#lee!diluc

Today was a normal day at the Dawn Winery, Diluc could say. That was until the door of the winery opened, and a ginger haired male entered the room, looking like a ball of energy.

"Master Diluc, long time we don't see!" - Tartaglia said, rushing towards the counter of the bar with a big smile on his lips.

"Ah, sure we haven't…" - The red haired man said with a sigh, leaving some clean wine glasses on a shelve.

Tartaglia titled his head and simply pouted - "What?, you didn't miss me all the time I was out? So mean, master Diluc. I thought you will smile even a little..." - The ginger hummed, looking away.

"I can't say I haven't missed you, Tartaglia. I just think that before you came here was really peaceful." - Diluc said, turning around to face the ginger with his arms crossed.

The ginger boredly stared at the other, huffing - "I thought you liked my energy." - "I sure do, sometimes your energy entertains some people, but I'm tired today. I haven't rest in a while."

The ginger perked up a little when he Heard those words. - "I suppose it's by your work." - The ginger said, leaning forward. - "You can't go to your house now? I'm the only person here, from what I see. Your personal is not here either, why are you still working?"

"Hm, I'm not feeling tired. I was advancing some work." - the male said, just using excuses. He didn't wanted to sleep, not because he didn't wanted, it was just because he was stubborn. Before the personal was gone, some of them almost begged him to go rest, but he didn't obey them. - "Is it that, or just because you are really stubborn naturally?"

The red head looked at the other, arching an eyebrow. - "Tsk, what do you mean like that?, I'm not stubborn..." - He muttered, closing his eyes and looking away from the ginger. - "Sure you aren't, master Diluc." - He smiled softly, rounding the counter and entering, to start hugging the other from behind.

"When are you planning to finish your 'advances' on your work?" - "Mh, who knows. Two/three hours, maybe more." - Diluc responded, crossing his arms, looking away. - "That's too late, It's already 12 am- huh? Are you okay?" - Tartaglia got interrupted by a sudden jolt from the red head when he nuzzled his nose behind the other's ear.

The hydro user could see that Diluc's cheeks and ears were slightly red. - "It's nothing..." - Diluc muttered, discreetly trying to separate from the hug. Tartaglia decided to try something, and gently kissed the same spot were he put his nose on, earning a yelp from the other.

"Diluc... Don't tell me that..."

"Shut up."

"I haven't say anything!!" - Tartaglia smiled, putting his fingers on the other's waist, making the red head quickly grab his wrist.- "Tartaglia..." - "Hm?" - "Don't you dare..." - "Too late!"

Tartaglia started kissing the spot behind Diluc's ear, making the other try to hold back his laughter. - "Come on, master Diluc... Laugh a little, will you?" - Tartaglia said, starting to dig his fingers on Diluc's ribs, making the other finally start laughing.

"S-Stohop it in this instant, Tahartaglia!!" - Diluc groaned through his laughter, his ears turning red, almost combining with the color of his hair. - "Look at your ears! They look like they're a part of your hair!" - The ginger grinned, now gently blowing raspberries on Diluc's neck, and tickling his armpits, making the normally serious male start to laugh uncontrollably.

"CH-CHIHIHILDEHEHE!!" - Diluc squirms in the hug, trying to push the other away, but Tartaglia simply trapped him between the counter and himself. - "STOHOHOP, THIHIS IS CHIHILDISH." - Diluc said, his face about to explode from how red it is.

"If you give me a Kiss, I might stop..." - He acted like he was thinking, while still tickling the other's armpits. - F-Fihihine! J-Juhust stohohop!"

With that, the ginger quickly stopped, and let the other catch his breath. When Diluc relaxed, he turned around to face Tartaglia with a frown, while the ginger brightly smiled at him. - "Where's my Kiss?" - The ginger asked innocently, making kissing sounds, while Diluc rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile a little. - "You're so annoying, you know?" - "But you love me!!"

