Chapter Text
The snow he was laying in was sapping the last of his strength away as he bled into it, but Diluc could not falter, not here. Not if he wanted to stay alive. The delusion on his hand throbbed with the beat of his heart- he could not use it anymore without the backlash near certainly killing him, and he found himself without the energy to even attempt it, anyway. His other hand shakily reached out for his sword where it had fallen in the snow. The Tsaritsa's beloved Eleventh watched his feeble attempts at rearming himself with a sense of amusement,rolling his eyes before kicking the redhead's hand away as it reached for the weapon. Diluc could not help the small cry of pain at the impact, and let his hand fall back into the snow.
"C’mon, Red, is that all you've got?" Tartaglia said with a teasing tone, crouching in front of Diluc's prone body with a pout. "I thought you'd be a bit stronger than this, with the problems you’ve been causing our supply lines! Our agents have been growing lazy, it seems! I’ll have to check in, do some more training…. I’m sure it’s Dottorre’s men who are growing weak, considering he just stays locked up in his lab, ah, sorry. For you…" Childe paused, tone shifting away from its playful cadence to something cold, something unfeeling, "Well. This was the only possible outcome, wasn't it? There are easier ways to commit suicide, алый." For a moment, the only sound to disrupt the ethereal quiet of the snow was Diluc's labored breathing. He twisted his head to glare at the Harbinger, the only form of rebellion he was currently able to manage with the Eleventh being between him and his sword. When Diluc met the Harbinger's eyes, Childe seemed surprised and let out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "Most people would be begging for my forgiveness at this point. You're interesting!" He said, cocking his head to the side in consideration. "I haven't met anyone interesting in a while. So, as a reward, I'll let you live. Well-" He took in the blood soaking the snow around Diluc and shrugged. "Maybe. I guess the correct wording is I won’t strike a finishing blow. If you live, lets fight again someday, yeah?" Childe rocked back on his heels and bounced back to his feet easily, brushing his legs off before turning away from the fallen Mondstadtian.
Diluc gritted his teeth in rage. "I don't need your pity, Fatui scum," he growled through gritted teeth, anger giving him enough energy to gather his arms under him and attempt to push himself up. They shook with the exertion, but Diluc managed to rise to his knees, panting as he glared at the Harbinger. Dead blue eyes swung back to his own. "I would have killed you if I had pity for you, Red. It's more fun for me if you live and go train. Get stronger and try to take my head again, yeah? Killing a man who wishes for death isn't very entertaining at all." Childe blinked, and the happy go lucky facade slotted back into place over the predator Diluc knew him to be. "See ya! Try not to bleed out and die here, will you? It'd be super disappointing." And with that, Diluc was left alone, stunned as he knelt in the snow.
---
The bell over the bar door gave a chime as it was pushed open, and Diluc looked up from the glass he was polishing at the newcomers. "Welc-" His voice died in his throat as his eyes met familiar eerie blue ones. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Those same eyes had haunted his nightmares since he left Snezhnaya nearly two years ago. "Aether," Diluc growled, his tone getting the attention of a certain green bard who was sitting a little ways down the bar. Diluc was suddenly very, very grateful for Venti's alcoholic tendencies. He felt the god's eyes swing to him, but he was not taking his eyes off of the Fatui Harbinger that just entered his bar. "Would you care to explain to me why a-“
"Shh, Master Diluc!" Paimon protested, flying up and tugging at the coat on Diluc's shoulder to get him to stop. His eyes flicked to her for a moment then back to Childe, unwilling to ignore him.
"It's alright, Diluc." Aether promised, hands in a placating gesture. "Childe has promised to behave, and he's not here on... diplomatic business. I have a job in Dragonspine that he's helping with." Aether explained.
Childe, for his part, had not taken his eyes off of Diluc either, and seemed to be working through something in his head, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Oh, is that you, Red? What has it been, two years at this point?" Childe crossed the bar with a calm posture and a friendly grin. He talked as if they were old friends, which only served to spike Diluc's rage. "I almost didn't recognize you without that mask you used to wear, but, well. It's a bit hard to mistake that head of hair, isn't it?" He had reached the bar and was leaning on it at this point, reaching out as if to touch Diluc's hair. Diluc grabbed his wrist with a scowl, holding it with a bit more force than strictly necessary. "Only kidding, M-Master Diluc." Childe said, wincing as Diluc gripped his hand painfully tight.
"As much as I support you in this endeavor, Master Diluc, I don't think breaking the bones in his hands will be quite as therapeutic as you are imagining. It might cause you quite a headache later, if politics get involved." Venti chided in his singsong tone. Diluc scowled and after another long second, released Childe's hand with a huff.
"Thanks, Venti." Aether said, only to receive a sharp glare from the bard in return. "I'm afraid you misunderstand, Traveler. Taking our esteemed friend here to Dragonspine on a mission is one thing, but bringing him into the city- well, I'm afraid I side with Master Diluc on this one. An explanation might help your case." Childe pretended to be wounded by the bard’s lack of faith in him, but was unable to retort before Aether answered.
"We won't be here long. I've only got him and Bennett for this expedition, and, well, I was hoping to recruit another Pyro user." Aether explained, with a pointed glance at Diluc. "Pyro resonance is a great help, and with how Dragonspine is- the more fire we can get, the better. It's a simple mission- I've discovered a new domain at the peak, and was hoping to clear it and see what treasure we can find." Diluc acknowledged the indirect request with a quiet grunt, thinking over the proposal. Despite Aether's faith in him, Diluc was very aware of Bennett's unlucky streak, and was mentally going through the other Pyro users of Mond that Aether might ask after him. He really did not want Klee or Amber to be around Childe, and wanted to be able to keep an eye on him while he was in Mondstat, even if he was mostly going to be in Dragonspine.
Diluc sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I'm not sure there's a better option than myself." He muttered, mind whirring as he thought about all of his duties for the next week and the ways in which he would have to delay or distribute them to others. "I'll have to start getting my affairs in order. When do we leave?" "Tomorrow afternoon, if possible." Aether replied with a grin. "We will meet you at the base camp, then. Thank you, Diluc, this is a huge relief." The traveler said, already standing from his stool at the bar and ushering Childe out the door, who protested about being forced to leave before he could fully catch up with his "old friend" until the door shut behind them.
Diluc sighed and dragged a hand down his face in exasperation, looking at Venti miserably. "This should be fun," he muttered. "Nothing like having a Harbinger at your back in Dragonspine." He was cleaning a glass with a bit more force than usual, displeasure evident.
Venti gave him a grim look. "I'd offer my assistance, but I doubt swirling the snow will be very helpful, and four man teams are the norm." The god lamented.
"It's alright, Venti. I'd appreciate you staying in the city. The knights are laughably unreliable- knowing you're watching over things will bring me peace of mind." Diluc admitted.
"Im flattered, Master Diluc! I did not know you thought so highly of this humble bard!”
Diluc rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it. I'm going to start getting ready for tomorrow- I'll send Charles in to watch the bar.”
Venti met his eyes, suddenly serious. "May the winds guide you, Master Diluc. I think you'll need it."