"Ehuh! ...I just can't bake that well."
"Then why did we buy baking ingredients?"
"Because I love apple pie silly!"
Diluc sighed heavily, not even trying to hide his frustration. After he had found a place on the table for the bags, he actually planned to leave again, but couldn't help but notice how frustrated Venti looked while trying to measure the ingredients for the cake.
"If you can't bake, why do you want to do that now?"
"Apple pie!"
"Have you ever made any successfully?"
"....hmmm...I've made some before..."
"Sucessfully? And edible?"
"...no?...Don't ask so many mean things..."
Diluc sighed again before moving Venti to one side, taking the bowl from his hand.
"Watch."

Resting his head on both of his hands, Venti watched Diluc bake. That wasn't exactly what he expected when he entered into the agreement with him, but he couldn't help but smile all the time. He thought it was cute to see the otherwise serious man doing such an activity. The pie also smelled fantastic and tasted even better, something he hadn't really expected either.  The smile never disappeared from his face while he ate the pie and watched Diluc as he cleaned the dishes. He could get used to that.

"Thanks! Didn't know that you can bake so well! ..hehe...I'm impressed~"
"Hm. ... Try to refrigerate the food or it will rot. I'm leaving now."
"Wait! Don't you want a piece of the pie?"
"...Have a nice evening, Venti."
Venti sighed as the redhead closed the door of the apartment behind him and dropped onto his little sofa, already bored again and somehow dissatisfied. Lisa had told him that it wouldn't be so easy with Diluc, until now it had actually been easy, but still he didn't like it at the moment. Yet he didn't know why himself.

-

Diluc :3
I'd need your company for the next three days.
Does that fit into your schedule?

Venti
3 days?
What are we going to do? :3

Diluc
Business trip

Venti
[Image of him smiling very excited]
Where do we go?
What do I have to take with me?
Is it warm or cold there?

Diluc
Golden Apple Archipelago
One of the hotels located there is planning a cooperation with the winery.

Venti
Yaaay vacation!

Diluc
It's not a vacation.

Venti
No time to visit the beach? :(

Diluc
You should probably have time for it. Besides business lunches, you can do whatever you want. As long as you're back on time.

Venti
Vacation!
When will you pick me up? :3

Diluc
I can't pick you up, but I'll send you someone tomorrow at 9 a.m.
We'll meet at the airport.

Venti
I'm looking forward to it! <3

-

Just as he had said, Venti was really looking forward to the trip. He hadn't been on a vacation since...well, actually he had never been anywhere else before. He had been in and around Mondstadt his whole life and with his last agreement, he had only gone to the beach there. It was only logical that he absolutely did not know what to pack in his bag and ended up packing everything that wasn't winter clothes. The much too small travel bag was bursting at the seams when he carried it downstairs the next morning to wait for the driver. He was excited to see the sea, the beach, the sand, the hotel and Diluc. The few minutes in which he waited for the car, which was again much too expensive, felt like an eternity and the way to the airport was even worse. If the driver had been Diluc, Venti would not have been as happy with him in terms of appearance  as he was with the real Diluc.

"So...you are Mr. Ragnvindr's new... partner? Mr. Venti, right?", at some point after a while of silence, the driver began to speak and Venti blinked confused. Was it a test? Or did the employees think that it was a real relationship? Did they even know anything about Diluc's private life?
"Ehuh, yep, that's me! Venti as he lives and breathes hehe~", he replied confident, if it was a test he would want to pass it.
"Pleasure to meet you Sir."
"Oh please drop the formalities~ I guess we'll see each other more often from now on haha."
The driver simply nodded, not used to such a bubbly personality.
"..If I may say so, I think you’re a good change for Mr. Ragnvindr.", he said after another few minutes of silence, an akward silence.
"Huh? Why do you think so?"
"...hm..that's hard to define but...I guess he looks a little ... happier?"
"Does he? Hehe..that's nice to hear. But why do you think it's because of me?"
"Because you are the only change that has occurred in the past few months."
"Ohh..hmmm well then, I'm happy that to help make him a little happier~"
Venti didn't know what to think of the drivers statement, but he wasn't mad about it. Maybe a little confused, but if this kind of relationship actually had positive effects on Diluc, he wouldn't be the one to spoil the mood.

-

"Mornin'!", Venti yelled when he strutted towards Diluc at the airport, wrapping his arms around him to maintain the facade as long as the driver was still there, after all, he still didn't know if the whole thing was a test. 
"Good morning. I hope your journey was pleasant.", Diluc replied in his usual manner but returned the hug.
Venti nodded, lingering pressed against Diluc a little longer than it might have been necessary and grinned happily as he took his bag a moment later.
"Let's go~ The plane is definitely not waiting for us hehe~"
"Actually it is, but yes, we should head to the terminal. Give me your bag, it seems heavy."
"Huh!? It does what?!"

-

"Tell me, do your employees know about .. us?", the smaller one asked as soon as he took a seat next to Diluc on the plane, still amazed that the plane had really been waiting for them. It had to be great to be rich.
"Did the driver ask questions?"
"Yep, but I think I passed the test!"
"Which test?"
"Eh?...ohh..uhm...You didn't ask him to test me?"
"Why should I do that?"
"..to see if I stick to the agreement?"
"It seems you did, but I didn't ask anyone to test you. I trust that you will stick to it at least as long as you want to continue using my funds."
"...Strange way of saying you trust me..."
"After all, more than you trust me."
After this statement by Diluc, they fell into silence. Awkward silence. And besides the fact that it felt uncomfortable, Venti felt kind of guilty. Actually he had no reason to, it would have been perfectly normal if Diluc would have wanted to test him with all the money he spent on him, but still he was somehow sorry to have suspected that at all. Since when had it gotten so complicated? I had never been the case with anyone who had paid for him, it was always only money for performance, no feelings, not even affection.
Venti sighed and leaned his head on Diluc's shoulder, looking out the small window to admire the clouds from above. The redhead didn't move, he didn't resact at all and continued reading an article that contained far too many complicated words. Who even enjoyed reading something like that?

-

On the way from the airport to the hotel, Venti looked consistently enthusiastic. He smiled like the happiest person on earth again, eyes wide open and sparkling. Diluc could hear some wow's and oh's everytime they passed another opportunity to get a glimpse at the sea. Jumping around like a child, the smaller one ran around excitedly, back and forth, back and forth until he ran out of air.
Diluc couldn't help but chuckle while he was watching him.
"I guess you'll like the view from the room.", he said when they entered the new hotel, still focused on Venti.
"Is it at the top?"
"Yes, it is."
Venti wrapped his arms around Diluc again with great enthusiasm, this time out of real enthusiasm and joy. He was like an impatient kid while Diluc checked in for them, unwilling to waste any more time doing something like that. He wanted to see the view, go to the beach, walk along the shore, just all these things that would feel so much like being free.

Only when he got to the room it occurred to him that he would share it with Diluc. For a brief moment he wondered what that would mean, but shook the thought off before he even thought it. He knew what these agreements had always meant, so why should he mind now? And after all, he was much more interested in standing on the roof terrace and enjoying the incredible view right now.
"This is soooo great!", he called inside where Diluc was hanging up some clothes and just chuckled when he heard how excited Venti still was. Cute.

"Can we go to the beach? Now?", Venti asked when he went inside after a few minutes and threw himself on the comfortable bed, immediately turning to look at Diluc begging.
"I still have work to do, but you're welcome to go.", the redhaired replied taking a new set of clothes out of his bag, already walking into the bathroom to change.
"You don't need my company?"
"Not until tonight."
"Oh ok... ... Don't you want to come along?"
"I'm not here for vacation, Venti."
Subconsciously the smaller one sighed, rolling to the other side of the bed to crawl out of it again.
"Then I'll go alone, ok?"
"Hmh. Take care."
"Will do! Diluc?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you!"
"Hmh."

-

The beach was at least as great as the view of the ocean. The soft sand felt great under Venti's bare feet and the breeze felt so familiar as if he had been there a hundred times already. For a while he just went for a walk on the beach, got a drink at the little beach bar and picked up a few conches. Sitting on the warm sand, he couldn't help but think that life was great right now. Great. And lonely. It was okay for two or three hours, but slowly it wasn't feeling so great anymore. He had no one to share this feeling with, no one to walk on the beach, no one to go swimming with. Even though it had felt so great, Venti sighed again. Freedom could feel pretty lonely, something he hadn't suspected.

"Diluc?"
"You are already back?"
"Ehuh...You sure don't want to come with me?"
"...You've been gone for hours, Venti. Are you bored or why are you asking now?"
"...no..", he mumbled and slumped onto the bed next to Diluc, looking at the screen of the Ipad to see what he was doing.
"So you still don't have time?", he asked since he still hadn't received an answer. The other in turn put the Ipad aside and looked at Venti questioningly, not knowing why he would want his company so badly.
"I guess I have an hour.", he said rather blankly, but Venti beamed when he heard it and already jumped out of the bed again, grabbing the redheads wrist to drag him along.
The walk was like a tourist tour in which Venti showed Diluc all the things he had seen in the last few hours. Yes, it was actually just way better to be able to share his feelings with someone, even if that someone didn't say much about it.

"And do you see that? Could we go there by boat?"
"To the island over there? It's possible, but I guess I won't have time for it. But if you want, I can organize the crossing for you."
"...We could  go there early in the morning or late in the evening if you...."
"Venti, I'm sorry, but I'm really not here for vacation."
"...So ...you really won't have time?"
Seeing Venti's suddenly sad expression, Diluc sighed again. He didn't know why but he didn't like to see him like this.
"I can't promise, but I'll try to have some time tomorrow afternoon."
"Really?"
Diluc nodded and Venti suddenly hugged him again, mumbling a soft thank you against his chest. Diluc didn't return the hug. He didn't necessarily feel better knowing that it was almost impossible that he would have time for the trip but he couldn't tell the other. He didn't want to make him feel sad.

-

Again Venti showed himself from his best side at dinner in the evening and even had fun. One of the wifes of the possible business partners was funny in his eyes, he liked to talk and share a few drinks with her. Maybe he could go to the beach bar with her if Diluc didn't have time for it tomorrow, but despite all the conversations and plans with her, he kept looking at Diluc, smiling a little whenever their eyes met.
"It's cute how you look at him.", she said at some point, without Venti even realizing how often they had looked at each other. Although the statement surprised him, Venti just nodded, he didn't really know what to say about it and didn't feel like telling her a long story of lies about his pseudo-relationship. There was no reason for it anyways. Still, he felt strange after her statement. How could the way they looked at each other be cute when there was nothing between them but money and lies?

-

Venti was actually glad when dinner was over and he was back on the roof terrace, but this time with Diluc at his side. They looked at the stars in silence, Venti had a glass of wine in his hands while the redhead dressed in a suit was holding a pack of grape juice in his hands. A sight that made Venti giggle quite a lot.

"Do you think the archons were here when they still existed?", the smaller one suddenly asked, eyes resting on the beautiful scenery infront of him. He had always been fascinated by the stories, but never found anyone to talk about, hardly anyone was interested in them today. Rather he was smiled at when he fantasized about such things.
"Probably not in this hotel, but I guess it's possible. I doubt that all of them were here, but due to the proximity to Mondstadt I would assume that at least Barbatos had been here. And I once read a story that the former geo archon had also been here once.", Diluc replied quite simply, completely without judgment. Although it wasn't a special gesture, Venti smiled brighter than the stars and nodded eagerly.
"Ehuh, I know the story too! And also one that Barbatos was actually here! With Dvalin, well because there weren't any planes... haha.."
"One of the four winds as an aircraft replacement?"
"You know about the four winds too?!"
"Actually everyone who knows the history of Mondstadt should know about them."
"Yes that's true but...well, nobody seems to care anymore..."
"That is very unfortunate. If you are interested you can read the writings of my ancestors."
"Really? Really really?"
"If you handle it carefully."
Venti jumped on Dilucs lap out of joy and hugged him tightly, nuzzling his face into the nape of his neck, mumbling words of thanks over and over again. Diluc didn't say anything but put an arm on Venti's back, at least to hold him a little so that he wouldn't fall off the chair. He chuckled again seeing the others overly joyful expression a few seconds later.

-

"Venti? It's already late ... ", Lisa said and yawned when Venti called her while Diluc was in the bathroom.
"Lisa..I..uhm..ehe..he..I want to quit.", he said just above a whisper, a statement she never expected to hear after all these years.
"Quit? Did something happen, sweetheart? Don't tell me that he was mean to you."
"No, no he wasn't..do you remember the one rule we agreed upon?"
"Of course."
"I ... I think I can no longer stick to this rule.... No, I don't want to stick to it anymore."

Chapter Text

Oh dear haha~ ....Well if that's the case, who am I to refuse, love. Let me remove your file and inform the current customers. If you change your mind, you are always welcome, sweetie."
"Wait, Lisa?"
"Yes cutie?"
"Don't tell him yet."
"No?... Venti, if I delete your file I have to inform him that the cooperation is over, after all I charge fees for the service."
"Yes, yes I know that but ... Please wait a little longer, ok?"
"I have to let him know by the end of the month."
"Okay.... thanks Lisa!.. .. ..uh-..bye! See you soon!", Venti suddenly hung up when Diluc returned, not wanting him to find out who he spoke to.

"You could have kept talking on the phone, I didn't want to disturb you.", Diluc said drying his hair with a towel, not aware that Venti was actually staring at him right now.
"Uhm..haha.. it wasn't important...", he mumbled in return, sky colored eyes glued to Diluc's naked, slightly scarred back. That the rich man would actually sleep in sweatpants, and only with these, Venti hadn't expected that as he had been used to silk pajamas and satin nightgowns.
"... where did you get the scars from?", he asked in order not to have to think about nightwear any longer, lifting a finger to carefully touch one of the bigger ones. Diluc moved a little when he felt the touch, enough to not be touched anymore, but didn't turn to show any sign of discomfort.
"I am used to handling claymores, a childhood passion of mine.", he replied emotionless, slipping under the covers to return to reading the article he couldn't finish on the plane.
"Claymores? Impressive! ..But did you hurt yourself with that?", Venti asked, eyes still clued to the redhaired, not used to the fact that he didn't seem to be looking for any physical closeness.
"Well, just because you can handle a sword doesn't mean you are mature enough to assess dangers. The ones on the back are from the knives of the burglars that I wanted to stop.", Diluc didn't know why he told Venti about that, but he didn't really mind it. It was the past, nothing that mattered to him anymore.
"...ohh...How old were you when this happened?", Venti on the other hand was quite battered by the story.
"Ten or eleven, I don't know anymore."
"They did this you even though you were just a kid!?"
"Don't be more horrified about it than I am, there is no need to bother with it anymore.", Diluc replied but smiled a little as he looked at Venti, putting the tablet aside again.
"Do you plan to have breakfast tomorrow morning?", he asked instead of continuing to talk about his past, setting an alarm clock so as not to miss it himself.
"...oh eh..Yeah, sure, could you wake me up if I don't wake up by the alarm?", Venti replied a little distracted and Diluc only nodded in return.

That it really ended like that, that Diluc hadn't tried to be close to him, not even a little bit, irritated Venti more than he had expected. Even though it was dark, he was still staring at the man next to him, not really knowing how to deal with the situation. It wasn't as if he had always liked it, actually he hadn't liked any of the people with whom he had ever entered into such an agreement before, but he was used to it. He was used to let someone touch him in return for the money they spent on him. Of course he knew that this whole agreement was just a pretense act and that there was no reason to pretend anything here alone in this dark room, but he still didn't really know what to do. Or what he would've wanted to do. When he was sure that Diluc was asleep, he cautiously slid a little closer and cuddled up against him, trying not to wake him up under any circumstances. He buried his nose between Diluc's shoulder blades, embracing his scent and warmth, feeling a little calmer immediately. When he heard a small sound, he stayed as calm as possible, trying to appear asleep if Diluc should turn around, but he didn't. For a while Venti just stayed like that, calm and peaceful, until he fell asleep eventually.

-

"...Venti? It's time to wake up if you don't want to be late for breakfast.", Diluc said calm a few hours later, softly placing his hand on Venti's shoulder.
"Hngh...not now...I'm sleeping...", the smaller one mumbled not even close to being fully awake, turning to the other side in order to continue his peaceful slumber.
"Fine, but don't complain if you're hungry later."
"...ehuh...won't..."
Diluc chuckled quietly seeing Venti try hard not to wake up, clutching the blanket as if it were a lifebuoy.

When Venti actually woke up he cursed when he looked at the clock, he had not only missed breakfast but lunch as well. His stomach complained more than loudly as he sat up to look for Diluc who was nowhere to be seen. But what he could see was a tray with food and apple juice on the small table, fresh fruits, pastries, fresh bread and so many things that Venti could only have dreamed of. He immediately stumbled out of bed and grabbed the tray, grinning happily as he bit into the croissant as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. He had almost finished eating when he finally noticed the little card with the owl stamped on it.

'I didn't know what you might like, but I guess some of it should be to your liking.
- Diluc '

Venti smiled bright after he read the message. No one had ever cared about him like this before. Of course, he had also received enough money from others beforehand, a woman he had been with always asked how he was, but took care of him? In a way that had nothing to do with money? Nobody had done that before.
Venti sank back into his pile of pillows and blankets, starring at the ceiling still smiling bright. Yes, he made the right decision to quit. Or at least he hoped so.

Venti
Where are you?
Should I join?

Diluc :3
I'll wait for you in the lobby if you still want to go to the other island.

Venti's heart beat a little faster immediately. Diluc hadn't forgotten about it and had apparently found time for it. Another thing that had never been important to anyone else. To fulfill Ventis wishes that had nothing to do with giving him money or buying expensive gifts. He'd probably never been in such a hurry to get dressed as he was at this moment. Within a few minutes he had slipped into his beach outfit, braided his hair and ran down the stairs to the lobby, much too excited to wait for the elevator.

"Here I am! I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long!", he almost yelled when he approached the redhead, smiling bright as soon as he stood infront of him.
"You didn't.... Let's go, the boat is already waiting for us."
"Ehuh! ...Diluc? Thanks for doing this!"
"It's nothing special."

Even when he said that, Venti felt the opposite. He was happy. Happy and excited, strutting next to Diluc like nothing could ever ruin his mood again. He still felt the same happiness when they entered the boat, when they crossed the sea and when they arrived on the other island. For a while they just walked along the shore in silence, until they came to the place Venti had already seen from the other island. A small ruin in the middle of the rocks, old drawings that had been protected behind glass, huge bones overgrown with moss and glittering crystals whose use seemed long gone. Venti's eyes sparkled as he excitedly looked at all of these things but felt sad when he touched the huge bones. A sadness from deep inside, one he wasn't used to feel.

"Who did these bones belong to, what do you think?", he asked carefully freeing the bones from the moss, tracing along the carves.
"I don't know, but obviously it wasn't a humanoid creature.", the redhead replied focused on the crystals, touching the red shimmering stone with his gloved hands.
"..but I know that these don't belong here. If you look closely, the crystals appear to have been placed here many centuries ago. Small lamp grass is also not common here and yet it seems to grow here, even if only here. .... ... ... Venti, we should stop touching these things."
"Huh? Why?"
"It's a grave."

Immediately the smaller one backed away, bowing as if we wanted to apologize, taking Dilucs hand when they left the ruins again. The redhead said nothing, he could see that Venti seemed depressed after hearing that the lonely yet beautiful place had been a grave.

"...whose grave do you think this is?", Venti asked when he found his voice again, clinging to Diluc's arm like he had been clutching his blanket that morning.
"I cannot tell but if you've taken a look at the drawing, I guess it houses more than one being. In relation to it, the large bones belonged to a dragon that guarded a man's grave."
"...Whoever buried someone there must have loved that person very much if they had a dragon guard it...", Venti replied sniffing, incredibly battered by the story.
When he heard Diluc chuckle, he looked up only to feel a hand on his cheek shortly afterwards.
"It may be sad if you think of it like you do, but whoever it was, to be able to claim to have been loved so much that a dragon had watched over ones grave, wouldn't that be a comforting feeling? I suppose the worst thought for most is to be alone when they die, you can be sure that this person has not felt this way.", Diluc said in a calm voice, withdrawing his hand again as soon as Venti nodded with a faint smile. It wasn't what Diluc had said that made him smile again, but that he seemed to care about him and seemed to take seriously what Venti said and felt, no matter how absurd it was. He was almost convinced that he might feel the same way, had it not been for the face of the woman suddenly standing next to them with whom Venti had talked the night before. A pretense act, right, that's what it all was about after all.

"Oh hello, Mr. Ragnvindr, Venti, I didn't know you were going to visit the ruins too.", she said as sweet as a cupcake, smiling at them politely.
"Yep, I wanted to see it and Diluc was kind enough to come here with me hehe..", Venti replied hiding his uncertain feelings behind a big smile, squeezing Dilucs arm playfully to keep up with the act.
"Lovely~ Will you join me for a little chat again this evening? You know I'm not that much into all those business-related conversations~", she asked and Venti nodded, smiling at her a little.
"Sure! I'm looking forward to it!"
"Splendid. Well then, see you tonight. Mr. Ragnvindr, Venti.", she bowed her head a little when she left again, catching up with her husband who just nodded to the two of them.
Diluc rolled his eyes when he turned to continue their walk, seeming to be displeased.
"You don't like her?", Venti asked, alert enough to notice his changed mood.
"The whole thing has nothing to do with liking, but business, but if you already ask, no I don't like any of these people.", he replied stern, looking at the sea instead of Venti.
"Why? Did they do anything wrong?"
"That's not what it is about. I'm just not interested in pointless conversations and feigned friendliness. These things are usually nothing more than a pretense act to satisfy curiosity or to find out about another's cons. Business isn't a place for the honest and good-natured when it comes to multi-million dollar deals."
"...but you are good-natured."
"If you remember why you are here, then you know that this is my form of dishonesty in terms of a successful business."
"...yeah...right..."

It stung. Yes, maybe he had just developed a little crush on Diluc, nothing to serious, but it still stung when he heard him confirm that for him it was nothing more than business. Maybe he was good-natured anyway, but that was probably the only reason why he cared about Venti. Or maybe to soothe his conscience because he didn't like people who behaved so for business but actually didn't do anything different. Venti sighed heavily. It was stupid anyway to expect that something in this act could be real, he thought and sighed a second time, trying to brush it off like what it was. Nothing.

-

"Diluc? I want to go to town tomorrow morning, could you give me some money?", Venti asked when they were back in their hotel room. Now that he knew that none of it mattered, he had decided to use what was available for his services as a fake boyfriend.
"You can take my credit card with you, I won't need it anyways.", the other replied unfazed, trusting Venti enough to let him take his card.
"Splendid. Do you need anything?", Venti asked and Diluc only shook his head in return, putting on the tie he hated to get ready for dinner. Venti had already finished changing, he had tried less than usual because he wanted himself to not care about what Diluc was thinking anymore.

During this dinner too, Venti behaved like he had done all the previous dinners, with the exception of the fact that he got extremely drunk with the wife of Diluc's business partner. Both laughed uncontrollably as the man walked over to them to care for his wife, apparently already used to it. But it was actually just in time because Venti was about to tell her that it was all a lie, after she had stated that she found their relationship strange. Implausible.

The moment Diluc went to Venti, he was very drunk but eager to prove the opposite to her. Even if it was actually the truth. Without thinking he crawled on Diluc's lap after he sat down with him and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"What are you doing?", the redhead asked in a whisper, not moving the tiniest bit.
"...they...they don't uh..What did I want to say?.. oh hehe... they don't believe us.. ", Venti whispered in Diluc's ear, placing a kiss on his neck afterwards.
"..What do they not believe us?"
"The whole thing. Relationship thing."
"Did she say that?"
"Ehuh!"
Venti blushed as soon as Diluc wrapped his arms around his body and although he knew that it was nothing more than a pretense act again, he didn't care at all. He couldn't care. All he could focus on was Diluc on whose lap he sat, whose warmth he felt, whose scent he smelled, whose touch made him shiver. Diluc who made his heart beat so much faster. Venti melted into the hand on his cheek, into the gentle kiss. Burying his hands in Diluc's hair, purposely ruining his ponytail, Venti let the others hot tongue slip into his mouth. He wanted to feel him, to let him taste him, to...
The rising heat, the falling oxygen, the alcohol, all that made him feel dizzy.
He wanted him to want him. To kiss him more, to touch him more. Venti mewled feeling the redhaireds lips wandering from his own to his neck, every touch made him shudder. Made him feel hotter. Desired. And loved.
"...Diluc...", he breathed his name, connecting their lips again. Venti heard the other gasp, felt the pressure of his hand on his back increase, felt it trace to a spot just an inch above his ass, felt...

It was just an act, but all the hormones had messed him up. The hormones and the alcohol.
"You should get some sleep.", Diluc said a little strained when the woman left, withdrawing his hands from Venti but Venti only shook his head.
"...I..c-ca ..hic..can't...", he mumbled, now plagued by a nasty hiccup and dissatisfaction.
"I think you need it."
"..buuut I can't...I can't shlee...shleep."
"Why shouldn't you be able to sleep?"
"...you... Because of you...  What's..what's a boy..me..a boy..like me...sup..sup...supposed to think..hic..if someone ... you ... if you ... hic.."
"...It's all right, Venti, come I'll take you upstairs and then you rest. You have to sober up again."
Venti nodded eagerly and finally surrendered when Diluc just grabbed him to carry him upstairs. His hiccups had taken on dangerous traits when he finally sat on the bed and Diluc was relieved that he hadn't vomited on his clothes yet.
"How do you feel?", he asked and looked at him confused when Venti suddenly beamed at him.
"You...hic..you..", the smaller one mumbled, trying to get up again but failed violently.
"What about me?"
".. you...you.....hmm...I don't know..."
Chuckling a little, Diluc handed Venti a shirt, hoping that he'd still be able to change his clothes himself, but laughed when he realized that it wasn't the case. Well, Venti had managed to take off his shoes, but almost fell forward out of bed and was fighting with his pants as if they were a wild animal. In the middle of this fight he just fell over backwards and sighed profusely, being completely overdramatic.
"I can't do this anymore!", he loudly proclaimed, starring at the ceiling like the world was coming to an end right now.
"What can you no longer do?", Diluc asked after he had changed into his sweatpants, still chuckling a little.
"Pants! Diluc, pants!"
"I see, pants huh? Worst things ever, aren't they?", the redhead replied teasingly, still amused by Venti's behavior. He actually hated drunk people, but Venti was different. He was cute.
Again, Venti nodded eagerly, happy that someone finally seemed to understand him. The rich redhead was great. And Venti heavily in love. And heavily drunk. 
"I looove you Diluc ... you're the best...We should band together and  and...and ban pants ... nobody needs pants ... noooobody..."

Without talking further, too confused by the drunk statement, the red-haired helped Venti to win the fight against his pants and simply pulled the shirt over his head as if he were a doll, anything else would have made no sense anyway.
When he was finally ready to lie down himself, Venti sat back in bed and stared at him strained.
"What now? Don't you want to sleep a little?"
"Diluc?..Why all that? ...this whole ... act?.. you..you could just..."
"Isn't it a little late to think about it?"
"..I just want to know... ... w-why....then ...then..I'll sleep too ... I promise."
"....I just want to have my peace."
"Peace?"
"Yes, peace. Venti, I am young and rich, every time I have to go to such meetings some other man tries to hand me his daughter in marriage. I'm honestly sick of it."
"...you...you don't w-want..to marry?"
"I didn't say that, but I don't want to be forced into a loveless marriage. And I actually have no interest in things that others would expect when it comes to a relationship. "
"...So ... do you ... never never never never never want to fall i-in love?"
"You can't control that, can you?"
"...But what...what will you do... if..if it happens?"
"You got your answer, Venti."
Venti grumbled dissatisfied, plopping back onto the bed like a heavy sack but didn't stop staring at Diluc.
"..see? I can't shhhhleep!", he said after just ten seconds, pouting.
"It would certainly help if you close your eyes. ... .... You're annoying, really. ", the redhead replied strained, but grabbed the smaller one by his waist and pulled him close as if he were light as a feather. Wrapping his arms around him, Diluc purposely pressed Venti's face against him, trying to finally shut him up. Well, it worked to silence him, but as red as his cheeks had turned and as fast as his heart was now beating, Venti could certainly no longer fall asleep.

-

He had really been convinced that he wouldn't sleep, but since he woke up at some point he probably fell asleep sometime in the night. Venti's world spun, his head ached and he felt sick, but the fact that Diluc was still there and still holding him in his arms made it more bearable. Blushing like crazy again, Venti looked at the redhead and wondered why Diluc was still there. Wasn't it time for breakfast already? Oh god breakfast ... that was the last thing Venti wanted right now. He groaned feeling as if he would vomit soon and tried to break away from Diluc. He didn't want to get up but he had to. The whole world seemed to sway when he got up, so much so that he just collapsed  in front of the bed.

"Venti? ..... ... let me help you.", Diluc woke up faster than he thought when he heard the noise. Getting out of the bed, he crouched down next to Venti, put his arms under his legs and on his back to pick him up and put him back on the bed.
"Where did you want to go?", he asked rubbing the smaller ones back in soothing circles, looking at him a little concerned.
"...bathroom... sick...", Venti managed to mumble and groaned with nausea and dizziness.
"Lay down. Come on, lie down again."
"..can't.."
Ignoring Venti's resistance, Diluc pushed him down on the mattress again, covered him up and got up to get some things for him. He came back shortly afterwards with a bucket, a bottle of water, pain relievers, and a few cookies.
"It's your own fault but now try to rest. When I come back later, let's order something to eat, huh?", Diluc suggested and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Venti felt miserable but even more in love now. His heart ran a marathon, but when he remembered his drunken confession it threatened to stop. And he threatened to combust.
"...ah...shit..... oh god... oh god...", he mumbled wanting to be eaten up by the ground. How was he supposed to look Diluc in the eye now? And did he say anything at all? Did he even take it seriously?
"..shit..."

He hadn't seen Diluc all morning afterwards and although he actually felt terrible and wanted nothing more than to sleep, his statement didn't leave him alone. If Diluc didn't feel the same way, and presumably he didn't, it would not only be weird between them but probably also end the agreement that had already ended. Only that Diluc didn't know that yet. Shit, how many days were left in this month? Two?

Venti
Diluc?
About tonight
I was pretty drunk
And I don't know what I said anymore
But whatever it was
Just forget about it, ok?

Diluc :3
Let's talk later

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Diluc had understood what he had said and now he wanted to talk about it too. Shit.
Venti's heart raced violently. He was as nervous as he was panicking. Breathe. He had to breathe and come up with a plan. For Diluc, it was all just a pretense act for business. And for Venti it was an assignment. Nothing but an assignment. He would just tell him that he was just terribly drunk, none of it was meant seriously and that they should just carry on as before. And after the trip, Venti would have to end the whole thing. Not that he wanted that, but he had to do it. Taking a deep breath again, he nodded, partially satisfied with his plan. Partially.

-

"Venti? Are you here?", Venti heard Diluc ask when he returned that afternoon. He had been so convinced of his plan, but that he would now hug the bucket like it's his best friend  hadn't really been planned.
"...oh dear...", Diluc sighed after seeing Venti like that, opened the window but closed the curtains and sat down next to Venti on the bed.
"How much did you drink yesterday, huh? ...Venti it is irresponsible to drink so much ..", Diluc said a little too stern, but the smaller one felt too bad to reply. He just groaned in pain, sobbing into the bucket like his life was about to end. He felt not only miserable but also ashamed. Why did Diluc have to see him like that? He'd gotten drunk so many times but never hungover like this. Certainly the wine was to blame, but since Diluc was the owner of this winery, he could hardly say that.
"...Have you drank water yet? Or eaten something?", Diluc asked placing his hand on Venti's back to rub it softly and sighed as Venti managed to shake his head.
"I see."

That Diluc got up and picked up the phone, irritated Venti but he said nothing. He also didn't understand who or what the redhead was talking about, but noticed that he had ordered food when there was a knock on the door and various dishes were brought into the room.
Without saying anything, Diluc helped Venti to sit properly, supporting him with pillows, put the bucket aside and handed him a pill along with a large glass of water.
"Take it and drink the water. In twenty minutes you'll have something to eat, then you'll be better. No resist talking.", the redhead said stern but his demeanor was not dismissive, rather caring.
"...I...I can't..."
"You can and you will. Trust me."
It took a lot of effort for Venti to drink the water, but he did. Never did water seem so disgusting to him as it did at that moment. For almost thirty minutes he really had to try hard to not puke it up again, but when Diluc gave him something to eat, he was actually not so bad anymore. None of the food was healthy. It was high fat, high protein, and damn good. Though eating seemed grossly gross thirty minutes ago, it was great now.

"You are better now, aren't you?", Diluc asked now after he had been silent most of the time and Venti nodded apologetically.
"... I've never seen you drink yourself ... how do you know how to..treat me?"
"My....hm.....Kaeya is most likely an alcoholic."
"Kaeya?"
"..Nevermind. I'm glad if you feel better now. I canceled dinner, there is nothing more to talk about anyway. If you are well enough, we can have breakfast tomorrow morning before we leave."
Right, leave. The trip was over tomorrow. Venti had to end the whole thing tomorrow. And he had to talk to Diluc. Now.

"..uh..Diluc..about tonight... hehe...wait.. You don't go to dinner either? You can go, I'll be fine."
"As I said, there is nothing left to talk about anyway and I do not have the urge to spend time with these people when it is not necessary."
"..what are you going to do then?"
"Vacation. I am vacationing."
Venti giggled looking at Diluc. Why did he look so serious while he was talking about vacation and why exactly had he put on his sweatpants when he wanted to go on vacation now?
"... aren't you going out? To the beach?"
"Definitely not."
Venti couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Diluc was about to do absolutely nothing except lie on the bed and watch documentaries on TV.
"..You call that vacationing?"
"Do you have any complaints about it?"
"Haha ..absolutely not. I just didn't think that you .... You know what? I'm in. ...ehehe...oh..oh wait... that please! It's about animals!"
"...A documentary about animals? Really?"
"Yes please!"
"Fine."

Venti hadn't been able to talk to Diluc. After he had gone to brush his teeth, he crawled back into the bed next to Diluc, slipped under the covers and snuggled up to him as if it were the most normal thing in the world. If it would be over tomorrow, then he could still enjoy today. Diluc didn't say anything but put his arm around Venti and stroked his back in gentle circles, not necessarily enthusiastic about an animal documentary but amused by Venti's enthusiasm. The strangely happy boy softened him up a little. Or a lot.

"Diluc? Are you still awake?", the smaller one whispered several hours later, still snuggled up to the redhaired.
"Hmh...", awake was exaggerated but at least he was still reacting.
"..I .. I can't .. go on ..with..our agreement."
"Hmh."
"...Did you hear what I said?"
"I did."
"..And you don't say anything?"
"Venti I already know that you quit."
"..whaaa?!..uh..I..ehehe..I uhm..So I ... that ... but.. but that doesn't mean anything .."
"Venti, it's late and we have to get up early. If you don't want to walk home instead of flying, we should get some sleep."
"..but.."
"Be quiet and come back here."
"Huh?"
With closed eyes Diluc pulled Venti closer again, buried his hand in Venti's hair and placed a kiss on his head.
"..does that mean .. you .."
"I don't know what it means, but I know that I would like to sleep now and if it suits you then I would like to have you close."

-

"It's on me hehe..choose whatever you want~", Venti said to Aether a few weeks later when they met again at KFC.
"Ok, oook...you really have to tell me now where you got all this money from. You didn't rob a bank, did you?", the blonde replied, looking at Venti seriously but also a little worried.
"Hehehe...nooo I could never. Remember when I told you that someday I would just marry a rich guy?"
"Yeah ... but you are definitely not the first person to have fantasized about something like that."
"Hmmm... true....and I didn't marry one either, but I started dating one~"
"...I beg your pardon? ... wait ... ok .. ok wait ... Not only did you hide from me that you were dating someone, but also that they are rich?!"
"Yep!..hehe sorry!"
"...like ... really rich or I got a home loan and savings contract from mom rich?"
"Like leading the wine industry rich."
"...what!? ... wait ... you, the little brat who's my best friend,  is dating the guy whose name is printed on every damn wine bottle?..you already realize that from now on you will bring the alcohol whenever we want to get wasted?"
"Yep!"
"....And he's not an asshole?"
"A bit mean but not an asshole haha."
"Yeah.. you deserve that."
"Hey!...hehe... Now finally order something, I'm starving."
"... is that ok if you pay for both of us?"
"Hmm..gimme a sec."

Venti
[Unholy image attached]
Gonna pay for Aether too, ok? <3

"He said it's fine~...what do want?"
"Give him a thank you from me."
"Will do~"

Chapter Text

Surrendering his gnosis was not a rash act, it was a well-considered plan, a necessity to avoid the dangers of erosion. It was also necessary to put Liyue in danger, an examination of the people to assess their independence, their ability to manage, protect, and provide for themselves. All of this had been planned well in advance, and yet not everything went according to plan. Even before the 11th harbinger had even set foot in the country, even before the contract with the Tsaritsa had been signed, another decision turned out to be a mistake, a mistake with consequences. Perhaps gods were immortal, perhaps they were vulnerable, even if hardly a wound had long consequences, but not every injury could be removed by the mere use of energy. Some injuries, including those on divine flesh, took time and energy to heal. Zhongli hadn't been careless, not unprepared, but the unplanned challenge drew deep lines on his skin, gold shimmering through his veins to stop the seemingly endless flow of dark red. Shit, this time it would not be so easy to get back on his feet. Collapsing into the puddles of foreign blood, the archon had no choice but to temporarily replace the much more strenuous form with a smaller one to heal. Once or twice he had taken this form before, to heal or to entertain Guizhong. This form was not heroic, not tall and scary, not graceful, it was small, chubby and, as Guizhong had said, cute. A small, chubby dragon, long whiskers, golden fur on brown scales. It made a plop sound everytime the archon moved his tiny legs to waddle out of the puddles, what a shame that form had been to him. But even for this eventuality he was not unprepared. Of course he couldn't go back to the Funeral Parlor like that, not to his small apartment, not to the city, he had to carry this chubby body to where it could stay, where he had lived before he decided to live among mortals. The way to this cave, this nest seemed so unbelievably far now that he had to conserve his strength, uphill, downhill, no child's play for such short feet. Dragging the mud and blood along with his tail, dirt sticking to his claws, not much could have been more uncomfortable at that moment, but his hiding place was chosen wisely. Surrounded by fresh water to bathe and drink, a few Sunsettia trees for food, a hidden entrance, yes, he had known why he had chosen this place once. He would surely have to spend a few days like this, but a nuisance would be a necessity in this case.

-

Sinking the small, long but chubby body in the shallow water, reminiscing about the days of the past, the archon noticed the footsteps that were approaching him, but who would pay attention to such a creature if there was more than a dirty little dragon lurking around them. Of course he turned his head to look at the stranger, but being in this form did more to him than just changing his appearance. He couldn't speak in that form and even though he had never admitted it, he thought less. That was nothing that happened on the first day, but steadily increased the longer he stayed that way.

"Eh? Is that what dragons from Liyue look like? Haha...how disappointing.", Childe chuckled as he crouched on the rocks watching the chubby dragon taking a bath. In the first two days after he came to Liyue he had nowhere found the consultant who was supposed to help him. Bored, he had decided to go looking for the archon himself until the unreliable consultant would show up again.
"Hey little fella, all the dirt is pretty stuck on your scales, eh? What did you do? Played too hard in the mud? ", the ginger asked and laughed when the little dragon just stared at him as if he were horrified at this a
audacity.  Eyes of the shade of cor lapis watched Childe's every movement when he jumped into the water, approaching the dragon in a peaceful manner.
"Lemme help you a little, eh? And in return you tell me where I can get information about this old archon, deal?", he said and crouched down again, picking the clotted dirt and blood from Zhongli's fur.
Who did this Fatui think he was? And what did he think Zhongli was? A pet?
"My siblings would go nuts if they saw you. Are you still growing or are you finished like that? Don't get me wrong, you're pretty cute but far from protecting a country haha...", Zhongli would have laughed if his actual body would've been capable of laughing. What a strange person this ginger was. If it hadn't felt so relieving getting rid of the dirt, he would have left a long time ago anyway.

"Way better, see?", Childe said pleased after he'd finished picking all the dirt, apparently proud of getting the small dragon this clean again.
"And now about our deal, do you even know anything about the archon? Ya know, apparently I should have met a consultant to guide me, but the guy didn't show up. I mean, I can do this easy on my own but I don't know my way around here. What's up with the chopsticks? Haha.. ", Childe chuckled again and Zhongli felt a little more informed. This ginger was the harbinger who was assigned to carry out his plan. Well, what a strange coincidence. And what a strange guy. What did he think of carrying him out of the water and brushing his fur? If that didn't feel so damn good, he would have loved to bite him. At least that was pretty much the only way to defend himself in this form. And Childe also smelled somehow ... tasty.
Zhongli growled quietly when Childe patted his head, visibly displeased by the gesture. He did really think of him as a pet, didn't he? And what did he expect in response? The revelation that he was just stroking the fur of the archon he was looking for? Certainly not.

"Wait, do you even understand what I'm saying? How is it with dragons and humans?", Childe asked when he lifted the long boy up to look at him. Zhongli really considered turning him into stone right away, but at least the ginger had already fulfilled his part of the non-agreed agreement. And the archon would have had to lie to say that he wasn't feeling at least a little better now. Wiggling out of his grip, growling slightly, Zhongli dropped on the floor again, shook his body a little and started running without waiting for Childe to follow him. Well, running probably was an exaggeration in that case. Waddling. He started to waddle away without waiting for Childe. Even if Childe wasn't sure if that should even mean that he should follow him, he was already too attached to the idea of taking the little dragon home with him as a present for his siblings to not do so.

Walking next to this small creature, Childe watched their surroundings attentively, looking for anything and everything that could turn this walk into a little more fun, but the area seemed to be unusually peaceful. Boring. A beautiful but boring landscape with absolutely nothing to kill. He sighed looking at the tiny dragon, waiting for a sign that they were getting closer to their destination.
"Heh..I like going for a walk with you, but are we actually going anywhere? Ya know, I gotta get my hands on his gnosis....", he said and Zhongli stopped in his tracks, turning to look at him in a way that Childe wondered if that was a normal expression for a dragon.
Idiot. The ginger certainly was an idiot, Zhongli thought and continued walking unfazed. In a human form that would probably have been less strenuous, at least he could have told him a lot about the history and traditions of Liyue, but in this form? In this form he had to listen to his monologues and accept that he seemed to think of him as a kind of pet. Great. After a few minutes he stopped again. What was he doing there? Where did he want to go? Wasn't it time for a snack already?  No, he wanted to show the harbinger something, right?

It took another few minutes until they finally arrived at their destination. And just as many minutes until Childe finally understood that the dragon had actually led him back to Liyue.
"Are you kidding me? I've been walking around town for two days now and haven't even found this consultant anywhere, just this annoying girl in the funeral parlor and you're bringing me back here?", Childe grumbled, picking Zhongli up again to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Hanging in his grip like the long chubby boy he was, Zhongli finally had enough of this behavior. Violence might not be the best choice, but he could hardly teach him a lesson instead. Taking some momentum, he stretched forward and hit his head against Childes, making him let go of him again. Back on the floor again, Zhongli huffed and wagged his tail to shake off the dust from the impact. He should have thought about this form better before adopting it, that was for sure.
"Wanna challenge me chonky boy? Haha...you're a tough one, aren't you? I like that. ...so, ok, ok, what did you want to show me?"
Idiot. What an idiot.
After taking a few deep breathes to collect himself again, the small dragon continued on his path, leading Childe to a small area where some books were gathered. It was a place were the heir of the Feiyun Commerce Guild liked to be to read but Zhongli knew that there was also one of the books that could have answered any of the ginger's questions. Nudging it with his nose, he pushed it off the pile, looking at Childe to tell him to read it.
More surprising than the gesture itself was probably that Childe didn't even ask how a dragon would even know what books were about. Something he'd get more than a little upset about at a later date.

"Rex Icognito, eh? Allright. Gonna read it tonight.", Childe said, knowing full well that he wasn't going to read it tonight. Idiot. He didn't care that he seemed to be stealing the book when he put it in his bag, but he did care that Zhongli was just trying to run away from him. Waddle. Waddle away from him.
"Hey! Wait! We're not done yet!", he yelled catching up with the small creature, picking him up again as if he hasn't learned his lesson yet.
"You know your way around here, eh? Haha...amusing.", he said looking at these strangely glowing eyes again, imagining how excited his siblings would be, he would bring the animal home with him. Perhaps he should tell them about it in a letter, they would surely be able to think of a name for him quickly. Would he then have to buy a leash? Do you even have to go for a walk with a dragon? And what do you feed such a pet? And what if he got even bigger? Would he still fit in the house then? Was it even possible to keep dragons inside?
Childe was eager to find out. The same toys would eventually become boring as gifts for the three children anyways.
"You know what, I think I'll just take you with me. Didn't look like you were living with anyone there.", he stated, ignoring that the dragon was looking at him strangely again.
Had the harbinger lost his mind? Had he actually just decided to kidnap the oldest archon from all of Teyvat and keep him as a pet? Zhongli was horrified. He knew that he was forced to stay in this form for a few more days but let himself be kidnapped by the harbinger? That was certainly not on his bucket list.

-

All attempts of the archon to escape the ginger without killing him may have failed. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough but all of these insects in nature had been very distracting. And maybe he was now resting in this chubby form on the sofa of the ginger, curled up like a cat, covered by a blanket, starring at him angrily. A farce, it was all nothing more than a farce. But five days later in this farce, Zhongli had noticed one thing, life as a house dragon was far more comfortable than outside. He still didn't like the fact that he saw him as a pet, but he certainly couldn't complain about the excellent care.  Well, should living as a mortal not be successful, that would be an considerable alternative. Living as a mortal, what was that supposed to mean anyway? He was a dragon, wasn't he? Yes, a dragon.

"Mornin' chonky, I'm about to head off to the funeral parlor again, maybe this unreliable guy shows up today. He really owes me something haha... trusted by her majesty... ridiculous. When I'm back we'll go for a walk or you'll get too fat.", Childe had got used to the monologues and also to the company of the dragon. Apparently it really wasn't that bad to have pets.
Zhongli growled annoyed by the insolence Childe possessed to call him too fat. He could still understand him, hear what he was saying but thought less and less about it. Actually he didn't think anything about it anymore except that he was definitely not too fat for a dragon. The boy really had no education, let alone manners.

So what was a dragon supposed to do home alone? Right, take a nap, scour the kitchen, scare of some neighboring cats and forget that he actually was a humanoid being and not a pet. Well, this energy saving measure was definitely good for his body but not necessarily for his mind. It was really time to get back to normal soon but munching the treats Childe had left for him, Zhongli didn't even think about it anymore. What was he going to do anyway? Where had he been before he came here? And why? He couldn't remember. He was just there snuggling into his little nest again, the one he had built on Childes bed this afternoon.

"Chonky? ... haha there you are.", it had probably been hours since Childe left, but Zhongli didn't remember that. He only knew that he suddenly seemed to be happy when Childe stroked his head, at least you could guess that when you saw how much his tail was wagging. Traitor. The ginger chuckled softly. It felt nice that someone seemed to be happy to see him.
"Ready for the walk? ..haha nah sorry, I didn't forget about that.", he said and picked up Zhongli, out of his nest, and onto his lap.
"Promise not to run away, will you? That would make me very mad haha...", he said while he dropped the dragon onto the floor and walked to the door, waiting for the lazy chonker to follow him. Zhongli stretched yawning but not to follow him. He climbed up the bed again and snuggled back into the nest of blankets and Childes clothes, only glancing at the chuckling ginger.
"Already used to that luxury life eh?  Can't blame you, haha. ... ok, ok, but only today. Tomorrow we'll go for a walk again. ... hm...so how about I get us some snacks and you give me a little space in your nest? I have to know what's so great about it haha..", Childe said and Zhongli only yawned again. Apparently his owner was a bit lonely...wait..owner? Something was wrong about that. Zhongli stretched again and moved a tiny bit when Childe slumped into the bed a little later, placing a bowl infront of them. While Zhongli munched on the snacks, Childe decided to take a look at the book the chubby dragon had shown him a few days ago.

"A Liyue fantasy novel that tells the tales of Rex Lapis' incognito excursions in the mortal realm... ohhh... so that's why you showed me that? Haha you're really smart chonky~", Childe somehow lay down in the nest, laid Zhongli on his stomach and started reading the book. Everytime he chuckled about his own jokes at the expense of the little dragon, Zhongli looked a bit too humanly strict at him, but purred whenever the ginger scratched his head again. Being a pet dragon wasn't too bad. And what else should he have been anyways? Zhongli moved his body, now lying stretched out on Childe and simply fell asleep to the sound of Childe's heartbeat.
"I don't know what dragons are supposed to be like, but you're strange one, aren't you? Sometimes you look at me as if you were judging me and yet you seem to be happy to see me .. haha, you're pretty much the only one.", Childe said feeling a rare hint of sentimentality.
"Ya know, Snezhnaya is my home, but apart from my siblings, I don't feel at home there either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I am absolutely content with my life, I mean, there is nothing I enjoy more than what I do. Did you ever see blood on the white snow? Looks rad.", he continued smiling bright. Zhongli only opened one eye to look at him, questioning his sanity.
"... and the adrenaline you feel in battle. That makes me feel alive haha. Pretty much alive. Did you ever feel that? .. Well, probably not, but you're missing out on something, really. If you should get a little bigger we could become a brilliant team."
Zhongli was now convinced of it. Childe was insane and lonely. Looking at him again with both eyes, so intensely that Childe became confused, Zhongli tried to understand who the person really was he was so comfortable on. Insane, yes. Lonely, definitely. But after the stories he'd heard in the past few days, Childe was more than that. He was focused when it came to his work, passionate about training, committed to achieve his goals. Loving and caring for his siblings and also for him, the dragon he had kidnapped but now cared for in the best possible way. He was a strange mixture, but Zhongli could see that he wasn't a bad guy. Kind of a bad guy, but also much more than that.
"Are you...ok? You've been staring at me for a long time now... I'm not a snack, chonky. May be looking like one, but don't try to eat me haha..", Childe said a little confused but smiled at the dragon, continuing to scratch his head. Driven by impulse, Zhongli nudged Childes chin with his snout and snuggled up against him again, nuzzling his face into the nape of Childes neck. Listening to Childe talk about Snezhnaya, his siblings and his life, Zhongli fell asleep like that.
"...ah you ... haha .. I'm glad you're with me chonky... couldn't tell anyone else all that stuff yet..."

-

It was in the middle of the night, maybe two or three in the morning, when Childe woke up from having trouble breathing. The weight on his body had increased, it was warm and comfortable but too heavy to sleep like that. Too dark to see anything he chuckled when he raised his hand to place it on the dragon's head.
"Today we're really going for a walk. You got really heavy haha..", he mumbled but stopped everything he did when he felt the soft hair under his hand and the gentle breathing that didn't sound inhuman anymore.
"Whaaa...", he didn't scream on purpose but feeling the curve of a male body underneath his fingertips, he couldn't help but scream in surprise. Quickly freeing himself from the situation, Childe jumped up and already summoned his blades as he stared in the dark at the silhouette that was now sitting on the bed. Perhaps Zhongli's body had already completed the reverse transformation, partly, but his mind was still out of order. Reaching for a candle to illuminate the room, Childe could finally see more of the stranger. A man, a incredibly beautiful man with horns and a dragonlike tail was sitting on his bed. A naked incredibly beautiful man.
"What the...", Childe mumbled starring at the stranger, heart beating faster, at least as ready to fight as he was unintentionally blushing.
"...chonky?! What the actual fuck?!", he yelled slowly stepping closer, recognizing the amber eyes before he'd even really paid attention to the horns and the tail.
"You're human?!"
Was he supposed to reply? And if so, how? Looking at Childe expressionless, Zhongli wrapped his tail around his waist, hands folded on his now covered lap. He knew this man, his owner, but didn't understand why he seemed so confused. Was he sick? Or hurt? Or scared? If his owner was scared, he had to calm him down. Getting out of the bed, Zhongli approached Childe on unstable feet. It had only been six or seven days but enough to change all that he was temporarily because of the injury.
"Whaa..W-What are you doing?!", Childe mumbled blushing like crazy when Zhongli nuzzled his face into the nape of his neck again, careful not to hurt him with the horns, and started to purr a little.
"Are..are you trying to calm me?..fuck.. What's going on here?!", Childe stood there as if frozen to the ground, completely overwhelmed by the situation, but his unrest only seemed to motivate the naked dragon man to want to calm him down even more. The prettiest man alive had his naked body nestled against Childe, purring, tail wrapped around both of their bodies.
"...fuck..fuck...cho- ..you..Stop it..", Childe whispered, unable to grab a straight thought, lifting one of his hands to place it on the others lower back.
"..You .. you can stop .. I'm ok .. I'm very calm again... do you hear me? I'm fine, ok?", he mumbled tracing his fingertips over Zhongli's spine, trying to breathe properly again.
The dragon purred in return, stepping back a little to lick over Childe's cheek as a sign of affection before he went back to the bed and snuggled back into the nest as if Childe had only woken up because of a nightmare. It was definitely not a nightmare, but Childe wasn't sure what it was either. He could only guess that his little dragon had no idea that he wasn't a little dragon anymore. And that instead he was a forbidden attractive still naked man. If he stayed that way, Childe would have to put something on him tomorrow so as not to lose his mind if he hadn't already lost it.

Of course, Childe had expected that he would not sleep for a second that night, but he had not expected that he would be hard as hell shortly after waking up because the still naked man was cuddled up to him, tail and one of his legs thrown over Childes lower body, hand placed on his chest. He could feel Zhongli breathing, his heart beating, his ... against his leg ... ah fuck, he had to get up immediately. Childe almost ran into the bathroom, trying to think of anything else. That wasn't normal. First he had a pet and now he had kidnapped an adult naked man? One whose closeness turned him on? He was his pet after all. He couldn't want to have sex with his pet. His pet. Fuck no. He couldn't call him his pet anymore. He apparently wasn't his pet anymore.
Childe sighed stepping into the shower to take the coldest shower of all times. The cold helped him concentrate again, but only until he heard footsteps in the bathroom. He should have locked the door but he couldn't think of that anymore. That's what he got from it, just when he had calmed down again, the naked dragon was standing in front of him again, looking at him attentively but apparently still not aware of what he was.

"Chon-...ah what should I call you now? You're a lot but definitely not chonky..ah fuck, Childe, stop it, don't look at him....", he mumbled to himself, having forgotten again that Zhongli had tried to calm him down yesterday when he was so restless.
Now he got it again, he only heard the shower door open before the dragon snuggled up to him again, purring, pressing their bodies together with his tail around their hips. Warm slender fingers rested on Childes chest, feeling every beat of his heart getting faster with every second that passed.
"..fuck... fuck fuck fuck... ah...you, stop it already. You can't do that... please...", Childe really tried to get the naked dragon away from him but the faster his heart beat, the more he seemed to want to look after him. Fuck, what a bloody vicious circle.
He had hardly calmed down properly when the traitor between his legs asked him to touch that beautiful wet body infront of him.
"..I can't do that ... He definitely doesn't understand ... He can't agree at all .. It's not that easy ... I can't do that..", Childe kept repeating to himself, hoping that the dragon would just leave when he had calmed down a bit. And somehow hoping that he understood so little that he didn't know what it meant that he was so damn hard. He hoped so, but whoever it was who was watching over him seemed to have a lot of fun tormenting him. That the dragon man nibbled on his neck made absolutely nothing better at that moment. Pressing his hands against the tiles behind him, Childe tried to focus on breathing to calm down. He really tried everything but the fact that their bodies slid against each other everytime one of them moved the tiniest bit almost drove him crazy.
"...Please just go back to your nest .. plea..ahh..fuck...", he couldn't suppress the moan that left his lips when Zhongli teeth sunk into his neck, affectionate but wild, leaving a bleeding mark on it like he wanted to show the world that he was his.
"..What are you doing... ", Childe asked, a desperate attempt to somehow regain control of the situation but apparently he had lost it a long time ago. The naked man seemed to have no idea who or what he was, but unfortunately of what Childe's reaction to him meant. But what did he think of it now? Did he think he still had to reassure his owner? Or was the animal in him just reacting to an instinct? If so, had Childe now become his ..
"Ah fuck fuck fuck..You have to stop immediately, otherwise I can't promise ...I...", Childe's last spark of resistance went out when Zhongli pushed him against the wall, tail moved to be able to push him against it, bodies rubbing against each other as he pushed his tongue into Childe's mouth. A dragon's tongue. The ginger coughed as the tongue filled his entire mouth, but couldn't stop the adrenaline that began to flow through his veins and the twitching of his cock. It was thrilling, a new experience. Exciting. Settling to breathe through his nose, Childe returned the kiss and wrapped his hands around Zhongli's neck.
If the dragon wanted to fuck him, who would he be to say no now?

-

Fucked out of his mind, reduced to nothing more than a trembling, sweating mess, Childe didn't even notice when the dragon had picked him up to carry him into his nest. And also not how he fell asleep there, cuddled up to Zhongli, limbs tangled, a soft blanket drawn over them. Only when he woke up and stood on wobbly legs did he notice where he was and that he apparently slept until afternoon. Fuck. He had work to do and to find the consultat and not ...
"Oh fuck!.. fuck fuck fuck fuck..", he mumbled over and over again, nervously looking around to see where the other man was. Zhongli was nowhere to be seen and as relieved as he felt about it, he was also worried. Did something happen to him? Did he run away? Could he survive outside? What if someone kidnapped him? Yes, Childe had grown really attached to him even if the situation was definitely akward now. But he wasn't about to complain. Definitely not. Grinning stupidly Childe got up, got dressed and went out to look for Zhongli.

-

"Hello, is somebody here? Director? Did you happen to see a .. uh .. conspicuous man?", he had searched the whole city before landing back at the Funeral Parlor to ask Hu Tao if she had seen the dragon. After all, his subordinates hadn't seen a man who fit the description.
"A strange man? How strange? Dead or alive? ...hmmmmmmm...nope, don't think so~ But now that you're here, my excellent consultant is back..hehe... right there." she replied from somewhere behind the reception and pointed to a door in the back.
"Oh really? ...", Childe replied suddenly a little upset and stomped off to tell the Consultant what he was thinking about him.

"...Mr. ...Childe. I have to apologize .. and I assume that we need to have an extensive conversation.", a pleasing to listen to voice said and Childe choked on his spit. Violently.
Shit, that was going to be a very long day.

Chapter Text

I. I thought you got the key! (Kaeya/Venti)

"... and here is the key to your room, please take care of it. If you lose it, we will have to charge you a fee. This fee is approximately 10% of your accommodation costs. You can leave the key here at any time when you leave the hotel and pick it up again when you return. We wish you a nice stay, enjoy your vacation.", actually, neither of them had listened anymore even before they had received the key to their hotel room. Since entering the hotel, both had only one thing in view: the hotel bar right by the pool. Barely ten minutes passed between entering their room and taking a seat at the bar. It was easy when you didn't really care about anything. Swim shorts and an unbuttoned shirt were enough of a summer outfit for Kaeya and Venti was already in bathing clothes, covered by one of Kaeya's t-shirts, when they boarded the plane.

"Would you like a glass of wine or would you prefer a whole bottle?", the bartender innocently asked, causing both of them to chuckle.
"Hah..We're on vacation dear, how about you hand us one of each on the menu?", Kaeya replied as smug as ever while Venti only nodded enthusiastically.
"Sir, we have fifteen different wines  on offer ..."
"Ehuh, that's exactly what he was asking for, lady..hehe.."
"Soo..fifteen bottles?... I see ... your room number, please..."
"251."
"Alright... And two glasses?"
"That would be great."
Of course, she granted them their wish even if she wasn't entirely comfortable with the matter. Fifteen bottles of wine for two? That couldn't end well.

-

"...aaand tomorrow we have to visit the city ... oh oh and the beach ... we have to go to the beach too!", one bottle in, Venti was still optimistic that tomorrow they would spend the day like most tourists.
"Hmmm~ but we could go to the beach tonight too~", a little smirk that could kill poor womens hearts revealed that Kaeya was also optimistic. Perhaps not in terms of tourist activities, but in terms of dirty ones.
"..hehe...sounds good to me~", throwing his legs over Kaeyas, Venti opened the next bottle, grinning a little as he exchanged looks with the blue-haired. They really deserved a little luxury these days. And if luxury consisted of fifteen bottles of wine and naked bodies, it definitely was luxury.

-

Five bottles in Venti had moved to Kaeyas lap, dissatisfied with how uncomfortable the bar stool had been in comparison.
"..They should just buy some that are like you... comfy seat, nice pillow...ehehe..", he stated grinning, nuzzling his face in Kaeyas chest for a few seconds before he simple rested his head against it. He had stolen a straw so he could drink the wine contentedly and easily in this position. Style was overrated anyway.
"But if they would do that, you wouldn't have to be on top of me anymore ... hmm no I don't agree with that~", Kaeya replied, his arm wrapped around Venti's waist, pulling him closer. The smaller one simply giggled in return.

-

Perhaps they were alcoholics enough to tolerate five bottles of wine, but the seventh made it more noticeable that the alcohol worked it's magic.
"...ehehehe...hehe...you're the grannies darling but they certainly didn't find that funny....but I do...hehe..", Venti couldn't form any sentence without giggling anymore.
"Hm? Oh..come on, children have to believe in some fairy tales haha.", Kaeya replied plastering kisses on Venti's face, so many that the smaller one couldn't defend himself anymore.
"...But the..hehe  stoooop.... souls of fireflies trapped in lanterns?... That's mean hehehe...Sir! Stop it!...hehehe...I'll spill all the wine on you..."
"As long as you clean me up again, I'm not mad about it~"
"...you smooth bastard...ehehe..."
Kaeya chuckled a little, showing not even the slightest hint that he would stop doing it. Even if Venti had already turned squeaky red.
"How about we take the other bottles to the beach? It's getting dark already~"
Punching Kaeyas chest playfully, Venti didn't intend to hide his blush, he embraced everything that happened.
"...ehe..but it's your fault when I get sand stuck all over the place.."
"I can handle that~"

The sand was still warm, the sea rustled, the beach was deserted and the two of them were a little tipsy. Placing the bottles and a towel on the floor, Kaeya simply grabbed Venti by his waist, carried him into the water and threw him into the biggest wave he could find. He chuckled hearing the muffled squeak but pulled him out  again as soon as he saw the angry glare he had earned with his actions. Of course Venti wasn't really angry, but that didn't mean he wasn't looking for revenge. Waiting for the next big wave, he jumped up as soon as it hit him to launch a full body attack on Kaeya. He giggled when the wave had washed over them, the impact had caught the blue-haired off guard. Completely soaked And sitting on the ground, Kaeya wrapped his arms around Venti, pulling him onto his lap. The waves reached their waists, it was a pleasant rocking that they caused.
"Like this you wouldn't even have to move to much~", Kaeya said smirking again, the growing darkness did well to hide Ventis faint blush.
"We're not going to do it here! ... ehehe ... there are still people ..."
"Oh? Since when do you care?"
Placing soft kisses on Venti's salty skin, Kaeya did well trying to break the resistance that actually didn't exist. Tilting his head a little for better access, Venti digged his nails into the skin of Kaeyas shoulders and hummed pleased.
"..but what if it hurts because of the salt?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

-

The salt had been less of a problem than the sand, but as he had promised, the blue-haired had been willing to take care of Venti. And a sandy venti was a whiny Venti. A really whiny Venti.
"..Kaaaeeeyaaa it's everywhere! EVERYWHERE!....It rubs ... and it scratches and ... ahhh it's just everywhere...", Venti whined a little high-pitched, clinging to Kaeya like a koala who just didn't want to touch the ground anymore. Who wanted to prevent getting more sand somewhere.
"Hmm that's unfortunate haha.. but how about a nice long bath? Lemme get the wine and then I'll take care of the rest, hm?", Kaeya replied smiling a little, holding Venti with one arm while he picked up the wine bottles with the other.
"Ehuh..."

-

"Go in, I'll get the towel quickly."
"..but you have the key."
"No, I didn't take it with me. You had it in your pocket."
"No, I didn't...Kaeya...Where's the key?"
"You have to know..."
"I thought you got the key!"
"..."
"..."
"Shit."