Diluc sighed and got his face closer to Tartaglia's, his lips almost touching. Finally, Diluc started gently kissing Tartaglia's lips, the ginger corresponding it.

Suddenly, Tartaglia could feel some hands gently tickling his middle, making him break the Kiss with a giggle. - "W-Whahat? Dihiluc!"

"You think I forgot you were ticklish too, fatui? Now it's my turn." - Diluc said, smirking, as he tickled the ginger's navel, making the ball of energy explode with laughter.

At least Kaeya was less stubborn than the Fatui Harbinger.

“Come on, Diluc,” the ginger’s voice rang out. “Just one little spar?”

“No.”

“A tiny, tiny spar?”

“No.”

“I can tell you want to.”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, that’s your problem.” Diluc kept his focus on the stairs he walked down. He swiftly removed his hand from the handrail once he realised that Tartaglia decided to slide down it instead of taking the stairs.

“Come on!” His boots created a loud thud that echoed throughout the downstairs area once he bounced off the handrail and landed just before Diluc at the bottom of the stairs. “All that talk about you being a formidable opponent couldn’t have been just talk, could it?”

“You of all people are quite aware of my capabilities. However, this is Aether’s home, and I will not do anything to cause him inconvenience.” Diluc brushed past the harbinger. “No matter how tempting it is to put certain people in their place.”

Childe laughed; a bit too hysterical for Diluc’s liking. “That’s a good one. Didn’t think you were the type to make jokes.”

“I wasn’t joking. Now back off, we’re not sparring and that’s final.”

Just as Tartaglia was about to respond, a cheerful voice sounded beside them on the way to the front entrance.

“Hello there!”

Oh great. Diluc knew that particular cheery tone anywhere and turned to see none other than Venti beaming at the two, a glass of apple cider in his hand.

“Fancy seeing you here, Master Diluc!”

“What are you doing here?” Diluc raised a brow towards the bard.

“Aether invited me, of course!” Venti held out his glass in cheer.  “Though he had other matters to attend to, so I decided to stick around a little while longer.”

“In other words, you’re going to raid his entire stock of alcohol in hopes he doesn’t notice?”  

Venti winked. “Ehe, I would never.”

“Is it that my stock is no longer enough for you to try to steal from? You’ve now resorted to-”

“Uh, excuse me!” Tartaglia interrupted. “I’m still here, you know!”

“Oh, we know,” Venti tilted his head with a smile, a tint of sass within his tone. Tartaglia bared a challenging smirk.

“You’ll help convince Diluc to spar with me, won’t you, bard?” Tartaglia then questioned, which Diluc rolled his eyes at. This persistence was incredible.

“That depends,” Venti swirled the apple cider in his glass. “What’s in it for me?”

Diluc glared at the bard for even asking such a question, as if he would even be convinced by anything Venti said to begin with.

“I have enough mora to cover your tabs for the next year, how’s that sound?” Tartaglia pulled out a small pouch from his pocket, tossing it up and down in his hand, the sound of coins jingling to confirm the contents.  

“Hm,” Venti closed his eyes in contemplation. He opened one eye moments later to look over to Diluc then back to the harbinger. “Alright. Hand over the mora and I’ll try my best to convince him.”

“What?” Diluc growled, watching as the pouch was tossed to the bard, a triumphant smirk annoyingly sat upon the hydro user’s face.

“Master Diluc,” Venti looked him straight in his eyes, aqua meeting red. “Will you spar with Tartaglia?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh well, I tried.” Venti shrugged. “Sorry, Tartaglia.”

That little imp, Diluc couldn’t help but smirk.

“You call that convincing?” the harbinger held an exasperated expression. “What the heck was that!”

“What can I say? Master Diluc put up a very good argument. There was simply no changing his mind.” Venti went on, sounding more and more dramatic as he did.

“That’s it. You can forget about the mora, hand it over.” Tartaglia stormed over to the bard, in which Diluc suddenly intervened. He couldn’t help feeling protective over his archon.

