Oh, Brother Of Mine

Chapter 9

One week passed, and then another. They remained at the camp, training the new recruits, performing one drill after another until all of them were formidable opponents in a fight. Diluc learned, too, the way that the Fatui would strike and the way that they would move, the way they studied their opponents and only struck once they knew the other's weaknesses. Hesitantly at first, he offered his own tips, adjusting the grip of one recruit's sword and correcting another's foot placement. When all he received was positive feedback, he spoke more confidently, stepped out of the shadows and offered his help to all who asked. 

It was nice, he decided, being looked up to again. His time as Cavalry Captain had done a great deal for his ego. He'd learned to take charge, to lead others through one thing or another, and he hadn't realized how much he missed it now that he felt it again. All the while, he could feel a pair of eyes drilling holes into him, Childe's gaze unfaltering as he followed his every move. It used to feel like a threat or a warning of sorts, to stay away, to stay on his guard. Now, it almost felt friendly. It was... strange.

The hard ground beneath them had grown softer, if only slightly, as the summer came and the  weather went from freezing to simply needing a sweater. Slowly, the small ice patches melted, revealing barren ground that had been trampled again and again as dozens of soldiers marched over it every day, fought and trained and learned without pause. It was an interesting change. Already, Diluc had grown used to wearing the long coat he'd taken from the camp of Fatui way back when, and wearing nothing but his usual uniform felt too exposed, too open. 

His mind briefly flashed to his home in Mondstat, to the way the sun would shine bright every day, to the way the summer would be burning hot and the winters mildly cold in comparison to this. Somehow, the thought of a place like that, where the cold wasn't a constant, felt strange to him, almost as if Snezhnaya was drawing him in, as if it was trying to get him to stay in its grasp. He found he didn't mind it. 

Slowly, the Fatui grew to respect him. The looks they gave him were no longer harsh, no longer judging. They no longer strayed away from him when he passed by them. No, now, they welcomed him, spoke to him as if he was one of their own. And was he not? After all, he had  joined them, trained and fought by their side. Hell, he'd even gained the approval, the friendship of their Harbinger. Did that not make him one of the Fatui? So wasn't it only natural for them to respect him? Yes, he decided, yes it was. 

He learned the names of his- his subordinates rather quickly, learned what they liked and what they didn't like. Learned that they were just like him. That they were human. That they weren't some monsters of the Abyss, and that they weren't horrid mindless creatures. No, they were simply people that had been recruited into an army to fight for the wrong cause, for the wrong god. It wasn't their fault that their leader was corrupt, the Tsaritsa was a cruel goddess that forced them to kill and spread nothing but danger. They were blinded by her glory, by her dreams and her ideals, and Diluc vowed he would never succumb to her rule like that. No, rather, he would free these people from their harsh ruler, would give them the peace and freedom that they so deserved. 

After all, he may have come here for revenge, but Diluc was a kind, just man, and he knew when a wrong had to be made right. And this cruel rule of the Tsaritsa? It was anything but right.

Another week passed before Childe pulled him aside one evening after dinner, dragging him out of the camp site until they were well out of ear-shot. His grip was tense on Diluc's arm, his fingers digging into his flesh, but his eyes were shining for once, and his lips were pulled into the innocent grin that Diluc was starting to see more and more lately. Still, he feigned annoyance, and donned his usual mask of being unbothered.

"Well? What is it?" Diluc huffed out, his arms crossed. "You're reminding me a lot of an actual child right now, y'know that?"

"Nope, not even you making fun of my name's gonna get me down this time," Childe retorted, his grip still painful on Diluc.