And another one! Thanks for your patience. The school year is over now, so I should have more time and energy to write.

No beta on this one. I was too excited to post.

I do not own Genshin Impact.

They rode through the afternoon and into the evening, only stopping once at a small stream to water the horse and stretch their legs. Throughout, Diluc was content to remain silent. After their last conversation at Luhua Pool, Kaeya's mood had shifted from teasing to cold. The Khaenri'ahn didn't speak except when he was directing Favo and his entire body was rigid at Diluc's back. Something about his past as a knight had struck a nerve. Diluc spent the hours on the road searching every available corner of his memory, desperate to figure out what had happened.

He watched the countryside change as they traveled. The rocky terrain that surrounded Liyue Harbor gradually flattened until nothing but waving expanses of grass remained. The plains stretched out ahead of them as far as the eye could see, looking more like an undulating green ocean than solid ground. Diluc let his eyes lose focus, the blades of grass turning into a solid mass, as he methodically went through the faces of every knight he could remember. His interactions with them had been limited. Crepus had only allowed his son into the training yard with them for a couple of hours every morning, and even then, Diluc had only been permitted to speak with his instructors and the handful of high-ranking recruits that he sparred with. Among all of them, the only knight close to his age whose name he could remember was Jean. She had been his most frequent sparring partner and the only non-royal person that Crepus seemed willing to suffer his son being around for extended periods of time. Jean had been smart, driven, and totally loyal. Diluc had caught the briefest glimpse of her battling in the courtyard the night of the Fatui coup, but hadn't seen her since. He hoped that she was still alive, wherever she was. Alive and happy.

Kaeya, on the other hand...try as he might, Diluc couldn't pick his face out of a single memory of the Knights of Favonius. It was incredibly frustrating. Between the turquoise hair, catlike Khaenri'ahn eyes, and terrible attitude, Kaeya should have stood out, even if they hadn't interacted. But no matter how much Diluc searched his mental map of the castle and the training grounds, his captor was nowhere to be seen. He doubted that Kaeya was lying about being a knight-he had no reason to-so it stood to reason that whatever service he had done had been far outside of Mondstadt. It seemed strange for his father to post a warrior as skilled as Kaeya outside of the city. As the sun began to sink behind the distant western mountains, Diluc found himself wondering if the outcome of the Fatui coup might have been different if Kaeya had been there. Perhaps they would have won. Or, perhaps, they would have at least been friends.

"You still awake up there?" Kaeya asked, drawing Diluc from his reverie.

Diluc blinked, letting his eyes refocus on the narrow game trail ahead, and nodded.

"Good." Kaeya shifted closer, sandwiching his captive even more snuggly between his hips and the saddle horn. "You've been awfully quiet. And here I thought I might get to enjoy some decent conversation if I didn't gag you."

"Well, you didn't really seem to be in the mood to talk," said Diluc. He suppressed the urge to squirm. Kaeya's adjustment in the saddle had caused parts of him to press uncomfortably into the hard leather of the horn. The last thing he needed after their bath that morning was for his body to betray him again.

"I didn't want to talk about that, no," Kaeya responded. "But there are plenty of other topics. Surely, someone of your stature would have learned how to maintain an entertaining conversation."

Diluc scowled. "I wish you would stop bringing that up. There's more to me than being royalty, you know. Besides, I already told you that I have no interest in ruling."

Kaeya laughed. "I suppose that you're right. You are nice to look at, and I'm impressed that you managed to survive so long making an actual, honest living. Hell, maybe, if I decide that I want to take a massive pay cut, I could sell you to a brothel instead."

"That's all I am to you? A paycheck?" Diluc balled his hands into fists, his arms jerking against his restraints. "You don't even see me as a person, do you?"

"It isn't fun, is it?" Kaeya said softly, placing his chin on Diluc's shoulder. Diluc felt him smile against his ear. "Being treated like a thing? A bargaining chip meant only for personal gain."

Diluc's entire body tensed. His fight or flight instincts screamed for him to flee, though he couldn't, bound to the saddle as he was. "Look, I'm sorry if-"

"I'm not done talking," growled Kaeya, dropping the reins from one hand so he could wrap it around Diluc's neck. "Imagine being taken in by someone you trusted, only to have everything you love destroyed, and then being sent away so you don't even have your friends to comfort you."