-

In the end, it were probably not the fifteen bottles of wine that had caused problems

II. Of dogs and blowdryers (Kazuha/Gorou)

"Kazuha!", Gorou smiled happily as soon as he had spotted the other at the airport. Since the blonde had left Inazuma the two had not seen each other. Blushing a little, Gorou grabbed his tail to stop it from wagging like crazy. Of course, Kazuha was allowed to know how happy he was to see him, but that was just a bit too much.
"It's nice to see you again, old friend.", Kazuha greeted with a smile but that one stupid word had worked wonders to bring Gorou's tail to a standstill again. Friend. Did he still have to say that?
"How have you been? I heard that the storms have decreased, a pleasant change.", the blonde asked looking at Gorou,  wondering why he suddenly seemed less enthusiastic but he knew that they had different ways of showing affection. He was no less hapoy to see the other.
"Ah everything is fine. Hmh, the situation has improved since the change of government, it's more relaxed and I almost only do patrols now....But enough of that, I'm happy that we are together.", he replied picking up his suitcase, ready to leave the airport. He knew beaches and the sea, but he had never been on vacation. Especially not with Kazuha.
"I really appreciate tthis opportunity too, but Gorou, say, I never asked you before but did you ever learn to swim?  I want to avoid that something happens to you due to negligence. If not we could get a swim ring, I saw some for 38 Mora."
"Of course I can swim! Don't worry, let's just have fun, ok?"
Kazuha nodded, not necessarily convinced, wondering if Gorou would swim more like a human or a dog. It was strange that they had never been at the sea together.

-

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room? I just assumed that the savings would be an advantage.", Kazuha asked after they had arrived at the hotel and although the reason was stupid, Gorou had to hold his tail again. Of course, it didn't bother him that they would share a room. Compared to other guests, the two took their time to unpack their things, looked at the view from the balcony and only went to the beach after quite some time. Kazuha seemed to be at ease, marveling over the fresh salty breeze, the gentle rustling of the waves, the warm sun and Gorou simply listened to his words. He had always enjoyed listening to the other.

When they were properly warmed up, both went into the water, did a little swim, just drifted and played with the waves. While Kazuha seemed calm, they both had a blast. Gorou beamed everytime he heard Kazuha laugh. Well, for a dogboy it was just a lot easier to express his feelings outwardly. Splashing water at Kazuha with his tail, he smiled bright but growled playfully when he sent back a not so small wave with the help of his anemo vision. Caught by the wave, Gorou sank like a stone but it was on purpose. When Kazuha wanted to pull him out again, he just pulled him under the water, smiling brightly when the blonde had calmed down a bit. The color of the water, the fish, the corals, all were beautiful. It was a mesmerizing view, even if both weren't looking at their surroundings. Fortunately, Gorou's tail couldn't wag so much underwater.

Out of the sea again and back in the hotel they wanted to get dinner of course, but there was one problem. Although he had shaken himself, which actually made Kazuha smile very fondly, Gorou's tail was dripping wet. He was not allowed to enter the restaurant that wet. The attempt to dry it with a towel had already failed, accordingly, there was only one way to solve the whole thing: a blowdryer.
"Are you sure you want me to do it?", Kazuha asked already holding a brush and the blowdryer in his hands.
"Ehuh...but..can I cover my ears?..I..don't like the sound.."
"Of course. ... come sit down there."
Sitting on a stool, Gorou flattened his ears with his hands and closed his eyes. He really didn't like the sound, but Kazuha's care was pleasant. Really pleasant.
"..Gorou please keep still, otherwise I can't do this right.", Kazuha said and tried to grab the wagging tail, chuckling softly.
"...I'm trying ...", the other replied blushing a little. He simply couldn't stop, it felt way too nice to get groomed by the one he had a heavy crush on since ..well, an eternity.
The care, the soft chuckles, all of this made his heart beat a little faster.
"..uhm...I guess that's it ...", Kazuha sounded like he had to resist laughing when he put the hair dryer down.
Looking in the mirror Gorou knew exactly why he sounded like that. His tail had become the fluffiest thing he has ever seen. Incredibly soft and fluffy. The dogboy chuckled a little but turned bright red seeing and feeling Kazuha pet his tail. The blond absent-mindedly caressed the soft fur, smiling contentedly.
"Assuming I did the same thing with your hair and ears, would that get the same result?", he asked causing the other to choke on his spit a little.
"..I...uh...I guess?", Gorou mumbled squinting, trying to hide his intense nervousness.
"Would you allow me to do that?", all Gorou could do in response to this question was to nod, sitting down again, fiddling with shirt to distract himself. If caring for his tails had already felt good, that felt even better now. If he were a cat he would have purred loudly, but so he pressed his feet to the ground to keep them from twitching. While he was able to prevent this, his tail wagged so badly that he kept hitting Kazuha with it. The blonde laughed softly and grabbed the tail to wrap it around his own waist so that it was no longer in the way. That he had only worsened Gorous' condition he could not suspect but wouldn't have minded even if he had known it beforehand.
"...Kazuha...that's...uh..ok stop it ... ... please...", Gorou mumbled, immediately jumping up to gain some distance. He couldn't even face the blonde right now.
"Hm? I didn't hurt you, did I?", the blonde asked, looking a little concerned but smiled softly seeing the intense blush that was lingering on Gorou's cheeks.
"..no...no you didn't...but I...that's..that's just to much...it confuses me..."
"You look very soft and fluffy, like fresh cotton candy."
"W-What?!"
"Cotton candy? Spun sugar confection that resembles cotton?"
Stepping in front of Gorou again, Kazuha placed his hand on Gorous head, scratching his ears a little.
"..but cotton candy doesn't feel so soft.", he added smiling softly again and chuckled a little seeing how strongly Gorou reacted to it.
"Come on, we should go now, you don't want us to miss our dinner date, do you?"
"D-date?!"
Kazuha nodded a little, a soft smile on his lips, turning again to head to the door.
"Date? Like a real date? A date date?", the other followed Kazuha like an excited dog, tail wagging like crazy again.
"Like a real date? You said date, didn't you? And you mean it too? A real reaaaal date?"
"What did you think this whole holiday is about?"

Chapter Text

While Diluc spent his time serving drinks, washing glasses and polishing them, he thought about what had happened a few minutes earlier. Yes, it was probably the most unromantic confession he had ever received, but pretty much the only one that made his heart lose its rhythm. It was new for him to feel like that, but it wasn't uncomfortable. But even when he reciprocated Albedo's feelings and a little voice inside him was already excessively positive, he felt the need to be careful. To go slow. He hadn't had such intense feelings in a long time, at least no good ones, and feared their fragility. Nevertheless he was not averse, not against it, he wanted to try it, just slowly.

Well, in theory it all made sense, but in practice he became increasingly impatient. Waiting for the guests to leave and to be able to close the tavern felt like it took an unbelievably long time today. It was a shame that there were more guests than usual this day, but even if there were more guests, Diluc was able to end work halfway on time. It was already after midnight when he left, he wondered if it was even appropriate to visit Albedo so late, but he also knew that the alchemist was not subject to any normal circadian rhythm. That, and that he saw the blond sitting on the wall near the tavern. Even from a distance he looked absent. He had no notebook or sketch pad in hand, no pen or brush, he just seemed to be staring at the night sky. But did he really look at the stars at all?

The fact that Diluc and Kaeya had climbed up and down the walls of the city as children was certainly an advantage now. The redhead knew every stone ledge, every possibility to get up there faster and more skillfully as if he had taken the long way over the other walls. Well, the Darknight Hero had to be able to live up to his reputation somehow.

"Albedo?", he called his name in calm voice as not to scare him, slowly approaching him as he tried to recognize what exactly Albedo was actually looking at.
"... I'm sorry, I'm not done with the ... oh...Diluc... forgive me, I guess I have just been somewhere else for a moment.", at first the blonde sounded like he was talking to a client, but when he finally looked at the other, he smiled gently and moved his hand as an invitation to join him in sitting on the wall. It was a beautiful view after all. There was something dark in his eyes, something that Diluc had never seen before, something he couldn't explain and something Albedo wouldn't want to talk about. Yet.
"No need to apologize.", accepting that up there on the wall was probably their special place, Diluc sat down next to him and looked at him attentively. He already knew Albedo was sometimes somewhere else, but he had never seen him this absent before.
"Is something bothering you? You talked about something that isn’t finished yet?"
"Ah..no, it's just a series of tests with the traveler that I've been thinking about."
"Tests?"
In response to this question, Albedo looked carefully at Diluc now. He had heard something in his voice that he didn't recognize, but found strangely amusing. Thinking about it for a moment, he was able to assign the sound to an emotion based on various factors.
"Jealousy?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Assuming that I am correct with my assumption, do you feel jealous when I mention that I also do tests with Aether?"
"Would there be a reason to feel that way?"
Albedo chuckled shaking his head a little. The feeling itself was alien to him and although he had read that jealousy was not called a good trait, he found it strangely flattering. At least it seemed to confirm that Diluc actually felt something for him too. Although that was already confirmed some hours ago.
"...I noticed that I have never been to the winery, which is supposed to be your home. Would you mind to take me there?", he asked leaning a bit closer, entwining his fingers with Dilucs as he placed a kiss on his cheek.

-

Of course, he could have spent his time studying why the Crystalflies seemed to be attracted to the vines, but at that moment, at one o'clock in the morning, there were more interesting things. One more interesting thing. Following Diluc through the winery, Albedo admired the different pieces of art, but most of the time his eyes were glued to the others back. He watched the visible movements of his muscles under his shirt, the way the red hair fell over his shoulders, the dangling of the vision on his hip. Insignificant little things that were able to fascinate the blonde.  Maybe simply because they weren't insignificant to him. 

"A truly beautiful ... ... property.", he mentioned as they went upstairs, slowly inching closer to Diluc as soon as they had entered his bedroom. They hadn't talked about this being the place they wanted to go, yet it was exactly the place Albedo had thought of. But precisely because of it, because of them standing in Dilucs bedroom, he felt a little insecure now. Maybe insecure wasn't the right word, he just didn't know what to do. It was the first time that he stood in someone else's bedroom, someone he was seriously interested in. Putting a drunk Kaeya or a drowsy Klee to bed was something completely different after all.

Maybe Diluc could sense his insecurity, maybe not, but that he put his arm around him and kissed him gently felt relieving. It was a soft kiss, a tender one, nothing like the heated one behind closed doors, but when the alchemist wrapped his arms around Diluc's neck, he had the feeling that he could feel the heat crawl under his skin. It was as comforting as it was exciting, making his breath hitch as he leaned into the touch. It was he himself who wanted to kiss more intensely, to imply that he wanted to do more, but it was Diluc who stood by his own decisions. He wanted to kiss him, to be with him, but he also wanted to go slow.

"Slow. We're not running out of time, are we?", he said moving one of his hands to cup Albedo's cheek when he broke the kiss and chuckled softly hearing the small displeased mewl he earned in return.
"You have to invest a certain amount of time in research in order to be able to achieve valid results, right?", he added stepping back a little, an act that appeared easier than it was for him.
"Are you using my own views against me right now?", the blonde replied but the smile on his lips betrayed his stern pronunciation. Of course he accepted Diluc's decision to wait, even if he wasn't sure how much time they would actually have, but stretched a little to steal another kiss. Repeated tests were ultimately also a decisive factor for valid results after all.

-

Now dressed in one of Diluc's shirts, a sight that had gnawed at Diluc's decision, the blonde slipped under the blanket next to Diluc and slowly slid closer to snuggle up to him. He didn't tend to sleep much or lie in bed a lot, he didn't even have a real one, but he felt incredibly comfortable in Diluc's arms. Lying in bed with someone who wasn't a child, he sometimes read bestimmt stories to Klee, was new to him too, but it was already something he wanted to do more often.

"Are you used to these things?", he asked out of the blue, not in the least reproachful, just curious.
"Which things?"
"To be with someone like we are right now. To be close to someone. Kissing, cuddling, sexual intercourse, the physical components of a relationship.", while the blonde asked as if it had been taken for granted, Diluc stuck to the last word for a moment.

Was that it? Was it a relationship? Yes, they said they liked each other, but did that make it clear that they were in a relationship? Probably not, but if he was honest with himself he found it pleasant that Albedo did not complicate anything. There were a lot complicated things in his life already, maybe it was okay if something was just simple. If only for once.

"Yes and no at the same time. Sex does not require affection for anyone, nor does kissing as a part of it. I am experienced in that. To be with someone as we are right now is  completely different. As it is right now, I prefer it, even if I have hardly any experience with being close to someone out of affection.", he replied after a few minutes of thinking about it, pulling Albedo closer in the process.
"I heard people talk about not being into being in a relationship, would you prefer a different term?"
"No, I don't.", as long as it had taken him for the first answer, he had now answered as quickly.
"Closeness without affection may seem easier, but to me it is just as meaningless. I may have no idea of being in love, of how to do things like this right,  but I would prefer to follow an unknown path as one that leads to nowhere."
Albedo simply nodded in return, moving to rest his head on Dilucs chest. He liked the answer. Unknown paths were more exciting anyway, weren't they?

-

For the first time in years, the blonde actually slept for several hours. He kept waking up to see if Diluc was still there, but the tingling in his stomach that he felt every time he looked at him was worth not sleeping through. And it felt like it would always be worth it. In the morning he didn't really wake up until he felt movements next to him and heard the sound of drawers being opened.

"...are you going somewhere?", the actually drowsy and completely disheveled blonde asked as he slowly sat up and looked at the redhead with barely opened eyes. Turning to look at the adorable alchemist, Diluc smiled a little. The sight definitely was able to make him weak.
"I don't have appointments until around 10 o'clock.", the smile he earned for his reply was like the contented expression of a cat in the sun. Was there a possibility that Albedo was actually really clingy?
"In that case, would you come back to me?", the blonde asked lifting the blanket to make room for Diluc.
"You normally don't sleep at all but now you already don't want to get up anymore?", Diluc asked in return, chuckling softly as he claimed the offered space and pulled the other closer to let him rest his head on his chest again. Drawing invisble circles on his back with his fingers, Diluc wondered if Albedo would start to purr anytime soon.
"...our time is limited too, I just want to make the most out of it.", the blonde replied after some time. Diluc couldn't see his expression but hear that it seemed to bother him. It was just a small sound hidden between the usual sound of his voice, but still hearable. The redhead didn't reply, je just moved to place a kiss on the others head. He knew that everything had an end at some point but he also knew that the beginning of their relationship, the slow blossoming of their feelings, was not the time to lose oneself in thoughts of the end. 3ven he wanted to ignore all the feelings that otherwise preoccupied him every day.

Everyone may be aware of the meaning of the word slow, but the personal perception of whether something is slow or fast is individual. Maybe it wasn't just waiting for one night to pass, but who was able to judge which period of time should be considered slow anyways?
Handling a claymore certainly required being in good physical shape, so it was hardly a difficulty to move a small blonde alchemist for Diluc. Albedo squeaked in surprise when he was torn out of his state of almost purring. He didn't even know that he was able to make such a noise, but he didn't have time to think about it with Diluc suddenly towering over him.
"What are you doing?", he asked ignoring the slight blush on his own cheeks.
"Thinking too much certainly isn't making the most out of limited time.", the redhead replied leaning down to place soft kisses along the others neck,  careful to not touch him anywhere else. Tilting his head to the side for better access, Albedo chuckled a little.
"If I remember correctly, a certain someone insisted on taking it slow a few hours ago."
"I will, don't worry."

-

Albedo had never known how agonizing, pleasurably agonizing, slowness could be nor how impatient he could get. If he had even had the opportunity to think straight for a second, he would have wondered if Diluc had fun tormenting him in this way, but a way too soon moaning and quietly begging mess wasn't able to think.

-

"....yes, unfortunately, but Aether offered to send new samples. Apparently the captain of the crux fleet will take them to Liyue on their way back."
"Beidou is very reliable, you won't have to worry about the samples.  I could arrange for the samples to be taken with someone after the next delivery. In that case you won't have to travel to Liyue to pick them up."
"..that would be great, I didn't know that you know the captain personally."
"We have been supplying the fleet for a long time now. Occasionally I therefore get in touch with her personally."

After a few weeks it had become normal to see Albedo in the tavern when Diluc was working there. Most of the time he sat right at the bar, talked to Diluc when he was less busy, or worked on his own projects when the other didn't have the time to listen. That was just as much a part of their relationship as the fact that Diluc always brought food to the laboratory after the blonde had been there all day. There were many small things, processes, developments that began to deepen their relationship soon.

While Rosaria appreciated that Diluc was more generous due to the better mood, Kaeya was still not quite able to simply let them be.
Taking a seat next to the blonde, Kaeya looked at him curiously.

"'Bedo, it's not my business in the slightest, but did you tell him about your concerns already?", he asked just above a whisper when Diluc wasn't at the bar anymore.
"I haven't had the chance yet."
"He didn't tell you much about the past either, hm?"
"Is there a reason you are asking these questions?"
"Mind to join me for a short walk before we continue our conversation?", even though his expression was as smug as ever, the knight sounded very serious. It didn't take long until they had left the tavern after Albedo had notified Diluc that he would go for a walk.

"Kaeya, would you please tell me directly why you were asking these questions?", the blonde asked as soon as the door had closed behind them, knowing too well that Kaeya wasn't just wanting to chat. They had been friends for too long that he could not have understood that.
"Your distrust hurts me, Bedo ~", Kaeya replied placing his hand on his chest as if his heart was hurting but chuckled a little.
"Ya know, it's been quite some time since I last some him like this. I'm happy for you, that's not the point, but every idiot can see that he's falling for you a little more with every day that goes by. And once you reached a certain point, there's no going back, Bedo. A few years ago I almost lost him completely, what do you think will happen if you really end up like you feared?", in an instant Kaeyas expression had changed, he seemed to be serious and, in fact, genuinely concerned.
"I am no less serious, but what exactly are you trying to suggest?"
"That you should tell him while there is still a chance to go back."
"...go back? Assuming I understand what you want to say, you are asking me to reveal my concerns in order to create the possibility to break up?"
"Exactly. Knew you're a fast one~"
"I see. I will think about it."
"That's all I'm asking for."

-

When Albedo returned to the tavern, he seemed unchanged, but with every day that passed after that, he withdrew further and further from Diluc.  The blonde had thought a lot about Kaeya's words. At the beginning he had decided to just tell Diluc everything, but thinking about what this could mean felt horrible. He didn't want it to end, but he didn't want Diluc to get hurt either. What he felt during this time was something that he could not yet understand himself, but it led to the fact that he thought it would be better to keep his distance and imagined that their feelings would simply pass painlessly if they would not see each other anymore. Oh boy, how wrong he was about that.

-

"Albedo, is there a reason you suddenly seem to avoid me?", of course, it didn't take long for Diluc to visit Albedo in the laboratory after the blonde had completely avoided him for the first time.
"I don't, I am just busy with projects that I neglected. If that's all I would like to continue.", the blonde couldn't face the other but his nature made it possible for him to sound incredibly emotionless. The hurt child in Diluc was already wanting to block everything, but the adult was too stubborn to just leave without talking about the real reason for Albedo's changed behavior. Too stubborn and too smart.
"What did Kaeya tell you?"
"What exactly does Kaeya have to do with my projects?"
"Cut it already Albedo. You're avoiding me since you went to talk to him and I know that this has nothing to do with your projects. I just don't know why you feel the need to lie to me."
Albedo had never known this feeling before, but Diluc's words stung. And it felt like he was about to destroy something incredibly precious. He didn't want that, it wasn't his intention, but for once he lacked the experience to solve the problem differently. Albedo expected that Diluc would just leave, which would mean the end of their relationship as he had only heard stories of other relationships that had ended in an argument, or about how the redhead had reacted to other things, like the knights after his fathers death, but Diluc didn't leave. under other circumstances he would have left and under other circumstances that would have been the end. Diluc would have blocked everything again and probably even less admitted to approaching someone again, but in fact these circumstances did not exist right now. They never had, Albedo just didn't know yet. Instead of leaving, the taller one wrapped his arms around Albedo's waist from behind and hugged him tightly.
"I'm not someone who rushes something, you should have already noticed that, Albedo."
"What are you talking about?"
"You surely remember how we got in touch, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"And you may have also noticed that I have many sources for intel."
"Yes, I did notice."
"A cute but strange blond alchemist sitting on the walls of the city at night watching me is not exactly trustworthy..."
"Diluc...please."
The redhead turned Albedo around in a fast and smooth but still gentle movement and lifted his face with two of his fingers to make him face him again before he continued to talk.
"I already knew about the things you didn't want to tell me before it all started, I just wanted to give you the time to tell me when you are ready.", he said calm, but maybe indeed a little hurt because Albedo really didn't seem to have trusted him enough.
"...You knew all along? Then why did you get involved with me anyway?"
"Nothing is predetermined to follow a certain direction and some things cannot be controlled either. The fool told you what any idiot could see, didn't he?"
Albedo nodded smiling gently, but still seemed to have unanswered questions.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"I've seen the worst in every living being, even if what you fear cannot be prevented, I know that the worst in you was once the best that I was allowed to get to know. There's darkness in everyone, but the darkness itself is nothing we have to be afraid of.", without hesitation the alchemist returned the gentle kiss he got after these words. The tingling sensation in his stomach had never passed in the time they were together, but just now he felt it incredibly strong again.
"...Diluc?", he asked breathing against the others lips, not wanting to allow some distance between them again. The blonde indeed was secretly a little clingy.
"Hm?"
"... I think I can validly conclude the research without further tests."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I am still unable to decipher it but now it is perfectly okay not to understand every detail of this feeling."
"Once again. I beg your pardon?"
"I just got to the point of no return that Kaeya talked about."
"Albedo, please."
"I guess it was me who was afraid all along... I love you, my dark hero."

Chapter Text

Diluc was a skilled warrior, smart, dedicated. He planned his missions carefully, used his resources wisely, supported those that mattered to him. Mistakes were human, but he tried not to let them happen at all. That he made a mistake just that night, on this simple patrol, was more than inconvenient. And inconvenient was an understatement. He had not underestimated his opponent and his abilities, had obtained detailed information, knew about his special features, but he had probably missed a detail, he just didn't know which one. Maybe he would never know, but what he knew was that his current situation was a problem. With his hands and legs tied, his sword somewhere in another room, alone in some stuffy darkness, his situation was really a problem. A big one.

"He's not gonna talk, don't waste your fucking time trying to talk to this bastard!", the redhead could hear someone say, obviously someone with anger issues. He couldn't see someone, he could only hear them in the distance, but hey, at least he was concious again.
"I hate to admit it, but I agree. You'd better try other methods right away. If I may remind you, a persona non grata certainly doesn't deserve to be treated with respect.", Diluc recognized this voice, he had heard it before. He knew the woman's name, her appearance and what she had done in Mondstadt. La Signora. If he just would've stopped her back then...
"Haha..slow. He's my prisoner, isn't he? I'm sure he'll amuse me soon.", the redhead also knew this voice, the voice of Tartaglia, the 11th harbinger of the Fatui.
"HE'S NOT HERE TO AMUSE YOU!"
"And you are here even if nobody asked you to come along. My prisoner, my methods. Simple, isn't it?", Diluc couldn't see their faces, but he didn't need to see them to recognize how much they hated eachother. And how much he hated them.
"Ugh....Hope he'll manage to free himself. Can't wait to see that ugly face of yours beaten up until no one can ever recognize you again.", with that, the redhead could hear someone leave, obviously someone with short legs as many steps as the person made. He could hear the woman chuckle before she too seemed to be leaving. Like that, only the 11th harbinger seemed to be left. That was by no means good, but better than having to deal with all of them at once.

The light that filled the room when Childe opened the door was blinding. Diluc had now been in the dark for what felt like hours, pain shot right into his head as soon as the light hit his fiery eyes. It took him some time to be able to see again, but when he did, he could finally see the room he was in and that stupid grinning face right in front of him. He didn't avert the others gaze, no, he stared back just as intense as Childe looked at him, but in return he didn't grin.

"You're awake again, eh? Haha splendid! It's gonna be way more fun now.", Childe sounded amused as if it were all just a big game. He seemed to be confident but Diluc could see that he was acting cautios. He didn't rush towards him, he kept his distance, only looking at Diluc attentively from a little afar.
"Slept well?", he asked as causal as if they had met for coffee, as if Diluc wasn't chained to the wall in god knows what a lost place.
"You should listen to your friends.", the redhead replied unfazed. He wasn't scared, he wasn't impressed by Childes casual behavior or by the situation he was in.
"Want me to torture you instead? Nah, sorry, not gonna happen soon. It's no fun if you aren't able to defend yourself.", still sounding amused, Childe stepped a little closer and grabbed Dilucs face with his hands, careful to not let him be able to bite him. He was way too close in Dilucs opinion when he looked into his eyes as if he was trying to find something.
"Seems like it completely disappeared from your organism again. Great. You'd never know what Dottores stuff is doing. Any problems?"
"Seriously? Look around, is there anything about this situation that is not a problem?"
"Haha..well, guess you're right firefly. Sooo... how do we want to do that? Chat a little and you tell me what I want to know?"
"I'd rather be crushed by a meteor."
Childe chuckled as he stepped back again, moving a chair to sit right in front of Diluc, grinning a little.
"It's not impossible, but it wouldn't be of use for me."
"As far as I know, you already got what you wanted so what exactly do you want from me?"
"You know yourself that you disturb us quite a bit, don't you?"
"Wouldn't it be more convenient to kill me instead of wasting your time for chit-chat then? I'd prefer it."
"Ah you know, these fools know nothing about your worth, but I do. You would be more useful if you'd join us instead of being a dead body."
"Join you?", Diluc laughed when he heard that. It was a scornful laugh, but a laugh.
"You're a fool to believe I would ever join you. Death sounds quite pleasing compared to the thought of having to spend another minute with you."
"Oh haha I'm sorry. Already missing the darkness in this disgustingly stuffy room? Well then, let me be gracious and give you a little more time to think ~", chuckling, Childe got up from his chair and left the room without even looking at Diluc again. It would be a shame if he really had to kill him, but maybe a little time to think about it would do him good after all.

-

Diluc didn't know how much time has passed, he didn't know if it was passing at all. There was no window that could've given him a clue about the time, there was no chatter outside the room, there was nothing except bad air, the sounds of his chains and his own heartbeat. Of course he had tried to free himself, but it was impossible to get rid of the chains that were cutting deeper into his flesh with every move he made. The exhaustion was getting to him, but he didn't want to fall asleep, he didn't want to be even more vulnerable. Eventually he found a position were his skin didn't hurt so much, but that was the only comfort he found during these sheer endless hours in the dark.

-

"Mornin', how are you today? Did you use your time wisely?", of course it was Childe who was visiting after what had felt like an eternity but Diluc would have had to lie to say he was glad about it.
"I would be happy if I had already died.", he replied sounding almost bored, not even minding to pay the ginger much attention.
"Haha still as stubborn as before? You're pretty tough, eh? I like that. All those wimps that give in immediately if you let them starve for three days bore me. Here, got you some water. Guess you're throat is killing you by now."
"Spare me your false kindness and just get it over with. You should already have noticed that there is no life in which I would join you."
"You really want to die, don't you? Hah, sorry, but that's not how it works. I don't kill anyone weaker than me."
"In that case, you have probably not thought it through properly. I will not join you and there is nothing to talk about either. If you don't kill me, hunger and thirst will do."
"Are you sure about that?"
Childe chuckled a little when he grabbed the water bottle again and approached the other slowly. He was smart enough to know that Diluc would rather spit it out than drink it would he just force him to, but Childe was still eager to prevent him from dying like that. He would get him to play along. He was convinced of that.
Childe opened the bottle before he grabbed Dilucs face again, squeezing it to force him to open his mouth. He chuckled again hearing his muffled protest. He had to keep him from spitting it out, but he already had an idea how to ensure that. Making sure that Diluc couldn't defend himself, he took a big sip of water and simply kissed him, letting it flow into his mouth. It was just a measure to force him to drink, but it felt strangely good. Diluc smelled like campfire, like grapes and morning dew, even though he's been trapped in this room for so long. His mouth was hot, just as tempting as sudden light in infinite darkness. Childe didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't help but wonder how amazing this heat must feel on his skin. The sudden pain in his lip tore him from his thoughts violently, causing him to stumble back a little. He had been inattentive and Diluc had used that. He had bitten his lip so hard that it felt like he had ripped it off, blood was dripping onto his shirt and hands, staining the grey fabric red.
"You..", he growled in pain, starring at the redhead with lilac colored irises, clenching his hands into fists.
"Did it turn you on to kiss me? How lonely you have to be to let yourself be distracted by such a tiny bit of forced closeness.", the redhead sounded contemptuous but also strangely amused. Childes blood was dripping down the corners of his mouth, fiery eyes were fixed on every movement of his enemy while the little grin on his face was almost malicious. The sight reminded the ginger of a feral animal, and oh archons, what an endearing sight that was.

Even if this action would mean that Childe would probably not give him any more water, it had been so incredibly informative for the redhead. Childe was maybe smart, maybe strong and had the upper hand, but he was arguably incredibly touch-starved. If Diluc had to use that to free himself, then he would. He had done worse things in his life.

But the Childe who was standing in front of him right now was angry. It seemed like he felt betrayed by Dilucs actions, like he was on the verge of killing him but he didn't. Without saying a word, the ginger turned around and left the room, the door creaked threateningly as he slammed it behind himself.

-

The darkness was lonely. Too quiet and too loud at the same time. Diluc couldn't hear anything but the growling of his stomach, the taste of iron still lingered on his tongue. It was awful but he wouldn't surrender. Sometimes he fell asleep, sometimes he just stared into the dark. Sometimes he thought of home, of the Dawn Winery, of Mondstadt, but sometimes of nothing. If anyone had noticed that he was gone? He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it. At some point it would all come to an end, only which one was uncertain.

-

"Looks like your lip is healed.", he said when Childe entered his room again one day, a bottle of water and a paper bag in his hands.
"Do you think that would impress me? Haha, you're quite amusing.", the ginger replied and chuckled a little, placing the things on the floor in front of Diluc before he sat back on the chair and just looked at him.
"Don't you want to feed me?", the redheads voice sounded teasingly but Childe simply smiled in return. He was silent the whole time he watched Diluc trying to eat and drink, noticed that the blood on his mouth had dried, that he apparently had managed to roam around the room though he was tied up, noticed the way his hair was sticking to his skin and the bruises on his wrists and ankles. The redhead was a mess, but still didn't show a sign of surrender. It was quite impressive to see how much willpower he had.

"You could need a bath.", he said watching him like an animal in the zoo. He was eating like one but he couldn't help it all tied up and bloody.
"Oh really? Are you going to wash me and maybe brush my hair too?", Dilucs reply made Childe chuckle, he really was a bold one.
"Would you like that firefly?", maybe Diluc was a bold one, but Childe could play these games too. He was used to all kinds of talking, being a harbinger wasn't always just about murder and manslaughter after all.
"What would your friends think if they found you taking a bath with me?", inching as close to Childe as he could with his hands chained to the wall, Diluc smiled a little when he noticed that the ginger wasn't moving in his chair.
"What would your goddess think if she found you deep inside me? Do you think she would like it to hear me moan your name? Tartaglia?", maybe it paid off growing up with someone like Kaeya, after all, it seemed to be doing so when he moaned Childe's name right into his ear.
If something like a reverse Stockholm Syndrome was existing, Childe was already suffering from it. He knew that Diluc was just trying to fool him, but fuck, he couldn't deny that it turned him on. And being turned on didn't make him any wiser.
When he grabbed Diluc on his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, he didn't mind that he didn't taste like any other story would be trying to tell you. The kiss tasted awful, it tasted of neglect, of old blood and fresh food, of dry heat, but he couldn't have cared less. It may have tasted awful, but he still tried to discover every inch of that heat that tried to consume him the second his tongue was engaged in a passionate dance with Dilucs. Everything about it was awful, but he wanted that unbridled desire, this unadorned wild truth. Maybe nothing of it was real, but they could pretend it was if only for a moment.

Childe didn't think about it when he loosened the chains on Dilucs ankles and pulled him onto his lap, he knew the redhead was too weak, to stunted to fight back. His nails scratched the fair skin when he ripped the others torn shirt apart, too rough and wild to call it lovingly. Soaking them with his vision, Diluc would've really needed a shower, Childe buried his hands in the red hair that clung to Diluc's back like a stream of blood. The man on his lap returning his kiss as wild and untamed as a feral animal felt like he could be his death, but right now he wouldn't even be mad about it.

All about that moment was awful. Hearing the moans of a tied up man that would never love him was awful, but the way his name sounded out of this bloody mouth was mesmerizing. The rough hate radiating from Dilucs fiery eyes was awful, but seeing them turn hazy and his expression blissfull when he reached his high was a sight Childe could drown in. It may have been awful, but he already felt like he couldn't be without it anymore. He felt like this red heat had already consumed him completely.

-

All this roughness, this untamed desire had drawn the last existing energy out of Dilucs strained body. He didn't know when he passed out, but he knew he did when he woke up several ours later. His whole body ached, but the space underneath him felt strangely comfortable. He couldn't move his arms much, he felt that they were still tied together, but he couldn't hear the sound of rattling chains anymore. He couldn't move his arms, but he could move his legs. He guessed that they hadn't been tied up again. He couldn't see much, a piece of red cloth was restricting his sight, but he noticed that it wasn't dark around him anymore. Moving his hands a little, just as much as he could, he felt that there wasn't any dirt sticking on his skin anymore. He didn't smell awful anymore. Had that weird ginger really washed him? His hair was still wet, he could feel how damp the pillow under his head was, but there was a pillow under him and not the hard floor he was already used to.

"Finally woke up, eh? You know that I can't let you go, but I thought you could need some proper rest.", Childes voice was calmer than usual, it sounded almost a little tired.
Diluc couldn't see him yet, but he could feel some movements next to him and hands caress his cheeks before they took the red cloth from his eyes. When he opened them, he was looking into ocean blue eyes that looked strangely soft. Did he really fall for him? What a stupid boy.
"What is this supposed to be now?", Diluc asked as he looked at his surroundings. It was clearly a bedroom, but it looked like it wasn't being used very often. There were no personal things, no clothes, no decorations. It was a simple bedroom, white walls, ice-blue curtains over barred windows, a heavily secured steel door. It was obvious that this room was there to hold someone prisoner, but why would they need such a room? The Fatui were clearly a bunch of assholes.
"Just as I said, I thought you could need some proper rest.", Childe said as he got out of the bed again and went to place a few things onto the bedside table next to Diluc.
"No matter how long you hold me captive, no matter where or how, I will not join you. You are wasting your time."
"Hmh I already got that."
"All you do is even more pointless then. Do you have the absurd idea of keeping me as a pet? Or did you dream of having a slave on some lonely nights?"
"Hmh yeah maybe I did.. haha.... You should eat something when you're done talking.", it was like Childe was completely ignoring him although he was talking to him. When the ginger had put everything down, he left the room and locked the heavy door again.

Great, now he was trapped in whatever room that was, still chained and presumably starting his life as the harbinger's pet. Sure, the room was way better compared to that dark prison he had been in, his body was able to heal a little and maybe there was a higher chance to flee this hell, but still, his situation wasn't any better. Diluc sighed when he moved to the edge of the bed to grab a piece of fruit, he had to fuel his body if he wanted to have a chance.

-

Every hour that passed felt like an eternity, but at least he now knew if it was day or night. He had some food, water, a soft bed and was able to walk to the bathroom. The chain was long enough to allow him to almost move freely and it was also long enough to strangle Childe with it. If that'll be his only chance to get out of this, he would need to be in a good shape again. It felt weird to work out under the circumstances, but there wasn't much more he could do anyway.

Of course Diluc noticed when someone entered the room again but he couldn't be bothered to look at the ginger. He already knew the sound of his footsteps, he would recognize him always and everywhere by now.
"You're as stubborn as a bull, aren't you?"
"Do you need anything?"
"Eh? Shouldn't it be me asking?"
"In case you need something I would prefer to get over it quickly."
"Just checking on you, that's all"
"For what purpose? To make sure I didn't hang myself before you taught me to act like a proper dog?"
Childe laughed when he heard that. Even if nothing Diluc did was in a friendly manner, he liked how bold he was. And that he didn't let himself get down or suppressed. He was quite a challenge, but an endearing one.
"You'd make a better cat. Fluffy fur, acts like a stubborn bitch but purred so nicely for me.", he replied amused, taking a seat on the edge of the bed to watch the redheads movements. Diluc would've loved to beat the shit out of this stupid face, but he knew better than to do it now. He had to be patient, to keep the ginger entertained until he was strong enough again.
"A cat, hm? Is that what you're into, Tartaglia?", he asked while he got up again, smiling a little when he approached the ginger on his bed.
"They're quite peculiar, aren't they? Some are quite affectionate and cuddly, others almost vicious. Which one would you prefer?", the red-haired asked when he took a seat on Childes laps, leaning his back against the others chest as he turned his head to place volatile hot kisses on every inch of skin on Childes jaw he could reach. One arm wrapped around Diluc, the other hand tracing over his chest to be wrapped around his throat, Childe chuckled a little.
"Guess the ones where you never know what they want. Do they hate you when they bite your face at night? Do they love you when they sleep on your lap purring? You can never know that haha..", he replied, hand around Dilucs throat, fingers stretched to his jaw, forcing him to tilt his head back so that he could nibble on the soft skin on his neck, leaving dark marks on the pale flesh every now and then. Could he make a collar out of hickeys? He would try tonight and every other day until that wouldn't be the only sign that the redhead was his. Or that he wanted him to be.

In this position Childe couldn't see expressions on Dilucs face when he moaned his name so lewd like no one else could have done. He couldn't see the saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth mixed with the blood from the moment he bit his lip when he tried to suppress the sweet sounds. Addicting sounds. He couldn't see that wild fire in his eyes, but he could feel it all over his sweaty skin. It was like every touch would push him further into the blazing fires of hell, on and on to a point of no return that was pulling the strings of his heart violently. His mind was hazy, on a completely different star when he reached his high buried deep inside this destructive heat.

-

In this state of trance, snuggled into ice blue blankets, Diluc could only guess that it was Childe treating the blisters on their skin. The thin film of cold water on Childes hands felt soothing on his sore body, calming like the sound of the ocean on a starry night. He was too gone at this moment, his mind had gotten lost on the way, torn between the contempt and the indescribably good feeling that he would not have wanted to allow himself to feel. Diluc hummed pleased, an unconscious act, eyes closed, a pleased smile gracing his lips when Childe's fingers carded through his hair so softly. This stupid boy was really falling for him. What a strange story this would be one would want to tell.
"I gotta go, but I'll make sure you'll get a proper meal later..", Childe said when he got up again and smiled looking at that warm body snuggled into the blankets. The fair skin was bruised, old scars mingling with fresh scratches, the chains took their toll on Diluc's wrists, but he looked beautiful like this. The ginger sighed before he finally left the room and locked the heavy door again, he didn't want anyone else to be able to see the redhead like this. He didn't want anyone to be able to take him away. It felt so strange. Unfamiliar. It was sick, he knew it, he knew that what he felt wasn't normal, but maybe he had never been in the first place.

-

Of course Childe hadn't sent any of the other harbingers to bring Diluc some food, but choosing a lower ranked Fatui had probably also been the wrong decision.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!", he yelled when he entered the room at night greeted by the sight of his dead subordinate.
"Don't you know how much work that's gonna be for me!?"
"Sorry?", the red-eyed replied with a shrug, completely unfazed. Diluc was nobody who had fun killing, it gave him no elation, no satisfaction, there were just moments in this world when it seemed necessary.
"Why the hell did you do that?!", Childe was upset, rushing towards the redhead to grab him by the neck, jaw clenched, blue eyes slowly showing a tint of purple. He didn't care who the person had been, he just didn't understand the necessity.
"Take your hands off me.", Diluc growled back, his nails digging deep into the skin of Childes wrist. Staring into these fiery eyes, Childe wondered whether it wouldn't make more sense to actually bring it to an end, but he noticed something that, strangely enough, made him even angrier. Loosening the grip, he raised his hand from Diluc's neck to his cheek and traced his thumb over a cut that hadn't been there when he left.
"Where did you get that?", he asked, his voice still angry but his movements softer.
"Ask your subordinates.", the redhead replied annoyed, moving back to get rid of Childes touch. Not now, he didn't want him to be close now. He never did in the first place, but especially not now. Watching Dilucs movements, Childe noticed a few more things that annoyed him even more. That the chains were tighter, the distance he could reach shorter, a bigger cut on his upper arm. That was too much. Too much of what nobody was allowed to do. They had not only violated his instructions, but also hurt what was so strangely important to him. Without another word Childe threw the dead body over his shoulder and rushed out of the room. Diluc didn't know what he was about to do, but could have guessed that it would mean bad luck for a few poor souls. Well, luckily he didn't care what happened to the Fatui.
If one of them eradicated them on his own, things could hardly be any better for him.

-

As time went by, Diluc became more and more sick of this room. It was better than before, but still hell. There wasn't much he could do, he couldn't walk far, couldn't move freely, he couldn't leave it. It was a blue colored hell with ice crystal patterns on every piece of fabric. It didn't matter if it was day or night, light or dark, it was a prison. His prison. And he was so sick of all of this. He had always been. He avoided wondering if anyone had noticed that he was gone, if anyone was looking for him, he avoided it knowing that he didn't want to hear the answer. If someone was looking for him he didn't want that person to come and get caught and if nobody was looking for him ...
The redhead shook his head annoyed. Why were these thoughts trying to force themselves inside his head? He didn't have time for it. He had to make it out of this hell, no matter what he would have to do. He already gave up on his dignity, but having these thoughts could also have robbed him of his willpower. He couldn't allow that to happen.

He had only recently fallen asleep when a loud crash made him startle again. Attentive and tense, he sat up, squinting his eyes as glaring light hit his pupils. He groaned when the pain shot right into his brain, but tried to focus on the figure that was crouching infront of his bed. What the hell was he looking at? Was it human? Had one of the Dottore's obscure inventions come to kill him? Diluc moved back, as far as he could, staring at the inhuman figure in front of him. Whatever it was, it seemed to be wounded. It didn't seem like it was going to attack him, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't even know what he was looking at.
"...no one...will hurt..you...again...", so the monster could speak, slowly, with an effort, but it did speak. Diluc felt like he knew the voice, but his feelings didn't seem to make sense. Was he about to loose his mind? it would hardly have been surprising.
"I beg your pardon? What the hell is going on? And what the hell are you? Teamed up with the abyss order to create whatever this is?", he replied sounding not in the least scared, but confused and a little upset.
"....it was ...their mistake ...to hurt you ... I just... paid them ...back ..."
Staring at the talking monster, Diluc found it hard to believe that his impression hadn't deceived him.
"Tartaglia?...", he asked cautiously, moving a little closer again to look at him.
"...don't...be...scared..."
"Scared? ... Forgive me for my choice of words but what the fuck are you? And what the hell did you do? ... Archons, you should have taught your subordinates where their goddamn place is and not stomp off and.....", he replied sounding mad, annoyed, he wasn't exactly sure himself. He just lifted his arms to place his hands on the mask. He had no intention to take it off, he was just...curious.
"...you're...upset...", when Childes hand moved on the redheads back, he needed to try hard to stay like this. Diluc wasn't  fearing him, but he wasn't exactly thrilled by his touch  either. Even if it didn't feel as bad as he suspected.
"What else am I supposed to be in a place where I don't want to be with people I detest?", he replied, his finger traced over the mask down to Childes neck and the broad shoulders. It felt strange, unfamiliar, not like soft skin or tense muscles, rough but not uncomfortable.
"That's how you got all these stretch marks, didn't you?", he asked exploiring more of the strange being infront of him. Maybe it was just curiosity or the need to better understand the danger in front of him, but this curiosity and the strangely gentle touches were pulling hard on the strings of Childes heart. No one had ever behaved like this before when he had taken this form. They had feared him, but Diluc didn't. Yes, he suspected that he just wanted to understand better, understand better to know how he could kill him, but that didn't matter. Not at this moment. He felt like keeping this form for so long was way too much for his body, but he didn't want this foreign gentleness to come to an end.
Feeling the fingers on his mask again, Childe moved back a little, there was no way he could allow him to see him like this, but Diluc was a stubborn one.
"Does it hurt?", the redhaired asked and Childe nodded a little, he felt no need to lie.
Holding the mask in his tied hands, Diluc looked at him completely expressionless and Childe didn't know what to feel about it. What was he thinking when he looked at him like that? Was he scared? Disgusted? He had to feel that way, but the ginger was somehow glad that he didn't show it.
"It's exhausting, isn't it?", Diluc didn't get another reply, but he didn't need one seeing the ginger finally collapse infront of his bed, his body suffering from the overuse of the Foul Legacy.
At some point Childe would suspect that Diluc must have suspected it, that he must have suspected that he would eventually collapse, but he wouldn't be too angry about it. He might feel a little upset, but also amused. And he would know exactly why it was such a shame that he would never become a part of Fatui.

At that moment it would have been so easy to end all of it. To end him. He could have strangled him so easily, he didn't, but Diluc did take the key that was attached to Childes' hip to finally free himself. It felt great to finally be able to move freely but his wrists looked terrible, marked by constant injuries, hurting with every movement. Diluc would take this chance to escape, it was easy, almost too easy, but he had to finally escape this hell. He didn't turn around before he left the room to look for his claymore and the vision, but he already knew that Childe was laying on the bed, exactly where he had placed him a few seconds before. This stupid boy, hurting himself with his strange protective instinct. Falling for someone who would never love him.

-

Escaping had not been easy, but a few weeks later the redhead had almost forgotten what had happened. No, he hadn't forgotten a single second but he simply didn't talk about it. Nobody knew what had happened, where he had been, only that since he had come back he was even more aloof than before. Everyone had noticed that he now wasn't talking to Kaeya anymore, not even with Jean or Lisa, hardly anything with his staff and only to a limited extent with Aether. They hadn't known, but he knew that nobody had cared about it all that time. It wasn't exactly their fault, years ago he had disappeared before and traveled the world, they had suspected him to do the same again. But even if Diluc already knew this, it caused some new damage. Apart from his secrecy, he behaved normally, he was at the winery for business, worked in the tavern and protected Mondstadt at night, completely unchanged. Aether had been the only one to get a glimpse at the injuries on his wrists and the bruises on his neck, but the blonde had gotten no answer either. It seemed like they had to accept that he was like that, whether they liked it or not.

-

Diluc had hated the darkness in his prison, but since he was back he had liked it. He had his peace when it was dark. Usually he had his peace when it was dark, except for that one night some weeks after he had returned to Mondstadt. It had only started with the sound of slow footsteps, but ended with a thud on his door. The sound as if something had fallen against it. Diluc had already made a mistake once, this time he wouldn't make one, so it was hardly surprising that his claymore was already on fire when he opened the door. But as quickly as it was inflamed, it was also extinguished again when he saw who was leaning against the wall next to the door, covered in blood and mud, beaten up to a point were a bath and some rest wouldn't be enough of a treatment anymore.
"..mornin..firefly...", Childe said with a pained expression, it wasn't easy to speak with more blood in his mouth than saliva.
"You...", the redhead hissed, but contrary to Childe's expectations, he did not attack him. Yes, he grabbed him by the collar, but didn't hurt him.
"Who did this to you?", he asked obviously upset and dragged the ginger into the room, shutting the door as silent as possible. 
Childe chuckled a little, but for once he didn't have the energy to joke about it. He didn't even have enough energy left to stand on his feet. Slumping against Diluc, Childe tried hard to steady himself but failed even harder. He almost knocked them both to the ground, but Diluc reacted quickly enough to catch him.

The ginger didn't remember anything that happened after that, he hadn’t even known why he had come to him, he just knew that it wasn’t his room in which he woke up but Dilucs. And that Diluc was the one sitting next to him, carefully wrapping a bandage around the injury on his arm. The blood had stained his clothes, his hair was loose and a little disheveled, he looked tired but so pretty completely focused on the treatment.
"You're awake. Good. You owe me an explanation.", the redhead said, Childe could hear it, but it sounded so far away. Dull. He certainly had a fever as warm as he was, every inch of his body was aching violently.
"...you're.. pretty...", he mumbled drowsy, far from being in control of his senses.
"And you are reckless."
"...I...missed you..."
"Got bored without having a pet inside your cage to harass?"
"...you're...not...a pet..."
"Oh really? How surprising. Would you explain to me now what happened and why you are here of all places?"
"...guess ..I've crossed ...some..borders .."
"That's nothing new either."
"...I'm tired..."
"Don't think I'll take care of you. You're lucky if you're still alive in the morning."
"...you know....I ...hate all...of them..."
"I've already noticed."
"...I didn't...want them...to hurt..you.."
"None of them hurt me."
"..they wanted to...I couldn't let them.."
"You're a stupid boy."
"...hmmhh...I know... it's stupid...to fall for someone...who ...despises ... all I do...all I am... you did ...a great job deceiving me .. it's really stupid, isn't it? ...and still I ...really don't care .. I don't care that I let you...fool me..."
"Just shut up. I don't want to have to listen to you. Get some rest before I throw you out of here myself."
"...they weren't... looking for you, right? ...you're just..as doomed as I am.."
"Doomed? You're just a stupid, reckless boy, who doesn't know the difference between real affection and obsession. One with potential who has chosen the wrong path. And keeps choosing the wrong path."
"...haha...yours doesn't seem..to be the right one...either.."
"Yes, maybe."

Childe had passed out again while he looked at Dilucs fiery eyes, hoping that the merciless heat would engulf him again. The times he let himself be consumed by it had been the last he felt whole. And he was really craving that feeling again, no matter if it was all a lie.

It took several hours until he woke up again, but when he did, he felt a little better. The fever seemed to have subsided and the ointments on his skin served their purpose. He felt like he could just get up and conquer the world, but that was just his imagination. The moment he moved brought him back to the present, every movement hurt like hell.
"..ahh fuck..", he groaned pressing his head back into the pillow.
"You shouldn't move at all.", he heard Diluc say from somewhere inside the room. He had to turn his head to see what he was doing, but didn't know what to make of the sight. It must have been hours since he passed out, there was no way the blood on Diluc's clothes was still fresh, but obviously it was.
"..did someone hurt you?", he asked, his voice a little less shaky than before.
"Your affection is annoying. ..Here. I noticed it was gone, so I got it back.", the redhaired replied throwing a small object to Childe. It hurt when it hid his skin but he recognized it immediately.
"Wait...what? Why did you do that? Why should you even care?"
"Apparently you protected me, I just paid my debt."
Childe chuckled even if it hurt quite a lot. Debt. How ridiculous considering what he'd done to Diluc.
"Don't look at me like that, I can't stand your stupid expression."
"..haha..sorry? You're just pretty confusing...if you despise me, what you logically do, there is no reason for you to do that."
"There's also no reason why I haven't just strangled you for the second time."
"Haha guess that's true."
"Just try to heal a little faster, I don't need you to be here for too long."
"Tryin' my best."

Diluc had left after he had changed his clothes, he didn't care if Childe had watched him, and only came back to leave some food on the table. Everytime he visited, Childe tried to talk to him but didn't get much answers. He was always greeted by the same expressionless face but hey, maybe he could really be happy that he was still alive. Childe couldn't do much, he was too injured to move and Diluc didn't come to spend time with him, the chatters outside were the only thing he had to entertain himself.

"Master Diluc has changed since he came back but as far as I know he has never spoken to anyone about what he did."
"Yes, I noticed it too. I heard that the Honoary Knight said that he had noticed some injuries on his wrists."
"His wrists? how do you injure your wrists?"
"I don't know. But I feel like he's mad about something. Did you see him looking at Master Kaeya or the Acting Grand Master? Either he's mad or disappointed, I really can't tell."

"Oh? did you have the same thought as me? How amusing."
"Mornin' Kaeya. I just wanted to check on him, he's never been that strange before."
"Hm hm~ So he still doesn't speak to you either, huh? Well, I'm already used to it but for you it must be confusing,  isn't it?~"
"Albedo told me that he was with him a few days ago to pick up some ointments. I've seen injuries, do you think they were that bad?"
"He seems quite healthy to me."
"Yes I actually think so too. Do you think that they were for someone else?"
"Someone else? Who should that be? Everyone we know is quite healthy and ignored by him."
"..do you think he's mad at us?"
"You never know what he's thinking."
"I have the feeling we have not noticed something and that it is the reason why he behaves like that. Do you think he really just left without telling anyone? I also know that he was gone so long before, longer, but you knew that back then, didn't you?"
"That's the only thing that worries me but I guess I'll never know~"

"It was incredibly thoughtless of you. Is there a meaningful and convincing reason why you did that?"
"Is there a reason why you allow them to besiege the city, Acting Grand Master?"
"You know exactly why. You have changed, Diluc. Do you really despise us that much?"
"I don't and never did, you know that yourself, Jean. It has nothing to do with you as a human being."
"How could we? You stopped talking to Kaeya completely, you don't even talk to Aether. Why don't you tell anyone what happened when you were gone? We can't help if you don't talk to us."
"I didn't ask for help."
"...Diluc..."

-

"Hey firefly, your friends are worried, eh? Why don't you talk to them if they care sooo much?", Childe knew that he was stepping on thin ice, but what should happen? That Diluc spoke to him even less? That was hardly possible.
"I didn't ask for your opinion."
"And I didn't tell you haha. I'd say that you think no more of them than of us, but yeah, you didn't ask~", slowly and really carefully crawling out of the bed, Childe decided to test his limits or even more to cross them. It took some time until he had reached the edge of the bed, but when he did he was close enough to Diluc to pull him to him. He didn't have enough strength yet to really pull him onto the bed, but he was able to wrap his arms around him and nuzzle his face against the redheads belly.
It was surprising that Diluc didn't push him away, but he surely wasn't going to complain about it.
"Do you realize that everything between us was only a means to an end?", Diluc asked looking down to that head of orange hair against his belly.
"I do, but it doesn't mean that I can't still want you to purr for me again."
"You can't even move."
"But you can~ You could take out your anger on me, after all you're pretty hot all angry and feral."
"When did you actually lose your mind? Did someone drop you as a child?"
"Hmmm~ Guess when I fell into the abyss, but maybe it was like that before haha."
"...when you fell ...into the abyss ...? Are you kidding me?"
"Nope, wanna hear the story? I would tell you, doesn't matter what you think of me at all haha.."
"... ... ... yes, I would like to hear it."
"Well then, sit down and listen~"

Childe actually told Diluc his story, but not like a storyteller would tell a fairy tale. He told it between kisses he placed on his jaw and marks he left on his neck, continued everytime his tongue left the wet heat of Dilucs mouth before he lost himself in it again and ended when the sinnfull moans had stopped to fill the room. The gingers whole body hurt but it was worth it.

"...like this ..I'd like to be bedridden more often haha...", he stated short of breath, caressing the cheek of the man who was sprawled all over his chest.
"...hmm...I'd willingly help you make it permanent..", Diluc replied as amused as threatening but just stayed with, or rather on, Childe. He seemed to be all cozy with his face nuzzled into the nape of the gingers neck and his body resting on top of him. 
He didn't really care if Childe could breathe properly in this position and Childe didn't push him away either, instead he just placed a kiss on Diluc's shoulder and smiled contentedly.
It what a loving gesture that annoyed Diluc as much as it irritated him.
"Stop it.", he said and sat up again, his legs still straddling the others hips.
"Eh? What did I do now?", placing his hands on the redheads thighs, Childe really seemed to be confused about Dilucs sudden change in expression.
"Stop this amorous nonsense. I already told you before that it was only a means to an end. Before you ask, yes, even now that hardly had any meaning. There is no life in which I could ever trust someone like you. Do you think that capturing me would have made me feel anything for you? You're more stupid than I thought if that's the case."

Childe had knewn this all the way but he couldn't help it, he was drawn to the redhead on his lap who was looking at him so contemptuously again. God, why did it turn him on whenever he could see that flaming resistance in his beautiful eyes?
"Guess I'm good enough to fuck you~
That's enough for me for the time being haha.."

He had always liked a challenge. That hadn't changed and never would.

-

"Diluc seems ... uh..normal again, doesn't he?", Aether asked when he sat with Kaeya in the tavern and watched Diluc pour some drinks.
"Ah~  ..well, a good fuck can improve the mood quite significantly~", the knight replied and chuckled when he noticed the sudden blush on the blonde cheeks.
"I'm just wondering who it is.."
"How do you even know about it?!"

"Got an interesting topic to talk about, comrade?", the second Aether had heard Childes voice he jumped up an rushed towards him, utterly horrified.
"The hell are you doing here?! This is the last place where you of all people should be!", he stated just above a whisper, repeatedly looking to Diluc hoping that he wouldn't hear them. He even tried to push the ginger out of the tavern, but Childe didn't move an inch.
"Worried about me, eh?", he replied and smiled a little but just walked past Aether to approach the redhead.
Childe grinned stupidly in love when he rested his elbow on the counter and his head on his hand, greeted by an annoyed but way softer expression.
"Hey firefly, your guests are quite nosey, aren't they? I could change that if you want ~"
"I told you not to come here."
"Guess I missed you haha.."
"... ... ..ugh...just shut up."
"Hmmm, make me~"

Aether had thought to see Diluc chuckle when he talked to Childe was already an illusion, but to see how the actually aloof redhead kissed the harbinger, that had to be a mental illness. Or was it a stroke? He didn't know.
"..isn't that one of the harbingers?"
"Ehuh....and ..they're kissing,....right?"
"So you're seeing it too. How relieving~"
"...what..... what the hell happened?!"
"I'd be a wise man if I would know."

If someone had answered the question, they would have said that hardly anything had changed. They would tell that Diluc would still claim he despised Childe when they were together and that the ginger only answered with 'I know' while he pulled the red-haired closer to himself. They would tell that this would never change, that there would always be secrets between them and that it would never be a completely healthy relationship, but that it didn't have to be perfect to be good.
They would tell that both knew that they would never live together, that they would never marry and that they wouldn't die holding eachothers hands, but that neither of them minded. Human life is short and not everything is forever, but that didn't mean it was worthless. It was good the way it was, no matter how long it would be that way.

Chapter Text

Closed for personal reasons.
Director Hu and Consultant Zhongli will be back on Monday.'

Looking at the yellowish note taped to the door of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Childe wondered if there really could be a plausible reason to deny someone to die. Perhaps the question itself was strange, but that not only Zhongli but also Hu Tao had left the parlor was even stranger. Had Zhongli mentioned anything during their last dinner together? No, but well that wasn't really surprising. In spite of all the time they spent together, the dark-haired had probably always kept a few details secret. Sure, Childe had been mad about being a prawn in his machinations, but in the end he knew things like that only too well. And in the end he still had a major crush on the stoic man. He just hadn't told him yet. Maybe he would never. So... to tell the truth, he was worried about the ex-archon leaving work without telling him the reason why. That he would return on monday was a good sign, but why had he left? If Hu Tao left the parlor it was always about dealing with the dead, but why would she take Zhongli with her? Was something the matter with him? Was he sick because he gave up on his gnosis? Getting into the matter too much instead of simply asking someone, Childe decided to look for the dark-haired. He could just act as if it were a coincidence if there really was nothing to worry about.

The search got him a little worked up. He had searched the city, the surrounding area, the place he thought was Zhongli's favorite place to be, he had even been to the Wangshu Inn but hadn't even found Zhongli's aggressive son. If the yaksha hadn't even shown up to attack him, then that really wasn't a good sign, was it?

"Mornin' Girlie, sorry for the disturbance but could I talk to the Qixings secretary for a second?", Childe asked one of the other employees who looked at him as he was the devil himself.
"Miss Ganyu is not present today.", she replied in a stern voice, already walking him back to the door as he really wasn't a welcome guest.
"Calm down, I am not here to cause you any troubles haha... Do you know where she is?", of course he followed the woman to the door, but leaned against the door frame instead of just leaving the place immediately.
"Miss Ganyu is a very hardwoking woman, she certainly doesn't want to be disturbed on her day off. Especially since she requested this day yesterday without further notice."
"Spontaneously?.. how strange... Well then, thanks girlie."
Her answer had been more disturbing than reassuring, fueling Childe's worries quite a lot. Adeptus Xiao, Adeptus Ganyu, Director Hu, that they were all not where they usually were today couldn't be a good sign. It just had to have something to do with Zhongli and his condition.

Running up and down the mountains, Childe was heavily out of breath when he finally reached the area on top of Mt. Aozang, the last place where he hadn't been yet. From a distance he could see all those he was looking for today but not Zhongli. Wait, wasn't that the ex-archon in the middle of them, basking in the sun light, the tips of his hair and the scales on his tail shining like gold, the horns on his head emitting a golden glow with each of hits heartbeats. Wasn't it Zhongli who wore his hair down, the prettiest piece of fabric sewn into a hanfu covering his body, a fond smile on his lips as he looked like the god he had once been? Childe's heart skipped several beats while he was looking at him like that. He had never been allowed to see him like this before. And gosh, he was beautiful.

Childe could see Xiao sitting next to him, leaning against Zhongli's, or was Morax the better name now?, right side while Ganyu leaned against his left side. While the yaksha still seemed alert, Ganyu appeared to be asleep. Hu Tao, as someone he did not expect to see there with them, braided Zhongli's hair and decorated it with the strangest flowers. She laughed a lot while doing this. Childe didn't know why, but although he was relieved to see that the ex-archon was fine, he felt terribly dissatisfied. Jealous. In fact, he felt disgustingly jealous.

He heard a hiss just seconds before the yaksha appeared infront of him, grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to the others. Thanks to the moment of surprise and the use of his powers, he was there so quickly that the ginger would not have been able to react in time had he tried to.
"My lord, the harbinger was spying on us. I could kill him if you wish.", Xiao said as aggressive as docile, still holding Childe by his collar. While Ganyu only blushed when she woke up from the commotion and realized that she had fallen asleep leaning against Zhongli, Hu Tao wrapped her arms around the ex-Archon's neck from behind, leaned her whole weight on him and grinned mischievously.

"Xiao, please let go of him. I am convinced that Childe did not come to spy as there is nothing left that would require espionage.", Zhongli said calm but stern, causing Childe to chuckle while he watched how quickly Xiao suddenly let go of him.
"Exactly, there's no need to waste my time on espionage haha... but what are you all doing here? Is it something like a family picnic?", looking at the dark-haired a little confused, his poor heart was still out of rythm, Childe tried to understand what was going on between all of them. He had never seen Zhongli lile this, why were they allowed to do so? Before Zhongli had opened his mouth to answer, Hu Tao leaned closer to him and whispered something in his ear that Childe could not understand. The dark-haired tilted his head a little as if he was confused, but didn't say anything as Hu Tao was whispering into his ear a second time already. He chuckled when she had finished to say whatever she had been whispering to him.
"If that were the case, I would have invited you too.", he said strangely amused, causing the brown-haired girl to giggle and Childe to feel like he would combust any second now.
"..w-what?", the ginger mumbled more than obviously confused,  looking back and forth between him and the others as if trying to understand the statement. Why should he want to invite him to a family picnic at all?
"Hehehe... Just as I told you!", Hu Tao said with a big grin, resting her head on top of Zhongli's now. She really didn't care about his personal space today.
"Yes, you are probably right with your assumption as far as I can judge."
"Eh? What's going on here?!"
Zhongli chuckled softly when he patted the space next to him as an invitation for Childe to join them, he seemed to be having an extremely approachable and meek day. This god really had many sides to his personality.
"I would not call it a 'family picnic' if I may quote you, but as an overdue meeting. Even though I sometimes refer to Hu Tao as ..... well, she is an impressively wise young woman. Shortly after my Exuvia fell, she told me that she had the feeling that this was just an empty vessel, which, as you know, was indeed true. Hu Tao's ways may be unusual, but she recognized, even before my adepti, that Morax did not die. Her investigations revealed who I am and because of this, I decided to initiate this meeting.", Zhongli explained in his usual manner and smiled a little when Childe finally took a seat next to him.
"...ok, I guess I got it but right now it doesn't seem like a meeting, more like, well, a picnic.", Childe replied and watched Ganyu nestle against Zhongli's side again, more asleep than awake and Xiao sitting down across from Zhongli, overly annoyed. Yes, he really felt jealous.
"Is there something the matter if it were the case?"
"He's jealous, blockhead~", the brunette stated like there couldn't be another reason and giggled, moving away from Zhongli to lie down on the floor next to Ganyu to rest her head on her lap.
"..jealous? I see.", seeming like he would consider something as he looked at Ganyu snuggled up to him, Hu Tao resting on her lap and the balky yaksha infront of him, Zhongli lifted his tail to wrap it around the ginger, pulling him closer so that he could snuggle up to his side if he would want to.
"I'm not jea-...uwahh WHAT ARE YOU-", Childe actually wanted to deny the jealousy, but was completely startled by Zhongli's actions instead. He couldn't even finish his surprised scream when he was already squeezed against the ex-archons side.
"If she is correct with her statement, I guess this should improve your mood again."
Childe's heart went into failure and by the archons, he blushed more than heavily.
"I..I didn’t even say that I’m jealous.", he mumbled but didn't move, causing Zhongli to move instead.
"Oh, then forgive me.", he replied and lifted his tail again, but before he could take it away, Childe had grabbed the end of it hastily and wrapped it back around his waist.
"I also didn't say that I don't want that.", he mumbled fake annoyed, he just didn't want to admit that he really had liked it, and snuggled up against the other, grinning defiantly when he heard Xiaos growl. The yaksha on the other hand looked at his master judgmental, but decided, instead of saying something against it, to annoy the ginger at least as much as he annoyed him. It cost him an incredible amount of effort, almost unbearable effort, but he just lay down so that he could rest his head on Zhongli's lap (he blushed heavily while he did that) and looked at Childe just as defiantly as he had looked at him before. While the two growled at each other (out of hatred and jealousy) the half-dragon chuckled a little. Even if many had left the place at the round table next to him, that didn't mean that he was alone. That was exactly what he was just becoming aware of. What a sweet feeling even for a heart of stone.

