#diluc ragnvindr x reader angst | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pochipop · 1 year

Text

＃DILUC RAGNVINDR !! ♡ — DROWN ME IN YOUR FLAMES - CHAPTER II: TO DINE ON EMBERS.

#. synopsis! — with diluc's plan set in motion, you venture far outside your comfort zone (and far outside your own reality.) as you rekindle the long-lost spark you had with him in your youth, you realize rather quickly that this place is nothing short of disorienting; and as diluc gears up for his first fight, the arrival of some unexpected guests might just throw everything off its already rocky course .

#. characters! — diluc .

#. warnings! — brief mentions of alcohol presence and consumption .

#. word count! — 4.8k .

#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @yyolkchi (reblog/spam)

#. others! — navigation & masterlist .

#. previous chapter! — here .

#. taglist! — @cafekiri , @sunukissed , @lez-zuha , @crowleyco , @sunlittsu . (if you'd like to be added/removed, contact me through tumblr dms or simply leave a reply under this post!)

As expected, gaining entrance to a so-called “abyssal zone” was no easy task. Diluc handled the formalities (if you could really call them that) over the coming days, —managed to track down where the next zone would be opening, made arrangements for his entrance under the appropriate moniker of “The Phoenix,” and even managed to find time in the evenings to swing by your family’s bakery and give you the day’s rundown. Those times, however, his presence was much less unwelcome, much more expected, and he actually purchased a few items during his loitering; some of which he would nibble on throughout the conversation, and others he would take back to the winery for the staff.

Your father remained mostly stagnant in his health, which was better than getting worse, of course, but far from what you would have wanted. It only made sense his condition wasn’t improving without the proper medicine, but it didn’t make the reality of it any less hurtful to bear witness to.

The door to the quaint shop opened just before closing time, and in stepped Diluc, hands adorned with those same black gloves that fit so snugly around his long fingers, —thick, brilliant hair pulled back and tied just above the nape of his neck. He really had grown up to be incredibly handsome in every sense of the word. Even the way he walked was alluring, head held upright and proud, boots thudding against the floor in a sturdy rhythm.

“Ah, you again,” you joke with him, “guess my baking skills have really turned you into a regular, huh?”

Diluc breaks his typically stoic demeanor to give you a slight smile.

“I suppose so,” he plays along. “That, and we have a long few days ahead of us, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

Were you ever.

It was hard to sleep last night knowing just what was approaching. You laid in bed, body quivering under the weight of the anxiety, whispering soothing phrases to yourself as if chanting “everything will be fine” to yourself just under your breath would somehow manifest that actuality. All things considered, something was bound to go wrong. What that something was, well, you’d just have to wait and find out, —and that thought made sleep none the easier to come by.

“Yeah,” you acknowledge, a solemn tone lacing through your voice. “I know.”

In the brief silence that follows, there’s a lingering sense of uncertainty that sends ripples of fear through the space between Diluc and yourself. It’s so thick that you’re sure he can feel it too, and you’re left to assume that’s why he continues on so promptly.

“You’ll be fine,” he says, but swiftly corrects himself, “—we’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

You worry it’s a promise he doesn’t quite have the faculties to keep, but choose not to voice your concerns just yet. If nothing else, starting the journey off on the right foot is likely the best you can do for him, and far be it from you to drag him down into this hellish pit of anxiety with you when it really doesn’t seem to be necessary.

“I trust you,” you say instead, giving him a slight nod.

It’s not just for show, either. Funnily enough, trusting Diluc was the easy part. Maybe it’s the influence of having known him so fondly in the past, —or maybe it’s just the way he carries himself as if he’s never faced an obstacle he couldn’t will himself to overcome. Either way, it was a simple endeavor to entrust your safety to him (perhaps a bit foolishly, and for better or worse.)

He doesn’t say it, but the way his eyes soften ever so slightly upon hearing that sentiment tells you everything you need to know. Diluc may be a bit rough around the edges, but there’s a lover buried deep inside that chest of his, —one that cares and yearns and strives like there’ll never be another tomorrow. That’s how he’s always been, and it’s nice to know that some things really haven’t changed since you were close.

“We’re lucky the zone isn’t far off,” he continues, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “We’ll have no trouble reaching the area before sundown if we leave soon.”

Lucky feels like a strong word, but you don’t seek to correct him.

“I’m ready when you are,” you confirm, mustering up the best brave-face you can.

The evening air makes for an uncomfortable walk, but you manage to keep up with Diluc’s long, deliberate strides. It doesn’t take long at all before he halts you in your tracks, opening his coat to pull a set of plain black Fatui masks from the inner pocket. When he hands one over to you, your face twists in a mixture of disgust and confusion, prompting him into an explanation.

“It’s a requirement for entry,” he states, “—trust me, I’m not a fan of it either.”

With a soft sigh, you slip the mask on and Diluc does the same. If nothing else, it looks good on him, you suppose; though that’s a pretty sorry excuse for self-comfort.

“It makes me uneasy knowing that something like this is happening so close to the city,” you comment.

This area of Windrise is so close that you can still see the soaring windmills of Mondstadt just off in the distance. Lingering shreds of sunlight still cling to the horizon, but the ever-darkening atmosphere feels much too fitting for the mood.

“I wish I could say it doesn’t worry me,” he answers despondently, “but I admit, there are nights it keeps me awake.”

You figure that’s part of the reason he hasn’t sought the help of anyone outside of his spy network. That, and he has a notoriously poor relationship with the Knights of Favonius these days, —not that you have any of the specifics on that (nor will you be asking anytime soon.)

“In any case, how exactly do we. . . Enter?” You ask, pushing the other worries to the back of your mind for the time being.

“Well, obviously I've never done it before," he begins, "but as far as I know, there should be a guide arriving soon enough. We just have to wait for them to show up."

"A guide?" You question. "What, is this interdimensional pocket of mimicked Teyvat supposed to be some kind of tourist attraction?"

Diluc let's out a soft snicker, a smile creeping onto his face just below the edge of his mask. If nothing else, it's nice to banter with him like this again. . . It feels natural in a way you hadn't expected, especially after so long.

"It shouldn't be too much longer now. The sun'll be completely set any minute, and once it's gone down, the zone entrance will open up for a bit. Tonight's the last night to gain entrance to this one, from what I hear," he says.

"How long has this one been open for?" You inquire.

"I got wind of it six days ago, but I'm sure you can tack a few days, give or take, onto that. Most zones stay up for about two weeks their time, —not even a full day in Teyvat's typical timeline. I'm sure there's a range, but we'll know more once we've entered ourselves, so it's best not to make assumptions without proof," Diluc replies.

"How many people do you think will be there?"

"I couldn't say for certain," he shakes his head. "Henley said there was upwards of a hundred in the zone he entered, but I'm sure the number varies for a variety of reasons. At the very least though, it's safe to assume we'll see ten matches across the next two days, —mine included. That's at least two people, fighter and representative, plus who knows how many spectators willing to place bets. . ."

Diluc lets his words trail off, the low whisper of his tone going utterly silent. Through the slits of his mask, you can see his scarlet eyes follow something, —and you swallow the lump that instantly forms in your throat.

"Guide," he mouths to you, and it's then that you realize just how painfully unprepared you'd been this entire time.

It's far too late to turn back, but a part of you wants to run for the hills.

"Hello there," a surprisingly chipper, feminine voice says to the two of you.

Diluc moves to stand at your side, tugging you along by the wrist to turn your attention to a woman with wavy, shoulder-length brown hair, a Fatui mask in a different style than your own covering the top half of her small face. She's dressed in purple with a pair of nice, black dress shoes, and she all but skips along the grass to make your acquaintance.

"Dawn Winery's fighter and representative, I presume?" She inquires, a sickeningly sweet smile stretching across her rather delicate features.

If you'd have met her under any other circumstances, and she'd been void of that mask, you likely would have thought of her positively as a simple optimistic spirit. Here, however, her joyous demeanor unnerves you more than anything else.

"Correct," Diluc answers with an affirmative nod, "I hope we haven't kept anyone waiting too long."

"No, not at all!" She waves her hand dismissively, "—the true show doesn't begin for another few hours. The rest has been the usual mingling of the guests, enjoying the refreshments, things of that nature. Given that it's your first time, I'm sure the both of you will have some exploring of your own to do as well, and I wish you all the fun in doing so!"

You find it increasingly creepy how she speaks as if she's selling you some kind of retreat or an island getaway at a resort in another nation rather than slitting reality open just to send the two of you off to watch people punch each other. Nevertheless, you bow your head in thanks, forcing a smile onto your face that pales in comparison to her own.

"Thank you," Diluc vocalizes for the both of you.

She seems pleased enough with what little chit-chat has gone on thus far, clasping her hands together in front of her chest like an excitable child.

"Well then, I won't hold you up any longer!" She says cheerfully.

It's then that she pulls a pair of daggers from either pocket of her dress, gripping them so tightly that her knuckles lighten in the process. You take a cautious step away out of instinct, heart thundering against your ribcage. If not for the faint, blueish-purple glow of the blades, you might not have been able to spot them so quickly, and the thought of it is anxiety-inducing to say the very least.

"It's okay," Diluc whispers, —and if she happened to catch wind of it, she chose not to react.

The so-called guide raised one hand above her head, but kept the other at waist-position, and with a grunt that seemed to be more for show than anything else, plunged both daggers into something previously unseen. The blades were buried up to the neck, their glow completely stunted, —first by nothingness, and then by some black, oozing substance that you wouldn't have been able to identify even if you'd tried. Face scrunching up in visceral disgust, you fight the urge to take another step back, though the desire to put distance between yourself and whatever that is remains.

"Sorry," she apologizes, but giggles as she does so like a little girl, "—I always forget to warn people that this part can get a little messy."

A little seems like a grave understatement to you, especially when the pitch black goo begins to seep from the open slits like puss. It churns your stomach just looking at it, and that feeling doubles tenfold the moment she yanks the daggers further along, creating a larger gash that intersects somewhere in the middle.

"What is that stuff?" You question, fingers nervous curling around the end of Diluc's coat sleeve.

"Not sure," he mumbles under his breath, "some kind of secretion, it seems like, but. . . I really haven't a clue what it's made of."

The woman then proceeds to pull the oozing flaps apart, her daggers falling haphazardly to the grass at her feet. Despite having been buried in the thick of the goo, they're as clean as they were the moment she jabbed them in, but their glow has disappeared and they register as nothing more than typical weapons now. There's little to no struggle at all as she peels the two sides away until a hole more than large enough to climb through has been left in her wake.

"Don't be nervous," she says, motioning for the both of you to come forward, "just step through! And don't be scared if you experience a little dizziness or nausea at first, it's just your body acclimating to the new surroundings."

Standing outside this weird, gaping hole has already made you dizzy and nauseated all on its own. You really didn't need any artificial help on that front.

"Thank you," Diluc says again.

Before you have the time to utter a single noise, he's walking forward and plunging a fearless leg through the misty entrance of the abyssal zone. He looks back only for you, as if sensing your anxiety before you could put it into words.

"Don't be nervous," the woman repeats herself, "—you're sure to have a good time."

You really don't want to go through with this, but somehow, staying in your everyday reality with her would appear to be a fate much worse. That, and after all the trouble Diluc and his team had gone through to set all of this into motion, you knew the guilt would eat at you much worse than any nausea ever could if you denied him this now when he’d already come this close. Thus, you hold your breath as you step through the blackened slit of the material world as you know it, preemptively reaching out for something to grasp hold of. For a moment, it feels like you’re falling, —like your body has slipped into a state of weightlessness and gravity has relinquished its hold over you.