"Listen, I…" Diluc swallowed, painfully aware of how the Khaenri'ahn's palm pressed against his windpipe. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you in the past. Please...I can't make amends for whatever my father did if I'm dead. My life can be worth more to you than a few Mora."

Kaeya was silent for a moment and then pulled his hand away, picking up the reins once again. "When I turn you in, I get four lives in return. Tell me, what can you give me that's worth more than that?"

Diluc furrowed his brow, his heart sinking as the meaning behind Kaeya's words clicked into place. "Your friends…other knights…"

Kaeya didn't answer; instead, he turned the horse onto a narrow path that led to a small shack. Even from a distance, Diluc could tell that it was abandoned. One side of the roof was caved in and the paper on the sliding doors was torn and missing. But it would serve as a private, defensible shelter for the night. As Kaeya pulled Favo to a halt and dismounted, Diluc turned to look down at him.

"Were you there that night?" Diluc asked quietly.

Kaeya paused, one hand gripping the chain link that connected Diluc's wrists to the saddle. He watched as some sort of internal struggle played out on his captor's face, another rare display of genuine emotion.

"No," the Khaenri'ahn finally said, his voice low. "I didn't get there until almost a week later."

Diluc watched as he clenched his jaw. When Kaeya looked up at him, his blue eyes were filled with hate.

"Did you stick around long enough to see what the Fatui did to your people, or were you already gone when the executions started?"

Diluc's breath caught in his lungs. "What?"

"So, you were gone then. It figures."

Kaeya reached up and released the chain from the saddle, leaving Diluc's wrists linked together. A small tug indicated that he was expected to climb down. Diluc supposed that he should be thankful that he hadn't simply been yanked from the back of the horse, but he was far more concerned by the chill that was suddenly in the air. Kaeya pulled on the chain again once he'd dismounted, pushing him out in front as they walked toward the shelter.

"Who did they kill?" asked Diluc as he ducked under the half-fallen beam of the front door.

"By the time I got there, the Fatui had crucified every senior-ranking knight and clergyman. They marked every mile between Springvale and the city as a warning to the people not to fight back," Kaeya responded, his voice flat. He walked Diluc over to one of the few remaining support beams in the center of the hovel and then unlinked the chain between his wrists long enough to wrench his arms behind his back and bind them around the old wood. "They hung your father's body from the hands of the Anemo Archon statue in front of the cathedral."

The color drained from Diluc's face as he listened to Kaeya's description of events. "But, those are war crimes. Why didn't anyone do anything?"

"Do you really think the Fatui care?" Kaeya scoffed. "Or Liyue? Or Inazuma? Or anyone? Why should they, when Mondstadt's last possible leader abandoned them?"

Diluc swallowed and clenched his jaw.

"You have a lot to answer for, Your Highness," said Kaeya, leaning in close. "Though, I don't really care what they do with you. As long as I get what I've been promised, I'll be happy."

With a small smirk, Kaeya pulled back and turned on his heel, walking back toward the door. Diluc barely noticed, his head swimming with visions of all of the people he had abandoned when he'd run that night. As his captor reached the doorway, he paused and turned just enough to glance back over his shoulder.

"For now, I suggest that you make yourself comfortable, little prince. I need to get more supplies and the nearest village is thirty minutes from here. I'll be gone awhile." Kaeya began to leave, disappearing halfway through the door before he stopped again. "Oh, and I would stay as quiet as possible, if I were you. There are wandering bands of hilichurls around here. You wouldn't want to be found by them when I'm not around."

Diluc watched him leave in silence, not moving until he heard Favo's hoofbeats fade into the distance. His chest felt tight and his stomach ached. Some invisible force seemed to bear down on him, making it hard to stand and even more impossible to breathe. The very moment that Diluc was certain Kaeya was alone, that pressure broke in a loud, gut-wrenching sob. Before he could stop himself, the first sob was followed by a second and then a third. His body shook as he cried and his knees buckled, his back scraping against the worn wooden beam as he slid down it until he sat on the rotting wood floor. Hot tears blurred his vision as they burned paths down his cheeks to drip from his jaw into his lap. He had known that his father and the others had likely died-there was no other possible outcome-but the confirmation in such brutal detail had made that knowledge so much worse. Even when he didn't close his eyes, Diluc could picture exactly what Kaeya had described. He saw their bodies mounted, displayed, and then decayed as he stared at the wood grain visible between his legs. The pattern warped in his vision to reflect the faces of the men and women that had raised him as their flesh sank and peeled back from the bone. He hoped that they had already been dead when the Fatui had staked them along the road, but his heart told him that had not been the case. Kaeya, Jean, and every other citizen of Mondstadt had every right to hate him. He hated himself.

