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Chapter Text

As a Mondstater, you abide by simple rules within the city, and as a Knight of Favonius, you abide by stricter rules during your hours working. Every night though, you come to Angel's Share, just to admire the bartender.

You're not the only one, you know that, and they all know that, but he doesn't even look at anyone. Diluc is the pride and joy of Mondstat, seen as a prize bachelor ever since his return from self-isolation just a year ago now.

Within the Knights, you all know that he hates your guts, though for what reason you can't tell. Kaeya tells stories of the redhead, and you always listen just for one hint of what makes the man listen, but you haven't been successful yet.

Sipping on your fruit juice, you know you could order some alcohol while you're off-duty, but you'd rather be completely coherent if Diluc finally decides to pay you any mind. So busy looking at him, you don't notice when someone sits across from you, hooded and trying to stay hidden.

Holding your straw in your mouth, you drink until nothing's left, turning your head away to check that your glass is for sure empty— only to nearly jump straight up off your seat upon seeing the stranger in front of you. Your straw stays in your mouth as you do, flinging juice onto him, so you immediately pull it from your mouth and begin to apologize.

He stops you midway, face still obscured by his hood but his voice is deep and honestly quite charming, "Please, it's no bother, it was my fault for startling you."

Waving off his apology, you sit down and reach across the table with a napkin, giving it to him while apologizing profusely, "I'm so sorry, please let me know if I can do anything to make it up to you."

The man takes your words into consideration, before simply stating, "Oh- actually, can you help me find the Goth Hotel?"

"That old place? Sure! You must be a traveler then huh?" Standing up, you leave a pouch of mora by your finished drink, walking out of the Tavern with your new stranger friend following you.

Leisurely, you do your best to make small talk along the way, pointing out the walls of Mondstat and giving fun facts about the wine industry. To be honest, you're not the best at showing off all the good things about your hometown, but he doesn't seem to mind, so you continue on.

A few strides away from the Goth Hotel, you remember an important fact, "Oh no, I'm sorry, I forgot that right now no one but Fatui is allowed to rent rooms there... It's a part of our deal with the diplomats..." He walks right past you and to the guard at the front door, you try to lunge forward and stop him before he embarrasses himself, but he just pulls off his hood and addresses the guard.

His hair is what strikes you first, blue and bright, then you see the faintest hints of a mask and wonder why he even bothered with the hooded cape anyways.

A smidge too far away to hear their conversation, you see the Fatui guard shuffle to open the door, with your stranger only casting a single glance and wave in your direction before entering. Not knowing what else to do, you give a confused wave back as the door closes on him, leaving you alone again.

Shaking your head, you make up a comforting lie to yourself that you had too much to drink and begin your trek back to your room at the Knight's headquarters.

-------------------

Dressed once again in your knightley garb, you make your way to the Grandmaster's office for your morning debriefing of daily duties. As per usual, it'll be just patrolling the street or helping one or two cart deliveries, nothing major...

Knocking thrice, you hear Varka welcome you inside, pushing open the door and giving a respectful bow before standing to full attention. Varka is the same as always, but standing right beside him is- gasping, you take a step back, seeing your drunken apparition real in the flesh. They both look at you and you quickly straighten yourself out, coughing and explaining that you're just a bit sleepy.

They ignore you for a few moments while talking amongst themselves, and though you know you should probably be listening in, instead you're focusing on him. His cape is still on his body, along with the dark hood, though this version seems to be much higher quality than the one from the night before. Somehow he looks taller now as well, nearly on equal footing to the massive Grandmaster Varka, meaning he was just slouching last night. 

Hands behind your back, you are alerted to the Grandmaster asking for your attention only by his hand waving, resuming your place back in real life as he asks, "Then I assume this is all okay with you?"

Nodding, you cross your hand over your chest, "Of course sir!"

"I'm so glad," turning back to the hooded figure, he addresses him, "Alright Doctor, you have yourself a personal Knight of Favonius to get you settled here in Mondstat!"

Pausing your entire body, you freeze at what the hell you just agreed to without confirming exactly what he was asking of you. Slowly turning from his strained smiling face to the man, you take a steady bow, keeping your stuttering just barely under control, "It'll be my honor to serve you during your duration of stay within Mondstat."

Humming, Varka addresses him, "There's your answer, now please go and wait outside while I give the specifics..." He's barely able to get him out the door before he's on you, shaking your shoulders, "Were my implicit hints not enough to tell you to say no? Make a lie? Just say you have something better to do?!"

Blinking, you sheepishly chuckle, twiddling your fingers together, "Heh… well, I did say I was tired, so I wasn't really paying attention... Sorry...." Taking a deep breath, your superior runs his hands up and down his face, trying to come up with another solution.

"No, it's my fault for not warning everyone beforehand to not come in. I should've known you would come early as always, that's my mistake." A soft knocking on the door signals the arrival of the other Knights, so he whispers to you before answering them, "For now, you'll just be his guide, find a way to come back to me tonight so I can fill you in on the rest."

Calling to the other Knights, they file in as soon as the door is open, while you just go behind them and sneak out to go and meet this 'Doctor' outside.

He's waiting for you on the stairs, looking up at the windmill in apparent wonder, as he doesn't seem to notice you till you politely clear your throat for his attention.

"Oh, you, so we really do meet again," his voice is just as deep as before, and somehow you're happy you didn't just make it up inside your head. Pulling down his hood to reveal his face, you're a bit stunned that he covers up so much of it with a white mask. Only his eyes and half of his mouth stick out, which upon closer inspection are a blood red, kinda terrifying, but you're a Knight, and he's a...

"Strange but respectable traveler, I'm here to be your guide through our glorious city of Mondstat and keep you safe at all times." Bowing, you look up and down his body while standing back in place, "Please don't hesitate to ever call upon me."

Lifting his hand to his face, he laughs in an almost comically evil way, "Oh come on, there is no way you act like that seriously! Just be normal with me, just like you were last night!"

Trying not to blow up at him, you yell respectfully, "I was off duty last night, and I thought I was drunk!"

"Off of some fruity juice?!" Holding his stomach and bending over, he laughs at your various attempts to explain yourself, showing off fanged teeth when he throws his head back and wipes away tears from his eyes, "You're really a good example of a Mondstater, just like all the stereotypes—" meeting your confused look, he puts his hand over his mouth to try to muffle himself, "No offense by the way, unless you want to be offended, but you're so clueless that I can't help it!"

Sighing in resignation, you have a feeling that he's really going to drive you insane. Still, Varka personally assigned him to you, and if he was important to get the Grandmaster's personal attention, he must be damn well important. Not only that but he did go into the Hotel the Fatui diplomats are staying at, so is he a diplomat as well?

You better make this count, your honor as a knight is counting on this!

Saying that in your head is easier said than done, running after a weird man who keeps getting himself into trouble with people and animals alike all along the city- you have to stop him from climbing the side of an abandoned laboratory after he notices the philanemo mushrooms growing on the side. He doesn't even make it halfway up before losing his grip and falling off and right into your open arms, taking you both out and causing you to nearly get a concussion.

Heavier than he looks, you struggle to breathe as he gets himself off of you, chuckling at how fruitless his effort was before getting up and brushing himself off like nothing happened. You're a bit dazed from the impact but hurry to join him, screaming at him as he decides to start running after a cat on the street.

This guy- he just doesn't quit moving, does he?! Running after him, you only see the tail end of his cape as he turns into an alleyway, barely able to keep track of him as he trails after the poor traumatized kitty.

Only when the cat jumps onto a roof below does he stop at the stone railing, allowing you to catch up to him once more.

Panting, you rest up with your hands on your knees, placing a hand up to try and stop him, "It's—" a deep gasp for air and then a quick apology, "—night is coming, we... We've gotta get back, r-right?"

"The Knights may have to," he walks away from the railing as he speaks, getting a good distance away in the process, "But I don't have to, and I won't rest until I find at least one thing to hold my interest!" You're shocked as he starts running towards you, cowering down just as he predicted and giving him the perfect platform to jump off of and onto the roof of one of the many shops in Mondstat.

Crying out in pain and insensitivity to you, you quickly get up and look over the railing, seeing him run along the tiles on the roof and looking frantically for the cat. Screaming internally, you call out to him, "You're in danger, get down before I have to call someone to get you down!"

"Aren't you a Knight? Get me down yourself!" Bastard , absolute bastard, how dare he question your ability to apprehend him? You're a knight and he's just some guy!

Copying his movements, you run away from the railing and then towards it, using it to boost yourself up and across the gap to the rooftop, only unlike him you have no idea what you're doing and land with a roll directly onto the tiling. Groaning, you make an attempt to get up, but your body hurts too much to try another time.

Weakly, you look up and around for him, forcing yourself up onto your hands; catching sight of his cape as he jumps onto another shorter roof. He must've located the cat, or perhaps another one, and he shows no signs of stopping...

This Doctor… he's going to be the death of you.

Steeling yourself and ignoring your aching body, you stand up and run after him again, keeping up the chase long into the night, sunset long having passed once you finally catch up to him.

Laying on the roof of Angel's Share, he looks up at the stars above, holding onto a Philanemo mushroom as if it's a prized possession. For him, it must be, even if it's worthless to you.

Using your glider to make it to the small balcony, you climb up the side of the tavern and onto the roof, huffing from the effort and cringing at the sweat in your armor as you confront him.

"You, we should've been back already... We..." Your body gives out from under you just as you make it to him, falling right beside him right onto your face, limp as a noodle. Too exhausted to even scold him, you close your eyes and listen to the quiet nightlife as your heart beats directly in your eardrums.

Humming thoughtfully, he turns to his side, taking a small bite of the mushroom before noting, "This tastes awful."

Dryly, you chuckle, so he smiles while pulling up his hood, "Oh, and I think the owner has noticed we're here."

Gasping, you shoot up and look down below just as Diluc yells up to you, "Care to explain why a Knight of Favonius is taking a nap on top of my establishment?"