A soft yelp escapes your lips and you find yourself feeling breathless, even as you meet with solid ground. It’s not so much dizziness or nausea that takes hold of you now, but more of an eerie unease; like your body is in fight or flight mode and you don’t know how to flip that switch off again. A chorus of unfamiliar voices fill the air, speaking words that you don’t quite catch over the reverberation of your thundering heartbeat.

“Y/n?” Diluc says, his softly-spoken call laying waste to the rest of the noise, “—are you okay?”

You look up at him with fear in your eyes, —fear that he wishes he could soothe away somehow.

“. . . Yeah,” you answer after a moment or two, “I’m okay.”

You really are. Mostly, anyway. All things considered, that could have been exponentially worse, and as far as you can tell, the throes of it have ceased for the time being. The two of you are standing in the exact spot of vacant Windrise through which you’d entered, but darkness has yet to overtake this version. The sun still hangs up in the sky, and the isolation of the area as you knew it just prior has been overridden by a barrage of faces that you don’t recognize at all. You can tell by the various styles of dress that many of those standing around are not from Mondstadt, and it makes you wonder just how far some of them must have traveled to be in attendance today. . . Makes you wonder how they managed to get here without raising suspicion somehow, just considering the sheer numbers they've peaked at.

“There's. . . A lot of people here,” you mutter.

Diluc nods, then motions for you to follow along with him. He all but exudes the kind of calmness you wish you could have under these circumstances as he saunters into the crowd, taking quick glances at those around him. You catch bits and pieces of various conversations in passing along the way.

“Last I heard, they were struggling to pay back the hefty sum they lost in the last fight. . .”

“The drinks they’re serving this go around are much better. . .”

“It’s a shame! He was a good fighter, but poor management of finances can kill even the loftiest of businessmen these days. . .”

You’re quick to tune out. When it comes to discussions of the rich and powerful, you’re hardly one with a stake in the waters. Diluc, on the other hand, you know to be quite affluent, and you’re sure he could hold his own much better in such conversations if the need presented itself.

You make a mental note to ask him about that later. Considering how much these people seem to enjoy chatting amongst themselves, you’re sure a time will come when you’ll have to be part of the conversation, and it would likely be best for you to know the basics of it all if nothing else. Like it or not, you have an image to keep up in this place as the face and subsequent mouthpiece of Dawn Winery. Having to talk the talk and walk the walk simply comes with the territory, and you've gotten yourself wrapped up in all of this quite tightly, so it's only fair that you make appropriate efforts.

“Where are we going?” You question.

Knowing Diluc, he has to have some sort of plan. He’s not the type to rush into anything without some form of meticulous planning. Not much has changed about him in that regard, and that makes you happy, though you couldn’t exactly say why.

“To scope the area,” he replies. “Look just up ahead and tell me what you see.”

Right to work it is then, you suppose. . .

Focusing your gaze ahead, you scan the general area with an inquisitive scrutiny. There’s green grass, a few of Mondstadt’s representative dandelion’s bent in the breeze, —nothing you’d consider to be out of the ordinary. You keep pace with Diluc in spite of his longer legs, searching for anything to hone in on.

“I don’t get it,” you admit. “Is there something in particular I’m supposed to be looking for?”

“Nothing like that,” he answers, “—but you’re being too near-sighted. Take a look at the bigger picture and try again.”

Sometimes, Diluc talks in circles. It’s not for the pleasure of annoying you or making you feel less intelligent, even if it can admittedly have those effects every now and again. He does it in order to encourage your critical thinking and spur you to consider all possibilities whenever the option presents itself. Now, you acknowledge, must be one of those times.

Staring straight ahead now, you squint your eyes off into the distance. . . And that’s when it hits you. The closer you get to the oncoming trees and bushes, the less they seem to be fully there. From back where you’d entered, the general blur of the horizon line wasn’t as visible, and Archons knows how Diluc was able to pick up on it so quickly from so far away. It’s blurry now as you come closer to the edge, like the background of a painting that’s been smudged over time.

Diluc takes your silence as understanding and stops just short of the haze.

“If you watch closely, you can see it ebb and flow like water,” he says.

Indeed, he’s right again, and just the sight of it leaves you feeling a bit seasick.

“What does it mean?” You inquire.

“That these zones likely aren’t as stable as anyone here would like to think,” Diluc replies. “Don’t forget, this place is connected to a realm we know little to nothing about. They’re created by harnessing power even the elemental Archons might not have been able to fully decipher.”

Add that to the list of reasons for you to get out of here as soon as possible.

“That being said, we should go back with the others. It’s best not to draw attention to ourselves, and being outliers like this is sure to do just that if we’re not careful about it.”

“I think it’d also be best to stay away from these spots,” you tell him. “I know it might sound silly, but just being so close to the edge has given me chills. I feel like standing here is inviting something dangerous to happen, and I’m sure we’d both rather avoid that at all costs.”

He hums in acknowledgement.

“Agreed.”

You're thankful that he's bothered to take your feelings on the matter into consideration. That's a rather low bar, of course, but it happens to mean a lot coming from someone as capable as Diluc. He's experienced in this area to some degree, —possesses knowledge that you likely won't ever be privy to. . . But he's listening. As if he trusts your intuition on this, even when all he has to go on is your word.

"Do you know how long we'll be here?" You inquire. "A rough estimate, at least?"

"Hard to say now," he replies, sounding somewhat apologetic about it, even when it's clear that you're not upset by his lack of an answer.

The vagueness is something you expected, though you get the feeling that part of it is purposeful on his part. Even if he's allowed you to come this far, perhaps he's still uncertain as to just how much he can trust you. It's understandable, to a degree, but. . . You can't say it doesn't wound you a bit, even if you get it.

"In any case, we have time to burn," Diluc says. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I don't think I could stomach anything," you reply honestly.

It's not so much the nausea you were warned about, or even a general sense of sickness. The anxiety of this situation is the real killer here, and it's clawing away at you with maximum fortitude. Try as you might to keep it under wraps, you're sure most of it has been obvious to Diluc from the start, —and you'd be right about that. He's picked up on your unease and has taken the liberty of squashing as much of it as he can to the best of his ability. You're a simple individual in many respects, so taking you away from the crowded areas and giving you a better feel for the situation was strategic on his part. The fact that it aided in his understanding of the abyssal zone was simply a net positive; —the sweet syrup drizzled atop a stack of fluffy pancakes.

"Fair enough," the redhead says, offering you the glimpse of a smile.

He pauses, as if thinking on what to say next, then utters: "Let's grab two glasses for the sake of appearances. We'll find somewhere to stand and observe."

You're quick to agree. From the long, stretching table sat off to the side, Diluc parts with you for just a few moments to snag two glasses of deep-red wine. As he hands you yours, he takes a small sip from his own, then makes a subtle face.

"Not good?" You inquire as a giggle bubbles up from your chest.

He considers this a win. If you're amused, it means he's at least partially succeeding in making you feel safe at his side.

"Not good," he confirms with a shake of his head.

You take his word for it and leave yours untouched.

"Stand beside me," Diluc prompts, though it sounds more like an offer than a command.

His voice is soft when directed at you, like he's trying to temper your nerves in any way he can.

"That man over there," he begins, "the one in complete Fatui garb. Do you recognize him?"

Surprisingly enough, there aren't many actual agents of the Fatui here. You'd spotted a few thus far, but considering just how many longer around Mondstadt City and the surrounding areas, you were almost expecting a full house of them. Instead, you've found that their presence here is minal, as if donning the masks has made everyone in attendance an affiliate. The thought of it is a bit disturbing.

This agent, however, is pleasantly familiar. It's actually quite the relief to see him here.

"That's Henley, isn't it?" You inquire, keeping your voice low and facial expressions to a minimum in order to avoid suspicion.

Even with this mask on the upper half of your face, you find yourself being rather cautious of what you allow yourself to show so visibly.

"Correct you are," Diluc replies, taking another unhappy sip of his wine. "And the young woman just over there, with the long, black hair? Her name is Eloise. She's also a member of my network, —albeit much newer than Henley. I say this to assure you that no matter what, there are people looking out for you here."

As if sensing that she's been introduced, Eloise looks over her shoulder, catching Diluc's gaze before letting it flicker over to you. She gives you a quick, warm smile, then returns her attention back to the two young men she'd been chatting with. Even from afar, you can tell that she knows how to control a conversation. It seems the two men before her are practically eating out of her palm, and you find that quite impressive.

"I do trust you, Diluc," you say to him. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have had the nerve to come."

He already understands as much.

"And I trust you," he confirms. "Not just to make the calls during fights, —not just to be Dawn Winery's executive official. . . But with all the information I know about these places, and all that I can tell you about the work I've done from the shadows."

You suspect there's a lot of truth to that, but have to question the extent of it. There's quite a bit you've been left in the dark on, and perhaps that information will come with time, but for right now, you're hard pressed to believe that Diluc has told you everything you should know. Still, you give him a small smile in spite of that.

That smile fades, however, when everyone's chatter goes silent. An air of unease overtakes the entire space, as if sucking the oxygen from everyone's lungs, rendering them utterly speechless. Diluc seems much less afraid than you, but you can tell that his guard is up quite high.

It only takes a moment longer for you to understand what all the proverbial fuss is about. From a swirling, blue-purple, portal-like entryway completely opposite the oozing slit you and Diluc had stumbled in from; a trio of well-dressed individuals emerge. The first of the bunch is a raven haired man with rounded glasses and a deceptive smile. You feel chills creep up your spine from having just seen him, even from afar. The next is a much shorter, stouter, aged man who also dons glasses on his face; but these are pure circles perched along his lengthy nose. Below sits a curled mustache that covers his top lip entirely, and on his head he wears a tall hat adorned with many enrichments.

Lastly, a stoic-faced woman with silvery-white hair that bears a section of much darker strands toward the front moves to the head of the small group, her sharp gaze flickering about her surroundings. Even this miniscule gesture leaves your nerves prickling. She commands so much respect from simply existing in this space that it’s almost unreal. The tension that surrounds everyone can be cut with a knife, and you hold your breath without meaning to.

“W-Who are they?” You stutter.

The wine glass in your hand bears the remnants of your fear, the crystalline glass fogging up as a result of your clammy palm.

These three aren’t wearing masks, their faces in full view. . . Henley steps forward from out of the crowd, and you resist the urge to call out to him to beg him just to fall back in line and play along. You don’t know who these people are, but one thing is for certain: you don’t want to get on their bad sides. The brunet man unsheathes the sword he wears on his hip, stabbing it directly into the dirt between his feet. He falls to a single knee, head bowed in what you can only assume is an expression of respect. The crowd follows in suit, kneeling before the three of them. Diluc pulls you down with him, and you barely manage to keep your wine from spilling all over the grass.

His tone is hushed and urgent, head turning to meet your eyes for no longer than the time it takes to utter a single word in reply.

“Harbingers.”

86 notes · View notes

lunargrapejuice · 4 months

Text

diluc ragnvindr x fem!reader

picking you up and putting you somewhere safe

“oh, no thank you.”

you had noticed the man's eyes on you from the moment you walked into the bar and it made you think you should have worn something other than a knee length dress that clung to your body. while you had wished for one particular man to see you in it, the very one you were waiting for, this drunkard was not him.

when he moved closer, not seeming to notice or care about the distance you continued to put between you until you were at the edge of the bar and he asked to buy you a drink while he eyed you up and down, you felt exposed, uncomfortable, but thankful you had chosen the side of the bar that would not have cornered you.

you wondered if charles was in the back room and would mind if you waited there for diluc. surely he would understand once he saw this man and how unwilling he was to leave you alone, he’d probably ask him to leave entirely, but when you eagerly searched around for his familiar face in the busy tavern you could’t find him at all.

“aw, c’mon pretty. ‘s just a drink,” his words were slurred, the smell of alcohol on his breath making you nauseous when he leans in close to you, clumsy and uncaring of your personal space. “i don’ bite.”

