Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Please be warned there are several mentions of underaged prostitution. It's only hinted at in the earlier chapters, but it will be brought up in full later on. I will give warnings for the explicit stuff, I promise!!!
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This was semi based on this person's fic! I got some inspirations, but the plot is overall mine. If they request at any time to take it down, I will. https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummonerGirl7_7/pseuds/SummonerGirl7_7

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Diluc was stood at behind the bar, not paying all that much attention to the people that walked through the door. He had no reason to pay attention until he heard the “charming” voice of Kaeya. He didn’t even have to look at the man's I.D, as he had been in the bar too many times to count.

“Your finest shots for me, bartender” he said in an exasperated tone.

“Too many old ladies looking for their cats?” Diluc said, amused. Kaeya was a state detective, one of the best. Though his methods could be unorthodox, he got the job done. He and Diluc had met when they were in college, Diluc working at a cheap bar whilst gaining his mixology degree, and Kaeya coming in the middle of the day to study. They became quick friends, and then stuck together like super glue after graduation.

“Wilson is up my ass again about where I get my information from,” Kaeya said, taking the freshly poured vodka shot and drinking.

“One of these days, Albedo is going to have your head for almost getting him caught,” Diluc said, cleaning out a beer glass after pouring Kaeya his drink.

“It’s not my fault that he hasn’t gotten the forensic position yet!” Kaeya exclaimed. Diluc let out a small chuckle at his friend's antics. Albedo was a scientist that Kaeya dragged onto murder scenes with him. They were a deadly pair that could solve almost any mystery, but Albedo didn’t have any legal way of getting to the crime scene. Hence Kaeya’s complaints.

“You probably had it worse, mister therapist,” Kaeya giggled, a rosy tent already on his cheeks. “Tell me, how many divorced husbands?” Kaeya asked, on the edge of his seat.

“Four, and one of them was a cheater. Kept saying that it wasn’t his fault that his wife wasn’t giving him attention,” Diluc feigned a frustrated attitude, and Kaeya laughed.

“Thinking about it, that’s him over there,” Diluc pointed to the secluded table in the bar where the man sat. However, he wasn’t alone, unlike the last time Diluc checked on him. A boy, no older than fifteen sat extremely close to him, running a hand over the man's chest. The kid wore a ratty hoodie and a beanie on top of his head. Skinny jeans that looked too small for him clutched his legs. The man’s hand ran over the boy’s thigh, and though he was making the advances, the kid looked uncomfortable.

“Isn’t this an eighteen and up bar?” Kaeya asked, seeing the same thing that Diluc saw.

“Yep, and he looks too young to fake a license.” Diluc said as he put down the glass he was cleaning in a frustrated manor. The kid must have sneaked in while Diluc’s back was turned. He was small enough that he couldn’t be seen if he took one of the back tables. The bar had a pretty simple set up, bar at the front and tables surrounding the stage sat in the back of the room. A set of stairs led up to the second floor, which was the game room so to say. It was part club and part arcade. Barely anyone used the machines, but they still brought him joy. The very top of the building belonged to him as his apartment. All in all, Diluc loved this building more than anything he ever had.

Waking up from his small dissociation, he saw that the kid placed himself on the man's lap, and was coaxing a wallet out of the man’s pocket. The man looked a little too pleased with himself, and though the kid had placed himself, he was still tense.

“Watch the bar for me,” Diluc said as he stepped out from behind it.

“Go get em’” Kaeya said, getting ready for a show. As Diluc got closer to the scene, he saw even more details that he couldn’t see from before. The man now had both of his hands on the kid inappropriately, his wallet fully on the table. The kid looked rough. He was unsettlingly skinny and there were faint bruises on his face that looked like they were healing.

Soon enough, the kid realized that the owner of the bar had left his spot, and was now coming closer. He tried desperately to get off the man's lap as to get away, but the man was gripping his thin hips too tight.

“Where you goin’ cutie. We agreed on a full night?” the man said in the kid’s ears. Diluc had gotten close enough to hear that sentence, and both the boy and Diluc knew it.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave my bar,” Diluc said pointedly to the man. He didn’t look pleased, but he got up with a grumble.

“We were just leavin’ anyways,” he said trying to drag the kid up with him.

“No, he stays,” Diluc says, pointing at the green headed kid.

“I don’t think that’s for you to decide,” he said, his posture more threatening. The kid looked panicked, trying to rip his hand away from the stranger. Then, he took a deep breath in, and looked at the man with doe eyes.

“It’s okay, we can meet at the hotel tomorrow night, I can still show you a good time,” he said in a honeyed tone. The man looked hesitant, but nodded and started packing his things. Diluc wanted to vomit from hearing the kid talk like that. He was no older than fourteen and anyone could see that, even the seduced man. The guy walked out of the bar, and Diluc sighed in relief. He wasn’t going to have to start a fight.

Looking back at the boy, instead of scarred or grateful, he looked pissed.

“What the hell, that was two hundred dollars right there,” he said. Diluc was taken aback, but quickly realized that this kid was not at all in distress. He was faking the discomfort to entice the man into the whole “innocent” act.

“Kid, you aren't old enough to be in here, let alone working as a prostitute,” Diluc said.

“I can pay you, but please let me use your bar,” The kid shouted, leaning over the table.

Diluc was going to have a long night.

Chapter Text

Venti knew he had been caught when he saw good old Diluc making his way to the table that he normally abided. The man that he was enticing was rich too. He could have made a regular out of him. But no. Morally good Diluc had to chase him out and hold off payment. Oh, and then he tried to kick Venti out.

“Kid, you aren’t old enough to be here, let alone working as a prostitute,” The barkeep spoke. Venti couldn’t be kicked out now. This bar was made of rich guys that had no semblance of loyalty, and they paid nice money. Hey, anyone would bend for money, right?

“I can pay you, but please let me use your bar,” Venti shouted, jumping up from his seat and leaning over the table. He was desperate, and he could go a little while on leftovers.

“That’s not how this works,” Diluc said, crossing his arms over his chest, looking intimidating. The man was much taller than Venti, as well as being burly as hell. He had his high ponytail tied with a bandana that kept his fiery hair up. He wore a button up that was a quarter way undone, and a freshly washed service apron around his waist. God, what Venti would give to have access to a washing machine. Not the point.

“Yes it is, I can pay you what you want, just don’t kick me out,” Venti pleaded.

“I shouldn’t just kick you out, I should call social services,” Diluc said, rubbing in between his eyes. Venti felt himself freeze. Okay, that was worse than being kicked out.

“Call them, and I will make sure you get your alcohol license revoked,” Venti said, the threat being clear. Diluc had a small look of surprise on his face.

“Look, just get out of the bar and I won’t call anyone,” Diluc said. Venti was going to protest more, but remembered that he could sneak in once Diluc forgot about him. As long as he stayed under the radar, he should be fine.

“As long as you don’t call them, I’ll leave,” Venti said, gathering his things and his guitar case. Venti was discouraged. That man was supposed to give him a hundred dollars for a full night, and he had been scared off before he could pay. What was he going to tell Aether? He was supposed to pick up Diona’s medicine tomorrow, and now he couldn’t pay for it. Aether was barely supporting them when it came to his job at the preschool, and all of that money was spent on food.
Whilst Venti contemplated what the hell he should do, he heard something being placed on the table. Once he looked up, he could see the bartender walking away from the table. As he looked after him, he saw that something had been placed on the table. Venti moved over to the edge of the table to see some cash. Wait…

Venti looked at the bill in his hand, not believing what he saw. Diluc kept walking to the bar, acting as though he didn’t just give Venti five-hundred dollars. Holy shit.

“If you don’t come back for this, I’m taking it,” Venti yelled after the man. Diluc simply placed himself behind the bar, picking up the glass that he had previously been cleaning. Venti was still in disbelief, but he realized that he needed to leave before Diluc demanded his money back. Venti pickled up his hole filled bag and tried to calm down as he walked to the door.

“Hey.”
Venti felt himself tense and considered bolting, but he knew that Diluc could catch him. So, he stood still and listened.

“Pay me back by not meeting him tomorrow. That should be what he would have paid you. So, don’t go,” he said, not once looking up from the glass.

Venti looked at Diluc, and shakily nodded. As soon as the man stopped paying attention to him, he left the bar. Once Venti was outside of the door, he felt himself let out the breath that he had been holding. The only thing he could think about was getting back to Aether and Xiao in order to show them the money. With the amount he was given, he could buy the medicine and might be able to get new clothes for everyone.
All the fear that Venti had felt leaving the bar evaporated from his body as he broke out into a sprint. He didn’t look back to see the blue haired man watching him with a perplexed look.

Kaeya looked back into the bar and saw Diluc cleaning away.

“So is there a reason that you gave that kid so much money?” He asked, sitting back down at the bar.

“As sad as it is to say, I kicked his source of income out of the bar before he could get paid,” Diluc said, moving to the door to turn the open sign off.

“Yeah, but that was a lot of money,” Kaeya said. Diluc wasn’t one to randomly give out money, especially to people that snuck into his bar.

“The poor kid was desperate. He clearly isn’t doing it because he wants to, so he’s probably got people to take care of,” Diluc had moved to his liquor shelf and stared at it for a while.

“Plus, I have more money then I know what to do with and didn’t need it- did you take extra shots?” Diluc said accusingly.

“What? It’s not my fault that your alcohol is good Luc,” Kaeya said, leaning against the bar ledge. He had one to many to drink.

“Alright dipshit, let’s get you home,” Diluc said as he dragged Kaeya out of the bar. This had happened on more then one occasion. As Diluc left the building, Kaeya reluctantly joining him, he kept thinking about the beine wearing kid. Did he give him enough cash? Diluc didn’t know how many people the kid was sharing with, so he hoped it was enough.
He could only hope.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Aether went through the money in his hands, counting in his head. Ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty five… twenty seven.
He had only been paid twenty seven dollars.

Aether could feel his headache coming on. That would be enough to feed everyone some fast food at least. If he didn’t eat, he could put some in the little container that he called his savings. He hoped that Venti had more luck. Thinking about Venti, he needed to look around town tomorrow in order to find new job applications. Venti never looked cause he thought he would make more money with his current occupation. If it could even be called that. Aether rarely got days off, so when he did, he was going to use them. He had a lot of things that he needed to do tomorrow. Saturday’s and Sunday’s had always been stressful, as they were his off days from tutoring. He had different families that he would tutor for, and they filled out almost all week, weekends being the only time he could take off. But, he could take home the worksheets for Paimon and Diona, as they were the same age as the kids he tutored. Qiqi couldn’t read it all yet, but loved to help by coloring over the name and date. He had to work hard to gain the families trust, as he looked and was a homeless kid, but he was smart and good with kids.

As he approached their little ally, he heard Venti plucking on his beat up guitar. Aether could feel the smile on his face as he heard Diona trying to make up lyrics along with the strums. As soon as Aether appeared at the face of the ally, Diona’s face lit up and ran up and jumped him.

“Big brother!”
Aether barely caught her, and in the process of doing so, fell. He could hear the joyous giggling and Venti’s small chuckles. Qiqi got up slowly, waking up from her regular mid day nap after hearing all the commotion.

“Welcome back. Did you get any worksheets?” Venti asked. Something seemed to be different with him today.

“Yeah, you get to study scary reptiles today,” Aether said as he playfully tickled Diona. Her giggles got louder and she looked up at him.

“Reptiles are too scary big brother,” she said with a whine “tigers are better.”

“What’s a reptile?” Qiqi asked, and Diona hopped down from Aether's arms.

“There are lizards and snakes and frogs,” Diona said, making exaggerated hand movements. Venti playfully rolled his eyes.

“Ah ah, one of those is wrong Diona,” he said, smiling softly. Diona looks back at him with a confused look.

“Which one?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Try to figure it out,” Venti said, standing up and walking over to Aether. He fell into Aether’s arms for his hug. This time, Aether caught him easily. They hugged for a moment until they could feel Diona’s frustration.

“Diona, what do all of the animals have in common, and what are the differences,” Aether said, his tutoring voice peaking out. She once again went into thought, thinking hard. After a minute, she looked up with confidence.

“It’s the frog!” she said.

“Good job,” Aether said, proud that she came to the right answer.

“How’d you figure it out?” Qiqi asked, puzzled. Diona turned to her, excited that she was right.

“Frog’s are slimy, but snakes and lizards are rough,” Diona stated.

“That’s one of the differences, yes. Snakes and lizards are reptiles, but frogs are amphibians,” Aether said, walking to his sleeping bag. Diona, once again, was confused.

“Amphi what now?” she exclaimed. Venti took over with a smile and explained what amphibians are on a toddler acceptable level. Whilst the lecture went on behind him, he pulled out a small ziplock filled with money from the bottom of his sleeping bag. With his “savings bag” in hand, he went through it, counting everything up. As he felt his hands shift through the cold paper, he could feel his anxieties rising.