Looking to the Doctor, you're surprised to see him already gone, leaving you alone to explain yourself and glide down to apologize.

Diluc accepts a quick lie that you were chasing a thief cat, though he states just how silly that you even bothered doing so as you run your head awkwardly. "Sorry again, I've gotta get back to Varka to report to him now, thank you sorry bye." Rushing your last few words you run off and hide behind a building so you can catch your breath, holding your face in embarrassment as he steps back inside and clears the coast.

Stepping out, you wipe the sweat from your face and turn around, getting jumpscared by your diplomat friend in the process. Yelling, you back up and place your hand on the hilt of your sword, only to recognize him and sigh while falling to the ground on your knees.

Nearly sobbing, you strain out a whisper, "You're not gonna make this easy on me, are you?"

"Not till you're that same person again."

"I already told you, that was me when I was off—"

"Yadda yadda, let's just get back to the Hotel, it gets kinda warm during nighttime here..." Weakly, you stand up and guide him back to the hotel, wishing him a pleasant night as you're barely able to make it back to headquarters yourself.

Knocking on the Grandmaster's door, you walk in as he answers, a small group of others with him. Lisa, Kaeya, Jean, and most surprisingly Albedo stand there, though only Jean comments on your tired appearance.

"Anyways, now that you're here we feel the need to tell you our theory on this situation..."

You don't hear a word, dozing off mentally while forcing yourself to stay awake, only nodding and accepting it all before you're dismissed and finally allowed to head to sleep.

For the first time in forever, you hit the bed and immediately fall asleep, tired beyond all recognition and happy to just be in your own warm room.

It's just the first day though, and you've got a lot more to get through.

And dear Archons above does he put you through more days, each just as tiring as the next as he explores Mondstat to its fullest, and then demands you take him outside the walls and to explore the wilds. You have to make sure you have camping gear and supplies, food and water, and a cart to pull it all around in. Very luckily you're able to buy a donkey from a wandering salesman, and that helps a lot, but you still have a hard time keeping up with him.

-—-------------

"Doctor, I'm unsure if this is safe for you?" You call up to him from below Vanessa's tree as he works hard to harvest a small bit of bark from one of the highest branches. He said something about needing it for research, and while you know he's been keeping a satchel of stuff under his cape, you have no clue what it's all for. It isn't your job to know, so you don't question him.

As he climbs down you stay relaxing against the tree, inhaling that good clean breeze and cleansing your soul from whatever bullshit he's about to inevitably pull.

However, he doesn't say anything as he jumps to the ground, only putting up the bark in his bag and walking away. Genuinely surprised he didn't ask you to do something crazy, you run up to him and walk beside him, waiting for him to say something, anything , but he doesn't. Instead, he keeps going, even whistling for the cart so the donkey knows to follow you both.

Walking on the trail, you see lots of leaves from the tree littering the path, and despite your best judgment, you point to one and ask him, "So, what kind of leaf is that?" Normally he would give a giant explanation about things you don't understand and can't care enough about to even grasp, but he just picks it up and brings it up to his face.

Pulling down his hood, you watch in horror and amazement as he uses one hand to take off his mask, just as you gasp he shoves the whole leaf in his mouth and quickly replaces his mask. Chewing loudly, you become more terrified than amazed by just one simple action, so he answers you after he swallows the no doubt awful-tasting substance.

"Plant." After not elaborating, he walks away, leaving you to jog to catch up and demanding he explains further, but he never does. Not even as you set up a camp for the night and eat dinner, he doesn't say another word, only smiling to himself at random points and looking off in the distance.

You hate him, you really do, even after weeks of traveling together you never understand him at all, his dreams and his aspirations, they're all lost to you by all the crazy shit he does. He makes everything for you harder than it should be, and you miss your comfortable bed, but sleeping under the stars is nice as well, just in a different way.

Looking up at the moon high above, you check that he's truly sleeping before humming a soft tune to lull yourself to sleep. It's a song you learned from your parents, two traveling bards, and they'd play the harp every night just for you. They'd even play different songs for others, performing in the Plaza right next to the water fountain, and that was how you had met Diluc.

Even though you were just a child, you knew how different your places were next to each other. The son of the richest man in Mondstat, along with his adopted brother, and you, the offspring of two bards who couldn't even stay in one city for longer than a year. But Mondstat is where you met Diluc, and you decided to stay because of that, wishing your family well in your travels as you stayed behind, only a child, but trusted to make yourself so much more than just that.

You're a Knight now, isn't that everything you could've ever wanted? Even if it's led you here, at least you can say you've done something other than sitting around and wishing for anything better.

That's why you're happy in a way, to be pushed to your limits every day, you're slowly becoming a better and better Knight. If you can deal with this man, you can deal with anyone, and that comforting thought finally brings you to sleep at long last.

-----------------

Another day, another adventure that will somehow end up in you suffering and him gloating, but still content with his findings.

Checking over the cart, you find many new things upon all the supplies, all things he's found or scavenged. Jarred sweet flowers to preserved windwheel aster, it's all excellently stored and kept safe, you have to admire his handiwork. Holding a small jar of cryo regisvine powder, you're too busy reminiscing about how badly you got burned from the freezing temperatures of the damn thing to notice the person watching you.

It's not the Doctor, he's on the other side of the cart taking inventory, but rather a certain cyro user...

Jumping when you hear a hissing sound, you look down to the ground for snakes, but there's nothing there. The donkey would be freaking out if there was one anyway, so you chalk it up to your imagination, till you hear it again.

Looking under the cart, you attract the attention of the Doctor, who gives you a raised eyebrow, but you wave him off and he turns back to his work.

Keeping low to the ground, you search the surrounding area, coming upon a large bush: when you try to open it and check, it instead opens up from the inside and pulls you in.

Blinking, you look up at Kaeya, who's holding your head like some sort of fragile egg that would break if it touched dirt. Huffing, you sit up, whispering angrily, "And what was that for?!"

His finger raises up and shushes you, just so he can say, "This has gone on long enough, you don't need to entertain him anymore." Helping you sit up on your knees, he contemplates something before adding, "Take him to Dragonspine, there I can help you lose him for good."

"Dragonspine? That's insane, we don't have the supplies to last there for more than a week."

"Good, I expect you there by tomorrow. You're close enough as it is, so don't disappoint me." Grunting, you stand up and leave the bush, not allowing him to finish his stupid spiel so you can rush back to the cart. 

Shaking the whole conversation from your head, you move up to the donkey, petting it and feeding it an apple. The Doctor is still in his notes, seemingly not noticing your quick absence, which you're grateful for.

Your mission… is to make sure he has a good time in Mondstat, no matter what it takes or what you have to do. You can't just give up on him 

Kaeya knows this man, personally, he'd only been spying to make sure you were okay, but now that his identity has been confirmed… He can't just let you get killed too. 

"Doctor, where shall we head today?" You ask it innocently, but you receive an answer you aren't expecting.

"You know, you don't have to call me that. I'd prefer it if you use Dottore- so long as we are away from the city."

Well, you should've guessed that 'Doctor' wasn't his real name, but this one sounds just as fake… at least it's easier on the tongue. "Ah, well, Dottore, what do you want to do today?"

Humming, he brings out his notebook, flipping through pages and pages of written words till he comes upon a new page, freshly written ink that he shows you, so you read it off, "Cider Lake water, do we need to get this?" 

He nods, so you check your map, "We're only a half hour or so away from there, we just need to cut through the forest. Good with you?" It's also far away from Dragonspine, meaning you can avoid Kaeya and his schemes.

"Then let's get going."

Nodding back, you grab the lead to the donkey and start in the direction of Mondstat city, knowing that the easier way to the forest is along it, but you're stopped not even five minutes in by a curious Dottore. 

"What is that?" Pointing to the large door of the domain, you try to explain, but he ignores you, instead demanding, "We'll cut through this way!" 

"But the path—"

"Trust me, domains are normally shortcuts to different places."

"Normally…?" You're not very confident in his idea, but saying no to him isn't an option, plus you're a Knight, you can finish any domain without a problem! 

So, you tie up the donkey at the tree outside, unhooking it from the cart so you can pack two travel bags just in case. They're small and only hold a single tent and food rations, but they'll get the job done should you not get back to the mule before nightfall.

As you try to hand his bag to him, he instead insists you take it, leaving you to carry two bags instead of just your own. Rolling your eyes, you accept it and follow him into the Temple of the Falcon. 

Knights of Favonius aren't usually explorers, so you've never been in a domain before, and it's strange. The place is filled with ancient buildings that couldn't possibly fit under the hill the domain is against, but it's still very much real. You half wonder if domains are like the tales of teapots holding entire worlds from Liyue… but that's just magic, nothing special.

Stairs, gliding on wind currents, gliding down platforms, these are all easy tasks to you by now after all your time with Dottore. It feels weird calling him something other than Doctor, but you're sure he has his own reasons for preferring you to use this new name away from the city. Even after weeks, there are still so many things you don't know about him, and probably never will, if you follow Kaeya's plan.

So you won't, you'll do whatever it takes to keep Dottore away from Dragonspine. No matter the excuse, you'll refuse, for his safety.

"Dottore, stop." He stops in place, curious as he turns back to you, but you just bend down and pick up a rock, tossing it onto the tile he was going to step on, and an arrow flies by right where he would've been standing. "Traps."

"Hmm, I suppose that should be expected, but we are nearing the end, I think I see some pillars we must light to activate more wind currents." 

"Let's just be careful…" even as you say that you can't avoid what happens next.

It happens too quick to think properly, the trap under his foot snapping at just the tiniest amount of pressure.

Your foot comes into contact with the floor just as you put your glider away, with Dottore only a footstep in front of you, glider still out as you're struck from the front. The force is enough to have you falling back, your heel being the only thing still in contact with the ground as your hand comes to where the arrow is lodged in your stomach, puncturing the skin below. 

