chiluc childhood friends AU where they are each other’s first loves?? (timeline of the events in their life has to shift for this to happen. both would be 14-ish during their first meeting)
I originally wrote this outline 3 yrs ago. there's many logical gaps. much suspension of disbelief is required LOL
- they meet during diluc’s training when he gets stationed in snezhnaya. childe is not yet a member of the fatui
- diluc gets stranded in the harsh terrain, but is spotted by childe for his stunning red hair. they're forced to camp together bc a snowstorm destroyed any chance of them making it home safely
- diluc admires childe's resourcefulness & enthusiasm while aiding a stranger in such a difficult situation.
- their conversations keep the morale high & they become fascinated with each other. part of that is a competitive spirit stemming from the unlikely scenario of a regular kid doing more for the pair in braving the unforgiving climate, when the other is a pyro user
- the survival scenario becomes very unintentionally domestic
- diluc starts making special requests to his upperclassmen to train there so he can sneakily meet childe (hitting two birds with one stone as he isn't slacking off in the slightest, always coming back sharper than before as a result of sparring)
- both are eager to see each other.... mutual pining for a long time before childe is able to name his feelings & confesses. he’s confident that diluc is just as infatuated when the poor lad tries to learn everything ajax likes all at once to impress him and doesn’t want to explain (the diluc urge to be too shy & pathetic to do anything upright but taking up cooking, cleaning, throwing knives & ice fishing at the same time to court someone)
- diluc was actually the first to have the realization but was happy with the state of their relationship either way, so he never entertained the idea of going through with anything special
-sharing sweet kisses that make the cold bearable for diluc, both feeling a new kind of coziness
- he goes back to mondstadt for his 18th birthday and plans to tell crepus about everything, but we all know what happened on that day
- diluc cuts everyone off to focus on the search for answers
- childe stops getting letters back and assumes the worst
- combined with the conflict of having a transphobic family (similarly to what is detailed in one of my favourite fics, undisclosed desires) he runs away and ends up in the abyss. family forfeits him to the fatui afterward just like in canon 🥲 when he’s no longer the ajax they knew
- at the same time, diluc leaves mondstadt for 4 years and they meet somewhere along the way (toward the end, both adults by then). both are more stunning/masculine (diversity win) than the last time they saw each other, but are now on opposing sides
- the first time they go to childe’s place, he opens a drawer in his room with the letters he sent to diluc while he was away (returned to him by winery servants? idk) ANGST
- conflict of childe’s feelings being rekindled when they meet, but also reminded of how much it hurt to be left hanging without an explanation
- slowly learning to love again, gradually opening up despite the walls they’ve both built
-healing together & becoming the best versions of themselves