"Xiansheng? I'd like to suggest that we'd repeat this? Maybe tonight? Alone?~", Childe whispered into Zhongli's ear, trying to make his voice sound as seductive as possible. In the end it was maybe his only chance to hit on the other and he definitely didn't want to let it slip away.
"Don't you dare! You're not worth an archons attention!", the yaksha hissed summoning his spear, but sticked to Zhongli's lap like bubblegum.
"And who will stop me? You? Don't make me laugh."
"I'll kill you!"
"Come on, try it!"

"...hmmm ... what's happening?...", a drowsy voice asked but was immediately shushed by the lively Director.
"The fatui dumbass tries to hit on my consultant, his son acts like a overprotective teen."
"...Xiao and Childe are fighting?..."
"Yep, yep, go back to sleep, little sheep."
"...oh...ok..."

"...I feel like this really could be a family picnic. I am just not sure about the role distribution according to a classic concept.", Zhongli said looking at all of them but his voice didn't show any sign of displeasure, maybe only a little confusion.
"Hehehehe...that's very simple, Xiao is your son, Ganyu your daughter and Childe your wife. You should get a dog too hehe...", Hu Tao replied amused, causing all of them (except Zhongli) to cough a little out of embarrasment.
"Oh? Well, then it really is a family picnic.", the dark-haired replied sounding strangely fond. Did he really think of this as a family picnic now?
"...you ... what?! ...You just accept that?", Childe asked and for the first time, he seemed to get approval from Xiao for the question.
"I think the idea is quite likeable."
"...you...you like the idea of me being your...wife... and them being your children? ...What about Hu Tao?"
"Yes, indeed. .. Well, as I have heard, there is a possibility of adoption nowadays. Assuming we linger a little longer in this idea, we could adopt her."
"..you want...us..to adopt your boss? ..that's..uh..."
Hu Tao started to laugh quite heartily and Zhongli chuckled a little too, only Xiao and Childe still looked completely confused. Had he lost his mind?
"Imaginations seem to confuse you."
"What? No! You confuse me! You can't just call me your wife like that. I'm not even a woman!"
"...that is correct. Husband would be appropriate then, wouldn't it?"
"... uh...I..uhm..."

That day Childe realized that Zhongli really was adapting the life of a mortal when he found out that Hu Tao had taught him how to kid others and also realized that the idea of getting married one day wasn't that bad. He didn't know that he would already bebsure about it in the evening, but at this point he hadn't been able to know that Zhongli would agree to his suggestion.

Chapter Text

Just as hours become days and days turn into years, Lumines' journey had become an eternity that seemed to know no end. To find Aether, to bring him back, this task was the only thing that Lumine had in mind in all those years. That he was back now, only a few rooms away, surrendered to exhaustion, asleep under the supervision of the yaksha, was still so unbelievable. All her efforts had paid off, all the years of searching and despair that had brought her so much pain but also love in many forms. Holding Ambers hand, Lumine too was about to surrender to exhaustion, overwhelmed but so incredibly happy. Now she would be able to sleep for days without having to worry. Aether was back, her friends who had helped her over the years were around her, on site or in all the wonderful places she had visited. For the first time in years the girl felt nothing but sheer happiness. Looking at Amber, Lumine fell asleep with a smile on her lips, looking forward to the days to come no matter what was waiting for them. 

-

"Aether! Aether please! Please listen to me!", Lumines voice echoed through the darkness hoping to reach the ears of the boy she had been looking for for so long. Everything around her was in ruins, broken columns between hellfires that did not generate any heat despite all the light. The platform under her feet trembled with each of her heartbeats, threatening to plunge her into the abyss that lurked under her feet. This place was hell, she thought thinking about Aether living in it for so long. Behind Lumine raged a storm of ice and fire, powers swirled by a dandelion breeze, a burning arrow started a raging thunder in the black sky. Lumine wasn't alone. Behind her, some of those who had supported her all the time fought to open the way for her to face her twin.
"Aether! It doesn't need to be like this! Aether! I got it! I understand why you did all of this but you are wrong! It's not as you thought! Please come home with me...", her voice didn't shake but it was filled with long-grown despair, her pain swung with every word. 

"Master... they advance further...we should end it...", Aether had heard every word of Lumine, from a distance he could see her friends' visions at work and watch the fall of his mages and heralds. The scratchy voice of the cryo mage had barely told him anything new right now.
"I can see that myself.", the blonde replied annoyed, slowly raising from his throne, pushing the mage that was blocking his path away in the process. Lumine was right, it didn't have to be like that, so why didn't she understand that it wasn't he who was wrong?
"Master... how should... we proceed?"
"I'll take care of it myself. Go back to the frontlines."
"...yes Master..."

"Lumine.", his voice sounded so distant even if the blonde was now standing right infront of his sister. It wasn't exactly cold, it wasn't dismissive but it didn't sound like always. It didn't sound like the voice of a brother that was happy to finally see his sister again.
"Aether! Please...please tell them to stop. There's no need for all of this. There's no need to fight. Call them back, send them away and let's just talk... I got it, Aether. I've found out everything you wanted me to know. I now know why you did that but ..please listen to me. There's so much more to it. So much that you missed.", Lumines voice on the other hand was warm, filled with courage, with conviction. 
"How can you say that I missed something when it was me who experienced it all? You've always been like that... confident, sublime, the better twin, aren't you?"
"Aether... I never said that! And I never thought that! All I ever wanted is to be with you!"
"Why don't you join me then? There is always a place for you by my side. If you really understand, if you have really understood why, then be by my side to bring it to an end. I have missed you all the time, Lumine."
"..by your side? There's a place for me by your side?", the blonde girl looked past her brother at the huge formation at the end of the dark. There was really a place for her, another throne covered by dust as if it had always been waiting for her. As if nobody had been allowed to touch it. 
"...I've missed you too. All these years.. Aether..."

"Lumine! I'm sorry but we don't have much time left! They're about to make the platform collapse, you have to hurry!", Jeans voice broke through the spell in which Lumine threatened to fall, fed by the desperation of having to see Aether in front of her like that. It wasn't what Jean said, but that she used her name and didn't refer to her as the Honoary Knight, that reached the blonde. The distress of her companions was audible everywhere in the darkness. The blonde nodded, grabbed her sword by the hilt and looked determinedly at her brother. Asking for forgiveness, but determined. 

"I'm sorry brother. I was hoping that it wouldn't have to be like that .."

- 

"He is still asleep. There is no reason to keep asking.", Xiao wasn't exactly pleased with his task to watch the foreign blonde that had caused one of the few people he liked so much suffering. That Amber asked almost every hour made the situation even more annoying. 
"Uuuugh...I just want to make sure that he's still fine when she wakes up, no need to be so rude.", she replied and rolled her eyes but smiled again just seconds later. She wasn't really mad at him, she was too happy for Lumine to be mad. And to exhausted to care.
"...I will inform you when he is no longer asleep."
"Thanks! See, it's that simple."

-

When Aether woke up he didn't know exactly where he was anymore. He had spent so many years in the Abyss that he knew every inch of this deadly area by heart, but the ceiling he was staring at was alien to him. What happened that he was now in such a peaceful place, a place so full of light? Sitting up slowly, the memories of the past days came back and without noticing it, the tears began to run down the blond's cheeks. He remembered the faces of the people he had seen when he returned with Lumine, the friends of his sister who had stood by her side for so many years. He remembered the expression of the brown-haired girl that had supported his sister on their way back. He remembered the battle down in the darkness, the sound of fire and ice, of lightning and thunder, the puryfiying light and the gentle breeze that had helped to keep him concious. He couldn't remember the face of the man that had carried him to where he was now, but hair as red as fire and a womans voice asking a former god for help to keep him alive. Barbatos...wasn't that the name she had called? Aether could remember that name too. Wiping the tears with his sleeve, Aether was happy that Lumine hadn't been alone in all these years. He was happy that they were finally reunited, but also so overwhelmed by the things that would wait for him now. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. Would she ever really be able to forgive him even if they probably wouldn't be on the same page? Would her friends even be willing to speak to him? To forgive him? Maybe even to accept him as they had done with Lumine? Aether really tried to pull himself together, but he couldn't stop the endless stream of tears that was soaking the blanket he was covered with. Soon it would be so wet that he would hardly be able to sleep in it if he couldn't manage to at least take one deep breath. But he couldn't breathe. Old memories threatened to drown out new ones, old anger mingled with newfound relief. He felt like he was about to suffocate.

"Put your feet on the ground and sit on your hands. Then breathe. Inhale. Hold your breathe. Exhale.", Aether heard a voice that wasn't exactly friendly but didn't seem to want to harm him either. He couldn't see someone inside the small room, he could only hear the voice. The blonde didn't know if he had lost his mind or whether someone was actually there, but he nodded anyway. Slowly he sat down on the edge of the bed, pressed his feet on the wooden floor and put his hands under his ass to sit on the back of his hands. It hurt, the injuries on his body hurt, he was dizzy and felt cold, but he tried to do what the voice had said. Slowly he breathed in and out and tried to hold his breath in between. It took some time but focusing on it instead of all the thoughts inside his head really helped him to calm down.
"...thanks...", he mumbled insecure, wondering who he was talking to now.

Xiao observed the twin, who had caused so much trouble that he would hardly ever be able to atone for his sins, from afar. He hadn't wanted to help Aether, but he had sworn to himself to look after him until he was Lumines problem again. He did it for her and not for him.

-

"He was awake."
"Was?! What did you do?!"
"What do you think I did?...tsk..."
"...hmpf...then why WAS he awake and isn't anymore?"
"Do you really believe that now everything will be like it is in your tiny happy bunny world?"
"Huaaah?! How dare you?!"
Xiao turned and groaned annoyed, Amber really wasn't his type of human. If he would never have to meet her again... yes, he would welcome that.
"Hey! Tell me what's wrong with him!"
"Everything I guess,... but for now he simply passed out again."
"...uwahhh you're so annoying! I was sick worried already!"
"Weak."

-

When Lumine woke up and heard that Aether had woken up before, she was incredibly relieved. She was relieved to hear that he was really only a few meters away from her, relieved to hear that he woke up and was at least halfway healthy and relieved that she had her friends around her. Aether might not have the easiest way ahead of him, but she was sure that in the end he would also be a friend of her friends. And she was looking forward to it.

Maybe the blonde staggered on shaky feet to her brother's room, but nothing had been able to stop her from seeing him now, hugging him and never letting go again. So much had happened, so much that had hurt her, so much that had disappointed and saddened her, but although she certainly still felt a little anger in her stomach, she didn't care at all now. When she climbed onto the bed, she had nothing else in mind than to hold on to Aether, hoping that he would never leave again. Wrapping her arms around the tear soaked body, Lumine hugged her brother so tightly that he barely had room to breathe. She felt how Aether stiffened at first before he melted into the embrace and hugged her back, even more tears running down his cheeks. He was surprised to wake up like this, pressed against his sisters trembling body, but it felt almost like home. Almost. Not a word was uttered while they just pressed against each other, hands clutching soaked shirts, quiet sobs filling the otherwise quiet room. Not a word was needed for a few minutes of peaceful reunion, but it couldn't stay like this. There was too much that needed to be said and done.

"...Lu..Lumine...I..I am so sorry...", Aethers voice trembled as he tried to say all the things that had been going through his head for hours. Weeks, months, years, buried deep inside his corrupted mind.
"I..I'm so sorry..", he mumbled over and over again, unable to actually explain why he had done all of this, unable to look her in the eye and unwilling to let go of her.
"...why didn't you come back earlier? ... why couldn't we just go back home after I woke up? ..Aether...I know... that you have seen so much in all these years ... but why couldn't we just go home? ...we could have ...just gone home ..", Lumines voice wasn't as shaky as Aether's, it was full of frustration and anger but not in the least malicious. 
"..I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry but..I couldn't...I couldn't leave... couldn't go home... it's been...500 years...Lumine... so much ...has happened... during this time ... of course I was looking for you ... I explored this whole world ... just like you ... I witnessed...the fall of Kaenri'ah...but I didn't just see it ... I was there...it happened before I ....even had time to get to know this world ....like you ... to meet people like you did .. I experienced all of this.... differently than you did... and I chose another path ... had to choose ... another path... There are stories ....that ...tell that it was like poison that made me forget who I was ... but...that's not true...not completely....not in the beginning. It happened slowly.....Lumine...I-I know you had to go through so much.... and I am incredibly sorry ......I'm so sorry...", it was not easy for Aether to talk about everything, he knew that there was no excuse but also that he didn't want to apologize for the things that had happened, just for the pain he had caused Lumine. For the things he did caused by an evil mind. And for the trouble he had caused her friends. 

"They say you were corrupted Aether... and now you're telling me that you did everything on purpose?", Lumine sat back again to look at her brother, it was visible that she didn't want to hear a truth that would hurt her even more.
"...partly... ... I really thought ...that what I was doing was... the only right thing to do... maybe at some point, yes at some point... I forgot everything else ... but not in the beginning... not when I ascended the throne... I didn't do that for the monsters you saw ... but for the people they once were.... but I forgot about that myself...", even if Aether could see the expression on her face, he didn't want to keep lying. Lumine deserved the truth, they all deserved the truth. 
"..the right thing to do...Aether...I don't know what to say about it. You were ready to sacrifice this world, all these living beings, all these people, these animals."
"I wasn't willing to sacrifice this world Lumine... that was never the plan ... I know it's unforgivable what you've had to go through ... you and your friends... and I'm so sorry that you had to suffer ... I never wanted that Lumine .. I never wanted you to suffer ... it was just for you to understand... You have done so much for this world that was never our home... I'm so proud of you..."
"...Aether...it's my home now. I don't want to leave again. I don't want to travel anymore. I want to stay here and I want you to stay here too. Now I want you to get to know this world like I did. I want you to see it with your own two eyes. I want you to meet the people I met. I want you to be a part of all of this. But this time on the right side."
"..the right side?... Lumine I....", Aether sighed looking at her, maybe they would never agree but he wanted to be with her. And being with her was more important to him than being understood. After all, he sometimes didn't even know himself anymore what of all that he had seen and done was the truth. 
"I'd like that too.", he said instead of the hundred other things he could've said and smiled a little when they hugged again. 
It was still a long way he had to go.

-

It was only a week that they could spend together, by no means enough time to undo all those years, but neither did they try. For a week everything that had happened was just forgotten, suppressed by the wish to just be together. Aether didn't really want to leave his room, he felt too tired, too confused to go outside, but once or twice they ate together downstairs in the restaurant or picked silk flowers infront of the inn. It was such a silly scene to look at when they both sat near the river, silk flowers in their hair, both dressed in robes that barely were acceptable as outerwear. It was sleepwear, but who should judge them in their little bonding moment? For a few minutes that day it really felt like they had never been apart.

-

"Why don't you want to join me? It's not a big mission and I could introduce you to the others. Don't worry, you won't have to do the work.", Lumine said a few days later while she was packing her bag to go back to Mondstadt. She still had a lot to do, her reputation had made her quite popular all around Teyvat.
"...I'm not ready.. I still can't focus properly and I don't want to mess it up...again.", the blonde replied honest, still sitting on his bed, dressed in strangely patterned pajamas that someone had left for him.
"You won't have to face them all together. Maybe we could meet Lisa or Kaeya first, I don't think you'll be troubled by them."
"Kae!-... ...huh.. uh....Lumine I want to meet them all but not yet, I need a little more time..."
"...ah.. you are so terribly stubborn!"
"No! You are!"
Starring at eachother intensely, both started to laugh really soon. In spite of everything, they were still siblings. 
"How about I introduce you to Amber first? Do you remember? the brunette with the red ribbon?"
"...Lumine...please.."
"...hmpf....ok, ok...fine. We'll have it your way but you have to promise me that you will stay here and that you will still be here when I return."
"Promised. I'm not going to leave you. Never again."

Lumine had found it hard to respect Aether's wishes, but she didn't want to force him to do anything either. With her bag over her shoulder, she left the room after saying goodbye, but did not leave the inn completely. Instead she went to the terrace on which she had met Xiao so often before and waited for him to follow her call.

"What do you need?", it didn't take long for the yaksha to arrive, but despite that he trusted her, he sounded as dismissive as ever. 
"I have a favor to ask of you. I already know that you will not like it, but please listen to me first, will you?", Lumine had always met Xiao's intense gaze and even now she returned the stare determinedly. 
"Speak your mind."
"As you already know, I have to return to Mondstadt for a while and I would like to ask you to take care of Aether during this time. I guess you certainly don't have a good opinion of him and I understand that, but he's my brother, he's as much a part of me as I'm a part of him. I wanted to take him with me, but he doesn't want that yet and I'm probably forced to accept his wishes... anyway, please take care of him. I don't want him to be all alone and Xiao, I know that I can trust you. Who if not you.", Lumine sounded very determined, brave but also slightly begging. She was aware that Xiao would refuse, but she would still stick with it until he agreed. 
"I am not a babysitter.", that he had let Lumine finish was entirely due to his politeness. Already at the first sentence of the blonde he was sure that he did not want to fulfill this favor. 
"I'm not asking you to watch him day and night just to keep him company once or twice and maybe make sure he's still there when I get back. Xiao, I've been looking for him for so many years, I don't want to lose him again right away. And who knows, maybe he'll answer the questions that have plagued you since he's here."
"There's nothing I want to ask."
"Xiao...please."
"Tsk... why don't you just ask someone else?"
"Because I trust that you'll be doing the right thing and I know that you will not harm him as long as there is no need..... and above all..because you are my friend."
"...friend..."
For a few seconds the yaksha was silent and just stared at Lumine dissatisfied, clearly thinking about an answer. He didn't want to agree but he also didn't want to refuse anymore. She had called him her friend. It wasn't as if the concept of friendship meant much to him, but the friendship to her did. Sighing, Xiao nodded but left before she could say anything else. It was bad enough that he had allowed himself to agree, he really didn't want to hear instructions on babysitting as well. 

-

Aether didn't know that Lumine had asked someone to take care of him, but he couldn't help but feel watched every now and then. He could never actually see someone, but the feeling grew stronger with everyday. And it felt uncomfortable. 

"...could you maybe not...could you stop lingering in the dark to watch me? It's not like I can't sense you there.", he said into nothingness, feeling a little strange as he didn't really see someone. Aether heard a little noise, something like a slight breeze on a rather calm day and could see a small greenish light outside the window, but didn't get an answer. He sighed looking through the window, whoever it was could've at least talked to him. If he was honest, he started to feel alone since Lumine had left and no one seemed to want to talk to him. He could understand that, maybe he wouldn't want to talk to himself either if he were them, but ... it felt lonely and he wasn't used to this feeling anymore.
"I don't know if you can hear me but I understand that you all actually despise me... but I still want to talk to all those who have stood by my sister's side. I am really grateful for that. And I want to apologize ... or at least explain why I did all of that. Even Lumine doesn't want to hear that, so I doubt anyone would want to hear it but .."
"Be quiet.", Aether didn't really know the voice, but had the feeling to have heard it before. Wasn't that the one who had told him to breathe when he was about to panic?
"So you are really here.. again...did she ask you to watch over me? I don't intend to run away.", the blonde still couldn't see someone, but at least he now knew that he hadn't lost his mind. A comforting feeling.
"I wouldn't care if you'd run away. I don't care about you. I'm just doing a... friend ...a favor."
"...Then thank you for being a friend of my sister."
"Stop talking."
"Could you stop watching me secretly? You could just sit here and watch me. That doesn't make it any better but less uncomfortable. For both of us I guess."
Xiao groaned annoyed. He didn't intend to spend time with Aether but if he had to watch him, it would actually be more efficient just to be in the room with him. He could at least react faster if he would be trying to do something stupid.
"Don't talk to me.", he said pretty harsh and finally appeared inside the small room to sit on the windowsill, his back rested against the glass while his amber eyes seemed to pierce through Aethers skull.

"You are an adeptus... right? I think I have ... I had heard of you many times.", Xiao didn't like that Aether seemed to recognize him at all. He growled quietly but didn't move or even think about answering him. Right now, in his opinion, he was still looking at the abyss prince and not a lost blonde boy.
"You caused me a lot of trouble ..... ... oh.. oh..sorry, I ... I really didn't mean to say that. ..Leaving 500 years behind takes some time I guess. ..I...sorry.", Aether sighed again as he turned away, being convinced that it would be best not to speak to the yaksha at all. Xiao hated him anyway, so why should he try at all? No, he had to try. He had decided to apologize to everyone, including the adeptus.
"See, you really don't have to talk to me but maybe you could listen instead, huh? ... as long as you don't stop me I'll just talk... so... I know that there is nothing I can say to make it all up to you somehow... Sure, I could make up glorious stories or tell how much I regret everything, but would that even be close to the truth? I don't know that myself. Since I'm here I don't even know who I am anymore. There is so much in my head ... I don't know if it's true, if it happened, if it's my memories. ...but I know I'm incredibly happy that Lumine wasn't alone in all these years. I am so grateful for all the people who have supported her. And I know now that I'm honestly sorry. I never wanted to hurt her. And I didn't want to hurt all the people who were family to her, while I wasn't. ... don't look at me like that... I know that my words are worthless. That everything I could say is worthless... But somehow I have to try to move forward. Lumine wants to live in this world. And she wants me to stay. ...and I want to stay with her."
"Are you done self-pitying?"
"Huh?... did that seem like self-pity? ..sorry if that's the case but to be honest I really don't feel sorry for myself. To some extent I knew what I was doing, so why should I feel sorry for myself? I feel remorse. Sometimes contempt. As I said, 500 years don't go away overnight, but I want to do something that they will never return."
"That was the first honest thing you said."

Aether just shrugged his shoulders looking at the other man that was still leaning against the window. He had heard of him really often, but despite the descriptions he had imagined him very differently. Less... pretty. Aether shrugged again, it wasn't the time to think about someones appearance. He had to work on his future in Teyvat.

"...uhm...maybe... when you've decided whether I'm still a threat or not ... if you ever will...could we maybe visit the people...could I meet Lumines friends in Liyue?", while Aether had spoken very clearly and firmly before, he now sounded incredibly insecure again but Xiao really had no interest in agreeing. What a bold wish that was. The yaksha didn't answer, he just looked away and decided that the conversation was over. Best forever. 

-

"Veer Goldet brought some Almond Tofu for you. I'll leave it on the table."

"Lumine sent a letter. There's one for you too."

"...you should rest every now and then... I promise I won't go anywhere."

"Have you been outside? It looks like it's warm. It's always warm here, isn't it?"

"Veer Goldet gave me some books. You can take one too if you want."

"Today I saw a squirrel! Seems like it's building a nest somewhere close, I really hope I'll be able to see it's babies...."

"Veer Goldet told me-"
"Stop it!", Aether didn't know how many days had passed since Lumine had left, he only knew that it was the first moment that Xiao had said something to him again since then.
"Hm? What did I do?", he asked looking at the stern looking yaksha, honestly confused about his harsh words. 
"Why are you talking to me all the time?"
"...oh...well, what else should I do? I'm only in here day and night and you're the only one I know... well the only one who is here. Veer Goldet talks to me sometimes but.. I would like to talk to you. I told you what I want to do, what I need to do...and I feel less alone when I talk to you. ....even if you don't answer."
Xiao sighed. Aether had never heard him sigh before but even if he still didn't know much about him, he immediately felt a little worried.
"Stop telling me everything that's on your mind."
"I'm sorry."
"Assuming I accompany you to Liyue, how do you guarantee me that you are not planning an ambush against me? Or your sister?"
"I can't."
Aether didn't now why but this answer seemed to please the yaksha. 
"Hm. I will not help you and I won't protect you either."
"....that's understandable to me."
"We won't make any detours, we won't go shopping and we won't have some rest somewhere either."
Aether nodded quietly. Whatever Xiao demanded, he would agree. He was his only chance anyways.
"..and don't talk to me if it's not necessary."

-

Aether didn't expect that Xiao would ever agree, but much less that they would leave the next day. The evening before, he hastily sat down to alter his clothes, it should look less like the abyss if he wanted to convince someone that he had changed. Or tried to change. After pulling an all nighter to make the best out of what he had, he finally felt ready to meet someone else. At least until the two actually arrived in Liyue Harbor. 

".. who will I meet now?", he asked sounding a little insecure again, walking closer to Xiao than the yaksha would have liked it. He could smell Aether. And he didn't like it. He didn't like it because he actually liked his scent. What a nuisance.
"Everyone.", they amber eyes didn't show anything that Aether could have interpreted as if he was joking. 
"..everyone...?"
"You wanted to apologize."
"Yes, yes I still want that...but to all at once?"
"I didn't say that."
"...oh...oh ok.. and who will I meet first?"

Xiao didn't answer him again and just walked next to him to the first address where they would stop. It was bad enough that he had to be in town, he didn't want to play his guide as well. Aether had to go through it alone. 

At their first stop in the port, Aether met Beidou, but contrary to his expectations, the woman laughed when she found out who he was. He didn't know why she did that, he didn't know if she understood who he was, but that she just said "Yeah, no worries mate." when he apologized ... well, that wasn't exactly comforting either. Wasn't she mad? Didn't she hate him like everyone else? Was she planning her revenge? Kill him in his sleep? Or did she really mean it? Aether decided to talk to her again, on another day and maybe in company again, but for him it wasn't over it. 

The second meeting was more difficult. The half-adeptus talked about the laws he had broken for almost an hour before he even got the chance to apologize, but although it was incredibly exhausting, he endured it patiently. He listened to her carefully, nodded, apologized, everything that was needed to keep her in a somehow calm mood.
"Well, in any case, grandma always said that someone who sincerely regrets his actions should not be denied a second chance. Legally this is extremely questionable, but... Second chance approved. Don't screw it up again."

The next three had been amazingly easy, the cook by the name of Xiangling agreed to forgive him if he would come by regularly to try her creations (he didn't know why the other two seemed to be amused about this), the dark blue haired agreed if he was ready to tell him all the details from the abyss for his new book and the light blue haired wished the same. Not to write a book but to improve his exorcism techniques. (Aether really wondered if he believed what he was saying, but he didn't want to question it. He had been lucky enough that until now everyone had been friendly.) This didn't feel like it was over too, he wanted to meet them again, maybe have a proper conversation, but for now he allowed himself to feel at least a little relieved.

When they entered the Funeral Parlor, Aether immediately tensed up. He hadn't seen anyone yet but the sniffing noises next to his ear made him feel really uncomfortable. He had lived in the abyss, so why did he feel that way now? 
"You smell of death..... ehehehe... Tell me how was it? In the abyss? All dark and scary? Deadly? ... well the dead fear the place very much, but you don't look that scary~.. Ah while we're at it, have you ever thought about a cooperation? I suppose you don't have funerals down there, but I could make you an offer ...ehehe don't look at me like that. You want to apologize, don't you? Alright, I'm listening, but please try your best to convince me~"
"..I-"
"We're done here.", Xiao shushed the blonde before he had finished even one sentence and already dragged him out of the Funeral Parlor again.
"..huh? But... I didn't say anything yet..."
"She has already forgiven you."
"..how do you know?"
"You don't have to care about that, just now that she has already forgiven you. At least enough to not plan any revenge."

He had also been lucky with Xinyan, but his streak of luck now seemed to be over. The woman named Keqing refused to meet him and Ganyu asked for more time to think about it. Aether didn't think that he would even be able to meet the Tianquan, but Ningguang had actually agreed. That she had agreed didn't mean that she accepted his apology easily. No, instead he handed him a ton of papers he had to sign if he wanted to be allowed to visit the city at all. He was not allowed to come unaccompanied, he had to report it to the secretary when he was there and be ready for checks by the Milleliths at any time. He had to fill out a form explaining why he was there at all and pay taxes if he would stay there longer than a day. With every new thing she brought up, Aether simply nodded and signed every document she handed him. If he had to do that in order to eventually be accepted, then he would do it. He would do everything they asked of him.

"Who are we going to meet now?", he asked focused on the slowly darkening sky. How long had they been on the road now? It must have been hours. 
"You will see."
Even now Aether simply nodded. He was exhausted, tired, completely drained, but he knew he had to do that. And that he still wanted to do it. He could've needed some rest, some food, but he remembered what he had agreed to, so he didn't even dare to ask. He knew the answer anyways.

"They should be here in a minute."
"Oh? Did you see them already? I am quite excited haha."
"No, I have not seen them, but I can feel them approaching."
"Is that why you have been so tense all day?"
Zhongli nodded, causing Childe to chuckle softly. The ginger lifted his hand a little to entwine his fingers with the others, a reassuring smile on his lips.
"You retired, remember? And in case he'll be trying some shit, you've got me and..yeah ....your yaksha... on your side, hm? Don't worry too much, eh?"

"
Stopping right infront of the two, Zhongli wasn't the only one who was tense anymore. Except for Childe, they were all tense now. It didn't take Aether long to recognize which group Childe belonged to and even less long to recognize those sharp golden eyes. He had seen them before. Many centuries ago. Without having received any information from Xiao, he knew why the two had been the last ones to visit on their list. That conversation would be the hardest and most uncomfortable, even though the ex-archon was no stranger to him.

"So this is what Lumine looks like as a boy haha.. anyway, how about if we go get dinner instead of standing around? Here isn't not the best place to talk either, is it?", Childe suggested before anyone else could've said something, grinning at Aether and Xiao before he looked back at Zhongli for reassurance again. If Aether had just dared to say something, he would have said how happy he was about this suggestion. He was really hungry. And really exhausted. Dinner sounded absolutely fantastic, but at the moment he didn't even dare to nod and just hoped that the other two would agree.

"I have no objections.", the dark-haired finally said after a minute in which he looked like he had to overcome himself and with that Xiao nodded too. 

-

"Aether, eh? Got used to being around people again?", it was Childe starting the conversation after they sat down at the restaurant and Aether felt grateful for it. The ex-archon hadn't said anything yet, he was only watching him with a stone cold expression and what he did, Xiao did too. It was very uncomfortable, but the blond endured it quietly. He knew he had too. 
"Hmh..it's Aether. ...no, no I can't say that. It's... sometimes my memories mix with what is currently happening, as well as my feelings.  I often can't sort it yet. ...this...it's exhausting...and confusing sometimes. But I'm still very grateful that Xiao gave me the opportunity to go into town today and meet Lumines friends.", Aether's voice didn't have a special sound to it. If anything, he sounded honest. He smiled a little as he turned to Xiao when he mentioned him, causing the adeptus to look away and the archon to look at him. Was it questioningly? Aether couldn't tell.
"Yeah understandable, it's strange when you're out of it again. you've been there forever, it must feel even stranger to you haha."
"...you've been...there?"
"Yep, fell into it when I was a child...but actually you ought to know, right? Haha.. nevermind. Heard it was quite hard to get you out of there, you're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?", if anything, Childe seemed to be amused, honestly interested and absolutely not reproachful. If felt very strange for Aether but also incredibly relieving. 
"Childe.", Zhongli's voice on the other hand was stern but the ginger only chuckled returning his gaze. He knew that this had been a warning, but who was he to listen right now? Talking to the Abyss Prince was definitely worth the price.
"...I...I...I didn't intend...to cause...troubles...", Aether mumbled insecure, lost for words that could express what he wanted to say.
"Calm down, Comrade. I don't intend to make it difficult for you, the two of them will do that haha.. I'm just curious~ so let's just chat, hm?", Aether didn't know if Childe was really honest with his words, but nodded anyways. If he was the only one willing to give him a chance right now, he would gladly take it.

Apparently Childe had been honest and so it got easier for Aether to talk to him minute by minute. While Zhongli was quietly drinking tea and Xiao had changed places to sit next to him, Aether sometimes felt almost as if he and Childe could become friends. The ginger was definitely a little crazy, but who was he to judge that now? During the conversation with him he didn't even notice that he was revealing his past motives without difficulties, a fact with which Childe had pleased the ex-archon. Aether noticed that his behavior had served more than one purpose, but he wasn't mad about it. He was relieved. He had intended to share it and it had just been easier that way. 

After almost two hours, the blonde felt...good. Maybe for the first time in days. While Childe was still grinning most of the time, Zhongli and Xiao had exchanged some looks, apparently confused about the fact that Aether and Childe got along so well. When the two got up to get some air, Childe knew Zhongli wasn't pleased with that and had bend down to kiss him before he left, the yaksha seemed to breathe for the first time since they met again.
"...forgive me but I had to agree.", he said almost a little docile, only looking up again when he heard a soft chuckle instead of whatever he had expected to hear.
"It is quite true that I was and I an concerned about his presence, but I already agreed to this conversation in advance. Neither you nor Childe were the first to introduce the possibility of this to happen to me", the dark-haired replied calm, taking a sip of his tea when Xiao looked at him a little confused.
"I just could not foresee that they would get along so well.", he added when he placed the cup back on the table, looking at Xiao directly now.
"..or that you might like him."
"...I...that's not true!", startled, Xiao replied a little louder than he had planned to and immediately bowed his head when he noticed it.
"I granted you freedom a long time ago, look at me when you are dissatisfied with my statement like anyone else would. Like a friend would, Xiao."
"...yes.", he replied quietly but looked up, needing a lot of effort to show his dissatisfaction. 
"I do not like him.", he added stern, unintentionally turning to look at Childe and Aether outside. 
Zhongli only nodded with a knowing smile even if Xiao really thought there wasn't something he could know at all. He only did this for Lumine, that was all, wasn't it? 
"... and I can't see a reason for them to get along so well either."

"..Childe? Do you think he will accept my apology?", Aether asked as soon as he and Childe had left the restaurant for a moment, obviously worried and nervous. 
"Eh? Ah no, he won't.", the ginger replied but laughed lightly when he saw Aether's suddenly depressed expression. 
"Haha no need to be sad, buddy. He won't accept it because he doesn't demand one. You know who he is and was and if someone is able to understand the story behind everything then he is. You don't have to ask for forgiveness. I don't think you'll ever talk about it, he's pretty strict with his contracts haha, but I'm sure he'll tell you everything else you want to know. Just ask. Uh but maybe not today, eh?"

-

When Xiao and Aether left the restaurant again, the blonde was incredibly exhausted but also relieved. He had achieved something today. Even if he had only made small steps, he had made some. That was all that mattered right now. That and the amber eyes that looked at him when he went to bed that night. He would have to thank him. No, he wanted to thank him. 

Chapter Text

Something had been on Childe's mind for quite some time now. It was something he had never thought he would consinder, something he thought he would never want. At first it had felt wrong to even think about it. He was a harbinger, swore his life to the Tsaritsa, he didn't even know if he would survive until a certain age, but the longer he thought about it, the more he knew that he really wanted it. And that there was only one person he would want that with. Now he only had to do it, and that was easier said than done. The man he spend a lot of his time thinking about was 6000 years old after all. An archon, an adeptus, sometimes very far away in his mind, sometimes haphazardly about human traditions and behavior. There were old burdens, disguised as memories, some even precious to him. And Childe, Childe was only a twenty-something years old guy, combative, reckless but still loveable. Hopefully lovable enough to be loved by a man as old as time itself.

Maybe the ginger wouldn't have questioned himself in this that much if he hadn't screwed up several times before. And he knew that the last time hadn't been just a small mistake. He had caused damage. Damage that maybe not even someone with 6000 years of experience would want to fix. Or allow to be fixed. That the man Zhongli had left the world of mortals and the ex-archon Morax had returned to his realm, was probably a clear sign of how much Childe had screwed it up. A demotivating, destructive sign for the heart of the sometimes still too young harbinger. 

-

"It is quite not understandable to me by which action I may have caused your distrust, Ajax.", Zhongli's voice had been heavy with a certain sadness while his appearance remained the same as ever. A faint golden glow lingered in the amber eyes as they were fixed on the man infront of him, watching him gather all of his belongings inside the small apartment they used to share.
"It has nothing to do with trust at all! It just doesn't make sense. Wasn't it you who told me that there is a right place and a right time for everything? See, it's not now and not here and probably never!", Childe wasn't used to the harsh sound of his own voice, a sting inside his chest told him that he went too far, but he had stopped listening. He had stopped listening to his heart and even to his mind that warned him to stop before he had hurt both of them beyond repair. 
"...you have not yet explained to me what led you to this opinion. If I made a mistake.."
"Stop it already! I know what you're trying to do! Being all perfect and flawless to make me feel guilty! I won't. Did you hear that? I won't feel guilty this time, Zhongli. This was never meant to be! We were never meant to be and you have to fucking accept it! I'm a harbinger, loyal to only one archon, I don't need any distractions. And you've been nothing more than a distraction! A trap. An obstacle. That's over now!", putting a few last shirts into his bag, Childe finally looked at Zhongli again and for a moment he felt like he could see the world fall apart around him. Never in all of their time together he had seen such an expression on his face. Not even in the moments when he remembered Guizhong had the ex-archon ever looked like this. The pain Childe felt inside his chest was unbearable and suffocating, but it was too late to change his mind. And at that moment he didn't want to either. 
"I am not aware of how I created this aversion in you, but I apologize for any circumstance that may have led to it. However, I do not share these feelings. It seems to me as if I had not been able to see the truth, maybe I did not want to, but my feelings for you at all times were of an honest and sincere nature. And they still are. I may not have verbalized it before, but I do love you. How meaningless given the situation .. ", averting the gingers gaze while he spoke, it was the first time ever Childe hadn't looked at an archon. He had looked at a vulnerable man whose feelings had been all too human. While Childe tried to swallow the knot in his throat, Zhongli got up from the chair he had been sitting on, took Childes earring he had been wearing off and wordlessly laid it on the table. The golden eyes the blue ones met a second later were again far diffent to those of a mortal being.
"You may be correct in this regard. For some things there may be no right time and no right place. Not in this life and not in each of the following.", the dark-haired stated as he turned to leave, his voice as cold as the air in the land that Childe called his home. 
Morax had vanished surrounded by a dance of golden lights and a soft trembling of the earth beneath their feet, a farewell without return. That moment Childe knew that he broke the archons heart, but the Childe at that moment had been too blinded by his false anger to see this. And this Childe had only wanted to return to Snezhnaya. 

-

The Childe that had spent some weeks at a place that should've felt like home but didn't again finally knew that he had made a mistake. A big one. And this knowledge threatened to tear him apart. The thrill of the fight after all this time was something he had missed, the jobs whether small or large, even the bickering with the other harbingers, he had missed all of that and considered it to be his only possible life, but now, faced with his own feelings, he knew that there was another life he wanted. He had thought of Zhongli every day since he left Liyue. He thought of him when he woke up and longed for him as he went to bed. The first few days he was still angry, telling himself that he had meant all the things he had said to the other, but with each passing day he realized that he could not only have lived one life. That there had always been a possibility for both things. Childe slowly noticed again that Zhongli had been aware of who he was the whole time and never even asked him to change something about it. That he probably always knew that  Childes life belonged to another archon, that there would be times when he would not be in Liyue for a long time and maybe even that he would not return one day. And again, Zhongli had never asked him to change something. To give up something. He had never asked for anything else than Childe's affection. This realization had struck Childe like a bolt of lightning, leaving him damaged to a point where he started to question himself over everything
He had always wanted everything and not only a part of something, why did he act like he had to choose one thing? He could've been both, a harbinger and a lover, the best in both, why did he question that? Two months after he had left, Childe recognized that his feelings for Zhongli had always been genuine. And that this stupid feeling was love. And always had been love. Two months after he had left Liyue, he had finally realized this. But together with this came the realization how much he had screwed up. He, a mere mortal, had managed to break an archons heart. The heart of the only man he had ever really loved. The only man he wanted to be with. He had recognized that, he knew this now, but he did not know whether he could still have everything of all. 

-

Every step he took back in Liyue felt uncomfortable. He felt watched the entire time, he didn't even have to guess to know how much the adepti must loathe him. They had always been averse to him but now, now he knew that every step he took could be his last. Childe didn't have to go to the Funeral Parlor to know that Zhongli wouldn't be there, he didn't have to look around town to know that the beloved consultant hadn't been seen there in months, he didn't have to visit their former apartment or their favorite spot at the harbor, Childe knew that the man he was looking for wouldn't be there. One of his subordinates had told him already on the ship that the consultant had disappeared and the search for him had led nowhere. Zhongli had left the world of mortals again and Childe knew that this was his fault alone. A very depressing feeling. Crossing another small alley inside the city, Childe could only feel a sudden grip on his wrist before he was already dragged inside a small building, only the light of a candle illuminated the dark room.

"You're really tired of life, aren't you? Goodness Childe, almost everyone here wants to see you dead! People believe that you must have done something to the consultant while the adepti know what you did to their archon! They're going to hunt you down! Are you really that stupid?", Aether had pressed his hand over Childe's mouth, talking as quiet as possible while he tried to sense every movement around them.
"...and apart from that, he doesn't want to see you anyway. You broke his heart, you idiot! So what the hell are you doing here?!"
Despite the serious situation, Childe chuckled a little as soon as he relaxed again.
"Comrade...I didn't think you'd protect me haha... so what am I doing here? You see, there's a man I love and I'm not going to just accept my failure. I've already spent enough time feeling sorry for myself or even hating myself. I'm going to win him back. I want everything, comrade. The world and him, no matter what.", Childe replied honest, a strong tone of conviction in his voice even though he still seemed amused. 
"..Childe, I really don't think he'll forgive you. He even gave up on trying to live a mortal life. You know yourself how convinced he was of this idea. You fucking screwed up, Childe. Honestly, you'd better leave again. I will tell you what I know now but I will not protect you. And I think he won't do that either.", Aether let go of Childe again and stepped back a little, a strange seriousness on his face that Childe had never seen before. That way it felt like Aether was stating facts instead of guesses.
"Apparently he currently lives in a hidden realm near Azhdaha's resting place. Even the adepti are probably not allowed to enter this realm at the moment, at least that's something Ganyu mentioned when I met her. Xiao guards the place anyway, you won't even be able to come near it, but as far as I know he still hears the prayers adressed to his statues and feels the longings of those who stay there. I don't think he'll answer you, but maybe you can at least say what you want to say. But hurry up and don't stay too long...", Aether explained just above a whisper, disappearing again as soon as he had finished talking. The blonde really didn't want to be a part of this and the mess it could become.
As the door closed, the candle went out and with it Childe's amused expression vanished from his freckled face. He had known all along that he had screwed it up, but to hear that Zhongli was gone from the city since that day and didn't even meet his friends, this realization stung deep inside his chest.

-

A realm near Azhdaha's resting place, guarded by the yaksha, that was clearly not a place where Childe should show up but he was still very concerned about it. Why at Azhdaha's resting place of all places? Was he staying with him? The ginger sighed looking at the map in front of him. He had marked the place where Zhongli had to be, all his statues in the region and the places where the adepti lived, trying to find a place where he could spend some time at the statue without being caught right away. Luckily the Northland Bank gave him a safe place to stay where he could plan his course of action. He couldn't have made a plan somewhere in the wilderness, Xiao was possibly already on a hunting spree, wanting to throw a head of orange hair at Morax' feet as a sign of his everlasting loyalty. The boy could really become an obstacle in Childes' plans. Sighing again, Childe circled a certain statue on the map, an abandoned one close to Mingyun Village. If the worst comes to the worst, he could find a hiding place there even if he'd never shy away from a fight in the first place.

It took him two days to gather some supplies and leave the city unnoticed. The Millelith had been pretty annoying these days, standing infront of the bank like they had been waiting for him to finally leave it again. It was past midnight when he finally reached the city gate to finally be on the way to the village. It would take a long time to get there because he couldn't use the normal paths even if he had put on a disguise. The smell of the charcoal that had dyed his hair black was annoying, but a necessary nuisance. The clothes of the merchant from Sumeru were not something he liked to wear, but he really wanted to avoid running into an adeptus right ar the beginning of his mission. The thought of fighting Xiao was incredibly exciting, but he had to talk to Zhongli first. Or in this case: to his statue. 

For a few hours his journey went surprisingly well, too well to believe it could really be that easy. 
"Are you aware that we're able to sense you even after you disguised yourself?", a calm female voice asked out of nowhere, a strict tone in her voice that Childe had never heard before. 
"Yeah, I suspected it but well, I had to try anyway. ... So girlie, what are we going to do now? Will you kill me yourself? Or call the yaksha?", Childe did not stop, he did not even look at the woman who was speaking to him.
"Neither. I will let you do what you intended to do. But if you're still there at sunrise, Xiao will come for your head.", Ganyu was now walking next to Childe, focused on the stony slope next to them, ignoring Childes curious expression completely.
"Eh? Why would you want to help me?"
"I do not want to. And I won't. I don't care about you in this matter. I don't care if you're alive or dead. But I am interested in his well-being and if it could help that you do whatever you plan to do, then I will make sure that you had the chance to do so. That's all.", grabbing Childes wrist, Ganyu pulled him down the slope, avoiding a few deadly ledges in the process before they both came to a halt inside a small lake. The small lake was hardly deep enough to really absorb the impact, but it was still enough to prevent Childe from dying. Maybe he had broken a bone or two, but he was still alive. 

"Come on, we're almost there.", Ganyu's voice sounded dull as she reached out to help him get out of the water.  maybe it was more than a bone or two, but he still didn't take her hand and got up again by himself.  He was too proud to let himself be affected by the pain inside his body.
"Thought you guys could teleport...", he mumbled wiping the blackened water off his face, following her rapidly since she didn't seem to be waiting for him any longer.
"Ehuh...it's right up there."
Finally looking at his surroundings, avoiding too much movement as his whole body ached, Childe noticed that he wasn't even anywhere near Mingyun Village. He was near Azhdaha's resting place, a place where he shouldn't be at all. 
"...it's been an ambush all along, right?"
"No. And I never said that I would take you to the statue.... he doesn't listen anymore, you know. Neither to us nor the people who visit the statues. It would not have worked if you had gone there but here...here he will notice you... Xiao isn't here at the moment, you don't have to worry about him until sunrise. I don't know how you want to get through to him, but that shouldn't be my concern either.", stopping right infront the stone tablet, Ganyu turned to look at Childe one last time. She looked completely numb, but nodded to him before disappearing into the darkness again. Childe would still have had dozens of questions for her, but he knew she wouldn't have answered any anyway. He was on his own again, but that had been planned from the beginning after all.

A realm near Azhdaha's resting place, what an incredibly useless description that was. The ginger was aware that he wouldn't find the access one way or the other, but it would still have been useful to know where it was. Should he speak to the strange tree now? To the stone tablet? To the mountains around him? Just into nothingness? Well, he had little choice but to do that. Childe climbed the tree, realizing that it wasn't just a tree, and sat down on a branch that was big enough to support his weight. Resting his back against the trunk of the tree, Childe stared into the darkness above. The sky was a bit cloudy today, he couldn't see many stars or the moon, barely a firefly in the area let alone another light source. Great, it was pitch dark, he didn't know what to speak to or whether he would be heard at all and if so, by whom. He had definitely had easier plans in his life.

"Eh ... hey. I don't know if you even hear or want to hear me, probably not, but hey, it wouldn't be me if I wouldn't try at least. Well, I won't be able to stay long anyway. You know, everyone here wants to see me dead haha.. You know yourself how much I would have liked to mess with your yaksha, but I didn't come to kill and certainly not to be killed...heh, it's strange to say that...haha..whatever... uh.. so if you're listening to me, know that I'll be brief as best I can.", it felt strange talking like that without knowing if he would be heard. The thought of maybe being consciously ignored was uncomfortable, but Childe wanted at least to finish what he had already started. 
"..Listen, I know that I made a damn huge mistake. Back then I was really mad at you because you didn't tell me who you are but in the end, I knew such games well enough myself. I'm sure you are wondering why I mention this, I am not doing this as a reproach, only to express that it was never the reason for my behavior. And to express that I am aware that you couldn't understand me a few months ago. Because there was nothing to understand. I had blown a couple of fuses...haha... nah, to be honest, I thought that a domestic life was just not for me, but you made me long for it. And I didn't want that. I'm not made for it, I still believe that, but I realized that you never asked me to do that either. You never asked me to live a simple life. Actually, you didn't ask for anything that made me go crazy. ... I understood that now. I understood that being a lover doesn’t mean that I cannot be a harbinger anymore. I understood that living with someone doesn’t mean having to stay in one place forever. I also understood that you never asked me to renounce my archon. And I got that love ain't a goddamn weakness even if I'm weak for you. It is well known that late is better than never, but I was probably too late, huh?  I did what I never wanted to do, I hurt you. You know, it's almost funny, I don't think anyone else can claim to have broken an archon's heart, but for the first time I'm not proud of what I did. ...yeah, I don't know what else to say except that I'm really, really sorry. Even if that is probably reeeaally worthless. ...ugh I hate being so sentimental.. but since I know what I've lost on purpose, I can't imagine anything else. I'm probably really selfish now but I want both. You and the goddamn world. ...well, maybe you've at least listened to me and even if that can't fix anything, at least let me tell you that your adepti friends and the people of Liyue really miss you ...haha ... you should at least come back to them, if not to me. ... well, Zhongli, Morax, whatever you prefer, maybe there really is no time and place for us in this life and in the next, but I love you anyway.  And I won't let that ever change either. You won't get rid of me anymore haha.."

Childe didn't really have a reason to stay there anymore, but he didn't want to go either. There would be one or two hours left until sunrise and if these were the only one or two hours in which he could at least be near Zhongli, then he would use them. He would soon have to return to Snezhnaya, perhaps not be able to return for a long time, but he simply would not want to waste this hour or two. Even if sitting alone on the tree in the dark was certainly a waste of time. 

-

Waiting for a sign that Zhongli had heard him, Childe missed the moment when he should have left. He hadn't realized this until the sudden impact on the hard floor made it more than clear to him. Staring directly at the sharp tip of Xiao's pole arm, he only had milliseconds to prevent the thing from digging into his skull. Quickly rolling to the side, Childe used the few seconds he had to be able to fend off the next attack from Xiao by summoning his hydro blades.  He had to hurry to get back on his feet, here on the ground he would hardly have a chance against the yaksha. 

"I won't spare you again.", Xiao hissed starting another attack, trying to stop Childe from getting up by ramming the end of his pole arm right into Childes' stomach. The injuries from the impact in the water were one thing, the repeated blow to his stomach was something completely different. Childe coughed up some blood when he stood up anyway, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to stand it for long. He had to act fast. The foul legacy was out of the question, but that didn't mean he couldn't use his delusion at all. Forcing his body to submit to his will, Childe rammed his hydro blades right into the ground, causing the earth around them to become electrified. He had to influence Xiao's movements. Make them easier to predict. The yaksha growled as he jumped off the ground, turning mid-flight to launch another attack against Childe's stomach. The goddamn yaksha was way too fast. 

For a while it was a halfway balanced back and forth, but without the use of the foul legacy and already wounded, Childe was slowly running out of breath. Xiao was too quick, too agile, and apparently incredibly insensitive to pain. Childe had managed to injure him, a gaping wound on Xiao's upper arm was clear evidence of this, but that hardly seemed to hinder the adeptus. If things continued like this, Childe would really take the worst. Only seconds had passed between the decision to put his last strength into the use of the foul legacy and the moment in which he already felt the tingling on his skin, but these seconds were enough for Xiao to start his final attack. Seconds that separated him from a chance of survival. Seconds that he didn't seem to have. 

Childe felt the tip of the spear already pierce his skin when a sudden movement tore the yaksha to the ground, a grip on his neck followed by a deep growl which sounded incredibly inhuman. 

"Enough!", Childe was too dizzy to turn to the source of the voice but didn't need to see it to know who it was. He couldn't see Xiao or Zhongli, but could hear the growling of the yaksha. He might be the most loyal to Morax, but that didn't mean he agreed with him all of the time.
"..but he deserves-"
"I do not think that I have expressed myself indistinctly."
"Hasn't he caused enough suffering?!"
"I will not repeat myself."
"Morax! You are acting irresponsibly!"
"Xiao.", Morax's voice was neither angry nor vicious, but as domineering  as only an archon could be able to speak.

Childe could feel how the earth began to tremble underneath them, could hear the branches tremble in the trees  and the brittle rocks fall down the mountains. At that moment he could understand what it must have been like to stand in front of the god of  rock instead of the calm consultant he had come to know and love. And honestly, he loved that too. Sitting up slowly he could watch Xiao submit, bowing his head as he had always done, the anger still visible on his face but less intense as before. If Childe could judge that correctly, the yaksha even looked a little surprised. 

"...I thought you...the gnosis..", Xiao talked so quiet that it almost seemed like a mumble, amber eyes met golden ones curiously yet submissive. 
"That is still correct but what is the truth behind a story that even gods do not dare to tell?", the answer confused not only Xiao, but even a blind man could have seen that Morax wouldn't explain it. Looking back at Childe once again, Xiao actually allowed himself to sigh before he disappeared with another bow to Morax. 

"Looks like you saved me.", Childe said as he tried to get up, eyes fixed on the man infront of him as Morax was definitely a sight Childe would have loved to look at longer. 
"I have never said otherwise.", although Morax's voice was completely emotionless, the ginger noticed that he was not dismissive. He was there and didn't seem to want to leave right away. Well, if that wasn't a chance, then what was it? 
"True. You didn't but everyone else did. I almost believed them haha.. ", the fight took its toll on Childe's body, no matter how hard he tried, he failed to get up.  He sighed when he at least sat down in a way that he could look at the archon properly, a bitter smile on his lips as he still didn't know how the situation would end.
"Did you hear what I said?"
"I did and I have to tell you that it is not the truth."
"Ehh?! Of course what I said is true! I wouldn't have come here if it had been a lie!"
"I am not referring to your feelings. I am unable to judge their honesty. In relation to me, however, your statement is not true."

Childe had almost accepted that he couldn't get up, but Morax words that sounded like a rejection were enough to spur him to try again. It took a moment, but he even managed to walk so far that he was right in front of the other. Pretty brave for a mortal to face a god like this. 

"What are you talking about? Everything I've said about you is true, only what I said back then was a lie."
"Do you question the words of an archon?", the confusion this question caused on Childe's face made the dark-haired chuckle. He could see how much the ginger had struggled to answer, not knowing whether he was allowed to tell the truth or not. Lifting his hand to cup Childe's cheek, Morax smiled a little.
"I am not as undemanding  as you described me. Even an archon as old as rock can be greedy. It is correct that I never asked you to give up all that you are, but that does not mean that I did not want it. If I could have, I would have made every fiber of yours mine. No matter what that would have meant. Being greedy can mean becoming irresponsible, a danger for both mortals and gods. It is entirely true that your words hurt me, but it was the realization of still not being able to get what I was asking for that led me to my retreat. I took time to rethink about everything I have shied away from all these years. I am not flawless and I never will be, but I still have time to learn. For 6000 years I have followed a certain path, maybe it is time to go another.", placing his other hand on Childe's back to steady him, the golden eyes turned way softer again. Childe could see so much in them that had remained hidden from him for a long time, but above all that this moment was not just a chance. Perhaps he should have thought about the other's words, but he didn't feel the urge to think about anything anymore.
"I want all of you and the world, remember?", leaning into the touch on his cheek, Childe chuckled a little seeing the dark-haireds soft expression. The man in front of him was much more the archon he had once been than the more humane consultant and yet he seemed so weak for a mere mortal.
"I would agree to that at any time."
"...oh? I didn't even ask the real question yet haha.", shifting his weight to stand a little more secure, Childe grabbed Morax's hood on either side of his face and pulled him in for a long overdue kiss. It was definitely not their first kiss, but it didn't feel any less exciting. 
Kissing Zhongli felt like home to Childe, but kissing Morax felt like a really sweet sin. What would his people have thought if they had seen the god they worshipped kissing a threat to their existence? What would the adepti have thought if they had seen their god submit to a simple mortal? Just thinking about it for a split second caused Childe to feel high. No, this wasn't their first kiss but it felt nothing like the ones they shared before. This one was untamed.
Free. It felt like stripping bare infront of the ocean at night, like jumping into the waves without thinking about tomorrow, leaving behind every responsibility for just one moment. Only that this wouldn't be just one moment.

"...mine.", Childe whispered breatheless against the dark-haireds reddened lips, placing more kisses to the corner of his lips, along his jaw, along his neck. He could drown in his earthy scent each and every day. It was nothing like the slight scent of snow in the cold of his birth country, it was his home. The only one he wanted right now.

-

When Childe had left Snezhnaya a week ago he had two things in mind: to reunite with Zhongli and to ask  him a specific question. He had already succeeded in the first thing, even easier than he had expected, but struggled with the second. The question was pretty much the exact opposite of what he did a little over two months ago, and he feared that for that reason Zhongli would refuse. He feared that it might seem rash, like a spontaneous decision that he hadn't thought about even though he had thought about it a lot. For the moment, they had only been together again for less than a week, even if it had actually been much longer if one would ignore Childe's action. In summary, it was not a hasty decision but one that he had made a long time ago, even before he broke up with Zhongli. And maybe, maybe that was also a reason why he went crazy. Now, in return, that didn't drive him crazy anymore, he had come to terms with himself in this regard.

Nevertheless, he was now staring at the item he was hiding in his closet for the hundredth time this week. He didn't even have to hide it since Zhongli was still in the realm, he didn't know why, but he preferred to be safe than sorry.
"...how are we going to do this, huh? It's not like I could just throw you at him hoping he'd get what I want. He won't haha... How do other people do that? Fall on their knees and just ask somewhere in a restaurant? That's definitely not possible for us as they still want to see me dead haha... but I don't want it to be boring... hmmm ... maybe I could ask what others would like and do something a thousand times better based on that? ...Yeah, that's the spirit! .. haha...", talking to the inanimate object didn't even feel weird anymore as often as he'd done it lately. 

-

"Ekaterina, do you have a minute?", just a few minutes later Childe was already resting his elbows on her desk, grinning a little as he waited for her to look up again.
"Sir, it would be quicker you would tell me your request right away.", she replied placing a stack of papers aside, finally looking at him with a barely visible smile. Of all the harbingers, Childe had always been the only one she really liked at least a little.
"Haha always busy, aren't you? Soo..assuming someone would want to propose to you, what should it be like ?", he asked just above a whisper trying to keep it a secret, but couldn't stop the surprised squeak that left her lips.
"You want to marry?!", it had almost been a scream if the ginger hadn't pressed his hand against her mouth just in time.
"Shhhhh! Calm down, no one needs to know yet.", only when she nodded did Childe release her, waiting for an answer instead of another question.
"...I...oh what a surprise .. .. ...If you thought I fantasized about it as a little girl, you are wrong but ... I would prefer something private. Maybe even something simple like spending a nice day together, have an in-depth conversation about the future, the proposal at a suitable moment of the conversation. I don't think that a proposal always has to be spectacular, it's something special in itself. ...but Sir, if I may ask, who do you want to marry? The last one with whom you were seen longer has disappeared...."
Childe nodded listening to her, taking mental notes in the process. He simply chuckled at her question and winked at her, not even thinking about answering the question yet. There was a time for everything, but it wasn't now. The longer they thought that Zhongli had disappeared, the longer no one could reveal his plans. 

-

"Comrade!", walking around Nantianmen, actually waiting for the ex-archon, Childe spotted the blonde traveler in the distance. Being in high spirits Childe didn't need long to catch up to him, last week's injuries were already forgotten. 
"Childe. I've already heard that your conversation went well, that was surprising but I'm glad you managed to survive long enough... but maybe you'll avoid meeting Xiao a little longer...", Aether smiled somewhat surprised at the other, not stopping in what he was doing but at least walking more slowly. 
"Yeah, he's a bit too resentful, isn't he? Nevermind, I actually have a question for you. I don't have that much choice of people I could ask haha.."
"No."
"It is just a question. Come on, Comrade."
"Ugh...just ask."
"Assuming someone would want to propose to you, what should it be like?"
"......Marriage, really? You're actually thinking about getting married? ..What the hell is wrong with you?..."
"Ah don't treat me like that, haha~ I'm not a bad guy, so why shouldn't I want that?"
"All that talk about obstacles and distractions, remember?"
"My my, everyone can blow a fuse sometimes."
"...but there really aren't any left with you."
"Haha...So, are you going to answer my question?"
"Childe, I didn't think about that yet. I definitely won't marry anyone anytime soon.... but, if I think about it for a moment ...I'd like something special. Maybe with my friends being there. That'd probably be a moment when I would be happy and I would want to share it. A shared memory fades more slowly."
"Haha... didn't think a brave traveler like you would like to get a big show, but I'll make sure to tell your friend as soon as I meet him again~"
"..what?! Childe! No!"

-

Simple and private, in company and special, the answers had brought Childe no further as contradicting as they were. Maybe he should have asked right away what Zhongli could want, but Xiao and the other adepti, that is, those who really knew him, would hardly answer him. The other two people he could ask weren't a better choice either. Ningguang would ban him from the city without hesitation and Hu Tao, well, Hu Tao was Hu Tao. Maybe it was best to just come up with the best plan of all time on his own. 

-

"Ajax? Haven't I already told you how to enter this place? Forgive me if I forgot.", it was early in the morning when Morax (he still hadn't changed back to his appearance as Zhongli) left the realm after Childe had been hanging around in front of the entrance for a while. 
"You did, you did, but I wanted you to leave it for today.", the ginger replied with a small smirk, immediately wrapping his arms around the others waist. The dark-haired chuckled a little placing his hands on Childes chest but looked at him questioningly.
"Is there a reason for that?"
"I brought someone with me and I want you to hang out with her, just a little, maybe two or three hours, hm?", turning his head to look over his shoulder, a head of brown hair popped into their field of vision, grinning a little. 
"...Director Hu...Ajax, why did you bring her here? I never-", looking at both of them shocked, Morax was already interrupted before he could finish his sentence. 
"I've almost always known, old man ~ Hehehe...the endless monologues about Liyue, smelling like earth and rock, your eyes... I'm not fooled that easily~",  putting her hands on her hips, Hu Tao grinned a little mischievously. 
"Don't look at me like that, come on, we're going to have a fun day. Your harbinger lover needs some time for himself and I want to see if Morax is at least a little funnier than Zhongli.", not minding that she was talking to a former archon, Hu Tao grabbed the dark haireds arm and pulled him with her. Childe chuckled seeing his changing expressions, he knew that Zhongli would never harm the girl. 

-

A fun day. Hu Tao wanted to have a fun day with him and Childe had obviously wanted to get rid of him, with that in mind, Morax was far from having a fun day at the beginning. 

"How long have you known about me?", he asked as they walked through the gorge, looking at her still a little surprised and skeptical. 
"Hmmmm~ Always? Hehehe just kidding. I suspected it at some point, you know. Grandpa always told me stories about you when I was little and the dead are not exactly quiet either.", she replied strutting next to him, glancing at him every now and then with a big grin on her face.
"Why did you keep it a secret?"
"Having a god as an employee is fun hehehe... besides, I already understood that it should remain a secret as you probably didn't fake your death out of boredom... Buuut enough questions now. Rather show me what gods do to pass the time~"
"I am not an archon anymore."
"Are you sure about that?"

-

While Morax had to entertain Hu Tao (he did pretty well, telling her some stories that weren't in the history books, letting her ride on the back of a tamed vishap,...), Childe had used the time to implement his plan. He had just wanted to make sure that Morax was distracted and stayed in the same place for a few hours. Luckily Hu Tao had agreed to help him with that, apparently she didn't care at all about the rumors anyway. After Childe had almost failed to come up with a plan, the only perfect way had just occurred to him one evening that week. Why should he ask someone what Zhongli might like? He knew it himself all along. During the hours that Hu Tao distracted the ex-archon, he had roamed around the whole country to get everything he needed to prepare for that one moment. Childe was completely exhausted when he was waiting patiently (or rather iimpatienly) for Hu Tao to bring the other back, but he couldn't have cared less. 

It was already dark inside the realm (the time passed differently in it) when Morax finally got back there. 
Childe immediately went to him and hugged him, grinning amused by the exhausted expression on his face. 
"..did you have a good day?", he asked innocently, knowing full well that the day was definitely not as the other had expected it to be.
"It was ... enlightening. I did not realize that riding vishaps could be a fun activity for young people.", the ex-archon replied bland, resting his head on Childes shoulder as he melted into his embrace.
"Eh? Vishaps? Those annoying lizards?"
"Exactly."
"..and you let her ride on the back of one of these fuckers?"
"Yes indeed."
"....that's not what I expected but ... whatever, I want to show you something."
Even if Morax was of the firm belief that there couldn't be anything in the realm that he didn't know, he just nodded. The whole day had been unusual enough, it couldn't get any stranger. 

Walking past the archons house, down a path that led to a usually unused space, Childe's heart started to beat faster. He knew what he was about to do, he wanted to do it, but that didn't stop him from being nervous. Incredibly nervous.
As they reached the passage between two rocks that covered the area behind, he stopped and turned back to the other. 
"I've thought about it really long, it almost drove me out of my mind, made me blow another fuse and almost resulted in your yaksha killing me, but it's the one thing I want more than to conquer the world. You told me that gods can be greedy too, but I am even more so. And I am not ashamed of it. Just as I won't stop doing everything to conquer the world, I won't stop with having you by my side just like this. I want more. All of it. All of you. I can't move mountains, but I can still create something with my own two hands that might be just as meaningful, and I made it for you. Go and have a look, I'll join you soon."
Even if the whole thing generated questions inside the dark-haireds head, he just nodded again. Human feelings and actions were not always understandable to him, but at that moment he realized how serious Childe seemed to be. 

