Chapter three: A "Trip"

When he first exited the room, two servants insisted he shower and brush his teeth before leaving, and forced him back inside. So after a shower and a fresh pair of clothes to make him look like he actually cared, Aether was escorted out of his chambers for the first time in three weeks.

One servant, upon seeing Aether refused to pack anything, lugged a suitcase of clothes down the staircase and out the door. Another fussed over his posture. Aether was simply not excited to see the man who had restricted him from all contact, who made him feel miserable for a week, who scolded him for trying to enjoy himself. And now the pair would be going on a "trip."

A servant pulled him by his arm toward the exit, Aether dragging his feet all the way. Outside the estate was a carriage. It was fully packed with luggage and ready to go. Beside the carriage, waiting for him, was a less than happy Diluc.

"Run while you still can," Aether deadpanned as the maid let him go and hurried back to the house. He looked up at the red-head before him. "Oh, look who it is! Almost didn't see you there."

"Please don't do this here," Diluc groaned, moving so that Aether could climb into the carriage. His husband waved goodbye to his watching family and then followed behind, securing the door and getting comfortable across from Aether.

The carriage took off. Aether had noticed there were two servants driving the carriage, so they likely wouldn't be completely alone wherever they were going. Aether was happy about that.

"Oh, love, where are you taking me?" Aether gushed sarcastically, slouching immediately in his seat.

The noble didn't look at him. "My father suggested I…" He cleared his throat. "We take some time off. Go on a trip to rekindle our marriage."

Diluc clearly wasn't happy that his father had sent him away. Aether could almost see the heat rising from his head. Hopefully this would be a good way for Diluc to regain his composure, rather than become a weekend of fighting and taking out his anger on Aether. Hopefully.

To Diluc's explanation, Aether showed no interest, nor replied. He simply settled into his seat and closed his eyes. No matter where they were going, Aether didn't plan to submit to his husband. Diluc owed him an apology.

The destination was Liyue Harbor. Apparently, Diluc was friends with a well respected man named Zhongli who could get them a good place to stay for the week. It was a wonderful beach house with plenty of room for Aether and Diluc to stay far apart. No words needed to be spoken; as soon as they arrived, the men went to opposite rooms and did not mingle.

With the servants available, Aether was able to get food in his room and didn't have to leave for any reason. He laid on the floor for the first two days, soaking up the sunlight from the glass windows. He ate exotic fruit and made good use of the miniature hot spring adjacent to his room. Whoever this Zhongli guy was, he must have had power.

"Who is it?" Aether called in response to a gentle knock on the door.

"Molly, sir."

Good. Not Diluc. "You may proceed," Aether muttered sarcastically, rolling onto his stomach.

Molly entered with a small plate of sunsettia, placing it before Aether. "Sir, Master Diluc apologizes for his previous behavior."

Aether snorted, dropping his head onto his hands. "What does he want?"

"For you to attend a dinner with him, Sir." The servant started collecting dirty plates and laundry. "To thank Zhongli for allowing you to stay in one of his private houses."

Molly moved toward the door, but Aether wasn't satisfied with that. "Tell him to apologize himself."

The servant paused, but rather than arguing, nodded fearfully and left. It wasn't fair of Aether to ask that of Molly, but it also wasn't fair of Diluc to apologize like that. The blonde boy rolled to his side and stuck a piece of fruit in his mouth.

Moments later, there was another knock on the door.

"What's the password?"

"Are you decent?" Diluc's deep voice echoed through the door.

"Decent," Aether mumbled, flopping onto his back. He was actually surprised the rich kid came so quickly.

The door creaked open, giving way to Diluc, dressed in a handsome black suit and red tie. Aether chuckled. No wonder he came so quickly. The dinner must be soon. He was likely rushing to get Aether out the door.

"Will you get dressed now?" Diluc turned his head to try to look Aether in the eye. "Our dinner is in thirty minutes."

"Have fun," Aether smiled mockingly.

Diluc let out a deep sigh. "Can you just pretend you like me for one night?"

"Not sure," Aether spat, rolling onto his stomach and rising to his knees. "It's hard to like you normally."

"Excuse me?"

"You're rich and you flaunt it. You think you're the center of the universe. And you're unbelievably condescending." Diluc opened his mouth, but was cut off immediately. "But I think we're past the point of even pretending, because you seem to hate me. You can't wait to get rid of me." He gradually stood, hands fists at his sides. "Trust me, I don't like the situation we're in either. But you could at least treat me like a human being."