“Back off!” The pyro male gripped onto his arm to halt him from getting any closer to Venti.

“No way, he swindled me!” Tartaglia struggled to get out of Diluc’s stubborn grasp. “Let go!”

“Not until you back away.”

Venti only watched the two, taking a sip of his cider and seemed pretty unphased by the struggling.

“I said, let go!” Tartaglia reached out in hopes to push Diluc away, but he unintentionally brushed against Diluc’s side which caused the male to flinch. It didn’t go unnoticed. The smug grin on Tartaglia’s face giving it away. “What was that, huh?”

“Nothing.” Diluc tried to remain stoic and calm, his grip tightening on Tartaglia’s arm. A small warning. “Now, back off.”

“Alright,” Tartaglia lifted his arms up in defeat, which was surprisingly easy and Diluc was very suspicious of. Even Venti narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in attitude.

Diluc remained cautious when slowly releasing his hold on him, staring him down before turning his attention back to the bard. This was probably the best time to take his leave.

“I’m sure I’ll see you back at – Ah!” Diluc gasped as he felt hands grab onto his waist. His head shot around and was about to bark a threat to the culprit when he found himself spluttering on laughter instead.

“Gotcha!” Tartaglia cheered, digging his fingers into Diluc’s sides and squeezing them up and down.

“You- Stahahap!” Diluc tried to speak through gasps of laughter, but the electricity from the ticklish squeezes on his sides were short circuiting his brain. He could only laugh and try to pry those annoying hands from his ticklish torso. “I’m wahaharning yohohou!”

“Ooh, very threatening!” Tartaglia taunted, travelling up to Diluc’s ribs which increased his laughter. His leg even kicked up and stomped back on the ground. “Never took you for the ticklish type, at all. I wonder how far you would have gotten against the Fatui if they knew about this?”

Diluc could barely respond through his uncontrollable laughter.

“I’m sure he would have still been triumphant,” Venti piped in, always quick to get a jab in about the group whenever an opportunity presented itself.    

“I highly doubt that. Giggles here can’t even get me to stop!” The man laughed, which was drowned out in comparison to Diluc’s laughs.

Venti was almost startled by Diluc’s roar of laughter when Tartaglia reached up under his arms, the sound echoing throughout the room.

“Ahahaha! I’m gohohohnna kihihill yohohou!”

Diluc seemed to be struggling a lot against Tartaglia’s iron grip and Venti seemed to take pity on him in this moment. He couldn’t stand to see Diluc humiliated in such a way, no matter how endearing it was to see Diluc laugh again after so many years.

“Alright, I think he’s had enough,” Venti finished off his cider and set the glass down. “Let him go, Childe.”

“Not a chance!” the ginger laughed. “If he’s so strong, he could easily break out of this. Plus, he said he wouldn’t spar with me, so I’ll take this instead.”

His hands began rapidly changing positions on where he would tickle the pyro user next, gasps of laughter forced from his lips. His underarms, sides, ribs and even stomach were not spared in this attack.

Venti sighed with a roll of his eyes. He really didn’t want to have to intervene, but the harbinger left him no choice. His braids began to light up as his anemo powers blew a gust of wind specifically towards Tartaglia, breezing passed Diluc’s flustered face in the process as a little help to cool him off.

Tartaglia was sent flying backwards, with no intent to harm, only to get him away from Diluc.

“T-Thank you,” Diluc sighed, a little wobbly on his legs from all the laughing.

“No problem!”

“Aw, why’d you do that? I was having fun!” Tartaglia pouted, running a hand through his ginger locks to fix them after the anemo gust blew them around.

“You’re going to regret your actions, harbinger.” Diluc growled, his red eyes piercing into Tartaglia’s deep blue ones.

“Oho, finally ready to spar with me? That’s more like it!” Childe cheered, stepping into his battle stance and already raring to go.

“Outside. Now.”