“i said no,” you’re firmer, colder, this time when pull back, trying to create space between you and slow your heart rate that had become frantic, the polite smile you offered on your first decline nowhere to be seen. “please leave me alone.”

and please hurry diluc. you didn’t want to chance waiting in here a moment longer, not when your throat felt tight and you weren’t certain if this man would leave you alone but when you turned to try to make your escape through the back door, you can still feel the closeness of him, you knew you had been right.

“hey now,” you don’t dare look at him but before you can take more than a step away, you feel a sweaty, too hard grasp of hand clasping onto your arm and it forces you to turn around,” n’ need to be *hick* like that sweets-”

“don’t touch me!” you smack his hand off of you, the sting of it lingering on the back of your hand, an unease strain to your voice. you were beyond anxious to get out of here and go running for diluc, though your outfit and thin sandals would not make for good running attire.

taking quick steps backwards, trying to get away before he could get ahold of you again, before you were going to cry angry tears and make a scene in your boyfriends tavern, your body crashes against something, someone, you hadn't expected to be there. before you can look back to see who it is or even register what’s happening fully, the tavern falls into silence at the breaking of glasses and bottles crashing at your feet and the splash of wine and beer that’s now pooling at your feet and splattered on your legs.

it would have been all of you soaking in alcohol and cut by glass, joined on the floor with poor charles who was mostly unharmed but undoubtedly wet, had it not been for the strong and familiar arm that wraps around your middle and keeps you upright. it all happened in the blink of an eye, had not given you any time to do more than hang on to the black coat you found yourself pressed into and when you open your eyes again, the loveliest shade of red and the deepest black is all you see.

you clung to the fabric your hands had held countless times, feeling dilucs arm wrap protectively around you tighter as you look up at him. his body was angled to keep you pressed into his side, as if he was hiding you, with him standing between you and the man who wouldn’t leave you alone. you could see the tense set of dilucs jaw and the lick of flames behind his ruby eyes, feel the way his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths that only seemed to fuel the fire.

you have no idea how he was at your side so quickly. you hadn’t seen or heard him walk in, didn’t know how he could have gotten to as fast as he had with the tavern as busy as it is but here he was, holding you, protecting you.

“diluc-”

“hey! let- let go of me!” the drunk man protests and drowned out your voice. it was then you noticed his outstretched arm and the white knuckle grip diluc had on it. his hands were covered by his gloves but with the way the leather of them and the fabric of the mans long sleeve shirt bunched, the flex of his arm under his jacket, anyone could tell it was not a light grip.

“get out of my tavern,” dilucs voice was deep, commanding, and the only thing to be heard in angels share. the gazes watching you all were visibly taken aback by the young master's cool slipping but you couldn’t deny what it was doing to you either; making your knees weak and heat blossom in your core. “and do not come back.”

diluc let go of his arm, giving him the chance to go without more of a fuss, but the man hadn't backed down. the air was filled with tension that was keeping anyone from even breathing when the drunkard could not stop his running mouth, though he was smart enough to not move any closer.

“‘c’mon! i didn’t mean anythin’” he throws up his hands. “was just trying to show a lonely girl a good time and she-”

“i would advise you to be careful with how you speak about my girlfriend,” there was no doubt diluc was angry, and very quickly losing more of his patience but the way he held you, soft and unwavering, calling you his girlfriend.. it wasn’t that you needed anyone else to hear it but you hearing your title to him said out loud would never fail to make you nearly burst into a dozens of pyro crystals flies.

you bury yourself into dilucs side, trying to hide your flushed state. it had been such a quick change from how anxious you felt before, nearly giving you a whiplash, but diluc had always calmed your worries and made you feel safe. you couldn’t help it even if you tried and he had certainly not made it any easier.

“leave. i will not repeat myself again.”

with a scoff and a hiccup you heard the drunk man stumble away, the moments following remaining quiet until his footsteps disappeared and the door closed behind him. it wasn’t until then that you felt dilucs body relax but it was charles’ voice that broke the silence in the tavern, the chatter of patrons slowly following after.

“everything’s alright folks, we’ll get everything cleaned up and taken care of.”

the firm body you had been tucked into left you too quickly for your liking but diluc did not go far or let his hand be removed from you. glass cracked under his steps in his movements to face you and look you over, frowning further upon seeing the small cuts along the tops of your feet, the countless pieces of glass surrounding your delicate shoes and the red wine stains on your legs going up your shins.

you tried to speak, not caring about the your small injury when you didn’t even know if charles was okay. “charles i’m so-”

before you could finish your words or grasp that you are no longer on your feet, you’re being lifted into the air, diluc ensuring to collect the end of your dress under your knees when he cradles you in his arms and against his chest. the only thing on his mind was your safety and he didn’t care who watched as he held you like this or the way you nuzzle yourself into him and whisper against his collar.

“i’m okay,” you assure him, not fighting to get out of his hold and letting him carry you towards the back room without another word.

with his heel he kicks the door closed behind him, muffling the usual atmosphere of the tavern that had now returned full force. you can hear the beating of his heart in your ear pressed against him and under its strong melody you truly could have forgotten about the whole thing that led to this.

gently, diluc sets you down on the desk he normally works from, his hands only leaving you to take off his gloves. even when he reaches for the first aid kit in one of the desk drawers his other hand is holding onto yours, letting the thumb you rub along his knuckles ease the flames that were building within him and making him see red.

he had hurried past the crowd when you saw you in distress and all he could think about was protecting you, not letting drunk patrons touch what was not theirs. it hadn’t helped his heart seeing what waited at your feet if you tried to move and he hadn’t thought about anything other than getting you somewhere safe when he scooped you into his arms so easily. even now, even after you told him you were okay, it was as though he had tunnel vision and could only see the cuts and sticky drinks on your skin.

but there’s a pause in his movements, a reluctance to let you go when everything he needs is not within arms reach and in an attempt to calm his worries, you squeeze his hand in yours, relishing in the callouses and scars that you feel amongst the softness of his skin. you didn’t get to feel them nearly enough like this.

it stops him completly.

“i’m sorry,” he says, not meeting your eyes.

“‘luc,” the way you call him never failed to bring those ruby eyes you love back to you and now was no exception. you bring your free hand to his face, the fingers brushing along his cheek, making his heart skip far too many beats, your touch the balm to his unease. “you have no reason to be sorry.”

“i should have been here sooner. i shou-”

“hey,” you stop him before he can blame himself any further, before he gets lost in what should have happened to avoid it all. “i was a little earlier than we agreed but even if i wasn’t, you can’t always be right next to me-”

but oh how he would love to be within the radius of your light with every breath he took.

“- no matter how much i want you to be,” you add, quiet and with tender love in your eyes, the swirling emotions in his own as he leans into your touch making your cheeks warm. “but you’re here now and really, i am okay.”

he takes a step closer to you, his scent and heat enveloping you, the slight chapness of his lips against your forehead bringing to life the butterflies in your stomach, bringing both of your hands to reach for his chest.

it would still take him cleaning your legs and cuts himself, taking care of every single scrape for him to truly convince himself but your words sooth him nonetheless, as they always have. “i’m grateful for that,” he whispers against your skin, making a silent vow that you would never have to experience anything like that, especially in his own places, again.

genshin impact masterlist | main masterlist

#diluc #diluc ragnvindr x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc ragnvindr angst #diluc x reader

2K notes · View notes

hiraya-rawr · 1 year

Text

maybe we can be more than this (servant/master)

characters !! diluc, ayato

contains !! just dialogues of gn reader. angst/comfort?? i think

synopsis !! thinking about servant and master where it's so obvious you're both in love but you can't bring yourself to cross the line and it hurts him sm—

+ + +

D I L U C

He's frustrated, pacing around as you desperately try to explain.

"Master Diluc, you must understand why–"

"Just Diluc."

"But Master Diluc–"

"How many times must I tell you, (Name)?" He turns towards you, a scowl on his lips as his voice rises. He breathes heavily before his shoulders lower, relaxing, and his face changes to that of hurt.

A quiet heartache.

"How many times must I hear you call me that? We've been friends for so long. I've loved you for so long. Can't I be more than just that to you. . .?" He looks down on the ground, unable to meet your gaze.

You feel your lips part, heart aching. How could you dare?

". . . Diluc," You whisper and his eyes snap towards you, hopeful, as your hand makes its way to cup his cheek, "You are already more than just that to me."

"Then allow me to be with you." He begs quietly.

"You know why I can't." You sob, feeling his own warm hands cupping your cheeks.

"Please, (Name)."

"Don't."

"Please,"

". . . I have to go help Adelinde turn off the gas lamps. Please get some rest, Master Diluc."

+ + +

A Y A T O

"Look at this, (Name)," He states harshly, stomping into his office as you trail behind, helplessly explaining, "Look."

Ayato roughly gestures to the pile of papers on his desk. Each in beautiful stationery, stamped cleanly.

"Marriage proposals. Each and everyone of them, I've rejected. I did this for us." He turns to you, a look of hurt in his eyes.

"Lord Kamisato, you know why–"

"You didn't use to call me that. I was Ayato. I was-"

"-That was when the Kamisato household was falling apart! It's different now and you know that-!" You cut in.

"It is different! Now the Kamisato household has the power and influence. If you marry me, I will take down every obstacle in our way."

Silence. He stares at you from across the dark office, only moonlight filtering in to highlight his baby blue hair. You know he's desperate, having danced around the topic for ages, but how could you be the clan's weakness? You can see how everyone would talk— how history would talk about it.

'Such a fine bachelor yet he chose a mere servant. Is there something wrong with the clan?'

'He was seduced. Held down by a childhood friend. You can't even trust a servant.'

'The clan had only recently gained its influence, yet it's falling apart again, all because of some—'

"Ayato," You try to hold back tears. You know it's unfair to him if you use this card. "If you love me, then please— don't make me do this to the clan. Don't make me do this to you."

He looks defeated. Shoulders slumped, tired, as he brings up a hand to rest on his forehead. Looking away from you, he sighs, "Had I known it would be like this, I never would have taken you in as my servant."

character m.list || ko-fi

note !! nothing hits differently than men with everything except the love of their life *shrugs* anyway my links have been weird lately idk why so hopefully this story posts without issues

#genshin #favoniuslibrary #diluc x reader #ayato x reader #diluc #ayato #genshin impact #diluc ragnvindr #kamisato ayato #genshin x reader #genshin angst #genshin fic #diluc angst #ayato angst #genshin fanfic

4K notes · View notes

lemon-boy-stan · 7 months

Text

You flinch in an argument

Genshin men (Diluc, Kaeya, Tartaglia) and how they react when you flinch in an argument. TW: mentions of violence, reader has been treated badly in her past relationships.

DILUC

Diluc doesn’t get angry very often. At least, he does, but he never gets angry at you. He doesn’t know who has hurt you before, but he knows you tread lightly around him due to a past memory, a past feeling - maybe fear? And he often keeps this in mind, but today he’s just been so stressed and all his pent up anger just explodes.

How could you think he’d be the kind of man that cheats? How could you even imagine him in an affair? He’s tried his best to make sure that he’s the perfect husband. He wants to let you know he’s capable of love, of being a husband and a father. But today he’s tired, and when he sighs heavily and moves his hand towards his forehead, you squeak loudly and jump away from him.

Diluc’s heart shatters. He feels a sudden swerve of anger and protectiveness wash over him. Your normally happy and bright eyes are clouded with fear, and you look up at him, but the anger on his face is gone.

Diluc is a strong, stoic man, and you’ve only seen him cry three times, once when he was drunk. This time, his eyes fill with tears and you’re shocked. This is not the reaction you’re expecting from him - you were expecting a hand across your face, a bottle thrown at you. But instead, he flings his arms around you, sobbing loudly into your neck. You’re still so shocked that you cry too, softly into his hair (Diluc is fairly taller than you). “I’m sorry,” he sobs, nose running, “I didn’t mean to make you scared. I would never dream of hurting you, I love you so much.”