Eyes wide, you look to him in shock, thinking for a moment that you've been betrayed, but beyond him lies an even greater enemy, holding a bow and aiming for Dottore next.

Your heel slips from the ground, and you know you're about to fall off the edge of the bridge, so you grab onto his cloak, pulling him down to the ground. Hearing the arrow whizzing by just as you take your plunge off the edge, you hear it continue, not coming into contact with him. It's a relief, setting your heart at ease even though you're going to die. 

Domains are known for bottomless chasms, so this truly is it… 

His hand grabs yours, right above you as you both fall. You had only meant to pull him out of the way, but his glider was still out, meaning he could save himself, it wasn't big enough to carry the both of you though, so holding on is fruitless. 

"Dottore… we're falling…" you note dryly, the realization not fully dawning on you yet.

"Uh yeah, I can see that, you think I can't tell we are falling at a rapid rate and I don't know what's at the bottom?" 

Chuckling at your helplessness, you see blood from your wound fall off of you, going up and splashing on his coat, but he doesn't comment on it, trying to think of what to do. You'll never understand that about him, he just doesn't give up when he really should. Just use your glider and get away, save yourself , that's what you want to tell him.

His eyes are frantic behind his mask for once, looking down behind you and noting just a moment too late as to what exactly is at the bottom of the domain. Reaching forward, he grabs onto your head and pulls you close to him, just as your bodies splash into the chilly dark water below.

Surprisingly, he holds your head above the water, keeping you both up as he looks for any sign of land… and finding that there's seemingly a whole chunk of unexplored caverns down here. It's better than drowning, so he starts swimming with you in tow, struggling against the weight of both of your bags on your back, but he manages. 

Pulling you out of the water is a chore, deciding to get the travel bags off of you just so he can drag you even further into the dirt cave. Though there's ancient infrastructure surrounding you, this part seems to be overgrown with greenery, which acts as a cover to anyone still up at the top of the domain who may be looking for you both. Of course, it's not like they'd know there is actual stuff down here and that it isn't a bottomless pit, but you know survival, and hiding to recuperate is best.

He leans you against a fallen part of the wall that slants just nicely, crouching down and removing his cloak so he can cut a part off for you. His hands trail to your stomach where you are holding the arrow still inside yourself, and he asks seriously, "Does it hurt?"

Sucking in a hiss, you nod, mouth dry as you groan painfully, "Yes… but you're a doctor, right?" Laughing to yourself, you miss the look in his eyes at that, before he gets down to business. 

"Don't pull it out, use this fabric to wrap around the part where the arrow is entering your skin. I'm going to see what we have that can help."

With that, he leaves you alone, returning back to the bank to grab your travel bags and place them by you before wandering deeper into the abandoned ruins. It doesn't take long before he's back with some leaves, ones you certainly don't know the name of, as per usual. 

Kneeling back down by you, he has to lean a lot just to be close to you on the floor, pulling away the cut-up cloth from your skin in order to examine it again. Not a lot of time has passed, but he can see the skin getting red and inflamed. "Shit, poison."

"Poison?" You mimic him, seemingly out of it, so he just nods and begins chewing up the leaves he brought back. Making a sort of slush out of them inside his mouth, he spits the mixture into his hand, which you comment about, "That's so gross."

Pressing it into your wound, he hears you sigh in relief as the numbness begins to spread through your skin and deeper into the flesh. His mouth already feels numb, and he's sure he looks stupid with his mouth hanging open because he can't even close it, but he's more worried about the arrow.

It's not all the way through, rather the head has been implanted into your stomach, close to your right hip. While he can only guess that there are no organs that've been hit, he can't be sure unless he gets the damn thing out. 

"Listen, I'm gonna have to spread the wound open in order to pull the arrow out, and it may hurt... a lot. Even with the poultice on you." 

"I'd like to, you know, not die, so just do whatever you need, even if it hurts like a bitch."

"Now that's what I like to hear."

Taking off his mask, he sets it atop your head while reaching in his personal bag to grab the same piece of bark he harvested earlier. Holding it up to your mouth, you realize what he wants to do, opening up and accepting it between your teeth. 

This is going to be a long night… that's all that crosses your mind before he grabs onto the arrow, and you pass out. 

-----------------

Oh, so you passed out ? Pathetic as usual for you, but he continues the lengthy process of carefully removing the arrowhead from your body without tearing up the flesh even more. It takes a lot of maneuvering, and he wishes he had any of his usual surgical tools, but he doesn't, so he has to make do. 

Dressing the wound is different, he's not used to actually properly caring for a victim, so removing your armor is strange for him. Knights of Favonius uniforms are so predictable, with light armor on top, a thicker shirt in the middle, and then a thin undershirt just for modesty. He leaves you in that shirt while wrapping (very damp) bandages around your waist, contemplating putting the thicker shirt back on, but it's way too wet to get back over your head. 

Speaking of, he's all soaked too, and it's unbearably uncomfortable… searching the bags you prepared, he finds a fire starter and gathers a bunch of branches and leaves, creating a stone circle to encase it before striking the flint to create sparks. 

One hits a particular fry leaf and behind to smolder, so he bends down and begins to blow gently on the flame, feeding it some more brush until the fire gets going. Leaving it to its own devices, he goes back into the ruins for the stuff he had spotted earlier, mostly ropes and wooden planks, plus some metal poles. 

Using his available materials, he sets up some clotheslines to begin drying your armor and clothing, along with his cloak and both of your bags. The fire quickly expands, spreading more warmth into the alcove and lighting up the curious environment around him. 

It's truly been some years since a version of him was last in Mondstat, things have certainly changed, but this domain was not nearly as boobytrapped last time. Though he hasn't much time to explore and goof off then, he still passed through once or twice. 

Meaning, it's been recently retrapped, or maybe even intentionally trapped on the off chance some criminals may try to use it as a shortcut… turning over the bark from Vanessa's tree, he can see the dents of your bite in it, running his fingers over them nonchalantly. 

Great, now he has to keep you alive and try to figure out how the hell to get back up to the main structure of the domain without you dying along the way. Though he had gotten permission to take you out of Mondstat city, he didn't get the proper paperwork to assign blame for your death on anyone else but him.

Rolling his eyes, he returns to your sleeping body to grab his mask from your head, taking a moment to place his ear against your breast to check for your pulse. It beats steadily, though a bit weaker than most nights when he would examine you while you slept. Most definitely due to your injury then, the poison is still inside you, though without any other symptoms it'll be hard to diagnose and treat. To then, he needs to entertain himself while you rest.

Lucky for him, there's an entirely unknown and unexplored section of the domain down here, and definitely many more things to find and collect. It's like his own personal scavenger hunt, all for himself.

-----------------------

There's no dream to comfort you, and reality is harsher than any nightmarish scenario you could ever think up. 

Sitting up from your sleep, you look around for a moment, numbness still dulls the pain from your wound, but something else creeps up instead. 

Hunching over in pain, your hands come to your chest, unable to even get one breath of air from how tight it feels. Your throat is dry and itchy, so you claw your nails against your skin haphazardly, paying no mind to the redness it leaves behind. 

He watches you struggle for just a moment more, savoring your reactions before revealing himself and grabbing onto both of your hands. Slurring his words because of the chewed-up liquid in his mouth, he states almost sadistically, "Yhou're naht ghunna lihke thich," not giving you time to register it, he presses his mouth to yours and forces you to open it by pressing his knee into your wound, spitting out the slurry of medicinal herbs directly onto your tongue.

He refuses to pull away as you gag on it, hands letting go of your wrists and instead gripping onto your throat as he pushes you down onto your back. Your only choice is to swallow, which you do give into, but you can hardly even manage it, which is why he massages your throat gently with his cold fingers, easing the liquid down before finally departing his lips from yours. 

Beyond shocked and startled, you lay limp for a good few minutes as he moves away, shark-toothed grin as he smugly waits for your response. 

It's exactly what he expects too, you sit up and cough; hands lightly touching your throat as you continue breathing from your nose before taking a tentative breath with your mouth. Stinging as it is, you don't get the sense of suffocation as before, so you sigh in relief, looking up at him with grateful tear-filled eyes.

You don't even need to say anything, and he's not sure you can just yet, so he just widens his smile at your reaction, hoping to make you uneasy, but you just relax instead.

Laying back on the broken piece of wall, you cringe at the cold temperature of the stone, sitting up just as quickly. His snickering fills your ears, comforting you, you are so used to him showing amusement at your suffering that it's nice to hear. It means you must be okay.

You wonder how Diluc is doing back at Mondstat, surely not worried about you, but what you wouldn't do for a cold glass of wine right now… 

Your sigh alerts Dottore, who can't tell that it's a dreamy one and not pained, so he just puts his hand on your head, gently petting your hair.

"Er… you'll be alright. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about me, I just miss everyone back in Mondstat, that's all."

He hums, shrugging, "Based on my observations and exploring, there's no way to get back up to the main part of the domain naturally."

Mouth dropping, you look at him in complete shock, unable to believe that you'll be stuck down here with him of all people. 

Wiggling his finger in front of you, he proclaims proudly, "So we'll just have to survive until I come up with a way to get back up!" The fact that he sounds optimistic only makes your heart sink more. 

"What if we can't get back up?"

"Then we'll die down here, where no one can ever find us ever again."

"Total bummer…"

Silence consumes you both as he moves away to continue going through all the available supplies, organizing, and setting aside anything useful. There's not enough food for even a week down here, and you're not sure if the water is even safe to drink. You can see that there's a flow to it, implying it must be entering and exiting the domain somewhere, but who knows how far away that could be… 

The fire is nice and warm on your cold face, the orange light illuminating your surroundings as you look around the makeshift campsite he constructed while you were unconscious.

Despite him always making you do everything, it appears that he's actually quite capable on his own, which just makes the fact that he made you do it all the more insulting.

You're in the Temple of the Falcon, a domain in which most Knights never enter, and now you're stuck in it, injured, with a maniac. 

At least he proclaims to be a Doctor.

