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“Shift your stance, Razor. Your center of gravity is too high. If you don’t correct it, you’re liable to tip over mid-swing,” Diluc instructed as he demonstrated, hefting his own claymore.
The wolfboy looked at him intently, taking in the information before doing as he was told. He kept his eyes on his tutor as he was led through drills.
Diluc had taken a special interest in Razor’s stance, as he could tell Razor was going to hit a growth spurt soon. Such a rapid gain in height would most assuredly wreck his balance, and the last thing he wanted was for the boy to get hurt because his balance was off. He already came out every week or so to coach the pup in the ways of the claymore, alternating with Lisa in time spent, and had simply shifted his lessons to accommodate his prediction.
“Try to hit me,” Diluc said.
“Ah—?” Razor let out a confused noise.
“Just try to hit me,” Diluc instructed again, tapping his blade on the ground in anticipation.
Hesitation was written across Razor’s expression, but then it solidified into determination and he charged.
With smooth movements, Diluc used one arm to deflect and dodge away from Razor’s attacks, each twist and parry designed to knock the teenager off-kilter.
“Balance, Razor. Balance,” Diluc reminded him, half-hopping to the side to avoid an off-steady strike that dug a small ravine into the dirt.
This continued for almost an hour. Razor would try to swing and Diluc would dodge, forcing Razor to constantly correct lest he fall on his face from the weight of his blade. Eventually the growing annoyance on Razor’s face got to the point that Diluc decided to call a stop to the day.
He sat down on a rock and opened his bag, offering a hearty sandwich to the teenager as he unwrapped his own, the pair breaking for a quiet lunch. “Good job today,” Diluc said as he passed it over, earning a small smile from his student.
Minutes ticked by in silence, and eventually Razor seemed unable to restrain his questions. “Why?” he asked, looking at Diluc intently.
Knowing full well Razor wasn’t talking about the sandwich, Diluc sighed. “Because you’re growing, and you’re going to get taller. That’s going to make things dangerous if you don’t train hard.”
Razor’s head tilted, looking confused.
Diluc opened his mouth to clarify, though he went still as he saw Razor’s head snap to the side. Despite being just as human as the rest, Razor’s sense of smell and hearing were insanely sharp; Diluc knew to take it seriously. He watched as Razor sat his food down, standing and padding a few steps away.
“What is it?” Diluc asked as he stood, setting his own sandwich down and picking up his sword.
His question was answered a moment later as the faint sound of an explosion echoed through the forest, scaring birds from the trees and into the sky.
Exchanging a silent look, the pair packed up quickly and took off in the direction of the sound.
-
It didn’t take them long to find the source of the explosions, and Razor was far more surprised by the ‘who’ than Diluc was.
“Red Burny Girl!” Razor exclaimed, looking over the hill and down to Klee. The girl was in a somewhat one-sided fight against a large number of hilichurls. She was holding her own for the moment, but it was clear that it was only a matter of time before she ran out of bombs or was overwhelmed.
Neither were willing to abandon her and, without hesitation, they dropped their bags where they stood and leapt from the cliff.
Diluc landed and immediately had to bat one of the bombs away, launching it into the face of a nearby hilichurl. Razor landed a moment later, twisting and squeezing between the explosives nimbly before full-body tackling the hilichurl closest to Klee.
Unprepared for the sudden assistance, Klee couldn’t help but let slip a squeak of surprise. “R-Razor!”
Nothing else could be said before everything turned into a flurry of movement; Diluc put himself between Klee and the oncoming assailants, giving her the breathing room she needed to be more strategic about her bomb placements. This allowed her to engage in the fight without fear of immediate harm, and with that, she became a far more capable combatant. Razor maintained their breathing room as he used grand sweeping motions to corral the bulk of the hilichurls into a group.
Unwilling to risk setting all of Wolvendom ablaze in the dry summer months, Diluc refrained from using Dawn. Razor’s Electro was already reacting with Klee’s bombs and causing enough of an issue.
Razor couldn’t be everywhere at once, so Diluc spent most of his time battering wayward hilichurls away from Klee. Soon enough the number of attackers began to dwindle, until only a small handful was left. With a skillful throw, Klee deployed more small bombs into the last of the group in the hopes of ending their tedious encounter.
The bombs rocketed towards their target and, upon seeing one of them be clubbed back at them, Diluc felt everything move in slow motion. The arc was askew, so he knew it wasn’t going to land directly on them, but—
Up until that instant, Diluc hadn’t actually registered the presence of the Electro crystal deposit that sat just beside them, and it wasn’t until he realized precisely where the bomb was going to land that it all clicked into place.
He and Klee were too close. There was no time.
