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I do not own Genshin Impact.

The bitter cold of Dragonspine was significantly more bearable when he was properly dressed for it. Between his own layers of clothing and Diluc's thick coat, Kaeya barely felt a thing. Even the occasional gust of wind couldn't penetrate all the way through, allowing him to focus more fully on collecting the firewood that they would need to survive the next night and day. Kaeya took his time, happy to be free of the confines of the little cave and the oppressive weight of the memories that bore down on him.

Even after all these years, Diluc still hadn't forgiven him, that much was clear. If Kaeya thought hard enough, he could feel the other man's hands on him as they fought all those years ago. In hindsight, it had been cruel of him to come clean about his identity and his purpose in Mondstadt so soon after Crepus's death. He had thought that Diluc would appreciate the honesty, but instead it had opened a rift between them that could never be crossed. Kaeya's mind flashed back to the feeling of Diluc tensing under his touch that morning. There had been a time when he could make the other man relax simply by trailing his fingers over the right spot, but now...

Dammit. Kaeya stopped in his tracks, balling his hands into fists. He clenched his jaw. That time had passed. He needed to move on.

He closed his eyes and took several bracing breaths, focusing on how the thin mountain air burned his throat and lungs if he breathed deeply enough. The wind played in his hair, blowing it in his face and briefly exposing his neck to the cold. It was freezing, but it also helped to clear his mind.

After a few moments, when his heart no longer felt like it was in a vice, Kaeya opened his eyes. It was still snowing heavily, but it wasn't blowing sideways as it had been the night before. Instead, it swirled gently toward the ground, accumulating in a fine powder that was more reminiscent of sugar than precipitation. Kaeya allowed himself a moment to enjoy the view. A narrow path stretched out before him. A sheer rock wall ran along one side, while the other dropped off into a deep ravine, the bottom obstructed from view by the height and a layer of freezing fog. Kaeya moved to the edge, the toes of his boots hanging slightly out over the abyss, and looked toward the horizon. The snowfall was so heavy that he couldn't make out much more than random patches of light and dark, but no landmarks to tell him which side he was on.

He sighed, his breath coming out in a billowing cloud of steam, and turned back onto the path. As he walked, Kaeya couldn't help but to notice how silent it was. The snow on the ground and in the air insulated any other sounds, leaving the knight with only that of his own footsteps. He set a rhythm for himself as he walked, pausing every now and then to break branches off of dead trees that had somehow found purchase on the rock. Before too long, he'd collected a heaping armful, enough that he had to rest his chin on the top of the pile as he walked. Kaeya glanced toward the sky as he turned to head back to the cave. He guessed that he had been gone for a couple of hours, but it was impossible to tell with the cloud cover and heavy snowfall.

The boot prints he had left in the snow on his way up the path were already nearly erased as he made his way back down. Kaeya mentally congratulated himself on his excellent sense of direction-and for choosing to stay on the one path-otherwise, he would have been completely lost. It began to snow even more heavily as he got closer to the cave. Snowflakes collected on his hair and clung to his eye lashes, making it difficult to see as he trudged through drifts that reached up to his knees.

I'm going to have to dig us out in the morning, he thought to himself with a groan. Kaeya sighed through his teeth. Maybe he could convince Diluc to blast a path through the snow...maybe.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, beating snow and small pellets of ice against his back. Kaeya cursed under his breath and moved more quickly. The storm was getting worse again. Ice was beginning to fall with the snow. It saturated his hair, making him shiver despite the extra layers of clothing. Worse yet, the wind whipped against the rocky side of the mountain, whistling and moaning like some primordial beast that had been roused from its slumber. For a moment, Kaeya even thought the storm sounded like it was screaming. He shook his head. It was just the cold affecting his numb ears.

"You're almost there," he muttered, trudging more quickly. The entrance of the cave was nearly in sight. He just had to make sure that he didn't miss it, camouflaged as it was with the ice. "Just a little further and then you can sit by the fire and drink some wi-"

Another gust of wind whipped down the slope of the mountain, cutting off his words with that horrible screaming howl. This time, however, there was something different about the sound. Something human. Kaeya squinted to see through the storm, just barely making out the entrance to the cave. The entrance that now had a significantly larger hole in the ice.

"Shit!"

Kaeya dropped the wood on the side of the path and sprinted toward the cave. As he got closer, he realized that the screams did indeed belong to Diluc, not the wind. He hadn't heard Diluc like that in years. Not since the day he had found him in the middle of that road, cradling his dead father. Something had him, and whatever it was was killing him.

He drew his sword in a fluid motion as he reached the entrance, rage burning him from the inside out as he saw what was happening inside.

