Work Text:
The war has been going on for a while now and Diluc wasn't going to lie, he was exhausted. He can't remember the last time he's had a break from fighting but he's known it's been at least a good six months, if not longer.
He would love to just get away from this war and visit his husband but he couldn't abandon his people, he could never leave Mondstadt at a time like this.
"Diluc." Kaeya's voice cuts through Diluc's thoughts and he looks up from the papers he was holding to meet his brother's gaze.
"Yes? Has something happened?" He asks, starting to stand up from where he was seated before Kaeya gently pushed him back down.
"Nothing's happened, don't worry," He says before taking a seat next to Diluc and crossing his arms, "Albedo and I were talking and we both think that you should head to Liyue for a few days to take a break."
"Kaeya, we're at war with a bunch of divine beings with powers comparable to the archons, and you want me to go on vacation?" Diluc scoffed at his brother's words, dropping the papers on his lap knowing he would have to go over them later.
"And? The Guardians have been pulling back recently to recover their losses so this may be your only chance to visit Morax." His brother says and Diluc frowns.
Kaeya only wanted the best for him, Diluc knew that and he was damn near dying to see Morax after so much time apart but he couldn't help but feel as if leaving Mondstadt would have a shift in the fight here. Sure, he trusted Kaeya well enough to be able to handle things on his own but after Amber's death, Eula has locked herself up inside their home and Diluc has been spending most of his free time trying to get her to at least step outside to get some sunlight. Eula is one of their strongest fighters and it's his job to make sure everyone is in fighting shape if the Guardians decide to invade the city.
"Eula will be fine," Kaeya speaks up as if he had been reading Diluc's mind, "Jean and Albedo will keep her company while you're gone." He adds, and Diluc's shoulder dropped and he sighed.
"Three days," Diluc says, and Kaeya smiles that same victorious one he always had when Diluc stopped arguing with him and accepted whatever Kaeya had planned.
"Well then, dear brother of mine, you better start packing because I already told your husband you'd be in Liyue by sunrise." Kaeya quickly says, standing up from the leather couch and leaving the room, in turn leaving Diluc alone to process his words.
When Diluc's mind had finally begun working again, he quickly started to prepare for the trip so that he could leave as soon as possible.
-
Diluc did arrive at Liyue Harbor when the sun began to rise and Morax was there to greet him.
"My love, you're actually here," Morax said, sounding breathless as Diluc approaches him after bidding farewell to his escorts.
"Partially against my will." He responds, sighing and gently kissing Morax on the cheek, who happily hums in response.
"How dreadful it must've been to lose yet another argument to your brother," Morax says, tone light and cheerful as he grabs Diluc's hand and gently leads him through the relatively crowded streets of the harbor.
"Truly. He sent me off with a hug and told me to enjoy myself! Can you believe that?" Diluc shook his head and let Morax guide him, making sure to avoid bumping into any other pedestrians.
Morax laughed gently at Diluc's words and Diluc felt like he was floating. It had been so long since he's heard that laugh and felt Morax's touch, he honestly would've believed this was a dream if he couldn't smell the salt of the sea and hear the clamor of the civilians.
"How have things been in Mondstadt?" Morax asks once they were away from all the people and in a more secluded area near the pharmacy.
"Amber was killed so Eula is a mess and the guardians are pulling away for some reason. Kaeya believes it's to regroup and gather more strength but I'm having a hard time believing that." He says, that airy happy feeling from before dimming slightly as he speaks of the situation back home, "What about here? Everything seems relatively... attached, still."
Morax lets out a short sigh, "Ningguang is gone, and Ganyu has run off somewhere, presumably to kill as many guardians as she possibly can. Xiao is off trying to find her, so Keqing and Shenhe are running the show here for a bit. They're doing their best to keep the guardians away from the harbor but they keep getting closer every day, so the civilians here will more than likely be evacuated soon." He explains the situation with his default 'narrator' tone, as Diluc would call it, and he couldn't help but frown slightly at the sight of his husband's dejected face.
"You still have no plans to join the war, do you?" Diluc quietly asks, afraid that if he speaks too loudly something terrible might happen.
Morax laughs, a soft yet pained one, "Ganyu isn't very pleased by my decision. I imagine you aren't either."
"You have your reasons, my star. I will not force you to fight with us but should you ever decide to join, I will fight by your side."
Diluc's words must've helped Morax because he no longer appeared as sad as before. There was a lingering sorrow but his tiny smile was genuine and Diluc could see the love in his amber eyes.
"Let's put an end to this topic, okay? You have me for three days, and I'd rather make new memories with you than speak of this." Diluc says, forcing his tone to be light even though his emotions were trying to keep it quiet.