All of the savings that he had been scrounging for since January, came out to about four hundred dollars. The purpose of his savings were normally for emergencies and Christmas gifts, but Diona’s clothing was starting to get holes and Qiqi was growing quickly. He could look for clothing tomorrow with the girls and then look for jobs for Venti. He might have enough to get Xiao a new sweatshirt for winter.

As long as he budgeted correctly, he could keep things going smoothly. He wasn’t going to be able to get a traveling stove top though. It was the one thing that he had kept in the back of his mind for a while now.
As the thoughts ran through his head, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Xiao staring at him in concern. He wore his regular heavy green sweater with jeans and ratty boots. His heavy eyes shone with aloofness and distanced thoughts. But under the heaps of beautiful amber, his care shone through.

Behind him, he saw Paimon and Diona going over the worksheet with Venti. Piamon wore her oversized sweater and her one of a kind puff ball boots as well as her little star clip sat in her hair, gently moving with her head.

“Xiao, when did you both get back?” Aether said as he stood up. He took Xiao’s hand, feeling the soft, cold, skin against his own hand.

“We just got here. You were lost in thought,” Xiao said, gripping the hand back. He looked in Xiao’s hands to see a bag of apples and grapes.

“They need something to eat when we can’t get lunch,” Xiao explained. Aether nodded in understanding.

“Now that we’re all here, I have a surprise for everyone” Venti exclaimed, throwing his arms over Xiao and Aether’s shoulders. Well that couldn’t be good. Venti’s surprises tended to be over the top, but Aether needed something happy to happen so he didn’t lose his mind.

“Alright, go ahead then,” Xiao said, eyeing Venti in suspicion. Venti walked to the back side of the ally, drawing everyone's attention.

“Thank your one and only Venti for the warm clothes we’ll be wearing this winter.”
Venti reached into the pockets of his worn down pants and pulled out what looked to be a bundle of money. As Aether got a closer look, he saw the fifty dollar bills. Aether could feel his face fall in shock.

“Venti, how much money is that?” Xiao asked the thing that they had all been thinking.

“Five hundred dollars,” Venti smirked to himself, seeing the three young girl's faces shift from confused to excited.

“That’s so much!” Piamon exclaimed, tripping over herself to get to Venti. The other two were excited as well, going to hug Venti.
At first, Aether was ecstatic. He felt relief wash over his body at the thought of being able to buy clothing and probably the stovetop. And then he looked at Xiao. Xiao had a look of concern and ergencie. Wait.

“Venti, how did you..?” Aether trailed off seeing Venti’s face brighten even more.

“Not by the way your thinking of, I promise,” he said, walking over to the concerned friends. Venti pulled them close.

“We’ll talk about it when they go to sleep,” he whispered between them. Aether nodded and went to his sleeping bag.

Chapter Text

The bar was running fairly smoothly, the regular customers came and went as well as a couple of new faces. Diluc left all of the drink-making up for his own muscle memory, zoning out as he took orders. His mind started to wander as he thought about the night before. He liked to think that what he said the previous night would make an effect on the teen, but he had to face reality and see that the kid would want to make as much money as possible. Diluc didn’t know why that thought made him nauseous.

He remembered his life as a teenager. When he was happy and didn’t need to worry about money or other people. When he would run out to the cheapest roller rink with Jean and Lisa, or when he would try to mix his first drink with his father laughing over his shoulder. It felt cheesy, remembering what his life was like before his father's passing. He remembered that he was so full of life and care. Not numb, or trying to heal. Diluc wouldn’t say that he was mentally okay all the time, but it was better than directly after his father's death. He was truly at his worst then. But, he couldn’t think of the past when he had other things to worry about.

Such as the fact that his assistant, Noelle, was walking through the door of his bar. Noelle very rarely came to his bar when it came to the company. They would normally email each other, if it was urgent, she would call.

“Master Diluc, I wished to discuss a matter involving a customer,” She said, bowing in respect.

“No matter the number of times I tell you to just call me Diluc, I have a feeling you never will. What’s going on Noelle?” Diluc asked with a hint of confusion.

“A very important customer of the company decided to pull out their fundings completely. I don’t know what happened, but he canceled all of the orders that were being shipped. When I called to ask if there had been a mistake, he said some quite rude things and then hung up,” Noelle finished, looking perplexed.

“Well, I don’t think that the company has done anything recently that would piss anyone off, so we can eliminate that. It must have been something personal to them. Don’t worry about it too much,” Diluc said with a reassuring nod.

Noelle sighed in relief. It seemed as though she finally took a breath and then looked around the bar.

“It has been quite a while since I have been to Angle Share, can I have a sweet tea?” She asks, taking a seat at the bar.

Noelle had served him since she was a little girl, being raised in the manor and then hired as a servant. She had come to the manor later than Diluc, but she was one of Diluc’s closest friends and an amazing assistant. Diluc did his fair share of work, but she tended to what he didn’t have time for or made sure that everything involving the winery was going smoothly.

“It’s on the house. And I was going to ask, you would normally call me about something like this, is there a reason that you're here personally?” he asked, reaching over to the sweet tea tap.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to worry you, it’s just that I have family in town that needs tending to. That reminds me, while I’m here, I wanted to ask you personally,” Noelle said, taking in a deep breath. “May I take a few weeks off of work? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious and I apologize but-,”''Noelle, that’s perfectly fine,” Diluc said, interrupting her explanations.

“You have more than earned it, especially when it’s something involving family,” Diluc said, handing her the tea. She bit into the lemon, enjoying the taste. If Noelle was anyone else, he would have judged her relentlessly, but he stayed quiet, as he knew that she was stressed.

“Master Diluc, what troubles you?” she asked, doe eyes gleaming.

Diluc was not very shocked that Noelle could read him like a book. Like said, they had known each other for so long, it was natural.

“I am concerned for a recent customer of the bar,” Diluc said, choosing his wording carefully. “He was in trouble, and I helped, but not as much as I could have. It makes me feel nervous, thinking that he might be in danger, or putting himself in danger. Noelle looked into her drink, thinking.

“Diluc, you are a caring person by nature. If you feel as though you did not do enough, then do more," she said, staring into Diluc's soul. Diluc thought for a moment, knowing that with his connections, he could find the kid again. He could help, maybe even find the boy's parents. Diluc heard a clank and saw that Noelle had finished her drink and set it on the counter.

"Don't overwork yourself Master Diluc," she said, standing up and giving a small bow. As she walked out the door, Diluc knew that it would be a long week.

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Kaeya was sat at his desk in the middle of the night, going over the case file for the death of Rex Lapis. The CEO of the company Rex Lapis had been murdered, and it was suspected to be gang involved. Rex Lapis was a pharmaceutical company that shipped almost all over Tyvat. Kaeya suspected that the company wasn't as shiny and pure as it advertised. It didn't help that the CEO never revealed his identity, which meant that finding their enemies would be virtually impossible. Kaeya was frustrated with this case more than he could say. First off, he didn't even want to be working on this case, as he normally worked on missing persons and kidnappings. But his "expertise" was suddenly needed in a field that he rarely ever worked on. Second, he wasn't able to get any information because the company kept its jaws locked and he "didn't have that clearance." Kaeya interviewed as many low-level workers as he could, but it seemed that they didn't know anything either. Kaeya didn't want to think about how hard it would be to worm his way into the inner circle.

As Kaeya sipped from his coffee cup, he felt arms wrap around his shoulders. He felt himself relax as the smell of old books and clove gently encased him.

"Staring at the case file for hours doesn't mean that you will miraculously get a way into the company," Albedo said in his honeysuckle-like voice. Kaeya leaned into Albedo's hold, letting out a deep sigh.

"Yes, but I feel utterly useless if I'm not trying to figure it out," Kaeya said. Albedo reached over him and turned off the blaring lamp that hung over his desk.

"You will wear yourself out if you don't sleep. Plus, tomorrow's your day off, so you can sleep in," Albedo said, turning the chair so that Kaeya was facing him. Albedo took his hand and Kaeya let himself be dragged to their bedroom. The room glowed with a soft dim from candles and felt cozy and warm. Kaeya didn't realize how tired he was until Albedo burrowed underneath the covers, looking at Kaeya with soft eyes. Kaeya laid on the bed, pulling Albedo close.

"You will find a way, I know you will," he said with wise eyes and a small smile.

"You shouldn't have stayed up this late, you have a class in the morning," Kaeya said, admiring the beautiful man in front of him.

"Yes, and I will have coffee in the morning, it'll be fine," Albedo said mischievously. Kaeya smiled and snuggled up to Albedo's side.
Kaeya reveled the moment, falling asleep to the sound of soft breathing.

Chapter Text

Xiao felt the cold wind bite against his face as he stood on the roof of the abandoned building. He could see the dirty streets and dark alleyways. They were leaving soon, so he enjoyed the cold breeze while he had it. He could hear the steps and voices of the girls below him, laughing and cheering for Venti to take them to the mall. They never really gone to malls, as they held a lot of luxury items. The food court was nice, but it was too far away to justify the trip. So, everyone was a little excited. A little might be an understatement for the kids of the group.

"We have to go into Clairs and get hairclips!" Paimon said, jumping up and down.

"No, we have to get scrunchies!" Diona said, chasing Paimon around.

"Come on, we can get a little bit of both," Aether said, picking up Diona and putting her on his hip. Xiao knew that they were almost ready to leave, so he slid down the fire escape, facing Venti directly. Venti was excited about this trip ever since he had gotten the money, and wouldn't stop talking about how he would spoil everyone. Normally it was Aether who kept control of their money, but Venti declared that he wanted to spend this trip. They set up to leave, hiding their valuables and food so it wouldn't be stolen when they left.

Soon enough, they were on the bus trying to get to the closest stop to the mall. Xiao held onto Qiqi, who wasn't letting go of him anytime soon. Even though she was excited to go on the trip, she didn't like the big crowds or loud noises. Xiao, along with the girls, sat on the seats of the bus while Aether and Venti decided to stand. He could see Diona's hesitance to stand, and Piamon wasn't as loud as she normally was. None of them liked dealing with social situations. They felt the bus finally stop and they got off with the crowd of people all heading in different directions. They walked through the parking lot holding each other's hands to keep them together.

"Okay, the first stop is a clothing shop for the girls," Aether said, holding Diona's hand.

"Okay, and then stop by a shoe store," Xiao said, holding Qiqi in his arms. Venti held Piamons hand, both of them having a little skip in their step as they walked.

"And then Clairs!" Piamon said happily. Aether smiled a little and let out a deep sigh, his breath visible in the cold.

As they got to the entrance, they were all in awe at the size of the mall. It was huge, having two floors and a whole alphabet of shops on the maps. Xiao could feel Qiqi's hand tighten around his, and he looked to see her face. Qiqi didn't show her emotion all that often, but when she did, Xiao couldn't help but feel joy. They didn't know if it was where she came from, a person in her life, or if it was just who she was. All of them were like that in some way or another. Not knowing where they came from or knowing all too well. He could see that she was looking at a shop that already had its Christmas decorations out. That bright light in the display window had mesmerized Qiqi. Meanwhile, Aether was trying to find the cheapest store on the map.

"Aether, can we stop somewhere first?" Xiao asked with a soft voice. Aether looked up from the touch screen to see Qiqi staring at the window in wonder and Xiao looking at him hopefully. Aether let out a small smile and took Venti's hand.

"Alright, but we're finding a clothing store after you two," Aether said as they walked to the store. When they got to the front and saw the inside, they saw children and adult winter clothes. Aether was taken aback, and Venti started to cackle like the hyena he was.

"We have to trust Qiqi's intuition more, huh Aether?" Venti said, walking to the closest display. Aether let out a huff and let Diona guide him to the wall of sleeved shirts. Xiao and Qiqi were not paying much attention to the others as they quickly walked over to the other side of the display. Even though the other side wasn't as pretty as the outside, it still had Qiqi enthralled, as well as Xiao.

"Staring at the lights too long will give you a headache," a voice said with a teasing tone. Xiao looked at his side in alarm to see a tall woman that was looking through the display case. Her brown hair cascaded down her back and a red eyepatch crossed her right eye. Full of distrust, he pulled Qiqi a little closer to him, and she got the memo as she hid behind Xiao's other side. The lady put her hands up as a sign of peace and then looked softly down at Qiqi.

"The kid would enjoy the display on the second floor, next to the Disney shop," she said, giving what Xiao had to assume was a wink.

"Come to think of it, she will probably just enjoy the Disney store," the women said as she started to walk away from them. Xiao watched carefully through the window to see her walk out of the store over to women who had even longer white hair. She pulled the women into a kiss, and then looked back at Xiao. She gave a small wave to Qiqi who was barely able to see her from the window. Qiqi gave a small giggle and the two ladies walked away, leaving Xiao at peace.

"Xaaaaio," whined Venti. He held a pair of kid-sized jeans in his hand as Paimon looked at him with begging eyes.

"I don't know how to get the right siiiiize," Venti said with a little pout. Xiao sighed and gripped Qiqi's hand a little tighter to let her know they had to leave the pretty lights.

As Xiao tried to size Piamon correctly, they heard Aether and Diona talking as they came back to the group. Xiao finally got the right size and handed it to Piamon.