"You miserable coward," he muttered to himself, drawing his knees up only to find that he couldn't lean forward far enough to bury his face in them. He sniffled and laughed bitterly, choosing instead to lean back against the pole with a broken sigh. "No more running."

He stared quietly up at what remained of the roof as he regained control of his emotions, steeling himself for what he would face in Mondstadt. The few remaining tears that still clung to his lashes slipped free, rolling back into his ears, while those he hadn't shed slid down the back of his throat. There was a hole in the roof a little to the right of where he was bound. Through it, Diluc could make out the bottom half of the Pavo Ocellus constellation. He stared intently at it, recalling the star maps he had been forced to memorize by his tutors. This time of year, the peacock's tail feather would be almost directly overhead, chasing after the owl, Noctua. As a child, he had made up stories about the two, imagining that the massive celestial birds were friends and that their journey across the heavens was some sort of divine adventure. He remembered the head librarian at the time being especially enthralled by his stories, reminding him that the owl was the sigil of his house and the peacock that of another. If he thought hard enough, he could almost remember the plots of some of those stories as they spilled in an excited frenzy of words from his mouth. Diluc frowned as the hazy memory of another voice echoed in his ears. Another child, close to his age, had joined him in making up those adventures, but the image of their face remained fuzzy. He lost all track of time as he watched the stars twinkle overhead, wishing that he could pick out that elusive friend from his childhood.

"Enjoying your stargazing, Your Highness?"

Diluc startled at the sound of Kaeya's voice and just barely avoided knocking his head against the beam he was tied to. The Khaenri'ahn leaned against the door frame, the blanket and saddlebags draped over one shoulder. He seemed to be in better spirits. Diluc couldn't help but wonder if the supply run had been out of necessity of solitude rather than food.

"I was just...remembering," said Diluc, watching as his captor walked over and dropped his things beside the remnants of an old fire pit. One of the bags landed with a loud metallic thud that it had not made before. He frowned and tilted his head. "What was that?"

"While I was out, I got you a little gift." Kaeya bent and opened the bag, pulling out some sort of metal contraption.

Diluc watched through distrustful red eyes as the Khaenri'ahn crossed the small space and crouched beside him.

"If it's all the same to you, you can keep it."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to refuse a gift?" asked Kaeya. He reached out and grabbed Diluc's ankle, pulling his left leg out straight. "Honestly, what are they teaching royalty these days?"

Diluc reflexively tried to pull his leg away, earning himself a threatening squeeze.

"Besides, these things are really hard to find outside of Snezhnaya," Kaeya continued. "Luckily, I know a retired Millilith who's traveled there."

Cold dread settled in Diluc's stomach as he watched Kaeya pull what he finally recognized to be a hobble onto his foot. The device consisted of a thick iron bar that was strapped to the bottom of his foot under the arch with thick leather straps and locked in place with a thin shackle. The bar was wide enough that it would misalign his hips by at least a couple of inches, and its edges were sharp enough that walking would be very uncomfortable. Running was totally out of the question.

"There, see how nice that is?" asked Kaeya, giving Diluc's foot a gentle pat when he'd finished.

"No." Diluc tried to pull his foot away a second time and failed. "Do you have a key for that lock?"

Kaeya hummed, but didn't answer. Instead, he stood and moved back to the fire pit, piling up some scrap wood and starting a fire. Diluc watched as his captor built up the blaze to a decent size and placed a small cast iron pot over it. Soon, the smell of cooking food filled the small space. It was then that Diluc's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since morning, releasing a loud growl. He saw Kaeya's lips curl in a small smile, but he made no other move to acknowledge his captive.

"What's the point in putting this stupid thing on me, if you're going to leave me tied up like this?" Diluc finally asked after several more minutes had passed.

Kaeya laughed loudly, leaning back on one hand to keep himself from falling over.

Diluc frowned. "What's so funny?"

"You're kind of cute when you're mad, you know that?"

Diluc scowled. "You're an ass."