KAEYA

Kaeya is a yeller in arguments. While Diluc has many quips and thoughtfully curated hurtful comments, Kaeya screams. The rare times you fight, he is always shrill, and always uses hand gestures, which can be a bit of an issue at times.

“I can’t believe you’d think I’d ever be interested in her!” if he was a cartoon character, there would be steam blowing from his ears. His blue eyes have become incredibly dark. He throws his arms up in the air and you flinch away from him. Kaeya freezes.

He drops his hands, face softening. Kaeya cries more than his older brother, and the tears roll down his cheeks, but his eyes are filled with rage, a different kind of anger from earlier.

You run up to hug him and he growls into you, “his name. Now.” you shake your head into him. You already know what’s running through his brain, you can practically see the red he’s seeing. He can barely breathe as he holds you tight, the rage is ricocheting off his body. “Please,” he mumbles, “please tell me his name. I’ll fucking kill him.”

CHILDE

He’s a member of the Fatui, so Childe must often appear scary and heartless, but in private and with his friends, he’s funny, kind, and caring - except for when he loses his temper. Ajax rarely loses his temper over proper things, and when he loses his temper for silly things, it always ends with rough sex, but you’ve never seen him lose his temper like this. Tartaglia is the perfect boyfriend, almost as if not being perfect is one of his insecurities. He knows you’ve been hurt in your past. He doesn’t know what happened, or who hurt you or when, but he knows that that’s why you’re always so quiet around other men, even him sometimes. It was just today where he let his anger get the better of him.

“I said not to come!” he’s screaming the words, “I said they were dangerous but you NEVER KNOW HOW TO LISTEN! What would happen if I didn’t know any of the Harbingers? Didn’t you see the way they were looking at you?!” Childe throws his arms up in the air and you jump away from him, backing into the wall and his eyes flash dangerously. He knows immediately why you’ve flinched and suddenly his anger at you is gone, instead focusing on whichever man touched you.

“His name,” he’s breathing through his nose, “now. Tell me his name, now.” the name of your ex stumbles out of your mouth and he cries out in rage, punching a wall. Tears stream down his face, and his pretty, amber orange hair is messy. You’ve only seen Tartaglia cry when he’s had nightmares or when he’s frustrated, but never because of you. You suddenly feel guilty for burdening him, “I’m sorry,” your lip trembling, and he sniffles, wrapping his arms around you, “you have nothing to apologize for.” you’d thought the hug would last longer, but it didn’t. He pulls away and you blink up at him. “Where are you going?” and the danger returns to his face, “to kill your ex.”

GENSHIN IMPACT MASTERLIST

NAVIGATION

2K notes · View notes

r0ttenhearts · 9 months

Note

I saw you're taking req, hmm I wanted some angst like neglected reader & diluc or kaveh, the story or plot is up to you 🥹🥹

look at me

diluc x reader

warnings: mean diluc, one sided relationship, arguments, angst

another night you found yourself alone in bed, the book you had been reading laid open on the spot that belonged to diluc, or used to. longer nights seemed to be often now, staying up for him. not like he cared for your presence anyway. only giving you a glance when he’d get in bed, facing away from you.

the cold feeling of the sheets on your skin no longer warmed your heart, trying to grasp at the scent of him on his pillow. it was like loving a ghost. if you could even call it a relationship anymore.

dates and anniversaries had been forgotten about for months now, empty promises he’d give you before stopping completely. never giving you anything to hope for. that’s what you believed on your birthday, leaving you alone that night. a thickly frosted cake sitting in front of you, tears in your eyes with his maids somber smiles as you blew out your candles.

you still held hope in your heart, hope that things would go back to how they used to be, to a loving relationship with him. that was until that night. screams and tears being the only thing between you two.

“i’ve told you for the last time, (y/n). i’m busy. can’t you take this up with sucrose or one of your other friends? i don’t have time for this nonsense.” diluc sighed, pressing his thumbs on the bridge of his nose.

“we haven’t done anything together in months, diluc.” you looked at him with hope in your eyes, holding out a flyer for the upcoming windblume festival in mondstat. “we can go to this together! it’ll be like how we used to go to your wine festival’s back in the day, but this time you won’t have to-“

his gloved hand tearing the sheet out of your grasp and ripping it in half silenced your words. you stared at him, wide eyed as he looked to you with the meanest glare he only reserved for kaeya.

“i don’t give a shit to go to some silly festival with you. do you ever wonder why i don’t spend time with you anymore (y/n)? why i’d rather be manning the bar instead of letting my employees do it?” he seethed, getting right in your face as you stood there frozen.

his fiery red hair matched his tone as you felt your love and hope for this relationship slowly wither with every word that came out of his mouth. his piercing eyes not hiding his distaste for you,

“the reason is i simply cannot stand to be here with you. i can’t stand the way you look at me so stupidly. you still believe something is there when i haven’t even looked at you in months.

i don’t love you anymore (y/n). get that through your thick skull. or do you still think i’m kidding? that one day i’ll waltz in here and kiss you like i used to? that i won’t leave you alone here every day with the maids?

nothing will change. i don’t care if you leave me. do what you wish, just stop bothering me.”

he left your shared bedroom with a slam of the door. the glass on your bedside table shaking as silent tears slipped down your cheeks. you were tired. tired of the fighting, tired of him.

the next day you did as he asked, or screamed. with a heavy heart you left his manor, a home you had known for six years. ignoring his lingering stares in the streets of mondstat for the next few months.

every time you’d see him stop and stare at you, you’d shake your head. he didn’t miss you. you couldn’t miss him. nothing was waiting for you back at the winery.

you never knew of the way he’d uncap some of his special wine, sitting at the same table you used to have dinner alone in. gulping down the bitter liquid, he hated every second of it sliding down his throat. but he hated the way he felt without you even more.

the day he told you those words he’d felt nothing but regret. coming home to an empty house solidified that feeling of guilt and pain as he remembered the look on your face as he claimed he no longer felt anything for you. it was a lie. he lied to keep you away, away from his duties to hunt down the fatui. you didn’t know he was the infamous dark night hero, only believing his white lies of being at the bar every night.

oh how cruel could fate be as he watched you move on. you’d refuse to look his way if he stood next to you at a stall, your gaze locked on the merchant. never at him.

eventually your gaze would be locked onto his brother, kaeya. kaeya’s smirk as you held onto his arm made his blood boil. he had taken something else from him. but were you ever his to be taken from?

as he sat on the floor of his cellar, tears in his eyes as he inhaled the smell of grapes and liquids he now found comfort in, he only thought of you.

“hey (y/n).. the windblume festival is coming up soon.. do you want to go together.” he whispered to himself, more hot tears running down his face.

“i didn’t mean what i said that night.. i’ll cut off my own tongue so i never yell at you again.. so please,

promise you won’t go.”

taglist: @samarill @lelemnh

#genshin angst #genshin x reader #genshin x reader angst #diluc ragnvindr #genshin diluc #diluc x reader #diluc angst #diluc fanfic #diluc ragnivindr x reader #diluc x you #diluc x y/n #master diluc #diluc x reader angst

2K notes · View notes

ajaxwfe · 12 days

Text

They were too late to get you back.

Warnings: mention of death, arguments, angst with no happy ending, neglected reader, jealousy.

Diluc x reader, Alhaitham x reader

"Never got the chance to apologize.."

DİLUC

Diluc and you were not the type of people who would fight often, been a relationship with him almost 4 years. Sure, everything is going well.

Well... it was going well. For the past 1 year everything changed for you and him. He barely came home, interact with you, ignoring you most of the time... and kept arguing, fighting over small things.

You never opened your mouth or fight back, you loved diluc so much that it was starting to hurt. Your shared room started to feel cold, no more morning kisses or hugs before diluc went to work, cold breakfasts and dinner all by yourself. Even if he did join the diner he would be quiet all the time, not even looking at you.

You did kept your mouth shut, holding for a hope... a hope for your future with him. Until you heard the conversation with Jean. The last knife that would break you.

"She's so useless, I cant keep up with her annoying presence all the time. All she do is stay at home and distract me from work... she keeps finding noneless things to argue with me. I just want to break the ties with her already, being with her is so tiring."

"Am I... that bad?" Who knew your dear lover was thinking of you like this for the past 1 year. All you wanted was too be like the past relationship you both had. Warm bed, morning kisses, happy breakfast and dates. Covering your mouth trying not to make any sound you left there sobbing quietly.

You did everything, I mean really everything. That all arguing was really nothing for him? You just asked for him to stay by yourside for more. You were slowly draining from inside, you had no one but diluc. Only his presence was keeping you sane but this cold mansion was making you crazy.

You returned back to the mansion, you had enough. Talking with him would go nowhere after all. You wanted his attention, you wanted him to see your worth. Going to the storage room picking up the sword once you held before moving in with your so called lover. Taking a mission from katheryne, you walked to the lawachurls camp.

You were going to show him that you are still worth for something, that you could help him with everything if he asked for it. Even if it meant death. Standing in front of the big creature holding your sword tightly you ran towards to it.

..Oh how wrong you were, thinking you could defeat that monster. Laying on a pool of blood coming from your head. Suddenly feeling peacefull for the first time after 1 year of suffering from neglect. Looking at the shining stars above you. Your head ringing from aches, sword a meter away. Faint screaming noises from back. You couldn't bother to look that way.

"Please..." a faint voice big hands caressing your cheek, weird it wasnt raining but you could feel wetness on your cheeks. Turning your eyes to the voice. Hands wiping away your blood.

"Diluc.." your throat dry, coughing the blood. Your beloved, your future. How could you hate him when he was the only one left in your life? İs this really how you were going to die? As a pathetic advanturer? Few tears sliding from your face as your blurry vision tried to capture every beauty on his face.

"Jean is coming here so... please... please dont leave me now..I wont neglect you anymore...I will beg on my knees once you recover... so dont leave me here all alone.." Ah... was he also holding a hope on his hands too? A future would be great with him. Your eyelids feeling heavy, heart beating slowly as the seconds passing, his voice becoming more and more faint.

"Sleep...Can I sleep in your arms?" Your head falling to his chest, inhaling the scent for the last time you missed for so long. Diluc holding your cold body close to him, screaming and crying cursing to the celestia as you drift away from him.

Alhaitham

Alhaitham was no bad guy, I mean if it is you, he actually is willing to do anything for you. He is sure workaholic, but you guys were making sure spending time.

You met him in akademiya when you guys were like 18-19. İt wasnt a love in first sight infact you hated him because he was a cocky man. He barely cared for any situtations, always one step ahead of you, teasing you even if other cant really understand his way of teasing. But overall because of kaveh you guys did get along sometimes.

Suprisingly he was the one who confessed with a valentines card, it was cute since he was shy about it and now its been 7 years.

Alhaitham is good at fighting so sometimes he takes dangerous missions other than being scribe and that worries you a little. You were just a researcher in akademiya so you cant always be with him. First time meeting with The Traveler your mind was at ease since they were with Alhaitham and helped him with secret missions in desert.

From 7 years to this day he is also not the type of person who really shows affection towards to someone but you, it made you feel speacial. But after all that archon saving missions he invites traveler to dinner, hanging out with her more and more. You told yourself that you were not jealous and its normal to hang out with people they like.

This became so often that you were feeling so neglected, you couldnt even talked about this with alhaitham since you felt like he wouldnt care about it.

You were in your room with kaveh, he was trying to finish his desings as you were staring at the ceiling. "Saw alhaitham with a woman today while coming here." Kaveh broke the silence. "Do you know her?" He turned to you.