—--------------

Things aren't going good, it's been a few days, how is your wound not getting better? With your shirt up, you let your fingers graze the edge of the festering wound, barely able to get a full view thanks to the angle of your body. It seems purple, with a bit of red, and while you can't feel it much thanks to the poultice he keeps putting on it, even you can see that it looks bad.

Pulling the freshly washed and dried gauze off of the line, you wrap it around your stomach and pull your shirt back on. Thankfully the water is fresh, perhaps the entire bottom of the domain is a spring, clean to drink and to bathe in. When the sun is up you even get a good amount of light from high above, soft streams of sunlight bathing you in the morning.

Well, except that he hates them. You half expected a hiss from him the first morning, in which he pulled himself back to the furthered part of the ruin and sheltered himself there. Coming out when the sun goes away, he sits by the fire and tends to it while going over his observations, boring you half to death, but you're just glad he hasn't given up. 

Sitting down across from him, you silently pull off a roasted lavender melon from the fire and chew it, finding it sweet, yet somehow also savory. So it was actually worth all the money he made you pay for it… Go figure.

"I think I know of a way to get out, though it does involve some painstaking, back-breaking, will to live breaking—"

"Get on with it, Dottore!"

"Yeesh alright, someone's snappy today! And here I thought you'd finally become fond of me."

Snickering at just the idea, you lay back onto your makeshift bed, trying to get comfortable on your non-injured side but still face him.

He carries on as you adjust yourself, "It involves swimming, diving, and then finding an underwater cavern. Can you swim?"

Ignoring the sharp twinge of your gut, you nod even as the sweat grows on your forehead, "I'm a Knight, I can manage anything, a small injury like this won't keep me down for much longer."

"Oh, did you need a day or two more of rest?"

Shaking your head, you don't notice the concerned look he gives you as your eyelids slowly close shut, "I'll take care of you, I said I would… I have to get you… we'll get back to Mondstat…"

Letting you doze off into slumber, he scoots himself closer to you, taking the time to carefully examine your wound again and again. Just as he hypothesized on the first day, he doesn't have the necessary things to cure the poison, simply able to just mitigate the effects for the time being. However, it will still slowly work its way through your system until he cures it, meaning you're on a time limit.

His jerry-rigged lab isn't enough, none of the potions he's created have helped, and your supplies are running out faster than expected thanks to all his attempts as well. At this rate… even he will die down here. Unless he resorts to cannibalism, but your body would be tainted from the poison, so even that's not a viable option.

Prime Dottore will surely look down upon him if he were to perish down here like some pathetic Mondstater. As if Prime would've even supported his nonsensical trip with you in the first place, but he justified it as using you for information. His only knowledge of Mondstat is that which he shares with a younger Dottore who visited in the past, so it's reasonable to need a guide.

You've done more than just show him Mondstat, putting up with his antics and his attitude and even retorting back with equal ferocity. He likes that about you, you always come up with ways to amuse him, even in the smallest of spats or disagreements.

His hand finds its way to your head, wiping the sweat away now that his gloves are off, pushing back your hair and blowing cool air over your face. Your nose twitches at his action, causing a rare genuine smile to cross his face before promptly leaving it. 

His other selves won't like it, but he may try to stay in Mondstat just a fair bit longer. If only to see that your recovery is going okay, then he can leave and forever forget about all this. You'll be safer without him being a constant nuisance anyway, probably a whole lot stressed as well. 

So, rest for now, as he has no need for sleep.

—-----------

"Everything ready, Dottore?"

"Bag strapped on, belt done, and mask safely tucked away."

You glance at his naked face before looking away just as fast, awkwardly coughing, "Good to know."

He took it off previously, even if only for a few moments, so it's not like you have no clue what he looks like, it's just strange that there's really nothing special he was covering up. No scars or birthmarks or strange bumps, it's just a perfect face.

Dottore sits just a the edge of the ruin, legs in the water as you go over your supplies one more time, repeating the plan to yourself over and over, "Swim to the pillar, dive straight down, then go forward until you find the cave, enter it, go up, and boom! Breathable air again!" 

"Yes yes," he waves you over, "We've gone over this a million times now, the sun has set, it's fine to go before you psych yourself out."

You hesitate, hand pressing just over the top of your wound, a slight burning sensation greeting you at the pressure. It stings, but you can deal with it, you've only got a day's food left, you need to escape now, or else you'll start to starve and then you'll die.

And you really don't want to die with him of all people. 

"Alright, let's go." Slipping into the water without you, you look back at the stuff you're leaving behind, his cloak being one of the many things deemed too cumbersome to swim with, and picture him in it. His white dress shirt and fancy black bottoms were certainly not what you were expecting to be under that dusty cloak, but they are much lighter than your knight's armor, which you have to leave behind. 

Wishing a farewell to your beloved uniform, you run and jump into the water as he resurfaces, splashing him and earning his ire, but he shakes it off just as quick, keeping his head above water to speak as you both swim towards the pillar. 

"I won't be able to save you should anything go wrong, so don't let anything go wrong, okay?"

Clenching your teeth as the sting of the water greets your open wound, you're grateful that it's not salt water, but damn if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye. Huffing to hide the pain, you answer, "Right back at ya, Dot."

"Dot? Is that what you've nicknamed me now?"

Even with the cold water around you, still slightly bearable from the sun earlier in the day, you blush, catching him off guard. Biting into your lip, you shake away all your thoughts as your hands fruitlessly grip the pillar. "Shut up, let's get this over with."

"Right back at you, Knight." Ignoring him, you lift up your hand and count down to three on it, taking a deep breath and diving as soon as you hit zero. He follows behind you, much more careful and calm, staying at your side as you swim down, then forward, just as he told you to.

Confident in your abilities, he pushes himself forward, allowing you to trail behind him and be guided for once. As he enters the cave, resurfacing and taking a deep breath of the fresh air trailing in from a fairway entrance, he pulls himself up and sets down his bag, wringing out the bottom of his shirt.

He hears you breach a few seconds later, shaking the water out of his ears before turning to the small hole. Mouth open, ready to say something snarky, he's greeted simply with your bag, and not you.

All sense leaves his mind as he sucks in a breath and dives back in, eyes open even as they sting from the bubbles churned up by his stroking limbs. Hair flowing all around him, he turns to catch sight of you, the dark water surrounding him on all sides and encasing him in shadow. 

Even if his lungs burn, even if he drowns, and even if he wasn't ever real, he wants to die with the knowledge that he tried to do something good for once in his short life.

A large bubble comes up, alerting him down to a small underwater cliff face, where he can see you struggling against something, hand on your side and desperately reaching for him. 

Your vision is blurry, his image is in your eyes, the concern and fear in his dark red eyes as he reaches you fills your memory as your last breath leaves your body, mind fading as he grabs onto you and begins to pull you up.

Breaching the water's surface once again, he quickly pulls you up and onto the cave floor, laying you flat on your back before pressing his head to your chest.

Silence.

Working quickly, he kneels beside your chest and locks his hands together, pressing his palm in the middle of your chest before pushing down repeatedly. Twenty compressions in, he moves your head back and clears your airway before pinching your nose and locking his mouth with yours. Blowing precious air before checking your heartbeat again, and hearing a faint sound.

Repeating the process, he doesn't stop until you start coughing, helping you to your side and allowing you to expel the water you'd swallowed.

Examining you, he can see the source of it all immediately, the skin of your stomach fully exposed to him as he pulls up your shirt to fully take in the red and blue flesh. The poison has spread from the entry wound to cover nearly half of your midsection, and it looks painful, he can only imagine why you wouldn't tell him about this before leaving. 

All morning, did you walk around with this? Pretending everything was normal and that his treatments were still effective, just to prove what? That he's a fool who can't take care of anyone?! 

Your frantic breathing finally calms down, slowly laying your head on the cave floor, but he doesn't allow it, pulling your head into his lap and permitting you to rest there instead. The exit to this place isn't more than five hundred steps away, he can hear a faint breeze even, you'll feel better once you're out.

Pulling his bag over, he grabs his satchel and rummages around for a certain vial, hearing you mumble incoherently while you watch him do so. Curious to what he's doing, probably, so he voices his actions, "I should have something that can make it better, I'm sorry I didn't notice- I should've insisted on a health check this morning, but you told me you were alright- ugh! Don't lie to your doctor, isn't that a rule? You should've just obeyed like always!"

He's exasperated, maybe even exhausted, he should care for much, you're just a human, you'll die at some point or another. You don't even have a vision, you're worthless in the eyes of the Gods, nothing more than a quota to fill.

"Dottore…" your voice is so weak, he's done all he can previously with the medicinal herbs available, but he has no doubt that the poison was made to only be cured in a certain way. One he can't risk trying over and over again and then failing; for once in his life he just wants his experiment to stay alive. 

"Yes, my Knight?"

"I've always wondered… do you dye your hair with wolfberries… or is it natural?"

Even he smiles at such a silly question, "I came into this world with this color of hair."

Your thoughtful hum, the happy and pleasant smile you give him as you lie unaware of your impending doom… Anyone would feel a bit of melancholy at the sight. 

No longer able to question him as he lifts a vial up to your mouth, you drink the pleasantly cool liquid with no complaints. His eyes give nothing away as you look up at him, body relaxing into his arms, your consciousness forcibly being taken away from you. The limited strength you have left is used to lift up your hand to his face, fingers barely coming upon his cheek before falling once more. 

It had to be done. All he hopes is that you rest easy, even without him at your side.

Useless sentimentality plagues his mind for the first time in his short existence, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead as he stands up with your body in his arms.

When you're found at the entrance gate of Mondstat that night, a guard just by chance passing by on patrol, you're brought to the cathedral to receive help from the young Deaconess.

All of the Knights are there at your side, wondering where you've been for so many years, but you can't answer them.

You're tired, and you miss Dottore, you want to sleep for just a bit longer…

Maybe then you'll wake up in his arms again.

Chapter Text

"It's really nice to see you again, you know."