He didn't expect much when he went through the passage, but stopped in his tracks immediately when he looked at the area that had definitely looked different before. The small area surrounded by rocks was ... beautiful. In the middle of it was a pond surrounded by smaller rocks and vegetation, a small waterfall emerging from the largest of the rocks, constantly renewing the water of the pond. The fish inside were of a kind that Zhongli had never seen before. One with golden scales shimmering bright in the sun, the others as blue as the deep ocean. The tree growing near the end of the area had pink leaves that trembled in the wind, the trunk adorned with lines of the colors of the elements, a soft pulsating visible under the resinous surface. Under the tree, near its roots, there were glazed lilies swaying in the gentle breeze that reached them, a small field of blue blossoms that made the stone heart miss another beat. Everywhere he looked there was something that reflected one of the precious memories he treasured. Guizhong and the glaze lilies, Azhdaha and the tree, Osial and the small river along the field of flowers, the small wooden sign, carved with a picture of Aether and Paimon that hung at the entrance to the area, the crystalflies that only one could've caught and so much more. There was so much, so much beautiful and at the same time painful, everything of it a part of him. The one that could tell tales as old as time was left speechless. He slowly sat down at the edge of the pond, sinking his fingers into the clear water to watch how the golden pulsation of the lines on his arms reflected on the scales of the two special fish. 

Sitting down next to him, Childe didn't have in mind to watch the fish, he just had eyes for the man in front of him that seemed completely lost for words and overwhelmed. A possibly very rare occurrence for someone as old as rock itself. 
"...Ajax...I...", looking up again, the dark-haired couldn't grab a single thought to express what he felt. HIs heart was hammering against his chest, an unusually lively feeling for such a stony heart, an unusually human feeling. The expression in the amber eyes was almost like the moment Childe had last left him, but this time the world didn't fall apart around them. This time it seemed to patch itself up again. Zhongli wasn't sad, he was happy and Childe could feel it in every second that passed. He could feel it in the trembling of the leaves, in the running water, in the swaying of the flowers. He could feel the dark-haireds heart beat inside his own chest.
"..I...", Childe smiled as he placed a finger on the others lips to shush him softly and took his slightly trembling hands into his own. His throat was dry, his own pulse deafening, but he still knew what he wanted to do.
"I never knew that one day I would want this, but I do. I want it today, tomorrow and every following day. I know that one day even I will become one of your memories, but I don't want to be just one of them, I want to be the last one. The last one in this life and the only one in each of the following. It's just as true that there isn't a right time and place for everything as it is true that one day the ocean may dry and rock break, but until then it's in our hands to determine when the right time and where the right place is. It's on us to change the world to what we want it to be and right now I'm already holding it in my hands. You're the best and worst that ever happened to me. You made me want things I never believed I could get, made me long for a life that was never meant to be mine, made me show the best and worst of myself, every facet of what I was and am. There's nothing I have to hide infront of you and nothing I need to change. Right now there's only me infront of you, a selfish, greedy, sometimes insane, sometimes quite loveable guy, who's head over heels in love. There's only one thing so crazy that even I haven't done it yet and I want to do it with you. Only with you. ", Childe had barely been able to hear his own words under the roar of his heartbeat, he had felt his own hands begin to tremble and how much those of the actually imperturbable man next to him trembled, but he had never felt as certain about a thing as he did with this. He grinned a little withdrawing  his hands to get something out of his pocket and took a deep breath as he took Zhonglis hand in his again.
"Женись на мне!"

Looking at the beautiful blue stone embedded in silver, the dark-haired seem to loose control over his form. Listening to Childe he had already turned unusually pale, but now dark scales were forming on parts of his skin, the pulsation of the golden lines seemed completely out of control. Zhongli, Morax, Rex Lapis was trying to find his voice but failed, amber eyes looked back and forth between the blue ring and the ocean blue eyes. He took a deep breath. And another. And another. It was visible how hard he tried to remain the same like he had ever been but right now he simply couldn't. His stone heart was beating way too human right now. 

"... 我只属于你."

"..I..uh..I don't know what that means...love, I'm slowly loosing my mind right now...so uh..."

"...we got a life time to teach you."

Chapter Text

"Father... there is no need for this. I am very well able to lead the winery alone. Haven't I already sufficiently proven this in the past?", looking into his father's red eyes, eighteen-year-old Diluc seemed to be very dissatisfied. He didn't want anyone to be his mate. As a child he too had thought about a happy future with his own family, but at this time he had expected to be an alpha just like his father. Since his first heat and the realization that he was not an alpha, he had suddenly given up on these dreams. Instead he got the feeling that he had to prove himself more and more and he hated it. He hated to be what he was, an omega.
"You did and you should know that there are no ill intentions behind my actions, don't you know that Diluc? It is not about distrust in your abilities, it's just about your own safety. As the owner of such a successful business, you will encounter envious people, some will want to ruin your success, not everyone will have honest and good intentions towards you. An unmarried omega in such a position is at great risk, you should know that yourself. When you turned sixteen I gave you the option to find an alpha yourself and you rejected everyone who was introduced to you, I am not saying that I will force anyone on you-"
"But that's exactly what you intend to do."
"...yes, yes it is. There are already a few files waiting in your room with information on the possible candidates, you are still free to choose one of them yourself. A few of the candidates are not interested in living a classic life themselves, I am sure you will be able to keep your freedom. ...Diluc, it's just for your safety.", Crepus' intentions weren't ill, it were just the ones of a worried father that tried to do everything he could to keep his stubborn son safe. He knew how skilled Diluc was, but also how difficult it would be for him if he would be left alone. Diluc was an omega, that couldn't be changed, whether they both liked it or not.
"Safety... tsk..ridiculous... since my early childhood I have had lessons in defending myself. I got my sword and vision, I was a part of the knights before I left to support you, I don't need anyone else to protect me."
"...I will not discuss this with you any further, Diluc. The decision is already made. Now go to your room and choose who you want to go on a date with."

-

For a few days Diluc had ignored the files that were waiting on his desk, but the red folders began to haunt him in his dreams. He knew he would have to look at them and choose someone but every fiber of his body had been against looking at the files even for a moment. The redhead sighed when he finally took the folders into his hands and spread them on his bed around himself. He would have to look at them carefully, after all, it was about his future. Why couldn't the present be like the future he once imagined? Even marrying Kaeya like they had played it as children sounded better now.

"...lawyer, 36, divorced .. tsk..certainly not. ..Who actually selected these files? I will have to have a serious word with them if this continues to be so ridiculous.... 21, merchant, wants to get married and three children... Really? How are you supposed to feed three children with this salary? ... no. Just...no.", talking to himself while looking at the files, Diluc became more and more frustrated. The whole thing had been stupid from the start but seemed to be getting more and more stupid.
"...at least this one's...pretty ... 23, apprentice from Sumeru ........regards marriage as an option, doesn't want children....hmm...maybe.", Diluc sorted the folders into 'no' and 'maybe', the possibility for a direct 'yes' didn't exist in his head anyway.
"37, teach- .. no. ... 19, is training as a blacksmith, no marriage, no children, would like to go on a trip around the world after completing his training ... no. No, that's just stupid. How could you go on a trip around the world without money? ...tsk... there's one left... hmmm...there's no information regarding marriage and children... and no picture ...", looking at the piles, Diluc sighed again. There was only one folder for 'maybe' but eight for 'no', his father would certainly not be satisfied with this selection. Sorting the last one to 'maybe' since he had no other choice anyway, Diluc was glad that he had finally finished this hell of a task. Maybe now he would be able to deal with more important things again.

-

"So you made up your mind? ..two are not much but better than nothing...Let me see.", Diluc had hoped to be able to deal with more important things again but his father certainly had other ideas. Taking the two folders from Diluc's bed, Crepus studied the folders carefully and nodded with satisfaction when he was done.
"Well, let me organize a meeting for you with this one.", he said and handed the first folder back to Diluc, it was the twenty-three year old sumerian.
"In case you would choose this one I already got a letter from him to you. He doesn't ask for a meeting with you at this time. .. Here, you may read it now.", handing a neatly sealed envelope to Diluc, Crepus took the other folders into his arms and left the room again, leaving a heavily sighing Diluc behind. What a nuisance all of this was.

A letter. Why the hell would anyone write a letter without knowing if they would even be elected? Whatever the reason, the envelope was beautiful and the seal was flawless. Whoever had written this letter had at least tried to do it properly. Diluc had no intention to read it and wasn't in the mood for it either, but something in him was still curious. Breaking the seal, the red eyes closed for a second when a pleasing smell left the envelope the second he took the expensive paper out of it. A scent of incense, sandalwood and earth after rain, warm and comforting. Diluc didn't know the smell but it wasn't uncomfortable for him. Quite the contrary. Even before he read the letter, he noticed the neat handwriting, skilled and beautiful to look at.

'Pardon the inadequate greeting, but writing a letter to a stranger is also unknown to me.

You may wonder about this document, but as already told, I do not require a personal meeting at this time as this is beyond the meaning of this possible agreement. For me, the possible agreement only consists of the fulfillment of a necessary aspect due to a changed living situation. I do not intend to take your freedom and integrity. As unfair as it seems that at this moment I own the advantage of knowning aspects of your life, this advantage gives me the opportunity to make the following mandatory proposal. Should you agree to this contract with me, I offer you the freedom to make decisions according to your will, to shape your future in the same way and still have the protection of an existing relationship. In return, I expect the same disinterest in my affairs from you, the public declaration of belonging to me if needed and loyalty. For me, too, this agreement would be nothing more than a means to an end. There is no need for a meeting or contact between us should you prefer to stay foreign to me.

I do not intend to claim you against your will. You are still young, for a few more years it should be possible to explain why you are not marked despite an existing, in this case faked, relationship. Still, for your safety I would send you something that can serve the same purpose as a mark in public. Take your time to reconsider my offer.

Best Regards,

Z.'

Unintentionally bathing in the scent that clung to the letter, Diluc made his decision faster than expected. He was skeptical, the offer sounded too good to be true, but it was exactly what he had been looking for. He didn't want a mate and so he wouldn't have to have one and still be able to make everyone think he had one. Sniffing the letter one last time, causing his inner animal to purr, Diluc stored the letter in his drawer and left his room to meet his father. There was no need to meet someone else anymore.

"Father, you don't have to arrange a meeting for me.", he said in a stern voice, eyes sharp and determined.
"Diluc... I thought we would have discussed that sufficiently.", the older redhead replied slightly annoyed, trying to hide his disappointment.
"Yes, I got your point. I do not have any intention to argue, I just wanted to let you know that I made my decision. It would be a waste of time to meet someone else now."
"...You ..made your decision? That's surprising."
"The letter was sufficiently convincing, it will be enough to fulfill both of our expectations regarding my future. From now on I will take care of everything else myself. Thank you for your efforts, father.", turning on his heels, Diluc went back into his room to finally focus on other things again. His father seemed to be pleased and frankly he was too. To have to wear a piece of jewelery of the stranger for the purpose of deception was probably the smallest possible evil among all the options that could have existed. He would inform him of his approval in a letter and then he could finally forget about the matter again. What a comforting feeling that was.

'Dear Sir,

I would like to announce that I agree to the contract you have proposed and express my thanks for this opportunity. I cannot fully understand your motives, but in view of my own situation, I do not assume that you have ill-intentions. If you do, maybe I can count myself lucky to be an ignorant part of it and hope that this will only result in the mentioned advantage for me. I, too, do not feel the need to meet you personally, but let me suggest exchanging letters from time to time. This would only serve credibility as it is more believable if any questions can also be answered. Feel not obliged to agree. I am enclosing a small present as a token of my gratitude and in the second use as a sign of my existence for you.

With best regards,

Diluc R.'

-

Just a week later a small package reached the mansion, the writing on it was the same beautiful handwriting as on the letter from the stranger.
Snatching it out of his father's hands before he could open it, Diluc went up into his room and locked the door. Actually, it was completely normal for Crepus to open the parcels that reached the mansion, but since Diluc didn't know whether there was a treacherous letter in it, he didn't want to risk anything.

-

"..Diluc is acting strange.", Kaeya mentioned since he had observed the scene and looked at Crepus questioningly. Until then, he hadn't had a clue about their conversations.
"Yes indeed, but it is certainly just difficult and also exciting for him to be with someone now.", the older redhead replied as if it were perfectly normal that Diluc now had an arranged mate.
"..he's with someone? Ohh~ He didn't even tell me. I'm hurt haha..", even if the blue-haired chuckled he looked rather dissatisfied.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll tell you about it soon."

-

After opening the package, Diluc had to pause for a few minutes. The scent that left the package was overwhelming for the young omega, enough to make his inner animal act up. He couldn't stop the quiet purrs that left his throat, his nails digged into the box without him noticing. Actually, he just always took a deep breath when he was tense, but that was hardly a good idea at the moment. For a few minutes he paused in the same way, purring, unconsciously hugging the package, before he could finally open it further and inspect it. As expected, the package contained a letter but also a velvet bag with a geo seal on it. Diluc didn't have to think twice to guess what would be in it. The collar was beautiful, expensive brown leather of the best quality, the clasp golden, likewise the seams and the suspension of the pendant, a geometric shape with an embossed dragon on it. It was impressively rich in detail for such a small piece of jewelery. Holding it in his hands, Diluc was now convinced that money could not have been one of the motives of the other to propose this contract. A strangely comforting thought for the young omega. For a long time the redhead only held the collar in his hand and stared at it. He didn't like the thought of having to wear it, as nice as it was, it also wasn't something that went with his clothes, but as much as his mind tried to resist, his body seemed very satisfied with the presence of the new item. How many minutes had this vibrating from inside not stopped? Diluc sighed when he placed the collar back into the box and took the letter out of it instead.

'Diluc,

It was a pleasure to read that you agreed to my proposal. In accordance with this agreement, I am sending you a collar specially created by me. Even if I do hope that it is to your liking, do not feel obliged to wear it in case that you are averse to it. Should the design be the aspect of your displeasure, feel free to reveal to me what you would
prefer. Taste is something individual, I am aware of that.

I am quite surprised at the suggestion of correspondence, however, after giving it some thought, the proposal seems to me to be entirely appropriate. Well, I assume that my name might be of your use. You may refer to me as Zhongli. There is not much to know about me at this time, but I am willing to share everything worth knowing may the day ever come you are in need of some details.

In addition to the collar, I am sending you a well-known read of my country. Do not force yourself to read it should it be out of your interest, but still, I can only recommend it to you.

Zhongli.'

As before, Diluc sniffed the letter before he put it down and looked at the book. Rex Incognito Part 1. Obviously his fake mate was from Liyue, after all this was useful information since he had hardly learned anything else about him. Diluc didn't really want to know much, the young omega was being far less suspicious than his older me, but a few pieces of information that he could share with others would still have been useful. Maybe he would have to use one of his father's contacts to do some research on this alpha at some point. Money has always been able to silence someone should it be necessary and it would be necessary so that his father would not find out about this contract. The red-haired placed the book on his bedside table before he locked the letter in his drawer and put the collar around his neck. No, he still didn't want to wear it but the sooner everyone saw it, the sooner questions about their relationship would end. And thus he would have his peace all the sooner too. Diluc really wanted to have his peace back, he had so much more important things to do than listen to some chit-chat about him being an omega.

-

The first time Crepus and Kaeya saw the collar, the evening after Diluc received it, both fell silent for a hot second. One because he suddenly knew who it belonged to and one out of surprise about the sudden display of belonging to someone. Both had stared at him, but it was Kaeya who broke the silence first.
"Oho~ Look at that fancy thing around your neck. Seems like you got lucky with your mysterious mate~", he stated teasingly and lifted his hand to touch the pendant. Young Diluc didn't care about this act, but his animal did. Hissing, he slapped the knights hand away and took a step back so that he could no longer be reached. He blinked in surprise when he noticed what he had just done.
"Sorry, it wasn't on purpose.", he stated honest and took a seat, originally wanting to join them for dinner. Kaeya only chuckled a little, he wasn't mad at all, at most amused, but watched Diluc more closely that evening. Maybe he was just curious, maybe skeptical, maybe cautious, it was impossible to tell.
"It truly is a special piece of jewelery. I was really worried that I my actions may have hurt our relationship, but it seems like you are getting used to it already. I'm glad to see that.", the older redhead stated with a honest smile even if he only got a nod from Diluc in return.
"Have you already arranged a meeting? It will surely be even easier when you really get to know each other."
"Not yet. I will if time permits."

-

During the next five years Diluc never met his arranged mate. The agreement remained unchanged and Diluc's unwillingness to have an alpha at his side was also unchanged. Nevertheless, the correspondence remained unchanged too. Once a month Diluc sent a letter to Liyue and received one back about a week later. Only in April, for his birthdays, did he receive further mail, mostly a package with a new collar and a new book. Sometimes another gift, nothing of great value but apparently nevertheless carefully selected. In the year, the first of their agreement, in which fate had become ungracious towards Diluc and his family, he had considered breaking the contract, but in his two-year journey the man from Liyue was the only one who continued to receive letters from him. The redhead hadn't wanted to admit it, but writing him had made him feel less lonely and lost. On some days he even had the physical feeling that he was not alone. It was nothing he could grasp, but whenever he had been in great danger, a strange golden shimmering around him had prevented the greatest evil. He got hurt, mentally and physically, all the events had changed him, but nothing about the contract had changed in the end. And Diluc was relieved about it. When he finally took over the winery he had to quickly face the danger his father had warned him about, but the stranger in the distance always served his purpose. The collar deterred admirers and enemies alike and silenced those who questioned him in the long term. He didn't regret that he had agreed to the contract. No, he didn't regret it but something inside him still seemed to be displeased. Of course it was. Since five years every letter, every package, every gift carried the scent of this ominous stranger and yet there was nobody around whenever the redhead was in heat. At first his inner animal had been patient, soothed by the scent but with each passing year it got worse. In the first year of the agreement, Diluc could still ignore the urge from within. In the second, only the nest of letters helped to satisfy him halfway, in the third he had pressed the newest collar against his nose, inhaling the scent with every breath he took, but since the fourth it wasn't enough anymore. The first heat in the fourth year had been a draining hell, a hunt for pleasure that could not be achieved. Diluc's pale skin had been littered with hundreds of small papercuts, caused by the excessive contact with letters that had long since lost their smell. The collar looked abused after these days, pressed, pulled, bitten, it had been hardly wearable anymore. Adelinde, as someone who had always looked after the boys, had asked him if she should arrange a meeting with some other alpha to help him, but Diluc hadn't even wanted to think about that. Yes, Adelinde was the only one who knew about the contract and therefore the only one who could guess how unfavorable Diluc's situation was. She knew that he would need someone but who if nothing of this relationship was real?
One night, when Diluc was fast asleep, the woman had sneaked into his room to get one of the letters and wrote a letter to the liyuan man explaining her master's situation. She only smiled silently when another parcel reached the winery just a few days later and surprised the redhead with a few personal, mostly soft, things of the other man that definitely made him calm down a little again. It wasn't enough for forever, but enough to get the redhead through another year.

-

"Xiansheng, why are you...smiling like that?", Childe had asked when he had watched the other reading another of these strange letters.
"You do not have to worry about that but I may need your help to choose something."
When Childe had agreed to that, he certainly hadn't expected to be dragged into the alphas home to sniff his clothes. It had been maddening, being close to a prime had always been maddening for Childe but this day definitely had been the worst of all. Logically, Zhongli had chosen the clothes that Childe had become restless about after sniffing them. A good choice for sure.

-

Five years had passed since Diluc entered into this contract. And as I already said, he didn't regret it, but after five years he knew that it couldn't continue like that. Of course it would have been the easiest to just meet the stranger now, but Diluc was... Diluc. Some days he thought about ending the contract just to find someone, anyone, in order to satisfy his needs, on other days he found it repulsive to just have thought about it. What a dilemma all of that was.

-

"Master, the invitation to the ball has arrived. Should I send it back unseen as usual?", Adelinde asked one morning, the unnual ball of friendship would take place soon. Every year the knights of Favonius hosted this ball even if hardly anyone seemed to be talking about it in view of the other festivities in the city. The last time Diluc took part he was seventeen, it was no wonder that Adelinde suspected that he would not take part this year either.
"No, I have heard that guests from other countries will also take part, it might be a good opportunity to establish new business relationships.", the redhead replied expressionless, ignoring the womans confused stare. Well, she certainly hadn't expected to hear that.
".....yes, of course, then I will send back a confirmation. Should I prepare something else?"
"No, that's all. Thank you."

When the redhead went out to get a new suit he really only thought of new business partners, when he came back he also thought about the opportunity to meet someone who could help him get rid of his 'problem'. Well, that thought was at least as stupid as it was dangerous. Going to the ball with the collar on would definitely prevent him from meeting someone there, going without would not only endanger him but also his business. His inner animal was impatient, he knew he could be an easy victim like that.

Diluc sighed on the evening of the ball when he put on the new collar. It was as beautiful as always, but it didn't feel the same this time. Was the scent weaker than normal? No, the purrs that left him inadvertently were a clear sign that this was not the case. Were the colors or the size different? No, it was as perfect as ever. Diluc couldn't tell why it felt strange this time, he only knew that it did. But strange wasn't exactly bad, strange felt soothing, comforting, more than it ever did before. Putting his hair into a high ponytail, Diluc sighed again and looked at himself in the mirror. With this new suit, dark red and dark brown, the collar looked a lot more fitting than normal. The sight was satisfying, almost as he had imagined himself to look should he ever have to go to the ball again. He had wanted to offer the same sight like his father did all these years. Respectable, trustworthy and independent. The redhead did look like him, except for the collar around his neck and the aloof expression on his face. No, his father always had a good-natured smile on his face. A warm one. And Diluc seemed to be nothing like that anymore. Sighing again, he sighed unusually much today, the redhead left the winery to finally go into town.

-

"Master Diluc, it's surprising to see you here but I'm...glad. It must have been years since the last time~", it was Lisa who welcomed him, having taken on the task of greeting the guests. Dressed in a beautiful purple dress, she really made a sight worth seeing. The witch chuckled when she noticed Diluc looking at the purple collar, a collar that usually didn't belonged around her neck.
"Ah my dear, sometimes you have to deceive the curious eyes from afar~", she stated just above a whisper and winked at him, turning her gaze to the new group of arriving guests afterwards. The hall was already well attended, but hardly anyone from another region seemed to be present yet. Most of the faces he could see were known to him, whether he liked that or not, it didn't matter.
"Di-..Master Diluc, so you really came... I have to admit I almost thought Adelinde had made a mistake..."
"Oho~ You shouldn't claim that hardworking Adelinde ever makes a mistake haha~"
"Acting Grand Master, Sir Kaeya.", looking at the blonde and the blue-haired, Diluc almost started to regret his decision. Somewhere deep down he was happy to see them, there were good memories hidden inside him, but on the other hand, he already found the whole thing exhausting knowing that he would have to have so many unnecessary conversations.
"Would you mind to tell me which other guests you invited? I'm here purely for business purposes, it would be helpful to be able to estimate which regions the guests come from.", he asked in a calm but stern manner, ignoring Kaeya's smug grin as he looked at the new collar and Jean's questioning one.
"..uh..yes, of course. We have extended the invitations to sections of the general population, but I guess this is not of interest to you... Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan from Liyue, has accepted. She is accompanied by... well, I don't know that myself yet but since our relationship has always been excellent, I won't question this any further. From Inazuma we shall be able to welcome Lady Ayaka Kamisato of the Yashiro Commission as well as her housekeeper. I was told that the Honoary Knight will also be accompanied by someone from Inazuma. A few academics from Sumeru and merchants from Fontaine will also attend. I don't know if this information is useful to you, but Lady Ningguang would certainly be interested in a taste of your wine.", while Jean passed on this information, she seemed a lot more relaxed than before, it was always easier for her to talk about something like that with Diluc than private matters.
"Ah~ How boring~ Literally no one is here for business, you two should really try to enjoy the evening. I can teach you that~", his hand resting on Jean's shoulder, Kaeyas smile was more teasing than honest.
"Then teach me.", the stern words were surprising enough to erase the smile from the knight's face. He hadn't expected this answer from Diluc and, above all, hadn't planned to implement it. It might have been easier with Jean, she didn't drink often but would probably loosen up after a glass of wine, but Diluc, with Diluc it was almost impossible. How should you teach someone who apparently had lost all of his free spirited self to have fun?

Busy with the questionable conversation that followed Kaeya's suggestions on how to have fun, both only slowly noticed how more guests were filling the room. Out of the corner of their eyes they could see the young woman from Inazuma and her housekeeper. While Diluc took a closer look at her, trying to get a first impression, Kaeya was completely fixated on the housekeeper. What a shame it was that he was wearing that ice blue collar around his neck. A real shame.
"Do you want to do business? I would have no problem keeping the blonde busy~"
"I am aware that your vision is limited, but I doubt that you have not seen his collar. Apart from that, I can smell the scent sticking to it up here and it is apparently not hers. I wouldn't want to mess with someone I haven't even seen in your place."
"...you smell that up here? Ohhh~ Does that mean Master Diluc is in a difficult situation?"
"It means that I don't like it."
"Haha..whatever you say~"
Rolling his eyes a little, Diluc turned his gaze back to the small table infront of them. He didn't feel the need to go on talking about other people's private affairs or himself. Maybe he would really want to talk to her about business and he certainly couldn't need such thought processes for that. Well, he didn't want that but that didn't mean that Kaeya was done with the conversation too.
"How unfortunate that didn't you bring the owner of this fancy collar with you. We're all very curious about him, you know~"
"Why haven't you brought anyone with you yet? All these years have passed and there is still nobody by your side. How unfortunate."

The silence that followed this statement was uncomfortable but even Kaeya was just no longer in the mood to change that. For a while they were silent, both looking into different directions, only when the whispering in the room got louder they looked in the same direction again. The Tianquan had arrived. A breathtaking woman dressed in gold and white, accompanied by a no less breathtaking man in a dark brown suit with golden decorations resembling the image of a dragon , a pale snezhnayan in a suit with details similar to a starry sky and a pirat? The brunette woman wore a pretty red dress but still couldn't hide.. that.
Kaeya and Diluc were now starring into the same direction but not at the same person. It was obvious that both had stopped to think for a minute, but only one of them was starting to feel strangely restless all of a sudden. While the scent that was clinging to the ice-blue collar had been uncomfortable for Diluc, this new scent wasn't. And it was strangely familiar to him. Maybe it would've been easy to recognize, but maybe his mind just didn't want to put one and one together.

"Since my eyesight seems to be obviously insufficient, tell me, do you see a collar around that gingers neck?", it was Kaeya again who broke the silence first, it was almost audible how quickly Diluc's head suddenly turned to him because of that. It would have been no wonder if he had torn a tendon doing so.
"Seriously? No, Kaeya, there isn't a collar around his neck but aren't you able to recognize which group of scum he belongs to?", even if Diluc's voice seemed a little hoarse for no reason, it was not lacking in sternness and contempt.
"He's a harbinger, isn't he? Ah~ Who would I be to disregard the acting grandmaster's attempts to keep the peace?"
"If that were the real reason for your question, I would have to be less disappointed."
The knight only chuckled in return, waving his hand as a silent goodbye when he got up to join Jean in greeting the guests. What an excellent opportunity that was.

-

While the evening was progressing and Kaeya did not come back, Diluc was in the meantime in a conversation with the housekeeper of the Kamisato clan. He had originally intended to talk to Ayaka, but it had turned out to be more useful to talk to the native mondstadtian. Thoma already knew the dawn winery and its products and what eager to make his 'boss' know about it too. Even if Diluc thought that the blonde was talking a little too much, he was still a pleasant conversation partner. Perhaps even better, he would not always have tried to haggle.
Sometimes the two of them watched the guests on the dance floor out of the corner of their eyes, after all it was a ball, sometimes they were secretly looking at eachothers collars.
As the music kept changing, the dancers they could watch changed too. Once Jean danced with Kaeya, which was amusing to watch but not exactly beautiful, with Lisa instead it looked much more harmonious. Kaeya's dance with Childe had been something the redhead couldn't stand to watch while Thoma seemed to be quite entertained by all of that crackhead energy. Beidou joining them had only made it worse but none of them had minded, it was way too much fun like that. For a second Thoma had even considered to join them but Ayaka's disapproving expression had changed his mind real quick. When Beidou tried to dance with Ningguang at a slower song, it had not only made the blonde chuckle. At this moment even Diluc had been unable to hide his amusement. Seeing her displeased expression he had thought about taking pity on her for a second as he knew that he could dance, but someone else had been faster with his decision. While all of the other dances had been just fun to watch with all the awkward steps and wholehearted laughs, watching these two dance was quite enchanting. It was obvious that both knew what they were doing.

"Seems like we're still lacking some infos over at Inazuma.", Thoma stated with a chuckle before he turned back to Diluc.
"I thought..Beidou was her mate. At least that's what she told me.", the blonde added and couldn't help but wonder about the situation.
"Ahaha... Missed out on some gossip, eh? Let me help~", throwing his legs over the backrest, sitting on it as if he belonged to the group, Childe grinned wide as the two looked at him more or less enthusiastically.
"Well, the blonde is Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan. Huh? You already know that? My bad haha. So you're only wondering about him, eh? Maybe he's just some Consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, maybe he's a prime, who knows. Oh wait, shouldn't you know firefly?", talking in a teasing manner, Childe looked at the redhead curiously. He could see the question that didn't leave Dilucs lips but didn't press for it. The ginger only chuckled a little while he propped his face on his hands, his elbows resting on his legs.
"Because of your collar, you know. Ah I always wondered who he was sending these things to. What a shame it's you, could've been me instead haha. ", he added and laughed a little as he got up to ask the dark-haired alpha for a dance. Provocation could be a lot of fun for sure.

Diluc had already suspected that subconsciously, but now that it was spoken so openly he could no longer force his mind to block it out. This dark-haired man was the one with whom he had entered into this contract years ago. His mate. And this wretched ginger was playing games with him over his mate. A lot in Diluc wanted to simply ignore that, knowing that he had never been interested in a mate, but another part, an animalistic one, was not at all satisfied with seeing Childe and Zhongli together. It got on his nerves to see this pesky harbinger rub his scent on the other during their dance. Maybe he didn't really do that, knowing full well with whom he was dancing, but Diluc couldn't tell that. He could only tell that he really didn't like to see them having fun together. Zhongli's sublime demeanor was a stark contrast to Childe but it was obvious that they seemed to like each other. Why the hell did he like this harbinger? It was incomprehensible to Diluc.

"Oh so he's your mate? Gosh, we really don't get all of the information haha.", sounding strangely amused, Thoma also watched the other guests dance. He really started to feel the need to join the two vision reduced, the ginger and the purple witch at their fun looking dance. Why was he here if not to have fun and take care of Ayaka? Well, she seemed to be in pretty good care talking to Jean and Ningguang. Jumping up almost immediately after he noticed that, Thoma bowed his head in an apologetic manner and finally went to join the others at the dancefloor. Diluc sighed as he watched him leave, his eyes resting on the group a little longer before he found himself back at starring at Zhongli and Childe.
Should he talk to him? That had never been a necessity in the last few years, but wouldn't it be impolite to ignore him after it had been five years of this contract? Diluc didn't really think that it could be a good idea but he didn't really have a say in the matter. His animal was impatient, restless and above all, needy. When he got up again to approach the other slowly, Kaeya had already been starring at him for a few minutes. The smug grin on his face could only mean that he had already learned what Diluc had only recently learned too.

"Are you shy, Master Diluc?~", he asked amused, resting his elbow on Dilucs shoulder.
"Kaeya, seriously, fuck off.", moving to get rid of the body contact, a quite unsuccesful attempt, Diluc tried to ignore the knight as best as he could.
"Ah come on, don't be mean~ I'm only here to help."
"Help with what exactly?"
"Overcome your shyness of course. Shouldn't you be quite comfortable around him after all these years?"
"Shouldn't you spend your time more meaningfully? Why don't you annoy the harbinger instead of me?", before he had even finished his sentence, a head of orange hair popped into their field of vision, smiling a little.
"Me, huh? Do we really have to talk about business on such a nice evening? Even Zhongli here is having a good time, don't you Xiansheng?", turning his gaze to the man that was now standing next to him, Childe's smile turned into a grin. A malicious one.
"Indeed, but I may remind you of the condition that was attached to accompanying us. You are not about to disregard it, are you, Childe?", while his voice was as calm as ever, the look he gave Childe was incredibly stern. A silent warning.
"Ah of course not, don't worry.", still grinning, Childe understood the warning but didn't have the need to take it seriously yet.
"Good. So, why don't you pay Captain Beidou a visit, most likely she would be very interested in hearing stories from Snezhnaya and... Kaenri'ah. Ah, forgive me, of course only if you do know a tale to tell, Sir Kaeya.", with a different sound in his voice, the reformulated order was directed to both men, the expression in his eyes close to one of an angry god. Actually there was even less reason for Kaeya to listen to the stranger than for Childe, but a prime was still a different caliber than a normal alpha. Mumbling quiet words of dissatisfaction and 'you're no fun sometimes', both men left to join Beidou and Lisa at the bar. Causing a stir probably wouldn't have been wise for either of them.

There was more to this man as a calm manner and old stories. For a moment there was an older side of him visible, a dominant and powerful one. One that made Diluc shudder just by listening to his voice, but not out of fear.

"Forgive me if I made you feel uncomfortable. In case Childe should bother you again, feel free to let me know. Apart from that, based on the assumption that you want to keep our agreement as usual, I may now leave again.", his voice as calm as ever again, Zhongli smiled a little when he looked at Diluc attentively afterwards, secretly observing him a little more closely. Confused, Diluc only nodded at first but soon lifted his hand to stop him from leaving. Going to the ball was something he had already regretted, but touching Zhongli was probably the more stupid decision. The mewl that left his lips instead of the quiet 'wait' he had wanted to say didn't only startle himself. While an intense blush was starting to bloom on his cheeks, the dark-haired only chuckled a little and took the hand that grabbed his wrist into his own.
"Why don't we continue our conversation in a less public place?"

Chapter Text

Why don't we continue our conversation in a less public place?"

A less public place. Of course Diluc didn't want to deal with the humiliation of making another lewd sound in the middle of a crowd but a less public place? That clearly didn't sound like a good idea. In terms of his unwillingness to have a mate he had wanted to refuse, but in other terms...
Nodding, Diluc took the hand that was reached out to him and dragged the taller man to the courtyard behind the headquarters. Mondstadt was pretty empty today except for a few drunk souls on their way home and the guards that were on duty for the night. The backyard might have been the best or worst choice as there was absolutely no one there, no one that could've seen them. Diluc wasn't really sure if he liked that, well, right now he ..did. It was far less straining to deal with only one person.

While he had been busy leading them outside, his body was reacting heavily to the hand he was holding. The blush on his cheeks was far from being a faint one, the goosebumps on his skin would've been visible to anyone, even Glory. There was no way the other didn't notice it. The redhead felt hot, heated like water in a pot, but for once it had absolutely nothing to do with his vision.

"You seem to have restrained yourself all these years even if I did not demand that. You were aware of that, weren't you?", Zhongli sounded strangely emotionless asking the one question that made Diluc's blush even worse. While the loss of contact of their hands had allowed him to breath again, this definitely didn't make it any better.
"..I was...", the other mumbled in return, averting the dark-haireds gaze out of this strange new feeling of embarrassment.
"...but I did not agree to this contract because ...I wanted to be with someone... ... I had to. ...I was...let's say forced ...to choose someone and your proposal was the best choice for me. You may not be able to understand that, as an alpha, even more as a prime, but I do not want to lead a life as it is intended for me. I do not want to be a wife to anyone, I do not want to be forced to carry someones children just because I was born to do so ...I don't want someone else to be seen as the head of my business just because they got a better position in life ... I don't want.. ... ... them to look down on me... I-", when Diluc started talking he sounded angry, almost as if he were about to rebel against the whole world , but with each word his anger turned more and more into pent up frustration, so much that it ended in completely uncontrolled sobs and teary eyes. A rare emotional outbreak. Only the arms that were wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight comforting hug were stopping him from losing control over this emotions completely. Diluc didn't want to show so much vulnerability, he didn't show it to anyone else ever, but maybe being so close to the only one he had been somewhat familiar with over a distance for years was tearing his guard down. Maybe. Years ago it would have been Kaeya who would've had to listen, but now, now there was only the man that was still some kind of stranger to him.
"You are right, I cannot understand the pressure which seems to burden you. This may have other reasons than you think, but I am aware of the one you mentioned. Nevertheless, why do you assume you would have to live your life a certain way?", stroking the redheads back gently, Zhongli's voice was calm and patient, soothing and not a bit judgmental. It was really reassuring to Diluc. Still, being so close to Zhongli was way too much for Diluc, the sobbing was drowned out by purring, his face unintentionally nuzzled into the others chest. He hadn't wanted that, but he couldn't move away either.
"...because that's how I've always been taught... ", Diluc hated himself for being so honest, but he hadn't felt as good as he did in Zhongli's arms in a long time. He had felt lonely for a long time, but right now he didn't feel that way anymore. Even if it was only for a moment.
"Just because something is expected it does not have to be implemented as long as it is not bound to a contract. The only pre-existing contract in a mortal life is the one with death, nothing else. ..I made this offer to you for my own reasons, but it also serves to enable your freedom. Everything has a price that needs to be paid but some are priceless as you will maybe see for yourself someday. Yet, nothing about it has changed and nothing will be changed should you want to keep this agreement as it is.", moving his hand from Diluc's back to his cheek, caressing it with his thumb, Zhongli made the other look up to him again. The beautiful red eyes were glassy, reddened, his cheeks burning, glowing in a bright red shade, a sight that Diluc would never have wanted anyone to see.
"Zhongli, I-"
Stroking his thumb over Dilucs lips instead of his cheeks, stopping him from continuing to tell what he didn't really want to tell, Zhongli bend down a little to bring his lips close to the others ear.
"Pent-up feelings can lead to a loss of control, I might know a solution to balance you again. Only if you consent, of course."
Diluc could see that even he was still a stranger to the other, the dark-haired man tried hard to ignore his own nature. He could see that he still tried to comfort him even if his suggestion was showing what he intended to do. Zhongli tried to be considerate, asking for his permission instead of taking what was his anyways. Yes, it was never planned to go like this but that voice in his ears was enough to make Diluc's knees go weak.

-

Diluc's intrusive scent had demanded a great deal of control from the alpha since the second he entered the headquarters, something he usually didn't struggle with, but now, resting against the cold stone wall with his back, the redhead sitting on his lap snuggled up against him, it was showing that he maybe had lost it for a second or two. It wasn't typical of him to even approach someone like that, but for once even Zhongli couldn't help it. Now there was no way they could go back inside like this, not only because Diluc clearly wasn't in the state of mind and physical shape to do so anymore. There was no longer any sign that the omega had ever been a moody mess, only a blissful, purring kitten was left of him in this moment. An hour ago he would've hated to see himself like this, but right now, right now he didn't have a single thought left inside his head, only hormones and the dark-haireds scent. And right now, if only for some minutes, he didn't even want anything else to occupy his mind. This felt good, too good to let it slip away. He had enough time to regret it later anyways.

"小太阳,...this is not the right place to stay all night...", whispering against the head of red disheveled hair, Zhongli didn't expect an answer immediately, but couldn't help but chuckle at the dissatisfied groan he received for it. Someone clearly didn't want to get up and act like a proper adult again. Not yet. Not after his first time ever. Not after feeling so at ease again after so many years.
"It is possible that the cold of the night will be damaging to your health. Why don't we go somewhere more comfortable?", the archon asked but Diluc only shook his head still nuzzled into the nape of Zhongli's neck, eyes closed, refusing to move an inch.
"Defiant, hm? ...Fine, if you want it that way, you just lost your say in this matter.", putting one arm under Diluc's knees, the other around his torso, Zhongli got up and simply ignored the protest. The redhead struggled a little, trying to wiggle out of the others hold but ended giving in after a few seconds, mewling displeased.
"Is there someone I should know about before we walk into your home?"
"...Adelinde.."
"..ah, the maid, am I right?. ..She's probably no one to worry about as I have already made her acquaintance in a certain way."
"...huh?"
"I may tell you at another time."

-

It hadn't taken them long to arrive at the Dawn Winery. It was already dark, only a lantern in the window indicated that someone was still awake. This someone, Adelinde, took less than two seconds to open the door even though no one had knocked yet. Looking at them worried at first, she had been worried about Diluc, knowing full well how the evening could have ended, her expression changed into a relaxed one as soon as she had taken a closer look at the dark-haired man.
"...Mr. Zhongli, I assume? Please come in. ...uh.....is he alright?", holding the door open for them, she couldn't help but notice the calm expression on Dilucs face.
"I suppose. Would you be so kind as to tell me where to go?"
"...heh........uh, yes, upstairs, the big double door. Will you stay the night? And do you need anything else in that case?"
"That will be his decision, but I do not need anything until then, thank you, Miss Adelinde."
"..his de-.. oh, yes, of course, thank you, Sir.", grinning a little mischievously, Adelinde turned on her heels and left to go back into her room. Ah, how relieving it was to see her master like this for once. Sometimes she was really missing the happy little kid he had been years ago. She knew that he was still the same kind and loving person, but also that almost all of that was hidden by grief and discontent most of the time.

"A beautiful property, I did not know that it also fulfills the purpose of a living space.", Zhongli knew that Diluc wasn't really listening, but couldn't help but talk about the winery. He made mentions about the art on the wall and the style of construction, but shut up again as soon as he had entered the redheads bedroom. Placing him on the big bed, Zhongli chuckled again when he noticed that Diluc wouldn't let go of him soon. The redhaired was still too far gone to care about anything else than the two of them.
"Do you want me to stay?", he asked and Diluc had never nodded any faster even if he maybe, yes maybe, would regret it in the morning.
"You will still have to let go for a moment as you should change, it is not appropriate to sleep in a suit."
"...do we really need to talk?"
Shaking his head a little, Zhongli took of his coat and shoes, followed by every other piece of clothes that he considered inappropriate to sleep in and waited for Diluc to do the same. The redhead looked almost balky when he followed the silent order, but purred again when he could finally snuggle up to the other male. Deep inside he knew that he maybe shouldn't allow himself to do that, but he had lost the say in this matter slowly but steadily since he'd accepted the contract. Zhongli had been clouding his mind all the time, a fact his animal had liked a lot.

-

Despite having the best nights rest since a long time, not only the sunlight felt like it was hitting right into Diluc's face. With the morning came the memory of the events of the previous night and Diluc suddenly felt more than a little unbalanced again. Almost panicing he touched his neck, tracing his fingers over every inch of skin to check for a mark but didn't find one. He wasn't wearing his collar anymore, but there was no sign of being claimed either. Something inside him was mad about that, but another part felt strangely relieved.

"That is part of our contract, you have no reason to be concerned.", the calm again voice said from somewhere inside the room accompanied by a scent of tea and grapejuice. The other didn't even seem to wonder about Dilucs lack of memory.
Looking around to find Zhongli sitting on an armchair, a cup of tea and a book in his hands, Diluc only groaned a little to acknowledge the others presence. He first had to come to his senses in order to be able to have a meaningful conversation.
"I would have already left, but I consider that impolite considering yesterday evening. But if you want, I will leave now."
"..please give me a minute."
"Of course."
Waiting for Diluc to finish rubbing his eyes and stretching his limbs, the archon took a sip of his tea. The stoic expression was back on his face, but he didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
"..so, now...Yes I want you to leave, but not right away.... I would like to apologize for the emotionality first, my personal problems are certainly not of interest to you and it was by no means my intention to tell you all of this. .. I would prefer if you could just forget about it.", sitting upright now, the redhead watched the other mans every movement. He didn't have time to observe him before, but he certainly had time to do so now. And secretly he really liked what he was seeing even if he wouldn't admit that yet.
"I do not agree with your assumption, but I will accept your preferences regarding our relationship."
"..Thank you.... You said yesterday that the contract would remain unchanged, is that still the case?"
"Of course."
"..I would like to keep it that way too but .."
"Any objections?"
"See, this is uncomfortable as it is certainly not what I had imagined but...well, I now know that it won't work that way for me anymore. This is something I have to admit to myself. So, is there a possibility to add anything else to the agreement?"
"One should not agree to anything about which the details are not known."
".... .... yes, you're right... All the things I said yesterday are true, but I still can't escape my needs. ..Because of this, and because you are my contractual partner, I would like to draw up an additional agreement on the satisfaction of these needs."
"And how exactly do you imagine that?"
"Regular meetings, once or twice a month, not during my heat."
"Not during your heat?"
"No, that's... that's too...dangerous."
"I see. If we could define the details more precisely, I am willing to agree."

Nothing of this conversation was even remotely sexy, rather the opposite, but it served its purpose. And Diluc was pleased with that. In this way it would be possible for him to go on living as before without losing his mind once a month. At least that's what he thought. After writing the details down and watching the dark-haired put a strange sign onto the papers, Diluc finally got up and dressed. The day had only just begun and he had business to do. When he opened the door, however, he did not expect to be greeted by loud chatter and a slightly stressed Adelinde.

"Good morning, Master Diluc. I'm sorry that I have to disturb you this early, but you and your guest have visitors.", she said sounding a little annoyed but smiled when she looked at the taller man which was now standing right behind her master in a strangely protective manner.
"Guests? Who are these guests?"
"A man called Childe to pick up Mister Zhongli and a young man called Thoma accompanied by Miss and Mister Kamisato."
Hearing Childe's name, Diluc growled quietly but tried to suppress it immediately. He didn't want the harbinger in his home and secretly not in the vicinity of his, of course only and purely, business partner.
"...thank you, Adelinde. I'll take care of it now."

Going down the stairs had never felt so strenuous. On the one hand because he really didn't feel like meeting the harbinger, on the other hand, well, because he still couldn't walk properly.

"Mornin'~ Ready to leave?", Childe jumped up as soon as he saw both of them coming down the stairs and approached the dark-haired with a mischievous grin on his lips. Stretching his arms behind his back, rocking on his feet, the ginger placed a kiss on Zhongli's cheek and winked at the redhead. Right now his only interest was to annoy the shit out of Diluc and it was showing.
"Good Morning, Ajax.", Zhongli replied sounding unfazed but threw a stern look at the harbinger.
"Behave, will you?", he added a little quieter but stricter.
"Always, at least if it's you who's asking."
"Good, but I wasn't exactly asking. Would you mind to wait outside?"
"Don't keep me waitin'~"

"My apologies. I will now take my leave as to not postpone your business any longer. Take care until we meet again.", leaning down to place a kiss on Diluc's forehead, the archon left without waiting for another response. As suddenly as he had appeared in Diluc's life yesterday, he had disappeared again and Diluc was annoyed as hell by it. Or rather by Childe, but that didn't matter now either, he had guests to look after.

-

"...Brother, you're making them feel uncomfortable.", Ayaka mumbled after a few minutes of chatting with the redhead and her companions, glancing at Ayato a little too stern.
"Haha I'm just telling the truth. I know that it's none of our business and I'm only here because Thoma touted the wine, but it is not forbidden to state my opinion, is it?"
"....Look at Thoma, he is probably not enthusiastic about it when you talk about your private life...."
Ayaka had been right. Thoma was blushing enormously and Diluc had averted his gaze a few minutes ago. Both Omegas probably felt more than uncomfortable and only Ayaka took this into account.
"Forgive me, I just said that I would not have any interest in sharing Thoma with anyone else.. hah... well anyway, why don't we try the wine instead of this little fun talk?"

-

After the initially unpleasant conversation, the rest of the process went satisfactorily. Diluc was able to sell some wine and his guests had left pleased. At least that was nothing to complain about, even if the red-haired was subconsciously preoccupied with the comment about Zhongli and the harbinger. Was it true? Were they something? Why would he be with a harbinger? But if he was, was it something Diluc should be bothered with? Was it another contract between the two of them? It would only be logical for the harbinger to try to guarantee his freedom but did that mean that they were physically close too? Zhongli had said it himself, abstinence was not part of the contract and like an omega got into heat, an alpha got into a rut too. Just because they had this contract their relationship wasn't exclusive .. Relationship. Not even that was really true. Groaning annoyed, Diluc took the papers Ayato had signed and went into his office. Now that he got rid of the demands of his body he should be able to work properly again. He shouldn't waste his time with thoughts like that. He really shouldn't...

-

Months passed and nothing had really changed between Diluc and Zhongli. The contract remained the same except for the two times a month when the archon visited the winery. At first it went exactly like Diluc had hoped it would, but his interests changed like the weather. One day he wanted Zhongli to leave before sunrise, the other he wanted him to stay until sunset. One day he wanted to know nothing about him, the other he couldn't decide which of his questions to ask first. He had considered to just ask someone else about him, but for once it didn't feel right. Yes, it had gotten better, he could concentrate better and was more balanced, but on the other hand it had also gotten worse. More frequently he wished to meet the dark-haired when he was in heat, not thinking about him during this time, he had already given up on that. He also began to guess why he hated it when the harbingers scent was stuck on his partner and that was just another dilemma he had to deal with. It had gotten better but also more confusing. He wasn't really developing any feelings, was he? It couldn't be, it was just a contract. Just a beneficial contract for both parties.

-

"...eh?...haha, seems like you got a visitor~", swinging his legs back to the other side of Zhongli's desk, to the one facing the door, Childe grinned a little looking at the redhead entering the Funeral Parlor. It wasn't their usual meeting time and place. This was new. This definitely was new considering the date and even Childe could guess that easily.
"Ajax, I told you that you cannot stay if you cause any trouble. You will spill the ink if you are not careful.", putting the small vessel aside just in case, Zhongli looked up from his documents, the surprise visible on his face when he recognized who was visiting him.
"Diluc..., a pleasant surprise, but.. did I forget an appointment?", he asked almost as calm as ever, just a little bothered by the scent that would slowly threaten to cloud his mind.
"Appointment, eh? Weird way to describe your little meetings haha.", jumping of the desk, Childe slowly approached the redhead, carrying another mischievous grin on his lips as he sniffed him.
".. .. ...No, I just wanted to talk to you. Alone.", deciding to simply ignore Childe, probably the best decision available, Diluc avoided to touch the ginger and approached Zhongli instead. Ah, he slowly really wanted to burn this pesky Fatui guy to ashes, but he probably shouldn't do it inside the Funeral Parlor and next to Zhongli. No, he was better than that.
"All right. Ajax, will I see you tonight for dinner as usual?"
"Kicking me out when it gets exciting? Not fair, Xiansheng, not fair."
"Ajax."
"Keep calm, I got it haha. How about a little spar before dinner? You still owe me one."
While they were waiting for Childe to leave, both men remained silent but it didn't take long after the door had closed for Diluc to plop onto Zhongli's lap, his animal causing him to ignore his pride completely, and look at him almost a little reproachful.
"...Why do you always meet one of the Fatui?", the redhead asked nuzzling his nose against the archons neck, every movement completely driven by instinct. He kept quiet when he finally could feel the others arms wrapped around his waist, but shuffeled a little closer to him. It was good to feel him again, to smell and touch him again. Diluc needed that more than ever, even if he wouldn't want to admit that to himself.
"....First and foremost, we are business partners, but we have certainly become friends as well. In terms of your aversion, my choice of people to be friends with might be questionable, but personally I am hardly interested in the machinations of the Fatui as long as they do not pose a threat to my country. So far relations with them have been rather profitable.", replying a little distracted even if it wasn't noticeable yet, the dark-haired turned his head a little to burry his nose in the soft red hair. The smaller one was smelling amazing, like morning dew and grapes, a strangely addicting scent.
"...that's not ...everything to this, isn't it?"
"...if you refer to my entire relationship with the Fatui, then yes, there is more to it.... If you refer to my relationship with Childe instead, no. His behaviour towards you only serves the purpose of making you willing to fight against him, to tease you at least. This has nothing to do with an aversion to you, on the contrary, he was rather excited to meet you in person."
"He would like to compete against me? For what purpose?"
"Exploiting potential. Improvement of skills."
"And you are sure it is not about you instead?", Diluc's question sounded like a quiet hiss followed by a soft bite into the others neck, more like a nibble, but possesive, jealous even.
"...I... do not think so but.. Diluc... the timing of this conversation was not chosen wisely... In view of the components of our contract, I would ask you to ...leave and continue this conversation at another time...", Zhongli sounded stern but unusually unconvincing, his nails clawing into the others waist made it even more apparent that he didn't trust his own words right now.
"...I knew that... before I came here.."
"The components of a contract must be followed up to its termination."
"...if..I remember correctly... we didn't set an ...end date, right?", whispering between wet kisses along the dark-haireds neck, unmistakably needy, Diluc couldn't think of the contract and its components. He wasn't thinking of anything, he just wanted to feel more of Zhongli. He wanted to feel him on every inch of his skin, to feel his fingertips, his tongue, everywhere on and inside him. His mind had already lost the battle when he entered the room.
"...that is ..correct. Does that mean you want to end the contract?"
"..Zhongli please....."
"You need to answer me first.", tracing his fingertips along the redheads spine, lifting his shirt with the movement, Diluc mewled feeling the tingles creeping over every inch of his body. He had been longing for this. He was longing for it now.
"Yes. ...Yes I want to end it.", he whispered in a breathy voice, not even aware of his own words.
The nod and quiet chuckle made him feel a little insecure but it vanished as soon as he heard the door locking just by a tiny movement of Zhongli's hand.
"Keep quiet.", the dark-haired ordered, smiling pleased when Diluc just nodded in return. What a tame little flame the otherwise blazing fire could be.

-

Diluc didn't know how much time was passing, he didn't know if he was quiet or loud, if all of Liyue could hear him moan the beloved consultants name, he didn't know if it was too much or too little, he only knew that he wanted more of it, more, just more even if he would loose his consciousness. Sometime between too much and too little, his body, that still hadn't known the intesive feelings, was surrendering to exhaustion. He couldn't remember the moment it happened, only that he felt more satisfied and balanced than ever before, happy to feel the traces Zhongli had left everywhere. He had lost his mind somewhere at the beginning of this and didn't even want to get it back. Never, if possible.

-

Even if he had almost forgotten that they had been inside the Funeral Parlor, he was surprised not to regain consciousness there, but did not have the mental capacity to deal with it now. His mind was hazy, inundated with endorphins and maybe already a bit of human chorionic gonadotropin. He was surrounded by a soft scent of incense and tea, the dim light of a few candles, snuggled into a soft pillow and against another mans body. It felt cozy and warm, whole. This time he didn't touch his neck in panic, he could already feel that there wasn't something. Deep inside he was still relieved about that but also subconsciously a little bit dissapointed.

"You are finally awake, aren't you?", the archon asked sounding calm and composed, slowly tracing his fingers along Diluc's shoulder.
"...finally? How long...have you been awake already?", the redhead mumbled drowsy, moving just a inch to be able to look at Zhongli.
"About two hours."
The faint blush that started to bloom on Dilucs face caused Zhongli to chuckle while he stopped him from moving away. The statement wasn't a complaint after all.
"...You didn't mark me.", Diluc's statement, on the other hand, almost sounded like a complaint, even if it was unintentional. It was also the first thing that came to his mind even if he could've asked a million things or nothing.
"I will not do anything against your will or without your consent."
"... ... ... thank you.. for paying attention to my wishes, but why are you doing this? Why do you actually care about what I want and what I don't want?"
"I do not consider a beginning heat to be a suitable basis for such decisions, that is why I did not listen to your pleas. To answer the other question, nowadays I see no value in a forced, only one-sided satisfactory relationship of any origin."
"What if I told you to do it now? To mark me now?"
"Then I still won't do it. This was just the beginning, 小太阳. I am willing to talk about it again in a few days."
"A few days.. do you intend... to accompany me during these days?"
"If you want, I am by no means averse to it."
"Not averse to it huh? How very unselfish of you.", Diluc chuckled a little looking at the brief stern expression on Zhongli's face but felt like melting on the spot when his expression changed into a small smirk. This man was doing things to him and nothing of it was good for his sanity, but more than good for everything else. Throwing his leg over Zhongli's, moving to sit on his lap instead of snuggling up against him, Diluc was again close to forgetting what he actually wanted to talk about. Maybe Zhongli was right, it wasn't a good time for a chat.
"You are far more in need of proximity than I would have thought, aren't you?", the dark-haired asked amused, even more after the quiet hiss he received for it, but didn't need much effort to switch their position and the expression on the redheads face in an instant.
"Actually, I thought you already had good manners but considering that you hissed at me, it seems to me that I have to teach you some more."

-

The day Diluc had presented as an Omega he had sworn to himself to never let someone, an alpha, be close to him in such a way. He had sworn to himself to deal with everything on his own, unwilling to surrender to nature already at a young age. Sure, young Diluc had imagined a different life, one where he would have a family on his own, but that was all before that special day. The pressure he felt since that day was destructive, even more since another fateful day. How should he lead an industry? How should he be respected if he was just an omega? Born to be with an alpha? Born to serve a predetermined purpose? The dreams faded until there were none left. He had sworn it to himself but he had broken the vow himself more than once now. Contrary to his expectations, he did not regret meeting Zhongli. Not a little. Not after spending the four days of his heat with him. Not after Zhongli had still heed his wishes.

-

"Feeling better? You could have called me.", Zhongli asked in a soft voice when he got up to support the redhead that stumbled out of the bathroom after soaking in bath water until he had almost dissolved.
"Hmh, still a little sore but better. Is it going to be like this every month?", sitting down on the bed, Diluc flinched a little, even the matress felt too hard right now. His body was sensitive, overused.
"I assume that you know the answer to that yourself but I think that it will improve over time."
"I can't neglect work for a whole week every month. When I came here I hadn't planned to be here for five days already now... and if I had known, I had brought another pillow too...."
"Hm that is of course unfavorable but I dare to doubt that you were ever productive during those days. In terms of a pillow, I do have more at another place but I assumed that you wouldn't have liked to wake up there."
"I already know that myself but ... I can't walk properly Zhongli. That's what I am complaining about. And another place? What are you talking about?"
"Well, if you would prefer, we could change the location next time. I suppose you could do paperwork without walking too much.  And my nest, to answer the question."
"I saw that smile, you're teasing me aren't you?"
"I only have legitimate doubts about the seriousness of your complaint. After all, as long as my memories does not deceive me, it was not me beg-"
"Shush, I got it, ok? Still, maybe it would really be more useful to change the location next time. But a nest doesn't sound quite right."
"It does not? How unfavorable."
"Is that what happens to you if you are exposed to too many hormones?"
"It seems like I do not know what you are talking about now."
"I would believe you without that smile."
Zhongli hummed leaning closer to the redhead that was trying to dry his hair without moving too much and placed a kiss on his head before he got up to use the bathroom himself.
"Do you have any food preferences?", he asked when he was still leaning against the doorframe, watching the other attentively.
"Hm? No, not really, even if seafood sounds unappealing at the moment, but why do you ask?"
"To get something."
"You want to go out to get some food?"
"Yes, it would be wise to eat something nutritious after these days."
"And you want me to stay here?"
"In view of your complaint I assumed that you do not want to accompany me."
"Aren't you ... tired? You didn't rest much and still don't seem to be exhausted."
"I can also rest when I return. At the moment, I would prefer to ensure your well-being."
"....everything ...would be fine....", Diluc had turned away to hide the blush that was blooming on his cheeks. Even if they had spent the last four days very intensely together, he hadn't expected that. He still hadn't expected Zhongli to actually care about and for him. It was strange. His heat had ended but his heart was beating faster than ever. Maybe it really wasn't that bad, was it?

-

"Hm? ..Wait, tell me, do you remember what it means when the door is closed?"
"..Mama is working..."
"And that means?"
"..I am not allowed to go in .."
"You are such a smart girl. What do you think, should we go out to pick some grapes? We are almost out of grape juice."
"Daddy! They only grow in front of our home in Mond!", the five years old girl giggled looking at her father which whom she shared her eyecolor and the tiny horns that appeared on her head whenever she was excited.
"Ah I forgot, what would I do without you. Well ,what could we do out here then?"
"Granny told me... uhm... that.. she now keeps fish in her teacup! I would like to feed them! Daddy, could we go and feed them?"
"Madame Ping got some fish in her teapot? I did not know that. Well, then go and tell Mama we're leaving. For that you are allowed to enter the room."
With the tiny horns now appearing on her head, the young girl knocked on the door and rushed into the room without waiting for an answer.
"Mama! Daddy and I are going to see the fishies!", she yelled overly excited, giggling when Diluc picked her up and sat her on his lap.
"You are going to see fishes?"
"As I have just been informed, Madame Ping now houses fish in her teapot. Yan wants to feed them. We should be back before sunset.", Zhongli explained leaning against the doorframe, looking at both of them with a warm smile on his lips.
Nodding, the redhead placed a kiss on the girls head and put her back down.
"Daddy, quick, we still have to go buy food for the fishies! ...Daddy, what do fishies eat?"
"Go put your jacket on, I'll be right there to tell you. ... Do you need anything? We could take it with us on the way back."
"No thanks, I already have everything I need but..."
"But?"
"Take me with you."
"Are you sure you do not want to continue working?"
"Hm.. ...you know, sometimes I really think it would be nice not to run a business.. ..and the fish are sure to be hungry, aren't they?"
Zhongli chuckled a little after listening to Dilucs statement and lifted his hand to place it on his cheek, caressing it gently.
"I think they can wait a minute longer.", he replied and bend down to kiss him, using the moment their fire red-haired daughter was too busy to care.
"....all of this is not as bad as I had thought...", Diluc whispered when they broke the kiss again, his hands resting on the others chest.
"Not as bad hm? Love, I think your mother would really like to go swimming with the fish."
"What? Don't you dare!", the redhead laughed when he followed his mate and their daughter, the girl giggling in her father's arm after he had picked her up to 'run' away.
Yes, maybe this really wasn't too bad. And maybe some things had a price, but this definitely was priceless.

Chapter Text

..don't you want to rest too? I ..heard that most adepti don't sleep much but....you've been watching me for days even weeks now ... why don't you sleep a little? I promise to not leave this room. I won't even go down to talk to Veer Goldet... it's pretty late anyways...", sitting on his bed after arriving at home again, Aether looked at Xiao attentively and, if the yaksha could read him right, worried. How ridiculous considering that he really seemed to compare an adeptus to mere mortals.
"...I don't need to rest but why don't you rest yourself? I assume that you found the day exhausting.", leaning against the window like he always did, Xiao didn't look at Aether in return. He didn't sound worried, not even like he cared, but compared to the rest of the time his voice sounded very neutral. Maybe Zhonglis words were echoing in his mind or he was already  starting to change his opinion about Aether, but no one could've told that. But if only this meant that he wasn't hating him anymore, then the blonde would be happy about it. Small steps. Aether already knew that it would take a lot of small steps to reach a big goal at some point.
"...it was but... I am very grateful that you gave me this opportunity.. I .. already noticed that you don't like people that much, it must have been very exhausting for you too .. so ...thank you very much, really."
"I don't like their company and their ways of thinking, that's all. My purpose is to protect them, not like them. It's exactly the same as with you. I only do what I was asked to do. Enough now, you should sleep."
'...exactly the same as with you.'
Aether sighed quietly when he slipped back under the covers, hiding between layers of cotton and silk so no one could see that he felt uncomfortable about this statement. Small steps huh? Aether was nothing more than a job for the yaksha, he would never forgive him that way, not when he didn't even see him the way he really was. It was strange. They didn't know each other for long but it was bothering the blonde the most. Maybe because he was spending most of his time in Xiaos presence. Lumine trusted the dark-haired and he trusted her, they had formed a strange bond over the time they spent together and Aether honestly was feeling... envious. One side of him was happy to know that Lumine never had to be alone if she didn't want to, that she made so many friends along the way, he really was, but the other side was feeling bad about it. He couldn't help it even if he knew that he was the one to blame, that it was his own fault, but knowing that it eventually would never be the same for him felt horrible.
"Xiao?", still hiding under the blankets, Aether knew that the other could hear him even if he was only whispering.
"It doesn't make any sense, does it? ... everyone who looks at me carries the same expression in their eyes no matter what they say to me. It's the same as yours. An expression that tells me that I don't deserve to ...be. I guess that's exactly how you look at me now...", Aether chuckled quietly, a frustrated chuckle, when he turned under the covers, away from where Xiao was sitting even if he couldn't see him anyways. Some days before the darkness had still been clouding his mind every now and then, leaving him confused and sometimes angry, but right now it were just his own feelings, his own vulnerability.
"Aeth-... ... you won't change anything if you pity yourself. Those who do not want to listen will not understand and those who listen have to decide for themselves which way they want to go. Who do you want to beg for forgiveness to? Gods that do not listen? Archons you decided against? Do you think your sister got anything for free? If you think that way, you should begin to listen first before asking others to hear. ...... and stop hiding.", at the moment in which he had almost spoken Aether's name, it had sounded almost warm, but this barely lasted a few seconds. Xiao had sounded stern, a little judgmental but not mean. The blonde had heard him move, but was still startled when the bed dipped next to him shortly after. Crawling out of his self made blanket cave, Aether looked completely disheveled and confused as he looked at the other, who was now sitting so close to him.
"You wanted someone to listen to you? Then talk, I'm waiting."
"...huh?"
"You kept talking all the time but none of it had any meaning, why don't you stop wasting your time and tell me what you want me to listen to?"
"...You want to hear about my past motives?"
"Whether I want it or not doesn't matter. You wanted me to rest and I will while you tell me the truth."
"I............huh? ...  ... eh yes, yes of course.."