"You mean the traveler?" You asked tilting your head. "Uhm no? Traveler left to fontaine almost 1 week ago..." he was cold sweating, your eyes widened from shock. Then who he was meeting up with for 1 week?

"Kaveh... tell me your joking?" You laughed. İt was probably one of the jokes he was making right? But he remained silent looking down. No you wouldnt believe it until you see it with your own eyes. "Y/N wait-"

You stormed off to the Sumeru City streets heart beating like crazy. You stopped 20 meter away from alhaitham, hiding in the corner. You saw him... his betrayal as he caressed another womans cheek. She was beautiful, long silky hair and shining eyes, thin and elegance body. Your eyes watering slowly as you watched him lean for a kiss.

You ran from there. As fast as you can, till your lungs gave up. Entering your shared home to pack things up, you looked at youself on the mirror. Hair that looked horrible, sleepy eyes, body that looked like a frog in your eyes. But her... she was beautiful unlike you. You cried for the first time after years, wiping your tears as you packed your things. Leaving your room with no trace of you.

Kaveh on the other hand, explaining alhaitham that you saw everything. Panic rising in him he ran to the shared house. Walking inside slowly, trying to hear if there were any noise. "Y/N? I.. I came home?" He shouted. Feeling weird like the house got colder and quiet. His heart still beating like crazy he rushed to your room only to be faced with a tidy bed, empty warddrobe and empty studying desk.

This was a cruel joke on him right? You were joking, pranking him to make him regret for not telling you sooner it was for a mission right? His hand covering his face as he falls on his knees calling out your name a few times before breaking down.

Looking around trying to find anything that belonged to you, walking inside the house he spotted a letter.

My beloved lover,

I had to leave our home because my heart was hurting too much. Sometimes, I saw things that made me scared—little moments that maybe meant nothing but felt big and heavy to me. I've always struggled with feeling good enough, and these fears made me feel even smaller.

Leaving wasn’t about anger; it was about being so overwhelmed by sadness that staying felt impossible. I never wanted to run away, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I wasn’t what you needed.

I'm really sorry for any pain my leaving has caused. I hope one day we can understand each other better, but for now, I need some space to work through these feelings.

Take care,

[Your Name]

That was it, you left without giving a hint where you went. Guilt eating alhaitham up. For him you were perfect, you were everything he needed. Even your silence made him happy and peacefull. He was never good at showing his emotions and expressions but when you were with him he felt like he didnt need to force himself. You understood everything about him.

He lay down on your bed, a faint scent inhaling as he slightly squezzing the letter in his hand. Murmuring your name, begging to the teyvat to bring you back to him.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #reader angst #genshin angst #al haitam x reader #genshin diluc #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #angst with no comfort #mention of death #alhaitham angst #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham

320 notes · View notes

fallingdownhell · 11 months

Note

Omg pls a part two for Kaeya and Diluc forgetting your birthday it’s so good I LOVE ANGST <3

Alrighty, fine. Since so many more people asked for a part 2, here it is.But I can't promise that everything goes fine..

Characters Included: Diluc; Kaeya

Content: gender neutral reader; hurt/comfort; angst; hurt/no comfort; one is gonna be forgiven, the other one not

Word count: 1,9k words

Please enjoy reading!

Diluc

Gods, he was so exhausted.

He wished for nothing more than to just walk over to his bedroom and fall asleep on the bed, but he couldn't. He had some important matters he still had to attend to before he could go do that.

He was currently hunched over his desk, scanning over some documents that needed his attention. It was late at night, yet there was still light shining from under the door, as well as footsteps coming from the mansion.

Diluc paid that no mind however, trying to focus back on his work. However, when he heard a pair of footsteps walk up the staircase, he put his pen down, listening to them.

He was fairly sure that it was you, so he listened to it, hoping that you would come inside to check on him. He knew he shouldn't have lashed out at you like that earlier and he wanted to apologize to you for it.

However, the person outside kept walking, past the door to his office and instead went into the next room, which was the bedroom that belonged to the both of you.

At first, he didn't think too much of it, maybe you were just really tired and going to bed now. But, as he continued to listen, it got more and more strange to him. Your footsteps hadn't quietet down at all. You were apparently still walking around the room, he could hear the opening and closing of drawers and closets.

He had half a mind to walk over there and ask you what you're doing in the middle of the night. Then again, he wasn't really any better and he really had to finish this, but when suddenly a second pair of footsteps climbed up the stairs, his attention was taken to them.

A few seconds latter, soft knocking was heard on the wodden door, followed by Adelinde's voice asking to enter the study. Diluc allowed her inside but turned his attention finally back to his work.

He noticed her approaching the table and putting a plate down in front of him. He glanced at it, laying his eyes upon a nice looking piece of cake.

"Did you bake that, Adelinde? It looks delicious. I'll eat it once I'm done here."

He was about to dismiss her, but the fact that she hadn't said a word made him look at her with his full attention now.

"Master Diluc.. do you really not remember?"

"Remember what, Adelinde? You'll have to be more specific than that."

She looked at him for a few more seconds, it almost seemed to him like her eyes were boring into his very soul. Then, she turned around and approached the door again. She stepped out into the hallway, moving to close the door but before she did so, she said one last thing to him.

"Today was their birthday."

Then Adelinde closed the door, leaving Diluc in the room all by himself.

Hearing those words put him into a shock. No.. this couldn't be..

He...forgot?

Suddenly, thousands of times and situations played in his head where you tried to grab his attention and he had dismissed you every single time.. how long had he been treating you like this?

Then, a loud sound rang from the bedroom next door, and Diluc suddenly got ahold of himself again.

He immediately shot up and ran outside, bursting through the door to your shared room, startling you in the process. But the sight before him made his heart clench like never before.

The sight of you, stuffing some of your clothes and other belongings into a bag, your eyes red and swollen, probably from crying.

"D-Diluc? What are you... why are you here?"

You asked him, but he didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to you, steps quick, and pulled you into his arms, hugging you tightly.

"D-diluc? What-!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, (Name)."

Suddenly understanding what this was about, you relaxed a bit, but didn't do anything else. You didn't reciprocate the hug, either, and no words left your lips..

"I'm so sorry.. for everything. I didn't even realize how badly I was treating you." He fell on his knees in front of you, taking your hands into his, holding them tightly.

"Please, believe when I say that this was never my intention. I love you very dearly, (Name). I know I didn't show it for some time, but I do. Nothing can ever change how I feel about you. So please... don't leave.."

By the end of it, his voice sounded broken, silent cries leaving him as tears streamed down his face. You looked down on him, seeing him all broken down in front of you, and you feel your resolve begin to waver.

Maybe.. maybe you could try again with him..

But then you remembered the last few months, how he pushed you away every single time you tried to adress something with him... how he pushed you away on your own birhtday...

Gently, you pull your hands out of his grip. Diluc immediately understood what this gesture meant, yet he wasn't willing to accept this.

"(Name), please-!"

"No, Diluc. I can't anymore. Who's to tell me that you won't go back to treating me like this after a few weeks again? I tried it. I tried to deal with it and I tried to talk to you, but you never wanted to. You always shut me down. Well, I hope you're happy because I am done. I can't keep feeling like I'm worth nothing to you.

Thank you, for all the time I had with you, but it's over now."

You gave him one last, mournful look, then grabbed your bag and walked past him.

He let you... there was nothing else he could do..

He listened to you walking down the stairs, listened to the heavy front door open, and then.. It feel closed again.

And just like that.. you were out of his life..

He lost you and this time, he had noone else to blame but himself and his own stupid decisions..

He broke down again, crying so hard like he hadn't done in years. If only he wouldn't have been so stupid..

Kaeya

Tired and still angry from the events that had happened yesterday, Kaeya was sitting in his office again, stationed at the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

He was looking through files and documents he didn't get to finish yesterday because he suddenly had the workload of four other people pushed onto him.

He was still angrily mumbling to himself when a knock on the door resonated within his office. He didn't bother giving an answer, yet the other person took that as permission to enter, pushing the door open to reveal Lisa to the stressed out Kavalry captain.

"Kaeya, there you are! We were missing you at (Name's) party yesterday. Why weren't you there?"

Oh, now that pissed him off even more. He put his utensiles down, trying to control his emotions and actions. He looked at Lisa, smiling at her, yet it was obvious how faked and forced it was.

"Well, I think the bigger question here is, why were you at a party during work hours in the first place. I wouldn't mind you going, but why convince everyone else along, leaving all of the work for me alone to handle?"

"..Why wouldn't I go to the party I, myself, organized?", she questioned, looking at him confused. Like she was trying to figure something out.

"You were organizing that atrocious thing? Well, in that case that begs even more questions. Again, why pull everyone else along except me? Also, why plan it in my and (name's) shared house, of all places?"

She didn't answer immediately like the times before. Instead, she was still looking at Kaeya, until a few seconds later, her entire face lit up in realization.

"Oh, you idiot..", she mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Excuse me? I do think it's not-!"

"Kaeya, you idiot! You really forgot?"

"...Forgot what?", he asked, now being confused himself. Why was she reacting this way?

"You really did... it was their birthday yesterday! That's what the party was for! Also, wasn't this whole thing your idea in the first place?"

At her words, his eyes widened in shock, realization hitting him now as well. He did.. He forgot your birthday.

Immediately after that, he thought back to yesterday.. the words he spat in your mouth.. the way your eyes teared up in front of him.. and he just ignored it, walked away like the entire world just revolved around him alone..

He took one look at Lisa, who was just nodding at him. He did so as well, grabbing his coat and then he started running.

Kaeya ran out the headquarters through the streets of Mondstadt, only having one destination in mind. He never slowed down, not even for a second to catch his breath. Only when he was finally standing in front of his own door did he do so as he was trying to fish the keys out of his pocket.

He unlocked the door and immediately entered.

"(Name)?", he shouted as soon as he closed the door behind him. He listened for a few seconds, but... nothing. No answer, no sounds.

He panicked a bit as he began to search the place. The house was still a mess from yesterday, but he didn't care for that right now.

Kaeya searched through every room, shouting your name to try and grab your attention.

The panic began to settle a bit as he opened the bedroom door, seeing you still asleep on the bed.

He approached you, finding you clutching his own pillow close to you, like you have been searching for some comfort. Your eyes were all red and swollen up, because of your crying.

'The crying that you, yourself, caused..', he thought, feeling sorry for what he had said to you.

He went on his knees on the floor, next to the bed. He inspected your, now peaceful looking face, for a few more seconds.

"(Name), wake up, please.", he said gently, stroking some stray hair out of your face.

You began shifting in your sleep and soon enough, you opened your eyes.

Seeing Kaeya, you remember his hurtful words from yesterday night right away, so you were trying to create some space between the both of you.

"No, no!", he exclaimed, getting up from his knees and putting his arms around you, hugging you close to him.

"I am so sorry about yesterday, (name). I don't know how it could have possibly slipped my mind, but it did. Words can't describe how awful I feel about the things I said, but please know that I meant none of them.

I love you, and I'll do anything for you. You have every right to be angry with me and never forgive me for what I said and did, but.. please.."

After he finished, you stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to this. Then, you felt something wet against your shoulder. First it was only one time, then it got more and more and you knew that Kaeya was crying against your shoulder right now.

You then, finally, hugged him back.

He was so relieved that you did this, hoping that this meant one step into the right direction.

Maybe.. someday in the future, you can forgive Kaeya for this...