Diluc's mouth opened, but immediately shut as he looked to the ground in thought. Aether was out of breath and his heart was pounding. Now he was afraid he said too much. Diluc was already a hothead. But his dad had just kicked him out. Was this the best time to be arguing with a guy much bigger and stronger than himself?

After what felt like a lifetime of silence, Diluc pushed the door closed without breaking his eye contact with Aether. He took a deep breath, walking past Aether to face the window and look out over the water. Aether's heart was pounding, but he was somewhat relieved he wouldn't have to look the boy in the eyes. They were back to back now, neither daring to break the silence.

Diluc let out another sigh. "I was in love once." Aether's eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt. "She had a much better head on her shoulders than me. I felt like she was always correcting me, telling me that I should apologize to this person or not say something because it would offend someone else. I guess I've never been good at stuff like that."

Aether turned around now, deeply intrigued by the red-head's sudden openness. He barely knew anything about the man in front of him. Maybe this had a point. Maybe he was going somewhere with this.

"It didn't work out, but she taught me to be more careful about what I say." Diluc clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm not good with words, or explaining myself, or apologizing. I prefer to sit and listen without interjecting, because…" He turned his head, looking at the floor rather than Aether. "Even now, I'm standing here babbling some nonsense about a past love, and I can't even bring myself to say that I'm sorry."

Aether felt like he was holding his breath, his chest rather tight. "Are you sorry?"

Diluc looked over his shoulder and into Aether's eyes. His expression was slightly softer than usual. "I don't know."

The boys held eye contact, neither speaking for a moment. Why was he here to apologize if he wasn't sorry? It was frustrating that those piercing red eyes belonged to his husband, and at the same time, a man he knew nothing about.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you in such a manner," Diluc breathed. "I shouldn't have kept you from the servants you care about, even if I don't understand why you form such attachments-" He shook his head to clear it. "I should have reasoned with you about my anger."

Aether crossed his arms. At least Diluc was trying to communicate with him. It wasn't quite enough, however. The outburst, over such a little noise? Why had he been so furious? "I appreciate that, Diluc." He let the man's name sink in for a moment, without the title of "Sir." "But that doesn't justify your anger."

Diluc took a few steps forward, his hands falling at his sides. "My father let me meet with his chief financial advisor for the first time, only to cast me out halfway through the meeting to quiet you down." He spoke slowly, holding back. "That was embarrassing and frustrating for me, and I took it out on you." With great effort, he added, "I'm… Sorry."

Aether assessed the man's face for a minute, reading his intentions. He seemed genuine. The boy's mouth turned up into a smile. "Was that so hard?"

That made Diluc mutter and look away, but Aether laughed. His marriage had gone from bad to worse for a while. If they could make this work, they could survive until Diluc was able to let Aether free of the contract.

"Diluc," Aether breathed, catching the red-head's gaze. "Would you like to start over and… Just be friends?" It was the best he could offer. Maybe they could make their time together worthwhile.

That seemed to throw Diluc off guard. Was it that he didn't really have friends outside of coworkers, or was he not expecting that proposal? It didn't really bother Aether either way. He wasn't expecting it to come out of his mouth either.

Diluc cleared his throat, standing a bit taller. "I would like that."

"Good," Aether sighed, walking over to his luggage with a grin. "Because we've got dinner in ten minutes, and I need to know what to wear."

They were only five minutes late. Aether tried to convince Diluc it was acceptable to be fashionably late, but Diluc couldn't seem to calm himself until they finally arrived. The sun was beginning to set over a beautiful outdoor patio, casting orange and pink light through Aether's thin white dress shirt. He held Diluc's arm as they exited their carriage.

Ultimately, they arrived at the table, where two men stood in greeting. Aether was immediately dwarfed in comparison.

"My apologies for our late arrival, Zhongli," Diluc breathed, shaking the first man's hand. He was wearing a brown suit, his hair tied into a ponytail that caressed over his shoulder. Everything about him was intimidating; a firm expression, the aura of prowess, and his willingness to stare down at Aether without breaking eye contact.

As Diluc shook the second's hand, the man laughed. "We know how married couples can be." He smirked, looking down at Aether. "Is this the lucky guy?"

Aether's breath hitched in his throat, but Diluc spoke up, seemingly annoyed. "Tartaglia, this is my husband Aether. Aether, Tartaglia."

The ginger reached forward, taking Aether's hand in his own and kissing it gently. "Please, call me Childe." He brought up his other hand to cup Aether's. "My, Aether. You are stunningly beautiful."

