Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 45: Childe

"Hey buddy, hold still!" The voice rang from behind us, and someone jumped over us and landed at the feet of the millileth.
He wielded two swords, which seemed to be made of water. A hydro vision stood out to me, almost as much as his red hair. It wasn't a striking red like Diluc's was, but resembled an orange glow like a sunset. On his head was a red mask, although he didn't put it on. I wondered at first if it was like Xiaos mask, but I felt no energy emanating from it.
He jumped into action, slicing at the millileth with precision. He took them all out quickly and with accuracy, and then his swords disappeared.
Turning to us, he had a satisfied smile on his face before we heard more millileth coming.
"Stop! Stop!" They called out to us.
He glanced up at them, and they were about to run down the stairs towards us. "Come with me," he said, motioning down the stairs.
We looked at each other, unsure if we should follow him. Unanimously, we all started to follow the strange redhead.

We ran until we reached a spot without the Millileth, blending in with the crowd below. "Phew! Paimons exhausted!"
"How? You can float," Aether pointed out, although he seemed to be breathing heavy too.
"So insensitive! You have no idea how tiring it is to- Diluc, are you okay?" Paimon said, looking to him with concern.
I glanced over, concerned. His face was still pale, and he was breathing heavier than I was, despite being more physically adept than me. "I-I'm fine," he said, standing up straight and catching his breath.
"Are you okay?" The red haired stranger asked, also slightly concerned. "You look somewhat pale."
"I think he may be getting a little sick," I said, putting my hand on his forehead. Of course, it was a little warm.
He gently grasped my hand and moved it away from his forehead. "I feel alright, don't worry about me."
Hesitantly, I dropped my hand. "Maybe you need to eat something, you haven't done that yet..."
"We should get off the streets," the stranger said, looking over to Aether and Paimon.
"Hey, just who are you anyways?" Paimon asked, her hands on her hips.
"Call me Childe," He said, smiling a little.
"Childe? What, so we're supposed to dote on you or something?" She argued, distrusting of the stranger.
"Not at all, it's an alias of sorts," he said, explaining the strange nickname. I occasionally glanced over at Diluc, who seemed to be doing okay for the time being.
Diluc also looked over to Childe with slight distrust. Why had he saved us anyways? I assumed that he and I were probably thinking the same thing. He must have had a goal, he wouldn't save strangers for no reason, at least that was most likely the case.
"You didn't happen to come across a Signora in Mondstadt, by chance?" Childe said, immediately eliciting a nervous response from Diluc, Paimon, and Aether.
I, however, had no real clue as to who she was.
"Signora... Childe..." Paimon thought over, although Aether seemed as though he had already connected the dots.
Suddenly, she gasped. "You're fatui! One of the harbingers!"
"The harbingers?" I said, my stomach dropping. "For real?"
"Don't worry, I'm not looking for a fight," he explained, although that didn't seem to calm anyone down too much.
"Fatui?" Diluc said, sounding a little frustrated. "What do you mean, harbingers? What exactly do you want with us?"
"Hold on," I said, putting a hand on Dilucs shoulder. "Let's avoid a fight if we can," I whispered to him. "None of us can take on a harbinger right now."
Diluc looked over to Childe with distrust, but calmed down. "Explain."
"Yeah, please do. This is a little concerning," Aether said, also nervous.
"Signora gave you quite the bad impression, didn't she?" He said, scratching the back of his head. "Cant say I'm a fan either. Right, let's forget about her for now. I'm here to help you," he looked over to Aether.
"Help?" He said, confused.
"Yes, help. I'm not a bad guy," he said, before stopping. "Well... perhaps I am kind of a bad-guy, but I'm not here to give you any trouble."
"I heard of your deeds in Mondstadt, so I couldn't help but notice you in the crowd back there," Childe continued. "Since I had my eye on you the whole time, I know someone else was behind it."
"My deeds?" Aether asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah, you. I suppose those two just happened to be there, but it's nice to meet you," Childe said, looking over to Diluc and I.
"I guess I can say the same," I said, a little nervous to be around fatui, much less a harbinger. "I'm y/n, and this is Diluc."
Diluc seemed to glare at Childe slightly, but didn't take any action. I couldn't blame him, fatui weren't exactly popular in Mondstadt.
"Diluc? From the Dawn Winery?" Childe said, raising a brow. "It seems I've met two very important individuals today."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, harbinger," Diluc said, still unsure of Childe.
"I see, I see. Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. I hope you will still consider my help?" Childe said, looking us over.
It was true, we'd probably have been scooped up if it weren't for Childe. Diluc looked away slightly, his arms crossed. "I'll overlook it."
Childe turned back to Aether. "If you want to clear your name, go to northland bank. I will help you there,"
That's right, the Fatui run northland bank... "I don't think I have much of a choice, so I suppose we should go," Aether said.
"Paimon thinks so too," said Paimon, although she still didn't seem to thrilled.
I looked over to Diluc, a little concerned for him. He was still pale, and looked like he needed to lie down for a bit.
"Why don't you go get rest?" Childe said, looking over to Diluc again. "Where are you staying? I'll come get you two soon, and treat you and the traveler to lunch," Childe said, looking over to Diluc and I.
"The hotel on Yujing Terrace. You don't have to," I said, feeling slightly guilty about the offer.
"It's alright. He looks like he needs to stay put for a little, though," Childe said.
"I said I'll be alright. We can go back to the hotel for a little, but I suppose it won't hurt to join you for a meal," Diluc said. While he still didn't trust Childe, I could tell he thought it would be safe to accept the offer.
"Okay, I'll meet you there in a bit," Childe said before heading towards the bank with Aether and Paimon.
"Come on, let's get you back to the hotel..."

Diluc laid down hesitantly, watching me walk around the room for my bag. "What are you doing?"
"I saw a pharmacy today, so I think I'll run and grab you something for your fever," I said, digging in my bag for my mora.
"Fever?" He said, not believing me. "I feel fine."
"Stop it already," I said, rolling my eyes. "You have a fever. I felt it when we met Childe. Besides, you look a little pale. I don't want you to come down with anything."
"You should be exploring Liyue, not taking care of me again," Diluc sighed, crossing his arms while he stared at the ceiling.
"I can't do much exploring while we're being suspected of killing a god," I said, finally finding the mora. "I don't think I can be out much longer than it takes to grab some medicine, anyways."
I walked over to the door, and then turned back to look at Diluc. "I'll be back shortly, okay? Don't worry."
"I'm not worried," he said, looking over to me with a smile. "Just don't be out too long..."
"I won't. I'll be 10 minutes, tops. It's right down the way," I said, remembering observing Bubu Pharmacy that morning.
I glanced over one last time before closing the door and heading for the pharmacy. I kept my eyes out as I walked, making sure the treasure hoarder wasn't around. I had forgotten to tell Diluc about it, but if I did then he wouldn't let me go get medicine for him.
I'll just tell him at lunch... I thought to myself, not wanting to worry him. I sighed as I reached the building, reading the words above the entryway up the stairs.
Bubu Pharmacy... what's with all the stairs?