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin scenarios #genshin impact scenarios #genshin x reader scenarios #genshin impact x reader scenarios #diluc x reader #diluc x you #diluc ragnvindr #diluc scenarios #diluc angst #diluc x reader angst #kaeya x reader #kaeya x you #kaeya alberich #kaeya x reader angst #kaeya angst

1K notes · View notes

anantaru · 10 months

Text

"you shouldn’t love someone like me."

there was an unclouded apprehension in diluc’s dispiriting tone, though really, was there?

beyond the shadow of a doubt, there always was and will be, something telling him that he wasn't right for you.

yet your expression softens slightly as you thought over it in your deepened pondering, elbows turned inwards, pulse lowered and your muscles slowly tensing up.

besides that, the short lived silence wasn’t one of a defeating nor pressuring kind, nor was it causing you to lose enthusiasm and hope; yes, it was disheartening, very much so, but you were aware of the dredged reasoning behind diluc’s particular choice of words.

in due course, you sigh into your chest, composing yourself, profoundly yet enough to keep your serenity, again and again reminding yourself of the gut-wrenching words he had uttered just moments ago, "and why is that?"

the quality of life varies enormously from one place to another, yet regardless of where you are, it doesn’t matter to you at all— because diluc was there with you, so you couldn't even fathom nor think about living a life without your boyfriend by your side.

"I—" mimicking the exact tone, diluc attempted to cash in on the inner confidence from earlier, which, in actuality was nothing but a fake from the very beginning.

don’t misunderstand him, he thinks you deserve way better than him, it's more than that if he looks into his heart, frankly— he was sure that, in his eyes, there really wasn’t any part of him reaching your level.

he frowns, "it's complicated." sure, you knew that, but right now it seemed as if he hadn't had an answer either. "i don't need anyone else diluc."

and when you catch him looking, you just know he's smart enough to know the effect he had on you, same goes the other way around. you take haste and move closer to him, making space so you can sit on his lap, but also be able to leisurely wrap your arms around his neck.

those seconds, pure intimacy invading the air around you, warming diluc's broken, confusing heart as you flawlessly lean in, kissing his lips.

"so don't ever doubt yourself, because you're perfect to me."

#diluc x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact fluff #diluc fluff #genshin fluff #genshin impact x you #genshin impact drabbles #genshin drabbles #diluc drabbles #diluc ragnivindr x reader #diluc ragnvindr fluff #genshin angst #diluc angst #genshin impact angst

1K notes · View notes

versadies · 2 months

Text

EPILOGUE || FOREVERMORE

SYNOPSIS (of chapter). in which it's been three months since your trip to mondstadt.

SYNOPSIS (of series). breaking up with your first love was heartbreaking, but not as heartbreaking as getting invited to his wedding after years of not seeing him. that is, until things seem to be easier when you encounter a certain guest, who could end up becoming more than just a blooming friend to you (or not).

CHARACTERS. diluc ragnvindr, kamisato ayato, and thoma (w/ gn!reader)

CONTENT. fluff/slight-angst, grammar errors (?), cheesy scenes, second-hand embarrassment (?), possible errors in general.

WORD COUNT. 3.5k words

LINKS. EVERMORE MASTERLIST \ MAIN MASTERLIST \ EVERMORE SURVEY

POST-SCRIPT. the end is finally here!! hopefully the ending is satisfying and fulfilling, i've done all i can to make sure it brings the entire series together and give reader the happiness they deserve. if you wish to know fun facts about the series, stay until the end!!

3 MONTHS LATER AFTER THE WEDDING.

DECEMBER 11, 2022

It’s been a while since you’ve last visited Mondstadt.

You find yourself sitting on a bar stool with your drink in hand, wearing a formal outfit suited for an occasion that can happen to someone for once-in-a-lifetime: a wedding.

True to both you and Diluc’s words, you kept in touch with one another as you two remained friends after your departure from Mondstadt. Though you’re both busy from your work schedules, the two of you make the most of your conversations through sending pictures of food, places, and even your friends – your particular favorite being a picture of his pet bird, Vanessa – in your messages.

It’s safe to say things are well, and you’re more than happy with the couple’s wedding despite your heartbreak before.

You mindlessly look around the reception venue with a smile on your face, paying no mind to the conversations between loud guests who are either talking about 1) the newly wedded couple, or 2) the recent buzz of the continent regarding a certain corrupted CEO.

Two months after the wedding of Ayato and Chisato, Shinsuke was suddenly arrested thanks to the newly-wedded couple, who exposed him with numerous charges that shocked the entire public and media.

“Did you hear? Hiiragi Shinsuke has been arrested for his crimes!”

“I know! It’s shocking to hear that it took him this long to be behind bars, and to think that it’s all thanks to his daughter and her husband...”

“Didn’t they work with that young detective that’s been the buzz of Inazuma’s police force? What’s that detective’s name again?”

“I believe it’s Shikanoin. Apparently he’s been investigating Hiiragi for a long time now!”

You muted out people’s chattering about Shinsuke, taking a sip of your drink. You’re honestly just glad that he’s finally behind bars now, and you won’t have to worry about him for a long, long tim–

“( Name )! How are you?” You flinch when you hear a particular voice that you haven’t heard for a few months now. When you turn around, you spot Venti coming towards you happily with a skip of his steps.

“Venti!” You greeted him happily, putting your glass down before standing up to come towards him, spreading your arms for a friendly hug. “I’ve been well, thank you. How about you? It’s been a while!”

Venti giggles, wrapping his arms around you for a warm friendly hug. “I’m doing well, especially with free drinks and free food around!” He cheers. His flushed cheeks and drowsy look is enough for you to know that he’s as drunk as can be. Classic Venti…

“I can tell.” You respond with a laugh, before helping him sit on one of the bar stools that’s next to yours on the left. “You should take a break from all that drinking, your hangover will be the death of you tomorrow.”

“You’re right.. I should be ready for later..!” Venti hiccups. “How’s Zhongli, by the way? Did he go with you as your plus one again?”

You shake your head in response. “He’s okay, but no, he’s not with me for this trip.” You replied. “I didn’t bring anyone with me since it wasn’t mentioned in the wedding card.”

“Well then, I guess you’re stuck with me!” He giggles, before ordering the bartender another glass once again, much to both your dismay and the bartender’s.

As Venti indulges himself with the free drinks while sharing interesting things about Mondstadt, you couldn’t help but glance at the direction of where Diluc and Jean are, who are both chatting quietly to one another as they eat their meals at their table.

It didn’t take long before Diluc felt your stare, and noticed your presence.

You couldn’t help but smile at him with a wave, to which he responds with an acknowledged nod, slightly smiling towards you before his attention is taken by another guest who came to congratulate the newly-wedded couple.

Your attention is eventually taken as well by another person, who suddenly seated himself right next to you on your right.

“Thoma!” You gasp in surprise, not expecting to see the blonde-haired man.

Thoma flashes you a smile as he chuckles. “Hello to you too as well, ( Name ). Guess you didn’t expect me to be here, huh?”

“Of course not, you gave me a heart attack! I didn’t know you were invited!” You exclaim with a smile. You couldn’t help but take note of how neat he looks, wearing a tuxedo with his hair fixed instead of his usual messy hairdo that you’ve grown used to.

“I didn’t think I’d be invited either until Ayato persuaded me to come to the wedding on his behalf. I’m sure you know how busy Inazuma has been since the… arrest.” He explains, scratching the back of his head with a cheeky grin.

You nod in understanding, your smile becoming a little strained at the mention of the arrest of Shinsuke. “I’m very aware. Almost everyone’s talking about it here, surprisingly.”

The blonde man takes note of your strained smile, and he decides to quickly change topics in a jiffy. “How’s your trip here? Did you bring anyone with you?” He asks curiously.

You lean on the bar counter, though your drink (as well as Venti, who’s still busy with his drinks) is left forgotten. “My trip’s been amazing. I didn’t bring anyone with me though. How about you?”

Thoma shrugs. “I didn’t bring anyone either. Though if I could, I would’ve brought Taroumaru.”

“Aw, I miss Taroumaru!” You cooed. You immediately thought about Inazuma once again, becoming more homesick than you thought you’d be. “How’s the little guy? I heard he’s been the talk of the town. He’s getting really famous on the Internet, isn’t he?”

Thoma chuckles in response, his cheeks turning slightly red. “Yeah.. I honestly didn’t think he’d get famous. There was an idol who came to visit the café and took a picture of him, which was how he got everyone’s love.”

You nodded slowly, still smiling. “So I suppose business is booming then? I’m sure a lot of people must be wanting to meet Taroumaru.”

“Oh if only you see how busy it’s been. If it weren’t for the staff my mom and I hired, I wouldn’t be able to come to the wedding in the first place!” He comments.

As you continue to listen to Thoma talking about people in Inazuma, you couldn’t help but miss Inazuma even more. You honestly couldn’t wait to come back.

“How about you? How’s Liyue been lately after your trip?” Your friend suddenly asks, causing you to wake up from your thoughts.

You cleared your throat. “Oh, same as always. Though,” You straighten your posture, clearing your throat, “I’ve thought about coming back to Inazuma after what happened.”

Thoma was taken back by surprise from your words, his eyes brightened. “R-Really?”

You hummed, your smile growing from his excitement. “Really.”

The man before you didn’t know what to say, stunned from such good news. “This..." He couldn’t help but let out a laugh, obviously ecstatic from the news as his eyes brightens instantly. "This is amazing news! You have to let me know when your flight is then. I can pick you up from the airport and we can go wherever you want and–”

“Woah, woah, slow down!” You couldn’t help but laugh as well, finding his excitement infectious and amusing. “I haven’t even booked anything yet, let alone ask for a transfer in my job.”

“O-Oh!” His cheeks turn red instantly in embarrassment. “R-Right.. My bad, I-I was getting too excited.” He stammers, clearing his throat as he fixes his suit tie. “When do you think you’ll come back?”

You shrug in response. “I’m thinking of.. Maybe after New Year’s Day. It’ll take a while since well.. It’s hard to move to another country, you know?”

He nodded quickly. “Ah yes, of course. I totally understand! You should take your time.” He says in agreement. “Just… Let me know when you’re coming back. I missed you, you know?”

You couldn’t help but feel your cheeks warming up from his words. Thoma was never the type to confess something so affectionate, but perhaps the drinks are getting the best of both of you…

The blonde man was quick to realize what he said though, as he instantly stiffens and starts stumbling on his words. “I-I mean, I-I’m not the only one who misses you– since everyone misses you, i-including me..!”

“Y-Yeah, I get it. E-Especially since it’s been a long time since I’ve left Inazuma.” You stumbled as well, your cheeks warming even more from the awkward situation that the both of you brought yourself into. “I-If anything, I missed you guys too..!”

Yeah, the drinks are definitely getting the best of both of you.

The two of you couldn’t help but laugh once again from the embarrassment, causing the tense and awkward atmosphere to dissipate.

“Well that was awkward.” He commented, smiling from ear-to-ear.

“No doubt.” You responded, still laughing as you held your stomach.

As the both of you try to catch your breaths after laughing, Thoma decides to get himself a drink as well as another one for you. “Let’s drink to celebrate your upcoming return then. On me, of course.”

You snorted. “Thoma, the drinks are free. We’re in a wedding, remember?”

He blushes once again. “A-Ah.. Right.”

–

As you walk out of the elevator, you head towards your hotel room with Thoma in tow.

Long after the wedding finally ended, you decided to take your leave and hit the bed to sleep for the night, wanting nothing more than to lie down on the comfortable sheets of the bed as you snore away.

To your surprise, Thoma decides to make sure you come back to your room in one piece and escort you back to your room given that the both of you are a little intoxicated.

“You know, you don’t have to come with me. I can go back to the room on my own.” You said reassuringly, noticing how close your hotel room is getting.

“We’re here anyway, so you’re stuck with me now.” He comments, insisting even more as he walks by your side. “Besides, I’m actually staying in the same hotel as you. Though, I’m three floors above.”

You relax instantly from his words, no longer finding the energy to say otherwise. “Oh, that’s good then.” You stumble around and try to find your keycard, pulling it out from your pocket as the two of you arrive to your room.