Aether had talked for hours with only the stars and the guardian yaksha listening to the stories he hadn't told anyone before. Sometimes it didn't make sense, words getting chaotic and details forgotten but Xiao kept listening with closed eyes and a strange heavy feeling on his heart. There was much he would've wanted to answer, to ask, and some things he would've wanted to scream but this wasn't a dialogue. This was the story of a man that only needed to be heard. And Xiao had heard a lot of innocent dreams that had turned into haunting nightmares. Even if this story was way bigger, unfortunately not even a dream, it was still the same. Aether did not hide anything, tried not to present anything differently than it had been, he was just honest about everything and anything. And all this honesty in his words were something the yaksha liked. Maybe the blonde wasn't that bad after all. Maybe.

"Tell me, how do you feel now that you had the chance to speak your mind?", Xiao asked when Aether was now just sitting next to him quietly, breathing calm with no expression left on his face.
"..how do I feel?", the blonde turned his head a little to look at the other but seemed to stare right through him instead, amber eyes as empty as the darkness that had surrounded him for so many years.
"Yes. Do you feel anger? Grief? Maybe guilt? Or is it relief?"
"...nothing.", it was just a whisper, barely audible but the plain truth. Now that he had told his story, he should feel anything and everything at once but there was nothing left in his chest that needed to be felt.
"...a good start."
"...a good start for what?"
"For what you want to achieve."
"But how?"
"I am not your teacher, you will have to find out for yourself, but in every day in which the darkness doesn't gnaw at your soul, you can begin to be who you are. Time will tell who that really is."

-

Shortly after this conversation, Xiao had disappeared and Aether was alone again in the room that was both his home and his prison. There had been moments in which he had wanted to run away and moments in which he he'd wanted to hide in there forever, but right now was the first time he really felt content with just existing there. The blonde felt nothing but that felt strangely okay. He didn't cry, he didn't laugh, he was just breathing in the simple nothingness that for once felt like a warm embrace instead of suffocating chains. Aether got up to take a bath, went down the stairs to share his breakfast with Veer Goldet instead of eating alone and climbed back into the bed when the sun slowly began to rise. A new day didn't mean a new collection of hours in which he would have to fight, to lead the darkness or beg for forgiveness, it simply meant still being allowed to be. And that felt great. Even if it wouldn't last.

-

"Xiao? I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going down to the kitchen. Veer Goldet told me that Smiley Yanxiao offered to teach me some new recipes. I won't be able to affort eating at restaurants forever, but I'm not running away.", Aether yelled into nothingness like he always did when he left the bedroom, wanting to show Xiao that he was still completely honest with him. Aether was a bit dissapointed that the yaksha talked to him after their conversation anymore and only had watched him from afar, but the last week still hadn't been bad. He had been able to use it to rest, to sort his thoughts and feelings, to accept that he didn't know who he was anymore but also that this meant that he could be who he really wanted to be. And Aether still felt content with all of that. Maybe he missed Xiaos company a little, but he couldn't change something about that.
This day also passed quietly. The blonde would have claimed that he really had fun in the cooking class, proud of the dish he made that even impressed the chef. It was a good day. A normal day.

But not every good day would end as a good one. Yes, in the last week Aether had felt good, but a week was not enough to fully process 500 years. He had suspected that, but did not expect to feel so lost when he lay down in the same bed again in the evening. Aether hadn't planned or wanted that, but when he snuggled into the blankets seeking for a tiny bit of comfort, hoping that this would be enough to stop it, the tears were already running down his cheeks in seemingly endless streams. Of course, three days of inner peace had their price and the still so human abyss prince had to pay for them too. Had to pay for them now. Suddenly everything was trying to tear his soul apart once again while some parts of his soul were still missing, trying to suffocate him once more, trying to lure him back to the place that had been his home while he wanted this world to be his home. While he tried so hard to make this world his home one day. The voices inside his head were too loud to be understood, screaming at him in a foreign language he knew too well, telling him that he would never be worth to be forgiven. Telling him that he had failed his only purpose. Telling him that he had left them alone to die. He didn't know the voices, didn't know if they were really there, but he couldn't tell them to stop. His body was already trembling, his heart racing and aching, threatening to burst under the pressure he felt on his chest. It happened so fast, so unexpected, without any reason.

"Remember what I told you?... Listen to my words and follow my lead. Inhale. Hold your breath. It is just inside your head. You and I are the only ones who are really here. Exhale. Once again. Inhale and hold your breath. Everything might feel real, but nothing is going to hurt you. You're here. And you're safe. Exhale. Continue to breathe.", even if Aether could barely hear him, he could immediately recognize the yakshas voice between all the screaming ones inside his head. Xiao sounded calm, just calm without any sign of being annoyed.
"...I can't...", Aether pressed out between sobbing and gasping for air, feeling like his heart would stop beating any minute now. He tried to get up to sit down on his hands again, to put his feet back on the ground, but his body wasn't listening.
"You can. Inhale and hold your breath. Nothing of what you hear is really here. Nothing of it can hurt you. Exhale."
Between desperate tries to breathe and failed attempts to move, Aether cried out loudly, completely out of control of his own mind. Everything was too loud, everything hurt. He felt dizzy, nauseous, but he still tried to do what Xiao was telling him to do. It felt like his life was depending on it.
"Breathe. Inhale and exhale. Over and over again.", Xiao's voice was still strangely calm and patient, almost soft despite the repeated commands.
Aether couldn't concentrate on what the yaksha was doing while he talked, but clung to him like a lost child when he felt him next to himself after a while. The other was tense, incredibly tense, but still didn't move away.  Instead, Xiao placed his hand on Aethers back, rubbing it in gentle circles like someone else had done for him many centuries ago. Xiao didn't know how things like these worked, but when Morax had comforted him this way, it had done something good to him.
"You're doing good. Just keep breathing. It will be over soon."
It was weird that it didn't feel as bad as it should. Aethers tears and snot were ruining his clothes, his trembling annoying and his voice too loud while he was crying, but seeing him calm down slowly felt like it was worth it. The yaksha felt compassion while he was holding the other close and for the first time ever he felt like could completely understand what someone else was feeling. Aether had this burden to bear while he himself suffered from karmic debt, it was strangely similar.
"It's okay. Keep breathing. In and out. You're doing good, Aether.", wrapping a few loose strands of the blonde haie around his finger, a mostly unconscious act, Xiao could feel the slender body slowly relax and slump against his own, the panic being replaced by exhaustion.
"Next time tell me you're bad before it gets to this. I promised to take care of you."
For a few minutes longer the adeptus held the other in his arms, waiting for him to fully calm down again.  The whole act should've felt uncomfortable, it actually always felt uncomfortable when he touched someone else, but he couldn't even tell himself that. It was uncomfortable to see Aether suffer, but not to touch him. When he could hear that the blonde was breathing normally again, he placed him back on the bed, covered him with one of the blankets and got up to leave again. He knew that he maybe shouldn't leave him alone, the ex-archon had never left him alone after a moment like this, but Xiao had never wanted to stay, never intended to stay, he couldn't stay, could he?
"... ... Xiao...?"
"What?"
"...could...you ...stay?"
"To do what exactly?"
"...I...just...want to...listen to your voice...I don't want...to hear them..again..."
"You want to listen to my voice?... I don't intend to tell you a bed time story..."
"...no matter... what... everything... I'd listen to...everything..."
Aether could hear a long apparently annoyed sigh before Xiao seemed to take a seat on the windowsill again. It was quiet for a few minutes, just as long that he was about to accept that Xiao wouldn't talk to him, but he heard him sigh again.
"... the squirrel has babies."

-

"How are you feeling?"
Aether didn't know when he fell asleep during listening to Xiao, but he knew that he felt better with him at his side in the morning. Of course the yaksha was still or again sitting on the windowsill, but he was still there, that was enough to feel happy about. Maybe it didn't have any meaning, he knew that he was a job for him, but it was nice to not be alone. It had been nice to be close to him even if he couldn't really enjoy it last night.
"..better.... thank you for everything. ", mumbling still drowsy and a little confused, the blonde slowly got up to look at the other, smiling warm and honest as he did so even if the dark-haired immediately looked away as soon as their eyes had met.
"That's good to hear. I heard that Lumine will be back in four weeks, maybe that will help you too. ..She and that girl want to attend the Latern Rite."
"Amber, isn't it?... the Latern Rite... I didn't know it would happen so soon again.."
"Soon? It's once a year but...it sounds like you have been there before."
"...yes, I was there a few times, last time when Lumine had attended it."
"...you have been in the city unnoticed?"
"Xiao, it..wasn't my intention to hurt anyone and I didn't. I just wanted to see her."

Aether sighed when he turned his gaze away again. Maybe he had hoped that with Xiao still being there he might have a chance to get closer to him, to befriend him but seeing his annoyed expression, all his hopes were dying again.

"Does she know about that?"
"Huh?.. ah no, I don't think so. I may tell her one day if she wants to know more about my.. life. Or what it has been like."
"Are the voices gone again? As they aren't dreams I cannot devour them."
"... ... eh?..... I mean.. yes, yes I can't hear them right now but why would you even want to do that?"
"Because that's one of my purposes. Nip evil in the bud. But in your case it is not a bud, it has already been part of you. It has been you. Even if the conception of good and bad is a controversial topic according to your story."
"Xiao, do you think that I am a bad person? It's okay, you can be honest."
"... I heard what you did here at the Inn. She said that you helped out a lot. That you did everything as long as it was in or around the building, which means that you never broke your promise too."
"That doesn't make me a good person."
"That is correct. I was thinking about it while you were asleep and I don't have an answer to your question yet, but... I do not hate you. That's what you wanted to know, isn't it? Even if I don't know why you should care about my opinion. "

The smile that suddenly grazed the blondes lips was honestly happy. Xiao was right, he had wanted to know that and hearing that he at least didn't hate him felt already great enough. Small steps. He always knew that would have to make a lot of small steps, sometimes even some back if necessary. It was another small step for Aether, but a big one right into the yakshas heart. Why the hell did this stupid smile make his heart beat faster? Why should he feel that way just because the other was smiling now? A smile, it was just a smile on pretty rosy lips.

"Will you attend the Lantern Rite? I guess Lumine would like to go with all of her friends....", to break the silence again, feeling a little uncomfortable since Xiao was now starring at him with a strange expression, Aether decided to just talk about their first topic again.
"...I haven't thought about that yet."
"Oh...I would really like to see it again but I don't think I would be wanted there...and besides, I am not allowed to enter the city alone anyways."
"You could go with your sister."
Aether simply nodded. Of course he could go there with Lumine but did he really want to do that? Did he want to be a third wheel on their date or meet all these other people again? Did he even feel ready to do such a thing? If he would've been honest, he could've said that he wanted to go there with Xiao, he already knew that he would be safe with him, would feel safe with him because he trusted him, but Aether couldn't be honest for once, he was convinced that the other wouldn't get that right. Did he even care about such things?

"...ah anyways, thank you again. You're good at thes-... Uh..nevermind.. I promised to help Verr Goldet at the reception today, don't worry, I won't leave the building.", Aether said when he finally got up to get dressed, almost relieved about getting the chance to spare himself the embarrassment of complementing someone who clearly didn't like that. Or someone who at least seemed like he didn't like it.
"What are you going to do at the reception?"
"Hm? Ah she told me about her anniversary the last time we ate together and I offered her to welcome the guests so that she and her husband could go out together. I thought it would be sad to spent such a day at work."
"You'll do that out of compassion?"
"Partly. I am also very grateful that I can still be here and that's the least I could do to return the favor."
"She doesn't know who you are.. who you have been."
"Oh no, she knows that."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"She's pretty much my only friend, so I just had to be honest with her."
"And you told her that?"
"Xiao, you might not understand that but I was lonely most of the time, I had to talk to someone. Maybe she judges me too, but she still treats me nicely, that's all I could ask for."
The adeptus didn't reply anything else, he just kept looking out of the window, quietly wondering about Aether. He wasn't what he had suspected him to be like. Maybe he was a little lost, but he was nice. He was treating others nicely, smiling whenever he met someone, waving to the guests whenever they crossed his way. Xiao expected him to be a bad person, but the blonde in front of him wasn't really bad and nothing of the things he had told him was born out of ill intentions. Xiao started to question the concept of good and bad and himself once again. Not because of the criteria for good and bad, but because he was starting to like someone he didn't want to like in the first place.

-

Xiao had been watching him secretly while Aether was working at the front desk. This time not to watch if he would stay there, but to see what he was doing. He was seeing him smile again, treating everyone with respect, a warm welcome offered to every guest. Sometimes he helped them to carry their luggage, listened to sheer endless tales told by elderly people or cuddled the cat whenever nobody was there. And Xiao felt warm while he was watching him and some would have even claimed that the adeptus had smiled once.

-

It was already past midnight when the blonde finally walked back to his room, exhausted but happy about the things he'd done today. It wasn't the same as ruling a dark kingdom, but maybe such down-to-earth tasks were even better. It felt fulfilling to do something that made others smile, even if only for a short period of time.
Aether was too tired to change properly before he crawled back into his bed, simply threw away every piece of clothing that was not underwear and snuggled into the pillows and blankets, squeezing them into a body like roll he could hug. He had too many of them anyway. In all that time he was also too tired to notice that Xiao was there, inadvertently overlooking him as he undressed and went to bed. A fact that startled the other a lot. He had never been there before unless Aether was fully dressed, had always been gone when he went to take a bath and Xiao had surely seen naked people before, but why the hell did his cheeks feel this hot now? What strange feelings seemed to grow in him? Were they some he should have tried to erase and ignore? The yaksha knew admiration, respect and even something like affection, but that, that was new. The dark-haired had intended to leave after this incident, but he simply couldn't. He was feeling too nervous, unable to just vanish quietly and was still a little worried about Aethers suffering. He wanted to make sure that he was safe. What was the strange blonde doing to him? When did he start to feel this way? And why? It hadn't been there long, maybe only a few hours or days, but this feeling seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. Was that something good or bad?

"....no I can't do that ...", it was maybe two o'clock in the morning when Aether had started to mumble things in his sleep, bringing Xiao's full attention back to him again.
"...they're innocent...", his voice was calm but his sleep seemed to be restless.
"...It is not their fault...", trashing, Aether sounded a little stressed, at least Xiao thought that it was what he must be feeling and with that he started to feel stressed himself. If Aether was having a nightmare, he would've to help him.
"No, don't do that!", the second the yell had left his lips, Xiao reflexively climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around him as if it was the only thing he had ever done in his life. He hadn't even thought about it. It was a fast movement  but Aether did not wake up from it. Hanging completely limp in the embrace, he only slowly came back to his senses through the repeated murmurs of comforting phrases that left the yakshas lips in a soft voice.
"...you're safe, nothing can hurt you.."
"...nggh... what ... what's ...going on?...Xiao?... what ... what are you doing?", the blonde blushed a little when he understood what must have happened, surprised by the others actions. It felt nice to be taken care of like this, a warm body against his own, the scent of almond tofu tickling his nose. It felt nice, but overwhelming. He was so close. When was the last time he had felt like this? Obviously not for the last 500 years.
"You had a nightmare.", the yaksha replied, only slowly inching back a little to look at the boy that didn't seem to be scared at all.
"...have you ...been worried? ...about me?"
"I told you to tell me when you were feeling bad and you can't do that when you're asleep. I just fulfilled my task to protect you."
"Xiao...I ......thank you..", Aether was actually touched by what he had just heard since Xiao apparently had been worried about him. A shame that the worry was completely in vain  but did he have to tell him what he had been really dreaming about?
"....I just..dreamed of the squirrels ...  Verr Goldet wanted me to put away their nest ....", Aether had already suspected that Xiao would leave the second he had heard that, and he did, but he had sworn to himself that he would never lie to him. Xiao didn't say anything in return, but carried a suddenly annoyed expression on his face. If it was just a normal dream, why had he felt the need to help? Why did he even care? Looking at Aether once again from afar, the yaksha remembered the ex-archons words and wondered if it could be true. Did he already like him more than he expected? And if, what would that mean for him?

-

Xiao had been with Aether unusually often over the next weeks. The unusual thing about it wasn't that he was there, but that he seemed to be actively spending time with him. Aether didn't know what motives the yaksha had, he probably wouldn't have understood either, if Xiao had explained to him that he just wanted to test whether it was the influence of the abyss, a curse, a blessing or something else, but he was happy about it. Maybe he really had a chance to make friends with him now and with a lot of luck, maybe even a chance for more. Aether knew that it wasn't exactly the right time to even think about it and that he didn't even know himself if his feelings were real, but he had no time to loose. Not anymore. Not after all these years he had spent alone.

"Have you never petted one? They're actually really soft."
"I don't think any of us ever did. If I may remind you, our relationship with them is rather.... tense."
Aether chuckled a little embarrassed when he remembered that abyss mages were rather less popular with humans and adepti or any other being that wasn't a part of the abyss itself.
"...would you...uh...oh that's a stupid question...but would you want to pet one?"
"Absolutely not.", even if Xiao sounded very averse, he too chuckled a little when he looked at Aether's embarrassed expression. The blonde had never seen him like this before and if he would do that again, he sure would combust. How could a simple smile make his heart beat so much faster?
"But if you can offer that, does that mean you are still in contact with them?"
"Only with one. A... very special one.....how should I put it...he's stupid. He's incredibly stupid but amiable... really. Not a descendant of the people of Kaenri'ah, I think he was never human at all since he's more like a.. puppy. Yes, a puppy."
"You kept an abyss mage as a pet?"
"Uhm no? Yes? That sounds weird, doesn't it?"
"It sounds horrible... ... ... but feeding Paimon everyday sounded at least as terrible to me."
"...so you don't understand why pets are kept?"
"Yes, I don't see any value in it."
"I see...but Xiao, what's a Paimon?"

-

"Do you want to get to know the area?", Xiao asked on another day, completely out of the blue while Aether had been sweeping his room.
"Like a walk? I'm not allowed to leave, remember?"
"It was said you shouldn't go alone."
"...You wanna go for a walk with me?"
"We don't have too. It was just an offer. Forget about it."
Throwing the broom on the floor, Aether ran closer to Xiao, shaking his head violently. Of course he would want to go for a walk with him, that was completely out of question.
"No, no, I would really like to go outside. ... with you. Let's go for a walk, yes? You could show me around, I haven't seen the area in ages...I'm sure a lot of things have changed.."

-

"Ohh... so that's why you like almond tofu. Well... then I'm happy you liked this one too. Ah..as I made it for you, you know.."
"You made it?"
"Ehuh! Our walk last time had made me happy, so I thought I'd do something for you too."
Xiao had turned away again after hearing this, but by now Aether knew that it wasn't a always a bad sign. He could still see how the yakshas ears had turned red, a cute sight, he couldn't deny that. And wouldn't deny that. He liked the guardian yaksha, why would he want to deny that?
"Good to hear that you liked the walk."
"I had completely forgotten that Liyue is this beautiful. All this time I just remembered how mad I was about everything. But all of that is so much more than I had in mind. I like the crystal flies, they are pretty when they glitter while they fly. And it feels like every stone here has a story that I didn't want to hear anymore years ago, but I want to listen now. I'm already looking forward to getting to know the other parts of this world anew."
"You intend to leave?"
"Not today, not tomorrow, but definitely at some point. I still have a lot to see and a lot to explain."
"You've already changed a lot."
"Do you think so? Hmm..maybe because you're by my side...", the smile on Aether's lips was warm, his voice soft and his intentions honest, all of which caused Xiao's heart to race again. He could neither turn away fast enough to hide his blush, nor look at the other or reply anything. The rhythmic rapid beating of his heart was so loud that he feared that Aether would be able to hear it.

-

"Aether!", good times are known to be passing fast and the last two weeks had been passing rapidly. It could've been just another simple morning for Aether, waking up to help in the kitchen, maybe share breakfast with Veer Goldet, play with the cat or just stay in bed, but this morning was the morning before the Lantern Rite and Lumine had returned.
"Ah I'm so glad to see you. I've got so many things to tell you! ..but tell me, how have you been?", hugging him tightly, disinterested in the fact that he was still in his pajamas on his bed, Lumine seemed to be in a really good mood.
"I'm fine. Everyone here is very nice.", he replied returning the hug and chuckled a little seeing her curious expression. His sister wanted to hear more and he would tell her, but where should he start?
"I helped out here at the inn most of the days, cooking, cleaning, things like that, but once I was in town and once for a walk."
"Alone? Aether it's dangerous to go out alone. What if someone had found out who you are?"
"Your friends in Liyue know who I am, I was there to talk to them and I wasn't alone either. Xiao was there with me."
"You did what? And wait, Xiao accompanied you? To the city?"
The blonde boy nodded and smiled a little, way too fond for his sister to not notice that something must have changed between the two of them.
"Hah! You have a crush on him, don't you? Hehe yes you do, I can see it!"
"Possibly?"
Lumine giggled and jumped out of the bed again, rummaging around his brother's room to look for something of which he could not have suspected.
"Lumi, what are you doing?"
"You and Xiao, you'll go to the Lantern Rite and I won't let you go there in your pajamas or your shady abyss outfit. You're me as a boy, I know that you can look better."
"We're not going there."
"Yes you will."
"No we don't."
"Uh uh uh, you will, trust me. Now get over here, we've got something to do. Amber?! Just come in already."
"Wait what?... Lumine!"

-

"How have you been lately? As I did not hear any incident reports, I guess it was bearable?"
After Lumine had arrived back at the Inn, Xiao had left them so that they could spend time alone. And since his task was now fulfilled too, he actually didn't have any other reason to stay there day and night, but he wasn't completely content with the situation. 
"No effort was necessary in watching him.", he replied almost emotionless, but Zhongli had known him long enough to know that that wasn't all of it.
"What is your impression of him then?"
"He is ...nice."
"Nice?"
The ex-archon might have known his yaksha for a long time, but he had never seen him blush before. Zhongli chuckled a little watching him almost fatherly, already aware of the situation since the moment they all had met. Maybe it was just a hunch at the time, but his predictions had often been accurate.
"The Lantern Rite..wouldn't it be a nice change of environment for him?"
"..do you ...advise me to go there with him?"
"Ah? Oh I was just thinking out loud."
"Go there and tell him how you feel, he's a good catch!", Childe yelled from somewhere inside the apartment, grinning wide when he came to join them at the balcony.
"What do you even know about something this?", Xiao hissed, now obviously tense.
"Uhhh...obviously I know some things.", the ginger replied waving his arms along Zhonglis figure as if to to present him to Xiao.
"...can't you send him back in?"
Zhongli only chuckled quietly, looking at both at them like the calm in person.
"I have to agree with him, Xiao, but this is your decision alone. If you are wondering how to do it, just be honest, this proved to be the most effective."
Xiao sighed a little turning his head to the side, apparently nervous about the things they were talking about. He nodded silently when he vanished again, deciding to think about it for a moment but not talk about it any longer. It felt too embarrasing.

"Ah no, you're not going back in to ignore it now Sir. ...Sooo..why would you even want to agree to that?", Childe asked stopping Zhongli from leaving the balcony, grinning a little mischievously.
"It is not up to me to judge someone for their feelings, is it? As far as I remember, I was questioned quite a lot for being with you. Also, now that the tide has turned and one day will turn again, a moment of peace does no harm."
"Ahhh don't mention that haha... hmmm will it? But where will the tide turn then?"
"Why don't you tell me, my love, if the world has been conquered yet?"

-

Aether felt like a doll when Lumine and Amber joined forces to make him prettier for the evening. He didn't feel ugly before but he started to question himself seeing how busy they were. The Hanfu's fabric was nice, the pattern pretty and the colors fitting to what he liked, but why did they spent so much time with his hair? Yes, maybe he had neglected it a bit lately, but it wasn't that bad, was it?

"Why do I smell like cotton candy?", he asked when both had finished whatever they had been doing, now starring at him enthusiastically and convinced of themselves.
"It's a perfume Lisa made.  Ah sorry, you don't know her, right? She's the librarian of the Knights of Favonius!"
"...I see, but... why do I smell like cotton candy? Wasn't there anything else? Something less sweet?"
"Uh uh uh, it's perfect! Everyone loves cotton candy!"
The blonde sighed a little, rapidly realizing that he had no chance of winning this discussion. The girls were proud of their work and he didn't want to spoil their mood. Somehow he would survive anyways.
"...thanks for the effort, but I don't even know if I'm going.."
"We have already discussed that, Aether. You'll go. No resist talking."
"It's not up to me or you to decide it"
"I know, I know~... soo.. Amber and I are going to get changed now too, see you later, okay?"
"Ehuh ....guess I'll see you then..."

When the two had finally left, Aether got up, actually he had wanted to see himself, but somehow he preferred not to know what he looked like. If it was bad, at least he wouldn't know. Instead of walking to the bathroom, Aether went downstairs to talk with his favorite receptionist, intending to tell her about his inner turmoil caused by tonights upcoming event. She was his friend after all.

"Oh look at you, are you and our guardian finally going on a date?", she exclaimed as soon as she saw him, chuckling a little when she noticed the faint blush blooming on his cheeks.
"...not you too ... we're not going on a date and anyway, what do you mean by finally? Is it that obvious?"
"Let me put it this way, he's lived here for many years now and we talk maybe once every few months. For about five minutes. He spent a lot of time with you and I even believe that he did it voluntarily. If that's not a sign, what then?"
"But we don't even go there together. He said he doesn't know whether he's going at all."
"Hmmm ... why don't you ask him again?"
"And what am I supposed to ask? Hey, I know I'm the abyss prince and actually we should be enemies but I like you and thought we could go to the lantern rite together? Certainly not."
"No, certainly not. Just ask like you'd ask anybody else."
"Do you really think that he'll agree?"
"Who knows, I did not think that I would like you and yet we are here, miracles happen. And besides, who could say no to you now? I'd eat you up if I could."
"...because of the cotton candy scent, right?"

-

Back in his room, Aether thought about a perfectly normal way to ask Xiao about the Lantern Rite. Of course he could've followed Verr Goldets advise, but he was lacking a lot of experience in terms of talking to a love interest. The abyss wasn't a good environment for something like that, enough for physical experiences, but for being in love? No, definitely not.

"...I was wondering if you've thought about the Lantern Rite yet and wanted to propose to... ugh no... what is this? Business lunch?.... so about the Lantern Rite, wanna go there?....nooo...too casual...way to casual... since it's the Lantern Rite today and we're both alon-.... no Aether stop it right there... that sounds desperate....ok ok.... Xiao, would you like to attend the Lantern Rite with me? Hmh.. that's-"
"If that's what you want."
It took a second for Aether to realise that there wasn't somebody talking to him in his mind but Xiao who showed up right behind him, but when he did, he couldn't suppress the startled squeak that left his lips. Where the hell had the other one come from? And why right now? Blushing intensely with his heart racing and his hands sweating, Aether stared at the other completely lost. He was feeling lost, so why did Xiao look at him like this? Wait, was he blushing too?
"You...what...what are you doing here?.....wait ... you would want to go there with me?"
"...You called me. I told you to call out my name if you need me."
"Yeah sure but I didn't think ..."
"I would prefer if you didn't do this for no reason....but I wanted to ask the same question.....Only because it could be a nice change for you of course."
"Y-yes, of course."

Maybe the conversation itself wasn't exactly romantic, but who cared if the result was the right one? They would go there together and Aether would eventually get the chance to tell him what he was feeling. Sure, it was only a crush right now and no one could know if it would even been more some day, but it was worth the try. Hopefully Xiao would see it the same way. Now he only had to tell him, this time without practicing beforehand.

"Hold still for a second.", suddenly moving a bit closer to Aether, Xiao looked incredibly tense while he was searching for something in his pockets. Every movement he made seemed extremely tense, almost strained, but the touch was gentle as the yaksha raised his arm to put something in Aethers hair. The usually extinct crystal core was still glowing a little, a beautiful golden glitter that perfectly rounded off Aether's outfit. Before the blonde could say something or see it, Xiao had already disappeared again. Yet it didn't change the feeling he was carrying. A beautiful feeling he had missed for all these years.

-

"Are you ready Aether? We're about to leave! ... ohh that looks cute, is it a crystalfly? Did you collect it when you were out for a walk?", just like before, Lumine did not know the concept of privacy when she bursted into his room and now already had her hands in his hair, touching the fragile core curiously.
"...Lumine please, can't you knock before you come in? And no, it was a gift. Please don't break it.", Aether moved back a little, really concerned that she might break it. He relaxed again as soon as her expression turned into a soft smile and her hand was back with her.
"A gift, hm? ... well then, I guess Amber and I will go ahead?... but maybe we can send off a lantern together this time?"
"Ehuh, I'd like to do that too."
"....Aether? Don't be mad if things don't go as you wish, ok? Things are different out here than in there."
"Just like me, Lumine."

When Aether made his way up into the mountains to a place where one could see the lanterns well, he felt somewhat sad. Maybe Lumine couldn't see that he had tried to adjust to everything and already had changed, how could she, but maybe someone else could. That he was actually out alone now also felt strange, but all the sadness faded when he saw that Xiao had actually come there. the blonde immediately felt better, excited and nervous at the same time, but honestly happy about the opportunity to watch the lanterns together with Xiao.

"I'm glad you came.", he stated honest when he took a seat next to the yaksha. The view over the city was amazing, Aether could already imagine how beautiful it be as soon as the lanterns would be filling the sky.
"Didn't you want to go to the city?", with his eyes fixed on the landscape, Xiao sounded a bit dismissive again but in reality he was just nervous too.
"Yes, and I think I'll go there later to prepare a lantern with Lumine, but I know that you don't like going there and thought that you'd prefer to be here instead."
"You suggested this place because of me? ..I would have gone with you if you had wanted to go to the harbor."
"Hmh .. but you couldn't have enjoyed that, right? .. ah look, I brought some snacks that Verr Goldet gave me. Now it's almost like in the city, right?  She gave me a lantern too. Now we don't lack anything haha...", Aether giggled a little when he placed all the small boxes and bottles on the floor behind them, feeling really happy about the situation. In the Abyss, of course, he was never able to do anything like that with someone he really liked.
"... I don't need any of it... but still, thank you. I appreciate it. Really."
"It's fine, you don't have to take one, but if you want to try it, feel free to do so."
Xiao only nodded to this, tilting his head a little to look at Aether. He didn't face him completely but could watch him out of the corner of his eye. The blonde looked pretty. The crystalfly was still glowing a little, bathing his blond hair in golden lights, a small smile graced his lips, a spark of happiness mixed into the liquid gold of his eyes. He had always loved the color of his home country, but if possible, this was the most beautiful gold he had ever seen. It was still new for Xiao to feel his heart beat faster or his hands get sweaty, it was still new to feel warm in his chest and to carry a faint blush on his cheeks, but the reason for it was not bad at all. if that was the feeling that Morax had felt for the harbinger at the beginning, then, maybe then he could actually understand it. Even if he would never admit it.
"Aether? I've been thinking about it and I think I have found an answer.", he said just above a whisper, turning back to face the landscape instead of the blonde to hide his nervousness. A yaksha couldn't show that he was actually afraid of something.
"Huh? Sorry, I don't think I know what it's about...."
"About whether I think you're a bad person."
"...oh... you found an answer? ... what's the answer?", Aethers smile dropped immediately, worried that Xiao would see him as a bad person. He would have to accept it, of course, but the very thought made him feel depressed. He had been trying so hard to change, did he fail?
"...I can't understand everything and maybe I never will, but for me you aren't a bad person. You had your motives and were determined to change something. For you that was the right way. Maybe it wasn't but now I remembered that nobody can predict what is really right or wrong. When it began, you had no evil in your heart and you still don't have. We are all sinners in the face of those who consider themselves perfect, but while being under a false sky, who could even see the right stars to guide them?  ... Aether, when you're struggling with what is haunting you, I don't feel pressured to suffer alone anymore. I feel like you'd be able to understand. And I feel like I too could be your safe haven in the storm. You changed a lot during these weeks, no, maybe you've always been like that, but you've changed me too. I can't understand what I am feeling, it isn't something I ever craved to feel before, but I do now and even if I'm maybe not allowed to feel it, I don't want it to end...Aether maybe we-", the dark-haired had sounded warm while he spoke, a tiny bit of nervousness mixed into the calm tone of his voice. He still hadn't looked at Aether, sweaty hands fiddled with his necklace and a blush had bloomed on his cheeks, but when Aethers hand lay on his own, squeezing it gently, the yaksha finally turned to look into this pools of molten gold.
"'We'sounds good to me.", the blonde whispered, moving closer to place a soft kiss on the others slightly trembling lips. All this time he had been cautious, hiding that he wasn't just a young boy, but he didn't see a need for it now. When he felt that Xiao's tension vanished completely, he raised his hand to the back of Xiao's head, burried his fingers in his soft hair and gently pulled him closer. He could've melted into the kiss and wanted him to feel the same. Who cared about the lanterns if the one close to him was so much more important? Aether didn't notice how the sky had slowly turned dark before the small fires drowned them in a beautiful light, a veil of warmth and wishes that fit them so well.
Xiao gasped when their lips parted, his cheeks burned and his heart raced once again, but he didn't move an inch with his fingertips digging into the cloth of Aethers Hanfu and a fragile string of saliva between their lips. Was that what desire felt like? Or was that what love felt like?
"... you will miss the lanterns ..."
"We can look at them together next year, can't we?" 
"That would be...nice."

Maybe Aether neither saw a single latern that night nor did he send one into the sky with his sister, but he didn't regret to choose another path again. The lanterns would be back next years, but that moment would never return in the same way. There's only one time when something could be the first time.

Smiling, Aether leaned closer again as he followed the small string back to Xiao's lips. A direction he would always want to follow.

Chapter Text

Love, a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. An intense feeling able to survive even the greatest suffering, fragile and yet incredibly strong. Some might call it a divine feeling, some a weakness. Some might be willing to sacrifice their own lives for those they love, others create new life out of this unique feeling.
One could move mountains if they would do it for love they said, how ironic that the one who even created mountains did not know this feeling himself anymore. Or maybe never had really known it.

Golden eyes lingered on the beautiful woman that was sitting between glaze lilies, a gentle breeze carried her soft singing through the fields. The goddess of dust had always loved these beautiful blue flowers and Morax had always loved her, but even if this feeling was so strong that it made his stone heart soft, it was hardly as real as her affection for the flowers was. He knew that now, but knowledge couldn't suppress the pain he was feeling somewhere where only a cold heart should be beating.

-

The morning air was cool, a sign that winter was approaching the land of rocks, no change of great importance, but a symbol of the feeling in Morax heart. He hadn't said anything, he hadn't done anything, hadn't made himself noticed and yet the sleeping goddess woke up with the feeling of his gaze on her skin. He still didn't say anything, but he didn't have to when she noticed where his eyes were fixed, a handprint on her left knee, dark like a fresh bruise, even the fingertips clearly visible on the inside of her leg. How much they wished that would've been just an injury, just a fleeting sign of a rough deed.

"... it ... it's there since yesterday... I would have already told you if it had been there longer ... Morax... look at me please... that means nothing... and it doesn't change anything .. I love you and only you, you know that, don't you?", sitting up slowly, Guizhong placed both her hands on the others cheeks, holding him like a valuable treasure, a soft touch yet failing to comfort him. Her eyes were warm and honest, but hiding a certain fear, a completely new expression in that blue depths that otherwise only showed him affection.
"..I would always want to believe you, everything you say, everything you do, but one day this mark will no longer be meaningless and your words will be a lie...", the dark-haired did not look at her, his voice still as unmoved as the heavy rocks around them and yet it sounded quieter, muffled by the pressure that seemed to be on his chest.
"That is not true and it will never be true either! Please look at me. ...Don't avoid me, don't shut me out... love...please..", her fragile body was moving closer, gentle fingers now buried in auburn hair, but he still didn't look at her. Not when she was settled on his lap, not when her lips left faint traces of a slowly dying love on his skin.
"...Everything I have ever told you, good or bad, was the truth, the only truth I believe in.... when I told you that I love you, I meant it... and if I tell you now that I will always do, I mean it too...", it was just above a whisper, a quiet attempt to express what she felt, but maybe too quiet to be really heard. Guizhong could feel his heart race under his skin, the unsteady breathing, the pain they both tried to hide, but she knew that it would be the end of something that should never have come to an end. Secretly she wished that they would simply suppress and forget it, that they would ignore this twist of fate, but she knew him too well. She knew that he would never break a contract even if it wasn't his own, even if it meant repressing a love he'd never believed he could feel. And these marks were contracts with fate and someone who might not even know about it.
"I will not blame you will the day ever come when your truth is no longer the same. I myself am the one to blame for denying a truth that I did not want to acknowledge. These connections, maybe I wanted to believe that we could have them without any interference from fate, but it seems like even we cannot escape the things that have been written in the stars. ....My feelings will not change, but I will not ask you to share them once your heart desires someone else...", a lot of kisses had been placed on his lips, some of which he even returned, before he replied and finally allowed their eyes to meet once again. Not for the last time, but for the last time like this.
"...do you love me, Morax?"
"I always did."
"Then do it once again, if only for today."

The god of rock was smiling a weak smile, wanting to get lost in her once again, but only shook his head quietly. His touch was gentle when he lifted her off his lap, but felt like it was burning right through her skin. It was nothing he did, nothing he could've done as he was leaving, but something she hadn't wanted to ever be that way.

-

The flowers had always loved her back, bewitched by her sweet voice and loving expression, her gentle touches and kind soul, just as much as he had loved her, but meeting another persons eyes while he watched her had never been something he could've loved. She was nothing like him, just another warm soul in a weak body, another loving spirit bound to a task she couldn't fulfill. She was nothing like him and yet he couldn't hate her. Like love, hate was a strong feeling, but he couldn't feel it. The god of contracts knew anger, contempt, curiosity, joy, but no hatred for either of them, only affection. An affection that was as strange as it was, but would never go away.

-

Years had passed since his life had changed once again but nothing had changed in the way he felt for the beings around him. There was still a distant feeling of love for Guizhong, but mostly the feeling of trust and affection for all of his companions. Peaceful times he would remember.

"...my lord... there's something on your cheek...", the Moon Shaper announced quietly, looking at him like she had just seen a ghost but way to happy for it to be a real ghost.
"I told you not to eat as a dragon-", Guizhong chimed in, immediately stopping in her tracks as soon as she had looked at what the adeptus had mentioned. Her once amused expression turned into a warm smile, even gleeful if he could've read it right.
"Is it that amusing?", Morax asked expressionless, but wondered why it could be so delighting when his face was just being dirty.
"No it's.... Havriaaaaaaa where's your tiny mirror?", as if stung by a bee the goddess ran off, hurrying to get the mirror as if she were afraid that the mark would disappear before he saw it.
"Here, look!", waving the really tiny mirror infront of his face, Guizhong couldn't wait to see his expression change but was bitterly disappointed even if she hadn't expected too much at all.
"A mark.", the dark-haired noted apparently completely emotionless while he was looking at the mark formed like a small hand that seemed to be pressed against his cheek instead of touching it gently. A pale mark, nowhere as dark as Guizhongs had been, just like it wasn't even ready to be there yet.
"Yes, yes, it's a mark! Your mark! Morax you've got one too... aren't you happy about that?"
"It is not my decision and therefore not my will, just another contract that I enter into without knowing the conditions."
"..but it means that there is someone for you too. You didn't believe it, but now you've got your evidence."
"That is correct and I do not intend to disregard it, I just do not share the feeling of euphoria you seem to harbor."
"You are so incredibly stubborn.... It is not a weakness to be happy about something or to feel relieved.", waving her hand above the edge closest to them, drawing his attention to the land around them, the high sunlit mountains, the golden leaves on the trees and the busy people down there on the ground, Guizhong smiled her incredibly warm smile, a smile Morax would carry in his memory as long as time itself exists.
"You are strong, an indomitable resistance, a force to be reckoned with while I've been the mind and heart that you've been missing, but just as your people grow and learn, develop further along all the paths that they have to tread, so have you grown and learned to have a heart on your own. Love is a strength that only becomes more powerful if you let it flourish. Remember what I told you about my reason to love them?"
"There is none."
"And why is that so?"
"..because love is unconditional. Guizhong, I-"
"Uh, uh, uh, nooo.. Of course I know that you can't feel it now, you don't even know them yet, but Morax, there's someone who'll love you unconditionally. And that is something to be happy about."

The dark-haired decided to postpone any further discussion about love and whatever reason it might have to be such a ambivalent topic for the two of them. Looking at her smile and the landscape, he knew that she was right when she claimed that he had learned to feel, but unlike her, he didn't know if that was always a good thing. He knew that she was right by saying that love wasn't a weakness, but a undisputed force? He had already seen that love could also create suffering, he had felt it himself and knew that he would one day feel it again. Love may be unconditional, but time and the life attached to it aren't.

-

To live is not unconditional. While new life would always be born in the world of mortals under his hands, the life around him was falling apart. War is merciless, even to gods. The day Guizhong had died, a part of him had been dying too. With her died the only feeling that had ever been close to the feeling of true love and another memory had been carved into his mind, sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse and some day the only thing left of the god of contracts himself. Collecting the fragments after the war was more painful than the war itself, traces of the beautiful past days all around him but in between a few small buds ready for something new to bloom even if he didn't know about them yet. He couldn't see or feel them yet, maybe he wouldn't even have wanted to open his heart to nourish this little plant that was ready to grow between layers of broken rock and ruined dreams, but even that would not have been something he could have decided. The world kept spinning, no matter if he was ready for it.

-

"A wind wisp, you say? Why should I concern myself with the affairs of a wind wisp?", looking down at the growing roots of the soon-to-be port of Liyue, the golden eyes didn't even look at the Moon Shaper telling about a visitor from Mondstadt.
"One does not know about the intentions of a wind spirit, but the rumors of a rebellion have reached the land of Liyue."
"I am aware but the impending events are of no concern to me. My destiny is to protect and nourish this land, Decabrian must know how to bear the consequences of his actions himself. I may not agree with him, but I am not willing to wage a war once again."
"Should I chase it away?"
"No, I will listen to what needs to be heard."

Hearing his approval, the spirit had already grown impatient, the tiny creature rapidly appeared from behind the adeptus and settled at looking at the archon from a little afar. How beautiful he was to look at, nothing like the little one would've imagined him to be like but how was he supposed to talk to him? There was no voice that could've carried his thoughts and no limbs to show what he wanted to tell.
"How may I help you?", Morax asked but the voice wasn't carried with the wind, it was right inside the spirits mind.
"Ehe... impressive, I've never spoken to anyone before!... you can hear me, right?", the little thing circled the other excited, already becoming a real nuisance to him without being there for a long time yet.
"Does that really need to be questioned? ...but you did not take the trip just for a chat, did you?"
"Hmmmm... not really, but you have to take advantage of the opportunities you get, right?..ehe... but...you are the oldest of them all, can't you do anything to prevent the worst from happening?"
"In this case it is not up to me to decide how things will proceed. This is not my war to win, little one, but if you are determined to spark a change, it may be yours."
With his head hanging low, the wind wisp kept eyeing the golden-eyed god. A war to win, how should he win a war without being able to fight? How should he be a solid resistance if he was nothing more than a breeze? If it could have sighed, the little creature would have sighed over-dramatically. It didn't want to wage a war, but captivity wasn't something people should exist in, they should be free to live as they please, in peace with a song on their lips and confidence in their heart. Maybe it had already suspected that Morax would refuse and maybe it was disappointed anyway, but convincing him of something he didn't want would hardly have been better than the things it was trying to change. Circling the other once again, it's mind was by leaps and bounds, and despite the disappointment it had already expected to experience, the dark-haired god was still intriguing. Was there really no way to convince him without forcing anothers opinion on him? Would the one that caused the mark on his face have been able to convince him? A soulmates Mark and a strange mark indeed, what a small hand it seemed to be. The wind wisp would've laughed if it could've laughed. The poor being will certainly break once they be together, it thought and flew into a different direction. One day it would want to come back, maybe it would want to have a real conversation with the god, but one thing was already certain. A wind wisp would never experience what it's like to have a soulmate. Still, if it could, then it would want to see the archon's soulmate at least once, curious about the strings pulled by fate, curious about the heaviness that it felt surrounding the archons heart.

"A strange being.", the Mountain Shaper noted, only causing the Cloud Retainer to chuckle quietly.
"Indeed, but one can't deny it's cuteness. It would have made a nice toy for a child, don't you think?"
"A toy? I would refrain from calling any spirit a toy."
"One will ask about the appropriateness of this term when it returns."
"Why would it return?"
"It is just a feeling one has."

-

Morax had heard of the rebellion and had only observed from a distance what had happened in the neighboring country. It was quite surprising that the resistance had been able to bring down Decabrian, but even more surprising was to hear about the new archon of the land of winds. The little wind wisp had become a god, another member of the seven, a change that the god of rock did not expect. For a brief moment he wondered if the anemo archon was hostile to him due to the rejection from a few years ago, but nothing really suggested it. Maybe they would talk about it one day, maybe they wouldn't, he couldn't predict that. But he didn't fear it either.

-

"It is always a pleasure to welcome a new companion. One had already suspected that we would meet again, unfortunately Morax is not present at the moment, but feel free to stay in the meantime.", Cloud Retainer was the one to greet Barbatos first on the first day he appeared in Liyue as the new anemo archon.
"Ah how polite ~ Hehe.. it's refreshing to be able to talk to you now. Anyways, where is he? I would've wanted to discuss something.", a smile on his lips that didn't reach his ears, the winged god tried to appear just as friendly as possible. He didn't have any ill intentions but his heart was still not in the right place at the moment. It was buried a few meters deep, in the middle of the bones of the friend he had been unable to protect.
"Every now and then he visits the world of mortals incognito. To teach or to learn himself. And sometimes to reminisce, but one should not talk about something that is none of one's business."
"Reminisce?... how profound hehe... Say, what is he like? I need to know what I will have to deal with. There are a lot of songs about a golden eyed dragon and a glorious ruler, but just as the wind only carries those who have the courage to fly, a song can only tell what the singer wanted others to hear. Is it the truth or an embellished lie?"
"One would not advise causing trouble even if he isn't a ruthless soul. His purpose is to protect this country, he will not allow anyone to disturb the peace, not even the one who carries the wind."
"I won't, I won't~ I just want to talk. There's so much to talk about in this world, don't you think my precious bird? After all, we all want to live in peace, don't we? I can guarantee that there is nothing malicious that led me, maybe just a little curiosity. Maybe I even came to learn and understand."
"Curiousity?"
"Ehehe I suspected that you would wonder about that the most~...It may sound so insignificant, but I was curious at the person who would become a god's soulmate. If it's not too rude I'd just love to see them. You know, simply because it wasn't a concept that could have applied to me too at the time."
"One would love to meet them too, but they have not arrived yet. And if one is allowed to ask outrageously, there is a mark, so it seems to apply to you too now, doesn't it? A strange looking one indeed, but an existing one."
"...hmm...To be bound to someone you don't know, a spark of hope for dreamers or is it a curse for lovers?... Well, whatever it is, apparently mine is as if someone is stopping me, don't you think? ...I can't wait to know what brute it will be who will dare to call himself my soulmate... I promise you, my little bird, that I won't accept it that easily. ......what a cheek.", propping his hands on his hips, Barbatos chuckled looking at the adeptus' apparently shaken expression. (If he could've called it an expression at all.)
"You are quite different from all those previously appointed. One just can't decide if it is a refreshing breeze or an impending storm."
"A storm isn't always bad, is it? Sometimes it's a fresh start, nourishing the fields with its rain, carrying away the old leaves with its winds. ...Anyway, do you know when he'll be back? And if not, do you have something to drink for a new ally's dry throat?"

-

To say that the geo archon was enthusiastic about the new anemo archon would've been an exaggeration. Barbatos was nothing like Decabrian. If Morax had been honest, he would have had to admit that that was a good thing since he had never liked him anyway,but with all his honesty he would have had to admit that he found the new god exhausting too. Barbatos was too loud, sometimes too irresponsible, sometimes too intrusive and curious, a drunkard, a pain in the ass. More than once had he tried to eat that pesky wind wisp as a warning but if that didn't help to get a moment of peace, he threw rocks at him. For Barbatos Morax wasn't any better at first. The 'blockhead', as he had called him after their first meeting, was too stubborn, too stiff and obsessed with contracts , sometimes ruthless and cold-hearted, a bore, an old man. Throwing the rocks back at him was Barbatos pleasure, but annoying him in person was even better. Yet, despite all the inconsistencies, they spent a lot of time together. On good days the winged one came to share a bottle of wine while listening to the others tales or learning about an archons obligations. On some of these days Morax accompanied him on walks through the country, listened his to songs and thoughts about love, life and freedom. The older archon already knew that he could learn something from him too, whether he was younger or more inexperienced, he was more warm-hearted after all. They often quarreled, but it was never vicious, not even when the earth trembled underneath them or the winds turned into hurricanes. Of course their disputes became heated sometimes, scary for non-gods and even adepti, but they never hurt eachother. Once or twice they even laughed seconds after everyone could've sworn that the world was about to end. Slowly the so different gods became close confidants.
After years Barbatos still called the other a 'blockhead', but knew that he was more than a ruthless, stubborn rock-hearted god. And Morax knew that Barbatos wasn't just annoying and too carefree. Both had learned so much, so much discovered and understood, learned to accept and love so much.

One day, even he couldn't remember what day it had been, certainly not a special one, Morax noticed that he enjoyed the days spent with the other god the most. He couldn't decipher his own feelings yet, but he already knew that the little wind wisp was dear to him. Barbatos had been faster to understand what he was feeling, but decided to not tell him until the dragon would understand it on his own. To be in love is only a weak shoot, able to grow a strong plant if nourished, and the younger one didn't want to risk breaking it off before it had the chance to grow. And he knew that Morax would break it, he would be overwhelmed with a feeling that he had suppressed and denied its existence for so long. But Barbatos was patient. They were archons after all, it wouldn't matter if he would have to wait for a week or a century.

-

The blood was not yet dry when they sat next to each other with only a little space between them, silence filled with rapid beats of heavy hearts, one with tears in his eyes, one trying to justify everything to himself by being tied to a contract. The god of freedom felt himself break under the burden, the god of contracts felt his heart turn to stone once again. He couldn't be who he was, would he allow himself to question this now, to question the first contract that he had ever been bound to many centuries ago.

"...this was wrong... this... we shouldn't have done that... this was just wrong... weren't they innocent? Weren't some of them just children? ...Morax... why did we have to do that?", it was Barbatos who broke the silence first, trying to reduce the pain he was feeling, trying to justify what happened.
"Yes and for these very children, I regret the implementation of this assignment, yet I cannot undo it.", while Barbatos wasn't able to hide his shaking voice and trembling hands, Morax sounded cold and distant. He wasn't even looking at the scenery anymore, only the foreign emptiness in the golden eyes was telling that he wasn't heartless.
"How can you be so calm?! Don't you have any compassion? Don't you feel anything for them? They could've been your people!"
"I am aware but even then I would have had no choice. Millennia ago we both agreed to something that has always been more than just one side of the coin. I know that your motifs were noble, so were mine, and yet the tide has turned once again. I had entered into a contract and I will not disregard it now, but what the future holds, I cannot tell."
"...but why does it hurt? Why does it hurt over and over again? ...Why does everything we do end up with something we didn't want? ... will it always be like this? Will it always hurt again?...Morax...I'm so tired of everything... I'm so tired...", the winged archon slowly got up and wiped the tears from his cheeks. It hadn't been so difficult for him to breathe for a long time, it hadn't been so difficult to be since he was mourning the death of the only one he had ever loved before. The winds had ebbed in this lifeless place together with the sparkle in the eyes of the otherwise often so lively god.
"...I'm so tired Morax... it is tearing me apart and I don't feel able to stop it..."
"Barbatos... I know that there is nothing that could reduce the heaviness on your heart, but you do not have to carry this burden alone.", with his voice still calm and his eyes empty, the older man got up too, intending to comfort his younger companion.
"...I don't have to carry it alone? Who will carry it with me, Morax, who? You? The one with a heart of stone too caught up in contracts to allow himself to question them at all? Or the one who froze her heart so she doesn't have to feel anymore? The ones who deny? Or those who fled? Who, Morax, who? ...isn't it too simple to talk about a heavy heart when you can't even feel it yourself? Isn't it easy to talk about feelings when you don't even understand what's going on around you? ....... I'm tired Morax, I'm just too tired to go on like this... Maybe it's time to rest for a long time ... and maybe the new morning will then also hold a new tomorrow for me ...", although the tears flowed down his cheeks indignantly, his voice was calm. The one that carried the winds was giving up and the golden eyes didn't fail to see it.
"...I really hope we'll meet again one day...", he whispered with a broken smile on his lips, ready to leave for an indefinite period of time. Maybe even ready to leave forever after time hadn't been merciful to them before. After he had waited for Morax to understand for so many years.

His wings were already glowing softly when he felt a hand on his upper arm, trying to stop him, a rough touch that didn't hurt but caused a feeling that washed over him like a wave. A feeling he had never felt before. Like a knee-jerk reaction he turned around, trying to break free. Trying to stop the other from stopping him by pressing his hand against the others cheek and chest, wanting to push him away. He couldn't grasp what happened when he noticed where his hand was and how the mark underneath slowly dissolved, just like the mark on his arm disappeared too. He couldn't react fast enough to escape the embrace of the other god, he could only feel his strong arms around his own slender body and hear the others heart hammer against his chest. The stone heart beat so fast in the chest that felt so warm on Barbatos' cheek. It sounded so alive, so human it made the winged god cry even more while he clawed his hands into the fabric of Morax's clothes, loud sobs fell silent in a warm embrace.
"...we've never touched before, have we?...", the smaller one asked when he looked up guided by a gentle touch on his cheek that wiped the tears away. The other one only shook his head silently, unable to understand what was happening but feeling a wave of strong emotions wash over him, causing the stone heart to follow a completely new rhythm.
"...heh... what an unlucky time to change that .....", Barbatos chuckled a little between quiet sobs and a tired heart trying to allow what he would have loved to allow, lifting his hand to caress the dragon god's cheek while he stretched to connect their lips for a gentle kiss. A painfull kiss driven by the desperate search for comfort in a world that seemed to be changing around them so ungraciously. Small hands were burried in auburn hair, strong arms held the small body close for as long as possible, for as long as it took the oxygen to be gone from their lungs and tormented minds were left dizzy.
"...wait for me and love me then, will you?"
"I will wait as long as it takes."

-

Life went on and the story took its course like it always did and always would. Many had tried to approach the one that was awake over these years, but no one had ever come close to him. Morax had locked his heart as he continued to wait for the wind to return. Many had come and gone, some who would linger in his memory while others were nothing more than dust on the wide fields. The god of contracts had never learned what love really felt like and yet he was willing to wait for it. He, the one that had never believed in this game of fate, had conspired to his destiny. It was lonely and painful at times, but he had vowed to wait no matter how long it would take. No matter how many twists and turns would appear in a story as old as time.

-

"Mister Zhongli? Paimon to Zhongli, are you here?", waving her hands infront of his face, the tiny creature slowly got impatient while Lumine carried a worried expression. The wise man was so absent today, nowhere near his usual self.
"..ah forgive, my mind doesn't seem entirely present today. Where were we?", blinking once or twice, the dark-haired tried to focus again, really sorry about not being the best company today.
"Is something bothering you? You consider me a friend, don't you? You can trust me with what's on your mind.", Lumine smiled warm when she carefully placed her hand on Zhongli's arm, trying to comfort him.
"I do indeed, but I do not want to burden you with it. You have a long journey ahead, I would recommend to rest instead of coming to me whenever you have a moment."
"You don't have to worry about me, so don't make me worry about you."
"..a long life comes with many stories, some worth telling and some a secret to be carried alone. .. While the memory of today may one day be shining like gold, the memory of today from a long time ago is a curse that haunts me. ... hah... Maybe I should just look for distraction without making you distract yourself."
"..Zhongli... I would really like to listen if that'd help you .. but if you insist, why don't you go out for dinner with Childe instead? He makes you laugh, doesn't he?"
"He indeed does."
"Well then, let's go find him, hm?"

Zhongli had only nodded to agree to that and followed the strange duo quietly. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do, but if it would help to suffocate the melancholy that threatened to spread inside him, it wouldn't be a mistake to try at least.

"Hey harbinger, got a minute?", yelling from across the bridge as soon as Lumine had discovered the ginger on the other side, the blonde grinned a little when she noticed his troubled expression. Since the incident at the golden house a hateful love had developed between them, not exactly a friendship but no enmity either.
"Girlie, couldn't you be that loud?.. Haha...What can I do for you three? In need of mora, Xiansheng?", eyeing them attentively, Childe grinned a little, expecting that he would have to open his wallet for the three of them again.
"Nooohooo, I don't need your money, but Zhongli here is having a bad day and since you managed to make him laugh before, I thought you could cheer him up.", shoving the dark-haired closer to Childe, Lumine looked at him expectantly while the ginger's expression changed rapidly. Yes, he had been angry after the Gnosis was handed over, but he still considered the other to be his friend. Maybe even his only one. And maybe, just maybe and secretly, he was heavily attraced to him.
"Huh? You're having a bad day? Don't worry girlie, I'll take care of it. Would you like dinner first? Or a few drinks? I'll pay of course.", wrapping his arms around the dark-haireds shoulder, Childe already dragged him along to visit what ever place he wanted to visit first.

"...such a simp..."
"You suspected it would go like this, didn't you? Paimon knew it!"
"What if? You have to use what you have available. It's not my fault that he's having the hots for him."

-

Childe had expected that the ex-archon was a heavy-weight, but not that that didn't include snezhnayan fire water. After a hearty meal at Wanmin and some glasses of wine and fire water, he was very tipsy himself but Zhongli seemed to be heavily drunk. Unfortunately, the fact that the other had put his head on his shoulder did not make the ginger's condition any better. The warrior's heart pounded hard against his chest, his head turned away to try not to smell the others scent or see his pretty slightly reddened cheeks. That he had put his arm around the other to support him and was officially able to feel his thin waist and defined
muscles under his fingertips, that was almost too much for him and his longing mind.
"...it's pretty late already...uh I guess I should take you home now, yeah?", he mumbled into the opposite direction, trying really hard to keep his cool.
"...Ajax... do you believe in fate?", unconsciously slipping a little closer, not able to suppress his cravings for anothers bodies warmth in this state, Zhongli slightly tilted his head to look at the other without lifting his head off his shoulder. His mind was hazy, clouded by too much alcohol and a lifetime spent in loneliness.
"F-fate?! What... f-fate?", never in his life had he started to sweat that fast, a battle was nothing compared to what he had to deal with now.
"... you don't ... have a mark ... did you already find your fate ...or do you think there is none for you?"
"Ah..oh you're talking about that soulmate thing?... uhm...so eh, I believe that simply doesn't apply to me ... b-but... you know that I'd love the challenge...and I'm willing to challenge fate itself...". Hell, Ajax was convinced that he was walking straight on the paths of hell at this moment. He was holding the one man close that made his heart loose it's rythm and this man, this handsome drunk man, whas talking about soulmates? That could only be hell or how was he supposed to deal with this situation if it wasn't?
Zhongli chuckled a little slowly lifting his head off the others shoulder while otherwise he did not move away from him.
"I like... how passionate and determined you are ... it's refreshing to be with you...Ajax..", he stated slurring a little, placing his hand on the others leg without thinking about it. In his mind he just wanted to express that he meant what he said, but Childe was suddenly breaking a sweat or two.
"Uh..heh he... yeah..that's...uh...that's me, yeah?...uh... Xiansheng...you...we...you..should.. sleep a little, yes? ...No?... ", he babbled more to himself than to the other, feeling like the warmth of Zhongli's hand seared right into his flesh and his blood gushed into his groin.
"..oh..is it this late already?... you may be right then... ... forgive me for ...taking up so much of your time .. ", instantly moving back, even trying to get up to go home and remembering again that this wouldn't be what he wanted, Zhongli still smiled a smile that was able to kill a man or two.
"Thank you, Ajax, I owe you.", he added and left faster than Childe expected. He had expected that he might even have to help him, but Zhongli was gone before Childe even got up. As relieving as it was, it was also frustrating.
"... if you only paid your debt once... .. haha... well, looks like the challenge continues~"

-

"My warrior, did you have a good time in Liyue? Anything interesting a friend could listen to while you're on your way?", suddenly strutting right next to Lumine as soon as she had arrived in Mondstadt again, Venti greeted her with a warm smile and a curious expression.
"Nosey, aren't you? Haha... but hmmm... we haven't done much these day-"
"You set up a date for Mister Zhongli!"
Paimon interjected as tactless as ever, floating back and forth between the two.
"I wouldn't call it a date, it was just to ...cheer up a friend. It's not my fault that Childe is keen on him. And at least he's rich and can pay for all the clutter that Zhongli always wants, the two of us would go broke far too quickly and then starve. Would you want that to happen?", Lumine replied shrugging her shoulders and laughed a little looking at the pixies shocked expression and violent head shaking.
"Zhongli and Childe? Are these friends of yours?"
"Uhh... So Childe ... well I wouldn't say we're friends but he's ....okay. And Zhongli, yeah, we're friends... but... ah ...I guess you should know him, because he's Morax, you know. You do know eachother, don't you?"
For a moment, Lumine could've sworn that Venti's smile had dropped, leaving him with an utterly devastated expression on his face, but in the blink of an eye he was smiling at her again.
"So the blockhead is dating someone, huh? ...hilarious ...hehe.."
"...Venti? Are you ok?"
"Huh? Of course I am! I'm spending time with you on a beautiful day, what reason could there be to be not ok?"

-

Unlike other beings, Zhongli didn't feel physically bad when he woke up the next morning with the scent of alcohol still lingering in his room and his mind lacking a few minutes of last nights memories. While the time spent with Childe had really served as a distraction, he wasn't feeling any better now. Time would go on and on and he would wait, but what would he wait for if nothing ever changed? Maybe he would have found out that Barbatos had already returned, he would have asked who this Venti was that Lumine had spoken of, but maybe it was better not to know that he had returned when he obviously hadn't returned to him. Would they meet again as long as the former god of rock was still able to wait or would they be strangers when the erosion had distorted and faded his memories? Zhongli knew that it would be a few more centuries until he would hardly be who he had ever been, but would these few centuries be enough? The dark-haired sighed when he got up to start his day like every other day, the dried tea leaves already waiting for him just as Hu Tao would wait for him too. He was ready to face another day in a new life he had chosen and still ready to wait a little longer. Zhongli chuckled a little when he noticed how soft he had become over the years, a change Guizhong would've truly loved to witness. Now he was sitting there, waiting to nourish a bud that had never bloomed before.

"Director Hu, I would like to request a day off.", actually he had entered the Funeral Parlor that day to spend the day there as always, but after reminiscing on his bed for a little too long this morning, Zhongli had made a different decision.
"You, my all time favorite super diligent consultant, are asking me for a day off? .. let me think about it for a moment .... hmmmmm~ ...done. Have fun and don't forget to attract new customers!", the smaller girl replied poking his chest with a stretched finger, a cheeky grin on her lips. She didn't have to know what he was about to do to know that it must be something important. If it wasn't important he didn't ask at all and just left for an hour or two.
"Thank you, Director. I will be back tomorrow morning."
"Yes, yes, yes, now leave already and greetings to whoever you're about to meet~"
"I am not-"
"Shush~ Don't waste your time on your day off."

Centuries ago it had been perfectly normal for Morax to walk the paths between Liyue and Mondstadt every now and then, but it had become unusual for Zhongli. Almost foreign. It must have been many decades since he was last in the neighboring country, what a shame in view of the beautiful surroundings. Although he would've loved to visit the city, he knew that the statue there had never been a likeness of his friend. There was a better place to visit him even if he wasn't really there. The big tree was still completely unchanged, maybe only a little bigger than before, attracting the so fragile crystal flies as much as tired travelers and dreamy souls looking for a place to rest. Barbatos had always loved this place and even the man who had liked golden leaves and large rocks more could understand why. But despite all the understanding Zhongli was glad that no one was there when he came to remember and maybe to linger a little himself.

