Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a normal night. A very annoying, boring and tiring night, but normal nonetheless. Lohen sighed as he took another sip of the apple cider Diluc oh so gracefully offered him with the most deadpan expression known to man. He watched the other knights being loud about their... Team bonding meeting or whatever this was supposed to be, even though they were already slurring half the words they said. Ugh, they barely even finished one round. Since when were his useless knights such lightweights? Eh, not like Lohen could say much, since he didn't even drink in the first place. He looked over to the man next to him as he slammed his cup on the table with a laugh. The drink wasn't finished and Lohen watched the light reflect on the golden drink.
He paused and slowly put down his own cup. Blinking, he looked again at the man's cup. It was unmistakable. The rainbow hue... Lohen didn't do anything. He didn't try to drug anyone this time. Yet... It was there. The drug he used the most. And, by the looks of it, the dosage was higher than what he would put. His heart pounding, he tried to keep a composed expression as he looked around. Every cup. All of them were drugged. That must be why they're slurring already. Damn it. 15 minutes. He has to get them to the cathedral in 15 minutes. Lohen got up and moved to the counter.
"Master Diluc~", he called. "C'mere, I want more apple cider!"
With an annoyed sigh, Diluc approached. But, instead of offering his cup, he pulled Diluc down by his collar. Not strong enough to get attention, but tugging hard enough to startle the redhead. Lohen maintained his expression.
"Close the tavern. Someone tempered with your drinks. Give me a piece of paper and a pen."
Diluc's eyes widened. Lohen was serious. He looked around and nodded. He gave him some paper and a pen and, putting up an annoyed and bored expression, he spoke up.
"Everyone, time to move out. We're closing for the day.", he said, leaving no room for discussion.
The knights groaned, pretty bummed about it.
"Come on, I don't want anyone being whiny.", Lohen said. "Go back to the headqua- Oh, actually!"
He took the paper and wrote a message:
'They were drugged. Strong.
Lohen.'
He folded the paper and gave it to one of his men.
"You guys go to the Cathedral first and give this to Barbara. And if any of you take a peek on what's written, I'll make sure it's the last thing your eyes will see.", he said, with a smile.
The knights nodded, nervously.
"Good~. Now, shoo. I'll meet you guys at the cathedral shortly."
They hurried out, trying to get away from Lohen as quickly as possible. When the tavern door closed, the knight let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Did you seriously drug your knights in my tavern?", Diluc sighed, heavily.
"What- It wasn't me! Do you really think I would have tried to do damage control if I had done it?", he frowned.
"....I guess you have a point. Still, if it wasn't you, who was it?"
"Do I look like I know?", Lohen sighed. "That makes no sense. It's the stuff I use. How did they get their hands on it? And worse, how did they slip it on everyone's drinks? I would've caught up on the suspicious movement."
"I'm assuming your drink wasn't spiked.", Diluc said.
"Of course not, I would've immediately noticed. Why would they spike everyone ELSE? Unless they only drugged the wine. But then again, how would they know which bottles you'd pick?", he looked over at the wine bottles on the shelves.
".....the bottles I picked were open...", realization fell on Diluc's face. "I thought Charles-"
Charles turned at the mention of his name.
"Yes, Master Diluc?"
"Charles, were you the one that opened the bottles for me?"
"Huh? No, sir. I thought it was you?"
".....nevermind. Take a rest, I'll close up for the day."
Charles looked VERY confused, but took the early leave with grace. Lohen kept glaring at the shelves as if they had personally offended him.
"I'll check if any other bottle has been tampered with."
Lohen watched Diluc rummage around, but his mind was racing to pick out the most probable possibilities. Someone specifically tempered with the wine. Diluc thought Charles opened the bottles for him, which implies he himself didn't leave anything open the previous night. So, whoever it was, sneaked in between the time the tavern close yesterday and the time it opened today. The tavern was reserved for today, for the 5th Company's meeting, so the mastermind was targeting them. No, that's not it. They weren't the main front of defense in Mondstadt, so it can't possibly be a shady group wanting to remove the frontline knights to infiltrate or launch an attack. It could be a targeted attack on Lohen. But why drug the wine? Everyone knows Lohen despises alcohol. Unless...
"They're trying to frame me.", he thought out loud.
"What?", Diluc looked over, confused.
Of course. Everyone would drink wine, except him, making him the only one standing. The drug is the same he uses and he makes it himself. How did they even get their hands on it? Ugh, that doesn't matter now. Regardless, it would make him the very obvious culprit. The dosage being higher would get him in big trouble and, depending on the state of the knights after, could even get him arrested. He tried to keep his composure, but he could feel the anxiety creeping in, rising up his throat. Diluc said something, but he turned out the sound because he heard footsteps.
"Varka and Jean.", he said.
"How do you-?", Diluc was cut by the tavern door being slammed open. "Grandmaster, I would appreciate if you didn't break my door."