His husband smiles that same breathtaking smile that stole his heart and gently squeezes his hand before once again guiding him through the harbor, this time toward the direction of his home.
-
"Kaeya, are you sure this is a good idea?" A hushed voice asks, standing left to Diluc.
"Relax, Albedo, this is for the best," Kaeya responds just as quietly, though his voice was closer to Diluc, causing his sleeping brother to shift and mutter quietly.
"Shouldn't we wait for him to remember naturally?"
"Morax is back in his life, darling, and if he's still the same as he was five hundred years ago then he'll more than likely never tell Diluc about his past. You know how long it would take for him to remember on his own, and I'd rather not have to deal with the whole 'Am I my own person or a figment of the past?' crisis he'll have when I'm in my sixties."
"Still... what're we gonna do when he wakes up? His mind may take a while to process his awakened memories."
"Don't worry, everything will work out as planned."
-
"So this is one of your newest paintings?" Diluc asks, staring at the massive canvas in front of him.
Morax approaches him from behind and wraps his arms around Diluc's waist, gently pulling him back so he was pressed up against him, "I just finished it last night. Do you like it?"
Diluc studies the painting. It was beautiful, though tragic. A man, one who looked very similar to him, stood in the center of it, a battlefield surrounding him. Many bodies were scattered across the battlefield as well, some were human but many seemed to be guardians. The man held a claymore, one that looked similar to Diluc's own. He was also injured, a sword going straight through his chest, and he was staring up at the sky with a look of peace on his face, as though he was accepting his fate. Diluc felt many emotions rising within him as he studied this painting, as well as many questions.
"My star, what inspired you to paint this? It's breathtaking but... it's very different from your usual style." He says, turning in Morax's hold to look at him.
Morax seemed hesitant to answer, his gaze focused on the painting. Diluc gently cupped his lover's cheeks, amber eyes staring at his own red ones, "Morax, talk to me."
"When Ningguang died, Xiao found Ganyu in the woods and she was... angry. With me." He leans into Diluc's touch, clearly struggling to be open with his emotions, "She told me that if I had fought in the war as soon as it began, Ningguang would still be alive. She called me a coward and then asked me what I'd do if you... died." He forced the words out, seemingly especially uncomfortable with the mere idea of Diluc potentially dying.
Diluc could understand why Ganyu was angry, though he didn't appreciate her taking her anger out on his husband, and he certainly didn't appreciate her making him feel this way.
"So, after she left, Xiao went after her. I was alone and all I could think about was you dying and I ended up painting this. As upsetting as it is, it's one of my best paintings." Morax blinks slowly, his gaze once again heading toward the painting before looking back at Diluc once he begins to talk,
"I will die, someday. I'm mortal, so I won't live for thousands of years like you." Diluc says, keeping his words honest and his tone light but blunt, "However, I don't plan on dying soon, so you'll be stuck with me for some time."
"A blessing, truly," Morax says, and Diluc can barely keep a smile off his face.
"And when I do die, I will make sure I get reborn, so I want you to look for me, okay? I'm never going to leave you, Morax, even after death."
"I will spend an eternity looking for you if I must."
"And I'll be waiting for you."
-
"When I'm gone, and it's five hundred years into the future, what will your name be?" Diluc asks on the second day, running his hand gently through his husband's hair.
Morax opens his eyes and stares up at Diluc, "Why ask this?"
"I want to commit it to memory and ingrain it in my soul so that I'll recognize you when we meet in the future."
"Hm... I don't know. What would you name me?"
Diluc stares down at Morax and smiles softly, "Zhongli, perhaps?"
Morax stared up at his husband with slightly widened eyes, "You're absolutely breathtaking." He whispers, and Diluc lets out a startled laugh, caught off guard by his husband's love-laced words.
-
Three days go by quickly, and Diluc spends most of his time with his husband before it's time for him to set off back to Mondstadt.
"Must you leave? Can't you stay here by my side?" Morax asks, standing at the entrance of the harbor with Diluc, who was trying to bid him a farewell but his husband seemed rather determined to prolong their time together for as long as possible.
"My star, you know I can't."
Morax lets out a quiet whine and Diluc playfully rolls his eyes, giving his husband one final kiss before stepping away, "You're absolutely spoiled rotten."
Morax says nothing to deny Diluc's words, "Stay safe."
"I will, don't worry. I promise to visit you again soon, so don't miss me too much." Diluc says, waving at his husband one last time before setting off towards Mondstadt.
Diluc couldn't help but think about Morax during his journey home, a small smile on his face the entire trip. These past three days were definitely the happiest moments of his life, the memories he made were going to be cherished by him in every life he may live.