“Thanks again, Thoma. I’m glad you had kept me company at the wedding– and for helping me taking care of Venti.” You chuckled, letting your door scan your keycard.

He smiles, nodding in acknowledgement. “Of course. It’s the least I can do since you’ve given me a good time at the wedding.”

You smiled in response, and turned around to enter your room that's now opened, but before you could enter, he stopped you for a moment.

“Wait.”

“Hm?” You turn to look at him in confusion and in curiosity. “Is something wrong?”

He shakes his head. “N-No, of course not. It’s just…”

The two of you fell awkwardly silent.

“...I won’t be here tomorrow, so you won’t see me until you return to Inazuma.” He confesses. “So… If you ever decide on whether you’d visit, move in, or whatever, I’m one call away. Just let me know when you come and visit.” So I can be the first to greet you.

You smiled cheekily. “So you really did miss me, huh?”

He blushes once again. “Can you blame me..?” There’s no one I love but you.

You then pat his shoulder. “...I’ll call you as soon as I get the date. Just promise me you’ll be by the airport with some cardboard that has my name.” You teased.

He nodded eagerly. “I’ll make sure it’ll have ‘Welcome back from the Asylum’ on it.” He says, teasing you back.

“Oh I’d like to see you try!” You laugh, lightly slapping his shoulder as he grins.

“...See you next time, ( Name ).”

“See you next time, Thoma.”

You took a few steps to your room and finally closed the door, the last face you saw was Thoma’s flushed face.

As soon as he’s alone in the quiet hallways of the hotel floor, he lets out a sigh.

This time.. This time I’ll shoot my shot.

“What are you thinking about, Thoma?”

The blonde-haired man blinks a few times as he finds himself back in the familiar surroundings of Komore Cafe.

“Ah, sorry.. I-I was just thinking about something.” Thoma says with a cheeky grin, looking at your direction as you sit by the stools that’s by the counter. “How long have you been watching me?” He asks.

You smiled cheekily. “Long enough for me to be reminded of how handsome you look.” You responded teasingly with a chuckle.

“Oh really? Am I really that dashing?” He asks, jokingly posing like a model as it causes you to laugh.

“Very much, but not as much as my guy Taroumaru here.” You pet the Shiba Inu, who makes a “woof!” noise as he happily encourages your affection.

Thoma dramatically puts a hand on his chest. “You wound me. I’d never thought my own spouse would choose Taroumaru over me! Where is the loyalty?”

The two of you broke into laughter, amused by each other’s antics.

It’s been almost two years since the time when you two visited Diluc and Jean’s wedding. True to your word, you return to Inazuma a few months after your trip to Mondstadt, officially residing in your homeland instead of Liyue. Thoma has been with you since you returned, and he has been nothing but helpful to you as the two of you make up for the lost time.

It took a while before you eventually started gaining feelings for him, which then eventually led to the two of you in a committed and happy relationship for the past three months. It’s safe to say that you’ve never been happier than ever, and you’re grateful for someone like Thoma to be by your side for so long.

And he’s grateful that his dream finally came true, happy that he has the honor of being yours, and you being his. He couldn’t imagine anything better than what he has now.

Unfortunately, the sweet moment between you both ended abruptly when your watch started ringing, reminding you of the time.

“Ah shoot, I gotta go. Miko’s going to kill me if I end up late.” You said, grabbing your bag and drink before kissing Thoma’s cheek and pet Taroumaru one last time. “Thanks for the drink, by the way.”

“Anything for you. Stay safe!” Your boyfriend tells you, watching as you run out of the cafe like the wind, leaving him alone with Taroumaru.

As soon as you’re gone, he lets out a dreamy sigh.

“Come, Taroumaru, it’s time to work.” He spoke to the Shiba Inu, petting his head before heading towards the sign of his café to flip it.

There’s nothing more to life than spending the rest of his days with you, and he’s more than content with the life he has with you.

It’s safe to say that the same goes with you.

PREVIOUS.

DAN'S NOTE.

Thank you guys so much for reading Evermore! I honestly have never thought I’d finished this from the very start, and yet here I am, and it’s all thanks to all of you who have spread your love and opinions on this series.

It was truly an honor to write this piece. It really makes me happy to see a lot of you guys commenting on each chapter, sending asks about how much you love Evermore and spit on Ayato as well as Shinsuke, and overall just you guys being interested in something I put my heart and soul to!

As someone who never once experienced having a lover nor went through a breakup, it’s quite tough for me to write about it in this series since I want the experiences to feel somewhat real, or better yet, not too cliche than it already is.

Of course, I also want this series to be somewhat a lesson to my dear readers, to those who need to let it all out, to those whose hearts are broken, to those who just need an escape from reality once in a while, and overall to everyone. I hope that whatever you guys are going through, you will get through it! If you can go through a breakup and deal with Shinsuke’s existence in this fic, then you can surely go through anything!

Since I’ve already expressed what I need to express in the previous chapter, I decided to drop some fun facts and trivia here!

This series was made out of spite because of how I lost the 50/50 to Keqing in Ayato’s first released banner on my first 10 pulls and wanted to make him suffer. Fortunately enough, writing this series seems enough to make him come home 80 pulls later b4 his banner ended!

I also wanted to write a story that’s based on my number one favorite Taylor Swift song from one of my favorite albums of hers: right where you left me! This song is one of the most relatable songs I’ve ever listened to ever since I first heard it in 2021, and it’s been stuck with me to this day as of 2024 (can you believe it? It’s been almost 4 years!)

And fun fact, I found out that the evermore album was released on my birthday (December 11), so it feels right that I made the series inspired by the album <3 !

The following are some fun facts from my drafts:

Diluc's arranged spouse was supposed to be Donna, but I unfortunately didn’t make that happen since the way Donna would treat the situation wouldn’t be the same way as what Jean would do.

Thoma wasn’t actually supposed to be a male lead until I started planning for the no body no crime part. I don’t know what made me assign Thoma as the second male lead, but when I did, I didn’t like how my series will be another “second male lead who has no chance with the main lead” so I made him the person the reader actually ends up with in the epilogue soon after!

– below are things that i’ve scraped from this series ! –

Before I started planning each chapter, Diluc was originally supposed to be the reader's plus one. The plot involves how the reader asks Diluc, reader’s friend since college, to be their plus one since he lives in Mondstadt and he reluctantly agrees, and throughout the wedding trip, they slowly fall in love with each other.

It was such a good plot too if you saw the details I wrote for it ! But I scrapped it off because the plot would’ve been really long, and I want the series to focus on the story of reader finally and properly moving on from their breakup with their first love, Ayato. I’m aware that I could’ve followed this plot while reader moves on with Ayato, but again, I feel like it just wasn't it for me. though who knows, i might make a one-shot fic of it ;)

Another fun fact is there was supposed to be a second part series after Evermore that’s called Folklore and it ends with you dating Kaeya.

in this series, you first meet Kaeya during Diluc’s wedding and spend time with him. Sure enough, you hate that guy, but you had no choice but to spend time with him throughout your stay in Mondstadt since he’s such a great tour guide.

You were glad that you’re finally back to Liyue and not be able to see that playboy anymore, so consider yourself shocked when you waltzed into your office and saw him.

Turns out, the reason why he’s always spending time with you in Mondstadt is not because of how he wants to guide you around mondstadt, but because he wants to get to know the person he’ll be working with in Liyue!

So yes, this is somewhat an enemies to lovers + office romance story, and unlike Diluc and Ayato, this guy has no chance in getting into arranged marriages and immediately shoots his shot with you ;> !

Extra note: Dainsleif was supposed to be in folklore series as the second male lead hehe

I was really looking forward to writing this series until chapter thirteen happened. If I have to be real honest, I was disappointed with myself for what happened, and I was afraid that you guys will be even more disappointed with me if i make another series, so i immediately scrapped it off :((

But to clarify more, even if chapter thirteen went well, I would’ve still scrapped it off since – as you know, I have a health issue that caused my big hiatus – and I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to finish the second series at all, let alone start it.

Instead of that, I decided to just make it into one of the epilogues of what could’ve been! Feel free to check the folklore epilogue once it’s out!

I think I can reveal more information with the Q&A from my evermore survey, so while I’m compiling your questions, feel free to ask more right away!

That's all for this series. Once again, thank you so so so much for giving me the pleasure of writing this fic. I might not make a series soon, but if I ever have the luxury of time, I hope you guys will be there to read it.

Thank you!

Sincerely, your penpal, Dan xoxo

PENPALS. @scaraslover @saving-for-xiao @dawgimsohot @kazu-topia @chiruru @aqualesha @renamichii @mrkamisato @shenhesl0ver @serami00 @serenareiss @hiqhkey @emperatris-rinaka @bystander36 @irisxiel @ladycoleigh @034ven @dear-dairiess @owozi8 @hadesaedes @chiro-chiro-kun @hersscherofyatta @mariusvonhangme @yuzuricebun @hoshikistarlette @solaaresque @crowbird @lordbugs @flowersforayato @headintheclouddd @estelwrld @giyusimpsassemble @irethepotatosblog @moonlightaangel @alice0blog @shotosbrainrot @sniffoat @chihawari @mxsomn @kuni-kuzushii @jiminscarmex @mitsukii114 @nejibot @ylimeprive @sachispet @loreleis-world @sn-owo @stareforecasts @someonetookmynamelmao @ceylestia @lychme @ymikkos @reallysporadicarcade @melodyyamino @dudufodd @somberrock @yevenly @lemontum @nghing @elychee @astrxlis @denkineptune @franini @sophisticatedleslie @thedivinepriestress @smashsubs @httpmitsuya @bl6o6dy @cottonkendi (please visit this post if you'd like to be tagged!)

300 notes · View notes

i-am-a-l0st-gh0st · 5 months

Note

Diluc with a S/O with a pampered and entitled sister who keeps stealing your boyfriends.

Not happy that Diluc's dating you and not her, she amps up her meek and innocent act to steal him from you.

It's always been just him and me together- Diluc x Fem!reader

So I bet all I have on that. T/w- Slight angst, jealousy, bitch sister, comfort, oblivious Diluc, Summary- Your sister had always stolen your boyfriends, every single one. Will diluc fall into her trap?

Navigation

Taglist form!

It was that time again, the time when the snow was falling, the time when the Christmas tree went up and when all of Mondstadt became filled with Christmas joy. But it was also time to see family, which was the one part you despised, mainly one person—your sister.

You mentioned before to Diluc about your sister, about how she had always stolen every single one of your boyfriends. So of course you were worried about telling your family the two of you were engaged. Your sister would only step up her act to get Diluc to be hers. You were a little worried that he would leave you, because well what if he did?

Ding ding

“I’ll get it, honey, you look pretty comfy wrapped in those blankets.” Diluc smiled at you. God his smile was so pure.

About a minute later your mother and father walked into the room carrying armfuls of bags. Of course, Diluc had offered to carry some but still, they had so many. Then your sister walked in, carrying nothing but a handbag. Once all the bags were put down somewhere, greetings began.

“Hello, sweetie!” Your mother said.

Your father behind the two of you was interrogating Diluc, you’re pretty sure Diluc looked at you signalling, What do I do? You came up behind him and hugged him all while giving your dad a look. Your sister was just standing there looking at Diluc as if he were the last handbag on earth.

You could already feel the jealousy radiating off her. Her eyes scanned him up and down leaving no part of his body untouched. You glared at her in an attempt to get her to stop, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off the red-haired man.

Once you finally let go of him you showed each of them to their rooms. Your sister insisted that he take her, and archons he was so oblivious to her. Of course, being the gentleman he is took her. You knew he wouldn’t act on her advances, would he?

Well, about 20 minutes later diluc came out with lipstick marks on his cheek and neck. Which made your stomach drop, you thought he was loyal. You thought you could trust him, but now… You were due to get married in less than a year and now that may have to be called off.