"Do you need help or can you do it?" Aether asks, playing with Diona's fingers.

"I got it," Piamon said, running to the changing rooms. Xiao looked around, realizing that he needed to look for clothing for himself as well. But as he looked up, he saw that neither Aether nor Venti had Qiqi. Xiao froze, eyes instantly scanning the small store for the purple-headed girl. Trying to keep his calm, he tugged on Aethers sleeve.

"Have either of you been keeping track of Qiqi?" he asked with a small voice. Xiao saw Aether's eyes alight with panic as he realized what Xiao meant. Venti scanned the outside of the store, alarmed, but trying to stay calm.

"Okay, I'll stay here with the girls in case she comes back. You two split up and look for her. If we can't find her in twenty minutes, I'll ask for help from security," Aether said confidently. Venti and Xiao both nodded. Xiao didn't want to think about what could happen to her, and desperately tried to keep from panicking. He started looking around, trying to find anything that told where she went.

Chapter Text

Diluc hated this. He trudged through the crowded mall, peaking at his list to see where he should go next. Diluc would normally get Christmas gifts online, as it was convenient and efficient. But, it was getting closer to Christmas and things weren't in stock. Sure, he had a plethora of gifts coming to his house from online crafters, as he thought that gifts sure have purpose and use, but he still valued the sentiment in gifts. However, he was quite pissed at his gift ideas this year.

For Jean, he had bought a beautiful necklace that had a small silver sword, the handle being embedded with an elegant lavender quartz gem. For Kaeya, he had taken the liberty of getting him a new laptop, as he was still using the one from college that was almost broken in half at this point. And for the idiot's lover, he got a rock tumbling machine as well as some rocks. For Noelle, he had first gotten her a very nice coffee press for her as his assistant, and as a friend, he got her a sweater with embroidery of roses aligning the sleeves.

Finally, he planned to get Lisa a book that she had been meaning to buy for quite some time now, as well as a bookmark that had a small design of her company logo. But, the bookmark wasn't going to make it in time for Christmas morning, so he made a quick trip to the mall.

His first stop was a book shop that had all sorts of things, but nothing caught his eye. So, he thought about it once more and ended up at a fancy store that held very nice bath products. He would never admit it, but he bought some things for himself after figuring Lisa's gift out. He ended up with a galaxy-inspired bath bomb and several olive-scented things for himself.

As he left the overwhelming store, he saw a beautiful light display that had reindeer surrounded by fake snow. It was pretty, but Diluc would have preferred it more if it wasn't so packed with people trying to take pictures. Diluc was ready to move on to the food court when something caught his eye. A small girl was sitting by the display huddled in on herself. Diluc scanned around the girl to see that no one was comforting her or scolding her. Mostly they were ignoring her, tending to their matters as they walked past her. She wore a small sweater that was too thin for the heavy winter outside of the mall and ragged shoes. Diluc didn't know that he was walking towards her until he stood in front of the lavender girl who probably only came up to his knee.

"Are you okay?" he asked kneeling so the girl could see him. She flinched a little and hesitantly looked up. Diluc didn't have much of a heart for strangers, but he tightened up when he saw that she had been silently crying to herself as people walked by. She starred at Diluc with fresh tears rolling down her face and put her head back in between her knees as she shook her head. Diluc swears he could hear a tiny muffled whimper.

"Did you lose your parents?" he asked, trying to get the girl to look at him again. She looked up again and this time kept looking at Diluc when she finally spoke.

"Brothers," she said as she looked at him desperately. Even his cold heart ached for the small scared little one.

"Do you need help finding your brothers?" he asked, reaching out his hand. With a hesitant glance, she put her tiny hand in his and nodded.

"Let's go find them then," he said as he stood up. She followed and Diluc was right, she only came up to his knee. He guessed that she was only four, maybe three, but she had smart eyes. Whatever that meant. Although she took his hand, she seemed hesitant to touch him, so Diluc wanted to be careful.

" Can I pick you up?" he asked. She looked up at him and looked like she was making a decision. She nodded once more and put her hands up. He picked her up and put her against his hip, trying to keep her balanced. He looked at the girl and saw she wasn't fussing or complaining, rather, she was calm as she looked at the sea of people that surrounded them.

"What's your name?" Diluc asked as he started walking to a quieter place in the mall.

"Qiqi," she said wrapping her small arms around his neck. She kept looking down as though she was going to fall. In order to reassure her, he repositioned himself so she could cling a little tighter.

"Okay Qiqi, do you know where you saw your brothers last?" Diluc said, looking into her sunken lavender eyes. She then tried to concentrate but looked at him in distress.

"Qiqi doesn't remember," she said, grasping him a little tighter. He guessed that she wasn't doing it out of defiance because she looked truly scared. So, how was he going to find her brothers?

"What's the last thing you remember?" Diluc asked, continuing his questions.

"Lights," she said in a soft voice. Well, it was something to work with.

"Do you mean the displays?" he asks, pointing to the reindeer that he had found her by. She looked back at the display and hummed. He thought that the entrance would be the best solution to find her siblings. He started walking through the mall with the little girl in his hold. He walked to the escalator, tightening his grip on Qiqi so she didn't fall. He could feel her grip on his arms loosening, and he looked to see that she was falling asleep. He didn't blame her, she was probably terrified waiting at the light stand for someone to find her. Her head leaned up against his shoulder and all he heard was a little murmur.

"Warm."

He got to the front of the big mall, not seeing any distressed people that looked like Qiqi. He hated doing it, but he ran his fingers across her head, waiting for her to wake up. She woke up, looking at him questioningly.

"Do you see anyone you recognize," he said as he looked around the entrance once more. She shook her head, tearing up a little. He didn'
t think the small girl could handle any more of this without a full breakdown.

"Hey, what's your favorite sweet thing," he asked, trying to distract her from the sad situation. She looked up and took a minute before answering.

"Cocogoat," she said, smiling a little. Diluc paused and took a second to process that it was the first time she smiled at him.

"And, what does cocogoat look like?" he asked, not understanding a child's imagination.

"Qiqi doesn't know, but it's good," she said. Time to get creative then. His first thought was chocolate milk. Kids like that, right?

"Does it taste like chocolate?" he asks.

"No, like cocogoat," she said. So not chocolate. What else...

"Is it white?" he asked, having a feeling. She nodded and let her smile grow a little more. He had a faint idea of what she wanted and heard himself chuckle. He looked around to see if there were any shops nearby that would have what they both wanted. Almost perfectly placed by the entrance was a boba shop.

"Okay, then what's your favorite fruit?" he asked as he started walking. The little girl in his arms started relaxing, her desperate hold getting a little looser.

"Peaches," she mumbled out. He wondered if he had a little unknown sibling that liked coconut milk, as she was listing things that he quite enjoyed.

They walked into the small store, staring at the fake snow that aligned the counters, and the poinsettias that sat in their themed jars. Little Christmas trees decorated the corners of the shop that were covered in little white Christmas lights. Qiqi's eyes were wide as she stared at the overwhelming amount of decor. She lit up as she looked around, the soft chatter of people and flow of Christmas carols. Diluc walked up to the counter, scanning the menu and deciding.

"How can I help you today?" the girl at the counter asked. He could almost feel his eyebags get heavier.

Great, more interaction.

After the whole ordeal, he walked out of the small store and started toward the light stand in the entrance. She held a plastic cup of coconut milk and peach boba, while he drank a simple chai tea. He couldn't lie, seeing her struggle to puncture the wrap at the top was quite amusing. Once he helped her, she sipped cautiously and sucked a small orb of boba. Her reaction was worth its weight in gold as she smiled brightly. He mostly picked it because of the first time he had boba. It seemed to be a core memory in his mind.

"Thank you, fireplace!" she said as she drank. He smiled at the odd nickname. She looked around, face going back to monotone.

"You're welcome," he said, sipping his drink. He knew he was going soft. Or was it just him letting people in. He didn't know. Suddenly, the small girl next to him perked up, gasping a little.

"Big brother," she whispered. She looked up at him, almost like she was asking for permission.

"Go ahead, love," he said nudging her off of the fountain. Getting his approval, she sped off, meeting a blonde boy and a boy with green-tipped bangs. They saw her run to their feet, and he could see their faces contort into ones of relief. He felt satisfaction, knowing that she was safe and back where she needed to be. He wasn't prepared for the green-tipped boy to look at him. For a second, he felt intimidated by the defensive look he was getting. But, it melted, and became pure gratefulness. The satisfying feeling he had doubled, and he nodded. As soon as the child looked away, he slipped back into the crowd, trying to find his way back to his car.

Chapter Text

Venti's mind was running wild as he sprinted through the mall. He ran past the small shops and the useless chatter of the people that he trudged through. He shouldn't have taken his eyes off of Qiqi, too focused on the other girls, that she slipped out of the store. He could guarantee that Xiao was even more panicked than he was. See, this kind of thing had happened before with Paimon, but she was found rather quickly and she was safe and sound. But Qiqi had a horrible memory and couldn't stand crowds. They had no idea if she was even still in the mall. To solve this problem, they tried to help her remember to stay where she was when she lost them. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Venti could only hope that this was a time she stayed.

Venti sped up trying desperately to keep himself calm. At this point, he had searched the whole first floor, and he didn't find her. He remembered what Aether said and went back to the front of the mall. Arriving at the entrance of the mall, he saw Aether and Xiao fretting over a teary-eyed Qiqi. Venti almost collapsed in relief. He slowly walked up to the small group, letting himself catch his breath. Qiqi was the first to notice him, running up and hugging his side. She clung to him desperately, and he could feel her tears staining his shirt.

"Qiqi's sorry, Qiqi didn't mean to leave," she said quietly, holding him even closer. Venti let himself fall to the dirty tile and slipped his arms around her.

"It's okay Qiqi," he said as he held her close. He slowly relaxed, and with the adrenaline gone, he could feel mental and physical exhaustion creeping upon him.

He felt a hand place upon his back and looked up to see Xiao. Once Qiqi let go of him, Xiao pulled him off of the floor and grabbed his hand. They walked back to the group, and he saw Aether holding a plastic cup filled with milk.

"Where did that come from?" he asked. Aether smiled peacefully and locked eyes with Xiao.

"Qiqi didn't get back to us on her own," he said, handing the drink back to the girl. She happily took it, mumbling a small "cocogoat" as she sipped it.

"Oh?" Venti said. It was pretty rare that someone would help them.

"Xiao saw a man with long red hair with Qiqi when she found us. Every time we ask her about it, she says fireplace," he said, looking at Qiqi fondly.

Oh, this was funny.

"Xiao, did the man have red eyes and a bandana in his hair?" Venti asked in amusement. Xiao looked surprised and nodded.

"That was Diluc. He owns the bar that I normally go to," Venti said with a chuckle.

"And he was the one who gave me the five hundred dollars," he said, watching Aethers face contort from shock to worry.

"That's the second time he's helped us in the span of two weeks," Aether said puffing out his cheeks in frustration. He normally did that when he was thinking. And then like a lightbulb was turned on, he lit up. He smiled to himself and looked around.

"We need to shop now, or the trip was for nothin," he said.

"And this time, don't go running off Qiqi," Aether said in a soft voice. Qiqi nodded enthusiastically, holding Xiao's pant legs for dear life.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Aether was going to have a very big mess to clean. He clapped the flower on his hands back into the jar that it came from, listening happily to the small hums coming from next to him. The small girl he was babysitting hummed happily as she frosted the Christmas cookies.

"Klee, be careful with the spatula," he said as she flung frosting over the counter. She giggled and went back to her cookies. Klee was probably the best kid that he had ever taken care of. Her mother was seldom in the house because of business trips across the world. So, her big brother Albedo would normally take care of her. Klee's mother wasn't even the one to hire him, it was Albedo. He called whenever his nights were a little too late, or he was attending class in the afternoon. Klee was a sweetheart, but she got her hands on one of Albedo's old chemistry textbooks, and the next day an explosion came from the backyard. She was smart enough to understand a high school textbook, but she was still a kid.

"Aether, why are you decorating more cookies?" she asked with a curious tone.

"I'm giving a gift to someone," he said, slipping a pan of cookies into the oven. He stood back up and walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen. The marble was covered with cookie dough and sprinkle bottles. Most of which were empty.

"Like a Christmas gift?" she asked as she licked the icing off her fingers.

"No, more like a thank you gift," he said, carefully adding little gold balls to the tree cookie. Her face lit up, and she started to jump on her little stool.

"Those are the best type of gifts!" she shouted as she almost fell over.

"Careful Klee," Aether smiled.

"You don't want to fall and get hurt," he said, putting the finished cookie on the tray. Klee listened and went back to her cookie, giggling.

"Who's the gift for?" she asked, smearing icing onto a perfectly baked cookie.

"It's for a very nice person that helped Qiqi," he answered. One nice thing about regularly babysitting Klee is that Albedo didn't care that the other girls came. Whenever Xiao and Venti couldn't get them after school, Ather just grabbed all three of them and brought them to play with Klee.

"Good! I'm glad we made thank you cookies," she hummed.