He was sad that he had to return to Mondstadt, he won't lie. He would love to stay in Liyue and live with Morax but with the war raging and his close friends and colleagues dying, he can't just abandon them.
Once this war is over, he'll make plans to move in with his husband but for now, he'll settle for memories and letters.
-
"Diluc, my dear brother! You've actually returned!" Kaeya says, a pleasantly surprised look on his face as he greets his brother at the entrance of Mondstadt.
"I'm not just going to leave Mondstadt in your hands, Kaeya. I'm honestly surprised you haven't frozen the place over in tantrum." Diluc says, tone neutral but he gladly pulls Kaeya into a hug.
"I'm dramatic, Diluc, but I'm not that dramatic. Besides, there's been some recent developments while you were away."
"Oh? Brief me in on the situation while we walk." Diluc says, walking past his brother and through the city of Mondstadt. It has seen better days, many of the streets were emptied with most of the buildings destroyed from guardian attacks when the war first broke out. Some tents were set up as temporary housing for the civilians who lost their homes as well as medical tents placed all around the city. It was drastically different from the bustling streets of Liyue Harbor and Diluc was praying to the Anemo Archon that it didn't turn out like Mondstadt.
"First things first," Kaeya starts once he has caught up to Diluc, "Eula has left her home. She's still mourning but she says she's ready to fight."
"That's good to hear."
"It is. Rosaria returned from one of her stealth expeditions and she took out a guardian camp and saved some prisoners they had," Kaeya says, opening the door to the tavern for Diluc and following him inside, "One of the prisoners was Bennett."
Diluc set down his bag, looking at his brother with a cautious hope sparking in him, "Bennett's okay?"
"Bounced back from the situation as soon as he was safe. He's staying with Lisa and Razor, so you can visit him once you're unpacked. He'll be really happy to see you."
Diluc nods, glad to hear that his younger friend was okay. Bennett had been missing for nearly a month before Diluc left and he was worried sick, so he couldn't describe the relief he felt at the news given to him.
"Is that all?" He asks, walking behind the bar and grabbing a glass, mindlessly mixing a drink for his brother.
Kaeya sighs, sitting down at the bar and accepting the drink once Diluc finished mixing it. He was silent for a moment, and Diluc suddenly felt worried as he watched his brother down the alcohol, "Something is wrong with Albedo." He says, placing the now empty glass on the bar.
"What do you mean?" Diluc asks, a look of confusion mixed with worry gracing his features.
"You remember that artifact we found in that suspiciously protected guardian camp?" Diluc nods, so Kaeya continues, "Well, according to Albedo, it's an Eternal Guardian's heart."
Diluc's eyes widen, "Pardon?"
"I know, I had the same reaction when he told me. He told me he was going to find a safe way to take it apart so he could study it but... something is off. I visited him today and the heart was gone, and Albedo was distant." Once Kaeya finished talking, he let out a quiet groan and buried his face in his hands. He was clearly stressing over this and Diluc wasn't sure how to comfort his brother.
"I see. I'll talk to him, okay? I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." He awkwardly says, and Kaeya quietly scoffs.
"Right. Lastly, the guardians are planning to attack the city. They've set up camps nearby and according to Mona, the universe says a large-scale attack is coming."
"Understood. We'll start working on our defenses tomorrow. Why don't you go and get some sleep? Thank you for keeping an eye on everyone while I was gone, Kaeya."
Kaeya hums, standing up from where he was seated, "I'm glad you got to visit Morax, Diluc, because I'm not sure if you'll have the chance to see him again any time soon." He says, exhaustion now very evident in both his tone and features.
Diluc just offers a forced smile as he watches his brother leave.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
-
Diluc was woken up by the sound of his door slamming open. He startled awake and reached for his claymore but stopped when he saw it was Jean.
"What's wrong?" He asks once he notices her worried and frantic expression.
"The city is being attacked." Is all she managed to get out before a loud boom shook the room. Diluc rushed out of bed and grabbed Wolf's Gravestone, quickly following Jean out of the building.
Mondstadt was up in flames, people were running around and screaming. Guardians were roaming the streets, striking down anyone they saw with no hesitation.
"What do we do?" Jean asks, her voice shaking at the sight in front of them. Diluc's mind desperately tried to think of a plan, he had no idea where Kaeya was or if he was even okay, and he wanted to save as many people as possible.
"Evacuate as many people as you can, take them to Liyue." He says, scanning the burning streets in hopes of spotting his brother, instead, his gaze landed on Albedo, "Don't die." He says before leaving Jean and heading toward his brother's boyfriend.
"Albedo!" He yells, the blond's eyes landing on him, "Have you seen Kaeya?" He asks once he was close enough.