The Fatui had found Diluc. One of them stood over him, a curved sword drawn, as the former knight laid motionless at the base of the warming seelie's court. Two others stood closer to the fire: a Cicin Mage and some lower-ranking recruit. Kaeya didn't hesitate for a moment. He summoned all of the energy that he could and swung his sword, sending a blast of ice hurtling toward the agent just as his own blade descended upon Diluc's prone form. The ice caught the agent's sword just before it struck, steam hissing as it rose around the hot blade. Kaeya knew that it would only be a matter of moments before the agent's fire broke his ice. He dashed into the cave, pivoting around the agent and the mage to throw another icy attack at the recruit whose blue uniform betrayed his affinity to the water archon. The tank of water on his back exploded as it froze, coating the younger man before he could react. Kaeya slashed his sword down on the Fatui's shoulder, splitting him open from his collarbone to his belly. Then he spun on the Cicin Mage, using his momentum to swing his sword back up to her throat. Her incantation devolved into a pained gurgle as her head tumbled from her shoulders, hitting the ground with a dull thud. He spared her the briefest glance before his attention was drawn by a pained gasp.

He looked up in time to see the Fatui agent dragging Diluc by the hair toward the cave entrance. Diluc was struggling as much as he could, but making little difference against the brute force of the larger, healthier man. Thinking fast, Kaeya raised his fingers to his mouth, pinching them between his lips and letting out a piercing, high-pitched whistle. The agent paused and turned toward the sound. In that moment, Kaeya threw his sword, watching with cold rage as it impaled his enemy, pinning him to the icy wall he had been trying to escape through.

Kaeya took a moment to listen for any other threat, noting the pile of ashes and charred hilichurl bones as he looked around the cave. Diluc had put up one hell of a fight, given his injuries.

Shit...Diluc.

Kaeya ran to the entrance of the cave, dropping to his knees beside his foster brother. His heart froze as he scooped him up into his arms. Diluc wasn't moving. Snow had already begun to pile up around him, clinging to his red hair and tinging his exposed skin pink from the cold. Blood ran out of his nose, mouth, and ears, and as Kaeya lifted him from the snow, he could see more of the vital fluid where the back of his head had been.

"Diluc." He gave him a small shake and then another harder one. "Diluc!"

A few agonizing moments passed and then Diluc groaned, his eyes fluttering open.

Kaeya almost laughed with relief. He pressed a shaking hand against Diluc's cheek. "Gods, you really had me there for a second. I thought you were a goner."

Diluc coughed and blinked. His brow furrowed, his eyes seemingly unable to focus on Kaeya's face. When he finally spoke, his words came out in a rasping slur. "I…'m sorry…"

Kaeya's heart sank. This was bad.

He pulled Diluc closer until he could get his other arm under his knees and lifted him from the snow. Kaeya had to pick a path through the remains of the Fatui in order to reach the fire, which had nearly gone out. The camp was a mess. In their search for information, the Fatui had emptied all of their supplies, scattering them around the cave floor. Kaeya had to kick piles of clothing and wrapped food to the side in order to clear a space for Diluc. As he worked, he couldn't help but to be keenly aware of the feeling of Diluc's nose buried in his neck, his skin as cold as the ice Kaeya wielded.

"...sorry for…" Diluc continued to mumble apologies as Kaeya worked. "...n-not your…"

"Hey, no need to worry about all that right now, okay?" Kaeya did his best to keep his voice calm and even as he finally lowered Diluc to the ground, leaning him against the wall. "Let's get you fixed up first. You can apologize later."

Diluc frowned and coughed, more sticky blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth. "No...I…"

"Let's talk about something else, okay?" Kaeya pulled out his knife and cut the ropes binding Diluc's arms, tossing the cord to the side when he'd finished and pulling the woolen blanket over him.

"Some...something else…" Diluc's eyelids were beginning the droop. Kaeya could tell he was fighting to stay awake.

Kaeya's mind flashed back to a memory from his early childhood. He had just been taken in by Crepus. He still wasn't comfortable with the affluent little family and their massive household staff. He had taken to hiding in the stables. The horses didn't ask him about his past or demand that he stand up straight. He had been nestled amongst the sacks of feed when one of the stablehands had suddenly landed beside him, a massive bruise blooming on his forehead. Kaeya remembered freezing in place, watching as the other hands rushed to the man's aid. His speech had been slurred and he couldn't remember his name when questioned. Eventually, he had fallen asleep. Kaeya ended up waiting with the rest of the staff, baiting his breath as they watched the poor man to see if he would recover. By the following morning, he had died.

Diluc's head rolled forward and Kaeya caught it, using a gentle grip on his chin to lift his head back up. His heart was beginning to race just from watching the redhead struggle to focus.

"Stay awake for me, okay?" Kaeya pulled a silk cloth from his pocket and dabbed at the blood on Diluc's face. "Tell me more about the dumb shit I used to do. We talked about the slimes. What about that boar hunt?"