“You got it!”

Diluc groaned as he faced the bard in front of the counter he was trying to clean. “Yes, Venti?”

He studied the vigilante for a second, noticing the usual grimace being more exaggerated. He dropped his common teasey tone before speaking again. “Are.. you okay?” 

The younger furrowed his brows and glared at him. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Sorry, you just seem, well, less Dulic-ey?”

“Less… Diluc-ey? Are you okay?”

“Oh wow, I’m trying to be a caring archon, and you’re catching an attitude?” Venti said in mock-irritation, poking his side lightly.

He gasped and grabbed the other’s wrist. “Venti.”

He grinned like the cheshire cat and pulled his hand out of his grip. “Why so tense, Diluc?”

“Bard. Do not.”

“Why, what could you be talking about? I just want to check up on my – clearly – really tense friend. Is that not okay?” He smirked while leaning over the counter. Out of nowhere, he vaulted over it and jumped at Diluc. 

“Venti!” Diluc yelped, sounding slightly more shrill than usual.

Venti – somehow – managed to take him down and sit on his back. 

Diluc let out a choked sound, trying to push up and get Venti off. 

“Stop- moving!” the bard exclaimed, drilling a finger into his ribs. He immediately dropped to his stomach, shoving his face into the floor.

“Knoho-Knock it off!” he grunted and tried to reach for his wrists. “BARD!”

“Whahat?”

Diluc gave up on trying to stop him in order to cover his face and bite back laughter.

“Aweee, but laughing will help loosen you up! Come on, it’s not good to be this tense.”

He only shook his head. 

“Diluc~! Please?”

“No!” he rushed out, hitting the floor. “Ihi-I’m fihine! Get ohoff!”

The archon pretended to think for a second. “Hm… I don’t hear the magic word~!”

“Pleheahase?”

Venti stopped for a second before he got under his coat and spidered into his lower ribs. “No… not that one.”

“AGH! Whihich ohone thehen?”

“I don’t wanna tell you… you might already know though!”

Diluc jumped when Venti hit a certain rib. “Whahat IHIHS ihit?”

“Hm… well Kaeya knows it. He said you should too, that it held some importance?”

He frowned – well he tried to – before a realization came to him. “Noho! I’m not sahaying that! Doho yohohou knohow how ohold wehe were whehen wehe mahade thahat?”

“I guess you’ll be stuck here forever then. And of course I do, 12, right?” he sighed, jumping up to the bartender’s underarms. 

“AHAHA OHOKAHAY OHOKAHAY!” He screamed, bucking his hips.

Venti kept on for a second before slowing down and tracing his side. “Go on.”

Diluc mumbled something incoherent.

“I can’t hear you~!” he teased.

“Ugh,” he complained. “...Code pirate.”

The older continued to taunt him. “I’m sorry, what was that?” 

“Venti!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” he said, climbing off and offering a hand to help him sit up. He took it and glared at him.

“That was unnecessary.”

Venti scoffed. “Of course it was necessary! How else can I get my dear citizens to calm down?”

“You do this often?”

He patted his shoulder. “How do you think I learned about your little code?”

Diluc stared blankly. “He always was a snitch.”

“What’s the story behind that, anyways?”

The younger stood up and continued cleaning the counter.

Wiping a drop of sweat off of his forehead, Diluc took a seat at a table. His thoughts clouded his head. They weren’t joyous thoughts, to say the least. They were quite negative. He wouldn’t have to dwell on them for too long though.

“Ah, there you are.”

Diluc whipped his head toward the door to see Kaeya stepping into the tavern. He had a grin on his face, from ear to ear. Diluc scoffed.

“Something wrong? Wouldn’t expect to see you here at this time.” Diluc cut his eyes to the clock– it was nearly midnight. He turned his back to Kaeya and began tapping his fingers on the table.

Kaeya chuckled, pulling out a seat and sitting beside Diluc. “Not necessarily. Well, I would count seeing my brother up this late as wrong. You should be elsewhere…perhaps a bed, no?”