"I am too," Aether said with a smile.

After the exchange, Aether made his way through the kitchen, cleaning up all of the cookie materials. As he washed the dishes thoroughly, he heard the oak door open, and Albedo walked in holding his coat and carrying a large backpack on his back.

"Bedo!" Klee shouted as she quickly abandoned her cookies. Albedo hung up his coat and then caught Klee in a hug.

"You saw me this morning jitterbug," he said fondly.

"I know, but I still missed you," she said as she hugged him. Aether smiled, reminded of Diona.

"I'm sorry for breaking this up, but I need to leave a little early today," Aether said in a quiet voice. He hated to rush them, but he wanted to get home in time to eat dinner with everyone.

"Yes, of course, that's fine Aether," He said walking to the couch and setting down his hefty bag. He reached in and grabbed his rather expensive wallet.

"I have some cookies in the oven for you and Klee to do together," Aether said, picking up his tupperware of cookies. He had two of them, one of which being for diluc, and the other for his own family. This was the only way he could think of for repaying Diluc after his help. He wanted to say it was for his kindness, but an ugly thing deep down inside himself just didn't want to be indebted to the man. Even if the only way to resolve that dept was through cookies.

"Thank you, Aether," Albedo said as he walked over and handed him the sixty dollars.

"It was no problem, you two stay safe," Aether said as he put his tattered jacket back on.

"Bye mister Aether!" Klee said as she peeked into the oven through the glass.

"Bye Aether, and you as well," He said, pulling the cookies out of the oven.

Aether walked out the door, clutching the two containers in his hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Diluc hummed as he set his bar back in order from the busy day. He was getting ready to usher the last couple of people who sat around the bar out when he heard the front door's bell ring. He looked up to see a kid with puffy winter clothes and long blonde hair enter through the door with a very hesitant look.

"Apologies, but we don't allow minors in the bar," he said, too tired to card the very obvious child.

"Oh no, I'm just here to drop these off," the kid said. Diluc looked at his hand to see two containers full of something colorful and messy.

"Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the bar right now. But if you give me a name I can get them to whoever you're looking for," Diluc said, pleasantly surprised that he wasn't going to have to kick anyone out today.

"Sir, there for you," the kid said with a chuckle, walking closer to the bar. He placed the container down, ignoring Diluc's confused look.

"A couple of days ago, in the mall, you helped my sister find her way back to us. I don't know why you did it, but you helped. I thought it would be right to return the favor in the best way I could," the blonde said in a soft tone. It took Diluc a second to process the fact that he was receiving a gift for simply helping as any person would. Although remembering how many people walked past Qiqi without a second thought, he bit his tongue.

"Oh no, it's quite alright. She needed help and I was there, nothing more to it," he said trying to kindly turn the offer away. Instead of leaving, the boy put the container on the counter.

"Please, I spent too much time on these for them to go to waste. And you did something not a lot of people would regularly do for us," he said, not taking no for an answer. Diluc sighed in defeat and took the plastic box with acceptance. He opened the bright red lid to see stacks of detailed Christmas cookies. They were an assortment of Christmas trees and reindeer, each having delicately placed round sprinkles as ornaments and noses. He would have guessed that these had come out of a bakery rather than the craftsmanship of a teenager.

"These look very good. I'm impressed," Diluc said looking up at the boy, he smiled sweetly.

"Thank you. I wish I could say I made them myself, but I had the help of a very smart four-year-old, telling me what I should make," he said. Diluc let out a small chuckle and placed the lid back on top of the container. Diluc then remembered why the teen was here.

"How is Qiqi? Did she make it back to you safely?" Diluc asked in a concerned tone. He knew that the girl was probably fine, but a nagging voice in the back of his head said otherwise.

"Oh yes, she's perfectly fine. She also thanks you for the drink you gave her," he said with a teasing smile. Diluc felt his shoulder sag in relief knowing that the girl was safe with her family.

"That's good to know," he said, looking back up. The teen had placed his coat up higher and started walking to the door.

"Well, I am on a little time limit, so I'll be going," he said gracefully walking to the door. With his back turned, Diluc saw the long braid that trailed down his head. It wasn't the best braid he had ever seen, but it was sturdy and swayed with the boy as he walked.

"Ah, wait for a second," Diluc said, Noelle's words circling in his head. He walked around the bar, pulling out his wallet from the back pocket of his slacks. He rifled through his wallet, searching for the biggest bill he had on him. He plucked a fifty-dollar bill out and held it in front of him.

"I don't think you will take it as easily as you're green-haired friend did, but here," Diluc said. Back in the mall, when he had walked away from the group in the mall, he heard running footsteps and turned to see the distressed face of the kid he kicked out of his bar. Diluc chuckled at the pure coincidence as he walked away. After Diluc heard Qiqi's name, he figured that this was a companion of the mischievous teen.

The blonde looked astonished and then conflicted. He looked at the bill for a minute before begrudgingly accepting.

"Thank you," he said in a small voice.

"This doesn't mean that I look down on you or pity you," Diluc said "I have more than needed, and I'm guessing that you don't."

He looked down and nodded.

"Stay safe getting home," Diluc said, returning behind his bar, keeping his eyes trained on the child like a hawk. The kid looked back one more time, before finally walking through the wooden door. Diluc sighed as he set his head on the counter. If fate kept this up, he was going to end up seeing Qiqi again before he knew it.

At this point, the bar was empty and quiet, with not a soul in sight. Diluc had worked a full day and was drop-dead tired. Gathering his things he slipped behind the bar one last time to grab his phone when he heard the door open once again. With his back to the door, he let out an annoyed sigh.

"We are closed. Our hours are marked outside, so come back tomorrow," he said, not caring about politeness. Behind him, he heard a low, rumbling voice chuckle. He slowly turned around to see a tall dark-haired man accompanied by a slightly shorter man with ginger hair. They both exuded confidence and danger The black-haired man looked Diluc up and down like he was sizing him up. He wore a black turtleneck and fitted slacks hugging his legs nicely. The pure gold cuff in his ear made Diluc aware of this man's status. It also matched the molten gold that pooled in his iris, versus his companion's ocean blue eyes. The ginger next to him was a bit shorter, but no less threatening. He wore a dress shirt that had been recently ironed and had a piercing following the curve of his eyebrow. He wore almost a carbon copy of the other man's earring, except it was in shining silver. Freckles dotted his sharp face, an impish smirk and competitive look adorning his pretty face. Every alarm that Diluc had wired in his brain had gone off as the two advanced towards the bar counter.

"I think you can stay open a little later."

Chapter Text

Diluc was frozen in place. The two didn't look immediately dangerous as they had no weapons or means to hurt him, but Diluc was naturally a paranoid person. He didn't trust the look in the ginger's eyes, and his companion didn't look much better. He figured that he would play nice while they were here.

"What can I do for you gentlemen this evening?" Diluc asked as he prepared two glasses. The ginger sauntered up to the bar, taking a seat like he owned the place. The other, however, had some semblance of manners as he shuffled to the bar front. He glanced over the two and decided on their drinks of choice. He walked to the left side of the bar, reaching up into a taller cabinet that was rarely opened. He pulled out two bottles, one being a finely aged wine that was made on his estate, while the other was a clear bottle that almost felt warm. He felt the smoldering eyes on him as he walked back two the men at his bar.

Replacing the first glass with a shot glass, and the other with an exquisite wine goblet, he poured the drinks out. He pushed the full drinks across the counter.

"A shot of authentic fire whisky from Shneznya and an Osmanthus wine crafted and aged by yours truly."

Diluc basked in their shocked looks and poured himself a glass of water.

"Now why are you two in my bar?" Diluc asked, taking a sip from his cup.

The two kept staring at him before the silence was finally broken.

"Zhongli, please can we keep him," said the ginger in a whiney voice. Diluc felt himself blush from the man's proclamation. His face went redder as the begging gaze was shifted to him. He shivered and tried to steel himself.

"I think we will be Childe," the man... no, Zhongli said in a deep voice.

"You won't be keeping me or anything until you tell me why you are here," Diluc said abruptly, frustrated with how flustered he was. Zhongli sighed and took a sip from his glass, while Childe completely downed his.

"I suppose we should keep this short and simple. We wish to hire your services for a private case of mine," Zhongli said, gulping more of his wine. All Diluc could see was the bob of his Adam's apple as he gulped his drink.

"And what services would I be offering? The last I checked, I was a simple bartender."

Childe chuckled, placing his shot glass down and pulling something out of his bag. He pulled out a yellow folder, opening it. He then spoke.

"Sage, Nora, Flora, Joel-"

Diluc slammed Childe's head onto the counter, pinning his hands. He could feel the warm Shneznyan clothes rub against his forearms as the man struggled. Childe tried to struggle, but Diluc was heavier and had an advantage.

"How did you find them?" Diluc said, a quiet furry in his voice. He would not let this man leave alive unless he knew that the kids were safe.

"Now I really want him," Childe said from underneath him, laughing as Diluc's hold got tighter. Diluc would have started leaving bruises, but a gloved hand was placed upon his own.

"Apologies, we did not mean to set you off. They are all safe and taken care of, thanks to you," Zhongli said in the softest voice he had heard from the man yet. Diluc met the molten gold of the man's eyes, searching for any lies he could find. They held nothing but sincerity. He released Childe.

Zhongli pulled Childe into his side, scanning his face for any wounds. Seeing nothing, Zhongli let go and snatched the folder.

"What Childe was trying to say before he was interrupted, is that you have worked with kids. More specifically, missing children," Zhongli said with serious eyes. Diluc wanted to look away from him because he knew where this was going.

"I stopped that a long time ago, and I didn't do it for hire," Diluc said, refilling the glasses.

"I know. You quiet after helping a little girl named Klee. I have watched your work for quite some time," he said, leaning over the counter. Diluc didn't want to think about that day. Kaeya walked into the bar holding an incredibly distressed Albedo. Albedo went to pick her up from her kindergarten, but she wasn't there. No one knew where she went, nor if she was safe. After about an hour of searching on their part, Albedo got a message. More specifically, a ransom note. Albedo tried to contact Klee's mother for help, but the woman was nowhere to be found. Diluc had to help, no matter the cost. So, about an hour later, a dirty but safe Klee was on the doorstep of the bar with a bruised and wounded Diluc. Diluc stopped after that night. So many times, he checked his sources to find trafficking rings and known criminals. But he never did anything. After saving Klee, Kaeya had made sure that he would never try something so risky again. Even if he had done it so many times before.

"Who are you looking for," Diluc asked, exhausted. Though his face didn't change, Zhongli's eyes lit up.

"A boy went missing about 10 years ago. He was the child of some dear friends of mine and nothing has been found after years of searching. We didn't want it to come to this, but someone with you're sources and experience might be able to find him."

Diluc was hesitant to answer. This child has been missing for years. Even with his skills and sources, he didn't know if he could find him. Zhongli reached into his briefcase and pulled out a picture. It was a family of five that held one another close. Looking past the marks and scuffs on the picture, he saw a happy, boisterous family who was close with one another. Their faces were smudged, but one was clear. A small boy with a curious gaze looked into the camera. Diluc felt his resolve crumbling.

"You wouldn't need to do anything other than find him, we will handle the rest," Childe said.

Diluc sighed.

"And what is the name of the child I'm looking for?" Diluc asked, analyzing the picture closer.

Zhongli looked at the photo and uttered one word.

"Alatus"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xiao sneezed in the ice-cold air, holding two sleeping bags close.

"Love, are you sick?" asked Aether with a concerned gaze.

"No... just thought I heard something," Xiao said with a shrug.

Chapter Text

Diluc chugged his cold coffee on the way to Angel's Share, trying hard to forget how utterly exhausted he was. He had stayed up late last night worming more information about Alatus from Childe and Zhongli. He couldn't do much if he only had an image, but he managed to find the kid's whereabouts up until he went missing. The family from the picture had taken care of Alatus until he was about five. The parents had mysteriously disappeared, and the siblings went underground and were nowhere to be found. At that point, Alatus had vanished, and no one knew where he went. Atlatus's disappearance caused more room for concern as he was only a child at the time and couldn't have left of his own volition.

Diluc could feel his headache spawning as he ran through his thoughts. When Zhongli showed him the picture of the young child, he felt as though he had seen him before. Though he was little and the picture was old, something was just familiar about him.

Diluc pushed the doors to Angel's Share open and turned on the lights that contrasted the dark of the morning outside. He instantly felt off. Something was wrong. When you have worked in a bar for the majority of your life, you learn to pick up the subtle things. A nervous man planning to propose to his wife that keeps sending looks your way, a woman making panicked eye contact with you as she knows the drink in her hand is spiked, the rise of tension between people when a fight breaks out. He had to keep his eyes keen on his environment to keep it safe, and that sharply honed skill is telling him someone is here.

"Jeez old man, relax," a sing-song voice spoke. Diluc turned quickly to see Venti sitting on his bar, sipping from a small glass of wine. Diluc huffed and stormed up to the bar, yanking the glass away from the teen.