Why are you here? Why did your silly idiot brain think that anyone would even miss you? 

It's been two years, you're nothing now.

He hesitates at the door to the bar, cautiously turning back to address you, "I know."

Yet he doesn't go inside as one would expect.

That's Diluc for you , he never does what you think he will.

His lips part for a moment, flatten, and then open again, "Everyone was… worried about you, all the Knights searched for you for months on end. It was only the terror of Dvalin that stopped them from continuing."

Even after so long, your heart still beats fast when you talk to him, "I heard about that, one of the four winds going mad and attacking Mondstat, then came a traveler who solved the whole situation all in under a month. Unbelievable."

Diluc nods, finally reaching for the Angel's Share door, "Everyone missed you…" his face is solemn as he looks back, "Even Kaeya." With that, he quickly enters and shuts the door, the sound of the lock reaching your ears even at the table.

With a thud, your head hits the table's surface, groaning at the interaction between you and him.

This was such a silly endeavor, you're nearly recovered; two weeks in the Church being cared for by the best hydro healer around will do that to a man.

Now you're here, acting like it's the last day you'll have to live and make amends for all the stupid things you've done in the past.

Something is missing from your mind, and it isn't just the two-year gap in your memory. Two years away from Mondstat; yet you have no clue what you were doing or who you were with or how you ended up injured at the gates of the city.

There was something you recalled just before you fell asleep that night you returned, but it vanished by the time you awoke again some hours later. Perhaps it was nothing, maybe you're just overthinking things as always, but you haven't been able to rest all that well with the burning question in your mind.

Who is he?

The man who plagues your mind whenever you finally drift asleep, with soft blue hair and a mischievous grin; the expressions he wears always make you want to punch his face, but there's a familiarity to it that brings pangs of longing to your heart.

Perhaps he is the thing the Knights are keeping from you, you can tell by their behavior that they aren't telling you something on purpose. Varka has begun his expedition, and Jean is now the Acting Grand Master, meaning that whatever it is, she is behind it.

With a sigh, you stand up and push your chair in, keeping your arms around yourself as you walk the cold and lonely Mondstat streets. Back in your Knights uniform, save for the chest piece, the cold seeps in the metal much quicker than it would any other garments, but you refused anything else.

You're a Knight just as any other, you may have been out of action for a significant period of time, and gravely injured, but you're on the mend and that means you should be there to help others. It's selfish to stay inside and run away from the problems of others, you should go back to your regular duties as soon as possible.

Glancing up to the stars above, you send a quick prayer to Barbatos, you've never been religious but Barbara told you that perhaps the action may bring you some comfort, even if you don't believe in Gods. You appreciate her advice, yet... it brings you no comfort to wish that you remembered what happened to you.

Laying in bed alone, the small twin-sized mattress too comfortable on your back and yet also too uncomfortable for your stomach, you toss and turn all night. Nothing feels right, it's as if your very brain is so overwhelmed that even one thing going wrong will make you cry.

It's pathetic. 

Before all this, you lived with a simple goal in mind, being a good friend and a good Knight until you died. Sure those goals weren't very ambitious, but you didn't care, you were content to simply live a happy little life.

By the time you finally fall asleep, the sun has begun to rise, and as soon as you wake up, you grab the drink at your nightstand and down it all in one go.

Holding the glass, you smack your lips in satisfaction, but then you recall... that you didn't get this? Looking down at the tall clear glass, you see nothing wrong with it, and even as you swipe your thumb across the side, nothing changes.

You must've forgotten getting up to get it, or you somehow walked in your sleep due to your thirst. Well, your sleepy self is at least kind to your woken-up self in that regard.

Today, you feel remarkably better, though your side twinges in pain every so often, your armor isn't nearly as uncomfortable as it was the last few days. Dare you even say... you feel good.

Smiling to yourself as you stand guard at the gate, you begin your patrol around Mondstat with a casual stroll, wishing well to the shopkeepers as you pass by and making idle conversation with a traveler. They've never visited Mondstat before, and you help guide them to Angel's Share before resuming your route.

When the wind picks up, you're almost at the end of your patrol, so you duck into an alleyway to take a quick moment of break.

Leaning against the cobblestone wall, you glance at the mushrooms growing along the area, large and bountiful, yet just out of your reach. You heard that sometimes the Honorary Knight will return just to collect these weird plants, but you can't help them, you have no vision… and you're also not nearly tall enough.

Still, your arm moves and you reach your hand fruitlessly at the fungus, small streams of sunlight just barely making themselves known at the edge of your fingers.

For some reason, you can taste them in your mouth. Philanemo mushrooms... That's their name. How do you know that though? You've never been an expert at plant life, and identifying flora is one of the things you nearly failed at during a Knight exam with Varka...

The mushroom blows in the gentle wind, swaying with a melodic tune and a soft word of advice, " Salt ."

Jerking from the wall, you stand at attention to make up for someone catching you in such a state, but there's no one there. Curious, you poke your head out of the alleyway, and your eyes widen at what you see.

Blue hair. Flowing just from around the corner, heading in the direction of the blacksmith.

Chest tight, you try to keep calm as you resume the final part of your patrol, but you can't keep up the act, breaking out into a jog- and then a run. You know what you saw, and given how rare such hair color is, it must be him. Right?

Rounding the corner, you are barely able to stop yourself from falling due to your previous momentum, surveying the entire area until you catch sight of him again.

However, the only person you can see aside from the usual shopkeepers is Eula, polite with Wagner and getting a small repair done to her claymore... Foolish of you to think it would be someone else. After all, she lives in Mondstat, seeing her around is to be expected.

Calming your breathing as you walk past her, you give a respectful nod as you pass, though she says nothing and seems to completely ignore you, much as she does to anyone else.

At least some things haven't changed in your time away.

Who is the 'him' your mind conjured up though? When you saw the blue…

With your spare time set for the day, you make your way to the fountain close to the church, standing just at the edge and looking into the water below.

It's so peaceful, and calm, with clear water and a relaxing trickle that is pleasant on the ears. Anyone would be grateful for such a respite, any— "Goodness! Did you hear what those other recruits said?"

Someone's talking awfully loud, "Quiet. Someone may hear... But yes, I did."

"I can't believe the Doctor is going to Sumeru. First, the Balladeer goes missing, and now another Harbinger is on the move, what's next? The Captain in Fontaine?!"

You recognize none of those names, at all.

However, Fatui diplomats spilling stuff like that may be something you should report to Jean... The information isn't useful to you, but she may know what they're talking about.

Suddenly, you feel as if you're being watched, and you quickly turn to where you know there must be someone on the rooftops- yet there is nothing, no one; aside from a small orange cat, sleeping in the sun and basking the day away.

Paranoia is another symptom you were told to be wary of, so perhaps you should visit Barbara for treatment of your wound. It's nearly fully scarred, but due to the deep nature of it, it may hurt for a long time, and the poison has had very clear side effects to be wary of. Definitely one of the worst injuries you've had in your life, you definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Smiling at your own misery, you patrol Mondstat without a care in the world for several more days, and nothing happens. You nearly forgot how boring your home is when there are no events or adventurers visiting, it's just the same thing, day in and day out. 

Tonight though, you wake up a bit too early in the morning. Rubbing at your eyes, you look to your nightstand and notice that you haven't gotten your usual glass of water. 

You'd assumed before that your sleepy self walked up and got it without realizing it, but maybe someone has actually been leaving it for you? Which Knight would go through so much effort just to make sure you could wake up to a cool glass of water though… 

Wary, you walk to your room door and peer out into the hallway, the silence of the night seeming to seep into your very soul as you listen for any movements. 

Nothing comes, however, the world is just as quiet as it should be. For an odd reason, that unnerves you more than if something actually was amiss. 

Walking to the kitchen with your glass, you fill it up to the brim with water and take a small sip. Doesn't taste nearly the same as a glass the moment you wake up, but it's still good, simple, and satisfying.

…

Wow, you're really boring. Your whole life is boring, but what can you do ? It's better to have some safety and stability than risk your life adventuring, that was your original logic in joining the Knights, and it still is. 

Unable to fall back asleep, you sit in your room and organize the very few things you own. Or rather, what was left of what you owned. After you vanished, some of your things were sold in order to fund the search to look for you. You don't blame them for looking, but you did miss your more expensive things, especially the knick-knacks you used to decorate your shelves with.

Everything is so empty now, you kinda feel out of place, even though it's still the same room you left behind. That's bound to happen when you essentially have a two-year loss of memory… and no one knows what happened to you.

Well, you may as well rearrange your room a bit then, make it a bit more personal and all that.

You only get to move one thing, your small nightstand, before you find something, it must've been missed when they cleared out your room, or at least that's what you assume as you bend down and pick up the small journal. 

Quickly lighting your lantern, you set it up on the nightstand and sit back on your bed with the closed book. It's not much bigger than your hands with a small bit of leather to latch and keep it closed on the button in the front. 

The whole thing looks handmade… but what isn't here in Mondstat?

Opening it up, you find that it isn't filled with any juicy drama or perhaps even words of your lost memories. It's just notes, along with samples of leaves and flowers and then drawings upon drawings of you in various landscapes across Mondstat.

Who could've drawn this? Why would they? Who took the time to start a journal to observe Mondstat's nature and then start to observe you ?

Gently, you trail your hands over the last drawing, brows furrowed in confusion at the scribbled mess. All the drawings are slightly water damaged, but it appears as if this one was extra roughed up.

There are strange symbols on stone and trailing vines wrapping all around them, and then a crackling fire at the front, but between them is just a body. Is it yours? You can't tell. It looks dead. 

Maybe it is. 

This isn't your journal at all, is it? Maybe you should try to search for the rightful owner… somehow, you know you won't find them.

Yet that doesn't stop you from asking everyone you can the next few days, glancing over your shoulder at the rooftops and never catching sight of anyone. You can't stop doing it though, you feel as if there's something you're missing, you know you are- but nothing is revealing itself to you.