"You know, I've heard that before, but I just can't think of where," said Kaeya with a click of his tongue. He shrugged. "Oh well."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Aren't you going to untie me? Isn't that why you got this…" Diluc lifted his hobbled left foot and let it fall to the floor with a loud clunk. "...thing?"

"And what do we say when we want something?"

"Please," Diluc ground out through gritted teeth. "Untie me, please."

"There it is." Kaeya stood and walked over, bending to unlink the chain between the cuffs. "There you go, Your Highness."

The moment Diluc felt the tension in his arms released, he brought them around to rest in his lap, reaching up with one hand to rub at a sore spot on his shoulder. He glared at Kaeya as he returned to the fire to check on the pot. When his stomach growled again, he finally struggled to his feet. He sighed. The hobble was as uncomfortable as he had feared it would be. He limped over to the fire, every other step landing with a metallic thud.

"What are you making?" he asked as he sat across from his captor.

Kaeya shrugged. "I'm not sure what I'd call it, but it has pigeon and carrots in it."

"Oh."

"You don't have to eat it, but this is the only food I'm making," said the Khaenri'ahn with an accusatory flick of his spoon. "Turn up your royal nose at your own peril."

"No, no, I'm sure it'll taste just...fine."

Kaeya snorted. "It'll taste like something."

"Could I give it a try?" Diluc scooted a little closer. "I'm better at cooking than you might think."

"Really? You?" Kaeya thought about it for a moment before shrugging and passing him the spoon handle. "Alright. Whatever you make, you're tasting first."

"That's fair," said Diluc, taking the spoon and dipping it in the pot for a taste of the broth. He wrinkled his nose. "Do you have any spices with you?"

"You know, you might be the pickiest paycheck I've had to-date," Kaeya muttered. He turned and fished a couple of glass vials from one of the saddlebags, handing them to Diluc.

Diluc briefly considered complaining that there was only salt and pepper, but quickly decided that it was best not to push his luck. He finished cooking their only meal of the day in a silence that wasn't totally uncomfortable. As he lifted the spoon to his lips for a final taste test, Kaeya pulled two worn wooden bowls from his bag. Diluc couldn't help but to be a little pleased with himself. Even with only the barest of ingredients, he had managed to make a decent stew. Xiangling would have been proud.

"Do you normally only eat once a day?" he asked as he served Kaeya the first portion.

Kaeya hummed, bringing the bowl close to his face and giving its contents a suspicious sniff. "Can't afford much more than that."

"Don't you get hungry?"

"Wine is filling enough." Kaeya patted the wineskin that sat beside him.

Diluc wrinkled his nose and filled his own bowl.

"Don't tell me you don't like wine," said Kaeya.

"I don't like wine."

Kaeya gasped mockingly. "Now, we can never be friends."

Diluc deadpanned at him. "Just eat."

"Not before you."

With a huff and a roll of his eyes, Diluc lifted the bowl to his mouth and gave the broth a sip. It was thin and the flavor was mild, but it was good. He sucked in a small piece of meat as it bumped against his lips, chewing thoughtfully. Even the pigeon meat was palatable. He noticed Kaeya watching him carefully as he ate, no doubt wary of any sort of nefarious addition to the food. Once he'd taken a few more gulps of broth, Diluc lowered the bowl back into his lap.

"See? It's safe. Eat."

Kaeya bowed dramatically. "As His Highness commands."

Even after seeing proof that the food hadn't been poisoned, Diluc noticed that Kaeya was still cautious as he tasted it. The Khaenri'ahn took small sips of the broth at first, his eyebrows slowly rising and his posture relaxing as he realized that it was not only safe to eat, but also tasted good. For several minutes, the only sounds that could be heard in the small hut were those of Diluc and Kaeya eating and crickets chirping in the tall grass outside.

"You should know that I've decided to come with you willingly," Diluc said after he'd finished everything in his bowl. He set it beside the fire, tapping the smooth edge of it with his index finger as a way to distract himself from looking at his captor.

"Have you, now?" Kaeya set down his own empty bowl and leaned back against a broken crate, staring intently at his captive. "And what brought about this momentous decision?"

"What you said before about how I have a lot to atone for…" Diluc sighed and looked up, his fiery red gaze meeting icy blue. "You were right. It's time that I face my past and my people. I owe you that at the very least."

"I'm glad you think so," said Kaeya. He uncorked his wineskin and raised it to his lips, taking a long drink. "You have one detail wrong, though."