"I don't think I need to tell you how many illegal things you are doing right now," Diluc said as he put the glass in the sink and put the bottle of dandelion wine back in its spot.

"Oh, you won't report me, you're conscience won't let you," Venti said with a playful smirk.

"Plus it wasn't enough to get me drunk, so it's fine," he said, sitting down properly at the bar.

"Your brain can't handle alcohol yet, even if it is just wine," Diluc said, pulling out a glass of water. He set the glass down and sighed.

"May I ask how you got into my bar? It seems I may need to update security."

"Oh, you won't have to. I'm just an excellent lock-pick," Venti said after taking a sip from the glass. Diluc hummed and walked around the bar counter. The bar wasn't opening until noon, but he was still the CEO of a wine tycoon. He had things to do.

Pulling his laptop out of his bag, he began to go through the hall-scape that is email. Though he doesn't regret letting Noelle take time off, he now had to take whatever work she wasn't doing.

"Uhm, hello?" a hand waved in front of his face. Venti had sat next to him and stared in confusion.

"Can I help you?" Diluc asked as he responded to an email from Noelle who was updating him on how she had left things.

"Are you not gonna ask why I'm here?" Venti questioned. Diluc looked up at him with a dead-pan look.

"Why are you here?" his tired voice asked.

"Well someone isn't a morning person," Venti chuckled, " I'm here because I want a job."

Diluc slowly blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, Aether's been bugging me a while about getting a new job and I wanted to thank you for finding Qiqi. You are a busy man, you must have something for me to do?" Venti inquired, tilting his head.

"What is it with you kids and wanting to thank me for human decency?" Diluc grumbled.

"That wasn't human decency in our eyes. People don't normally bat a glance at us, but you did. You spoiled Qiqi for a day at the mall and got her back to us safely. Is it so much to want to thank you?" Venti said, standing up. He walked around the room like he was looking for something.

"Aha! Found it," he said as he held up a broom. Diluc could feel his want to go back to bed get bigger.

"Venti, I can't let you work in a bar, you are still a minor," Diluc said with his head in his hands.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I can work for you during the morning and help with opening the bar until it opens. Then I'll leave. Outta your hair until the next morning" Venti proposed as he swept the floor. He was being thorough, though that might just be to impress Diluc into letting him work.

Diluc could feel a war going on in his brain. On one hand, this would be a pain. The bar needed a good amount of care to open, but that would only be enough work to last for a couple of hours. It would be difficult to train Venti as well. But, on the other, Diluc knew that if he let Venti take the job, he might lay off on prostitution. Diluc could also pay him much over the regular amount if it meant keeping him away from that. Diluc didn't know what to do. So, he stalled.

"You get a trail week. You will come here for seven days at six a.m. to help with things around the bar and to help with opening. If after those seven days, you still want the job and I think that you make a good employee, I will let you work here."

Venti's expression changed from one of shock to one of excitement.

"Thank you mister Diluc!" Venti shouted and started to clean faster.

"Also, it is up to you, but if you can bring the little ones in here when the bar isn't open. I don't want them getting exposed to anything, but it is going to get too cold to stay outside at night soon," Diluc said, getting back to writing his email.

Venti's eye's got bigger and he nodded quickly.

Soon enough, Venti's humming lulled Diluc into a peaceful morning of work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Contrasting the warmth of the bar, a cold room of silver black, and white held two souls desperately in love.

Zhongli held Childe close as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"What has your head tangled up, дорогой?" Childe asked, using his native tongue.

"Do you think Diluc will find him? Will I be able to see him again after so long?" Zhongli spoke, quiet as ever.

"I think he will. From what you have told me of Xiao, he will be able to take care of himself long enough for us to find him," Childe said, pulling Zhongli closer.

"You are right. I just don't know what to expect is all."

"That's the fun of it, darling. We will find him, I know it."

Chapter Text

Venti was tired. He was on his second day working at the bar, and he had never woken up this early in his life. He normally spent all his energy late at night and had never woken up past noon. But now, he was working with Diluc. Angel's Share was cozy and nice to work in, but he was a walking zombie.

He heard a chuckle as he wiped down a couple of tables. A cup of coffee was placed in front of him. Well, more like a cup of creamer. It looked wonderful and it had been topped with cinnamon.

"You get used to waking up early, I promise," Diluc said as he sat down at another table with his laptop.

"You are a saint," Venti said as he took a gulp of the sugary drink.

"How did you know I wanted it sweet," Venti said as he sat down.

"It's something you learn to do overtime. Plus, dandelion wine is incredibly sweet for a wine. It wasn't hard to guess," Diluc said as he sipped his own cup. His seemed to be a healthy balance of both creamer and coffee, but there seemed to be marshmallows decoration on the top. Venti tried incredibly hard not to snort coffee through his nose and ended up failing.

Diluc stood in concern and raced over to Venti, placing a warm hand on his back. Venti coughed badly as he leaned over the table. He could still feel himself laughing, and then laughed harder as Diluc fussed over him.

"I-I'm fine," Venti said as he wiped the tears away from his eyes. He was light-headed but was still chuckling.

"Who knew mister intimidating Diluc drinks his coffee with marshmallows."

At that, Diliuc huffed and left Venti to his own vices.

"I dislike bitter coffee. I want to be able to actually enjoy the thing keeping me awake," Diluc defended as he got red. Venti went into another laughing fit until Diluc threw a pen at him.

After that debacle, Venti noticed that Diluc was working on his laptop for far longer than normal. Diluc would be on his laptop for about three hours and then help Venti with the rest of the bar. But it was almost seven, and Diluc hadn't left his laptop since making coffee.

"Mister, are you okay? You've been working for a little too long," Venti said, noticing the bags under Diluc's eyes.

"I'm fine Venti, just working with some manufacturers who are being stubborn," he said, taking a sip of his now cold drink.

"Shouldn't a big CEO have an assistant?" Venti asked as he washed the last of the dishes in the sink.

"Mine had to take family leave and I haven't been able to find a temporary one recently."

Venti's ears perked at this.

"Does this position need someone smart?"

"Yes, ideally."

"Good with math and people?"

"... Yes."

"Well have I got someone for you mister Diluc."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xiao held his sister's hands as they walked to the park. Both Aether and Venti were at work and the girls had a lot of energy. He let out a breath as they walked and could see it fog up. It was getting colder fast, and they needed to figure something out for shelter. Normally, they would just stay in the ally, but Qiqi couldn't be exposed to the cold for too long or she would get sicker. Venti said he had a plan, but didn't tell either Xiao or Aether.

Aether was working overtime and Xiao felt useless. They had all agreed that one of them would need to stay with the girls full-time, and Xiao volunteered. He wanted to do more though. He couldn't stand when Aether tried to skip meals without them noticing, or when Venti came back with bruises littering his body. Xiao wanted to help them, take some of the stress away, and he couldn't.

Being pulled away from his inner monologue, he realized they were at the park. Diona and Paimon raced up the steps to the slide while Qiqi stayed at his side. She seemed more hesitant to leave him after the mall. She always stayed where she could still see him and refused to move any farther. Xiao didn't want to think about how long she was alone and scared before Diluc found her. He knew that both Venti and Aether had paid him back in their own ways, but Xiao wanted to take Qiqi with him. It might be good for both of them.

Qiqi tugged at his sleeve and brought him over to the see-saw, looking up at him expectantly. He nodded and placed her on the seat. It was school hours, so nobody else was on the playground. He pushed the tall side of the see-saw down as Qiqi smiled. With the other two girls screaming joyfully in the background, it was a pretty peaceful image.

As time passed, Xiao sat and waited for the kids to tire themselves out, but felt a pair of arms around his neck. The smell of coffee and Cecilia's surrounded him. He relaxed back into the touch as Venti held him close.

"It's okay. I'm here now my warrior," Venti said into Xiao's neck. He heard Paimon's gasp as the girls ran down to greet them.

"Your back Venti!" they cheered.

"I am indeed. Let's go back and meet with Aether," he said as he picked up Paimon. Xiao lifted Qiqi up as Diona took his hand. She wanted to walk much more than being carried.

"I think that I found a nicer paying job for Aether," Venti said as he walked back through the streets. Xiao's looked at Venti with a confused look.

"Diluc needs an assistant for his actual company, and though I'm not much good with numbers and such, Aether is," Venti explained.

"It will be up to him, but he might be able to convince Diluc. Plus, if we both work for him, we can take the kids there in the morning so they're warm."

Xiao was contemplating the idea and came to a conclusion.

"Let me meet Diluc first before we take the kids to him. Then I'm game."

"Get ready to wake up early tomorrow then," Venti giggled.

Chapter Text

Diluc stared at the photo, stumped. He tried to take in every little detail he could about the photo, anything that would tell him where the hell this kid was, but he couldn't find anything. The night he got the photo, he had gotten in contact with a couple of his informers. He asked every single one of them for anything, but they all came up empty-handed. He now regrets not asking Zhongli for more information regarding the family. He didn't even get a phone number from the mysterious man. Look, Diluc was tired and already wanted the two out of his bar as soon as possible.

Straying away from his thoughts, his eyes focused back on the picture. The child in the center had unique features for someone who was missing. The green highlights that colored his bangs and his curios amber eyes held an innocent curiosity. His head was tilted as he looked at the camera as if he was trying to figure out what it would do. Diluc felt his heart pang as he acknowledged the fact that the toddler in the photo was now at least fifteen, maybe even older. He grimaced, as no innocent child should be lost from the world.

Breaking his inner monologue, he heard the bell of the door chime.

"Ah, good, your here. Venti, can you please sweep the floors? We are tending to a-" Diluc was stopped in his tracks as he saw not one, but three teens all standing in his bar.

"Diluc, meet your new assistant!" Venti said as he pushed the blonde boy in front of him. The blonde scolded Venti but turned his gaze to meet Diluc's.

"I... I would be glad to take the job if you are offering one," Aether said with a bow "but I do not need it."

"Bullshit," Venti whispered, only to get smacked by Aether once again. Diluc was still stunned. This was not what he expected first thing in the morning. He slowly composed himself and glared at Venti.

"So I suppose this is what you started scheming yesterday?" Diluc said, fanning annoyance. Venti stuck his tongue out and hid behind the third figure to avoid Aether. Wait, the third figure?

He was a teen, just like the other two, but he had a colder look to him. Diluc didn't get far into analyzing the kid before he realized something.

He was the child in the photo.

The amber eyes were fierce now, no longer soft and child-like. But he still had the same curious glint. He grabbed Venti's hand and clutched another hand even closer. It was a small one this time though.

"Fireplace!"

Diluc felt as though it was going to be an interesting morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Diluc had sat everyone down at a table while he and Venti made drinks. Venti had gotten to the point where he could help with making certain drinks. While they got everything together, Diluc's mind was reeling. Not only had Aether come with the intention of helping him with work, the child that he had conveniently been hired to look for walked into his bar. He didn't know what to do, nor what to address first. He guessed that taking care of Aether's proposition was first up.

"So, why is it that you want to help me?" Diluc asked, filling up a hot cocoa mug for Qiqi.

"Well, I'm fairly good at math and communications so I can help with some minor things. Plus it would only be a temporary position," Aether said as he sat in his chair. He looked to be savoring the warmth and comfort that the bar offered.

"Okay, but I can only have you doing incredibly minor things. You are still a child and can't work for me."

"That's fine. I want to help in any way. I know you offered to let the kids be here during the morning, and I want to make sure that is repaid," Aether said, taking the mug that Venti handed to him.

"You have no need to repay me for that, I promise," Diluc said walking to the table himself. He didn't have high chairs in the bar, so Qiqi was stuck on Xaio's lap.

He had been informed that Xiao was now the name of the missing child. He was the last one to meet Diluc and had been the most cautious when meeting him. Diluc put the cup on the table in front of the two.

"Be careful, it's hot," Diluc said, finally taking his place at the table. Venti had also sat down at this point, cuddled up next to Aether.

"I will give you a week," Venti's face lit up as he started speaking, "in order to help, and then we will see if your services are needed."

Aether smiled while Venti started to laugh.

"Your a softy at heart Diluc," he said, hugging Aether fully. Diluc was starting to think he was right. Diluc looked to the third teen at the table.

"If you are going to ask for a job, do it now," Diluc said before sipping from his drink. Xiao shook his head quickly before he aided Qiqi in drinking her hot cocoa.

Diluc opened his mouth to speak, but quietly closed it. He knew he was going to have to find out more about them sooner than later, but he didn't want to pry more than he already had. He didn't want to scare them off either.

"Venti, as I was saying before, there is a bachelor party being held tonight, so can you help around the bar a little bit?" Diluc asked while standing up.

"You host bachelor parties?" Venti asked, also standing up.

"Not normally, no. But this particular person wanted to rent the whole bar and for a hefty sum of money. It wouldn't be smart to turn the offer down," he said.

"Mm, what are the Bachelor parties like then?" Venti asked, picking up a broom in order to start sweeping.

"Tiring. They go on for hours and they commit very crewed acts. I dislike them and the fools that become of them. You'd think that they would be a bit more aware of the fact that they are getting married," Diluc said, rolling his eyes.