"Slimes…?" Diluc grimaced as the cloth brushed over his split lip. "They were...cr-cryo...you almos...d-I was so…'m sorry…"

His words trailed off as his eyes closed again. Kaeya felt the color drain from his face.

"Shit! Diluc! Stay awake for me!" He hated how desperate he sounded. "Diluc? Diluc!"

This time, Diluc didn't wake up, no matter how much Kaeya tried. He was beginning to doubt that he had ever been fully conscious to begin with. Kaeya swore. He needed something stronger, something that would bring Diluc all the way back. Still kneeling in front of his fallen friend, Kaeya frantically looked around the ruined campsite, desperately hoping that he would think of something. His own bag lay in the corner under the ragged lean-to. It had also been dumped onto the cave floor, its contents strewn about the area where he and Diluc had slept the night before. His clothes and basic toiletries had been trampled by the Fatui as they ransacked the camp. Most of it appeared to be salvageable, Kaeya just hoped that nothing of value had been broken.

"Of course! Kaeya, you idiot," he muttered to himself, standing and making his way over to his things.

He quickly dug through his belongings until he finally found what he'd been looking for. Luckily, the small glass vial of smelling salts hadn't been broken. Kaeya found it still rolled up in a spare pair of socks. He pulled it out and went back to Diluc, uncorking the top and holding it under his nose.

Diluc's reaction was almost instantaneous. He snorted and coughed, his whole body shuddering as he opened his eyes again. This time, he looked directly at Kaeya.

"Kaeya? You're back already?" Diluc coughed again and winced, pressing an arm around his ribs. "Is everything okay? Did I-"

His question died in his throat as Kaeya moved to the side, allowing him to take in the scene that surrounded them. Kaeya watched as several emotions passed across Diluc's normally stoic face before he finally settled on the smoldering anger that he was so familiar with.

"Damned Fatui bastards…"

"We'll focus on our plan to tear down all of Snezhnaya later," Kaeya chided softly. His Cryo Vision glowed for a moment as he manifested a small lump of ice in his hand. He wrapped it in the cloth he had used earlier and pressed it against Diluc's swollen lip. "Right now, I'm more concerned with keeping you awake and alive. It looks like you took a pretty hard knock to the head."

"I…" Diluc furrowed his brow, frowning as he tried to remember. Kaeya took the opportunity to pull Diluc's right hand out from under the blanket and place it over the ice pack so he could hold it to his face himself.

"It'll come back to you," said Kaeya. "For now, I need you to stay awake, okay?"

He placed the vial of smelling salts in Diluc's lap.

"Use these if you start to drift off again," he ordered, allowing himself a small smile when he saw Diluc nod. "Good."

Without thinking, Kaeya leaned forward and pressed his lips to Diluc's forehead. They both froze, neither willing to react first. Kaeya felt his ears heat with a bright blush. After a few agonizing seconds had passed, he quickly pulled back and stood, coughing awkwardly as he turned away.

"I have to, uh, clean this up and get the firewood." Kaeya avoided looking at Diluc, instead pretending to observe the mess that was their campsite. "I won't be far. Yell for me if you need help."

When Diluc didn't answer, Kaeya spared him a quick glance. Thankfully, he was still awake. The redhead was staring straight ahead, apparently still stunned by what had just happened.

Kaeya cleared his throat. "Uh...yeah…"

Turning fully away, he strode stiffly over to the Fatui recruit's body and grabbed the ankles, dragging it over to the entrance of the cave and through the hole into the howling wind outside. Since his return, the snow had drifted until it almost completely covered the entrance. Kaeya paused to look up at the sky. If they were lucky, the storm would also help to conceal what he was about to do.

Dropping the dead recruit, he turned and went back inside. He briefly glanced at Diluc, noting that he was still awake, and then also removed the body of the Cicin Mage, holding a slim ankle in one hand and carrying the head by the hair in another. The recruit was already partially buried in snow when Kaeya tossed the mage on top. He paid them no heed, immediately going back for the last body.

As Kaeya returned to the cave, he noticed that Diluc had inched closer to the fire and was busying himself with trying to rebuild it. The ex-knight's movements were slow and deliberate, his hand shaking a little as he lifted each piece of wood, but at least he was keeping himself occupied. Kaeya chose not to comment, instead turning toward the body of the agent that stood by the entrance, propped up by the ice wall and the sword that was still buried in his sternum. The cavalry captain would have liked to think that the precision of the throw had been all skill, but in reality, he had gotten lucky. Reaching up, he gripped the handle of his sword. Then, planting a boot firmly on the ice wall beside the body, he pulled the blade free. The recruit slid down the ice to the ground, leaving a slick trail of blood. Kaeya glared down at the body with open disdain as he wiped his sword clean on the snow and sheathed it. The bastard had deserved to suffer far more than he did.