Diluc tilted his head. "What?"

"I'm not one of your people."

"I don't under-"

Kaeya pointed to his one visible catlike eye. "I'm Khaenri'ahn, the most hated race in Teyvat. I don't belong anywhere."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For how you've been treated," said Diluc. "It isn't fair for you to be punished for something that happened hundreds of years before you were born."

Kaeya didn't answer. Instead, he took another deep draught of his wine, wiping the excess that clung to his lips as he lowered the wineskin. Several minutes passed before he finally spoke.

"You should get some sleep, Your Highness. We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow."

Diluc nodded silently and eased himself down onto his side beside the fire. He forced himself to close his eyes, listening as Kaeya cleaned up the supplies from their meal and went outside to check on Favo. In the last moments before he drifted off to sleep, he felt a blanket pulled over him and a gentle hand brush some strands of hair back from his face. Then he heard Kaeya settle down on the other side of the fire, his words so soft when he spoke that Diluc wasn't sure if he had imagined them: "Good night, Diluc."

He was in the garden with his father again. Diluc could feel the warmth of Crepus's hand as it encased his own, leading him to meet a new member of the Mondstadt court. Once again, Diluc peered around the robes of the tall stranger, desperate to catch a glimpse. Once again, the tiny hand clutched at the robes more tightly, its owner either too frightened or too shy to come out of hiding.

"Come on, little one," said the stranger, reaching one hand down and behind him to caress the other child's head. "The king and I have much to discuss. Prince Diluc will keep you company."

"Can't I stay with you?" asked the child.

Diluc leaned out as far as his father's grip on his hand would let him. The child's voice rang with familiarity, pulling at his subconsciousness. He needed to see who it was.

"Don't be scared," said Diluc after a sharp tug from Crepus set him back into place beside him. "What's your name?"

The child began to emerge from behind the stranger. Diluc caught sight of a sleeve embroidered with a strange pattern that he had never seen before and hair in a color that was equally uncommon. Then, the sun flashed off the nearby fountain and Diluc's vision blurred as the scene shifted once again.

The garden was dark as Diluc crossed it in long strides. He hadn't been able to sleep and had chosen to take a walk to clear his mind. News had reached him that evening that his father had secured a marriage for him. Diluc didn't know to whom he had been betrothed, but he had no doubt that it would be a politically advantageous union. Regardless, the news had been unexpected. Shock and frustration made the prince's heart race. He knew that this was part of the role that he had to fulfill as Mondstadt royalty, but he wished that he might have had some involvement in the process. Diluc huffed. Even after all these years and all of the efforts he made to prove himself, his father still didn't treat him as an equal, still didn't trust him to make his own decisions.

"Why?" Diluc muttered to himself, stopping as he reached the low stone wall that bordered the garden. He placed his hands on top, leaning on them and hanging his head. "Why didn't you tell me, yourself?"

He was so distracted by his own thoughts, that he almost didn't hear the metallic song of a blade being removed from its sheath until it was too late. Diluc spun, narrowly avoiding the downswing of a short sword, its sharp edge clanging loudly as it met the rock wall in the exact spot where his hands had been seconds before. He kicked at the hand that held the sword, earning himself a stream of Snezhnayan curses as his attacker dropped the weapon. The sword clattered to the ground and Diluc seized his chance. A loud crack filled the air as his fist met the Fatui agent's face, knocking the distinctive mask away.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Diluc asked. He quickly picked up the sword and pointed it at the man. "Are you trying to start a war?"

"No." The Fatui agent sneered and snapped his fingers, prompting a half dozen others to emerge from the bushes around him. "We're stopping one."

A rough hand shook Diluc awake. He snorted and grumbled as he opened his eyes to find Kaeya crouching over him, a finger pressed to his lips. He blinked and furrowed his brow, still half trapped within his nightmare. As the visions and sounds of battle cleared from his mind, Diluc finally registered that the Khaenri'ahn looked far more tense than he had ever seen him.

"What's going on?" he asked, earning himself a harsh sush from Kaeya.

"Keep your voice down," Kaeya whispered. He turned away, his hand falling to the sword that hung from his hip. "We have company."

Diluc frowned and listened. Sure enough, after a few moments he was able to pick out the sounds of footsteps shuffling through the grass and whispered commands in the guttural language of the hilichurls. They were clearly stalking the two humans hidden within the rundown house, and based on the number of voices he heard, Diluc guessed that their hunting party was quite large.