He heard a small snort come from the table and looked back to see Xiao holding a smirk.

"Alright, he can stay," Xiao spoke to Aether as though they weren't in Diluc's bar.

But Diluc couldn't help but smile when they weren't looking.

Chapter Text

Diluc held his head in his hands as he woke up unreasonably early. He was normally a morning person and had no trouble waking up before dawn. But he didn't want the first thing he saw when he checked his phone was the god awful message from Childe.

heeeey sleepyhead~

Can I help you?

yeah, you can take me out

How so? You need to get specific or I'll think you're asking for an assassin hit.

now that would be fun, wouldnt it ;}

What do you want? Before I make good on my promise.

ugh fine. Zhongli wants to meet you for lunch. He got more information that you could use

Could you not send it to me over email?

nah, we missed your pretty face

And I don't miss yours.

Diluc would never admit that he did miss seeing Zhongli's.

I can meet you for lunch tomorrow, as the bar is closed.

can you not just close the bar? u arnt exactly poor

I have some things to take care of. I wouldn't want the bar to close early, even if by a day.

alright then, its a date <3

No.

Diluc wanted to throw his phone across the room after that conversation. He didn't need the extra information that Zhongli wanted to share because he already knew where Alatus was. Though he still needed to decide what he was doing with that information. He desperately wanted to tell Xiao about his heritage and the people looking for him, but his gut said it was a bad decision. And realistically, it was a horrible idea to tell either Xiao or Zhongli. He didn't know enough about either of them. Heaven forbid he send Xiao back to a worse situation than he was already in. Diluc knew that the only answer here was to wait. Find more information and get closer to Xiao. As he splashed cold water into his face, Diluc knew that this was going to be tiring. He was debating blocking both Childe and Zhongli and then forgetting the teens that he was inviting into his bar. But his conscience would never let him. Well, maybe for the kids.

As he stood outside his second home, he heard a racket coming from inside. At this point, it was no surprise when Venti would break into his bar. He tried to keep him out the first couple of times, but it never seemed to work. He walked up to the old mahogany door and walked through to see absolute chaos. Aether was behind the bar, desperately clinging to a pink-haired child who was holding one of his alcohol bottles. Xiao sat at one of the lower tables, head in his hands as Qiqi poked at him in concern. Venti and another girl were cackling like a cackle of hyenas.

"Now, what am I walking in on?" Diluc said in an exasperated tone. Aether looked up at him, panicked.

"I am so sorry, this is not normally like Diona," Aether said, finally holding the girl known as Diona.

"It's his fault! You never told me that we were staying at a bar," Diona said with venom in her voice. She glared at the floor and slowly handed the bottle to Aether. Venti and the other child were coming down from their high of laughter, walking over to Xiao and Qiqi. Aether also walked over to the table after setting the bottle of scotch down on the bar counter.

"It... it's fine Aether," Diluc said, setting his bag down by the door. He could see Diona glaring obviously at him.

"Who are these two?" Diluc asked, figuring it was the safest thing to say.

"This is Dio

na and Paimon. And you've already met Qiqi," Venti said, his face red from lack of oxygen. Diluc knelt down to meet the charming white-haired girl and Diona. "It's lovely to meet the two of you," Diluc said with a warm smile. Paimon smiled and looked back at Aether with a questioning look. Venti beat Aether to the punch and simply said "Go for it," with a cheeky smile.

Paimon proceeded to run into Diluc, hugging him as tightly as her little arms could. Diluc was stunned. He slowly wrapped his massive arms around the small child, still in shock, and he could feel her relax in his arms.

"I know why Qiqi calls you fireplace now, your really warm sir," Paimon said, melting into Diluc's arms. He looked up at Aether, almost asking permission as Paimon had before. Aether smiled softly. Diluc then realized that there was another child tugging at his sleeve. Qiqi held on to Diluc's arm, asking to be hugged as well. Diluc conceded and opened his arms to surround both girls. Qiqi settled right next to Paimon and slammed herself into his chest. Well, as well as a four-year-old could. As the two cuddled closer to him and he realized that they were falling asleep.

"How much sleep have the three of them gotten?" Diluc asked. Aether's smile dropped, and he shook his head.

"The cold got too much. None of us really got sleep." Xiao responded, looking at the two in his arms fondly.

"They can stay here tonight," Diluc said in a final tone of voice. All three teens had a questioning look on their faces as Diluc spoke. "Better yet, you can come back to my apartment. It's warm and there are more places to sleep."

"Slow down there buddy," Venti said in amusement. "I might trust you, but these two don't. Stranger danger and all that," He said, hugging Xiao from behind. Diluc realized that he was going too fast and with a disappointed stare looked down.

"And you are already offering your bar to us, it would be too much to take the space of your apartment," Aether said hugging himself. Diluc frowned.

"Aether, none of you are an inconvenience or problem to me. You never have been," Diluc said, standing up with the two children in his arms easily. He walked across his bar to the plush couch and placed the two sleeping girls. Diona followed him grouchily and climbed onto the couch with them. They curled together and Diluc knew that this was his fate.

They won. They took his heart and he was never getting it back.

"I am going to have to make a run to the store. I want to get a good air mattress and some blankets," Diluc said, already making a list in his notes app. He also needed to stop by his apartment and bring his personal laptop so they could watch movies. This reminded Diluc of when the power in his house would go out, and his father cuddled close with him while the cold nipped at their skin.

"Wait what-" Aether was cut off by Venti forcing himself in his arms.

"My darling, please do not make us leave. Diluc's coffee is too good for that." Aether looked to be in thought.

"Fine. We can stay as long as he lets us. But only for the winter!" Aether said, trying to tone down Venti's excitement.

Diluc felt himself get lighter. And just a little bit warmer.

Chapter Text

God, he was going to regret this. Diluc sensed the looming feeling in his gut get bigger as he walked to the sleepy cafe that they had agreed to meet at. He was nervous that he would tell Zhongli about Xiao. Diluc was never one to lie, as it was truly his weakest asset. He had always valued honesty in people and never learned how to go against that. But, he had to today.

He turned onto a street to see the face of the cafe, drowsy and covered in overgrown vines. Unsurprisingly, this was Zhongli's choice. Speaking of, Diluc saw the two well-dressed men through the window, chatting and talking while sipping their drinks. Diluc knew he would have to go in and face them at some point, so he might as well get it over with. He opened the glass door to be hit with the smell of coffee and leather. The large bookshelf on the other side of the cafe drew his attention. If he wasn't here for a meeting, he could guarantee he would be here for hours just reading. But he had no time for that.

"Diluc."

The deep voice made his body relax, as well as sent shivers through him.

"Hello Zhongli," Diluc said, taking the seat of the booth across from them. Almost as soon as he sat down, a cup was placed in front of him. Well, two. Diluc stared at the cups in confusion.

"Oh, Childe and I guessed what drink would please you," Zhongli said, trying to hide a smile. Childe was practically buzzing as Diluc analyzed the drinks.

"Are you going to tell me who's is who's?" Diluc asked, picking up the smaller of the two drinks.

"Oh, but that would take the fun out of it," Childe said with a fox-like grin. Diluc sighed and brought the cup up to his mouth. As he took a sip, he could feel the grimace form on his face. The drink was an aggressively bitter cup of espresso. Diluc, however, was not impolite. He looks up at the two, trying to keep his face straight.

"Soooooo, what do you think?" Childe asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Diluc figured he couldn't lie to either of them.

"It was a little... bitter?" Diluc said, placing the cup back on the saucer. Childe's face turned from a cheeky grin to a small frown. Diluc guessed the espresso was his.

"Try the other one," Zhongli insisted, pleased by his reaction.

So, Diluc picked the second cup up to his lips. He cooled it slightly with his breath before taking a slightly smaller sip than last time.

He tasted tea. Definitely tea. He rather liked tea, but they had to be overpowered by honey and lemon for him to enjoy them. He had many lady grey teas that way. This one tasted like chamomile with a hint of rose. Diluc felt as though he should enjoy it, but it didn't satisfy him.

"Well, you can wipe the sad look off your face Childe, it seems that neither of you won," Diluc said, trying to down the rest of the tea. Zhongli's look of triumph fell, and Childe looked curious.

"Really? I figured one of us would win," Childe said. Childe called one of the waitresses over and asked for a menu.

"Here you go sugar," the waitress said with a flirty smile. Diluc paid no mind, as this happened rather often. However, his companions seemed rather bothered. Childe's eyes narrowed, while Zhongli sat up further.

"What can I get started for you?" she asked, paying no mind to the two across from him. Diluc pointed to one of the small names and the waitress wrote it down rather quickly in her notepad.

"What, not gonna tell us?" Childe asked.

"That would take the fun out of it," Diluc said with a small smile.

Diluc turned back to the waitress too quickly to see Childe's little giggles. The waitress laughed too, albeit loudly. She smiled and unnecessarily leaned into his space, hand on the table. Diluc tried not to look at her as she leaned down. A piece of paper was placed on the table, and she picked up the menu.

"Call me, sugar," she said with a sultry tone. She was a very beautiful woman, and if Diluc was interested in women, he might have very well called her that night. He wasn't. Unfortunately. She walked away slowly and his gaze went back to the paper slip that was a number. He did not care that much, but Childe and Zhongli looked as though they could light it on fire. He simply moved the small slip to the other end of the table and put his focus back on the two.

"As much as I would like to continue a playful conversation, there's a reason you two wanted me here," Diluc said, trying to redirect the conversation.

Zhongli sighed as he opened his briefcase. He pulled a folder out, similar to the one when they first met. He opened it on the table, and inside, a cold-faced man was staring back at him. He had long, blue hair pooling around his neck that had been thrown into a higher ponytail, like Diluc's. Surrounding his ears and neck were endless amounts of jewelry and tattoos. His face was sharp and pointed, crystal blue eyes almost daring Diluc to analyze further.

"Who is this?" Diluc asked, slightly alarmed.

"This is Osial. He is a larger player in the black market and has been slowly taking control of it. He has been one of our rivals for quite a long time. He is our best guess for who could have taken Alatus. He is a bitter human being who hated myself and the Yaksha's with a burning passion."

As Zhongli finished his monologue, Diluc picked up the photo. Diluc finally put the pieces together when staring for longer at the photo. He had seen this man before.

"I know how to find him," Diluc said, tossing the photo back down to the table. Zhongli and Childe were both surprised.

"We've been tracking this man for years, and you know how to find him in a matter of minutes?!" Childe asked, more impressed than offended.

"He used to be a business partner to my father. Have you ever wondered where my connections come from Childe?" Diluc stated.

"Diluc, are you connected to the black market?" Zhongli asked.

"No, but my father was. I dislike the shady trading, but some of our business partners still enjoy our wine. I can pull favors every once and a while."

Diluc sat back in his seat, letting out a heavy sigh as he pondered what to do. Just as he was considering leaving right then and there, his drink was delivered. It was in a taller cup than either of the ones before. He took a long sip and smiled at the sweeter taste. Childe, who was distracted easily, tried to grab the cup from him.

"What is it?" Childe demanded when Diluc pulled the cup away from him. Diluc was too pleased to respond, sipping peacefully. Then, Childe had the most shit-eating grin on his face as he scanned the cafe. He saw the waitress that kept her eyes glued to their table and put his plan in action.

Before Diluc noticed, Childe had leaned over the table and gently placed his lips upon Diluc's. Diluc's eyes shot open in alarm to process who was kissing him, hesitant to accept at first. But ever so slowly, he melted into the kiss that was warm and safe. His lips were soft and smooth, unlike Diluc's own, which were severely chapped. Diluc had not been kissed in a very long time, but he was fairly sure it wasn't supposed to feel this delightful. The hand across his jaw shifted his face ever so slightly as Childe intended to deepen the kiss. At that moment, Diluc came back to his senses enough to push Childe away. Diluc was stunned. His face was beaming red and he slowly blinked to come back to reality.

Childe, however, looked unapologetic as he licked his lips. And then he looked confused.

"Hot chocolate? It tastes like it has peppermint in it," Childe said. Even Zhongli was slightly red from the exchange that had just occurred but smiled.

"Diluc, do you have a sweet tooth?"

Diluc didn't know if he could even respond. He was beet red and still flustered and he didn't trust his voice not the break.

"Y-yes, I do," Diluc stuttered out. "I am going to go now, I have some emails to take care of and I need to...to..." Diluuc trailed off as he gathered his things. Childe's little grin got bigger and Diluc could feel the annoyance clear through the pleasant haze. He kept a slight glare at Childe, and then politely nodded to Zhongli.

"It has been a pleasure, thank you, and goodbye," Diluc hurried as he walked away from the table and almost ran out the door, forgetting about the number on the table.

Zhongli chuckled and kissed Childe himself. This kiss, however, was much more heated. Zhongli and Childe held it for a little longer before Zhongli broke the kiss.

"Your right, he tasted like peppermint," Zhongli said as he packed his own things. "And you're going to kill him if you don't slow down. You saw how flushed he was after one kiss."