"Lohen.", Varka said, ignoring him. "What did you do?"
"Fuck...", Lohen sighed.
"What were you thinking?!", Varka grabbed him by the shoulders. "That dosage, are you insane?! They're lucky Barbara brought them to the cathedral!"
"Gran-"
"Lohen, I've let things slide before, but this is too much.", Jean said. "You risked their lives, and for what? You tried to kill your knights!"
"Jean.", Diluc said, loud and firm, reminding everyone he was still there.
"Ah, we're sorry, Master Diluc. We'll take this elsewhe-"
"No. What I wanted to say is your accusations are likely aimed at the wrong man."
"What?"
"The knights weren't lucky Barbara got to them. Lohen realized the drinks were spiked, ordered me to close the tavern and sent them to the Cathedral. Ask her for a slip of paper. He wrote her a message. I'm sure you'll be able to recognize his signature. Besides.", Diluc crossed his arms. "He's not sloppy. He wouldn't make the mistake of adding too much. He may be... Unhinged. But he's never done anything to actually put in risk the lives of his knights. Why would that change now? And why would he have stayed here, knowing you'd come, while warning me that my stash might've had more drinks tempered with? Why would he even have told me the wine was drugged in the first place?"
Lohen watched him, wide-eyed, with a strange expression.
"Diluc..."
"That's what you meant, right? You mumbled something that sounded like 'frame'. You were saying someone is trying to frame you, wasn't it?"
"....yes.", he sighed. "And you have to admit. They've done it quite well. My own drug, leaving the kind of drink I take untouched... I can't really defend myself against this one."
"I believe there IS something you can use to defense yourself.", Diluc poured wine from different bottles in different glasses.
Lohen understood immediately.
"It's all different. The concentration. Is not the same."
"Whoever they are, they don't really know how to use this. The dosages are so inconsistent that this one here wouldn't even get your drowsy, while this one is so rainbow colored it wouldn't fool anyone.", Diluc said, pointing at the specific cups. "Lohen, for all you may fault him, is an incredibly precise man. He wouldn't make such sloppy mistakes."
When Diluc finished his explanation, he turned to the knights. Jean was seriously considering it. Varka had a weird... Proud look in his face. Lohen... To say he was shocked was an understatement, he was speechless even.
"He has a point.", Jean said. "In all these years, I have yet to see Lohen make a sloppy mistake, much less something of this degree."
"If you ask me, whoever did this doesn't really know how it works. They don't want to test on people they know or don't have any test subject available, so they just tried their luck with different concentrations.", Lohen said.
"But we still need to give the knights and explanation.", Jean said. "Specially because of the... Casualties."
Lohen's blood ran cold. Varka sent Jean a look and she blinked. Then, realizing what she said, she covered her mouth.
"I-"
"There were deaths. Plural.", Lohen said, not a question.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think-"
"Who?"
Jean hesitated, but gave the names. Lohen nodded, slowly, deep in thought. Varka hesitated a bit.
"Let's give him some time to-"
"No.", Lohen said. "I'll take over the investigation. They used my own mix to kill my men. I'll make them pay."
"Lohen...", Jean tried.
"Don't. This investigation is mine."
"I allow it.", Varka said.
"Thank you.", Lohen nodded.
"I'll join.", Diluc interfered. "This happened in my tavern. Who knows how many of the bottles I haven't checked were also tempered with."
"No. I-"
"I won't take the mission from you.", Diluc stopped Lohen. "I'll be working WITH you."
Lohen hesitated. He looked away as he thought about it, then nodded.
"Fine. Look forward to working with you, senior~"
Diluc just rolled his eyes. Jean nodded, looking deep in thought.
"But still. What do I say? Lohen was just recently involved in a... Situation."
"Tell them someone took some from my stash and we're working on it.", Lohen frowned. "Thinking about it, there is a chance someone might have. Either they found out how to make it or stole it. I'll have to check anyway."
"Sounds good enough for me.", Varka said. "Come on, Jean. Let's leave them to discuss how they'll handle it."
"Right. I'm sorry, Lohen. We shouldn't have come accusing you so strongly without evidence. And... You shouldn't have found out through me like that..."
"It's fine. You worry too much. I would've blamed myself too."
Jean looked like she wanted to say something to that, but opted not to. She just gave a firm nod and left alongside Varka. Diluc and Lohen silently looked at the door, or maybe at nothing at all, until their footsteps could not be heard anymore.
"...you can let it out now.", Diluc said.
"....what?", Lohen blinked, confused.
"The deaths. You're hurting."
Lohen's eyes widened, but he quickly recomposed himself.
"Don't you worry about me. I'm just fine."
"Lohen. You're their captain. It must-"
"I'm NOT a captain."
"You know you basically are.", Diluc crossed his arms.