Diluc hurled his sword into the oncoming group of hilichurls and launched himself at Klee, scooping the girl up into his arms. He kicked off the dirt path in an attempted sprint, moving to put as much distance between them and the crystal as he could as he protected her body with his own—
A small explosion was followed by a much louder crack as the crystal split open violently, and immediately Diluc could feel something rip through the leather of his coat and bloom painfully in his back.
He stumbled and hit the ground, narrowly avoiding landing directly on top of Klee, who could only let out a yelp of alarm.
Consciousness flickered and Diluc could feel the warmth blooming at the small of his back. He was too dazed to try to do anything about the bleeding wounds, immediately checking Klee over for injury; she was unhurt.
“Razor! Help!” Klee’s voice cracked as she screamed, the child acutely aware of what had happened. Diluc could see Razor a small distance away, whipping his head up to look at them as the last of the hilichurls fell dead. He stared at the pair of them for a beat, processing what he was seeing.
Then he was moving, sliding to a halt and kicking up dirt as he kneeled by Diluc’s side to assess the wounds. By this point, Diluc was too hazy to formulate much of a sentence, or even hold himself up; it was all he could do to remain conscious.
“He’s bleeding—Razor he—” Klee’s voice cracked.
Diluc grunted a wheeze of agony as he was forcefully rolled onto his stomach and groaned as he felt weight be applied to the places it hurt the most.
“Hold here. I find Wolfhook. Stop bleeding.”
Klee’s noise of alarm was the last thing Diluc heard before he finally lost consciousness.
-
The sun beamed cheerfully through the window and the warmth of it greeted Diluc as coherency returned to him. He tried to lift his arm to block the light, only to flinch as pain lanced through him. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was enough that he schooled his movements and tolerated the light.
With far more caution, he looked around the room and took stock, trying to remember what happened and where he was.
He had been in Wolvendom with Razor and Klee, and the Electro crystal had exploded… Concern overtook everything else, and he looked around the room for any sign of them. His eyes landed on a small cord attached to the ceiling; he could recognize a call bell anywhere. With a grunt of pain, he managed to lift his arm enough to reach it and gave it a tug.
The ring of a bell echoed through the door, and it was only a minute or two later that a nun slipped inside with a smile.
“Master Diluc!” She beamed as she walked up to his side. “I’m relieved to see you’re awake. How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” Diluc replied out of reflex, which was met with fond skepticism in the nun’s expression. “What happened?” He didn’t give in and asked his question.
With a soft sigh and a smile, the nun pulled up a stool and sat down beside his bed, settled, then began to explain. “Spark Knight Klee and young Razor brought you here in quite a state. It was clear they had done their best for you; Razor certainly has a grasp of medicine, even if his bandage-work needs some refining~”
“How bad was it? The wounds,” Diluc asked. His body was one giant, sharp ache, with deep exhaustion filling the cracks.
“Shrapnel injuries. Nothing went exceptionally deep and none of your organs were hit,” the nun explained. “Your bleeding was the biggest threat, but Razor managed to stem it in time.”
At this revelation, Diluc let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
It was clear the nun held a lot of love for his two rescuers, and she continued. “As a matter of fact, they’re nearby, worrying themselves sick about you. Do you feel up to some visitors?”
Diluc hesitated but slowly nodded.
“Wonderful. I’ll let them know~”
With that, Diluc was left alone for about forty-five seconds before the door burst open again. Klee came charging inside with a loud cry, Razor stepping in shortly after.
“Master Diluuuuc!” the child practically wailed, moving so quickly she wound up half ramming into the bed, catching herself and jostling Diluc painfully. It was her tear-stained face that stayed Diluc’s scolding and cooled the ember of annoyance.
“Klee is so sorry! I didn’t pay attention and the crystals exploded and you protected me and—”
“Klee.” Diluc’s tone was firm and cut through her words, silencing the girl. He then spoke more gently. “Klee, it’s fine. Are you hurt?”
Klee shook her head silently, only letting out a faint sniffle.
“Good. What about Razor?”
Turning, Klee looked to the door as though realizing only then that she was alone. It seemed that he had backed out of the room. “Razor? Razor, come out!”
Hesitantly Razor stuck his head through the door once more, and it was immediately apparent that the nuns had forced him into a bath. The teenager trod quietly to Diluc’s bedside, his gaze not leaving that of his tutor’s.
“I’m alright,” Razor said softly. “Just scared. Lots of blood.”
Diluc exhaled softly then and nodded. “You both have my thanks. I’m glad neither of you are hurt.”
New tears welled up in Klee’s eyes and Razor made a small choking noise of alarm. Diluc could empathize, he wasn’t any better at dealing with people crying—especially not kids.
Diluc pulled aside the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed with a restrained noise of discomfort. He did the only thing he could think of, reaching out slowly to pet Klee’s head in reassurance.