Sitting down on one of the big roots, the dark-haired closed his eyes for a moment to listen to the noises around him, the rustling of the water, the chirping of birds and the wind in the top of the tree.
"A beautiful place indeed...maybe I should have really accompanied you years ago...", he whispered into nothingness, allowing his mind to wander to days that had passed long ago. A real shame they had never been here together.
"Hm~ If this is the place where you lay down to rest, I do not have to worry.", getting up again, the dark-haired chuckled looking at the environment once again. It was a quiet place, but not a lonely one.
Of course there would have been so much more that he could have said, but compared to all the one that had been there before him , he knew that a god not present would not hear any of the prayers addressed to him. Were there any prayers to be heard in the city of freedom at all? He didn't know that but maybe he would take a walk through town after all. He had a day off, so why not explore everything that was so close to Barbatos' heart?

-

Mondstadt had certainly changed over the centuries, but Zhongli could still feel the spirit that had always guided the people who made it their home to ever new destinations. Sometimes the younger archon was referred to as a absent god, but had he ever wanted to lead? And would the people ever have wanted to be led?

"Welcome to Mondstadt~ If there's anything I could help you with, feel free to ask at any time.", Zhongli had walked along the streets absent-mindedly when a new voice was drawing his attention back to the present. A nice voice parsed with a charming smile, blue hair and a star-shaped pupil. Kaenri'ah, Zhongli recognized that right away, but knew better than to mention it.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. But I am no more than a brief visitor, there is no need to waste your time on me.", he replied as calm as always, returning the friendly smile that had been offered to him before.
"Ah so polite, aren't you? If you are just a visitor, why don't you allow me to show you around? It would be my treat to spend my time on you~"
"If you insist. Who am I to decline such a friendly offer?"
"Excellent. Where may we begin? Ah~ As a guest from a distant country, why don't you let me present you our excellent cuisine. The dishes at the Good Hunter are clearly something else~"
"...just like you..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing. I am looking forward to it."

When Zhongli had decided to pay the city a visit, he hadn't expected to spend his time sharing a meal with a descendant from Kaenri'ah. He also didn't expect that this very descendant would spend his time hiding his suspicions under flirtatious behavior. It was quite uncomfortable, but Zhongli didn't really mind it since he really was enjoying the free meal.
Childe had called him a bourgeois parasite once, in a strangely loving manner, and Kaeya would soon find out why, even if he didn't know anything about it at all. In spite of everything, at some point they began to talk more or less normally, allowing the moment to become more enjoyable.

"So you wanted to visit a friend but don't know where he is?"
"You could put it that way, yes."
"What does he look like? Maybe I could actually help to find him."
"A description? Let me think... tiny, always carrying the sky in his eyes and a song on his lips... I am afraid that does not serve as a description, does it?"
"... ... tiny, huh? I don't know if this is the right person but I might know someone who could match this description. The tavern is the last stop on our tour anyway, maybe we'll meet him there."
Zhongli couldn't help but feel a little a spark of hope awaken inside him. Maybe it was unrealistic to believe that the knight next to him might know Barbatos, but even if he were about to be disappointed, he would eventually meet a new person who might have an interesting story to tell.

-

Maybe never in his life had he felt so nervous as he did when they were on their way to the tavern. The place was quite suitable for the one he was hoping to meet, the smaller one had always had a tendency towards alcohol and a preference for products from the Dawn Winery. Zhongli had spent more than a lifetime waiting patiently, but looking at the building from afar, he became quite impatient. Yet, when they finally stood infront of the wooden door, he paused to take a deep breath, preparing to be heavily dissapointed.
"I keep my fingers crossed that this is the person you've been looking for.", Kaeya said when he pushed the door open, recognizing the expression in Zhongli's eyes as a feeling he knew himself too well. Maybe he didn't trust the foreign man, but he was still honest with what he said.
"Thank you."

It was warm inside the tavern, the air filled with chatter and drunk confessions, a scent of too much mind clouding poison in every breath he took. He could see a redhead cleaning glasses behind the bar while a barely gifted bard tried to tell a heartfelt story with a song sung crookedly. Whether this was really an experience that was worth having, Zhongli didn't know, but that wasn't what he came for either. He hadn't come to try a glass of Dandelion Wine or spend his time with one of these lost souls, he had come to find what he had been waiting for so long.
He didn't know what the other would look like or where exactly he could be, but he felt his heart skip a beat when he finally discovered a small figure in a corner of the cozy tavern.
Yes, he hadn't known what the other one would look like now, but he now knew that he would recognize him again and again. And he knew that Barbatos had also recognized him when sky-colored eyes finally met golden ones after such a long time.

Venti could've flown or run, walked or just stood still, but when he looked at the other he was already moving, just as excited as a fox that was about to jump upside down into fresh and deep snow.
"Have we met before handsome stranger?~"
"Many centuries ago."
"Then why not continue were it ended all these years ago?"
Venti giggled quietly when he stood on tiptoe to place both of his hands on Zhongli's cheeks, squeezing his face a little when he stretched even more to place a kiss on his lips, soft and gentle like a butterflys touch. All of him was warm and loving, hiding a certain sadness he carried deep inside. If he was really dating someone else, he could've just rejected him and Venti secretly was waiting for that to happen even if it was his worst nightmare right now.
"I've missed you blockhead.", the bard whispered quietly, breathing against the others lips, not willing to let go so soon.
"...Maybe I should have thrown rocks to chase you out of your hiding place instead of coming here myself."
Venti giggled sticking out his tongue accompanied by a 'bleh' sound, slight touching Zhongli's lips while doing so, but his eyes were showing a completely different emotion. Like rain pouring down from stormy skies, the smaller one didn't even try to hide his relief filled tears when he nuzzled his face against the others chest, hugging him as tight as if he was trying to suffocate both of them.
"... I've really missed you... why don't you stay a little and tell me how life's been all these years?"

-

Maybe the tavern hadn't been the place they imagined to be the place for them to meet again, but upstairs alone in a corner it served its purpose quite well. Zhongli was telling stories about the events of the last five centuries, an arm wrapped around the smallers body holding him close, and Venti listened carefully, only breaking his silence to ask a question or two. A lot of time would be needed to tell all these stories but who would mind how many hours were passing when for once it seemed like they had all the time of the world to themselves. The mood was relaxed, a pleasant rustle of chatter that they hardly noticed accompanying their own conversation, the warmth of their bodies nestled against each other, a fragile veil of peace able to make them forget all those years of waiting and lonely slumber. A peaceful moment which could have stayed forever if there hadn't been something gnawing on their minds since the moment they met.

"Bar-... Venti, allow me to ask a question. Why didn't you come back all this time even though you were already awake?", the dark-haired asked sounding calm, yet Venti could feel him move away a little and his gaze on him like a silent order not to lie. Shifting a little to look at the older god directly, Venti's eyes were filled with his own reproach, not wanting to destroy the moment but wishing to hear the truth.
"I wanted to but ...... to see you was the first thing I wanted when I woke up but I can't leave... 500 years of slumber...I'm just an elemental being, a wind wisp.... I'm not strong enough to leave... but I wanted to let you know, I really did. I spend my time waiting for Lumine to return but when she did she told me about you and ...Childe... why would you want to know if you've already found someone else? Why would you care? It's not like I can't understand... nobody would want to spent centuries waiting for someone like me...", the sadness in Venti's voice filled the quiet place between them, searing right into Zhongli's heart and mind. Golden eyes looked at the smaller one compassionate, maybe even a little confused about the statement, but closed for a moment just seconds later. Exhaling deeply, Zhongli tightened the grip around the others body again, pulling him back into a warm embrace.
"You're a fool, Barbatos. And I am too. Have you forgotten who I am? I made a promise to you. A promise may not be the same as a contract, but a promise to you... I would never break it. I would have waited longer and I will wait again.", the dark-haired whispered against the others head of messy hair, breathing him like the scent of the most precious flower.
Venti giggled through tears that had started to run down his cheeks again, snuggling closer until there was no more space between them. They had spent so many years together without touching eachother once, they wouldn't make the same mistake again.

-

"...you will leave Liyue? Zhongli, you are Liyue. Are you sure you'll be ok? What about your job at the Funeral Parlor? Or your friends here?", hearing that Zhongli would leave Liyue hadn't been a surprise only for Lumine. While she seemed to be concerned, Zhongli chuckled a little.
"It is correct that Liyue was and will always be dear to my heart, but over many millennia I only served the purpose to nourish the lands and protect it's people, now they have already passed my final test. Now the time has come when I can live completely according to my needs and wishes. In terms of my friends, my departure is not a final farewell. I am free to visit. And as Director Hu said, if I may quote, people die everywhere, therefore I will work on the cooperation of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with the Mondstadt Church. Do not worry friend as I do not worry myself."
"Sooo you guys are pretty serious, huh?"
"It has always been, we just did not know."
"... that's so cheesy... but honestly, I'm quite a bit jealous."
"I did not intend to mention it, but I assume you are aware of the mark on you fingertips. You too will find what we were waiting for for many centuries. Time's in your hands, there is no need to rush."

-

Shaped through time and weather, a once angular stone would one day be round, someday inevitably reduced to nothing more than a grain of sand. The erosion unstoppable, even the strongest power unable to change the course of things. Love, a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person, the strongest power of all, yet nothing more as a broken dream of the hopeless when time runs through your fingers. They had spent so many years waiting, longing, fearing and hoping, so many years alone, that it felt like a curse that made their time together seem so incredibly short. Centuries may have passed, but centuries felt like the blink of an eye when your time seemed to be running out. Zhongli didn't have to follow the worried sky-colored eyes to know that another, even bigger crack had appeared on his skin. Another sign of something that was unevitable. The small fingers of his lovers traced the golden shimmering line cautiously, afraid that it would hurt him while it was already hurting himself so much that it was almost unbearable. Every new morning another tear fell from the smaller mans eyes, adding to the ever reminding stain on their satin bedsheet. Adding to the small fragments of rock that would turn to dust embraced by a golden glow that carried the warmth Venti was afraid to never feel again.
"It does not hurt, do not be afraid.", Zhongli whispered soft, pulling the younger one against his chest to craddle him in his arms, placing a million gentle kisses on his head until his breathing would be calm and steady again. He didn't have much left to give him, but he would give him his all.
".... if... if I had known... I...I w-wouldn't have been away for such a long t-time...", Venti replied breathy, tears mingling with exhausted sobs, pale fingers clawing into the others shirt afraid to loose him as soon as he would let him go.
"Erosion is as inevitable for stone as it is common for the wind to come to a standstill at times. We were never meant to stay, but that does not stop us from returning, does it, my dove?"
Lifting his head a little to meet the others golden gaze, unchanged through millennia, Venti nodded with a small smile on his lips.
"...guess it's my turn to wait again....but don't forget to find me in another life.."

The day when the last stone would crumble to dust could've been now or in a hundred years and yet the free-spirited god would never have been ready for it. When the day arrived, Venti was loosing the love of his life once again but this time he was hoping that he would return. This time he had something to believe in.

-

While nothing was the same as it once was, Venti did not fail to appreciate the fresh breeze that every morning brought. The statues of the seven were nothing more than an ancient reminder of a long gone history, the children on the streets were hardly like those whom he had once entertained with his stories. Gunnhildr, Ragnvindr, Alberich, all names that he hadn't heard in a long time but stories that he would never forget. It had been difficult to adjust to all of this, but it was nice to be able to one day tell someone who would want to listen. He had promised to find him in another life and Venti would wait until he had found him. Whenever that would be.

-

"Venti? Hurry up, we're already late!", a young girl, a descendant of the former Lawrence family called, waiting for him with a stressed expression on her pale face.
"Just a moment please.", hearing that voice Venti didn't have to turn to know who it was, his heart already answered all the questions that his mind could have asked while the girl only nodded a little confused.
"Forgive me for keeping you wait for so long."
"I would have waited forever."

Chapter Text

Looking at his suitcase that was a bit too stuffed, Childe sighed heavily when he moved to sit on it in order to be able to close it. This vacation should've been something special, a romantic trip in order to pop that one question, but now it was only a weird situation that left him with uncomfortable feelings and a heavy heart. Maybe he should've just forgotten about the money, but half a million was just to much to just forget about it and to get a refund had been impossible. The ginger had tried everything to make the travel agency agree to refund him, including some begging and immoral offers, but unfortunately nothing had worked. All he could do was to forget about the money or go on that trip with Zhongli, his ex. It should've been an amazing trip, but now it could only end in an akward situation. They hadn't talked in the past three months, they hadn't seen each other, had no contact at all except for that one call. On the day he left, Childe had been pissed off, now he wasn't angry anymore, but he wasn't happy about the situation either.

-

"....would you be so kind as to listen to me once?.... Thank you.... so, I said that he is not my boyfriend.", talking to someone on his phone, a little too loud as always since he seemed to be one of the people that didn't understand how things like these worked, Zhongli didn't notice Childe slipping into their livingroom. Of course the ginger had intended to tell him that he was home again, but stayed quiet after hearing the others statement.
"... yes I was already made aware but I do not reprociate his feelings.", for Zhongli this conversation was nothing more than a common chat with one of his friends, but for Childe it sounded like a threat to everything he believed in regarding their relationship.

Not his boyfriend? Doesn't reprociate his feelings? Childe had heard enough before he could really grasp who the dark-haired was talking about. As if a fuse had blown in his head, triggered by some fears that he had at the beginning of their relationship, the ginger rushed out of the livingroom and into their bedroom to grab his stuff. No, he wouldn't wait a second longer to get out of this. He wouldn't allow someone else to toy with him any longer. At the very beginning of their relationship he had feared that they couldn't be a real thing, the one thing, he had just felt too happy for it to be real, but over time all his doubts had been erased. What an idiot he had been to believe that Zhongli could and would really love him. How long was he already telling everyone that they weren't a couple? How long were his friends already making fun of him? Childes heart ached incredibly but he couldn't just listen to whatever excuse Zhongli might have told him if he had just asked about the conversation.
"Childe you're home! ... ... what are you doing? Do you need to go somewhere for work?", the voice that sounded excited at first had turned into a worried one, amber eyes followed the movements of his beloved confused.
"I'm leaving.", the ginger hissed, shoving Zhongli aside in the process of packing his bag.
"I can see that... but where exactly do you intend to go? And are you able to estimate your return? ... ... Ajax, why don't you just tell me what happened... please. Do we have to move again? If you would give me an hour, I-"
"I dunno. Snezhnaya, a hotel, I don't care. I just have to get out of here!"
"..... are......are you leaving ...me?"
"Yes goddammit! Thought I'd let you toy with me a little longer, eh? Bad for you that I already got it. You'll have to find someone else to play your games with!"
"Ajax, please, what are you talking about?", following the other through their appartement, Zhongli tried to stop him from moving but failed. Childe was too upset and stubborn to be stopped.
"That 'he's not my boyfriend' stuff? Thought I wouldn't hear that, huh? Well, I did. Thanks for finally telling the truth I guess."
"Ajax I was not-", even before Zhongli could have finished the sentence, the door of the apartment slammed in front of his face and Childe was gone. No matter how fast and far Zhongli followed him, he couldn't find him anywhere.

Every call after that evening stayed unanswered, every message unread and every try to meet him unsuccesful. It was clear that Childe didn't want to see him. Zhongli tried to reach him for several weeks, heartbroken and desperate, but ended up trying to accept that it couldn't be mended if Childe wasn't willing to talk to him.

-

It was late at night when Zhongli's phone started to ring. Usually he wouldn't even have picked it up at this time but seeing the name that popped up on the screen after so many weeks, he answered the call fast as lightning, not even caring about his disheveled look that wasn't quite fitting for anything.

"Ajax..", he just whispered a little drowsy, looking at the face he still loved and missed so much.
"Yeah hi, let's not make this complicated.", the ginger replied sounding a little strained, unwilling to accept that his heart was also beating a little faster now. Zhongli looked cute. That damn bastard.
"Remember the vacation we wanted to go on? They're not going to refund it and it was a bit too expensive to just forget about the money. Since we paid for it together, I just wanted to let you know in case you... I dunno. Don't care. Do whatever you want.", Childe didn't know why it felt so bad to act like this. On one side he really still felt strangely upset, but on the other he had never stopped to miss his dark-haired ex. It was the first chance Zhongli got to talk to Childe in months, but he knew better than to try to explain himself now.
"..thank you, I appreciate it.", he just replied, not knowing what to say, think or feel about the situation.
"Yeah sure... uh... are you planning to go? Not that I care but I'd need to know...just to rebook the seats..."
"... I haven't thought about it to be honest but ....I guess I cannot afford to forget about the already paid amount of money... however, should you feel uncomfortable with me taking part, I will forego the trip and thus the money.", Zhongli replied sounding calm and honest, tugging a loose strand of hair behind his ear, leaving Childe blinking confused. Over all the time they had spent together, Childe noticed one thing: Zhongli wasn't poor but incredibly bad with money. Never would he miss a chance to get some money back, browsing the web for coupons every sunday like the old man he sometimes seemed to be. That he was willing to forego such a large sum to secure Childes wellbeing was strange and heartwarming, even if Childe didn't want to feel or admit that.
"Uh no, I don't mind. I'll send you your new boarding pass later. Sorry for calling that late. Bye.", before Zhongli could've said something, Childe hung up and sank back into his matress hoping that it'd eat him alive. Why was he still able to make his heart beat faster? And why the hell did he still miss him? That was what torture had to feel like, Childe was convinced of that.

-

Tortilla 5:27
Someone up?

BaeDough 5:28
Yeah, what's up mate?

Tortilla 5:28
I'm about to head to the airport
Ya know, that vacation I told you about

BaeDough 5:29
With your ex?

Tortilla 5:30
Didn't have to remind me about that

BaeDough 5:30
But that's why you're nervous, right?

Smooch 5:32
Shut the fuck up
It's too early for your BS

Tortilla 5:32
Go back to bed minion
Nevermind
Wouldn't say I'm nervous but it feels weird
Haven't really seen him in months

BaeDough 5:33
You won't have to spend time together
Just enjoy it
Get some (a lot) drinks, a sunburn and a holiday fling and you're all good 😉

Smooch 5:35
That grandpa was propably the only one stupid enough to date him

BaeDough 5:45
Pretty tough words for someone that has never seen someone elses private parts
Betcha afraid of your own, aren't ya?
I'd be too if I had to look at that tiny weiner everyday 🐛

Tortilla 5:37
But apparently not stupid enough to love me

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 5:40
Now you hurt his feelings
I have to agree with Beidou
If you do not want to, you do not have to spend time with him
But if you could be so kind to tell me if he is finally over you, I would appreciate it.

FruitySkewer 5:41
He's hot for sure

Tortilla 5:42
Why am I even friends with you?

Smooch 5:43
No one else likes you
Not that I do

BaeDough 5:45
Mate, don't miss your plane and keep me updated
Don't listen to them and call me if you need me, k?
It'll be alright 💪🏻

Heading to the airport had never felt as akward as it did today. Childe was looking forward to the vacation itself, but knowing that Zhongli would be there too made him struggle a lot. Did he even want to see him? Did he want to talk to him? Could he really just ignore him for two weeks?
Childe sighed when he arrived at the airport and went to the terminal where he eventually would have to meet the other. They wouldn't have to sit next to eachother during the flight, but it already felt impossible to just act like he wasn't there. If Childe was honest, a tiny part inside him had been looking forward to meet him again.

-

Guizhong 5:35
Good morning dear 💛
Have a safe trip and please don't forget to keep us updated.
I will keep my fingers crossed!

Ningguang 5:37
Do not forget to observe the safety instructions in the aircraft.
Even if I do not intend to interfere in your private life, I would appreciate being informed about news too.
Good luck.

HuTao 5:38
Girls, I bought him a vacation shirt
It was impossible to let him go in a suit or some shit
Are you wearing it?

Guizhong 5:38
Ohh show me!
Show me!

Zhongli 5:45
Thank you for your kind words.
I appreciate it.
[Slightly blurry selfie attached]
I still cannot understand how this could be appropriate holiday clothing but as you can see, I am wearing the suggested shirt.

Azhdaha 5:45
❤

HuTao 5:46
Oh I see
You summoned the big pupper
Works every time
Looking good gramps!
Have a safe trip and don't forget to attract some customers!

Guizhong 5:46
Suits you!
How could he not fall in love with you again if you are looking this cute! ❤

If he had to be honest, Zhongli would have to admit that he felt pretty nervous on his way to the airport. He knew that it meant nothing that they were going on vacation together, but he still hoped to be able to have a clarifying conversation. He couldn't tell if there was even a chance for them once again, but he simply didn't want to accept that misunderstanding as the reason for their breakup. It would be enough if he could let Childe know that he always had been honest with him. Zhongli wasn't used to all the feelings he had while he walked through the airport, but couldn't help but smile a little when he saw Childe sitting on his suitcase in the distance.

-

"Good morning, Ajax.", he said as soon as he was near him but still kept an appropriate yet uncomfortable distance to him. At first Childe had hoped that they wouldn't even have to talk for a second, but now as he looked at the other in his unusual attire, he couldn't help but chuckle a little. The bastard was looking cute once again, what a shame that he couldn't even deny that.
"Mornin'. You're on time, great. Interesting shirt. Pineapples, eh?", getting up to be on the same eye level with the other, Childe looked at the shirt (or the few inches of skin that were showing on Zhonglis chest) once again and turned to finally board the plane. He could've done that earlier, but subconsciously decided to wait for Zhongli even if he didn't exactly know why.
"Director Hu chose it. I am not quite fond of the design but I was told that it suits me. ... ah forgive me, I guess you are barely interested in chit-chat.", following Childe, Zhongli gulped down the urge to talk to him, already aware how tense the other seemed to be. It hurt a little to see him like this, but it was the first hour of the vacation and Zhongli would wait for him to be a little more relaxed.

Even if they weren't sitting next to eachother, they were in the same row, able to look at eachother during the flight. While Zhongli looked at Childe every now and then and sighed whenever Childe was ignoring him again, Childe had to try really hard to ignore him like that. He really wanted to not look at him at all, but with every minute that passed, he noticed how much he had missed him during all these months. Yes, he was still hurt and maybe still a little angry too, but it didn't feel as good to ignore him as he had hoped it would.

-

Tortilla 10:20
We've arrived at the stopover
I'm in hell
It has to be hell

Smooch 10:22
That's where you belong to

BaeDough 10:23
What's wrong buddy?

Tortilla 10:23
He's wearing a fucking pineapple shirt and still looks amazing
A pineapple shirt
Like fr?
I don't even wanna look at him but

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 10:24
Send a picture

FruitySkewer 10:24
Send a picture

Tortilla 10:25
I'm not going to send you a pic
As if I'd let you thirsty fuckers look at him

Smooch 10:26
Oh-so-heartbroken but still possesive, huh?

Tortilla 10:27
STFU

BaeDough 10:28
Just look at him if you wanna
Won't hurt to enjoy the view

Childe knew that it maybe wasn't a good idea to look at Zhongli too often, but thought that Beidou propably was right. It wouldn't hurt to look at him and his stupid pineapple shirt for a minute or two. When he turned his head to switch from intense starring out of the window to looking at Zhongli, he sighed relieved as soon as he noticed that the dark-haired was to focused on whatever they were showing on that tiny screen to notice him. Maybe Beidou was right but maybe she wasn't too. The longer he looked over, the more he began to regret the decision. Zhongli had always been a pretty man, maybe he hadn't really changed much in that time, but Childe's heart was beating as if he was seeing him for the first time again. He sighed once again when he was about to turn back to the window to secure his sanity, but was met with a small, stupidly pretty smile before he had finished his movement. Ah, this simply had to be hell.

-

During the ride to the hotel, Childe had made sure to be as far away from Zhongli as possible. While the dark-haired was chatting with another vacationer, Childe was hiding somewhere in the back of the bus, unwilling to spend more time with him than necessary. He hadn't even loved him, Childe was convinced of that, so why was he still looking at him with so much affection? Why was he acting kind whenever they had to do something together? Childe had wanted to hate him but Zhongli just had to make it difficult.
"...fucking asshole...pretty asshole...", he mumbled to himself, ignoring the other passengers that stared at him confused and a little worried.

Even if he hadn't already believed he was in hell, the check in at the hotel would only have made it clearer. During all the rescheduling, the ginger had forgotten one detail. A pretty important detail. Now holding only one key in his hands instead of two, listening to the receptionists apologetic words about the fact that no other rooms in the hotel were free, Childe felt the urge to slam his head on the counter heavily. This couldn't be true.

"...if you feel uncomfortable I could try to get a room somewhere else in town.", the dark-haired mumbled obviously a little lost, looking at Childe attentively.
"..ugh...no, no it's fine. Guess the room will have a sofa or something.", Childe replied ignoring the urge to slam his head on the counter and simply walked to the elevator praying that the room really would have a sofa.

In all the hustle and bustle with the separation, the ginger had also forgotten that the room he had booked was actually the honeymoon suite, the most romantic and couple-worthy room in the whole hotel. Of course he had booked the room, after all he originally wanted to go there to propose to Zhongli but now he was starring at the one bed in the room, confronted with the reality of this being the one and only hell for ex lovers. He couldn't help but groan when he lifted his suitcase onto a chair and tried to ignore the others gaze on him. Zhongli didn't say anything, he didn't make a sound and just moved to the other side of the room to hang his clothes properly, but Childe could still feel his gaze on him. He himself didn't know anymore if this was a good or bad situation and Zhongli seemed to ask the same question inside his mind.

-

Zhongli 15:23
I just wanted to inform you that we arrived safely.

Ningguang 15:27
That is relieving to hear.
Any news regarding your past relationship?

Zhongli 15:29
As far as I can tell he is mostly trying to ignore my presence.
Due to the past circumstances, we will have to share a room.
I have to admit that the room itself is quite satisfactory, I may be able to send you some pictures at a later hour.

Guizhong 15:30
It's not like I don't want to see the room but love
You're sharing it?
That's great isn't it?

Zhongli 15:31
I am not convinced of that.
Apparently Ajax regards this as an unpleasant event and I do not think that this will help the situation.

Ningguang 15:32
Yes, I would refrain from bothering him too much but you might be able to have a word with him.
This way he will not be able to avoid you completely.

HuTao 15:34
Try to seduce him!
Did he like the shirt?

Zhongli 15:35
I will not try to seduce him.

Guizhong 15:36
She's not completely wrong
I'm not saying that you should try to seduce him but peaking his interest once again won't do any harm.

Ningguang 15:38
I do not think that this is a profitable proposition.
As far as I know, and I do regret knowing it, physical attraction had never been a difficulty in their relationship.

Zhongli 15:40
That is not the direction this conversation should lead to.

Guizhong 15:44
I'm just saying that a try doesn't hurt
And it wouldn't be the first time that this worked for someone

Looking at the free space next to him on the bed, Zhongli sighed a little. Ajax had left to take a walk as soon as he had finished to hang his clothes and didn't seem to intend to come back soon. It shouldn't have been like that. It was supposed to be a amazing vacation for both of them, an especially romantic one. Zhongli had no idea of Childes' plans, but would have only been sadder now if he had known. It was a shame that it had to be like this. And maybe would stay like this too.

While Childe was out, Zhongli had moved to the balcony to read a book and have a glass of wine surrounded by of a wonderful scenery and a light sea breeze. He didn't feel like going out on his own too and just decided to spend his first day there like he would spend it if he would go on a holiday all alone. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable situation but he couldn't change it anyway. With every hour that passed he began to worry a little more about the other, but tried to just ignore it. Childe wouldn't want him to be worried, probably he would be rather annoyed by it. Zhongli sighed again, not knowing how he should even approach him. He knew him. He knew that Childe wouldn't listen as long as he didn't want to listen and apparently he really didn't want to listen right now. It had been a long time since Zhongli was sighing as much as he did during the past three hours. Driven by his desperation, he did not forget the talk with his friends and wondered more than once whether this could actually be a good idea. But if it was, how should he even do that? He couldn't remember doing anything special ever before, small, unconsciously done things had often caused Childe to grab him and drag him into the bedroom.

-

Tortilla 18:24
I dunno what to do
If I go back I'll prop have to talk to him

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 18:30
I hate to even say that but
Why exactly don't you want to talk to him?
As far as I know you never heard an explanation.

Tortilla 18:31
Bc I don't wanna hear one
I told you what he said on his phone

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 18:33
And why exactly do you think he could have been only talking about you?

BaeDough 18:33
The witch's right
Ning told me about a friend that had a massive crush on him back then
And still has I guess
I didn't tell ya cuz I thought it's nothing

Tortilla 18:34
What?
Who?

BaeDough 18:35
Gonna call ya
Wait a sec

Childe had probably never answered a call as quickly as this in his entire life. He didn't even care that he was sitting in the middle of a crowd at a pretty bad play he'd watched in the hotel bar out of boredom.

"So uh, yeah, listen. The guys name's Azh... babe what's his full name? .... Azhdaha!... yeah his name's Azhdaha and he's something like a childhood friend of Zhongli. Just like that Osial guy, his ex, right? Whatever. Did they date too babe? ....NO!... so he's just having a forever crush on him?!.... YES! It's been an embarrassing long time! .... didcha hear that? He's just having a crush at him since forever but....Babe? Why did they never date?.....Because Zhongli sees him as something like a brother! When Azhdaha ask him out he had already been in a relationship with your weird friend! He even told him that he loves someone else!.... I'm talking to ma weird friend babe! He can hear ya!.... why didn't you tell me earlier?!....sorry babe!.... Tartaglia? Since you can already hear me, he loves you and always loved you, even if I can't quite understand that. I do not know who he was talking to but he wasn't talking about you. You would've known if you had listened to him for a second. ...Dumbass. .... he's still hearing you.... I know!....guess you heard her. I dunno either who he talked to but I guess he'd have told you if you'd asked him mate.", Beidou and Ningguang both had been yelling, hurting Childes eardrums in the process while he didn't know what to think or feel about it. If it was true, he had been acting like a complete asshole, a total idiot, voluntarily hurting and loosing someone that had really loved him. If it wasn't true, he would have to deal with the emotions inside him once again. He had already started to feel hope while he listened to them, no matter if he liked it or not.
"But why did he talk about it back then? Did he ask him out again or what?", he asked trying to suppress that tiny bud of hope, wanting to get more answers first.
"You'll have to ask him mate. Sorry. But I'll try to find out who it was he had been talking to if you want."
"Thanks Bae, I'm glad that I can count on you."
"Aight. Get back to you later."

FruitySkewer 19:00
Spilling all the tea without us?

BaeDough 19:01
If ya dunno who the pretty fellavhad been talking to, it's none of ya business mate <3

FruitySkewer 19:02
When?
Before AJ broke up with him?

Smooch 19:05
That's all we've been talking about for weeks
Of course then you idiot

FruitySkewer 19:06
I thought you already know that 🤔

Tortilla 19:07
Wait
Wait
Does that mean you know it?

FruitySkewer 19:09
Maybe I do~
Maybe I don't ~
Secrets are expensive you know

Tortilla send 50000 Mora to FruitySkewer

FruitySkewer 19:12
That was a joke
But thanks honey
Gonna make sure to spend it nicely~

Tortilla 19:13
Fucking tell me who he had been talking to

FruitySkewer 19:20
Do you even know anything about the people he grew up with?
I'm only friends with one of them and seem to know more.

Tortilla 19:20
There's this Venti
The small annoying one, you know
Apparently a guy called Azhdaha
Uh his ex, Osial
And that purple haired woman
He called her something like his sister, not by blood
Never met her personally

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 19:22
Maybe if you had shown more interest in his family, we wouldn't have had to listen to all of this.

Tortilla 19:23
So he talked to her?
Does someone have her number?
Could I call her?

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname, FruitySkewer, BaeDough, Smooch 19:24
NO

BaeDough 19:25
Just talk with him mate

Childe sighed when he read the last message, knowing full well that she was right. He had always known that he just should've talked to him, but how was he supposed to do it now? He didn't even know what Zhongli was feeling for him or if he even was still feeling anything for him. And if he was, would he be willing to forgive someone that had treated him like this? Someone that had acted like a complete asshole?

-

When Childe went back into the hotel room, he felt nervous, confused and a little desperate. He had no clue how he should even start the conversation, how he should look at Zhongli or if he was really ready to do all of that. He didn't know if he was ready to face the truth, to apologize, to hope that there was still a chance and possibly even stomach a rejection. Childe felt like he didn't know anything, only that he felt relieved when he saw that Zhongli apparently was in the bathroom and hadn't just left like he did before.

"Zhongli?", he called already planning to wait for the other, not aware that Zhongli couldn't possibly have known that. Childe could only hear some rumbling before the door suddenly opened with a bang as if he had summoned a god. Well, maybe he did, he just wasn't aware about that. And even if he would've been aware of that, he still wouldn't have been prepared for Zhongli showing up only barely dressed, the worried expression on his face invisible to Childe by the distraction he caused like that.
"You called?", the dark-haired asked a little hoarse, as if he had just woken up, and Childe wondered for whatever reason he had come back into the room at all. When he had looked at him in the plane, he had already felt like he was seeing him for the first time again, but now he also felt like he was seeing him like that for the first time again. And that was certainly not helpful for the conversation he would have wanted to have.

"Uh... yes, yes I did... because I... ok, ok, could you maybe put some clothes on? Just a shirt or something? I don't care. Anything?", he mumbled trying to take his eyes off the other, noticing that he had missed him but not only for his personality.
"Ah~... forgive me, I did not think about appropriate clothing when I heard you call.", Zhongli replied not noticing that this didn't sound any better, turning to grab a shirt that was stored nearby. While Childe had hoped that this would help him to focus again, it didn't do anything good. It was a bit too big and baggy, actually the only shirt he owned that was like that, exposing one of his shoulder while not covering enough of his thighs at all. After looking at Zhongli for way too long, it was actually startling the dark-haired when Childe suddenly moved closer to him like a hungry tiger and pushed him down onto the matress.
"That doesn't mean anything.", he whispered leaning down himself to place a few kisses along the others neck.
"...then don't...", Zhongli answered quietly while tilting his head to the side anyway, the fingertips of his right hand slowly tracing along the gingers arm.
"Why? Because you don't want me anymore?", Childe didn't move an inch away and almost hissed his words, now leaving rough traces of his existence on Zhongli's neck,  apparently annoyed by the possible rejection.
"...Because it would mean something to me.", sounding a little breathy, suppressing the slightly pained mewl that wanted to leave his lips, Zhongli slowly sat up and gently pushed Childe back into a sitting position. Finally snapping out of his trance, Childe moved back a little and looked at the fresh dark mark on the others neck, wondering if he had been about to ruin it even more.

"..I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..hurt you.", he said a little too quiet but honest, lifting his head again to look at Zhongli directly, seeing that he only shook his head a little.

"..Zhongli....You weren't talking about me that night, were you?", it took a few minutes until Childe had found his voice to start the long overdue conversation, his heart was racing, his fingers nervously tapped his own legs over and over again.
"No I wasn't.", the dark-haired replied immediately, nothing on his face visible except pure honesty.
"...I had a conversation with Ei ...about Azhdaha. ...You have never met her in person, but you should know that she only rarely notices what is happening in other people's lives, including mine. She got confused about who I am... was...in a relationship with and thought that I was talking about Azhdaha. She does know him and heard about the feelings he has for me. Because of this, I informed her that he is not the one I am .....I was in a relationship with.", focused on his words, Zhongli didn't look at Childe but really couldn't have sounded any more honest.
"...And you're not lying to me now? Why didn't you tell me about this? About him?"
"I never lied to you, Ajax.  At this time it had only recently happened that he asked me to go out with him again. I intended to tell you but did not have the chance to do so. ... Still, I am sorry that I was not able to make you feel loved enough to trust me completely.... .... Forgive me.", when the amber eyes met the ocean blue ones, Childe felt like the worst person on earth.
There he was, that one man that really had loved him, looking at him with a honest expression and a sad smile on his beautiful lips. All this time Childe had thought that Zhongli had hurt him, that he deserved to be treated like that, but looking at him now, he knew that it had been him all this time who didn't deserve to be really happy. He had voluntarily destroyed everything he had. How could he ever deserve to be happy again?
"Zhongli I... I don't know what to say or do anymore. I fucked up. Everything. I hurt you, I hurt myself, destroyed everything that would've been worth fighting for. I'd do anything to turn back time but no matter what I do, I don't deserve to be loved by you.", Childe's heart ached heavily when he averted the others gaze once again, believing the things he was telling him.
"You know... when I was planning this vacation... I did it thinking about proposing to you here. I'm as sad about the fact that this won't happen as I'm relieved about it. I don't want to bind you to someone like me. You really deserve someone better. Someone that isn't as flawed and lost as I am."
"...Ajax, do I remember what I asked you the evening you left? It does not seem like something important, but maybe you are still able to remember it."
"...where I'm going, if I'm leaving... why do you ask?"
"I asked you if we have to move again and to give me a moment. Do you know why I asked you that?"
"..because we had to move that one time when I...'accidentally'...unalived that one guy? Yeah...I remember that but what does that have to do with this situation?"
"I was willing to give up everything we had once again just so as not to have to lose you. Ajax, I am aware of your flaws, of every imperfection, but none of that makes you even a little less valuable to me. If you truly love someone, you love them as a whole, not just the beautiful part of a person. You do not have to paint me as a perfect man now as I am not and never have been, but you still made me feel loved in every minute of our relationship. It is also correct that you hurt me, but even if this was just a misunderstanding, I am not innocent of the situation. I failed to make you feel the same as you made me feel and I would like to sincerely apologize for that."
When Childe looked at him again, he felt like his heart couldn't bear all the emotions he was feeling. He had never cried a single tear in his life but could swear that he had been close to crying in this moment. Cautiously he placed his hand on Zhongli's, quietly begging that he wouldn't reject his approach, and tried to find some words to say.
"...do you think... that even a sinner deserves a second chance?", he asked begging even more inside his head, still preparing for the worst to happen.
"There are no chances in life, only situations that you can make your own or let slip away. It will take some time to build trust again but...", the dark-haired replied withdrawing his hand a little but only to entwine his fingers with Childes,
"..we've got a lot of time."
"...I guess I'm okay with that."

Even if they didn't kiss that night or continued what Childe had begun before their conversation, just holding the dark-haired in his arms again felt being his sins had been forgiven. The ginger had really missed him.

-

BaeDough 09:15
Mornin'
How was it?

Smooch 09:16
Please tell us that we're done listening to you now

Tortilla 10:37
[Image of him holding a still sleeping Zhongli in his arms]

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 10:39
A tragedy
But

Rosalyne, dare you to pick a nickname 10:50
I am happy for you

Chapter Text

..let's make a promise!", looking up from under his disheveled hair, a young blue-haired boy smiled bright at the other, already holding his hand up ready to make a pinky promise.
"Which one?", smiling no less, Diluc already lifted his hand too but waited for an answer before he would entwine his pinky with Kaeya's.
"When we're old enough, I'm gonna be your best man when you marry Thoma, ok?", Kaeya asked, his smile turning into a cheeky laugh when he noticed how bright red Diluc's face had become in only a fraction of a second.
"Kaeya! Don't say that! ...I'm not going to ...marry him....", the redhead mumbled embarrassed, hiding his face behind his hands.
"But you like him, don't you? Adelinde told me and she never lies to me!"
"...m-maybe? ...but...but not like that!"
"Mhhhh... nope, don't believe you! I saw you draw little hearts on the card you gave him on his birthday! And Iiihiii didn't draw hearts on his card.. hehe...", poking Dilucs side, Kaeya giggled a little and dodged the others harmless attempts to push him away easily.
"Ok ok...but don't tell him! Promise me Kaeya! You have to promise!", now holding his pinky up again, Diluc still hid his face behind one hand but Kaeya could still see him smile a little.
"I, Kaeya, hereby solemnly swear that I won't tell Thoma that you have a crush on him. ...today.", giggling, the blue-haired boy hooked his pinky with the other's, one hand above his heart as if he was to take an oath.
"Kaeya!"
"..hehe... don't worry, ok? I already promised to not tell him but you have to let me be your best man if you marry him!", Kaeya still giggled while he talked, causing his words to be all breathy, sometimes even sounding like a little grunting piggy, and turned red himself when Diluc also started to laugh because of that. The red-eyed boy only nodded as a reply, not even knowing what a best man would do but if Kaeya would be with him, everything would be fine no matter the purpose of said best man.

This evening Diluc wasn't able to sleep much, his innocent mind wondered about the idea Kaeya had planted in it. Could he really marry Thoma one day? Would the blonde boy even want that? The small redhead knew that most boys of his age raved about Jean or the Lawrence girl, but since Thoma had never talked about them, there was a chance that he might like him too. Dilucs heart beat fast, the child's soul basking in the feeling of his first puppy love.

-

"Thoooma, Diluc wants to tell you something!", when the blonde came over to visit the two the next day, Diluc had wanted to be eaten by the ground the second he heard Kaeya talk.
Pushing his arm into the blue-haireds side, Diluc tried to hide his intensely blushing face once again.
".. you promised!..", he hissed quietly, hoping that Thoma wouldn't ask any questions or that he didn't hear them at all.
"I did and I'm not going to tell him.. hehe...", the other boy replied and waved at their friend, ready to tell him about one of the promises they made the day before.
"Thoma? Do you know what Diluc promised me yesterday? He promised me, that I, Kaeya, will be his best man one day!", he announced grinning absolutely shameless and grabbed Dilucs arm to stop him from running back into the mansion.
"Ohhh that sounds cool!...uh... I don't know what a best man does but it's very important at a wedding, right?", the blonde boy replied scratching his head, smiling bright when he approached them.
"...but...uhm...does that mean you want to marry someone?", he asked suddenly smiling a little less, sounding rather confused and also a little bit curious.
Squealing a little pained, Diluc only shrugged his shoulders, too embarrassed to talk to or look at them.
"Hehehe...do you want to marry someone one day, Thoma?", Kaeya asked quite entertained by the situation, patting Dilucs arm a little too excited in the process.
"Uhm.... there's ...uh...there's someone I like.... and I...I'd like to.. do my best to help ...them... reach their goals..I'm already learning everything I can to be a great support!... but...I don't know if they like me... you know because all boys like Jean or Eula more... uh uh that ..that doesn't mean that I like a boy!... uh hehe...can we just go and play? Yes? Pleeeease...", blushing like crazy and stuttering a little while he talked , Thoma immediately turned on his heels to head to their usual playground after he finished his last sentence. While Diluc only followed him quietly, wondering who he had been talking about, being at least as jealous as he was excited, Kaeya couldn't stop giggling. He knew exactly who Thoma had been talking about, the little devil had made more than one  promise in the past days, and planned to tease both of them because of it.

-

The first time it was more than just showing that they had talked about eachother was on Kaeya's thirteenth birthday. The mansion was crowded with children in the evening, all ready for the sleepover after Master Crepus had told them to get changed, sitting on the matresses they had gathered on the floor in pajamas, covered by a ton of colorful blankets, some squeezing their pillows. It was already late, far too late, but for once the older redhead wasn't too concerned about it. He was only looking forward to some rest, a day spent with so many children for sure had been exhausting. After telling Barbara, the youngest, for the hundredth time that she would be alright (the girl had cried a few times during the day), he noticed that two of the kids were missing in the pile of children now fighting for the best spot.
When he went upstairs to look for them, he could already hear some whispers out of Diluc's only dimly lit room.

"...no, I don't think so. When I last trained with her, she told me that she isn't interested in any of the boys."
"Oh? ...But ...maybe she's into you? ..."
"...no, no she's not. And even if she is... it's not the same for me."
"...so.. you're not...crushing on her like everybody else?"
"Are you?"
"Huh?! No?!"
"See, than it's not everybody else."
Thoma chuckled a little while he nodded, relieved to hear that Diluc wasn't crushing on Jean. Sure, that didn't answer everything but at least he wasn't interested in the one girl he was spending a lot of time with during training. Diluc on the other hand was blushing a little. He had always liked to hear his friend laugh, but with them slowly changing, it wasn't just liking it anymore.
"...and.. are you into someone? Someone I know?", he asked averting the others gaze, slowly crawling under his blanket to get a little more comfortable and distracted of his faster beating heart.
"..yeah...but right now I'm trying to find out if it's...if they could be into me too..", the blonde mumbled also covering himself with the other blanket, now blushing a little himself too.
"Right now? Does that mean that they are also here?"
"..uh..yes...I mean...maybe?"
"..oh ... ...then why aren't you going back down? Wouldn't that be more sufficient?"
"...because you are here.", Thoma had needed to gather all his courage to say that and was proud to have made it, but unfortunately Diluc didn't seem to get it.
"I won't be mad, really, I promise.", the redhead replied innocently, looking a little confused when he heard Thoma sigh and saw him clench his hands into fists. For a few seconds the blonde, that had closed his eyes now, was taking deep breathes, mumbling inaudible things to himself. When he looked at Diluc again, he seemed to be determined but also incredibly nervous.
"I'm talking about you, Diluc!", he exclaimed a little too loud, his pulse deafening, his hands sweating, giving it his all just to see that Diluc didn't react at all. Wait, but he was still breathing, wasn't he? The few seconds it took for Diluc to process it had felt like an eternity, but when he did, he immediately hid his face behind his hands, completely overwhelmed and flustered.
"M-me?", he asked just above a whisper, unable to look at Thoma anymore. The blonde felt like he was about to die, but since he had started already, it was too late to stop now anyway.
"Ehuh...I..I don't even know what that means but I do know that I like you more than everyone else.. I'm sorry if that's something wrong!", he stated stuttering a little, his hands still into fists with his nails digging into the flesh, only relaxing a tiny bit when Diluc shook his head after a while.
"..I...I...I guess I...like you too..."

"...that might be a problem for the Ragnvindr bloodline..", the older redhead that had listened to them the whole time mumbled to himself, earning a quiet chuckle from the maid that had joined him in spying on them.
"...there is more than one way to pass on a name...", Adelinde whispered, a little hint of amusement and affection for the redhaired boy reflecting in her eyes.

-

The night before Thoma would leave Mondstadt with his parents, young Diluc felt heartbroken. It had only been a puppy love, nothing more than holding hands when they had been alone or a kiss on the cheek, but even that could cause a young heart to feel sad. Sitting next to Thoma on the stairs in front of the mansion, the red eyes were starring at the moon, his lips pressed together to a tense and forced-looking smile.
"..I don't know if we'll come back but you could visit me some day... I'll show you around and we could try regional snacks! And I heard that Tanuki live in Inazuma! Maybe we can pet one together!", feeling a little heavy hearted himself, Thoma still tried to make the best out of the situation, his smile honest and warm.
"...I'd like that...", Diluc mumbled only slowly turning to meet Thoma's gaze, scooting a little closer in the process.
"Than that's a promise! ...Diluc?", the blush that suddenly bloomed on Thoma's cheeks was barely visible thanks to the night sky, but he could've sworn that Diluc could hear his heart beat instead when he cautiously placed his hand on his to hold it gently.
"Maybe...you..could...make another promise..to me?", his voice has gotten quiet but Diluc could still hear him clearly even if his own heart seemed to be beating so incredibly loud now.
"...which ..o-one?"
"Remember me, ok?"
Closing the last distance between them, the blonde boy hastily placed a soft kiss on Diluc's lips, too nervous to linger for too long, before he jumped back to the ground again.
Now being as red as his hair, Diluc could only nod to reply. Maybe he wouldn't have needed to nod that much, but it made Thoma smile a really beautiful smile.

-

Years passed but once innocent feelings kept lingering buried somewhere deep inside. In the years in which Diluc roamed through Teyvat, he kept thinking about visiting the other, but could never actually do it. It could never felt right when his heart and mind were somewhere else and the memory too precious to destroy it.  Still, he had never stopped to think about him every now and then. It was stupid, he knew that himself since Thoma had probably already forgotten about him, but he couldn't change the feelings he had locked inside. He had been sure that it would pass some day and still was, but something still stopped him from moving on. It wasn't like he had never kissed someone during these years, meaningless closeness to meaningless people,but it never felt even close to that faint memory of his first kiss. How stupid it was to stick to such a memory instead of trying to create new ones. Well, if Diluc was honest he didn't even want to be really close to someone after all the things that had happened in his life, but that didn't change the fact that he sometimes felt pretty lonely. On the outside he had changed much and partly also on the inside, but the curious and happy child he had been wasn't completely gone. He didn't show much of his former personality anymore, but the ones that got to know him better knew that he was a of a kind and compassionate nature.
Even the ones who in the meantime were denied being close to him.

-

"Traveler, what a pleasure to meet you on such a beautiful day~", smiling the same smug smile as always, Kaeya suddenly walked right next to Aether, one hand placed on the smaller ones shoulder.
"What do you need?", knowing the knight too well by now, Aether decided to simply skip the smalltalk. He didn't sound or seemed to be dismissive, just practical and maybe a little distracted.
"Oh haha~ As brisk as ever, aren't you? Well, I do have a question to ask. Now that you are back from Inazuma, is there any chance that you met someone named Thoma there? A probably handsome blond man?"
"We did but how could yooouuu know?", Paimon chimed in, flying back and forth between them with her hands on her hips. While Kaeya chuckled a little because of that, Aether only sighed but nodded his head.
"Yes, we met someone called Thoma. He's from Mond too, right? Were you guys friends as children?", the blonde asked rather curious, wondering why Kaeya would want to know that.
"Splendid~ Tell me, how's he doing? Anything interesting going on his life?", dodging the others questions at first, Kaeya now seemed pretty ominous once again.
"He's fine I guess? Working as a housekeeper for the Kamisato clan, being pretty popular all over Inazuma, stuff like that. Why do you ask? .. Spit it out."
"Ah~ I'm afraid I can't tell you the details but you don't happen to go back soon by any chance?"
"I do but I'm not going to do whatever you want me to do as long as you don't tell me anything....not this time..."
"Alright, alright~ Let's say I want to do someone a favor, which he doesn't know anything about, and intend to invite an old friend over? Does that serve as an explanation for you?"
"If you'd just said you'd like to see an old friend again I would be less suspicious... but fine, I guess there nothing wrong with that.... Still, why don't you just come along to invite him yourself?"
"Oho~ Want me to accompany you on one of these probably pretty lonely journeys? I feel honored to be your first choice haha."
"Kaeya..  really? ... ...uh.... do you want to come or not?"
"I'd always like to come, maybe you could help me with that too~"
"Y-you're impossible!", with his cheeks lighting up like a fireplace at night, Aether suddenly stomped off, unable to deal with the flirty knight any longer. If he'd really accompany him to Inazuma, Aether would have to do a lot of breathing exercises to survive.

-

Of course Kaeya had accompanied him to Inazuma and Aether had to more than one breathing exercise to survive, but that's another story tell and maybe Aether wouldn't want anyone to hear it at all. The only important thing right now was that they arrived there safely.

"He's a housekeeper you said? Well, living up to his dreams I guess~ ..haha... Sooo will you tell me where to find him?", the second the two left the Alchor, Kaeya was already back to his usual self and motivated to find Thoma quickly. Of course their journey could've been an opportunity to have a little vacation, but Jean hadn't been too pleased about his request to take a few days off.
"I guess he's at the Kamisato estate. If not we might meet him somewhere in town but Kaeya... what did you mean by doing someone a favor?", walking next to the knight, a little slower than usual, Aether was still curious about his real motives.
"Ah~ As I said I can't tell you yet, I don't want to loose my special privilege... well in case I haven't already lost it, but let's just say I made some promises as a child and intend to keep these promises~", the blue-haired replied with a small smile and winked at Aether before he finally turned his gaze to the scenery around them. If they were in Ritou now, it would take them some time to get to the estate and Kaeya wanted to make the best out of it. Nobody said that he couldn't enjoy himself during this trip, right?

While Kaeya really made the best out of their time, chatting here and there, picking up some stuff at the shops and treating Aether to a nice dinner, their presence was enough to lure the busy housekeeper out of his home.
"Traveler! Nice to see you again! ...Oh and you brought a friend this time.", smiling as he approached them, not recognizing the blue-haired at first, Thoma's expression changed as soon as Kaeya had turned to him with a smug smile gracing his lips.
". .Kaeya? Kaeya it's really you! Goodness, how long has it been? I didn't even know that you two know eachother! ...Haha...this really calls for a little celebration. Why don't you come over and we catch up on the past 10 years? ..uh..Of course only if you two aren't too busy.", talking without a pause, apparently actually excited, Thoma scratched his head and chuckled a little embarrassed when he noticed it himself.
"I ...actually have something to do, but Kaeya only came to see you anyway, soo.. have fun I guess? ...Ah and Kaeya, don't forget that we'll go back tomorrow morning. Don't be late, ok?", suddenly seeming strangely distracted, Aether didn't even wait for an answer and waved his hand as he left the two alone.
"Is he alright? He was acting a bit weird today, wasn't he?"
"Hmmm~ I guess he's just a little exhausted, no need to worry.... So what did you say about a celebration?"

-

Now seated inside the teahouse, Thoma smiled bright while he listened to Kaeya talk about his duties as a Knight of Favonius. He had really missed Mondstadt over these years, listening to the others stories felt like a cure to his soul. It was nice to hear things about all the people he knew, but it didn't take long until he noticed that someone was missing.
"...and you're the Cavalry Captain now? That's great to hear since you weren't the most ambitious boy back then haha..but what's Diluc doing now? Has he been promoted?", he asked at one point, honestly wondering about it. It wasn't like he really knew what happened during the past ten years, but had heard of it anyway when Diluc had become the youngest Cavalry Captain ever.
"Ah~...well... I'd say that's a bit of a..  uncomfortable topic? ..but in short, he left the Knights a few years ago and takes care of the Dawn Winery.", even if Kaeya tried to hide his feelings, Thoma could still sense that something was off.
"Oh... that's unfortunate but as famous as the Dawn Winery is, it's no wonder that Master Crepus would need support at some point. You can't imagine how expensive the few bottles are that you might be able to get here every now and then.", the blonde replied completely clueless without any ill intentions, causing Kaeyas expression to change immediately. The smug smile that had seemed to be carved into his face had vanished, leaving nothing more than a thin line on his lips and a serious expression in his uncovered eye.
"Thoma... ", he said his name like he was about to tell him that the world was coming to an end, but shook his head before he continued, forcing the smile back onto his lips.
"Why don't you take a few days off and join us for a short trip to Mondstadt? I'm pretty sure everyone would be happy to see you again, just like I am of course~"
"That's ...a surprise now haha... it's not like I haven't thought about it before but life happens and I didn't do it after all.. that's actually pretty sad, isn't it? You're going back tomorrow morning, aren't you? Huuuh...I don't think I could leave that spontaneous...", Thoma replied a little torn between his opposing emotions, scratching his head once again out of a short-term feeling of being overwhelmed.

"Hah~ As far as I remember, haven't I told you to go on a vacation a few times before? It is almost outrageous how often you defy my instructions~ Luckily your little friend here came to tell me about the situation on behalf of your guest... hmm ... did he? Say, does the revered Calvary Captain even know that you came to see me?", smiling just as smug as Kaeya usually did, Ayato took a seat next to the blonde like it was a completely common situation, secretly amused by how easy Aether and Thoma were to be itritated by this type of behavior and Thoma felt like he must have listened to their conversation the whole time. Ayato on the other hand just loved to mess with people and knew a million ways how to do that. Kaeya simply chuckled a little, not irritated just wondering, while Aether quietly shook his head, embarrassed about the fact that his secret plan had been revealed and that they had actually been listening the whole time. What a strange day it was.
"I see~ ...so Thoma, don't you have anything to say about it? It wouldn't be really nice to let your friends leave just like this, would it? After all they came all the way just to see you. If you feel bad about simply leaving we could make a little deal. Hmmm...You could call it a trade~... but what could we do?...what could we do? ...Ah~ Why doesn't the Cavalry Captain stay here while you're on vacation? Wouldn't that be a fair trade? I'm sure someone like him could be of use to me too~", Ayato's voice was completely emotionless but there was a hint of amusement reflecting in his eyes, even more after he noticed all three of them now starring at him a little startled. Embarrassed, Aether grabbed a cup of tea, downing everything that was left inside it like he wished to be wiped off the surface himself right now. It seemed like Thoma had fallen into a kind of paralysis while Kaeya had recovered the fastest, now only chuckling a little at first.
"That's a quite endearing suggestion but I'm afraid my dear superior wouldn't be too enthusiastic about it~", he replied as the only one able to reply at all, his words followed by a more or less fake-dissapointed sigh.
"How unfortunate~", the other blue-haired said and winked at Kaeya before he turned back to Thoma, a more serious expression back on his face.
"Now in this case, how about if you use your time today to instruct the other employees and travel to Mondstadt with them tomorrow? Stay a week or two, I do not mind.", sounding like there was no space to argue, Ayato got up again, ready to leave. He didn't even want to wait for an answer as, in the end, it wasn't a question but an order.
"Let me now if your superior is willing to change their mind~", he added throwing another look at Kaeya and left as fast as he had appeared just a few minutes ago.
"...And Miss Kamisato, she's just like him?"
"Absolutely not."

-

There were many thoughts circling in Thoma's head while he was trying to explain a few things to other employees, but none were about the things he was telling them. He was still wondering about the sudden visit itself, the words of his Master, if he could really go on a vacation and about the moment when Kaeya had looked so serious during their conversation. He wasn't stupid, he knew that something was off, he only couldn't tell what it was. But despite all the thoughts he slowly began to look forward to the trip. Just thinking about being back in his hometown and meeting his old friends made him feel happy. What a strange but lovely day it was.

-

"...what the... Thoma? How long do you intend to stay in Mond?", looking at the amount of luggage the other blonde was carrying to the ship the next morning, Aether wondered whether they had talked about a week or a year of vacation.
"Uh... haha... I can't come back without presents for everyone, can I? But maybeee...just maybe I got a little carried away...", relieved when he finally could place everything on the ship, Thoma scratched his head a little embarrassed again but chuckled a little. Yes, now he really was looking forward to go back to Mond for a while.

The trip itself hadn't been too exciting for him. The sea had been relatively calm and Kaeya and Aether had been gone most of the time. Had it not been for Beidou and Kazuha he would have found this part of the trip almost boring. The way from Liyue to Mondstadt was also more strenuous than entertaining, but as soon as he felt the first breeze of his homeland, Thoma was in high spirits again, he couldn't even decide what he wanted to do first. Only his heavy luggage was slowly reminding him of something he had completely forgotten about.

"Kaeya? Now that I think about it... should I rent a room first or...", he asked as soon as they had passed through the gates of the city, taking a little break to admire the view.
"Hmmm~ I'm afraid I haven't thought about it. ... let's think about it now, the hotel is already fully booked, I don't have enough space for myself and Aether here is, how should I put it, homeless."
"Hey! I'm not... ok maybe I am but also not really?"
"You're little teapot doesn't count."
"I've got more space there than you! And I don't have to share a bathroom with anyone unless you nestle back in again!"
"Don't you like my company?"
"...I-I didn't... say that..."
"I feel like I'm witnessing something I shouldn't but it's great to see you two get along so well haha.", trying to get them back to business, Thoma really felt a little like he was third-wheeling right now.
"Ah~ Why don't we put your things in my room first and then take care of the matter? Maybe while we enjoy a nice glass of wine?"
"Sounds good to me but actually I don't-"
"Uh uh uh~ No resist talking during my watch~"

-

It had been impossible to talk to Kaeya about his suggestion to drink something together while they brought Thoma's luggage into the knights room. While Thoma still didn't think much about it, remembering that he had always been like this if he was passionate about something, Aether suspected it to be just an excuse. He just didn't know what Kaeya was actually up to and what it all had to do with a favor.

"Well if that's not my favorite bartender~", Kaeya said when they entered the tavern, actually happy that Diluc hadn't seen the three of them directly.
"..tsk.. so you're back, I hope you enjoyed your trip to Inazuma.", the redhead replied still not turning around, sounding as dismissive as ever, which seemed unusual for only one of the three.
"I did, I did~ Oh and before I forget, I brought you a gift~"
"I don't need your gifts."
"Ah~ I wouldn't be so sure about that~ Why don't you get me a drink and some juice for Aether while you take a look at it."
Groaning annoyed, Diluc finally turned around after hearing that Aether was there too and immediately dropped the glass he was holding the second he looked at the third member of their little group.
"...Thoma?"

Maybe years had passed but Diluc didn't fail to recognize the blonde, neither did his heart. It was strange how fast it suddenly had started to beat despite all the time they hadn't seen eachother. For outsiders the sight was probably strange since both just stared at each other for a while, but for Aether it was enlightening. Following the now only chuckling knight to the other side of the tavern, he had to try hard to not immediately bother him with his questions.

As if the past years were turned back, the gloomy aura of the redhead was gone, replaced by a small smile as he came out from behind the bar to approach the other. And just like Diluc, Thoma was smiling when they hugged eachother wordlessly. Maybe the mood wouldn't last, but even brief moments are something to consider as valuable.

"...if I had known that you will come to visit I'd have prepared something.", slowly stepping back a little again to not turn the hug into an akward one, Diluc looked at him like he was really regretting that he had not been able to greet Thoma when he arrived in the city.
"Actually, I didn't know that myself. The two suddenly showed up yesterday and whoosh, I'm here haha. But I'm glad to be here again and... I'm happy to see you too.", still smiling, Thoma sounded honest and looked at Diluc attentively. Both had changed a lot in one way, but not at all in the other.
"That's.. interesting..  .. I suppose there's a lot you want to do now that you are here?"
"Haha yeah I sure do. There are a lot of people to visit and places to see but... if you could spare some time for me, I'd be happy to catch up with you too. It doesn't have to be now since you're already busy, but maybe at some point during this week?"
"Of course. Just come to the Dawn Winery whenever you feel like it."
Thoma nodded with another smile gracing his lips and moved to hug the other a second time, but this time his hand wad lingering on the small of Diluc's back.
"I'm glad you remember me.", he whispered in a tone that hadn't been there years ago, one nobody was aware of, and let go again before he walked back to the other two to finally clarify where he would actually stay, leaving a visible startled Diluc behind.

Chapter Text

"...are you even listening to me? I am aware that you have been thinking about quitting lately, but you should at least give it a shot. This time it's not just about you.", Signoras expression wasn't exactly warm when she looked at him from behind her desk, but her voice sounded unusually caring when she tried to get Childe's attention back. Right from the start she had taken the ginger haired boy under her wing, she was almost proud that he had become a halfway tolerable man. She would have loved to call him a good one, but the cut on his lips and the bruise on his cheek wouldn't allow that. He really was a model that didn't try to look perfect all the time, but maybe that was something that made him perfect after all.
"Eh? Would anyone else be on the job too?", putting his feet back on the floor as they had previously been on her desk, Childe finally seemed to listen to her again. For a long time he had lost interest in modeling, he hardly believed that something would change that ever again but was at least curious to find out who it would be in case he would agree to do one more photo shoot.
"Yes, it's an advertising campaign for an internationally successful designer. They'd want you in a wilder role while they booked him as a soft counterpart. You've never worked with him before, but he's well known in Liyue. As far as I know, he had been booked for a campaign for the Dawn Winery, but when there were rumors of a liaison between him and the owner, both agreed on ending the cooperation. ...here, I received a photo a few days ago.", motivated to convince Childe to agree as the campaign would bring in a lot of money, the woman waved the photo in front of his face, an expectant expression in her eyes as she watched Childe stare at the picture.
".....p-pretty.......uh... NEVERMIND.. ... when you say campaign, does that mean it's more than one shooting? What exactly is it about?", the ocean blue eyes never left the picture while he talked, it was more than obvious that the dark-haired man in the photo had at least actually made him curious. Childe had worked with many beautiful people, had seen many bodies and faces and had ended in bed with colleagues more than once, but this man had actually made his heart skip a beat. Of course that didn't mean anything to him, even if he agreed it wouldn't be any different than before, but getting more information couldn't hurt, could it?
"Two photo shoots and one video shoot. Well, strictly speaking, first a photo shoot and a video shoot to advertise the new nightwear collection which is planned to be in stores in spring. If the designer is happy with you, there'd be another photo shoot for the new underwear collection too.", it wasn't unusual for Childe to be booked for less dressed campaigns, which was the reason why Signora didn't sound overly enthusiastic either, but this time it sounded a little more exciting than usual for him. The thought of playing around in bed with the dark-haired beauty really didn't sound too bad.
"When and where should it take place?", Childe asked still glancing at the picture of his soon-to-be colleague, apparently more motivated to work again than before.
"According to the plan, he will travel to Snezhnaya next week and the first shooting could take place at the end of the week. A set is being set up for the first photo shoot and the video shoot, and a suite has already been booked for the second shooting in the Grand Zapolarny Hotel. If you do not agree, a replacement has already been sought for you. You should make a quick decision."
"REPLACEMENT?! Oh fuck no! ...Go and tell the other loser that he can queue up. It's a job for me, not for any lousy replacement."
Signora only nodded, unable to hide the pleased smile that graced her lips. She had suspected that the plan might work, just not how well it would actually work.