Kaeya was certain that he caught Diluc watching him as he dragged the agent from the cave and out into the storm. The wind howled as he added the Fatui to the pile of bodies, the sound so loud that Kaeya almost missed the pained gurgle that erupted from the throat of the agent. He paused what he was doing and leaned in close to listen, pulling away when he heard the agent cough.

"So, you're still alive, huh?" Kaeya snarled. He reached down and snatched the mask from the agent's face.

The Fatui agent only managed another wet cough, his eyes glazed with pain as sticky blood stained his lips.

Kaeya's mouth curled in a cruel smile. "I'm glad you're alive. Now, you can watch."

He grabbed the collar of the agent's coat, roughly dragging him over to a rock and propping him up against it. Then Kaeya returned to the cave and retrieved the agent's curved swords. He dropped one on the ground and gripped the other firmly in his dominant hand, picking up the arm of the mage in the other. He took a moment to make direct eye contact with the agent, and then used the curved Fatui blade to begin cutting off the mage's arm.

"Ultimately, the point of doing this is to make their bodies easier for wildlife to consume," Kaeya explained as he worked. He finished removing one arm and tossed it over the edge of the crevasse beside the mountain path. Without pausing, he moved on to the other. "But, in the event that their remains are discovered, this will make it look like you killed them."

He spared the agent a smirk, noting how the man watched, totally defeated as he struggled for each breath. Kaeya couldn't be sure if the agent could even see him, but he didn't care. The bastard deserved to suffer.

He made quick work of the two bodies, throwing them piece by piece over the edge. Once he'd finished his grizzly work, Kaeya threw away the swords as well before striding over to the Fatui agent. The knight stood over his fallen enemy, Diluc's coat whipping about him and his hair catching snowflakes as they blew past. Every cell of his being radiated danger. The Cryo Vision that hung from his hip glowed, and the snow in the air around him sublimated, forming a freezing fog that swirled in the violent wind. The Fatui agent coughed and tried to shift away. Kaeya sneered.

"Your fate will be less certain than your friends'," he growled, grabbing the front of the agent's coat and lifting him up. Kaeya dragged him to the edge of the precipice. "Will the fall kill you? Or will you survive long enough to see your comrades carried off by wolves before you freeze to death? Honestly, I don't care either way."

The Fatui agent opened his mouth, but before he could attempt to speak, Kaeya shoved him over the edge, watching his descent until he'd disappeared from view.

Once he was gone, Kaeya sighed, his shoulders drooping with exhaustion. He turned away from the crevasse and retraced his steps to where he'd dropped the firewood. It was almost entirely covered by the rapidly falling snow, but luckily the powder was light enough that he was able to dig it out. He made quick work of retrieving it and hurried back to the cave, the cold of the storm finally making him shiver.

Diluc was sitting beside a gently crackling fire when Kaeya returned. He looked up at him, his red eyes ringed with exhaustion.

"Hey."

"Hey," Kaeya replied, dropping the wood and taking a seat next to him.

They sat in silence for several minutes, the light of the fire and the warming seelie casting them in a warm glow as night fell. Kaeya allowed himself to close his eyes. His entire body felt heavy. All he wanted was to return to his apartment in Mondstadt and sleep for a week, but there was still work to be done. Diluc's stomach growled, prompting Kaeya to open his eyes.

"Hungry?"

Diluc shrugged.

"Don't be evasive. I can hear your stomach from here."

Diluc sighed. "I'm tired."

Kaeya scooted closer and pulled Diluc's coat off to drape it over him. "You have to eat. And I don't know if you should sleep right now."

"I know…" Diluc shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable, his face contorting in a grimace.

Kaeya sighed and stood. It took a few minutes for him to track down his cape. He found it at the back of the cave, thrown on the ground near Diluc's giant red claymore. He picked both up, carrying them over. He rested the claymore on the rocks beside the fire and then moved over to Diluc with the cape.

"Here," he said, kneeling in front of his foster brother. "Before your shoulder gets messed up even more."

Diluc nodded sullenly, leaning forward to allow the cape to be tied around him once again. As he reached around to secure the cape behind his back, Kaeya felt Diluc nuzzle into his neck. He froze, his heart pounding in his ears. Slowly, as if dealing with a frightened animal, Kaeya raised his hand and cradled the back of his head, threading his fingers through the long red hair. Diluc seemed to deflate at his foster brother's touch, nestling deeper into his embrace.

"Thank you," Diluc murmured, his voice muffled by the fabric of Kaeya's shirt, "for everything."

Kaeya realized he had been holding his breath. He let it out in a rush, his entire body relaxing, and pulled Diluc closer. "Don't mention it."

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