Every night is spent pouring over the pages, reading the text again and again, even the small comments about how a specific leaf tastes terrible, it's all scrutinized by your curious eyes. The handwriting is so elegant yet messy, near undecipherable, but you can read it with ease.

Whoever wrote this must be interesting, much more than you can ever be, and you want to meet him. It must be the man with blue hair, you know it deep down, that obscured face that haunts your every dream now.

Sleep finds you late, and it leaves your grip much sooner than you'd like. 

When the sun begins to rise, you put on your uniform and check your sword according to your protocol, careful as you tuck it into your waistband for safekeeping.

You're a Knight above anything else, before you're injured or before you're boring- you're a Knight of Favonious. 

There was a time you thought it would be impossible, no vision, no skills, no training, you could fix all of that, and you did, struggling for years just for a chance to finally be useful. You became a Knight, you became finally useful, and then you vanished.

What happened to you? Why can't you recall things you should? It doesn't hurt to try to remember these last two years, but everything before that is fine.

Every night you'd go to Angel's Share to relax and unwind, sometimes Kaeya would join you, and sometimes you'd admire Diluc, but you'd mostly just do it to have people around you. That friendship you had as children has long since gone, you've known that for a long while now… yet you foolishly still thought that maybe he would look your way. 

He never has.

No, he never did .

You really are a loner...

Trading places with the guard at the front gate, you stand in place with your hand hovering gently over your wounded side. No one can see the injury under your armor, but it's there, at least it doesn't hurt too badlt today.

Barbara is damn good at what she does, and you've been taking care to take your medicine anytime there's even the slightest amount of pain. Maybe you'll end up addicted to the painkillers, who really knows? At least then you'll be a bit more interesting.

Hearing someone walking towards the gate from inside the walls, you stand straight and move your hands to your side, lifting your chin proudly as they walk right up to you. 

Tall and mischievous is a man you haven't seen in quite a while, apparently off helping some sort of event in Liyue, but back now, the Cavalry Captain himself.

"Oh, Kaeya." It's a simple statement, yet he takes it as an invitation.

"My my, there's our dearest missing Knight, finally showing up after so long, causing such a fuss too..." His smile is one that doesn't reach his eye, and you feel a sharp jolt in your now scarred-up wound. Something about him makes your insides crawl, and you don't know why.

All you can think of is what you were told before, "Diluc says you missed me."

His eye opens up wide for a moment as he catches sight of you holding onto your side, before chuckling, "Surely you don't hold that against me... I was just trying to help you, after all."

You have no clue what he's talking about, but you know there's something here. Unlike the other Knights, you've known Kaeya even before the incident, so you can exploit that.

"Help me? Kaeya, we both know that you didn't help me at all, in fact, I would say it was quite the opposite." Avoiding eye contact with him, you huff and cross your arms, pretending to know more than you actually do, "And now you won't even apologize? Does our status as Knights- no, as comrades in arms mean nothing to you?"

The apprehension in his shoulders is the sign you need that your ploy has worked, earning a soft and resigned sigh from the man before he properly apologizes. "I'm sorry for shooting you with an arrow- by pure accident. I feel the need to clarify it was not on purpose, I was actually aiming for that bastard Fatu—" he shuts up as quickly as he started, seeing the realization hit your face the moment his words register in your foggy brain.

Fatui. Guard. The Doctor. Dottore. Domain. Arrow. Falling. Wounded. Drowning. Gate.

Somehow, you keep your face neutral, despite your heart beating out of your chest and your pupils dilating out of your control. Your voice remains even calmer, "It's no biggie, I'm almost fully recovered anyway, and I'm back home. It's all water under the bridge now."

Relief hits his face, falling for your facade easily, "Ah-hah, well, Varka told me and I was just so happy to follow orders you know, didn't think it through and all that..."

You need to leave Mondstat. Immediately.

The Doctor is heading to Sumeru. That's what those Fatui informants said last week, it's what you overheard, meaning he must be heading there now, regardless if he is actually the Doctor or just a helper, it doesn't matter.

"Yeesh, no need to get so sappy Kaeya," you pat his shoulder just before walking away, leaving him to take your place at the gate, "Why don't you go talk out that touchy-feely stuff with Diluc instead, huh?" You laugh at that, and he shakes his head, smiling as you leave him behind.

Even if you wanted to stay, you can't. Diluc, Kaeya, and Jean, none of them can understand what happened down there. Actually, you don't either, but you know you can when you're with him again.

The day goes by slowly, hours of sunlight fade into hours of moonlight as you stay out of sight of any other Knight, and then you finally return to your quarters, packing a travel bag and sneaking out to visit the adventurers guild in search of information.

Katheryne is happy to help, telling you about a sighting of a man matching the description you give her, face mask and all. The hope in your eyes fades as she tells you of his last whereabouts though.

The very edges of Mondstat, heading to Liyue... And that was a few days ago. The same day you found that journal in your room.

It can't be a coincidence. He was in Mondstat this entire time, observing you, watching over you, making sure you were healing, then when he found out that were nearly one hundred percent again, he left for Sumeru to reunite with the other Fatui there.

Dottore... No- Dot. Your Dot.

Wishing the woman well, you sling your bag over your shoulder, still in all your Knights gear, and begin to run.

There's no doubt in your mind that he must be in Liyue now, surely traveling by foot if the informants were correct about his sightings, and definitely in no hurry. At a walking pace, one can make it through all of Liyue to the Chasm in a week, if you don't sleep or eat or drink, which you know he doesn't.

After that, it's a direct line to Sumeru, and then he would be gone. You have to stop him before that.

Lungs burning as you pass by Dawn Winery, you look up to the sky above, stars shining down on your already weak body. You're not the same Knight you were before, and your scar mars half your stomach now, reminding you every single day of that time down there in the bottom of the domain.

It was short, but it was sweet. Even if things are hazy in your mind, the care he showed you, the fact he went back down just to grab you, and watched you recover... You can't lose him like this.

Sure, if you find him and he declares that he actually hates you and never wants to see you again, you'll be sad and cry, but at least you'll know . Letting him go run off like some sort of weak little bitch baby though-  that isn't your style, you're gonna end this on your own terms.

Screaming to the night sky, you surely look insane to anyone who may see you, but you don't care anymore, "Dot! You aren't getting the last laugh!"

—--------------

He can hear… something. It isn't a thud, nor is it a pitter-patter, but it's constant. Starting off rather far away and low, it's gotten quite close now, even though he still keeps walking as straightforwardly as ever, the Chasm entrance approaching his view mere moments after first making the observation of sound.

With the rock surrounding him on either side, he turns around to face the noise, the only way to confront him is dead ahead. Stopping in his tracks completely, he waits on bated breath for an attack, but the noise has stopped now.

That's… bizarre. Could he have somehow been making the noise without knowing? It stopped as soon as he did, so the chances of that being the case are pretty high. However, the noise above him, of a few small rocks failing, and then a huff, are certainly not him. 

No, they're his attacker, cleverly using his own curiosity to ambush him from above. He hates to admit it, but that's more than he expected from such an event. 

There's no chance to move as he's thrown to the ground, a body colliding with his and pinning him to the floor. The dust that rises up due to the action of it all keeps his eyes closed for a moment, only able to open them just as sharp metal is pressed to his throat. 

You're panting wildly, face covered in blood and other viscera, pupils blown wide, and yet… it's a wonderful sight to him, at least.

Dottore is calm, cool, and collected, as expected, "My my, how did you find me?"

Despite the burning questions in your eyes as you stare down at him, threatening his life with your sword, you say nothing, carefully keeping yourself planted right on top of him to prevent escape. Really he could throw you off with little to no effort and be on his way, but… he can't. It's not physical, but he's being kept in place somehow, he can't even move an inch under your gaze. 

Based on your appearance, and the time he left Mondstat, you must've been tracking him down for days. Likely slaying any enemies in your path and hunting for clues, you are a Knight after all, and unlike the other losers amongst your crew, he knew you had some fight.

"Not answering?" The way his throat moves when he swallows makes his skin come into contact with your blade, but you don't loosen your grip on it at all. Are you not afraid of hurting him? Or perhaps you remember how little he cared for his own safety before.

He can't live without knowing what you're thinking in that silly little mortal mind of yours, though whether that is his own thinking or Prime's, he isn't sure anymore. Everything has been so confusing since that trip into the domain, it almost feels like he's been disconnected from the other clones entirely.

That doesn't stop him from still being one, though. 

Finally, your breath calms down, and you whisper, faint yet sweet music to his ears all the same, "You're really going to leave?"

"Mmm," he hums, pretending to ponder it, "I'm simply a clone, I must do my master's bidding. That 'master' in this case just so happens to also be a Fatui Harbinger, so you must know what will happen should you not listen."

"I don't care, you're not leaving."

"Oh, I'm not?"

Your face stays resolute, but he can see the faint sadness in your eyes. Surely he's been nothing but a nuisance to you, he even got you dragged down into a Domain, and almost ruined your life entirely with that move… 

"You're not." The stern way you say that almost makes him believe it too. He does want to stay, some silly little part of him wants to return to Mondstat and pretend nothing bad ever happened and live peacefully with you. Maybe he could even become a knight too, despite how silly that sounds. 

That's not possible though. With the stupid diplomats there now, they'd surely be unable to keep their mouths shut that one of the Dottore segments is within their vicinity.

"I can't return to Mondstat." It's all he can think of to say, and it's true. He can't . 

"Then we will stay in Liyue." Ah, of course you'd figure out his original line of thinking and bring up a reasonable rebuttal. It's one of the many things you're skilled at after the time spent dealing with his attitude and bizarre ways. 

Back then, he treated you so carelessly, he didn't see a reason to even bother with anything other than using you as another form of experimentation. Was it wrong of him? Sure, but you must've not minded it; especially since you've gone so far as to seek him out like this.