-

"...Have you packed winter clothes? Your charger? Your wallet? The tickets?", lifting the luggage out of the trunk of his car, Xiao didn't feel good with the thought of letting Zhongli go on a trip all alone. Of course he knew that the other was older than himself, but he always feared that he would just be snatched away somewhere as he sometimes was a little forgetful and a bit too trusting.
"Yes, I have thought of everything. Thank you for your concerns, but I'm sure I will be fine. ...and as discussed, I will ask one of my colleagues to accompany me into town if possible. You will not have to worry about me.", taking the bag in his own hand, Zhongli leaned a bit closer to hug his friend to say goodbye and turned to enter the airport. They were already a bit late and he didn't want to miss the flight.
"Message me when you arrived at the hotel!", Xiao yelled and waited until he saw the taller man nod before he got back in the car to drive home. He would worry about him no matter what, that was already certain.

-

During the flight, Zhongli occupied himself with the news and read a book about crystals, watched a documentary about foxes and slept a bit. It took a couple of hours to get from Liyue to Snezhnaya and the view from the window was obscured by the man sitting next to him. It was a bit boring but he didn't mind it, on the contrary, he enjoyed having some rest and time for himself. The dark-haired still wasn't used to working as a model and the attention he received, in fact, all of that had never really been his plan, more of a coincidence that he could no longer escape. After a nap and a few minutes that he needed to come back to his senses, Zhongli decided to listen to the advice of his boss. More than once Ningguang had told him to be more active on his socmeds, even if he still didn't quite understand how it actually worked and Hu Tao's crash course had only made a minor contribution to the improvement.

"Excuse me, the question may seem strange, but could you briefly explain to me how this ...program works?", looking at his neighbor who seemed to be busy with selfies for hours, Zhongli put on a small smile, his whole expression unintentionally but honestly lost.
"Hm? Help with-... ah~ of course, what do you want to do?", the blue-haired man replied amused and chuckled quietly when he put his own phone back into his pocket.
"I was asked to be more active as it could contribute to my success, but to be honest I am neither aware of what that means nor how to do..that.", Zhongli reached his phone to the stranger after he had opened the App he was talking about and looked at him curiosly. He knew that Xiao would be scolding him now for giving his phone to someone he didn't know, but since they were on a plane, there was no way the stranger could steal it right now.
"I see~... well, look, that's your... profile..... ", glancing at the few pictures Ningguang had posted before, the man had to swallow hard before he could continue the short lesson. Holy shit. The man hidden by a thick coat, a huge scarf and a strange hat with bear ears (he would reply that an old friend had gifted it to him if someone would ask) was actually hot. Really hot.
"...there you can upload pictures that have already been taken, like these. And if you slide to the right you can create a story. It only lasts for 24 hours.", after he had calmed himself and had been explaining the same things for fifteen minutes, Kaeya sighed quietly but couldn't help but smile when he looked at Zhongli again.
"Let's take a picture together, hm? After all, we're kind of like colleagues now anyway. What do you think of that, handsome?", the blue-haired asked so as not to get into despair and took Zhongli's phone back into his own hands after he had nodded. Much to Zhongli's surprise, it only took a minute for him to take a good photo, tag it and post it.

-

'@Morax shared a new story', with a 'ping' and a brief flash of his display, Childe was finally released from the bored state he had been in while viewing the profile of the designer he would work for. Of course he had left his new colleague a follow after he found the profile and the few pictures had already been tattooed into his mind. When he clicked the notification to check the story, he couldn't help but groan when he looked at the second man that could be seen on the picture. @DeathAfterNoon, wasn't that the guy he'd already shot with in Sumeru? This very good-looking but terribly flirty guy? Why the hell were they on the same picture? No, why the hell were they on the same flight? And why the hell did he edit some animal ears...
"...that's...is he wearing a hat with bear ears?...", while the stupid thing inside his chest went doki doki immediately, his fingers couldn't screenshot the picture fast enough for him to use it as... as his homescreen?
"...that'd be...creepy eh?..ah fuck it, he's somewhat famous after all, guess I'm not the only one then.", Childe mumbled to himself, shamelessly using the picture, without Kaeya of course, as his background. He more than consciously ignored that it was not normal for him to do something like that. No one who was not part of his family had ever made it to be his background, so why did someone he didn't even know? A question Childe couldn't answer either.

-

Contrary to Xiao's expectations, Zhongli arrived at his hotel on time and without complications, remembered to send him a message and even managed to share a photo of himself in his hotel room as a story later that night. It was relieving to see that he was doing just fine even if the first story had been a bit of a pain to look at. They looked cute for sure, but who the hell was this blue-haired guy? Was he a new ally or a new threat? He had to find out immediately.

-

Lying in bed that evening, Zhongli remembered that Kaeya had taught him how to look at who was looking at his stories. He didn't really care about it but had become a little curious during his usual midnight insomnia in the end. It wasn't really exciting at the beginning, but he was happy to discover the profiles of people he knew in this way, at least it was interesting to see what others considered worth sharing. There were @CruxCaptain69 and some pictures of ships he found interesting to look at, @AlchemistAlbedo and his beautiful paintings, @DeathAfterNoon which he followed since he considered him as a new acquaintance and @FunInFuneral which apparently was HuTao's account considering the many pictures of grave decorations and a pinkish plush ghost on holidays. There were a lot of people he didn't know personally too, but Zhongli still found it quite amusing how little some seemed to care about their privacy. @Tartaglia11 was one of them, but Zhongli would have had to lie to say that the pictures that didn't feature any seafood were pleasing to look at. No, @Tartaglia11 was pleasing to look at which led to the dark-haired unconsciously liking more than one of his pictures. Of course he wondered about the meaning of the red hearts, but since it were hearts it couldn't be bad and he didn't know how to undo it anyway.

For Zhongli it was just an accident but for the one staring at the notifications the next morning it was half of a heartattack.

-

At the end of the week which Zhongli had spent with the beauty and fitness program that Ningguang had imposed on him, he was really looking forward to the photo shoot. The town he was in was beautiful, he could see it from his windows, but staying inside the hotel room all of the time wasn't something he appreciated. He was eager to do something, to visit the town, to meet new people and, eventually, spend some money on things he didn't really need. It was true that he enjoyed the calm, but even he sometimes fell victim to boredom.

-

It was relatively early in the morning when Childe entered the set already completely styled. Actually it was not that early, but too early for him to deal with the slightly dressed dark-haired man who was just talking to the designer as if they had been friends for decades. It wasn't the fact that they seemed to get along well that he didn't like that for various reasons, but the fact that his damn colleague actually looked even better in person than on the pictures he had been staring at for days now. Childe already knew that his newly found obsession wasn't healthy, but it couldn't be helped. And at least that motivated him to go back to work again.

"...so I hope that this is not too uncomfortable for you.", the rather inconspicuous looking but very conspicuously dressed man said when Childe approached the two, completely focused on Zhongli.
"No, actually it does not bother me. Being close to a colleague is by no means unusual within a professional setting, at least I assume so.", Zhongli replied in his usual stoic manner, completely unimpressed by having a conversation in only light clothing. Watching them Childe could see that Zhongli seemed to behave professionally through and through, which, however, quickly began to bother him in connection with the statement he had heard. Professional here, professional there, he was also professional, but still he wouldn't say no to sharing the bed with the stranger outside of the photo shoot, but apparently the other would.

Childe had still been lost in thought as he stood next to them now, but the amber gaze he met immediately brought him back to his senses.
"Ah there he is, our second star of the day. Ajax, dear, that's Zhongli. Isn't he even more handsome in real life than on photos? Zhongli, love, this is Ajax. ...ah I can already guarantee that you will look fantastic together~ Absolutely fantastic.", suddenly overly enthusiastic, the designer soon ran off to discuss something with the photographer, leaving them in an akward atmosphere. They stood there like two idiots, staring at each other without saying a single word. A few times it seemed like one of them actually wanted to break the silence, but neither actually did.

"My boys, let's get started!", the designer suddenly yelled moving his arms dramatically, releasing them from the silence.
"..my boys? What the fuck are we? His children? Oh please no..", Childe mumbled when he turned to head to the set, his heart hammering against his chest when he heard the one following him chuckle quietly.

Contrary to the previous akward silence, the first few minutes of the photo shoot went flawlessly. They took individual pictures and a few together, but until now there had always been enough distance between them. Sometimes it was a blanket, sometimes a pillow, sometimes they sat on the opposite edge of the bed and only looked at eachother. In the pictures it looked as if they had been familiar with each other for ages, a fact that the designer was extremely enthusiastic about.
"Ah look at you. It's almost like you were made for each other.", he told them, causing another few seconds of akward silence between them.
"Anyway, enough of that, it's time to get cozy. ..Zhongli, dear, in your portfolio I saw that you're tattooed? Please sit with your back to the camera and let your shirt slide off your shoulders a bit. It just goes perfectly with the patterns and colors of the fabric. Ajax, imagine you want to conquer him but you don't wanna break him. I don't want sexual tension, rather something sublime."
Hearing that, for the first time in ages, Childe blushed heavily, already starting to hate himself for having thoughts that he really shouldn't have right now. Oh dear, he wanted to conquer and break him now.
"Are you not feeling well?", Zhongli, on the other hand, hadn't thought much about the instructions, but wondered why his colleague was almost as red as a tomato now.
"Ah ..haha, nah I'm all good. Let's just continue. Totally sublime and absolutely not sexual...", the ginger mumbled trying to focus again, but was about to fail when he watched Zhongli unbutton his shirt a little now that they had agreed on moving on.
Why the hell was he making him feel like this already? He was used to all kinds of photo shoots, he had been closer to other models before, so why the goddamn hell was he feeling like a teenage boy now? He had to focus, he had to breathe and just be professional. Yes, if he'd be professional there would be nothing to worry about.

After Zhongli had positioned himself as discussed, it didn't take Childe long to find a pose according to the instructions and as long as Zhongli would just stay like this, there should be no problems with appearing sublime, Childe was convinced of that. Well, however, some beliefs do not correspond to reality...

Ajax Childe Tartaglia was a beautiful man, Zhongli had known that from the pictures he had already seen, but now that he was so close it was even more obvious to him. Since he was sitting facing away from the camera, it didn't matter where exactly he was looking at and with Childe almost above him he had every opportunity to do so. Zhongli could see the blue eyes that looked like a deep ocean, a danger for drowning but endearing in a way that he wouldn't even mind. He could glance at the pale skin, the few freckles, the scars, reminding him of a canvas, a work of art. He could see a blonde strand in his ginger hair, an unruly curl on the side, a few individual hairs mingling with the earring on his left ear. Completely focused on the other man, bathing in his scent of snow and salt water, Zhongli didn't even notice that he was zoning out completely. There was only the stranger in front of him and his heart losing it's rythm inside his chest.

"... ... Hey handsome, he's talking to you.", Childe said slightly amused when he put two of his fingers under Zhongli's chin to make him look at him. He didn't really know how long they had been trying to talk to the other already, but immediately forgot what it was all about himself when he was met with a hazy golden gaze directed only at him.
"...hmmm~...tell me your thoughts, will you?", he asked in a whisper that only the two could hear, brushing his thumb over Zhongli's soft lips. To see them part under his touch and hear the small sound he made was almost enough to make his sanity crumble.
"...I shouldn't. ..", Zhongli replied thanks to his last functioning brain cell, still unable to avert his gaze, completely caught in a moment he shouldn't be in and in a feeling he didn't know.
"Hah~ Seems like you really need to be broken first~", there was something dark clouding the blue eyes as he talked, something that crept into every cell of Zhongli's body to stay there forever, something that made the touch on his lips feel like too much and too little at the same time.
"...I...I need a break!", Zhongli didn't know himself where it all came from, only that it was way too much. It took a lot of effort, but when he managed to snap back to his senses, he immediately jumped up, overly apologized to the team and rushed into the restroom at the end of the corridor. He really needed a goddamn break to be able to focus again.

-

For the rest of the shoot, Zhongli continued to behave professionally. Everything Childe had seen in his eyes before was gone, there was only a stoic expression whenever he looked at the other. The mood between them wasn't akward, but from Zhongli's side it was definitely cool and distant.

"All done, good job you two!", the designer stated after another hour, officially dismissing the two for the day. Childe would've loved to ask the other if he would want to spend some time with him, but never before had he seen someone change and leave as fast as Zhongli did. Great, the dark-haired beauty was definitely avoiding him now. Really great.

-

Back in his hotelroom, Zhongli noticed how tense he had been over the past few hours. It was unusual for him to feel that way but the feelings before had been even more unusual. To be attracted to someone in any way was something he wasn't used to. Sure, he had previously met attractive people, he could also acknowledge that, but the need to be touched by someone had always been rather alien to him, even when he had dated someone. Until now it had always been a deep sense of connection, but today was new. Completely new and almost a little overwhelming.

Until the evening Zhongli spent his time reading and doing things he liked, but when he was back in bed he decided to continue working with the apps he still didn't really understand. He looked at profiles of friends and strangers, at some on topics that interested him, like the profile of a @geodude who posted pictures of gemstones, ores and crystals, and posted one himself that he took in a local bakery that morning. In his opinion, it wasn't exactly the most useful occupation, but at least it was a pastime.

'@Tartaglia11 tagged you in a post.', shortly before he was about to put his smartphone down again, he was startled by a notification. Of course Zhongli had no clue what that actually meant, but he knew who the other person was and encountered a photo of himself when he clicked on it. It was a picture of him and Childe from today's shooting, apparently taken by an assistant while they were having their little moment. It actually was a beautiful picture, nothing that made him feel uncomfortable at all, but the memory of the moment made his confused little heart beat a little faster.

CrimsonWitch: Didn't I tell you to not flirt with him?
XinAndYun: @AlchemistAlbedo we should use this as a reference some day.
YunAndXin: @XinAndYun didn't you say that you won't write any more romance novels?
Ningguang✔️: You seem to have a good chemistry.
CruxCaptain69: Babe, they look like they're about to fuck, not like 'good chemistry' @Ningguang✔️
DeathAfterNoon: Since we're both still in Snezhnaya, mind to join me for a drink tomorrow? ;) @Morax
Twin1: Wow, didn't know you could even look good! :P @Tartaglia11
Twin2: Nah it's just bc of Zhongli xD @Twin1
Tartaglia11: @Twin2 I agree that he's really beautiful.... but still, fuck off.

Beautiful. He was calling him beautiful in the comments. It wasn't like Zhongli would never get compliments, quite the contrary, but it mostly left no trace on him since he only saw it as a courtesy. Seeing Childe call him publicly beautiful on the other hand made him feel giddy. Whatever was happening to him right now was weird, but not exactly ... bad.

-

The next day was the day the video shoot was supposed to take place and honestly, Childe couldn't wait for it to finally happen. Zhongli would not be able to avoid him at work, he was convinced of that, and hoped that he could try again to ask him out. they could go for a coffee, that would be enough for now, everything would be enough for now if it would lead to them spending time together.

Although he was early himself, he was surprised to see that Zhongli appeared to have been on set even earlier. That wasn't bad, at least he had come at all, but to meet him half naked in the changing room was a bit inconvenient. He had wanted to ask him on a date and not to have these inappropriate thoughts again.

"..good morning, Ajax.", Zhongli greeted with a faint smile, the same distant and cold expression in his eyes he had already had yesterday.
"Mornin'~ Had a good night? Heard you're staying at the Grand Zapolarny already.", he replied in need of anything normal to talk about, turning away to grab his set of pajamas again. If Zhongli didn't seem to bother with them getting changed together, he wouldn't be the one to mind it either.
"Ah yes, I am and in fact, it is already the suite in which the last shooting is supposed to take place."
"Is it? Lucky you. It's almost like a shooting at home for you then haha.."
"...not exactly but if it would add to your comfort to be familiar with the location, feel free to come by at any reasonable hour."
One moment Childe had been busy changing, the other he turned around in an instant to stare at Zhongli a little confused but excited. He wasn't asking him out in a strange way, was he?
"Sounds great, thanks.", Childe replied a little strained, trying to suppress that one braincell that had wanted to call it a date.
"..are you also staying in the hotel?", the dark-haired asked after a few seconds of akward silence, also turning to look at Childe again, which, to his misfortune, hadn't even begun to change properly. He was just standing there only dressed in tight underwear, grinning stupidly. All his life Zhongli had never been someone to loose his cool, but now he couldn't hide the faint blush that was slowly tinting his cheeks red. He couldn't avert his eyes, couldn't even turn away in a polite manner that would fit him way more.
"Like what you see?", Childe asked a little amused, slowly leaning closer with a small but smug smile on his lips as he watched the slight tint on Zhongli's cheeks turn into a tomato red blush. He was obviously already more than nervous, but he would've loved to see how far he could go. Crossing boundaries had always been something he liked to do.
"Could all be yours, you know.", the blue eyed whispered reaching his hand out to take the others hand into his own, slowly lifting it up to rest it against his chest. Childe could feel his own pulse skyrocket when the foreign fingertips touched his skin, but that too was something he would have liked to make worse.
"...I-.. ...please excuse me...", for a moment the golden gaze had been hazy, but when the fog cleared again just a second later, Zhongli fled the room just as quickly as yesterday. His voice had been a bit higher than usual, his cheeks were burning and his heart racing, it was all too much for him to just let it happen.
"..oh come on..", the ginger mumbled dissatisfied, still staring at the door through which Zhongli had just fled from him.
"Seems like I'm back at the coffee thing again, eh?"

-

"..even if what I want to discuss might have an impact on the business, I ask you to listen to me as a friend.", it was during their break when Zhongli spoke to Ningguang on the phone. He was walking on the roof terrace of the building, the only empty place. He was too restless to go sit down and wanted to get some fresh air where no one would find him.
"Yes, of course. What is it that concerns you?"
"..After careful consideration, I came to the realization that I must feel attracted to my colleague. At least this is the only sensible explanation in view of the tension that I feel in his vicinity.", he continued, trying to explain what bothered him without being too open about it.
"...attraction? Are you sure that it is real attraction? Tensions often arise between two people who work together, however, it is often just general tension due to the strain. The most effective is to try to relieve this tension to get a clear mind again and to discover the origin of this feeling."
"Relieve the tension? How exactly would that be feasible in view of my suspicions?", while he was talking to her, Zhongli was walking along the railing, looking at the view that the height offered him. The snow was a beautiful sight, calming while the breeze was getting to his bones quickly.
"Even if I hate having to make this suggestion, but why don't you kiss him? Most likely this will already be sufficient."
"...kiss..... wouldn't that be inappropriate?", his voice was now only just as loud as a whisper. He really didn't want anybody to hear his conversation even if no one was near him at all.
"Possibly yes... but I don't think it would hurt to try...and, even if I have to go back to my position as your boss to tell you, I don't want you to mess up the last job because of any pent-up feelings. So far, everyone is very satisfied with you, I hope I can trust that it will stay that way."
"Hmm ... yes, I will try to find a solution. Thank you for your time."

Zhongli didn't know if it would really be helpful to follow the advice, but he did know that under these conditions he would have problems concentrating on the shootings. It made sense to relieve tension, but kissing someone? Would that be the key? He had never felt the need to kiss someone on his own beforehand and his last kiss had been a long time ago, so how should he even do that?

-

The thought plagued his mind during the video shoot, it was almost too much to concentrate properly, more than once he caught himself staring at Childe's lips. It seemed to be true that, if it continued like this, he really wouldn't be able to work properly on the last shoot. Maybe he really had to reduce the tension fast.

"...Ajax? ...Would you mind waiting for me in front of the building later?", Zhongli suddenly asked while they had a minute, averting the others gaze once again. It was strange enough to even consider doing what he was about to do after the shooting, he didn't feel the need to make too much of it now.
"Huh? Uh yes ok, sure, will do. Anything important?", a little startled, Childe wondered why Zhongli was suddenly talking to him again. Was there anything to discuss? Did he want to tell him that they shouldn't work together anymore as he would probably hardly want to invite him on a date? The blue eyed definitely was curious to find out but felt a little uncomfortable. Zhongli was avoiding him again, after only 20 glorious seconds, and he still had no clue how to change that. Childe sighed quietly, but immediately switched back to his professional self as soon as the team turned to them again. The whole thing would have to wait a little longer. Damn.

-

The hours until the end of filming had felt endless, but now standing in front of the building and waiting felt even more endless. They had went to change together, but now Zhongli seemed to purposely waste as much time as possible. He didn't, but Childe couldn't know that. In the end, it took another 25 minutes until the dark-haired finally left the building, 25 minutes in which the ginger got in a bad mood. He was annoyed by being left waiting outside for so long without knowing what for, it was no wonder that he looked as annoyed as he felt when Zhongli finally approached him.

"You made me wait quite a while....so what's up? Gonna tell me now or do I need to freeze-", his voice had been snippy, almost a bit petulant, but every further word got stuck in his throat when he suddenly and without warning felt Zhongli's lips on his own. In the moment it took him to get it, he could see how long Zhongli's lashes were, could feel the softness of his lips and the warmth of his breath, the soft touch of his hand on his chest and the slight tremor of his body. Right, it was actually cold outside, wasn't it?
Wrapping both of his arms around Zhongli, pulling him close to hold him tight, Childe finally returned the kiss, deepening it instantly. The small gasp that left the dark-haireds mouth was like a sweet note in his ears, but making it a whole melody seemed like an even better idea. Maybe waiting had been worth it after all.
"...Ajax...", it was more of a mewl than a whisper that left Zhongli's lips when they broke the kiss, the feeling of Childes hands on his body was clouding his mind. He was freezing but there was heat spreading everywhere inside him.
"......we should stay professional..", he added quietly, not even convinced himself of what he said, but tried to step back a little. He was in Snezhnaya for business, not for pleasure. He shouldn't forget that, he couldn't forget that, but why did he want to forget that, if even only for a minute?
"Sure, but why shouldn't we be able to do it anyway?", the ginger asked not letting go of him, moving his hand to the back of Zhongli's neck to pull him in for another kiss. He didn't want to hear an answer yet. They melted into the kiss just like the snow would melt around them, every inch of one willing to become one with the other.

"No, stop!", breaking free with a strength he didn't look like he had, Zhongli stepped back to get rid off any touch. He wanted it so bad that he felt like he was already loosing himself, but he couldn't let that happen. Not for someone which he had already been warned about.

"..always, but Zhongli? Be careful.", Ningguang had said shortly before they ended the call, a strange sound in her voice that Zhongli could not decipher.
"You will not have to worry about the business, you have my word.", he had replied serious, there was no way he would harm her with whatever was going on inside him.
"That's not what I'm talking about as I trust you completely, but I don't want you to be harmed. ...he has a good reputation as a model, but as a person ... It's not just about the addiction to violence, but according to other reports, he shows no serious intentions towards other people. If you don't care to become a picture in his collection, I won't stop you, but I know you too well.... just take care of yourself, ok?"

"I am aware that I have provoked this situation myself, I apologize for that, but I would prefer to forego any contact with you that is not in a professional context. Since I do not assume that this is of great importance to you, I will now leave without further discussion. Have a good evening.", wearing the expression of a god of contracts and war, Zhongli turned without waiting for an answer, ignoring the still rapid beating of his heart and the fuzzy feeling in his stomach. Maybe he didn't care to become a picture in a collection, but maybe he wanted to be the only one.
"What the hell are you talking about? Wait a minute! Hey!", sprinting after him, Childe tried to understand why Zhongli suddenly reacted that way. Did he do something wrong? Did he say something wrong? Had he just imagined that there was something between them?
"For what reason are you chasing me?", the dark-haired asked expressionless after some minutes, finally stopping to look at Childe again.
"To talk to you?! Goddamn... what's wrong with you? Why do I have to run after you for miles to talk to you?", the blue-eyed replied gasping for air, the cold has definitely never been the best environment for spontaneous sports.
"Most likely because I don't feel the need to have a conversation."
"...and what the hell did I do to you? Actually I just wanted to ask if you'd want to go for a coffee or if I should show you the city or whatever you do on a date. Ok ok, yeah, I'd love to fuck you, but since I still dunno anything about you, I'd like to do something to change that too.", Childe stated honest, grinning a little while he scratched his head when Zhongli looked at him a little dumbfounded.
"...that was...unnecessarily honest but enlightening, I guess. Still, why would you want to get to know me better? As far as I know, this is unnecessary for sexual interaction."
"Honestly? I have no idea. You're intriguing, I guess. You're beautiful, more than just that, but very, I like the way you talk, the words and your voice, the way you looked at me, hell, that was a big turn-on.. I just want to spend time with you. I don't care what we do as long as we do it."
"...even if there will be no physical closeness until the coming photo shoot is over?"
"Yeah, even then."
Zhongli was silent again for a few seconds, again averting the others ocean blue gaze, and thought about the words. Did he actually want that himself? Was it appropriate to even want to approach someone? Would it be possible to stay away?
"..I would like to see the city.", he replied after a quiet sigh had left his lips, the stern expression giving way to a small smile. Whether it made sense or not, it couldn't hurt to spend some quality time with his colleague.

-

'@Morax shared a new story', every day in the following week, Xiao was greeted by a new picture of Zhongli and a ginger doing all kinds of things. There was one of them in a restaurant eating hearty snezhnayan dishes, one of them sharing a cake with a bunch of grannies, one where Zhongli was feeding ducks the size of middle-sized dogs, one of Childe getting chased by exactly these ducks, a very nice one of Zhongli on their midnight stroll and one of them ice fishing. While it was nice to see that Zhongli was fine and that he actually looked happy, it was agony to see this ginger everywhere too. He wouldn't ask him about it now, but to make sure that the blue eyed devil wouldn't snatch him away, he would prevent that there would be any more jobs in Snezhnaya for Zhongli. That stupid country was far too cold for him anyway.

-

"Good morning boys~ Ready for the last shoot?", the designer greeted, waiting for them to get ready. Maybe it was a bit mean to wake up Zhongli at 4 a.m. to prepare the room, but there was no time to waste today. After all, Zhongli would be leaving tomorrow, so everything had to go according to plan. Since he was already there, the dark-haired was already ready when Childe came to the set. He was still dressed in a bathrobe, sitting on the bed and reading a book while everyone else was busy. After Childe had disappeared in the bathroom, which served as the changing room, to get changed and styled, the photo shoot already started with single shots of Zhongli. Everything went according to plan for a while, but when Childe returned to the set, the photographer and designer were both obviously distracted.

"...that's bad...well not bad, no, definitely not bad but..."
"We can't print them like that."
"Exactly. ... You didn't happen to bring a different size with you that could be adjusted?"
"...Actually it should fit, but it looks like someone can't measure correctly here. ... what if we swap the planned positions? If we make slight changes..."
"If you're not planning to change industries, yes we should swap them."

Childe couldn't see anything as the team was blocking the view, but could hear their conversation. Wondering about it, the ginger squeezed through the crowd to get to his workplace, not expecting to be greeted by Zhongli's ass, the main actor in the debacle of the designer. The shorts they were supposed to wear were in the right size, just not for the ass from which Childe could no longer look away.
"..fuck..", he mumbled taking a seat on the bed, slipping under the covers to hide the result of weeks he spent with not touching the star of his wet dreams. The pajamas apparently had been a good cover since his imagination was nowhere near reality.
"...it seems like I am causing an inconvenience, I would like to apologize for ...", turning to face Childe instead of staying in the previously required position, Zhongli seemed a bit troubled by the situation.
"No!...uh no need huh? E-everything will be fine..ehuh ..absolutely fine.. ", still not recovered from the sight, the ginger interrupted him rapidly. If this was what he could get if only he would remain patient, he would remain patient forever if necessary.
"..buuuut when it's all over and everyone has left, am I allowed to maybe ...stay here? Uhm ... we could order food and...", Ajax's voice sounded a bit nervous and unusually excited, but he didn't even have to finish his sad attempts to cover up his real intentions. Even before, he could hear Zhongli chuckle and see him nod slightly.
"Splendid!.. eh hehe... ok then let's get this over with, okay? We're ready! Could we start now?"

As discussed, Childe and Zhongli's positions were swapped during the photo shoot as it was the only way to cover up what didn't fit into the underwear. It was supposed to be a comfy atmosphere, portraying the image of a couple in their everyday life, with the exception that they just stayed in bed to spend a relaxing day. They made Zhongli read a book while Childe was just lazing around, let them pose like they would just get in or out of the bed, simply put: different positions that should look as comfortable and ordinary as possible. It wasn't exactly a challenge as the two actually seemed comfortable with each other, but every time Zhongli turned around it was a challenge for Childe. He felt like he could just pray that the shooting would be over soon.

"For the last pictures it would be good if you'd put on the shirt from the first shooting again, then lean with your back against the headboard and cover your lower body. Just like you'd want to rest. Ajax, we'll focus on your back, so climb into bed and towards him, just as if you'd like to get a kiss before you leave. It's just supposed to look like this, so do not worry."

'Last pictures' sounded great, but acting like he would only want to kiss him and not really kiss him seemed troublesome. Childe had been patient for such a long time already, why did they have to challenge him?
Busy getting dressed, Zhongli hardly thought about the request in return, but the word kiss echoed through his mind anyway. They had kissed before and he had liked it a lot, just pretending shouldn't be a problem, but the thought of just faking it was unusually annoying. Maybe he actually had more needs of his own than he had expected.

Once in position, Zhongli waited for Childe to join him, the amber eyes focused on everything the other was doing. He watched him climb into the bed and remain in different poses for pictures, watched him chuckle when the photographer praised him and smiled softly when the ocean eyes finally turned to him. He approached him as smoothly as a cat, grinning a bit.
"I'm coming for ya~", he whispered amused and licked his lips, a teasing expression spreading over his face.
"Do not keep me waiting.", the dark-haired replied unimpressed, carrying a small one-sided smile on his lips, causing both, Childes heart and mind, to short-circuit. He had wanted to be professional, he had tried to be professional, but fuck it, he had been professional long enough.
Surging forward, he captured the tempting lips infront of him in a kiss that wasn't faked at all, sliding his leg between Zhongli's. He could feel Zhongli struggle for a few seconds, but couldn't help but chuckle when he gave in, wrapping his arms around Childe's neck.
The ginger supported himself placing his hand on the headbord and moved their lips together like there was no one around them anymore. Tongue teased at Zhongli's lips, and he eagerly opened to allow the blue-eyed in. Their saliva mingled, savory sweet with a hint of tea and toothpaste, only small gasps leaving their lips. Getting to feel everything of Zhongli's mouth again was great, but he wanted more, more of the searing heat, more than small gasps. Wrapping his free arm around the dark-haireds waist, Childe put all his strength into the arm that was supported on the headboard, pushing himself back to fall into a sitting position while he took Zhongli with him to have him on his lap. The surprised sound the other made was smothered in their kiss, but his own heart pumped loud with adrenaline and arousal. Grabbing the dark-haired by the back of his neck and his waist, pulling him even closer, Childe heard soft whimpers escape his lips. Poisonous sweet sounds making him forget even more where they were and making him harder. 

"...we...we're in company...", Zhongli noted a little out of breath when they broke the kiss, digging his nails into Childes shoulders. He wanted more of it, wanted to feel more of the kisses along his neck, more of the hands on his body, but maybe not in front of an embarrassed team and a camera while they were supposed to work.
"Hm?.. ah yes that is a bit unfavorable, isn't it?", Childe replied between placing wet kisses and soft sucking along Zhongli's jawline, chuckling a little when he imagined the expressions of the team behind him. Leaning back a little, letting his head fall back to look at them upside down, Childe grinned a little before he wrapped both arms around Zhongli's waist again.
"We're going to take a break now, ok?", he asked without even wanting to hear an answer and straightened again, meeting the amber gaze with his own ocean one.
"Hold tight handsome."

Only when the door of the other room slammed shut behind a pale slightly freckled back, was it obvious to the team that it might be best to take a break. Outside. In front of the hotel. Far far away.

-

"The pictures actually haven't turned out bad haha...", Childe noted looking at the pictures published in the magazine, showing it to the man in his arms. Zhongli only nodded adjusting his bear ears hat again, snuggling closer to feel the most comfortable while being squeezed into airplane seats.
"..would not have thought that they would be printed at all."
"Well, it would have been understandable given our behavior but in my opinion it is the most surprising that we haven't been fired this day."
"Hmmm ... that one picture got a lot of attention and I don't think they wanted to forego this opportunity after all haha.."
"You are proud of it, aren't you?"
Looking at the dark-haired, Childe knew the answer immediately.
"Absolutely~"

Chapter Text

Sorry that I'm so late today.. I had a lot of paperwork to do, but I'm sure you already know that.", greeting his beloved with a smile, the same genuine one like every night and every morning,  Kazuha placed a bag of food on the table and took a seat next to him. Like every evening when they met, he reached out to place a kiss on the other's lips and lingered there for a moment to feel his warmth. Tomo's warmth had always been the most comforting thing for Kazuha, whether he was having a bad day and needed some comfort or not. Always being able to go back there was all he needed to keep going.
"...I hope you do not mind if I eat something first, I just didn't have time today....my report was due today, do you remember?", he already knew that the other wouldn't mind it, on the contrary, he always scolded him when he hadn't eaten all day because he was too busy studying. Kazuha didn't mind it if he didn't eat, most of the time he didn't even notice, it was too important for him to finish his studies well but he was still glad that someone cared for him. knowing that there was someone who cared about him often made him feel warm inside and he wanted to do his best to make them both happy. He was committed to his studies, motivated by the future plans the two had made. Traveling the world together, leaving Inazuma behind to start over somewhere else, he couldn't wait for the day to come when they would go and maybe never come back.
"..I'm glad I decided to do the lecture on modern poetry, I think you were right that my original plan would have been too soporific....Ah...and love from Gorou, we went to the library together this afternoon. Actually he said something else but to be honest I don't remember it anymore, so just greetings....", slipping under the cozy blanket he had left with the blonde a while ago, Kazuha grabbed the bag of food and munched on the fish sandwich he had brought with him. Actually he would have wanted to cook for them tonight, Tomo had always loved the rather simple fish dish that Kazuha called his specialty, but he had forgotten to get the groceries he would've needed. Lately he had just often been very distracted but of course he had messaged Tomo in the afternoon, so he could be sure that he would eat in time because he often ate earlier in the evening. Eating too late was unhealthy anyways, at least that's what his boyfriend often told him when he was on his way back from his training sessions. Kazuha hardly took it into consideration himself, he suffered too much from a completely shifted day-night rhythm, but made sure that Tomo could do what made him happy. To see him happy was the most important thing to him after all.
"The weather was quite nice today, a bit unusual for this time of year but I am not mad about it. When I went for a short walk around noon to clear my head, I could already hear the birds chirping.... It was very quiet, but I can still tell the stories from the south from it. I hope that one day we will travel to these places too, after all it sounds like beautiful landscapes and freedom whenever I listen to them.", he said when he finished eating, put his trash back on the table and snuggled up to Tomo. Luckily the blonde never cared if Kazuha smelled like food, weed, books or shampoo, he loved him no matter what, he always had, even the day they first met a few years ago. It was already late and Tomo was tired, Kazuha could always tell what mood he was in, but it didn't bother him much when he slept early. Whether they were talking, cuddling or just sleeping next to each other, it was enough for him to be close to him.
"...ah..I remember something else, today I was-... no, it's not that important, let's talk about it after we've slept, otherwise I'll just keep you awake and I don't want you to miss out on your well deserves rest.", stretching a little bit again, Kazuha kissed his sleepy, actually already sleeping, boyfriend again and turned to turn off the bedside lamp.
"Sleep well my love. I promise I'll be back here earlier tomorrow."

-

When he was listening to his sleeping lovers calm heartbeat, Kazuha remembered the conversation he had with Ayaka today. She had asked him to write down something about their history together, about beautiful moments and memories that he and Tomo had experienced together. He couldn't remember what for, his memory seemed to have holes these days, but he suspected that it might have been about his upcoming birthday. He himself had also been busy finding a great present for him and that Ayaka thought about it too made him happy, of course. Tomo deserved it, he was the most wonderful person he knew after all.
"...how we met...beautiful moments and memories...every moment with you is the most beautiful for me... to write something that does justice to it seems impossible to me...", he whispered so as not to wake up the other, but still thinking about it out loud so as not to lose his focus again. Maybe they should go on a short trip together soon, nature, fresh air and some relaxation would certainly help him to be able to concentrate better again.
"...the first time I saw you, you ran away from a security guard with a can of cat food in your hands... I really thought you were just a petty criminal back then, but when I saw you feeding the strays behind the university...I guess that was the moment it happened to me... ... to expose yourself to the possibility of punishment for taking care of the cats...I didn't know if that was stupidity or kindness, but I wanted to know more. More about you, more about your ways of thinking, more about the heart beating in your chest. I wonder if you still remember the day we actually met for the first time... what did you think about me back then? ...I realize I never asked you that.... time flies so quickly and with it the memory of so much that was once so important fades.. but this time I'll remember to ask you. ... You know, I really look forward to hearing what you thought when you suddenly saw me that day feeding the cats with my leftovers..  I remember that you told me that you would mix with the cats tomorrow if I came back with food that smelled so good... the scent of fried fish... is this the scent of our memories? ... well, for me it's something very special no matter the peculiarities that maybe no one else can understand...", snuggling a little closer even if that was barely possible anymore, Kazuha bathed in the blondes scent when he closed his eyes to rest. He wasn't tired yet even if he was often really exhausted these days, but he wanted to loose himself in the others warmth once again. It was what made him feel at home no matter where he was. Tomo was his home. The only one he needed.
"Of course I remember, how could I ever forget? As I ran away, I saw you standing there and you know what? I suddenly wanted so badly to stop right in front of you. I never told you, because honestly, it sounds so abnormally cheesy, but in that second I had the feeling to see in color for the first time. I felt like I could see the life I could lead, the future that would await me. You had that leaf in your hair, I don't think you even noticed, and a look in your eyes like you're a million miles away, you were probably high as fuck haha... but I suddenly wanted to be right where you are no matter how far away.
Well, I couldn't stop running at that moment haha...but you have no idea how much I stressed myself all day because I didn't know who you are, where you are, how I could meet you... I thought I'd ruined my chance before I even had a try, but then you popped up out of nowhere with your maple pattern bento box,  feeding the sickly ones with your chopsticks while the others ate straight out of the box... you want to know what I was thinking about you at that moment? Want to know the truth? Well, I thought that I had lost my mind because all I could think of was to fall on my knees and ask you to marry me. My sky was turning pink like in those disgustingly cheesy shows and I could have sworn you were sparkling too, yet I didn't even know your name. What I then said to you was the only thing my short-circuited brain managed to do and honestly, I thought I fucked up so bad that you'd turn and avoid me for the rest of your life but I think for once in my life I was really lucky. Lucky you didn't see me as the weird cat dude but came back the next day with three bento boxes. I still don't believe in love at first sight, but I believe in fate and you're mine.", Tomo's voice was warm and soft, loving and sometimes amused, but mostly simply honest. Every word he said felt like the medicine that could heal any wound in Kazuha's soul, so warm and beautiful that he no longer felt the tears running down his cheeks. He was at home, there was nothing to worry about.

-

"...Mister Kadehara...", at some point in the night he must've fallen asleep, dreaming of all the memories that seemed to fade so mercilessly at times, but the voice he heard early in the morning didn't belong in this peaceful world. It didn't belong to the man which was his home. Someone called his name, tried to wake him up, but was there really not a moment left to stay? He had lectures he wanted to attend again, he reminded himself, but couldn't they really wait a moment longer?
"Mister Kadehara.. I can only imagine how incredibly hard this must be for you, but it is time to say goodbye... I..I can no longer justify it..it's been two days already.. please forgive me, I wish fate had chosen a different path for you...", her voice so soft and yet so serious, a note of compassion in it that tried to eat through Kazuha's veins like acid.
"...... a goodbye for a journey on paths where the next morning remains hidden... is it really a goodbye if there will never be a hello again?", when he sat up, his world was spinning violently, the colored images of a future tearing apart under the weight of the gray present. He hadn't heard the beeping of the machines anymore as he had stopped to listen, had replaced the sterile white walls with pictures of a home as he had stopped to see, kept the environment around him hidden under a warmth where actually was only the cold as he had stopped to feel that one day. He had replaced his reality with a lie that hurt so much but felt so good. Kazuha felt sick, his mind shattered under the weight of a truth he didn't want to see, his body aching with a heart that was broken into thousands of pieces. He felt like he was caught in the moment of death, but it was he who lived.
"I'm so sorry for your loss... if there is anything we can do for you...if I should call anyone..", the nurse mumbled trying to be calm while another world shattered infront of her eyes, stepping closer to offer her support.
"..one more day... if I had one wish ....I would ask for just one more day... one more day of the forever we had promised eachother..."

Chapter Text

The day they first met wasn't different from every other. It was sunny and warm, only a gentle breeze carried another bards tale through the bustling city. After the bartending course, which had attracted a lot of attention, the tavern was often well frequented early in the day already, and new guests who had never been seen there before were no longer a rarity. With Luka and Charles at his side, Diluc hardly had any problems coping with the extra work, but he also had to work there more often then he was used to. It wasn't bad, quite the contrary, but it was different.

"I still can't believe he came here without telling me.... that goddamn buffoon.", ever since Aether had been working in the tavern and a guest from Liyue had appeared, Diluc had heard Venti whine about something else every day. Most of the time it was about this one guest, but he wasn't aware why it was bothering the bard that much.
"...as far as I remember you wanted to write to him...", wiping the counter to give the whole thing the finishing touches for the new day, Diluc tried to appear as a slightly more social person than usual. He wasn't one for idle chit-chat most of the time since he considered it a waste of time, but now that he was spending so much time in the tavern anyway, he tried to make the most out of it. He couldn't pursue his usual tasks at the moment anyway.
"Ehuh! I did! But you know what? The blockhead didn't reply!", Venti replied balky as a child and let his head fall back on the counter with a dissatisfied expression. He really couldn't stand it when his old friend ignored him like that.
".... did you also refer to him as blockhead and buffoon in your letter? If so, I may have an idea why he didn't reply.... to the left please... ", it was a hassle having to keep wiping around the bard, but fortunately he moved seats often enough to ensure every spot could be cleaned from time to time.
"Nohoo? What do you even think of me? ...I'm really not that uncivilized! ... I greeted him in the most polite way, asked how he was doing and invited him to come back to spend some time with me, his oldest friend... I even made a joke!"
"...one that just amuses you or one that's actually funny?"
"How dare you to say that my jokes aren't funny? I'm hurt Master Diluc... ehe... you know when he uses his elemental abilities he often says 'I will have order' and I asked if he will have order at the tavern....ehehe...Funny, right?", wheezing again at his own joke, Venti didn't notice how Diluc just rolled his eyes without even considering it worthy of a response. He heard a lot of nonsense from the patrons of the tavern, that too was just something he could put in the same mental box.
"...you're such a spoilsport sometimes...hehe...at least I already know that Aether will appreciate my humor even if you don't."
"...appreciate or tolerate?"
"How can you treat me like that? Doesn't the city's beloved archon mean anything to you anymore?"
"The archon does but the ever-scrounging bard? I guess I have to think about that first.", even though Diluc's reply conjured a pouty expression on Ventis' face, the bard only laughed when he heard the other chuckle. After all, that was something very rare anyway.

While the two were chatting, two other guests had entered the tavern and were now watching them, waiting for them to finish their conversation. It had been a long journey and they were thirsty, but Zhongli wouldn't let Childe just interrupt them. After all, that would've been quite rude.
"... so the green fella over there is.."
"Yes, indeed."
"..and the other one? Doesn't seem like he's the clueless kind."
"As far as I know, he should be the owner of the tavern and the associated Dawn Winery... in conclusion, based on the stories of the traveler, I assume that he is well aware of Venti's real identity.... Apart from that, he probably tends to tell everyone and everything about it which usually leads to not being taken seriously anymore."
"...better than having to summon another god to find out the truth... "
"...So we are talking about this again?"
"Oh yeah, we're gonna talk about that a lot."
Zhongli was about to speak again, it had become normal between them to bicker even though they were friends nonetheless, when the one they had been talking about suddenly stood right infront of them, smiling stupidly. Venti seemed hesitant at first, unknowing of how his old friend would actually react to him, but then couldn't be stopped from simply jumping at him. The older archon didn't even have time to react before the other was already attached to him like a baby monkey to its mother.
"So you accepted my invitation after all!", the smaller one exclaimed happily and squeezed the other in his grip, enjoying himself way too much for the taste of everyone else around.
"...yes, I did but I am about to consider my decision questionable.", the older archon replied emotionless, but chuckled the second he noticed the bards pouty expression. Maybe it should have felt awkward to see each other again after so long, but it didn't.
"...you still could have answered, you know.. or is it your orange friend's fault that you neglected me so much? Did I miss anything? Hm? Hmmmm?", the bard suddenly asked oogling Childe, causing him to choke on his spit while Zhongli only sighed pained. It had never been like this, but it still felt uncomfortable to just think about it after all they had been through by now.
"No! It's not like-...ugh... I'll get us something to drink..."
"...Yes, thank you Ajax."

"Hey comrade, I'd like... ... anything suitable to drink at this hour, the best tea you have for my companion and whatever the green one likes to drink.", now standing at the bar across from Diluc, Childe was curious to get a closer look at the stranger that knew another archon personally. He was just as unknown to him as he was to the other and it couldn't be denied that he was somehow pretty to look at in his bartender's outfit. Yes, he was pretty, but Childe didn't think too much about it at that moment, he was only there to have a fun day after all.
"...Tea, Apple Cider and...", lifting his eyes off the counter to look at the foreigner, better said, to take a closer look at him to already gather as much information as possible, Diluc already grabbed the things he would need to prepare the drinks. Childe wasn't wearing his mask and his usual outfit as Zhongli had almost forced him to dress more normal, so Diluc had little reason to be too skeptical about him. Of course he'd still watch him closely as he'd do with every one that wouldn't exactly fit in.
"..if suitable for this hours means non-alcoholic, I'd recommend a Snow-covered Kiss. It's just a juice drink, but it might remind you of your homeland.", he added after inspecting Childe for a moment and took his startled expression as a yes. That he tried to be more social didn't always mean that he actually was.
"...alright, I'll give it a try but how didcha now where I'm from?"
"...Observation and experience, or to put it more simply, I've been there before. I've seen many with similarities to your appearance."
"You've been to Snezhnaya? Why? It's not exactly a tourist hotspot."
"That's none of your business."
"Ok ok, everyone's got some secrets, there's no need to hiss at me like that haha..", watching Diluc prepare the drinks, Childe suddenly imagined him with laid back ears and a bushy tail, exactly the way an upset cat would look like. He chuckled surrendering to the imagination a little longer, wondering if anyone else would ever think of the tavern owner like that or if he really had lost his mind years ago. The second Diluc handed him the drinks, Childe's mind was back to normal. To the joy of the redhead, he paid directly and was at least a little bit more sympathetic to him that way. Paying customers were still the best customers.
"Now I know why it's called like that except for the kiss thing, but it does remind me of snow covered mountains. Thanks comrade haha..."

-

Childe's decision to accompany Zhongli to Mondstadt wasn't just out of boredom, it was more of a tactical move. He had only recently been assigned to supervise the Fatui stationed in Mond, so the trip itself was quite convenient at that time. Even more practical, however, was the fact that Zhongli's friendship with Venti also included him in the circle of local drunkards. After only an hour he already knew the owner of the tavern, the Cavalry Captain, a nun of the Church of Favonius and also the local ex-archon. And all this without having to make an effort since to hide his identity was really the easiest thing about it.

"My my, you're quite the generous one, aren't you?"
"Wouldn't say that... I guess I'm just already used to bourgeois parasites haha..."
"I beg your pardon?"
"...ehehe...you shouldn't have reacted to it, blockhead..."
"After thinking about it for a moment, I am sure I'm still capable of throwing rocks."

"Certainly, but I would kindly ask you to refrain from doing this inside the tavern unless the exploitation goes far enough that it pays for the renovations. If so, feel free to do it.", Diluc suddenly interjected when he brought them new drinks. Such a well-paying customer was worth a bit more service, if only that meant he brought them the drinks instead of letting them pick them up themselves.
Looking at the redhead now, Kaeya only chuckled while Childe started to laugh when he noticed the dark-haired archons slightly puzzled expression. He himself didn't see it as exploitation at all, but apparently Zhongli suddenly had a lot to think about now.
"..was that some kind of bad joke?",Venti asked grabbing the most expensive bottle of wine. Of course he wouldn't miss a chance to get something good to drink instead of the usual cheap booze.
"So supposing I'd pay for the renovations, could I leave him with your group of parasites in return?", Childe asked very serious although of course he was joking, now causing Diluc to chuckle slightly. A rare but pleasing sight indeed.
"Let me think about it...ah, no. Despite all the temptations the offer has to offer, I'd rather turn it down. You're welcome to keep all four of them if you want, the adoption papers have been ready for a long time by now.", the redhead replied dead-serious, leaving the four speechless, while Childe laughed quietly as he apparently was the only one to get Diluc's kind of humor.

"..so...he was laughing about your joke? Quite interesting~", Kaeya said as soon as Diluc had left them again and glanced at Childe. It was not like he didn't like seeing the other laugh, quite the contrary, it was just confusing to see him laugh about a suspicious strangers joke.
"Who said I was joking? Maybe I should go and ask him about shared custody instead haha..", the ginger replied amused, not thinking much about the fact that it seemed so special to make Diluc laugh.
"Listen, if you go and do that, I'll pay for the next round.", Rosaria suddenly said after she had been quiet for quite some time, looking really serious when she threw a bag of Mora on the table. It was impossible to read what was on her mind at that moment, but seeing Venti and Kaeya's amused expression was enough for Childe to spur him on. If that was anything like a challenge then of course he wouldn't turn it down. He only nodded when he got up to the sound of Zhongli sighing, grinning a little as he walked to the bar and rested his arms on the counter.

"Need anything else?", the red-eyed asked calm without looking at the other while he continued to prepare drinks for other guests.
"Not really but I wanted to ask what you'd think about shared custody? Parasite care is quite expensive, isn't it?", the blue-eyed asked feeling a little stupid now that he had said it, even more when Diluc lifted his head to look at him completely expressionless.
"...Mir ist auch keine Pause von dem Unsinn vergönnt...", Diluc mumbled knowing full well that Childe probably couldn't understand him and only shook his head a little before he turned his gaze back to the drinks.
"Be careful or their nonsense will rub off on you... but, assuming this is the result of some kind of bet.. You can have them on weekends and holidays, I'll take them during the week.", without changing his facial expression or his voice, the answer was a little irritating, but it was exactly what made Childe laugh again. The ginger was obviously easy to entertain, but Diluc found it more irritating why he had even answered such nonsense. Maybe just because he didn't really dislike Childe on first impression, though he wouldn't say he liked him either. He hardly knew him after all.
"Agreed, let's discuss shipping and packaging next time.", Childe replied still chuckling a little and turned to return to the ones waiting for him already with curious stares grazing their faces.

"Mom takes you during the week, you'll be with dad on the weekends and during the holidays.", he stated as if it wasn't utter nonsense he was talking about, earning a quite irritated chuckle from Kaeya and unreadable facial expressions from the other three. There was a lot to ask about it, but Kaeya decided that for once he didn't want to know. He really didn't want to anything about that weird conversation anymore and especially not who of the two would be the mom and who would be the dad.

-

Childe's first night at the tavern hadn't really gotten any fancier, although it still had been entertaining and informative in one way or another. However, on the day he was actually stationed in Mondstadt, he decided to go back there anyway, if only because he didn't want to be seen in the Cat's Tail with his subordinates. He hadn't asked why all the Fatui avoided the Angel's Share, he would find out at some point anyway.

"...Doesn't seem like there's much going on today.", he said when he took a seat at the bar since no one he had met before seemed to be present, looking at the bartender that definitely wasn't the one he had met before either.
"Hello there. Not really, Wednesday is always 2 for 1 night at the Cat's Tail, even if I don't know why two juices are better than one juice but I think it's the cats. They're cute I guess. ... You're new here, right? I'm Luka.", the young looking bartender replied and handed Childe the drinks menu, waiting for him to choose something.
"Yeah, just moved here for work. Name's Ajax. Could you get me that...uh...drink that looks like a...snow-covered mountain? I forgot what it's called."
"...then welcome to the city, Ajax. ..a snow-covered mountain? Did you ever get that here? And if so, who made it?"
"I did.", suddenly emerging from the back room, Diluc tied his hair back into a high ponytail and went behind the bar to start to prepare the ginger's drink without further questions. The drink had only just been added to the range, so he wasn't surprised that Luka hadn't known anything about it yet.
"Ah I see.. Well, if the boss takes care of you himself, you're in the best of hands. Let me know if you need anything else.", Luka said when he said goodbye to go out again to look after the guests there, waving his hand a little as he left.
"...If I heard it right, you just moved here?", still not looking at the other, too focused on mixing the drink, Diluc didn't notice that he had startled the ginger with his question. Of course it would be hard to explain why without saying he was a Fatui harbinger, but it was more because Childe had been too busy watching Diluc. It wasn't really surprising, bartending was a kind of art after all, but that wasn't exactly the reason. With his sleeves rolled up, Childe had gotten a good look at the scars on his arms (he had a thing for these) and with the slightly messy ponytail and resulting loose strands which somehow reminded the ginger of a stream of blood, he had been quite the sight for the other. Childe hadn't really noticed it on his first evening there, but now he noticed that Diluc was actually really pretty.
"Eh?....uh yeah, today's the first day. Can't say it was interesting but that one woman who swore revenge on me was quite amusing."
"Eula Lawrence? ...I would recommend to get used to it. If you did something that can be considered as nice to her, it probably means something like thank you."
"That's a strange way to say that haha...but I like the spirit. Lawrence, eh? Isn't that one of the big three here?"
"Big three?"
"Ah.... ya know, heard some colleagues talk about Mondstadt's history and they had mentioned the name."
"...is that so? ... well, here's your drink. If you really want to delve into the history of the city, pay Lisa a visit at the library. ...I certainly don't have time for a lesson.", Childe didn't need another hint to understand that their conversation was already over again, but he kept wondering about the redhead. On his first evening he had learned from Kaeya that Diluc wasn't someone to laugh often, that he was quite aloof and harbouring an aversion to idle chit chat, but until now he couldn't really agree to that. Well, yes, there were moments when he saw the fierce cat in him, but otherwise he had actually been kind of nice to him but maybe that was something you would only understand after a while.

-

Something that had started slowly was quickly becoming a habit for Childe. He now spent almost every other evening in the tavern, mostly without even drinking alcohol, sometimes with Kaeya and the others, sometimes at the bar with Diluc. He quickly understood what Kaeya had meant, but still couldn't really agree. On the contrary, the more often he was there, the more Diluc seemed to be talking to him.

"Can't see the parasites around, what happened?", he asked as a kind of a joke when he took a seat at the bar again on the evening, which was probably his eighth there, smiling a little as soon as Diluc turned to him.
"....Being a single parent is exhausting, I needed a break.", the other replied once again completely expressionless and quite fast, appearing like he was already used to the strange insider they seemed to share. Whenever Kaeya noticed that, he was left completely speechless. He knew Diluc for a long time by now but had never imagined him to respond to some nonsense like that at all. Childe, on the other hand, just chuckled. He liked Diluc going into it as it kind of felt like a win after all he'd heard about him.
"Another snow-covered kiss or would you like something else today?"
"Actually I feel like I'd need a cup of tea. I don't care what kind, I'm not that interested in origin and quality and stuff like that."
"...tea? Was it a busy day or why are you asking for tea?"
"Kinda haha... got a bit worked up over nothing actually and since the old man said that tea could have a calming effect, I thought I'd give it a shot. What's your fav?"
"Grape juice."
"Grape juice? As a tavern owner and wine business magnate, grape juice's your favorite? Haha...kinda cute."
"I can't see anything cute about grape juice."
"...yeah ...eh ....guess because I wasn't talking about the juice...."
"Then what did you talk about?"
"...just...forget about it. So what about you? Had a good day? Anything exciting happened?", Childe hadn't intended to hit on Diluc, he liked his company as he was quite interesting, but he'd still thought to make him a compliment. That it failed so miserably was a bit uncomfortable, but at this moment it wasn't like the world had ended.
"... ... no, nothing unusual. It's quieted down in the city again, obviously due to a change in leadership for this bunch of scum and I appreciate that.", the redhead replied honest as both were still unaware of eachothers identity, a fact that Childe would like to maintain, at least as far as he himself was concerned. That Diluc called them a bunch of scum on the other hand hurt him a little, but it made him all the more curious too.
"...sounds like they got a better superior then.... ... Did they make a lot of trouble or why are you that averse?"
"...It's a personal matter but the aversion is mutual."
"Oh? How so?"
"As I said, it's personal."
"Ah~ He's been declared a persona non grata by them, right, Master Diluc?', Kaeya chimed in appearing behind Childe all of a sudden, but immediately regretted that he had answered the question even if he covered it with a quiet chuckle.
Childe only looked at them dumbfounded for a moment, immediately feeling the tension that seemed to build up in Diluc. The redhead didn't say anything but turned to ignore both of them now. Without really wanting to, Childe was now actually a little angry with Kaeya for the fact that this meant that Diluc wouldn't speak to either of them anymore today, but on the other hand it was a little difficult for him to hide his excitement. Of course he should have turned away from Diluc right away, but he found the whole thing far too interesting. He wanted to know the story behind it and above all he wanted to know what Diluc could do and who he was. And maybe he really felt like challenging the other one now too.
"Persona non grata, eh? Haha...I'd really like to know how that happened.", he said although he was already aware that Diluc would probably not answer and took the tea he had ordered, now thinking that maybe he should have ordered cheap booze instead.
"He-...pfmh...", Kaeya started as he had nothing to loose, but could only blink confused when it was Childe who pressed his hand against his mouth to stop him and looked at him judgemental even if he was still grinning a little.
"Ya know, I'd really like to know, but don'tcha think it shouldn't be you telling the story?", the ginger asked before he turned to focus on his tea instead, but felt like he had to stop when he was met by a fiery red gaze and an expression he couldn't read. Was he angry at him? Had he crossed a line while actually trying to keep one? Damn, he now really felt like he wasn't made to be the good guy once again.
"...danke."

-

It was already late on probably his 11th evening in the tavern, too late to order something. He had only arrived there a few minutes ago in search of refreshment after spending the day wiping out the Hilichurl camps in the area, but nobody was there apart from Diluc anymore.
"We're closing.", he heard the redhead say as soon as he had opened the door, but entered the tavern anyways.
"..it's you...", Diluc mumbled as soon as he looked up from the floor he was sweeping, now leaning the broom against the wall as he looked at the blood and dirt clinging to the other.
"Are you the one who is being pursued by misfortune or are you the misfortune yourself?", he asked as he turned to approach the bar, grabbing a bottle and a glass as soon as he had reached it.
"Eh?..ah..well, I don't know that myself..haha.. anyway, I just cleaned up the surroundings, nothing to worry about.", the blue-eyed replied not moving one bit, thinking that otherwise he would pollute everything again.
"Cleaned up the surroundings? What do you mean by that?", actually taking the bottle and glass to Childe to give to him, Diluc's expression changed from slightly annoyed to a little curious. There was much he had to wonder about when it came to the new citizen opposite him.
"Hilichurls, treasure hoarders, nothing special. There are many around here and I like the exercise haha... ah..thanks for that but I don't want to stop you from going home. It's been a long day already I guess."
"It's fine, I don't mind but if you still need a reason, then take it as thanks for cleaning up. You can sit outside and just leave it there when you're done."
"...hm..yeah but...drinking alone is pathetic..so..mind to keep me company?"
"I still have work to do."
"Then why don't I just help you? You'd be done faster that way and could keep me company afterwards. I don't mind, I kinda like cleaning."
"You're dirtier than the ground, so no thanks. Just sit outside."
"Huh?..ah..Yeah, you're right, but...just a minute..I'll be right back.", suddenly running outside to get rid of his dirty jacket, splashing his boots and his face with his hydrovision, Childe seemed way too motivated to help with cleaning. Who the hell would be so committed to something like this at this time? Well Childe was. He laid his jacket over a chair outside, tousled his hair to shake off the dust and went back inside, now cleaner and clad in a tight tank top. he only wore his normal outfit on official occasions so as not to attract attention otherwise, fortunately he had brought a few more normal things with him to Mondstadt. Maybe he should have gone shopping anyway, at least that's what he thought when he looked at Diluc whose now illegible facial expression began to irritate him a lot.
"So, what should I do, boss?", he quickly asked amused to break the awkward silence before it even started to build, heading for the broom Diluc had leaned against the wall a few minutes ago.
"...if you insist, both floors have yet to be swept. If you find a leftover throw it out, no overnight stay here tonight.", the redhead replied with a slight shake of his head and headed back to the bar, simply accepting the whole thing before wasting energy on a discussion.
"You mean a patron? Haha alright, will do. Do they often try to sleep here?"
"Only the bard. If he didn't always try to steal from me, I wouldn't care either."
"That fingerless guy?"
"He has one to much instead of some missing but no, I was talking about Venti."
"..seems like a commonality of ex-archons to be miserable bums."
"... so it is as I suspected. Since you are also aware of their identity I can say it now... he really drives me insane.", Diluc's tone, initially sounding suspicious, suddenly changed to a more honest-sounding one, his aloof expression turning into the one of an actual human being. He sighed heavily as he put the bottles back on the shelf and Childe couldn't help but laugh while he swept the floor.
"Me too haha.. I don't have pockets as deep as he'd need. ..Nah ok, I do, I do but.."
"..sometimes you ask yourself why you are doing this? Yes, I do that too."
Doing his task sacrificially, Childe laughed again and continued to smile as he heard Diluc chuckle too. At first it felt like a triumph to make him laugh, now he just sincerely liked it.

For another 30 minutes they just cleaned peacefully, holding a light conversation, but when Diluc finally took a seat outside with Childe, the ginger suddenly felt strangely at ease. Maybe it was just nice not to be alone, but maybe there were other reasons too. Reasons he himself wasn't really aware of yet.

"Grape juice again?", he asked sounding a little amused again, but only smiled genuine when Diluc nodded quietly.
"I simply prefer it as I don't like the taste of alcohol and while water is essential for survival, it's sometimes just too bland.", the redhead replied this time not annoyed by the question and just took a sip of his juice.
"Got a sweet tooth?"
"Not exactly. I just grew up with it and...I think I just like it. No special reasons."
"That's fine, not everything has to have profound meanings. I like squids, I know, they look disgusting, I admit, but I like the taste and the consistency is funny."
"They are not really visually appealing, but when prepared nicely, they are definitely tasty."
"Eh?! You're not disgusted by them?"
"No?... Should I?"
"No, no that's great.. actually my special dish is made with squids, wouldcha like to try?"
"....are you suggesting to have dinner with you?"
"...uh...yeah? I guess? ..not like a date of course!...just two people eating dinner together. Nothing weird.", suddenly feeling his heart race for no reason, Childe scratched his head akwardly, grinning confused when he noticed how nervous he had sounded suddenly and for no apparent reason. He hadn't thought about anything when he had asked the question, so why now this unusual feeling?
"..if the opportunity arises.. ... I haven't eaten good seafood in a long time anyway...", the red-eyed replied averting the others confused stare, focusing on his juice instead as he felt at least as much akward as Childe did.
"Splendid!... uh....let me know when you have time and I'll take care of it, ok?"

-

Diluc had agreed to meet him for dinner and told him a date and time about a week later. At first that felt great, but now that the meeting was only an hour away, the ginger felt oddly nervous. Well, thinking about it objectively, there was no reason to be nervous, Childe thought. He had put away and hidden everything that could provide clues to his identity, cleaned up the apartment he had rented instead of moving into the hotel, was convinced of his cooking skills and would only meet someone for dinner. Like friends would, even if they weren't friends yet. Still, the blue-eyed felt horribly nervous. His heart was beating fast and his hands felt sweaty, his appearance had never bothered him more, so hopefully Diluc wouldn't mind the pile of clothes that had accumulated when Childe changed clothes twenty times.
"...gosh...calm down. It's just dinner with a buddy, you had these a million times with other people before, it's not different...", he mumbled to himself as he prepared the food, wishing it were possible to communicate with someone quickly and easily. He'd tell Scaramouche about it, knowing that whatever he would answer would upset him enough to forget all his nervousness.
"...now it just has to cook... it should be ready when he gets here... Now let's check again if this place really looks like a home... there's...a messy blanket on the sofa.. this pile of clothes...some decorations...ah! A photo. I could place a family picture somewhere...why didn't I do that earlier?...", pacing around in his home, dragging things from one place to another and now putting up a photo as well, Childe was sure he would appear perfectly normal and unremarkable. He didn't quite like to lie to Diluc but it simply was necessary.

The second Diluc knocked on his door, Childe suddenly felt much calmer again. He hadn't feared that Diluc wouldn't come, had he? However, when he opened the door he just grinned, gesturing for the other to enter. It felt kinda nice to have him over for dinner now.
"Did you find your way here easily?", he asked simply to say something, watching the redhead as he took off his coat, thinking that he had to look illegally pretty in normal clothes was kind of unfair. He'd expected him to wear the same clothes as he always did, which was silly since he wasn't working at the tavern at the moment, and was now slightly overwhelmed by the idea of seeing something different on him. The dark brown satin shirt looked good on him, but was that on purpose that it revealed so much of his figure without showing much skin? Probably not, but it was still a bit mean.
"...I did, thanks.", Diluc replied emotionless, but had at least decided not to answer that he had grown up here. He knew every place in Mond, of course he found Childe's apartment easily, but he didn't have to be rude because of that.
"Great, come in and take a look around if you want while I get us something to drink. Grape juice?", now simply smiling, trying to not think too much about Diluc's body, the blue-eyed turned to do as he said. If he didn't make it akward, it didn't have to be akward, he was convinced of that.
"...did you buy some especially for my visit?", getting something a guest would like wasn't unusual, but Diluc appreciated it nonetheless, even if he didn't understand why his stupid little heart was beating a little faster because of it. There was no need to be excited about grape juice, so why did he feel like this?
"Yep, that's the least I should do as a good host haha...I'll be right back."