"Oh, but it's so adorable," Childe said, sliding out of the booth. Childe looked across the cafe to see the waitress, fuming. Childe stuck his tongue out and then glared the woman back into her job. He smirked and held onto Zhongli's arm as they left.

One day, Childe would kiss Diluc, and he wouldn't run away.

Chapter Text

Diluc rushed out of the little cramped cafe, the blush on his face refusing to leave. He felt rude for leaving so abruptly, but he would rather die than let Childe see him. He didn't know what to think as he left.

Sure, he had kissed people before. Plenty of times.

He had kissed Jean before she knew that she was not interested in men. He had kissed plenty of lovely ladies before he had shut himself off, even if they hadn't lasted long. But he didn't know how to feel about this kiss. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to men, he enjoyed their presence and didn't care much for what a person presented as. But nothing had felt as intimate as what had transpired in that building. Diluc knew that he could have stopped him and told him to back the hell off at any point. But he didn't. And that scared him more than anything.

Shoving his thoughts aside as he trudged back to the bar, he tried to compile a grocery list for his upcoming shopping trip. His apartment was starting to become barren, and if the kids did move in at any point, he wanted them to be well-fed and have the essentials. Nothing too major aside from restocking the bathrooms and getting more fresh food in the house. He opened the door to his beloved Angel's Share and stepped inside, smelling something along the lines of apple. It was heavenly and brought back some memories that he had apparently forgotten.

"Xiao love, can you peel the rest of these?" Aether's voice came from the kitchen. He heard the bustle of the kitchen that made a good portion of his more snacky items.
"...How?" a small voice spoke. A chuckle sounded through the air before the green hair of Venti bounded out to the front of the establishment.

"Hey, mister Luc!" Venti said in high spirits.

"Hello, Venti. May I ask what is going on in my kitchen?" Diluc asked with very genuine curiosity. Venti's smile got a little wider when the question was asked.

"The girls are down for a nap after a pretty fun day in the arcade, so Aether and Xiao are making homemade applesauce for when they wake up," Venti explained. Diluc nodded and traveled back, following the smell.

"Here, it goes just like this," Aether said, guiding Xiao's hands along with the peeler. Though, Diluc didn't know how much attention Xiao was paying to the peeling itself. Diluc laughed a little at Xiao's red face.

"Oh, hello Diluc," Aether said with a smile. He moved away from Xiao, and back to the rather large pot with that very delightful smell.

"I think I made enough for all of us and some leftovers," Aether said, measuring the amount that was in the pot.

"Don't worry too much about it Aether."

"Though I'm curious, where did you get the recipe?" he asked. At this, Aether paled. He looked very guilty, very quickly. He silently pointed to the recipe that was hung on one of his cabinets. It was one that he had from his childhood, and he had meant to make it soon, but he had always been too busy.

"I'm sorry, I just saw it there and thought the girls would like it. It looked so homey and nice and we had all the ingredients and I didn't think about why it was there an-"

"Aether, it's okay. I had been meaning to make it for a while and I guess I just didn't have the time," Diluc said with a look of melancholy.

Though it was just food, it was something his caretakers would make whenever his father was on a trip, or away for longer periods of time. It was curios that being around these kids made him ponder his life with his father. He wondered if it was because he really had no clue when it came to these children. His father might not have been the best parent out there, but he had tried. And that was enough for Diluc. But he wanted to be better for these kids now.

"I'll tell you a little secret that isn't on the recipe," Diluc said, walking to one of the cabinets on the end of the kitchen. He pulled out a shaker with cinnamon inside.
"Cinnamon goes incredibly well with apple, and if you stir it in when the apples are still boiling down, it infuses the cinnamon in with it," Diluc finished his little lecture and held the cinnamon out for Aether to take.

The blonde did reluctantly, as he already felt tensed up. Diluc saw this and put a hand on Aether's shoulder while Aether measured the amount needed.

"Use three tablespoons because you doubled the batch," Diluc said, removing his hand and taking some of the used dishes to the sink. When he returned to peak at the pot, he saw that Aether had stopped stirring.

"Adding the cinnamon means that there is more of a chance for it to boil over, so you want to keep..." Diluc trailed off and turned to look at Aether.

Aether had tears trailing down his face, his yellow eyes sorrowful. Xiao had left the room to find Venti, so it was just the two of them alone. Diluc paused. Aether was complex with emotions and hardships, most of them Diluc didn't even know about. He had no idea how best to comfort him. Diluc figured the best thing he could do was ground him.

"It's okay. You are safe here," Diluc said, hesitating to place his hand on Aether's back. "Can I touch you?" Diluc asked, not wanting to drive Aether further away. He could see Aether trying to come back, but he just ended up nodding. "You are safe and cared for." As Diluc said this, he put his hand on Aether's back and started moving it in circles. Aether continued to stare off, being completely still. His tears slowed though. It did not look like he was coming back to himself any time soon. Diluc would wait though. He always would.
He kept his hand on Aether's back and would continue to whisper reassurances to him. Slowly but surely, Aether reached out to find something to hold. Diluc offered the hand that was empty to him.

"We need to ask if he has a printer, I want coloring sheets," Venti voiced.

"I swear you act more like a child than the actual toddlers," Xiao replied.

"What, they are fun, leave me alone," Venti said as they came through the door. The booth of them looked up to see Diluc and Aether. Venti's smile dropped and Xiao looked furious immediately. Venti, however, analyzed the scene well and stopped Xiao from ripping Aether away from Diluc. Diluc looked up, seeing the two teens.

"He's dissociating quite badly. I need one of you to grab some blankets and plushes from upstairs, and the other one to turn off the burner," Diluc said quietly, but seriously. The two looked at each other and knew it would be better to listen.

Diluc guided Aether slowly to the couch without any resistance. He still was distanced, his eyes cloudy and empty. He sat Aether down, Diluc's hands never leaving him. Venti returned from the kitchen and Xiao returned with as many blankets as he could carry. Diluc then stood up and placed the blankets around him.

"Alright you two, stay with him and try to keep your hands on him. Has this happened before?"

Venti piped up, "Yeah, but it's never this bad. He normally comes back after a few minutes and will respond to us every once and a while."

Diluc nodded his head. He was going to have to inquire about Aether's anxiety sooner than later, but he would leave them be for right now.

"Please don't go," a small whisper came from Aether. His tears started again and he started to shake. Diluc rushed back to him, sitting on the floor and taking Aether's hands again.

"I am right here, and I will be until you want to let go," Diluc reassured. Aether nodded before the tears stopped once again.

Chapter Text

Aether felt as though the world was collapsing around him. He was just trying to do something for the people around him. He didn’t mean to float off into god knows where and leave Diluc to deal with the aftereffects. He truly couldn’t believe himself.
He was still sitting on the couch, with his hands being held by the rough calloused of the older man in front of him. Aether was starting to understand what Qiqi was saying about Diluc being warm and comforting. All Aether wanted to do was collapse into him and stop thinking. Stop feeling. Stop breathing.

“Aether, do you want something to distract you,” Venti asks in one of the quietest voices that he had heard. Venti had known him longer than Xiao had, and was accustomed to these little attacks. Aether was impressed with how quickly Diluc had assessed and taken care of him, but Venti knew how to ground him.
Aether let out a small nod, trying to convey how hard he was trying to come back. Venti nodded and lent into Diluc.

“He needs something else to focus on, but it can’t be too demanding,” Venti said quickly. Diluc thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Xiao, go upstairs and grab my laptop bag. It has some movies on it that we can watch,” Diluc said, holding Aether's hands even tighter. Xiao stood up immediately and went upstairs like a man on a mission. Aether felt himself smile, just a little.

“There you are,” Diluc said softly “you can take your time, I promise.”

Venti had started to lean into Aether on the large couch, rubbing a figure-eight pattern into his back. Diluc had very carefully moved up to the couch on Aether’s other side, not once letting his hands go. Diluc looked at Aether with thoughts clouding his eyes. It looked like he was debating whether or not to wrap the teen in a hug. But Aether made the decision for him.

Aether left his cares and fell into the older man, leaning into his shoulders. Diluc smelled like olives and smoke as he offered more space for Aether to lean on. Aether could feel Diluc’s chest move up and down because of his breathing, and tried to focus on it. What felt like hours was only minutes when Xiao came back down the stairs. He paused at the sight of Aether being so vulnerable near the red-headed man. But he shook his head and brought over the laptop.

“Venti, open my files and you should see some things recently downloaded. My password is 7/27… dodoco,” Diluc said, hesitating at the end. Venti turned to him with a questioning gaze and then let out a little giggle.

“Every day you prove to me that you're a big softie,” Venti said, still chuckling. He put in the password and did as instructed.

Diluc was too distracted with Aether to see Venti’s face fall, ever so slightly.

“Diluc… why-” Venti cut himself off with a tight look. When Diluc finally looked up, Venti had a smile plastered back onto his face.

“What is it?” Diluc asked, his voice staying steady.

“Oh, nothing. Just the fact that you might have the entire Disney catalog on your computer,” Venti said, smile loosening and shifting to something more natural.

“I didn’t know what the girls would like,” Diluc said, embarrassed. Venti scrolled through, finding the names of each movie and giving suggestions to Aether. The only one that really he really gave a reaction to was “The Aristocats”. Diluc noticed this and requested the movie be played.

Soon enough, the for of them were huddled around the couch. Venti and Diluc enclosed Aether between them, while Xiao sat on the floor and leaned up against one of Aether’s legs. Aether was surrounded on all sides and felt as though he was drowning in affection and love. It felt like too much at once, and ye, he never wanted to leave this little pile of the people he loved plus Diluc. Though, he might be moved into that category soon. The little toons of the movie played with the lights that covered the bar all completely off save for the kitchen. Only them, the screen, and the air of content that swallowed them.

Soon enough, Aether closed his eyes and slipped into sleep. Diluc held him even closer, pulling the blanket up and wrapping it around him. It seemed that the other two weren't that far behind by the second movie. They drifted off clinging to the blonde in the middle. Diluc wiggled enough to close the laptop, and stood up from the little cuddle pile without waking any of them up.

Diluc looked back on the scene, his heart clenching. None of them deserve this. None of them deserve trauma, anxiety, or poverty. They were teenagers, trying to care for children. Diluc didn’t know if he could let them go at this point. They had wormed their way into his presumably cold dead heart (though that wasn’t really true now, was it?). He had not felt this openness in a very long time. Diluc couldn’t even lie, he was terrified of this. He was so scared that it would end badly, or he would lose one of them. No. That would not be happening any time soon. He’d have to be dead or gone to let any one of them be touched.

Which meant that he was going to have to get busy soon. He needed to find who posed a threat to these kids quickly before they got the upper hand. He, unfortunately, knew that this meant he would need to speak to Osial soon. He hated the bastard, but he stood the biggest danger to them. A couple of phone calls and a few bargains later, he could get close to the snake.

Diluc sat at the lonesome bar with a small bowl of the now cold applesauce. He would reheat it later if they all still wanted it, but it would do for him. He noticed that this batch was sweeter than any he had made before, no matter how much cinnamon he would put in them.

He grinned to himself as he finished the bowl.

—~~~*~~~---

A man’s head hit the harsh concrete with a sickening crack. A look of complete utter terror filled his eyes and soul as he looked upon his attacker. The blue that surrounded him scared him out of his mind. He wanted to run, hide, fight, or anything to get away from this overwhelming presence he was facing. The cold emerald eyes that stared into him peaked with amusement. His grimy hands tried to cover his bloodied face, but they were pinned back to the wall behind him.

“Now… what do you know about the kids who were living here?”

Chapter Text

Diluc drank his coffee on one of the high chairs facing the bar. As usual, it was decently sweet and covered in marshmallows. He was contemplating how he was going to get in touch with Osial. How do you find a man that disappears off the face of the earth when he is approached by a threat? And Diluc was a threat. He was of the theory that Osial had already hurt Xiao more than he could know. He might have hurt the other kids too. It was going to be a challenge to not kill the man where he stood whenever he saw him. Ah right, back on task. His father didn’t exactly leave him with a phone number or an email for Osial. There was going to be no easy way to contact him. Diluc had pulled Osial’s file out from his apartment to find nothing except the name of the company he ran for civilians’ sake. Surprise surprise, it was a law firm. How fitting. The best thing Diluc could think of was going to this firm and addressing himself as a Ragnvinder. That might get the bastard’s attention. He needed someone to watch the bar though. There was a very likely chance that this would go south if he wasn’t composed, and he wanted someone here who would take care of the kids if necessary. Diluc trusted the three older to take care of themselves as they’d been doing it for so long, but he didn’t want them to face danger by themselves.

He couldn’t ask Zhongli or Childe as they would both recognize Xiao. Noelle was a very close choice, but she was out on leave and he didn’t want to bother her. So, that left two. Two who could likely take care of themselves and each other, as well as the kids. He needed to make a call rather soon then. He would pay for a babysitter for-

“Old man?” a small voice spoke from the stairs. Diluc looked up in alarm. A pink-haired girl stepped down slowly, dragging an old calla lily blanket down with her. He had washed everything before the kids used them and he regularly cleaned the floors, but he was still concerned about her face being next to a dirty blanket. He awoke from his thoughts when he realized that it was five in the morning and a child should not be up this early.