Zhongli clapped Childe on the back so that he dropped Aether's hand, but Aether was already blushing immensely. The ginger looked Aether up and down once more with his ocean blue eyes before taking his seat. Zhongli sat as well.

Diluc gently moved Aether's arm from his so that he could pull out his chair and help Aether into his seat. It was sweet, and much appreciated, given that Aether likely would have stood there blushing for the rest of the night if he wasn't instructed to sit.

The conversation was very polite between the three men, Aether noticed. He was happy to enjoy his meal and listen to them speak. He honestly didn't understand much of the business they discussed anyway. He did his best to avoid eye contact with Childe, who kept giving him the most seductive looks. Whenever he did meet Childe's eyes, it made him squirm in his seat. No one had ever looked at him like that before.

"Xiao did visit recently, but it was quite a short one. I'm glad you can explore the city for the next few days." Zhongli sipped his drink. "There's a beautiful trail to the North of here that leads to a hot spring, if you're interested. There's quite a few places to visit"

Childe relaxed in his chair. "The hotspring here is natural, and has plenty of minerals." He peered over at Aether, the slightest grin. "It makes your skin incredibly soft."

Aether quickly turned his head downward to adjust his shirt and wipe his sweaty palms on his pants.

As Zhongli began to speak again, Diluc suddenly and firmly grabbed Aether's wrist under the table. The boy immediately sat up straight, pretending to listen to Zhongli speak. No one had noticed, thankfully. But why was Diluc… He glanced to his left to see Diluc also listening to Zhongli as if he wasn't holding tightly to Aether's arm. Was this him pretending to act like a married couple? If so, why was he doing it under the table.

"Thank you for joining us for the meal." Zhongli smiled, nodding to Diluc and then Aether.

Diluc squeezed Aether's wrist gently before dropping it. "How much do we owe you?"

Zhongli raised his hand. "My treat."

"Excuse me," Childe interrupted. "You're broke, you scrub."

"I arranged the meeting," Zhongli replied, no change in tone. "So it is my treat."

"I'm the one paying, idiot." Clide turned to the couple, giving Zhongli's chest a pat. "My treat. Have a wonderful evening."

Diluc rose from his seat with a nod, quickly pulling out the chair for Aether as the pair continued to banter. Aether rose steadily, lost in thought, rubbing his wrist where Diluc had held it. The red-head placed his hand gently on Aether's back and moved him toward the carriage.

The restaurant and their guests from the evening gradually faded away, as did the sun to give way to the glowing moon. The carriage bounced along down the road and up the hill to the beach house. Aether was still thinking about Diluc's actions, unaware of the silence and Diluc's gaze on him.

"Did I hurt you?"

Aether snapped out of his daze. The man before him tilted his head, waiting for a response.

"Wha- Uh, what?"

Diluc gestured to Aether's wrist, which he was cradling gently. "Your wrist."

Aether looked down and back at Diluc, a few times. "No! Of course not," he managed to squeak, dropping his arms to his sides. Why had he been so obvious about it? He wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. He was just confused, but he hadn't meant to call attention to it. It had been a night full of confusion and blushing.

His husband blinked a few times and sat up straight. "I didn't mean to grab you so tightly." Evidently, Diluc was trying to understand why Aether was behaving in such a manner. His resorting to an apology helped Aether to realize how seriously Diluc was starting to take their friendship. He owed the red-head a bit of an explanation.

"You didn't hurt me. Honest." Aether took a cautious breath. "I wasn't expecting you to do that."

As the carriage went over a few bumps, Diluc readjusted in his seat. "You were shaking the table."

Oh. So it was that simple? Why had he made such a big deal out of nothing, then? Aether wasn't sure how red his face was, but it certainly turned hot quickly. He had been so sweaty and anxious from the attention Childe gave him that he shook the table. That fact was embarrassing enough as it was, but it seemed like he was already giving Diluc enough trouble by interrupting so much.

Diluc must have sensed his nervousness. "They didn't notice."

The carriage halted and Aether let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Good."

Slightly to Aether's surprise, the pair went back to normal that evening. Separate rooms, no further interaction or communication. Aether undressed, soaked in the bath, and watched the waves wash up on the shore below. He could hear the shower running in Diluc's room around the same time, but it was very short, and then there was silence again.

The bed felt particularly comfortable that night. Aether was in a better place with Diluc, he had a full stomach, and he was clean. Childe's compliments had made him feel handsome and confident, even if he wasn't sure how to react in the moment. The blonde boy snuggled under the covers and closed his eyes, his stomach still swirling with butterflies.