While Childe fetched drinks and set the table, Diluc decided, after a few seconds he spent standing around akwardly, to actually just look around. He noticed that the apartment was clean except for that weird pile of shirts, that it didn't have much decorations which wasn't unusual since Childe only lived there for a short time by now and took a look at that family picture on which a plethora of gingers could be seen. Diluc counted 15 people but of course he didn't recognize anyone except Ajax. Maybe the two elderly people were his parents, he could guess that much, but for the rest of them? He had no idea.
"Thank goodness I didn't put the embarrassing pictures up haha... ", Childe said as he found Diluc standing in front of the picture and after he had finished staring at his behind, which he shouldn't have done as the other's future buddy, grinning a little as he now popped up behind him and tapped the picture with his finger.
"These are my parents, these two and this one are my older siblings, that's my sister in law and my nieces and nephews, here are my little brothers and this is my princess Tonia, my younger sister. Quite a lot, huh?..Spending holidays with us might be hell for others, but Tonia would love you for sure.", being the proud brother he was while showing every family member to Diluc, Childe didn't really notice what he was saying anymore and also not that he had come very close to Diluc. He could have stood next to him, but since he had stood behind him, there was hardly any distance between them.
"...I think it is nice to have a family...but I don't understand why your sister should like me...", the redhead said much quieter than usual, frozen in place and unable to move since realizing Childe was so close to him. He could feel his hot breath on the back of his neck, but instead of trying to distance himself, his body didn't seem to obey him anymore which was quite a nuisance.
Childe on the other hand hadn't noticed until now but now that he did, he noticed too many things at once and none of that was good for their future relationship as friends and sparring partners, or whatever Childe had in mind (which had been exactly that until now). He shouldn't be thinking about the fact that he smelled so good that he would have liked to nibble on him or that his body probably would feel amazingly warm to the touch, should he?
Shaking his head as he quickly stepped back, Childe was now back at grinning akwardly while he tried to think straight again. Well, he was able to think straight, but he himself wasn't and he had just noticed that too clearly once again.
"..uh..because of your hair.... Tonia loves to style hair... her own are wild and curly, she often can't manage them but yours is..uh...nice. ...Yeah, that's why I said that haha...", he replied trying to sound as normal as possible, but could only pray that Diluc would just accept that as the truth. The only one, of course.

After that, Diluc didn't say anything at first and just nodded, acting very absent-minded, until they actually sat down at the table to eat. Even there he had hardly said anything, so Childe considered it his duty to fix it somehow. All they had wanted to do was to eat dinner and probably chat a bit, so he might just be the one to start that.
"...didcha know that the geo archon himself is afraid of squids?", he asked as he couldn't think of anything more useful, smiling a little as he poked into his food to lift the squid up.
"You can literally see him shiver when I do something like that.", he added amused as he swung the squid around earning a confused expression of the other at first. As the well-behaved son of a wealthy family, Diluc hated playing with food, but he still chuckled imagining the most powerful archon to falter under the sight. The amount of relief Childe felt upon hearing this was indescribable.
"I did not and I have to admit that it's hard to believe, but I am sure there is a story behind it?", the redhead replied less stiff, watching the squid as it fell off the fork back into the bowl.
"Goddammit!.....eh....ah yeah, something about a plague he had to deal with, I guess the experience marked him forever haha... what about you? Got any gossip about your parasitic archon?"
"...he's allergic to cats."
"Eh? I didn't know it's possible for them haha...how do you know?"
"If he needs shelter, he's allowed to stay at the winery. One night, probably the first time in which he accepted my offer, I woke up because it had become very loud outside. I ended up finding him crouching in a corner of that storage room, sneezing himself to death as the local strays had decided to share accommodation with him."
"That's quite hilarious haha... but what did you do then?"
"I took him inside and let him stay at one of the guestrooms that night. He was covered in cat hair from top to bottom, so I washed his clothes while he focused on learning how to breathe again. He was a walking, talking, sneezing tragedy."
"...you know, for someone everyone says is cold and aloof, you're actually very kindhearted.", even if he had laughed just seconds ago, Childe sounded pretty honest as he said that even if there wasn't much of an expression on his face.
"...I know what they say but I don't mind. There are experiences in life that can change someone. If you still hold on to a former image instead of seeing what is, it is your own fault if you are disappointed.", Diluc replied now sounding much colder again, but that was something Childe didn't mind. On the contrary, he smiled and nodded, able to understand what Diluc meant while feeling strangely understood himself.
"Hmmm....I've only got to know that you and well, I'm not disappointed.", the ginger stated as honest as before, unable to stop the words that also wanted to bubble out of his mouth.
"I think you're smart, polite, kindhearted... you're actually really pretty too and I guess quite strong as that claymore of yours looks fucking heavy haha...", he added just talking while concentrating on his food again, honestly but almost unconsciously. When he looked up again after fighting with the 'rampaging' squid, it took him a few seconds to understand why Diluc was now looking to the side, at least as annoyed as he was blushing, almost breaking his fork in two as he was holding it a bit too tight now.
He really was some kind of cat in human disguise, wasn't he?
"...there's no need to flatter me...", the red-eyed replied quietly after a while and suddenly got up again. He was fleeing, Childe didn't even have to guess that much.
"Thanks for the invitation Ajax, but I'll have to leave now."

-

Diluc had fled and he knew it himself, but while he actually wanted to ignore it, he couldn't help but think about it on his way home. He had overreacted, but it somehow hurt to see why. It was true that he believed what he said to Ajax about the things that others say about him, but confronted with another statement, he now realized that maybe that wasn't entirely true. It hurt to understand that he was so used to all the misjudgment and superficiality that a simple compliment could throw him off track. He didn't think about Ajax's reasons to compliment him, but about how that actually felt pretty nice. Maybe he should apologize to him for his hasty reaction sometime and maybe try to say something nice to him too, that weird not so much stranger anymore wasn't that bad after all.

"Pretty focused for someone just going home, aren't you?",truly as focused on his thoughts as Kaeya noted, Diluc hadn't noticed that the knight was following him for quite a while now. Actually, Kaeya was just on patrol, it was coincidence that they met, but everyone already knew he could be easily distracted on his patrols as he found it quite boring to just walk around without a real task.
"...he called me pretty and I ran away...", the redhead mumbled absent-minded, noticing but kimd of ignoring Kaeya now, startling the other for a second or two.
He wasn't actually telling him what was on his mind for once, was he? His typical answers were already on the tip of his tongue, ready to be spat out with a chuckle, but Kaeya swallowed them down like he swallowed many other things. He had to be careful now.
"Someone called you pretty and it threw you so off course that you ran away?", he repeated instead, catching up with Diluc and hoping the conversation wouldn't end right away like it did most of the time.
"Yes, it was an overreaction, I know that much but...it's still bothersome."
"...was it because you don't like the person who complimented you?"
"That's... no, I do not think so. Honestly I hadn't thought much about it yet but I do not dislike him."
"Then is it because you maybe like him a little bit more than a little?"
"...I...don't think so either..."
"Would you know if you did?...Please don't get me wrong but you never let anyone near you so it wouldn't be surprising if you can't place the feeling."
"Kaeya, I am not a child anymore."
"I'm aware, I'm well aware but then why the reaction?"
"...I think it was because I'm not used to compliments of this kind. I get praised for my business, for the person who I once was, but it's never about the person I am. I do not mind, I don't need it and I don't want it, but..."
"It hurts to be misunderstood all the time, doesn't it?", hearing the others question and really feeling it this time, Diluc finally turned to look at Kaeya directly. He knew him for a long time, he was still able to look behind the mask but maybe there just wasn't one right now and maybe it was the first time he could really see him again. Was that what he was feeling all the time if only partly?
"...it does. .....Kaeya, I-"
"No need.", the knight interrupted before Diluc could've said anything, a small but really honest little smile on his lips. There was a right time and place for everything, it didn't have to be now.
"Rather tell me who called you pretty, I'm dying of curiosity~"

-

That Diluc had left so quickly that evening had bothered Childe a bit, but he didn't really think too much about it. They didn't know much about eachother, so there was an actual probability that Diluc really just had to go. Childe knew that this probably wasn't true, which was the part that had bothered him, but he'd maybe find out the next time they'd meet. Well, the ginger had discovered something that evening that he had to deal with first anyways. He knew that he was attracted to men, but now he also knew that he was particularly attracted to Diluc. Diluc Ragnvindr, declared persona non grata by her majesty, banned from visting his homeland, the one and only man he might not have been allowed to feel attracted to. Goddammit. Childe knew that he had always liked to play with fire, but that flame was probably the one to really burn him. Yet, he chuckled as he re-entered the tavern two evenings later nevertheless, hoping that her majesty would simply not find out about it any time soon.

"If you didn't also drink tea and juice I would assume you are an alcoholic by now.", Diluc had planned to be nice, but failed miserably. He was someone who stood behind his words, but for a short moment he felt the need to hit himself.
"Ay I'm just a paying customer and yet you hurt me like this haha.. maybe you're indeed a mean one, aren't ya?", the blue-eyed replied amused, taking a seat that long had become his. No one else was sitting there anymore, it was almost as if it was an unspoken rule to keep it free for him. However, the other rumors that slowly came up shouldn't be mentioned. While Childe hadn't taken it seriously, Diluc looked a little sullen, remembering that he should actually apologize. He wanted to, it just felt a bit uncomfortable.
"..I didn't mean it and I also wanted to apologize for my behavior the night before last too...It was rude of me to leave like that, I am truly sorry.", really serious now, Diluc smiled a little when he looked at Childe, but immediately turned around again when he noticed the somewhat surprised reaction of the other. Gosh, that really felt strangely uncomfortable.
"No need haha... I shouldn't have made you feel uncomfortable, soo..it's all good, don't worry.", Childe slowly knew why he felt smitten by all the cute reactions that fiery cat had to offer, Diluc probably hardly noticed most of them himself, but that didn't mean that he could easily deal with it. To handle Diluc started to feel like walking on a thread hundred meters above the ground sometimes, but maybe only because Childe didn't want to mess up. Whatever there could be that he could mess up.
"...das hast du nicht, es war ganz das Gegenteil...", the redhead mumbled and Childe could've sworn something awakened inside him. He didn't understand a single thing, but he was already ready to die just to find out.
"Really? You can't just say something in a language I can't understand and expect me to just accept it haha...what the hell even is a ge..gegen..Gegenteil?"
"How about learning the language, pretty boy? I could teach you, but only for the right payment of course..ehehe...You could buy me a drink and I'll tell you what he said, doesn't that sound like a great deal? An amazing one even?", well, Childe's seat was always empty if he wasn't there, but the one next to it wasn't. Giggling, Venti swung his legs as he looked at Childe expectantly, hoping that he would accept the offer. Diluc had already denied him free drinks, but maybe the ginger was more generous.
"Ah you know, that sounds quite good but I'd rather need a cat sitter than a teacher, how about that?", grinning mischievously now, Childe felt proud once again as he heard Diluc try to hide his amusement, sometimes he could really be a meanie, and enjoyed the bards changing expressions.
"Who...who even told you about that? ...does nobody here have any more respect for the gods? What a cheek....ehe... but ah, it suddenly occurs to me, I haven't seen her for a long time and it really would be time to talk to her about your colleague's behavior, don't you think so too, Tar-", Childe had played him well, but games were something Venti also liked to play. He maybe preferred board games, but some of these kind could be fun too, especially when his opposite was such an abyss-infested fatui harbinger apparently trying to get closer to his favorite redhead.
"....yeah guess she really was a bit rude, why don't we talk about it over some bottles of wine? My treat of course.", glaring at Venti, surpressing the urge to shred him to pieces, Childe tried to put his trained friendly smile on. Something inside him wanted Diluc to know about everything, but it wasn't the right time yet.
"Tar?", the redhead repeated instead, looking at both of them attentively. There was something off, he just didn't know what it could be.
"Taru~ .....just a sweet little nickname for our new snezhnayan friend~ I just have to be more creative than Paimon at this, right?..hehe.."

While Childe and Venti had went to sit at another table, Diluc noticed that Kaeya maybe hadn't been completely wrong. Normally, the previous situation would easily have been enough for Diluc to become suspicious and start investigating, but right now he had no intention of doing so. Of course he watched them there and noticed the tension, but something inside him seemed to want to trust them. Or one of them. That was quite unusual and a bit of a nuisance for him, but instead of forcing something into his mind, he just tried to focus on working again as soon as he had seen them laugh again. Maybe that was a mistake, but he didn't know that yet.

While Childe had had a terribly awkward conversation with Venti, which, interestingly enough, still had led to an agreement, he hadn't been aware of what else was going on in the tavern. Of course there wasn't much that could've caught his attention but the purple-clad woman sitting right on top of the bar, with her legs crossed and her arms on both sides to give her support, was enough to turn his focus back to the bar. Childe hadn't followed Diluc's advice to go to the library at the time and had no idea who she was, let alone that this flirty behavior was just her personality. All he could see was her chatting with Diluc and a smile on her lips he totally understood wrong. He had already completely blocked out Venti when he got up again to go to them, seeing too much red already to just stay seated.

"My, my, so this has to be the one I came to see~", she said amused as soon as Childe had approached them, the smell of alcohol clinging to her as much as the scent of roses did.
"Eh? Me? What for?", the ginger asked a bit startled, wondering if she'd be another threat to his fake identity.
"Ah, don't worry sweetie~ You know, until recently all the girls were swooning about Captain Kaeya or Master Diluc, but now I've heard a lot about a handsome new citizen and I have to admit, I got quite curious. Well darling, it's not like I wouldn't understand but I really need to adjust their radar a bit~", Lisa replied strangely entertained, looking back and forth between him and Diluc for a second before she leaned back, expecting the redhead to support her.
"Swooning? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?", of course Diluc caught her before she could fall backwards behind the counter, but only held on to as much as needed.
"...how many fathers have offered their daughters hands in marriage to you again?"
"As if I would count such nonsense..."
"Waaaait a second... who are you again? What kind of radar are we talking about here and ehhh?! Someone's offering women to you?", as he had tried to follow their conversation, Childe had noticed two things: First, his research on the townspeople was inadequate and secondly, he didn't like to see her so close to Diluc. How could she dare to get so close to his...wait, what was he thinking again? Ans why was he even thinking that?
Lisa only giggled, causing her to lean back even more while Diluc only frowned. This wasn't going in a direction he liked.
"..I think it's best for you to get some rest.", the redhead said ignoring Childe's questions, pushed Lisa forward so she was temporarily upright again and jumped over the counter to catch her before she would fall forward. Drunk people were the worst, he had always known that.
Now heaving her over his shoulder as if she were an object and not a person, ignoring her giggling and the protests, Diluc turned back to Childe for a second.
"Could you keep an eye on the tavern for a moment? I'll be back in an instant.", he asked taking the quiet and confused nod that followed as a yes. While the witch tried to hold her hat in place and giggled, Diluc wondered why he still had to take care of them all the time.
"If you wanted to take me to bed, you could've asked, you know darling~", Childe heard her say laughing before the door closed behind the redheads back, unable to understand whatever Diluc was replying. He was just bringing her home, no more and no less, but the ginger felt like he couldn't stand that for just a second longer. It simply didn't feel right to see the other leave with someone else. He didn't notice that Diluc seemed to trust him enough to leave him in charge of the tavern at first, but when he noticed that alongside his more than obvious jealousy, he sat down on his chair and hit his head on the tabletop. He'd come here to work, not to fall in love with the one he definitely wasn't allowed to like. Was that really it? A crush and not just physical attraction? Was it even realistic considering how much they seemed to be hiding from each other? Was anything about it realistic?
Childe sighed when he straightened again, at least wanting to try to take care of the tavern while Diluc was away. What he had gotten himself into? He had no clue.

20 minutes had passed since Diluc had left the tavern and Childe was already near his limits. It wasn't like he didn't like a challenge, he definitely did, but the fact that he had no idea about drinks and that happy hour was just beginning was a problem. A big one. Pouring beer and wine wasn't one, but what the hell was a Death after Noon? How was the Snow-covered Kiss made? And why did everyone order fancy stuff instead of good ol' liquor? The ginger liked the thrill of a good battle, but now he was breaking a sweat because of some expensive bottles and empty glasses and he clearly didn't like that.
"You did not have to take over my work, you could have asked them to wait...", Childe didn't even have time to look at Diluc when he joined him at the bar again, but still shook his head slightly.
"..nah I wanted to, no worries.", he replied focused on mixing that goddamn seven ingredients drink, only stepping aside a little to give the other some space to work.
"You can stop, I'll take care of it myself now."
"No, no need, I can do that!"
"...but you don't have to. Take a seat, you've done enough."
"....teach me! Teach me how to make this fucking drink. It shouldn't look like this, should it?...how the hell am I supposed to layer the liquids?..", watching Childe's honest desperation and exaggerated motivation, Diluc only chuckled when he shoved the other aside with his hip and took the bottle out of his hand.
"...Fine. Watch closely, I'm not going to repeat myself.", the redhead stated serious, earning an eager nod in return. The ginger looked a bit like a puppy while he was focused on watching closely. He was actually oddly cute like that, even if Diluc wouldn't admit it.

Three failed drinks later, Childe felt fit enough to continue working, whether Diluc wanted it or not. He was too motivated to master this challenge to just be a customer again.
"Alright, what's next?", he asked eager to master this newfound challenge, looking at Diluc like he was ready to become employee of the month within the next two hours.
"You want to continue, even though I won't pay you?"
"Absolutely. Don't care about money but I want to be able to do it all. Every goddamn drink on that goddamn menu."
"...can't stand not being able to do something, huh?...well, if you insist, I won't say no to someone willing to work for free on a busy evening.", grabbing something from under the counter, Diluc suddenly stepped closer to Childe, too close for the ginger not to forget what he was about to do, and wrapped an apron around the others waist. It was long enough to be tied in the front so Diluc concentrated on tying a neat bow while Childe wasn't focused on anything anymore. All he could see were slender hands near his body tying a bow while all he could think of was the imagine of these hands doing the opposite. That wasn't on purpose, was it?
"Now you're good to go, I do not want a messy employee behind my counter.", Diluc said as he looked up to meet Childe's gaze, smiling a little before he just went back to work like it was common for someone else to join him there. Probably that moment really hadn't been on purpose, but it still wasn't too bad.
"...alright boss, will do my best to be a proper employee haha..."

For two more hours, Childe really felt like a new employee on his first day at work. He didn't want to mess up and enjoyed the others attention, even if it really was only about patrons and drinks all the time. Bartenders life wasn't for him, he already knew that much, but it was a nice change.
Although he was actually busy with work, the whole thing had its advantages. It wasn't suspicious when he put his hand on the other's waist to push him aside, nor was it suspicious when he popped up behind him to coincidentally grab something from the shelf right above him or when he touched him when he took something from him since that was perfectly normal in such a small space. If this would be the only way to get closer to him and check in which direction his feelings were heading, he would really consider taking a part time job there. And If he'd be a creep, Childe would've counted how many times he had successfully approached Diluc that way, he wasn't one but he still kept track on his actions. To be accused of sexual harassment after the evening was certainly not his goal and he still didn't really know what Diluc thought of him at all.

"Watch out, I need that one up there.", another moment, another approach hidden under the activity of really having to fetch something from the shelf higher up this time. Childe was standing right behind Diluc, who was cutting some fruits for decoration, stretching to grab the expensive bottle someone had ordered. Of course he could've asked the other to step aside, but why should he when he was able to be close to him that way?
"Are you doing this on purpose?", well maybe because Diluc wasn't stupid. Kaeya might've been right when he asked if Diluc would even notice if he liked someone, but that didn't mean that the redhead didn't notice Childe's behaviour.
"Eh? Am I doing what on purpose?", he asked frozen in position only to see the other turn around while he was actually still sticking to his back.
"Not missing one chance to ...", the redhead was tapping the knife he held against the others chest, looking quite stern while he did so, but seemed to fall off track again when he noticed that he had made it even worse himself. Now sandwiched between Childe and the counter, the other slightly pinning him there as he was still reaching for the higher up shelf, Diluc suddenly blushed heavily. This was...it was...
"..not missing one chance for what exactly?...Why don't you put the knife aside, firefly? You'll only hurt someone that way haha...", the ginger had been holding the bottle for a while, but he still didn't move an inch.
"....tzk... ... maybe that's exactly ...what I intend to do if you don't move.", Diluc was still blushing, which definitely was a nuisance, but that didn't stop him from hissing at the other. He wished he could say that he was feeling uncomfortable, but he simply wasn't.

Yes, Kaeya had been right that Diluc probably wouldn't know if he was feeling something for someone, but he had had some time to think about it. There were small things he had already noticed, like he wasn't annoyed by Childe that easily, that he felt better whenever he had entered the tavern again, that he didn't feel the need to question the things he didn't know about him yet and that the weird ginger made him laugh quite a lot. At first he had thought that maybe he was just allowing himself to have a friend again, but when Childe had said all these nice things to him, it had startled him more than it should have with just a friend. That evening he didn't think about the other anymore, but he did the next morning, subconsciously hoping to see him again soon. When it took two days until he came back, he realized that maybe, just maybe, his interest in him wasn't just the one a friend would have. He had thought of it as a annoying nuisance, trying to fend off what was already making its way, only to realize right now that it hadn't worked at all.

"Alright, alright, lemme just...", lifting his hand to tuck a strand of Diluc's hair behind his ear, Childe grinned a little as he leaned even closer on purpose.
"You're even prettier when you're angry.", he whispered quite confident, immediately turning on his heel to continue working as if nothing had happened. Nobody had to know that his heart was threatening to jump out of his chest while he had almost dropped the bottle because of his sweaty hands. Gosh, if he just could be as confident with flirting as he was in battle, maybe he should work on that too.

When it got later and the tavern was slowly empty again, the ginger almost felt like after a battle, but he still hadn't won it. There was no payment, he knew that, but he still deserved a little reward, didn't he?
"And? How did I do, Mr. Ragnvindr?", he asked leaning against the counter, the apron now loosened and messy, grinning a little when Diluc finally finished cleaning some glasses.
"Not bad for your first time, I have to admit."
"That's all? Not bad? Don't I deserve a little more praising as I don't get paid at all?"
"I don't think some praise on my part was your intention when you decided to join me."
"Does that mean I get neither praise nor payment?"
"Do you want me to tell you you've been such a good boy or is there anything else you have in mind?"
"...actually..", now or never the blue-eyed thought as he met that fiery expectant gaze, resting his hands on the counter to appear perfectly confident when actually he was so weirdly nervous again.
"Go out with me. I don't care if it's dinner, a walk, grape juice up on the city walls, just don't say no outright. Gimme a chance first.", even if he sounded more confident and convinced than he thought he would, Childe nearly died as he heard the redhead laugh quietly. It sounded almost despising, but he didn't look like he was actually despising him as he walked closer to him. Diluc smiled a little when he was right in front the other, slowly lifting his hands to untie the messy bow of Childe's apron. The smile even turned into a promising one when he leaned closer, as close that Childe could feel his warm breath on his own lips. When he was closing his eyes, the distance between them barely there, the ginger felt like he was about to die from happiness, keeping still and waiting for that touch he had been craving for a while now.
"No.", there wasn't the touch, the kiss, just a breathy word and a chuckling redhead holding the apron in his hands as he turned to continue what he had done before. To clean the tavern before closing.
"...w-what?"
"I said no."
Childe felt like his heart was shattering slowly, reacting a bit overdramatic, but seeing that little grin on the other's lips was already patching it up again. He was confused and a little hurt, but something seemed to be off. Was that really how Diluc would act if he would be serious? Childe got to know him a little and watched him interact with others many times, that wasn't what he looked like if he was really serious about something.
"No? No like you mean it?", he asked following the other to cage him between his arms and the counter as soon as he had the chance to do so. He wouldn't let him flee this time.
"Is there any other meaning of no than no?", Diluc asked stern, but didn't try to escape from him, leaning his body against the counter instead.
"No, but after no there's sometimes a but."
"Hmm.. then let me try again. No, without a but. Just no. What if I don't want to give you a chance? Or if I just don't want to pay you with a date because work shouldn't be paid for with feelings?"
"... Ok, ok, then let me try again too haha... Would you go out with me, on a date, just like that? No work, no payment, just a date?"
"......still....no, but I didn't get to really try your special dish and I still don't know the story behind the geo archons squid aversion, how about that for a start?"
"Good enough. Alright, count me in."
"I'm glad, but... why don't you go home now? You've clearly done enough for today."
Childe chuckled a little seeing the others displeased expression when he understood that the ginger still made no move to leave. It was still a bit unfair to neither get paid or praised, nor having a real date in sight, wasn't it?
"Still not satisfied?", the redhead asked quite emotionless, but straightened again as the blue-eyed shook his head. It wasn't like he felt bad being held there, but he didn't want to spend the whole night there doing nothing. That clearly would've been a waste of his precious time.
Stretching a little, now almost standing on tiptoe since Childe was quite a bit taller than himself, Diluc placed a chaste kiss on the others lips, now finally satisfying the other's craving a little. It was just a light touch, a brief moment, but it felt better than he expected. It didn't take long enough for Childe to react probably, but it was still enough to make his heart miss a beat.
"You've been a good boy but leave now or I will kick you out myself.", the redhead whispered, sounding as serious as it sounded amused, and ducked under the other's arms in one smooth motion to free himself. Childe blinked confused when he watched the other, but laughed quietly as soon as his brain had processed what had happened.
"Hey! That was unfair, I didn't even have the chance to-"
"I told you I'm not giving you one, didn't I?"
"Ah you.... you'll see what you get out of treating me like this, I promise you haha..."
"You do? Well, if so, make me regret it and I might change my mind.", Diluc laughed when he had to dodge Childe's attempt to recapture him, feeling a little silly and quite childish, but genuinely happy for a moment.
Maybe it wasn't too bad to just let go from time to time, especially when it was so easy near that no longer stranger and actually quite cute ginger. And maybe a real date didn't sound too bad either, even if he wouldn't admit that soon.

Chapter Text

It felt like a tag game to hunt Diluc through the tavern, silly for two adults, but Childe would've had to lie to say that it wasn't fun. He felt at ease, free in mind, for a brief moment released from the things that haunted him and the lies he had to keep up. And Diluc felt the same, probably for the first time since a long time.

"Gotcha!", the ginger exclaimed happily, wrapping his arms around the others waist from behind, pressing him against himself to hold him in place. For a short moment, the redhead protested, squirming in the tight grip, trying to break free, before he finally admitted defeat. Diluc chuckled resting his hands on Childe's arms instead of pushing against them, leaning back a little to rest his back against the others chest.
"Do you yield?", Childe asked hearing his own pulse in his ears, his heart apparently enjoying the closeness a bit too much, breathing in the others scent. That alone would have been a good prize for winning.
"Hmmm...let me think about it..", Diluc replied just above a whisper, turning his head as much as he could to place a quick kiss on Childe's jaw. The second the ginger loosened his grip just a little out of surprise, the redhead slipped out of his hold and fled to the other side of the bar, chuckling a little.
"Never.", he stated resting his arms on the counter, now even grinning a little. Childe had seen him smile and heard him laugh by now, but grinning? That was new, especially when it was such a cheeky grin.
"Heh... now you're getting cheeky too, aren't you?", Childe was grinning too, delighted by the simple challenge, feeling oh so in love. That goddamn crush made him feel like a teenage boy again but it didn't bother him, quite the contrary, it was nice to feel something that had been denied to him at the time.
"What if? Do you have any complaints that you would like to present to me?", watching Childe come closer without moving an inch himself, the redheads grin didn't vanish. Maybe he actually felt a little like Childe did himself. He still didn't move when the other stood right infront of him or when he cupped his cheek, only when the blue-eyed leaned closer to gently connect their lips did Diluc move again, but not to run away this time. This time he nestled against the other's hand, returning the soft kiss that made his stomach feel so silly.
The soft touch of their lips turned into a heated open mouthed kiss way too quick, the quiet gasps drowning inbetween. The tingles crawling along his spine made him feel breathless, creating an urge to never stop, but just before it would cloud his mind, just before he'd allow the other to discover the heat of his mouth, Diluc broke the kiss, placing a finger on Childe's lips.
".. not until we went on a real date.", he whispered feeling a little dizzy, straightening again to flee the comforting touch on his cheek.
The slightly hazy gaze he met made him smile a little when his heart stumbled, but it just wasn't the time to give in yet.
"...how mean....", Childe replied quietly but chuckled as soon as he got himself up again.
"Don't tell me you're one of the no-fun-until-marriage kind of guys.", he added covering the tiny bit of fear with amusement, feeling quite impatient as he waited for an answer.
"Hmmm....what if I am?", the redhead asked sounding incredibly serious all of sudden, trying hard to hide his own amusement.
"..Then I guess I'll have to be patient until I can marry you haha.... Don't worry, I got stamina."
"......tzzk......don't get ahead of yourself now and tell me when the date should take place first.", turning to hide the faint blush that had bloomed on his cheeks, Diluc didn't notice that he had just agreed to a real date right now. When he did, it was already to late considering the huge grin on Childe's face.
"Since I guess the weekends are the busiest around here, how about monday evening?"
"...it'll be monday evening then..."

-

Until monday, Childe had only visited the tavern once. He had had to deal with some subordinates, focus on some orders and frankly said, hide from Diluc to continue hiding his identity. He couldn't let him discover the truth now, especially not after he himself didn't know Diluc's story yet.
On that one day he behaved like before, guessing that the redhead wouldn't have liked the open affection, but it was enough to know that they'd be on a date soon anyway.
He really looked forward to it, even more than he did to every battle with the traveler. He was also nervous, nervous about making mistakes and nervous because it could lead to something serious that he didn't know if he was even able to. But as with any challenge, he wanted to try. Thinking about the redhead already made him feel strangely giddy, he wouldn't want to end it before it had even started, no matter the result.

-

It was monday afternoon when Diluc finished his shift giving some final instructions to Luka before he finally left the tavern. He was looking forward to the evening too, it wasn't as if that wasn't the case, but his anticipation was slightly clouded. The trigger for this was only himself and the endlessly circling thoughts that he had allowed to arise in the first place. He had doubts despite the affection he felt and feared that in the end it would be nothing more than a mistake to let someone else get close to him. He hadn't been good at expressing feelings and processing emotions for a long time anymore, he simply didn't know if he was even able to form a bond like that with someone. His heart already knew the answer, beating with a desire to be close to the other again, but his mind was a mess, able to block his emotions. When he got home it hadn't gotten any better and if he wouldn't be someone who stands by his words he would have preferred to cancel. But of course he didn't. There was something else causing the chaos inside his head, a crack disrupting the line between reality and wishful thinking, but that was something he couldn't talk about yet.

"Master? ...I heard you're going out tonight? Should I wait for you to return?", Adelinde had always been more as an employee in the Ragnvindr family, rather she was part of the family herself. That Diluc was actually going out, for his pleasure and not for business, had surprised her as much as it had pleased her, but she was still worried.
"No need. The time of my return is not known to me yet and I do not want you to miss an opportunity to rest because of it.", the redhead replied passing her to go to his room as he wanted to get changed before he would leave the house again soon.
"Alright, will you be back in the morning? ....just so I know if I should prepare breakfast.", Adelinde didn't follow him physically, but her mind was glued to his back as the ever-present need to protect the red-haired child had never left her.
"Of course I will. I do not intend to stay somewhere else."
"I'm glad.....ah...uh... Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"No...well, actually..."

-

When the time finally came, Childe felt like he was going to die of nervousness, hands sweaty, pulse racing. Diluc had visited him before, he'd also made sure everything was just as nondescript as before, but before that it hadn't been a date. He was pacing back and forth his hallway, waiting for Diluc to finally arrive. If he ever would. As long as he wasn't there, he honestly wasn't at all sure if he would really come.
Whenever he reached the end of the hallway, he took a look in the mirror to make sure that he was still looking fine (he had put a lot of effort into his appearance), only to discover another strand of rebellious hair. Dammit. This nervousness was driving him insane already.

It was a bit strange that he opened the door before Diluc had finished knocking, but it was no wonder after he had been lurking behind the door like a dog waiting for his owner to return. While his own hair danced the tango (he had just given up at the twentieth look in the mirror), Diluc looked really beautiful. He wasn't wearing his gloves or his coat, just a black shirt and light pants, classy shoes and a simple but pretty braided hairstyle. He looked casual in a classy way, softer than normal and definitely fatal to Childe's patience. The blue-eyed didn't want to rush anything, but waiting until marriage was definitely not on his to do list anymore.
"..pretty...", he mumbled a little absent-minded, scratching the back of his neck akwardly as soon as he noticed the slipped word.
"..eh...uh...come in. There's no reason to stand there any longer haha...", he added quick, feeling relieved as soon as Diluc nodded apparently ignoring his strange behaviour.
"...I will, thank you. And thanks for the compliment. I can see your effort too, just..", really trying to ignore the weirdness of it all including the silly feeling in his stomach that had just returned, Diluc stretched a little to put the wild strand on Childe's head in the right direction.
"Better.", he added unconsciously smiling a little, stepping back quickly as soon as he noticed what he had done. He didn't know what it was, but there was something that made him feel and be different when he was around Childe. The small unconscious act made the ginger's heart flutter, the little thing was quite active recently for someone who had been thinking he hadn't had one since back then anyway. Scratching his head again, standing there like a lovestruck idiot, Childe only chuckled a little when he noticed how strange he was acting and motioned to the other to just go in.
"...Dinner's almost ready but I can't guarantee it's good haha...Dunno if the seafood around here is edible at all."
"Hm? Of course it is, they don't sell bad goods on the market."
"..that's true I guess but I didn't buy it."
"You didn't? ...Since I assume you didn't steal it, did you go fishing yourself?"
"Yeah, it's not the same like at home but not bad without having to break the ice first haha..... have you ever tried fishing?"
"Yes, I have. There was a time were....I've been depended primarily on hunting and fishing, the circumstances are irrelevant, but fishing is a thoroughly enjoyable activity. I found it peaceful.", listening to Diluc, Childe started to smile happily. The redhead liked to eat seafood, liked to go fishing, had said he liked big families and referring to Patton's statement, he was filthy rich, so independent of Childe's finances, all together a perfect match for the ginger. There had to be a catch, but Childe didn't think it could be too bad.
"Wanna try ice fishing one day? I guess Dragonspine could also be a great spot for that.", he asked thinking that it could be a possibility for another date, after all he already wanted that, hoping that Diluc would simply agree.
"...I've already tried that once.", the redhead replied quietly, feeling that he was rejecting more than just fishing with the other.
"... ...ah, you did? Where?"
"Near Moreporsk. I had told you that I had already been to Snezhnaya, do you remember?", while Childe hadn't been looking at him after the first reply, the ginger suddenly turned to him now, looking excited.
"Moreporsk? Really? When? ..ah sorry haha...I just got a little...uh..it's just because I was born and raised there.", the blue-eyed asked overly excited and chuckled a little embarrassed as soon as he noticed that. His expression was kinda cute, Diluc couldn't deny that, especially not when the silly feeling got a little stronger when he looked at him.
"...about three years ago before... I was banned from the country. I was on my way to .... a larger city ...and stopped there for two or three days to rest. A ...man I met there told me about ice fishing and took me to the lake one morning, teaching me what to look out for on the way. The inhabitants of the village you come from were very hospitable, I still remember that today.", every word Diluc said sounded hesitant, like he was carefully considering what to say and what not to say, yet Childe was happy about it. The other opening up to him was a good sign for whatever it was and could be between them.
"Ah it's great to hear that you liked it there and also relieving to know that my family and neighbors were probably not the reason for your ban. Remember the name of that man? I'm sure I know him, everything is always the same in Moreporsk, the people are just getting older but otherwise nothing changes haha.."
"...I guess I shouldn't talk about that today, Ajax. Maybe one day, but not today.", the slightly visible embarrasment Diluc was showing was enough to tell Childe that it might not have been all about ice fishing between this man and Diluc. And while he was still curious (and now also jealous), he really didn't want to know right now. Maybe later and maybe right before the next time he would travel home.
"Aight, how about you come here and try the soup instead? Let me know if you want me to add something.", he said instead of pressing further, holding a spoon out to the other, now smiling a little again to cover the weird sense of possessiveness the conversation had awakened. In fact, relieved, Diluc just nodded and approached Childe to grab the spoon, happy about any distraction from the subject. A first date wasn't a good time to talk about something like that after all.

-

During dinner, the two only held a light conversation on common subjects like life in Mondstadt, Childe's hobbies such as fishing, Diluc's bird and about the two archons they were friends with, although this was probably just a common topic for the two of them and hardly anyone else.
The redhead had enjoyed the meal even if it was visually confusing and was now insisting on helping with the dishes. After all, just because he didn't have to do that at home didn't mean he was a lazy one.
"May I ask something about the knights? You seem to be rather averse and I think that's a bit...surprising? I mean, you'd be a great captain or something haha...", while washing the dishes and handing them to Diluc to dry them, Childe thought it would be great to get to know eachother a little better. He couldn't have known that almost every topic was an unfavorable topic, only guess it when he noticed Diluc's reaction to it.
"..that's...yes, indeed, I am not fond of their work.", the redhead replied after a painfully long moment of silence, thinking that he would have to talk about things sooner or later anyways.
"..and I used to be the Cavalry Captain instead of Kaeya, but left the Knights before I went on a journey. ...The one that also led me to Snezhnaya.", he added in a calm but audible dissatisfied voice, averting the ocean blue gaze that lingered on him attentively.
"I see. Sorry if I've brought up any uncomfortable topic, no need to talk about anything if you don't want to.", Childe replied reassuring, regretting that he had thought that talking about personal things could be a great way to get closer to Diluc. But that the redhead only shook his head in return made him feel a little better again.
"It's..fine. Well, no it isn't, but in the end, staying silent won't do anyone any favors. ....When my father died from a backlash of the delusion he possessed, the knights only tried to cover it up to protect their reputation. It was their failure that had caused him to use it in the first place, so maybe you can somehow understand that this was completely unacceptable for me. That night even more happened, something I won't talk about but ....I left them shortly after and went on a journey to find answers and, even if this may change your impression of me, to take revenge..... And as I'm already putting too much trust in someone I barely know, my ban results from the amount of Fatui whose blood is on my hands..... Do what you want with this information, I'm no longer interested in whether someone is on my side, the path has always been mine to walk alone.", putting the towel aside when he had dried the last spoon, Diluc actually didn't expect anything, he was used to going his own way, even if he had never tried to take anyone with him on this path at all, but he certainly hadn't expected Childe to wrap his arms around him to pull him into a tight hug. Diluc was too surprised to react, unable to understand why the ginger was reacting that way.
"I'm sorry it had to be like this...", the ginger whispered holding the other close, his crush on Diluc suddenly sparked a rage that he just couldn't talk about yet. But he already knew that he would want to find out how this delusion had come to Diluc's father and if possible deal with this problem himself. He didn't care that it wasn't his business at all. For a while Diluc just stood there rooted to the spot, but when the others warmth finally lulled him like a soft blanket, he returned the hug hesitantly, closing his eyes as he almost buried his face in the other's chest. He actually hated reacting that way, he had never wanted to appear vulnerable, but it actually felt nice to get comforted by someone else for once. Oddly enough, he had already dropped his guard anyway.
"I'll be listening whenever you wanna talk, but if you don't want to, why don't I tell you a story to cheer you up? A big family creates many stories to tell, you know.", the blue-eyed asked calmy, finding out that not only did he have a very soft spot for his family but also for the winery owner in his arms. Maybe he wasn't always just the bad guy after all.

-

Of course Diluc didn't want to talk more, after all, that wasn't the reason for his visit, but he was willing to listen to the other. Listening was something he was more proficient at than talking anyway. Now sitting next to the ginger on his surprisingly comfortable sofa, Diluc held a glass of grape juice in his hands and listened to a story about the others siblings attentively. There was a slight melancholy he felt listening to all these family stories, but it served as a good distraction nonetheless.
"...a life-sized Ruinguard? Interesting choice but truly nothing I would want in my garden.", he stated after the end of the story, causing the ginger to chuckle a little.
"But it would be a special scarecrow for your fields, wouldn't it?", he asked amused because of Diluc's displeased expression, now eager to make the other smile again.
"..a scaregrow? In this size?"
"Haha...the bigger the better, I guess?"
"Oh? I see. Will you get me one then, puppy?", Diluc was joking when he asked that, he definitely didn't want a ruinguard to guard his fields, but the sweet tone in which he asked to provoke the other was already enough to miswire a few neural pathways in Childe's brain. The redhead didn't know where that came from himself (maybe Kaeya did rub off sometimes), but seeing the definitely not embarrassed but horny redness on Childe's cheeks, he did know what he had done.
"Everything for you.", the blue-eyed replied in a flash, not even blinking anymore as his heart had stopped beating a second ago. How was he supposed to stay seated like this? How was he supposed to do anything respectful if Diluc was talking to him like that? For Diluc knowing that it was so easy to flip a switch in the ginger would surely come in handy at some point, but right now it was a bit ...well, what exactly was he feeling himself right now?
"..You..can't just ..say something like that. I'm really trying to be a good guy right now but you are making this very difficult for me, you know..", Childe mumbled a little strained trying to focus on anything but the pretty redhead, being a little annoyed that the simple nickname was really such a big obvious weakness for him.
"Of course that wasn't my intention but...if I don't want to see the good guy facade but the true person behind it, what would I have to do then?"
Was he playing with him? If so, where did that come from? Maybe Childe really wasn't the only one wearing a mask most of the time.
"...you don't know what you're doing right now...", he replied impatiently, his eyes fixed on the other again, sharp and challenging.
"Well, there's a good chance I'll regret all of this when I get home, but at least I could come back with new insights this way.", Diluc had many ways to get information in his everyday life. The network, the customers and, if necessary, himself. Back then he had used his always available resources in Moreporsk, and even if he didn't necessarily need to know something right now, he didn't mind using the same tactics again.
But maybe he just took a bit of pleasure in teasing the ginger.
"Regret it, eh? Didn't you want me to make you regret your behaviour anyway?", suddenly wrapping his arm around the others waist, pulling him close while pushing him down onto the sofa, Childe's one-sided smile reminded the redhead of one of a little devil. Their new position forced the red-eyed to arch his back while Childe was towering over him, leaving him unable to fight back while the blush on his cheeks was definitely able to reach an unfamiliar intense redness.
"...and suddenly you're very quiet again..", the blue-eyed said sounding amused, his voice low and his lips close to the smaller ones ear.
"Do you really think that's enough? Why don't you try harder, puppy?", Childe could've never guessed that the aloof bartender could be cocky, but he definitely wasn't mad about it, after all that was an unexpectedly fast progression between no date at all and no real kiss before a real date. Maybe they would just have to do the real date thing all over again another day.
"...I dare you to withdraw your consent later."
"I didn't gave you my consent in the first place, did I?"
"...Diluc..don't do that to me."
"Well, as I can see, you are doing nothing right now. Always so inefficient."
If he could, Childe would have growled as he pushed his leg between the other's and tightened his hold around his waist. To see and feel him underneath his own body like this was already maddening, but the challenging smile was definitely the last drop that broke the camel's back. Without anymore hesitation, Childe leaned down to erase the stupid smile on Diluc's lips with his own, not even asking for permission as he shoved his tongue in that wet cavern. Childe could taste every inch of the others mouth as he was allowed to discover, could feel the heat rise inside their bodies when their chemistry became an ever-bright flame. Letting Childe lead and dominate their kiss, Diluc knotted his fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against him. The blue-eyed groaned softly, low in his throat, sending shivers through Diluc's nerves that made his whole body tremble. It didn't go like he thought it would from a first date, but he didn't want to think anymore either. He wanted that kiss steeped in  passion, that primal desire able to cloud his mind completely.

"Tell me to stop now or I never will...", Childe whispered breathy when he broke the kiss, the act feeling like a sin that could never be atoned for. He didn't wait for an answer as he slowly opened the tie on Diluc's hair, wanting every fiber of that pale body to become a mess under his ocean gaze. He didn't wait for an answer when his lips wandered along the others jaw to his neck to leave reminders of his existence on fair skin. And he didn't wait when he sat back and lifted the other onto his lap in a smooth motion, wanting the former Cavalry Captain to prove how good he could ride.
"Now or never...", he whispered again slowly tracing his hands along the smaller mans sides, suddenly grabbing and tearing the fine black shirt when he still didn't hear an objection. The dissatisfied noise Diluc made didn't have a place between their reunited tongues, only the mewl that left his lips feeling the roam his body was allowed to linger long enough to become music to Childe's ears.

-

Diluc still couldn't move properly when he stood infront of the bathroom mirror to tidy his hair, his legs trembled from exhaustion and the aftermath of pure ecstasy. Fiery eyes followed the trail of hickeys and small bites on his skin as he combed the red mane with his fingers, the smile on his lips caused by overflowing hormones. He didn't think, he only felt at that moment. And he felt amazing.
"Do you really not want to stay, pretty firefly?", the blue-eyed asked slowly approaching the other, hugging him from behind to place a few kisses on his shoulder. The scratches on his own back ached if he moved too much, but that was a pain he loved. One he would be willing to feel every day.
"...no, I do not want to tonight but maybe one day.", the redhead replied turning inside the others embrace to place his hands on his chest and chuckled a little seeing that pouty expression that greeted him.
"Be a good boy and keep your hands by yourself next time, then I might accept that as a real date. And if you're a really good boy, I'll stay with you on the third.", he added teasingly, feeling as much in love as Childe had already felt before. He didn't know if it was a real feeling or an effect of the high he'd felt just before, but he didn't care right now either. Right now he felt happy and free, freed from the burdens that he carried every day and that had made him the cold, unapproachable person that many thought he was. Childe had seen early on that he was more than that and being around him he slowly began to believe that himself again.
"You like teasing me, eh? Didn't know that there's such a cheeky man hiding under that aloof facade haha... ", the ginger replied tightening his hold around the others waist, lifting him onto the sink before he could have replied anything cocky again. Ignoring the protests, Childe pushed his body between the other's legs once again and let his hands travel down to sink his fingers into the soft flesh of Diluc's buttocks.
"Stay a little longer, will you?", he asked leaning forward to place a few more kisses on the red marks which served as a sign of his declaration of ownership and only hummed pleased when Diluc simply tilted his head for better access.
"Half an hour, no longer. Did you understand, you horny bastard?"

Chapter Text

"Do you even know what love is?", Kaveh's first question came out of nowhere, possibly due to the wine they had shared that evening, but the anger that had been pent up for a long time slowly wrapped itself around him like a red spouted veil. It had been too many quarrels, too much lack of respect, too little openly shown affection in all these years that they already knew each other. This evening, once again, was the complete opposite of what it could have been, at least that's what Kaveh thought. The unwanted emotions clouded his mind and limited his vision, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Why did he feel like crying for a man who was actually nothing more than his roommate?
"I do.", the answer came quickly, far too quickly. The constant disinterested tone in his voice, the emotionlessness in his eyes, of course, this question was also just another of the topics he didn't want to waste any energy on. The belief that Alhaitham, as always, didn't care only threw more kindling into the flames of Kaveh's rage. The veil was constantly tightening around his chest, becoming more of a rope that threatened to smother him of all the air he could breathe. He was so sick of being the only one who cared.
"No you don't! You're not capable to love anyone or anything!", the blond spat without thinking twice, too fed up and exhausted. His eyes were boring into the other's skull, hoping for some real emotion to be uncovered, the cup in his hands made crunching sounds from the pressure he exerted on it. Yet, there was nothing but silence on the other side. One breath and another, a barely audible sigh, a blink that covered the sparkle in Alhaitham's eyes and carried it away as he opened his eyes again. For an agonizingly long moment there was nothing but silence between the two of them.
"...You're right.", the scribe finally replied as he suddenly stood up without even looking at Kaveh, the cup on his side of the table swayed dangerously from the sudden movement.
"I'm probably incapable of that and most likely my understanding of my feelings, the thought that my feelings for you could be love are nothing more than wishful thinking born out of too many unscientific books I've read. ...Thank you for reminding me and saving me from wasting any more time on it, Kaveh.", he added in a stable but unusually quiet voice, his eyes bereft of any sign of liveliness as he met the fiery red gaze only to turn and leave a second later. Alhaitham didn't want to say or hear anything else, the conversation and probably everything else was obviously over for him, but there were so many words on Kaveh's tongue. So many words that had to be said and should be spoken, but his tongue was tied, the red veil now like a lump in his throat, the words stuck. Did he make a mistake? Did he miss something?

"...H-haitham..."

-

Kaveh had dreaded to go home after Alhaitham had left him at Lambdads without turning around or saying a word. He didn't know what was really going on inside the scribe, what he thought, what he felt, he only knew that the evening didn't end the way he had hoped it would. What had he been really hoping for? And what did he expect would happen? He couldn't answer the question for the evening, nor for the current moment. It certainly didn't help that he had spent way too many more hours in the restaurant and had drunk far too much more wine. For all those hours he had been racking his brains about whether he had really missed something or whether Alhaitham had only said this to provoke him. Would he really do that? Would he really throw words like love around just to annoy him? Or was it true and he had just missed the signals, Alhaitham's own, perhaps unusual, way of showing him these feelings? Then why had he never said anything? Was the scribe even someone who would say something like that openly? Kaveh didn't know. He felt like he didn't know anything anymore and worse, he felt like he didn't know who Alhaitham really was, despite all his years as a senior and junior, as roommates and as friends. Wasn't it then actually he who was incapable? Kaveh sighed when he finally took Mehrak back into his hand, threw the little money he had left in his pockets on the table and left the place half an hour after closing time. Every step back to the house that sheltered him felt heavy and tough. It was his home, no, it could have been his home, but was it still? The blonde sighed again, unsure what to expect even though he didn't even know if Alhaitham was at home. The blonde sighed once again as he slowly opened the door, his expensive face cream would go to waste if he kept making a face like that, but he was feeling way too anxious and overwhelmed with the situation. A faint light coming from the living room quickly told him that he probably wasn't alone, but he didn't know if Alhaitham still being awake was a good or a bad sign. The man usually was really strict about his sleeping schedule. But didn't the fact, that he was there despite everything and Kaveh's suitcase wasn't standing packed in front of the door, mean that he couldn't at least try to talk to him again? It probably wasn't wise to try after all that wine and Kaveh didn't know what to say, but there were still so many questions in his mind. Maybe he really should apologize too, maybe he should try to restart the conversation and tell the other all the things he had really wanted to talk about and maybe he should really listen this time too. It couldn't hurt to try, could it? .

"Haitham?", his voice was more shaky than he expected, his heart was suddenly beating way faster as he looked at the other, who was staring blankly at a few loose pages of paper. He seemed absent, the lack of light on his headphones showed that they were off, but he still didn't even bat an eyelash the second Kaveh had entered the room.
"What do you need?", the scribe asked lacking any emotion, not showing the slightest sign that he was about to put the papers aside. When he spoke to him, Kaveh knew that he had noticed him, but Alhaitham still seemed as if he would prefer to ignore his existence. Was he really trying to do that or was he just like that all the time? Kaveh really started to question everything he knew.
"...Maybe we could talk?", the blond architect asked cautiosly, confused of his own lack of self-confidence. Worried about making things worse, his usually loose mouth seemed to have gone completely silent.
"About what? If it's work related, submit your report like any other during my work hours.", Alhaitham replied and Kaveh couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
"Huh?! No?! Maybe we could talk about us? About tonight?", he had almost spat out his questions again, a deep breath was the only thing that kept him from rushing forward to grab the other's shoulders to shake him. Was he wrong and maybe all those thoughts were for nothing? Did the grey-haired maybe just really not care about it at all?
"Everything has been said, hasn't it? I agreed with your opinion so I see no reason to continue discussing it.", lifeless. The usually stubborn and articulate man sounded lifeless. The papers were now resting on his lap but his eyes still didn't seem to want to look at the blonde.
"..Haitham, it wasn't meant like that at all.. ok ok, a little, but not really...", Kaveh still didn't know what he wanted or should say, but saying anything was better than saying nothing. He sighed again as he slowly stepped a little closer, hoping that the other would look at him just for a moment.
"Haitham, what you said... about your feelings for me... is that true?", he added even more cautiosly, voice soft and gentle, the impatience he felt well hidden behind the sound of his voice.
"Apparently not. It would be a miracle for someone incapable of such feelings to feel one. And I don't believe in miracles, as you know. ...Was that all you wanted to talk about? It's getting late.", again the answer came far too quickly, again his voice sounded far too distant. Couldn't or didn't he see how important the conversation was to Kaveh? So did he really just not care at all? Or was he.... hurt? Really hurt by Kaveh's words and the unintentional rejection of his feelings?
"..Apparently not? So did you lie to me? Did you just say that to annoy me then?"
"I did not."
"So... you're... in love with.. me?", the blondes heart was hammering against his chest, his pulse thundering in his ears. That moment certainly wasn't the moment when he wanted to hear a confession, but to hear it at all? This was something he had unconsciously been waiting for for a long time. But why, when in his opinion Alhaitham never gave him any indication of his feelings? Had he really overlooked so much?
"We're going in circles with this conversation, Kaveh. Would you be so kind as to leave me alone now? Like I said, it's getting late.", the scribe still hadn't looked at him, he still sounded more distant and dismissive than even somehow touched but he still looked tired. It was another form of tiredness, one that even many hours of sleep couldn't eliminate. Kaveh couldn't really understand it, but he could recognize it. He actually did hurt him, didn't he?
"Answer me. Just answer this one question for me and I'll leave immediately after. ...Please, Haitham."
"... Yes, I thought I am but my reasoning was obviously wrong. I thought I would be able to show you, but again my understanding of things may differ from the general understanding of such things. It's probably just not my area of expertise and therefore not one I'll deal with any further. Good night Kaveh.", Alhaitham finally looked at Kaveh with the farewell, but the blond now wished he hadn't. The small smile he got was breaking his heart even further, a wound he had caused himself.

-

After that night, Kaveh had decided to take it easy for a few. He had to think, he was sure that Alhaitham had to think too, and hoped that after a few days of not spending time with eachother they could talk to each other again. Reasonably and calmly. He hadn't expected that Alhaitham would seek contact with him during this time, but he also hadn't expected that he would notice the changes that the previous night had brought so soon. He noticed them the next morning and every day that followed, how could it be that he hadn't noticed these things for months and years?

The first thing he painfully noticed was the missing cup of coffee that had been waiting for him every morning. The cup with the ugly lion painted on it was still in the sink, the smell of coffee and fresh cream was missing completely. There was also no note on the table mockingly reminding him to take his key with him. Had it always been this cold in the house in the morning?

The second thing he noticed was the missing take-out boxes. Whenever the scribe had been eating out at lunch break, there was usually some food waiting for him in the kitchen. It could be a snack, a dessert, a salad, a full meal, it could be anything, but now there was nothing. Most of the time the food hadn't been warm, but now the whole kitchen seemed a lot colder. There wasn't a weird wave of winter washing over town, was it?

The third thing he noticed was the lack of presence of the former acting grand sage. Of course he thought it was because of the night of their conversation, but even as the time passed, Alhaitham was mostly out of sight. Some nights he could hear him moving around his room or the house, or see the soft light of the oil lamp through a gap in the door, but it felt like he hadn't seen the man in ages. There were no taunts, no criticism of his work or comments on the decorations he put up in the house, there wasn't even a good morning or an accusation that he had once again been way too loud. There was only silence, the house he considered a home slowly became lonelier and lonelier.

The fourth thing he noticed was quite irritating. Mehrak, who had chased the scribe more than once with an annoyed expression on her face, seemed to linger infront of the others door day and night. Of course his trusty mechanical friend was at his side whenever he summoned her, but whenever he didn't need her she seemed to just return to somewhere in Alhaitham's vicinity. One night he could even have sworn he saw her flying around with his headphones attached to her handle. Kaveh hadn't asked about it and had told her, in his state of sleep deprivation, to just bring it back. He hadn't even noticed how angry she had looked at him at that moment. Of course he hadn't, after all he wasn't even sure if this had really happened.

There were more, many more little things that the architect noticed, but even the first was enough for him to realize that he really had been blind. Was Alhaitham's love language just different than what he expected? Was his love language actually acts of service while Kaveh was looking for something else so much that he hadn't even noticed that these little things were exactly what he really needed? The blonde sighed heavily thinking about it. By now he had already thrown away his expensive face cream, even a pot of pure gold would probably not have been able to erase all the negative emotions from his face anymore anyway. He now needed alchemy. Or magic. Whatever would work.

It would take him some serious magic, a lot of courage and suppressing his own pride to finally have a serious conversation with the other man. It would need an honest apology. He knew that much by now.

-

"The scribe? Oh I don't think he's here, I heard he went out for lunch with the pretty dancer.", a student, a truly nosey one, answered his question that afternoon when Kaveh had finally gathered all his courage to seek a conversation with Alhaitham. It wasn't actually courage that he needed, but time to sort his thoughts and words. Kaveh knew his temperament, he knew how quickly he could throw all his efforts into the bin if he wouldn't be able to silence his loose mouth at the right moment.
"Nilou?", he asked perplexed, irritated by the fact that the scribe was even willing to dine with anyone.
"Ah right, that's her name, isn't it? A really pretty girl...ah...I'd give anything to have dinner with her...uh...hehe....anyway, I heard she was very surprised at his approval. As I was told, the Scribe usually declined her invitations. You know Mister Kaveh, the relationship, whether existing or not, between the two of them is one of the biggest topics of gossip here at the academia... oh..oh no, please don't tell him about it! I beg you!", the student hadn't noticed how much he was talking until it was already too late. He almost fell to his knees begging Kaveh to keep it a secret, but the blonde didn't really notice that anymore. Nilou and Alhaitham, huh? Were there more of these topics of conversation that he didn't know about? Were there any friends of Alhaitham that he didn't know about? Were there even admirers he hadn't heard of? Could there be more dangers to reviving their relationship than just their own mistakes?
"Ah get up, I beg you. There's nothing to be afraid of haha..", he said looking at the student, a small smile forced onto his lips.
"Now back to the gossip, do you know why he used to turn down the invites?", Kaveh asked trying to seem like he'd be just another gossip girl, the forced smile turning into a grin to give the student a sense of security.
"Oh..uhm.. I once heard him say that there was already someone else he wanted to spend time with. Of course we don't know who and by Celestia, nobody would have dared to ask, but we have set up various theories about it. Some of my fellow students believe that Mister Alhaitham is already married and is just keeping it a secret, which is believable given that he is neither the most talkative nor the most emotional person. Some others think it's an excuse and he's actually even more antisocial than we thought. ... well, uh...whatever, we're just excited to see what's going to happen now hehe..."
So nosey, Kaveh thought, but all he had heard was bothering him more than he thought it would. It was just gossip, nothing to be taken seriously, but did Alhaitham really say there was someone else he wanted to spend time with? And who was he talking about? About him? About Kaveh? But that had really changed now, hadn't it?
After some more, really useless, chit-chat, Kaveh had said goodbye to the student and made his way into town. He had no intention of spying on Alhaitham, really... ok ok, he was going to spy on Alhaitham. He just needed to see it with his own two eyes. He just needed to decide for himself if he would be looking at a lunch date between friends or lovers.

"I see, that definitely sounds like a positive improvement on the previous situation."
"Yes, I'm so relieved..oh and I'm sorry for bothering you so much..."
"An apology isn't needed, maybe just try not to bring half the decoration next time."
"Huh? Oh no! What is it this time? Glitter again?"
"Looks like a gold plated branch, I assume paint instead of real metal for cost reasons."
"Ohh dear, were is it?"
"May I?"
"Ehuh, thank you."

Kaveh didn't hear a word of their conversation from his position, but he saw how the grey-haired scribe gently touched the girl's head. He didn't know why, he didn't even see the branch, but he knew that it made him furios. Was that jealousy? Really? Now? After all the years he hadn't felt it?

"Oh thanks, I'm glad it's still intact.. ... how embarrassing..."
"Is it? I see no reason for that."
"It is. We hardly ever see each other, which is a pity, but whenever we do, I've got something in my hair.."
"If that's the worst imaginable for you, I'm sure I can think of far worse eventualities."
"Oh really? What eventualities?"
"I can't speak from experience, but I've read about things that are considered uncomfortable when interacting with others. One novel described mismatched socks as a tragedy, another the grunting sound some people seem to make when laughing."
"Like pigs?"
"Sumpter Beasts."

Of course, Kaveh still couldn't overhear their conversation since he hadn't moved, but he could clearly see that Nilou was laughing at something Alhaitham had said. He had made her laugh. The emotionless brick of a man had made her laugh. Kaveh should think of that as something good, but he honestly hated it.

"I didn't know you read stories like that too."
"How could you if we don't really talk to eachother. Anyway, I don't read about useless anymore, so it's completely irrelevant."
"May I ask why? Oh ..no, actually I'd rather know why you read novels in the first place. You know... just because it seems like something out of character for you.."
"I was just trying to improve my skills in a field I was relatively unfamiliar with, but I've recognized that this is a waste of time."
"Oh dear.. I'm sorry..."
"What for?"
"That they didn't recognize your efforts."
"...you were able to conclude that from my short statement? Fascinating."
"For some such things come naturally, for others it takes more effort. If you want, I could help you?"
"I actually do not want that but I'd like to hear your thoughts about it."
"Sure! We could have a drink at Puspa tonight, only if you'd like that of course!"
"I'm looking forward to it."

First the touch, then the laughter and now another date?  What the hell was happening and why had Kaveh never noticed any tension between them before? He'd only heard about the date since the two had discussed it on the way out of the restaurant, but how many things hadn't he heard when they'd already discussed something like this on such a short way? When did it even happen that they got to know each other better? Wait a minute, what even was the scribe's sexual orientation? And why wasn't Kaveh sure about that, despite all the years they had known each other?

"Alhaitham!", in no way had Kaveh planned to draw attention to himself in any way, but the other's name left his lips before he had even been able to think about it. It was probably more of a reflex than a conscious act, his clenched fists and clenched jaw just further confirmation of the suspicion.
"Kaveh?", the scribe had stopped right in his tracks, the teal eyes didn't need a full second to spot the architect. He was standing right behind a flower pot, a loose blossom stuck in his hair, a bit of dirt clinging to the hem of his shirt.
"Don't you dare go out with her!", the blonde yelled across the room, his mind probably turned off by jealousy. The steps he took towards the scribe and the dancer were heavy, yet he almost felt like he was rushing toward them rather than actually just walking.
"I beg your pardon?", Alhaitham asked calm, but the raised brow was clearly showing the confusion he felt. It wasn't as obvious as the confusion that was written on Nilou's face, but recognizable nonetheless.
"I don't want you to go out with her."
"And what right do you have to interfere in my affairs?"
"As long as we haven't talked shit out, I just take the right to interfere! What are you going to do about it? Are you going to avoid me? Oh wait, you already do!"
"I do not, I just don't see any reason to meet you either."
"Oh really? It's that simple now?! It might be for you, but it's not for me! I know that I screwed up, I got that now, but now you're punishing me by simply wiping me out of your life? Is that it?", Kaveh was yelling most of the time, he was suddenly so angry, so jealous, but also just terribly disappointed. This time the anger didn't wrap around him like a veil, but it didn't feel any different than before. It was suffocating and incredibly frustrating.
"...I have no interest in having this conversation over and over again, so now, for once, I'll give you my honest thoughts on it. ...You asked me if what I said to you was true, remember? It was and it still is, even if you consider me incapable. You want to know if I want to erase you from my life? I could never because that would mean that I'd also have to erase a part of me. The emotion that you triggered inside my chest that evening was a first for me, but in the meantime I have been able to assign it. And it is an emotion I don't want to feel again. It is extremely unfortunate to consider that our two views on the subject diverge so far, it is unfortunate that what I can give is not what you need, I have tried to become just that but I can be none other than I am. I am not enough for you and probably never will be, but I'm enough for myself. Have you heard enough now? ...If you would like to discuss our living situation, we can make an appointment for next week. Let's leave now, Nilou.", it was probably the first time Nilou had heard Alhaitham talk that much in one go, but it was also the first time both of them saw some pure emotions in his eyes and heard the same in his voice. For a short moment, for a fraction of a second, a vulnerability could be felt on the Scribe's part that had never been there before. It inspired a feeling of compassion in Nilou, but it tore Kaveh's heart in two unequal parts. One for himself and one belonging to Alhaitham. It didn't belong to him just recently, it had belonged to him for all these years, but even the original  owner hadn't been aware of it.

Was there even a chance to put the parts back together now?