“I don’t blame you,” he assured. “It was an accident, and if anyone is to blame, it’s the hilichurls for attacking you.”
Mercifully it seemed to work, and Klee nodded faintly as she reached up to gently clasp the hand on her head. After a moment of silence, her expression changed from sorrow to resolve. Letting go, she slung her backpack off her shoulder, setting it on the ground and beginning to dig through it.
“You got hurt saving Klee, so Klee is going to help take care of you until you’re better!” she declared as she rummaged, leaving Razor and Diluc to exchange a look. They watched her tear the contents of her bag out and stack them up, Razor crawling onto the foot of Diluc’s bed to get out of her way.
With a hum of victory, Klee stood with a small tin in her hands. She turned her attention back to Diluc, inspecting him intensely. He could only watch in silent confusion as she went over his exposed arms and hands, eventually making a small ‘ah-hah’ noise.
Clearly finding whatever it was she was looking for, she turned Diluc’s hand palm up to reveal a small abrasion. It was so small that the nuns had only deemed ointment necessary for it.
Klee opened the small tin to reveal a small selection of floral adhesive bandages and pulled one out—visibly one of what had to be the fanciest she had. Feeling immensely awkward, Diluc could only watch as the girl proudly attached the bandage to his palm, grinning widely.
“Um…” Diluc hesitated, unsure what to say. Several long seconds passed as Klee stared him down with an expectant expression, and eventually he settled on a simple: “Thank you.”
Another wide grin and Klee hopped in place. “Now lie back down! You need to sleep and heal. Klee will be right here to take care of you!” With a gentle nudge, she attempted to coax the tycoon to do as she said.
He obliged with a faint huff, watching Razor crawl off so he wasn’t in the way. Only once he was back under the covers did Klee stop giving Diluc what she likely believed to be a firm mom-like stare.
-
It went on for days; aside from visits from Jean, Adelinde, Elzer, Charles, and even Kaeya, Klee was rarely absent from his side. Even Razor had remained in the city to help keep vigil, enduring the nuns constantly descending on him to groom his hair and make him bathe.
Initially, Diluc found himself annoyed by the constant hovering, often having to tell Klee to give him space. She was so eager to help that there had even been one notable instance where she had tried to follow him to the restroom, and he’d had to very firmly tell her to back off.
Out of everything, though, there was one action that had slowly begun to grow on him. Each time the nuns came to change his bandages, she would top it off with one of her own—ranging from glittery pink to subdued purple, all of them decorated with flowers of varying kinds.
Truly, he really did find himself annoyed at first.
Yet at the same time a warm feeling welled up in his chest, one he hadn’t felt in years. It took him time to parse out, but eventually it became clear to him.
So long he’d spent independently, refusing help from anyone. While his injuries were not so severe that he couldn’t look after himself, Klee insisted on caring for him. That sort of steadfast affection was one he hadn’t known—or allowed—since before his father died.
A bite of melancholy filled his chest, yet eased bit by bit with every flowery bandage, slowly being replaced by a warmth of affection.
Razor too spent his spare hours by Diluc’s side, quietly learning his letters. He turned to Diluc for help occasionally, allowing them to fill the hours. Klee took to drawing pictures and practically wallpapered his infirmary room with them. By the time he was finally allowed to go home, he had an inch-thick stack of them.
Klee saw to it herself that he was escorted home safely, Razor in tow. The entire trip, Klee chattered away, vastly different from the hesitant child who had simply watched him at a distance on the rare occasions their paths had crossed.
She seemed disappointed when they arrived at the winery, looking up at Diluc as they stood outside the large double doors. A brief silence passed between them, Razor watching wordlessly.
As if making a decision, determination flashed across Klee’s eyes and she looked up at him. “Could you come closer, please?” she asked.
Quirking an eyebrow, Diluc did as she asked and crouched before the girl, coming to be at eye level with her. In a blur she acted, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing in a hug.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, “You’re not scary at all.”
Diluc blinked, deciding to assume she hadn’t intended that to be a back-handed compliment. With immense hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her much smaller form and hugged her back.
A few moments later, she let go and smiled at him, and Diluc found himself smiling back.
Awe flashed across the child’s expression. “You do smile! I knew it!”
Diluc could only laugh softly, deciding not to chastise her for her word choice; clearly she was genuinely happy.
“Yes, Klee. I’m quite capable of smiling,” he replied. He then looked up to Razor. “See her home safely?”
Razor nodded firmly and walked up, reaching down to claim Klee’s hand. “Goodbye,” he said, turning and walking down the road with Klee in tow.
Waving, she called out. “Bye bye! I’ll come visit!” she promised.
With a small wave of his own, Diluc found himself not dreading the concept as much as he thought he would.
“Look forward to it,” he mumbled softly.