“I had more work to do than usual. I was just about to head out, anyway.”

Kaeya mumbled something under his breath, then spoke more clearly: “Doesn’t seem like it.”

Diluc took a deep breath – one that you take when someone is getting on your nerves – and replied: “I don’t care what it seems like.”

Kaeya frowned. At first, he spoke teasingly because he could sense that Diluc was in a bad mood. He figured it might make him laugh, or giggle, but that wasn’t the case.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a few moments before Diluc spoke up.

“I should get going now.” He stood up but was interrupted by an excited Kaeya.

“Hold it! Sit back down! I just had the most wonderful idea.”

Diluc shut his eyes and bit his tongue. He was about to say something he shouldn’t, but he controlled himself and sat. “What?”

“Well…you seem to be in a bit of a…a…a sad mood?” Kaeya didn’t want to further Diluc’s mood, so he tried to find a more minor synonym for depressed.

Diluc didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to either. It was obvious that he was sad about something. Kaeya didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t like seeing his brother like this. They may not have been on the best of terms, but they still cared about each other.

“So, I figured I’d cheer you up like I used to do when we were kids!” Kaeya exclaimed, reaching for Diluc’s sides and squeezing them as quickly as he could. Diluc was fast to swat them away, but he couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

“See! You can smile.” Kaeya cheered. He wasn’t done though. He carefully extended his arms and grabbed Diluc’s wrists. This was a hard task, but Kaeya made it seem easy. He had lots of experience from their childhood, though. Kaeya then kept Diluc’s hand above his head with one hand, letting his free hand tickle the redhead’s exposed armpit.

Diluc shrieked and kicked his legs under the table. He tried to keep his reactions to a minimum, such as wiggling and squirming around. Doing this would likely scoot some tables and chairs all around, meaning he’d have to set them right again.

Diluc was in an interesting situation. He could either bear the tickling and not create another mess to clean up, or he could give in and fall out of his chair. He wanted so badly to choose the first option, but when Kaeya pinched at a certain spot on his ribs, he yelped and hit the floor.

Kaeya followed him, still holding up his wrists. “Diluc! Have you gotten even more ticklish over the years?” He chuckled, straddling his brother's waist.

“Behehe quiehehehet!” Diluc giggled.

Kaeya teasingly responded: “Wow…telling your brother to be quiet? Maybe you deserve this more than I thought.”

He wiggled all five of his fingers in between Diluc’s ribs, making sure to tickle every single bone he could feel. Diluc laid his head back and howled with laughter. He didn’t realize how ticklish he was until now…

“Tickle, tickle, tickle!”

Diluc writhed beneath his brother, feeling his face become warm when he heard the teases.

“GeheHEHEhet off ohoHOHOF MEhehe! Nohohow!” He demanded.

“And what authority do you hold to make such demands?” Kaeya hummed, letting Diluc’s wrists go. He did this so that he could have an extra hand for tickling.

Kaeya shot both of his hands beneath his brothers shirt, scribbling across his belly and waist with vigor - determined to make him laugh a bit more.

“I swehehear to- ahAHAH STOhohahahoHOhop it! I beheHEHeheg!” Diluc became weak when Kaeya dug his fingers into a certain spot on his belly. It was right beneath his navel.

Diluc felt like he was going to tear up if he was tickled like this for any longer!

“KahaAHAHahaeya!” Diluc shouted. Kaeya smirked, letting his brother go and sitting back in his chair.

Diluc laid on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Kaeya started to giggle at the pathetic sight.

“We aren’t kids anymore…surely you shouldn’t be that ticklish! Toughen up!” He laughed.

Even Diluc had begun to smile. It was natural and not from being tickled. Kaeya saw this and felt pleased. He had succeeded in making his brother feel better.

The two shared a drink and engaged in small-talk for a bit, before wrapping the night up and heading home.