"Where's Favo?" Diluc asked quietly, sitting up and watching as Kaeya packed the last of his belongings into the saddlebags and slung them over his shoulder.

"Around." Kaeya stood and held out a hand, helping Diluc to his feet. Picking up the blanket, he folded it and tossed it over Diluc's shoulder, and then drew a small dagger from his boot and pressed it into his hand. "Take this. We're gonna have to move fast."

Diluc nodded, gripping the weapon tightly. Outside, he could hear the hilichurls moving to surround them.

"I'll go first," said Kaeya. "Wait for me to clear a path and then get to Favo as fast as you can."

"Right." Diluc watched as Kaeya made his way to the door, using what remained of the wall as cover.

Kaeya took a deep breath and then in one fluid motion, drew his sword and spun out into the doorway. The Khaenri'ahn yelled a battle cry as he disappeared into the early morning light, his call answered by the screams of hilichurls as he cut them down. Diluc hobbled to the entry in time to see Kaeya erect a wall of ice with a sudden wintry blast, trapping several monsters inside.

"Come on, Diluc! Move! Now!" Kaeya yelled. He raised his fingers to his lips and whistled before turning to parry the blow of a large spiked club.

Diluc heard Favo whinny in response to his master's call. Turning, he saw the horse gallop around the side of the shack, trampling an unfortunate hilichurl that dared to block his path. Luckily, Kaeya had been wise enough to leave the saddle and bridle on the night before, likely predicting that they might have to make a hasty escape. Moving as quickly as he could, Diluc limped to Favo's side and tossed the blanket over his rump before scrambling up into the saddle. Favo snorted and pranced in place, making it difficult for Diluc to grab the reins. The sound of a battle horn echoed over the plains as he finally gained control of the horse and turned him in the direction that they needed to go. Ahead of him, he could see Kaeya doing his best to fend off the monsters, despite being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.

"Kaeya!" Diluc's cry echoed over the din of battle as he spurned Favo forward.

The Khaenri'ahn spun toward the sound, his eye following the path of his horse as he prepared to jump up into the saddle. He gave one last yell and swung his sword, creating another wall of ice, just as Diluc reached him. Reaching up, Kaeya grabbed hold of the hand his captive offered him and, in a stunning display of athleticism, leapt onto his horse's back.

"Go! Now!" Kaeya yelled, kicking Favo into action.

He let Diluc retain control of the reins, turning and fixing the saddlebags onto Favo's back and then knocking aside a couple more hilichurls as they broke through their ranks. Then he shifted forward to sit properly in the saddle, reaching around and taking the reins. He pushed Favo to his top speed, dirt and grass flying up behind them as they fled. A few hilichurls ran after them, but were hopelessly outmatched. Soon, Diluc felt Kaeya relax behind him.

"Not bad, Your Highness," he said. Reaching down, he linked Diluc's wrists to the saddlehorn once again. "Listen that well a couple more times, and I just might learn to trust y-"

Kaeya's words were cut off by a sharp grunt, his body lurching forward into Diluc's. Before Diluc could respond, he heard a hollow thud, immediately followed by another. His chest tightened as he felt Kaeya go limp against his back.

Diluc just barely managed to grab the reins as they dropped from Kaeya's slackened grip, pulling Favo to a halt with a little difficulty. Turning, he caught sight of a hilichurl chasing after them, growling angrily as it loaded a fresh bolt into the crossbow that it carried.

"Shit!" Diluc swore, turning Favo back onto the path and kicking him back into a gallop.

Within moments, the last hilichurl was gone from view, its arrows landing harmlessly in the grass behind them, but Diluc knew it was too late. As the sun rose over the Guili Plains, all he could focus on was the sound of Favo's hoofbeats, the weight of Kaeya's body, and the feeling of his hot blood soaking through the back of his shirt.

I want to give a HUGE shoutout to everyone that faved, followed, and reviewed this fic so far. You have been a big motivator to me, especially as I've been trying to make time for this in addition to other responsibilities. All that said, please comment and let me know what you think! I really love reading all of your thoughts.

And, as always, you can find me on Twitter kumi_sama_chan. Come and yell at me about Genshin. I also sometimes post WIPs there (for art, fic, and cosplay). I have a Diluc whump pwp that I'm tempted to write. Come and encourage me to make bad choices.