Albedo shook his head, "No. I've been looking for him since the attack began but I've yet to find him." He says, tone full of worry. Diluc ran a hand through his messy hair and quietly swears under his breath, worry chewing at him.
"We'll look for him together." He decides and Albedo follows him deeper into the flames.
The search for Kaeya was hopeless. No matter how hard Diluc looked, he couldn't see much through the flames and smoke. After another quick search around the area, he met up with Albedo.
"I didn't find him. What about you?" He asks, and Albedo shakes his head. Diluc tried his best to keep his worry hidden, instead choosing to keep his face and voice devoid of any emotion.
"Okay, maybe he met up with Jean and left for Liyue," He says, trying to give himself and Albedo at least some hope. He turns away from his brother's boyfriend and slowly inhales, forcing back a coughing fit from inhaling smoke. Guardians were beginning to become more difficult to avoid, so as much as it pained Diluc to do so, they had to leave the city before the guardians spotted them.
"Alright, let's-"
"Diluc, run!" Kaeya's scream cuts Diluc off and he sharply turns to see his brother running toward him, dodging the guardians that were chasing him. There was a look of pure dread and horror on his face, and for a moment, Diluc was confused.
He felt a burning hot sensation hit his chest and he looks down at his chest to see a sword going through it. Not just any sword.
Albedo's sword.
The sword gets pulled out of his chest just as the situation dawned on him, and he was roughly pushed to the ground. He struggles to breathe, the pain in his chest far worse than any other stab wound he's experienced. He tried to get up, trying desperately to push himself off the ground but his entire body hurt.
He struggled to breathe, each breath he took in was full of smoke and it was difficult to stay awake. He was lightheaded but out of sheer spite and determination alone, he managed to stay awake.
Diluc was aware of Kaeya and Albedo fighting. He could hear their swords clashing, could hear Kaeya yelling at him, "Give me back my boyfriend, you fuck!"
He didn't understand what was going on, not fully. He was bleeding out, that much he knew, and he wasn't sure if he was going to survive.
It's funny. This reminded him of Morax's painting of him. Is his death going to be as beautiful as that painting? He didn't want to die but he couldn't deny there was a tragic irony in the situation, one that he couldn't help but bitterly laugh at.
"Diluc, look at me," Diluc was suddenly aware of his surroundings, and he stares up at Kaeya, who looked beaten and exhausted but alive. Albedo was gone, from the looks of it, "Stay awake, okay? Just listen to my voice and keep your eyes open."
Diluc smiled sadly as he stared up at his brother, "We both know how this ends, Kaeya," He says, weakly patting his brother's shoulder to offer some reassurance, "Go. Get to safety. When you get to Liyue, tell Morax... tell him I was killed by a spy. I don't understand what's happening but I know that wasn't Albedo."
"It wasn't, you're right, but I'm not going to tell your husband anything because you're not going to die," Kaeya says, and Diluc could hear how desperate he was, pressing against Diluc's wound in hopes of slowing the bleeding but it was far too late.
"Kaeya, I'm tired." Diluc whispers and that seems to do it. The pressure on his chest lightens.
"Get some sleep, brother. I'll be here when you wake up." He quietly whispers and Diluc closes his eye, sinking into the darkness that had been clawing at his existence.
One final thought entered his mind as his heart began to slow.
Zhongli, find me.
-
A few hours later, Kaeya informed Morax of Diluc's death. It is rumored that mountains crumbled and jagged rocks came from the ground during Morax's mourning.
Celestia fell a few days later, and Morax disappeared, rumored to have died on Celestia after making it fall.
-
Diluc wakes up with a sharp gasp, tears running down his face and the dim light of the bar causing his head to ache. His heart was beating rapidly and he pressed his hand against his chest, checking to see if there were any life-threatening wounds.
He jumped slightly at the sound of the bar's door opening, wide red eyes making contact with familiar amber ones.
"Diluc? Is something wrong?" Zhongli asks, expression worried as he approaches where Diluc was sitting at the bar.
Diluc stared at the drink Kaeya had made him, trying to sort out his thoughts. He was worried about his meet-up with Zhongli so Kaeya made him some tea to help calm his nerves. He got really tired just after one sip, so he closed his eyes for a moment and then he was suddenly having this very vivid dream. It felt more like a memory than a dream but that didn't make sense. Why was Morax, the god of Mora, in his dream? And why did he look like Zhongli?
"Diluc?" Zhongli's voice cuts through his thoughts.
Clearing his throat, Diluc looks up at Zhongli and offers a shakey smile, "Sorry, I just had the strangest dream." Is all he offers as an explanation, which Zhongli seems to accept, smiling softly at Diluc, who could feel his heart beating rapidly at the sight of it.
You found me, whispered something deep in his mind and soul.
A really strange dream.