There's so much he could say or do, so many options to discard you and be done with it. He heard it from the recruits themselves that Prime is going to be heading for Sumeru in the coming months, so it stands to reason that after his two years hiatus, he should return and report his findings then. 

A debate with your foolish logic will be easy to win, you surely can't believe that he'd actually willingly stay by your side, living in a region that has no clue who he is or who you are or where you've come from or what you plan to do…

No, wait, that would work perfectly actually. It's not as if Prime is specifically looking for him, so maybe he forgot all about the plot in Mondstat and the plan to poison the tree? It's a long shot, but just maybe...

As his gaze reconnects with yours, the moon high above your head and shining down exceptionally bright, he can only laugh. This whole thing is so dumb, why would you ever risk your life like this, and for someone like him nonetheless? You really are just as stupid as he first assumed, but… it seems he's let you infect him with that same stupidity.

"Dot… you tried to make me forget, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He isn't exactly sure himself. Sneaking those potions in your glass at night wasn't particularly hard, and you were so careless as to drink the stuff without a single thought to your safety that he had no problems dosing you. Was there even a reason for that, or was he just acting on instinct? Did he even want you to forget?

His chest has felt light at the realization that you know him, despite your weight on his torso, why he's almost relieved that it didn't work as he planned. It should've worked though, he's Dottore, and plans like his don't just fail like that.

Unless… he wanted them to? 

"I dunno."

With that, you finally fall over, he had sensed your shaky legs before, barely able to hold yourself up with the adrenaline fading from your body, but he wasn't expecting a full collapse. Your sword is limp in your hand as you lay on your side, barely conscious but clearly refusing to rest. 

Regardless of all that though, you give a cheeky smile as he quickly turns over to examine you, voice still soft, "Hah, you do care." 

He's reminded now why he kept you along for so long; you're not afraid of him at all.

Snorting, he shakes his head, "Shut up! It's your fault you're like this, did you even sleep- wait- don't answer that, I'm sure you haven't."

Fussing over you like a real doctor would, he takes care in picking you up and finding a suitable place to sleep for the night. It's just an overlook of rock, but it'll keep you out of the way and prevent any treasure hoarders from finding you as you rest. 

When he kneels down to lay you on the grass, you sigh. It's not even really that noticeable, if he wasn't fine-tuned into your every movement, he would've missed it.

"What's wrong?" The words leave his mouth without thinking, and his face changes to show that conflict just as quickly.

From his arms, you look up at him, small and pathetic and human , "I'm still causing trouble for you, even now." Hearing your voice so clearly is a blessing to him, he almost thought that he'd never hear you like that again, even though that's a stupidly juvenile thought.

"It's no trouble, I'm technically qualified as a Doctor."

Yet he couldn't do anything about that poison… it's the same one from the cart, he's sure of it, someone stole it and then tried to use it on him. How ironic then that the arrow would hit you instead, and cause so much suffering. He should've used it on that tree when he had the chance, but no, he wanted to delay it just a bit longer, he wanted an excuse to have you there at his side for just a whole yet.

It was his fault.

"I think I know how to make you better- do you want to feel better?"

"I want…" slowly, you reach into your armor and pull out a small journal, one he recognizes very well, "...to know why you drew me..?"

"Ah, those…" careful to not jostle, he takes the journal from you and opens it up to one of the many drawings inside. 

"Those…" you repeat back, unable to keep yourself awake any longer as your head turns limply to the side.

He doesn't know what to do. You're not dead, not just yet anyway, but even he knew deep down that those Archon believers would never be able to cure you. The wound may scar and it may stop hurting, but it will spread and eat away at your body until the very last nerve is split apart.

Only then would you die, suffering in agony that couldn't be stopped or even slightly lessened without providing a mercy killing instead of letting it continue to consume you.

Laying you on the soft grass, he stands up and looks to the sky above, the stars that never move, and the moon that gazes at him with unnecessary cruelty.

He can leave you here, right now, you won't have enough energy to chase after him after all the torture you've put yourself through to catch up to him. You may never have enough energy to even sit up again, even. 

Liyue… There's a place here that can prove useful for you both, an old place of research that will no doubt contain useful ingredients and machinery alike.

For now though, he lets you sleep under the fake stars, allowing you to grace them with your presence. 

To create a cure for a poison created by Prime is to do the impossible, to find a cure for something incurable, it's sure to fail, but he's still Dottore, just as much as any of the segments are.

Doing the impossible is just second nature to him.

Chapter Text

It's a struggle.

To breathe. To live.

He knows that struggle all too well.

The poison has spread inside your body rapidly, even as he works and works and works, researching and testing and spending countless sleepless nights continuing to do all he can to save your pathetic life.

Every so often he will stand by your side as you rest, sweating, panting, and struggling, and he holds your hand as your brows furrow while pained moans leave your mouth.

You're not a tree, and you didn't receive the full dose, but even a drop can be devastating on the human body. 

Why he didn't realize sooner what exactly poison you were hit with, or the fact that it was his, he doesn't know.

Seems he doesn't know nearly as much as he thought. His mind is filled with memories from the other segments, their experiments and notes flashing in his mind, but he can't connect to Prime. 

Down in the domain, something inside him was severed, and now he's unable to fulfill his duty as he was once able.

He's useless.

His gloved hands sweep everything off the desk as he agonizes once again over another failed attempt at a cure.

Temporary relief is granted on occasion, hearing your breathing relax and ease into a peaceful sleep for maybe a day or two, but then other times his failed cures seem to make the pain worsen...

"I'm tired of this-" he's shouting to no one, voice echoing through the large abandoned ruin guard factory, "-why me?! Why my Knight?! Just give me an answer!"

If he could connect to Prime for just a moment, to glimpse for even a second into his mind, he'd know the answer. Instead, he's being forced to come up with everything himself, all because he wants to care for some stupid Knight that couldn't even take care of themselves!

A breakthrough needs to be made soon, or else... you may never wake again.

He doesn't know if he can handle that, he should - he's a segment of a man who has no care for the fragility of human life. In the past, other segments have done careless things with no justification other than that they wanted to see what would happen...

So that's his reasoning now, a pathetic excuse really, but if he can justify his research by wanting to find out if this poison can really be cured... If he can manage it, he can consider himself the same as he always has: a genius with no equal, and no struggles.

For the sake of his own life, he has to keep yours aflame.

No cost is too large.

-------------

Once again wandering outside in search of fresh ingredients, he wanders for hours, coming upon villages and asking what they're selling, but none seem too keen on trading with him, even with the vast mora he's offering.

Sure, he is quite strange and imposing, cloaked and masked as he is, but he didn't expect Liyuens to be so harshly critical of his appearance... Why did he think that though?

However, he can stalk some treasure hoarders talking amongst themselves, speaking of an Adeptus who grants wishes atop Mt. Aocang to those who are deserving... It's a long shot, but he takes it, desperate for an answer, a solution, to finally present itself.

Hah... To imagine a man like Dottore being unsure, scared even, it's unlike anything he's ever thought before.

The trek up to the mountain top is laughable, anyone in his way is thrown off the cliff side or the rickety bridge to the top, his cape flowing in the wind of the whistling breeze as the adventurers and travelers use their wind gliders to safely descend downwards.

Water greets him at the peak, along with some rare fish and some uncommon flora, but what's most surprising… is a man sitting at a stone table, sipping on tea as if he belongs there.

Is he the human form of the Adeptus who lives here? Perhaps... Or maybe he's just a normal man, he ponders this as the stranger lifts his arm and motions the segment over.

Seeing no reason to not humor the human, he walks to him and sits across from him, hood still on his head as he eyes the possible adeptus with distrust.

Speaking politely, the stranger offers a question, "You've come here seeking an answer, have you not?"

Talk about reading minds... Maybe he is an Adeptus after all.

"Yes..." He can lie, but he feels no need to, so desperate for an answer as he is, "I need to know how to cure an incurable poison."

Softly, the man smiles, blowing on his hot cup of tea before taking a tentative sip, savoring it with a deep breath.

Weirdly, Dottore feels the need to explain himself further, "I know it sounds impossible, but if anyone can do it, I can. I just need to know what I need and how to mix it."

The man doesn't even look up as he responds, "That's not the answer you need, now is it?"

Riddles? That's his thing!

"Oh hah hah, cause trouble for the guy just trying to rectify his own mistake- how about you just tell me what I need so I can get out of your hair!"

His golden eyes narrow at the clone's outburst, but they're not filled with malice as he thoughtfully looks into the distance, "You have no clue what you're doing, do you?"

Dottore chuckles darkly, shouting in exasperation while scrambling for some sort of roast, "Well, you don't either!"

There's no humor in his gaze as he turns away, "Then I'm afraid I cannot help you. No Adeptus can... But you are alive, aren't you?"

Ignoring the second comment, he huffs, irritated, "You really can't help me? It's taking everything inside me to ask for this yanno, people like me don't just do this whole… asking for advice thing easily!"

The false adeptus sips on his tea again, simply ignoring the mad rambling of the desperate segment in front of him.

No, wait - he can't just leave with nothing , he needs something - anything to make leaving you worth it.

"Fine." He stands up, looking around the pond until he catches sight of the pink fish from before, "But I'm taking this with me."

There's no opposition from the man as he dives into the water and grabs it with his bare hands, holding it high in the air as he leaves the mountain and begins the trek back to the factory.

The frilled fish has long since gone still by the time he is back at his station, hands gloved again as he thoughtfully dissects the creature.

It's a beautiful thing, and he flips through some books with vague details of the creature- supposedly it's been blessed by the adepti, and can help humans live longer… Psh , nonsense, he's more invested in the meat of the fish, the special properties of it may be useful… 

By the time night falls, he's made a simple meal of it, soup. He doesn't know why he made that specific food, but it's what he could do with the few ingredients and dishes he had at hand.

Eagerly, he holds up a spoonful to your face, and you weakly sniff it, turning to him and opening your mouth to accept it as he feeds it to you.