Lohen went silent. Diluc could tell his breathing sounded wrong. He wanted to break down, but didn't want to be vulnerable.
"Varka isn't here. Nor is any of the knights. I'm just a bartender. People tend to let their feelings out in a tavern."
"You drive a hard bargain.", Lohen let out a wet laugh.
"It's one of my strong suits.", Diluc's voice sounded light.
He was trying to set up a safe space for Lohen. The knight knew how these things worked. He knew he was purposefully trying to make him feel comfortable and safe. And he hated that it was working. He felt a knot on his throat. His vision started to blur and he looked away. Lohen heard a sigh and, next thing he knew, there was a hand on his lower back. His expression became angry. He slammed his fist on the counter.
"It was right under my nose, Diluc. They got overdosed right in front of me and I didn't notice until it was too late."
"You can't pay attention to everything.", Diluc said.
"But I should."
"No one should. Following that logic, I have some blame too. After all, I didn't notice it when I was pouring the drinks."
"Except I know what that shit looks like and you don't."
"Anyone who's attentive enough can tell. And, if it's your fault for not paying attention to their drinks, then it's mine too. I was the one who looked the closest at their drinks, weren't I?"
"Yeah. It was all your fault.", Lohen said, weakly, punching Diluc's chest without much strength.
The taller chuckled, aware that he wasn't being serious. If anything, Diluc was relieved he was being able to crack a joke.
"Come on, junior, your senior is saying it's okay to cry for your lost comrades."
"Using my own teasing against me. You play dirty, Master Diluc."
"What can I say? I'm a fast learner."
Lohen choked a little. He couldn't hold it back anymore and tried to quickly wipe at the tears and hide his face. Diluc pulled him close to his chest, placing a hand on his hair and the other one his back, tracing slow circles with his thumb. This made things so much worse for Lohen, who was so unused to physical contact. People always stayed away from him, either terrified of him or just kept at arm's length by Lohen himself. Experiencing this while being so touch-starved somehow seemed to hurt more than an actual attack. He struggled against Diluc, but the redhead refused to let go. Eventually, the shorter gave in and accepted the comfort.
"If I had noticed that sooner... One of the names Jean said was a fresh new rookie... He was so excited... And now..."
"It's not your fault. You managed to save most of them. You stopped them from taking more."
"I could've saved everyone..."
"No one can save everyone."
"Damn it!", he hit Diluc's chest with his fist, but the other didn't flinch. "Why....?"
Diluc slowly guided them to the floor, noticing Lohen was struggling to hold himself. It must be a lot. Losing Adorno and now this. He could tell there were a lot of feelings he must've been trying to suppress. He knew he was trying even now to keep his feelings bottled. So, Diluc tightened the hug just slightly, not wanting to be suffocating, but also wanting to help keep him grounded.
They didn't know how long they spent like that, but Lohen's sobs eventually stopped and, soon enough, the only thing left indicating he cried being the dried tear tracks.
"Heh. So pathetic of me. I should be focused on the investigation."
"Crying doesn't make you weak.", Diluc said, in a decisive tone. "And working yourself through the grief won't do anything. Let's leave for today."
"What? No, we have to try to look for clu-"
Lohen stopped, shocked, when he felt a weight on his shoulders. He looked up. Diluc wasn't wearing his cloak. It was now over him, like a comforting warmth.
"I'll lock everything down. No one will be getting in or out. Do you trust me?"
".....fine. But tomorrow, first thing in the morning-"
"-we start the investigation. Yes."
"Okay. I'll help you lock down the tavern. To make sure there's no possible opening."
Diluc accepted the help and they moved through the tavern quietly. Lohen made sure to lock everything that could be locked and close or barricade anything that could possibly be used to enter or leave the place. Once they were satisfied with the result, they left.
"Come to Dawn Winery with me."
"Don't worry, I won't wake up late or anything."
"That's not the point. I don't trust you to be alone right now."
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"
"That you'll try to take your feelings out on any living monster around. And as much as I appreciate having those fiends dealt with, you're in no state of mind to be running off on your own."
"I'll be fine. I'm not weak. You don't have to treat me like glass."
"I'm not. It's precisely because I know you're strong that I'm worried. You can and will overwork yourself to try and stop feeling."
"Tch. You don't know me."
"Maybe. But tell me I'm wrong about this."
Lohen glared at him with narrowed eyes and Diluc held his look. He sighed and gave in.
"You're impossible."
"And you're incorrigible."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"Then I'll take yours as a compliment too."
"Heh. Sharp tongue. I like it."
"Learned from the best.", there was a hint of a smile in Diluc's voice.
"Oh? And who might that be?"
"Short and spunky. Rings a bell?"
"I'll strangle you."
"Can you even reach my neck?"
Lohen laughed and Diluc found himself chuckling a little too.
"Fine. Take good care of me, then, senior~"