“What’s wrong Diona,” Diluc asked in earnest. He knew that she didn’t like him, but he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable.

“Just a nightmare,” she grumbled, “It’s not a big deal.” Her speech was slurring and she was rubbing her eyes. Poor girl needed more sleep, especially after winter. One of the teens probably helped her with them, but they were all out of commission when he brought them a bigger air mattress and incredibly cozy blankets (he didn’t go out and buy at least two more and about eight bundles of blankets after the first night they stayed here because they were cold and needed more space. Not at all [he was going to let them pick out their blankets and snacks the next time he went to the store]).

Diona hopped up on the empty bar stool that was one stool away from him. She looked miserable with her blanket as she stared off into space.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Diluc asked, taking another sip of his coffee. He didn’t expect that she would want to talk, but it never hurt to ask. She glared at him to the best of her abilities with her tired eyes.
“Not with a drunk like you,” she spat with venom in her voice. A drunk? He was not partial to alcohol himself, as he preferred sweeter things and his senses to be about him. He guessed that him being a bartender is why Diona did not trust him. That was okay. She didn’t need to trust him immediately. He had patience.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Diluc asked in a hushed tone. He would wait for her to trust him, but he could try to let her in a little bit. She looked at him, her glare weakening slightly.

“What?” she asked hesitantly.

“I really don’t like alcohol. Wine, beer, whiskey, none of it at all.” Diona looked shocked at this notion.

“So you never get drunk?” she asked with bright and distrusting eyes.

“Nope,” Diluc said, taking a sip of his drink. After a few seconds, she looked back down at the counter in thought. Then she looked back at him, even more confused.

“Then why do you own a bar?” She demanded. She looked at him, and she looked hurt. Diluc thought for a moment before he got up from his chair and to his knees on the floor. He was tall enough to still come past the stool and up to Diona’s knees. He stared at her with the most honest eyes he could muster and took a deep breath.

“My daddy owned this bar. He owned the wine that I serve here. He taught me how to make my first drink, taught me how to make wine, taught me how to treat the people that walk through that door. He showed me these things because he wanted me to be like him. To like the same things he did. He passed on and left the bar for me to take care of. So even though I chose to do the same thing my daddy did, I still don’t like alcohol. I’m not my dad. I never have been and I never will be. I take care of this place because I loved him.”

Diluc spoke the words slow and quiet, never looking away from Diona. Her big round eyes had filled with tears. She looked so close to crying and her breathing was unsteady. She was trying desperately to keep her sobs to herself.

“I-I don’t want to b-be like my daddy,” she whimpered “my daddy is mean and hurtful.”

“Sweetheart, you aren’t like your daddy. You aren’t mean to your sisters or brothers or anyone who doesn't deserve it. You are a good person, and your daddy doesn’t make you bad,” Diluc said. This poor girl had probably gone through so much. He wasn’t gonna make her tell him. She would on her own if she wanted to.

“You deserve love and kindness, no matter what your daddy said,” Diluc said firmly. Diona looked at him one last time with watery eyes before the dam broke. She began crying, her breathing getting even more sporadic. She lifted her hands to her eyes to try to wipe the tears away, but to no avail. Her sobs rattled through the room, and Diluc felt horrendous. He knew that this was something that she needed to hear, but her reaction made him hallow.

“I tried to be so good and nice and it didn’t matter,” she said with a gasp, “did he even love me?”

Diluc hesitated.

“I don’t know. But what I do know is that we all love you so much. Your sisters love you, your brothers love you, and I know my opinion doesn't matter much, but I love you as well. I think that your daddy made some bad choices. But I think he loved you too. You are loveable and good, and you will always have people that love you.”

Diluc finished his little rant on how wonderful this girl was before he noticed that she was inching to the edge of her seat. She hopped off without warning and into his arms. He was glad he had the reaction time to catch her safely. Her sobs continued, and Diluc found it best to let her keep going as he softly ran his hand through her hair and his arm wrapped around her like a shield from the world. They stayed like that until her breathing calmed and her tiny body relaxed. Diluc realized that she was asleep. He turned and stood to take her back up with the other girls before he realized that a pair of amber eyes were trained on him like a hawk.

Xiao stood by the stairs with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were blank, with not a hint of anger or mistrust. He moved out of the way so Diluc could take Diona upstairs. Diluc nodded to him and started moving. He didn’t make it past the first step before he heard something.

“Thank you,” came Xaio’s voice. It was small and shy, like he was hesitant to say it. Diluc only looked back at his face, Xaio’s eyes focused on something else. Diluc thought before he spoke.

“I only said what she needed to hear.”

With that, he took her upstairs and tucked her in.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure that this is a smart plan?” asked Kaeya in the comforting light of his bedside lamps.

“Not entirely, but I have to do it sooner than later,” Diluc responded, trying to keep his tone neutral. His bedroom smelled like firewood and maple as Diluc raided his closet and Kaeya sat on his bed. Diluc pulled out almost every lightweight weapon that he could find. Small knives that went on the thigh or forearm, a small handgun that strapped to his waist, the even smaller knives that would go into his boots. He pulled all of them out. Every one of them was a bit dull and in need of a good shining. It had been a while since he had used these. Not since Klee. He could see Kaeya grimace at the sight of his little armada.

“I still vote that you shouldn’t do this and just tell your little boy toys where Osial is. Would be a lot less stressful,” Kaeya said, starfishing on his neatly made sheets. The pattern was a rouge cotten and some handmade quilts on top. Diluc was one for use and practicality more than anything else. Though Kaeya lazing on his bed wasn’t very practical.

“Make yourself useful and get me a mug from the kitchen,” Diluc demanded as he dumped his armful of weapons on his writing desk. He didn’t have time to sharpen the blades thoroughly, so he had to do it the old fashion way. Kaeya threw him an annoyed look but got up nonetheless. As he walked out of the room, Diluc turned back to his closet.

Though he was confident in his skills, he knew that even he couldn’t pull off intimidation and a possible raid without the correct clothing. He pulled out his old leather jacket and heavy cargo pants from the back of his closet, hidden away for his own sanity. They looked as good as the last day he wore them, being hefty and dense. Good for hiding weapons and taking hits. He knew that he would have to ditch them at some point during the battle, as they were a little too heavy to effectively fight in, but they were very good for the first couple of hits. As he pulled on his attire, wearing a simple tank underneath the armor-like clothes, he walked to the bathroom. Scanning through his hair products, his eyes landed on a simple thick hair tie. It didn’t make sense to wear his hair in his normal pony, so it would be put in a rather forceful bun.

After brushing his hair back multiple times to finally get the bun right, he heard his bedroom door open once again. Kaeya had seen his process enough times to know what to do with the mug. He unwillingly walked to the desk and started scraping each knife on the bottom of the mugs, going hard enough that the sound grated Diluc’s ears. Diluc was sure that this was Kaeya’s way of vengeance because he was most likely going to come home bruised and bleeding tonight.

Kaeya twirled the last knife in his hand and stabbed harshly into the desk. The sound of metal plunging into hardwood almost made Diluc flinch. Kaeya stood from the desk, walking back towards Diluc with a clear fire in his eyes.

“You are coming home. If not for me or your friends, you are coming home for those kids. They need you,” Kaeya said, almost daring Diluc to say differently. Diluc smiled faintly.

“I never said I didn’t plan to come home, I’m just a paranoid bastard Kae. He probably won’t even try to fight me. And if he does, Osial has always been rash and arrogant. He won’t be a hard battle.” Diluc didn’t know if he was encouraging Kaeya, or himself with these words. Though it didn’t look like Kaeya was very encouraged. Kaeya turned away from him and walked through the hall.

“I’m starting the car and you better be down in ten,” he shouted down the echoing hallway. Diluc smiled larger now that his friend was out of the room. And he did just as Kaeya said. He strapped up with his weapons and placed his other layers on top. Everything was decently well hidden and he looked fairly casual. After all, he was just going to a bank, right? He set up his last pistol and walked through the doorway where Kaeya disappeared to. Out of his apartment and down the sets of stairs to the old little black car that sat running in the parking lot.

The window was rolled down and Kaeya yelled out “that was twelve you son of a bitch.” Diluc opened the passenger side door and looked at the clock on the dash.

“It was eleven, but okay.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the trip as they made their way to the bar.

~~~*~~~

As Diluc approached the bar, he could see the old, beat-up, tan car that Albedo rode around in. The dodoco sticker on the back was also a little bit of a giveaway. This meant that Klee was probably playing with the girls. He walked through the doors to see Venti on his stomach on the floor with the little ones filling in some coloring sheets while Aether and Xiao sat at one of the tables with Albedo. They all seemed to be drinking tea and talking while Xiao, who could never sit like a normal human, sat on the table less than a few inches away from Aether. He had been pretty clingy with Aether’s dissociative attack. They all looked up, disturbed at the sound of the bell. Albedo gave out a whistle once he took in Diluc’s outfit with analytical eyes.

“This is a look I haven’t seen on you in a while,” Albedo said, taking a sip from his cup. Aether looked twice as concerned as when he looked up. Aether scanned him over, and more particularly eyed the section of his coat where his pistol sat. Huh. The list of things that he needed to ask Aether about privately just kept growing. But even with Aether's intense gaze, Xiao was the first one to speak.

“Is there a reason for this attire?” he asked, looking more confused than judgmental. Venti sat up, looking almost more alarmed than Aether. Diluc figured they would never let him leave if he didn’t say something at that moment.

“I need to meet with a business partner tonight. He is on the more casual side, but he’s rather paranoid in the long run. Kaeya and Albedo are just here to keep an eye on things,” He said walking closer to the table. At this, almost all three of their faces dropped. Venti looked rather hurt while Aether seemed to get stiff. Xiao had simply put back up the stone wall that he had when Diluc had first met all of the children. Diluc thought back on the words he had just said, analyzing every syllable to see what he had said wrong. Then it clicked.

“I know that all three of you can take care of yourselves and others. But that doesn’t mean that you have to. You are all still teens. You have people to lean on,” Diluc said in a comforting tone. He took Aether and Xiao’s hands into each of his own. Aether was pliant while Xiao strained against him slightly. Then their eyes locked. Xiaos’ molten gold eyes stared at his own in terrified defiance. He was trying to keep himself tense and on guard to be ready for any attack, any low blow that was to come his way. But there were none. Just warmth and patience.

Xiao’s hand loosened, and Diluc tightened his grip.

“Venti, come here,” Diluc said, throwing a playfully impatient look to the little bard. His eyes lit up and he lifted himself off the ground. He almost ran to get to the three, throwing himself up onto Diluc’s back, like the air had lifted him itself. Diluc felt a deep chuckle rumble out of him, and Aether and Xiao followed in suit. Diluc felt good here. He felt safe and calm. No past to taunt him, no nightmares to keep him awake to the brink of insanity, just warmth, and love.

“No fair, we want hugs too!” said a little voice. Paimon had run up, dragging Qiqi and Dioana with her. At this point, Diluc had hauled Aether and Xiao with him to the floor to greet the little ones. He knelt down, keeping Venti steady on his back.

“And you will get all the hugs you deserve,” Diluc said, opening his arms wide. Qiqi and Paimon attached themselves to him and Dioana hugged him while hugging Aether. It seemed she still had some trouble with him. But only time and kindness could heal that. The warmth that radiated from each one of them was kept around them like they were their own little moment in time. Nothing could change that he loved these kids to the ends of the earth. Nothing. He would provide them undoubted and unendless love until they needed him no more.

And Diluc knew that he needed to confront Osial if he wanted to keep it that way. Nothing would change that fact.

“Alright my dears, I need to be off. I will be back by the end of the night and I want you three to go to bed on time,” he said, looking pointedly at the girls. Though they didn’t object, he could see that they wanted to complain.

Diluc stood, adjusting his jacket and walking to Kaeya. They stood face to face and heart to heart.

“Take care of them,” he said in a hushed voice that only Kaeya could hear. Kaeya looked at him in earnest.

“I will.”

And with that, Diluc approached the doors. He desperately wanted to leave without saying goodbye to them, almost to guarantee that he would come home. To walk out that door and come back an hour later being able to pretend that it really was just a meeting. But he couldn’t do that to them. He just couldn’t. He remembered how he felt when he never got to say goodbye to his father. He never got to wish him farewell. It haunted him for years after his father's death. And though he knew that these children did not hold him in the same regard as he did his father, it would still hurt. So, he bit his tongue, settled his mind, and turned around.

“I love you all. Please never forget that,” he said into the room around him. He was leaving the people he loved for their safety, yes, but he was still leaving them. “I hope to return shortly.” Without waiting for their reactions, he rushed out the door. His own car sat in the parking lot, a used truck that blended into the night around him. He figured that flashy wouldn’t help in his line of business.

Diluc opened the door, turned on the car, and started driving to his end.