If the strangely Adepti-blessed fish tastes bad, you don't say anything, simply chewing and swallowing the chunks with some extra effort, but your body relaxes when you lay back down after finishing it, so he can only hold some hope that it helped…

His surprise when you stand up later that night is through the roof, rushing to your side and holding your hand as you try to push him away, complaining of thirst, it's just like you, and it makes him laugh.

Relieved beyond belief, he's happy to accompany you to the washroom and then back to your bed, giving you water and kneeling beside you when you lay back down to sleep.

Thoughts rush through his mind a million times a second, all the possibilities of how this miracle could occur, and how the marred gash on your side has returned to just being a scar once more.

It's small and healed expertly, matching that of an arrow head, unassuming in the fact that it was swollen to the size of a cabbage and slowly eating away at your body just a few hours before.

As you rest, he runs test after test on you, finding you stable and healthy, no poison, just some exhaustion.

Could one serving of some lucky fish really cure you? He thinks back to what that crack Adeptus said... and chuckles- what a silly notion, he isn't alive at all.

As a segment, he knows that while he's more humanoid than some of the others, he isn't a human inside.

All that is in him is machinery, he's basically just a small Ruin Guard given a human disguise and the mind of an insane man so he can have more opinions to rely on. His own, of course.

Looking at his hand, he can see Dottore's there, they're all relatively the same in that regard... His mask is on his desk, discarded in the rush to be at your side, leaving his human face exposed to the world.

Unlike that Segment... He at least has a face. Sharp pointy teeth and red unnerving eyes that scare even the most hardened Treasure Hoarder or Hilichurl running for the hills.

You didn't run, even though you were scared and he knew that, you stayed just because of your duty. Now you have no duty, yet you still ran after him like an utter fool. 

He must seek out Prime and reconnect to his mind, even if he doesn't do it now, Prime will someday recall his existence and force his way back in. It's inevitable, you're a fool for thinking he can just run away with you and live in Liyue with no repercussions.

Yet... it's such a silly idea that it might actually work.

He hopes so.

----------------

Recovery is slow, but you're used to it by now, smacking away his hand, "I've gone through this before! I don't need your help!" You're on the floor the next moment, severely overestimating your ability to stand but being much too prideful to admit that you can't do it.

He bends down next to you, observing you with curiosity that almost seems innocent, "Are you sure?" His tone of voice however, is definitely mocking you, so you narrow your eyes until he backs away with a cheeky grin.

"Be quiet Dot, your snark is not helping any here!"

"Come on now, if I don't give you hell- someone else will!"

He's got that right... At least you know how to deal with him.

"Hmph... Fine, help me up," you raise your hand and he takes it with no complaint, pulling you up to your feet and grabbing onto your side to keep you standing beside him.

With an amused tone, he chuckles as he speaks, "My Knight sure is clumsy..."

"Sorry, next time I almost die I'll be sure to be more steady footed."

"So harsh! And after I spent months caring for you and even curing you? The utter anguish...!" He is so dramatic, in a funny way.

You roll your eyes, yet you still smile, struggling to walk even with his help, but he doesn't comment on it even once, your body finding itself back on your bed with a grateful huff. Seems all you do lately is rest and recover, laying down and being fed by him, you're not used to being so helpless...

"I wonder how everyone is doing back in Mondstat."

"Well I don't."

"I mean, I vanished for two years and then returned for only a week, only to disappear once again..."

"They probably think you wandered off again, or maybe died, who knows and who cares?"

For once, you agree, "Yeah... Even though I had some friends in Mondstat, I never was that close with anyone, even Diluc..."

He stiffens at the man's name, and you can only guess it's because he's a Fatuus— Diluc definitely would've been a thorn in his side back in the day when he left to travel Snezhnaya for a time...

Still, you need to tell him the crazy thoughts inside your head, all of which are his fault, "I know it's insane, but I've chosen my path in life and it's with you, Dot. I'd leave everything behind again and again just for a chance that we can stay with one another."

The man doesn't say anything, quiet as he seemingly ponders your words— "That's just stupid." Right in the gut, huh...

"But I have enough genius for the both of us, so I suppose that evens everything out."

You quickly sit up just as he helps you lay down, startling him into nearly dropping whatever gear he was fiddling with, your mouth opening to say something before all the blood rushes into your head and makes you nearly collapse forward.

"Idiot! Quit acting so rashly for five seconds!"

His hands are gentle as they touch your forehead and push you back down, his face firm yet concerned as he looks down at you, "You almost make me appear as the sane one when you do such things..." Cracking a grin at that, he looks up to the mechanical parts hanging above you both, "And we're living inside a place I have done many mad science experiments in, you know."

"You you or one of the other you?"

"Well we are all technically one in the same, sharing the same thoughts and ideas and memories and—"

"It was one of the other ones, wasn't it?

"...yes."

Laughing, you gaze up at the strange surroundings above you, the lack of natural light is probably getting to you… But you also don't want to be found by anyone you knew before. 

This is the start of a new life for you, one with Dot, and you don't regret it at all. 

You chased him down, you fell down with him, you nearly died so many times, yet here you are. Life is still within your body, and though you're still weakened from the endless weeks of agony as he tried to cure you, at least you lived. 

He puts his hand on your forehead and sighs, much to your amusement, “Your white blood cell count is low, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave this place until I can properly fix your body and its functions to their rightful parameters.”

“So basically, if I leave right now, I might get sick and die, right?”

“In layman's terms, yes, that's correct.”

“Well then, I hope you'll let me stay, doctor.”

Dot huffs, “You're so annoying, I should've left you outside that night!”

But he didn't, and here you both are. 

Lifting your hand, you place it above his and hold him, “Thank you for not doing that, by the way.”

Inhaling deeply, he grits his teeth as he looks down at you, before scoffing, “Whatever… Now, quit stalling and let me start the blood transfusion, or do you need to hold my hand during it like a damn child?”

“Well, if you'll let me…”

“You're so immature!” He yells at you, but he doesn't pull his hand away, so you smile at yourself, relaxing even as he one handedly sticks you with a needle and begins the transfusion…

This is routine now, you need to recover, the outside world doesn't matter right now. You've been away from it long enough that at this point, returning would feel more alienating than not. So, you've made your choice. 

Wearily, you watch him as he checks the blood flowing into you, mask long forgotten somewhere in the workshop, his hand still holding yours.

Never in a million moons did you think this is where you would end up, at the side of a mad genius you once wanted to be rid of as soon as possible. Though, technically, you were never dismissed from your orders to accompany, so maybe this was destined all along. 

You and Dot, together in Liyue, far from Mondstat or Snezhnaya, both having no homes to return to, just one another.

As he removes the needle from your arm, you lift it to touch his face, and he snorts at first, opening his mouth to complain, but upon spotting your serene expression, he stills, “I'm glad…”

“...for what?”

“That I'm still with you…”

His gloved hand grabs yours on his face, so he can press his cheek into it, closing his eyes in deep contemplation. It’s an instinctual action, born of a deep longing from a long time ago, but he isn't ready to give it up quite yet. 

You're warm, far less so than during the months of feverish tossing and turning, and that relieves him. Caring for you has been his only goal, and now that it's almost accomplished, he isn't sure what comes next. 

Both of you know that his other self may look for him, but who knows when that will be? As far as you know, he's lost access to this particular version of himself, accidentally severing it down in the depths of the abyss…

It wasn't intentional, but now, it means he can do whatever he wants.

Eyelids fluttering open, you think he's positively majestic, and you feel a distinct warmth to your face, one you know very well from your years of pining over the owner of the Dawn Winery. 

Seems it's still in your heart to be a yearner.

“Dot…” Trailing off, you don't know what to say, this moment is so intimate, his body leaning down closer to yours, his face blocking out the harsh light above the table to finally give you some relief from the brightness. 

“Yes, my knight?”

You're his knight, even after everything. Despite yourself, your gaze begins to blur, and his eyes look near kind as his lips meet yours in a tender, chaste kiss.

Expecting him to pull away due to inexperience, you make a noise in your throat when he starts to explore your mouth, licking your bottom lip till you open them and allow him inside. Shocked beyond belief for just a second, you take your hand from his and immediately wrap both arms around his neck, happily pulling him down for more. 

Unlike you, he makes no noises but you feel the tension in his body melt away at your touch, even though you feel genuinely like you're about to lose consciousness. 

Did he forget that you need to breathe? Probably. The excitement of a new experiment has overwhelmed his tiny amount of sanity, and he isn't going to stop until he's fully satisfied his curiosity. 

Thankful for his touch, you moan while his tongue, oddly cool and producing no saliva of its own, twists with yours, a crude yet honest display of the intense passions you have for one another.

Maybe this is how you'll die… Accidentally suffocating while a strange mad man who isn't even human kisses you, his body moving to pin you to the examination table, all while you feel yourself slowly losing the feeling in your fingers and legs.

He was the one to work so hard to keep you alive, so maybe it's okay if he's the one to take it away. You don't mind, this is your life now, and you wouldn't have it any other way. 

Clinging to his neck, your arms to slack, and that's what finally seems to knock him out of his lust induced daze, parting his lips from yours like you've suddenly burned him, “Fuck- fuck, shit- you look near blue in the face— why didn't you say something?”

Too out of it to respond, you pant heavily and press yourself close to him, even though he continues to fret over you while tenderly stroking your cheek.

You don't even complain when he scoffs and picks you up from the uncomfortable metal examination table, much to his surprise.

“You're insane… Don't indulge me like that again, I may not regain my senses next time.”

Not even an ounce of guilt passes through your mind as he brings you to bed, huffing and mumbling as if he's offended, all while tending to you and making sure you can rest easy after such a scare.

If this is your life now, you won't mind at all. Here in this strange place, with the stranger who captivated your heart with his odd behavior… Yet those very same eccentricities have granted you a new lease on the pathetic excuse of a life you once had, here at his side.

The people of Mondstat are the children of Barbatos, free to follow the wind wherever it may lead them. 

Who are you to deny the sweet breeze of fate?