“Y/n, sweetie…”

“Hmm oh, it’s fine…” It was not fine you could see the way his face dropped when your voice broke.

“No it's not can you listen to me.”

“I don’t really think there's much to listen to.” You walked out of the room just as your sister came in.

You could hear her attempts to seduce Diluc but you didn’t care. He obviously loved her now since he’d been kissing her so much. But maybe you should’ve listened, maybe he could’ve cleared all that up. The pair were now out of earshot and you could only imagine what she was doing. Twirling her hair, touching his arm and chest, the worst thing was you didn’t know how he was feeling in all this.

About half an hour later, he finally found you. You were curled up in a ball in the bathroom, you weren’t crying, you couldn’t cry. You felt numb. He came and wrapped his arms around you, he was warm and not just because of his pyro vision. Your sister's perfume filled your nose, which made your insides scream with jealousy.

“Hun… Look can you listen to me.” His eyes filled with sadness.

“I don’t want her to take you.”

“Take me? Y/n, don’t be silly. Im yours and yours alone.” He pointed to the ring on his finger. “See this? That means on yours. And this ring on your hand means you are mine. No jealous sister is going to take that from us.”

“You promise.”

“I promise. Now let's get out there and show her we love each other.”

“You know she's taken almost all of my boyfriends. She just can’t seem to get her own”

“That’s just her craving attention, she’s insecure.”

Diluc pulled you up from your position pulling you into yet another hug. “Im sorry, I really did try to tell her to leave me alone.”

“She’s very persistent.”

He dragged you out to the kitchen where the rest of your family was starting to enjoy the Christmas lunch, your sister had already saved a seat for Diluc. He just proceeded to ignore her.

“Y/n this is delicious!” Your mother exclaimed. “You’ve outdone yourself. I might have to step up my game next year.”

You chuckled. “Maybe you will.”

Diluc wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you in closer. “Thank you dear, it's wonderful.”

Your sister still stared with jealousy, maybe she would never get the message.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin x reader #gn reader #genshin fluff #fluff #angst #genshin angst #diluc x y/n #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #genshin diluc #diluc x you #diluc fluff #diluc angst #diluc #diluc oneshot

378 notes · View notes

suguru-getos · 1 year

Text

yandere genshin characters x punishments (gn! reader)

warnings: yandere themes, mdni, mentions of emotional, sexual abuse, isolation, manipulation, degradation.

a/n: feeling dark sorta way 😈

characters included: scaramouche, ayato, diluc,

scaramouche: things with him range from getting minor chidding for being mouthy to a full blown rage fest. he is scared of hurting you physically knowing the intense power he holds. plus— it isn’t very good to hurt the people we love; right? all he wants is to protect you. keep you safe and sound. not his problem that you can’t understand what’s truly, undeniably good for you. uses isolation as his weapon. you would be locked in, spoiled with your favorite food, on time. but you aren’t allowed to see anyone, not even him… one week in & you are already vulnerable & folded. the silence is tearing your eardrums apart. there is nothing you miss more than to be held by scara. to talk to him…. to be with him & listen to him spoil you. so the next morning when he comes to you with food, you break down. big fat tears rolling through your cheeks as you hug him, shoulders dropped low and anxiety folding you. “please— kuni, please don’t leave me alone, i don’t like this,” the break in your voice almost breaks his heart. but he knows you need to learn your lessons. and sometimes, not in the most desired of ways. “good little angel, sssh~” he cooes, kissing your forehead. “but i want to really, really know if you mean your words. let’s make it another two days hm?” the look of betrayal in your eyes is soon swiped away, when he leans in and kisses you softly, but his will & decision unshakable. maybe after another two days, you will understand how much, you are lucky enough to have someone like him tend to you, always.

ayato: ayato has two sides, one that is ever so gentle, kind, tolerant to your antics. the other… is the side that you never want to see; the spoiled, belittling brat side to him. “surely you must know by now why exactly you are treated like a whore?” ayato mused, watching your naked sex stuffed with a dildo that was of his size. “do you even deserve to be touched by me rather?” he sits in front of you, it’s been literal hours you have been forced to cockwarm the toy. tears prickling into your eyes, you whine out & bite your lip. all of this because you decided to tell ayato that he isn’t deserving of you, that you’d rather be a slut to any man that be his lover. because ayato is selfish, self-centered & narcissistic. and you— almost had enough of it. ‘almost’ until you saw this side of him. the side drenched with cruelty and mania. “yato-“ you cried out, “uh uh uh? what did you say?” you immediately flinched at that statement, correcting your words, “waka sama- i’m sorry, i’m sorry— please!” it felt a little too overwhelming, overbearing, with how he sat next to you, tending to his official matters until he decided it was time to take a break. you almost forgot that ayato loves you, sickeningly, disgustingly but he does… feeling smaller, and smaller. almost insignificant in front of his wrath. “i’m sorry—” you managed to mumble one more time, knowing completely well it was not what he wanted to hear. “i will never go to anybody else,” that got you a change of his look. he was looking at you with softened eyes, almost reconsidering his idea of punishing you any further. scoffing at your statement, his gloved hands removed the toy from your drooling sex, kissing it softly. “good little thing,”

diluc: the wine tycoon of monstadt was already intimidating to everyone. coursing fear and respect through everyone’s veins whether they wanted it or not. all you had to do, to feel the same anxiety from his otherwise warm presence was to go out of dawn winery, and get yourself surrounded by cryo slimes. why would you never understand that you. are not. allowed. to step. the fuck out? diluc didn’t talk to you, he didn’t want to hurt his angel by words, or by actions after he safely protected you. but his aloofness was killing you already. truth be told, diluc was a soft yandere, and you dearly, dearly loved him. leaving you be by your rooms, working his job as the dark knight. and coming back to sleep in a bed that is different from yours was enough to carve little pieces of your heart out into the abyss. you loved him, and you wanted to be loved. the silent treatment was not helping— despite you waking up early and waiting long in the nights to get a chance to talk to him. it just wasn’t working. diluc was not happy… until one day you just couldn’t take it, your silent sobs echoed through his room when he came home one night. immediately rushing towards you and hugging you tenderly. “hey hey hey— why are you crying?” diluc softly cooed, kissing your tears away. “hey- listen, i-” before he could complete, your whines escaped, sounding complaint-laced. “you don’t wanna even talk to me these days! i will never talk to you either fuckkk you!” you were angry at him, but you were leaning into his soft touch. “i love you, i’m sorry— i just, got scared okay? scared that my paranoia might hurt you and became distant..” the whole night, you and diluc got comfortable by sharing silences and sentences that you both needed to hear.

1K notes · View notes

pochipop · 1 year

Text

＃DILUC RAGNVINDR !! ♡ — DROWN ME IN YOUR FLAMES - PROLOGUE + CHAPTER I: PHOENIX, RISING.

#. synopsis! — in an attempt to hide his ailing health, your father breaks a cardinal rule known to all but every citizen across teyvat: do not trust any member of the fatui unless you’re looking for trouble. left to shoulder the weight of his mistakes, you find yourself reunited with a once-beloved childhood friend who’s changed quite drastically since you last stumbled along the edge of wolvendom together. now, as you suffocate in the dripping maw of teyvat’s twisted underworld, clinging to diluc arouses one too many feelings than you know what to do with, many of them just as ill-timed as your reunion. down here, few rules are abided by and bitter truths lie just beneath the surface. mora spills like blood from wealthy, tainted palms; —and one thing remains far too clear for comfort: people like you do not belong here .

#. characters! — diluc .

#. warnings! — violence, generally dark content, graphic depictions of fights/injuries .

#. word count! — 1.1k (prologue) + 4.8k (chapter 1) .

#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @yyolkchi (reblog/spam) .

#. others! — navigation & masterlist .

#. to be added to my taglist for this series! — this fic is an ongoing, multi-chapter work inspired by stories like levius and kengan ashura! because it will span several posts, if you'd like to be added to a taglist in order to be notified of updates, please feel free to let me know in either of the following ways: sending me a private message on tumblr or commenting under this post .

How? How could your father have done something so completely, utterly, all-encompassingly foolish? It was bad enough that he’d been colluding with agents of the Fatui, —but to also be hiding his poor health atop it all? The news of it came like a raging typhoon, snuffing out so much in a single instance. You had so many questions, so many things to say, but you sat in utter silence, unsure of how to unravel the harrowing mess of tangled threads festering in your mind. In the end, you stood from your place on the living room sofa, the one your father used to carry you from late at night when you’d doze off and he was keen on tucking you into bed.

The door clinked shut behind you, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, you set off. If word of this were to spread, your family’s long-beloved bakery would undoubtedly fail. Even the loyalest of customers wouldn’t be caught dead spending their Mora at an establishment working with the Fatui. They’ve done nothing but create unrest amongst the citizens of Mondstadt for far too long, —lingering about the public with their mask-adorned faces and threatening the blissful lives of city-goers with their underhanded deals.

Working with them was like working for the devil, and even those who’ve long chosen to forgo the will of the Archons wouldn’t dare test their luck in such a manner.

You’re angry, but even more than that, you’re hurt. It’s painful to know that even your own father didn’t see you as being worthy of his honesty. If he’d just been truthful when his health began to decline, so much of this would be different. Sure, maybe Mora would have been tight during the course of his treatment, but struggling for a while or picking up some odd jobs here and there would have been miles better than this. He was playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes.

Atop it all, so much more had been put at risk than would have been necessary under normal circumstances.

And. . . He was sick. Your loving, doting father was ill, and there was nothing you could do about it at present. His health was failing, and you were powerless to stop the flow of nature in that direction. None of this was fair. A part of you even held onto lingering hopes that this was just a dream —a nightmare— that you’d be able to wake up from.

But you had to plan for the worst in spite of that. So you swallowed your pride and slipped a poorly-scrawled note into the hand of a dispatched agent in passing, afraid that having even a quick conversation in public would raise far too many red flags amongst your fellow Mondstadters. You felt like a lowly criminal in the time that followed, sitting beneath a wide tree just past the edge of Wolvendom. When you were younger, you often came here. Back then, it was an innocent gesture of youth, —playful giggles spilling from open-mouthed smiles as you dashed and jumped about with your friends.

It dawns on you then, albeit rather inopportunely, that you haven’t spoken to most of them in quite a while. Not even Diluc, who you’d have ventured to call your best friend at one point in time. As you let your mind wander a bit, you wonder how he’s doing now. . . How all of your past friends have gotten about since you last saw them and were privy to the ins and outs of their lives.

“You,” a gruff, agitated voice calls out to you, shattering the peaceful silence, “—what’s this about?”

The note you’d slipped into his hand dangles from his pinched fingertips, a wiry scowl etched into his lips. It’s the only feature of his face you’re able to catch sight of, the rest hidden behind his Fatui mask. You pull yourself to your feet upon his arrival.

He seems like a generally unpleasant fellow, —the kind of guy most would assume to be working for such a twisted organization. You’d picked him out of the crowd because he had a slighter frame than the others you’d passed, and mistakenly assumed because he seemed less physically formidable that perhaps he wouldn’t be quite as difficult to deal with as the rest.

You were pretty off base, in all actuality.

“Tell me how to pay off a debt to your group,” you request, though it sounds more like a demand.

It can’t really be helped when you’re aggravated to this degree, but a part of you cringes at the bossy tone you’ve taken. It’s unlike you.

“A debt?” He sneers, and you can just imagine the way his judgemental eyes have slit themselves into mocking lines behind the mask he dons. “What kind?”

“I don’t know,” you snap, “—the kind you trick desperate people into taking on, I guess.”

“If you were stupid enough to take it on, I don’t see how it’s any of my concern as to whether you pay it off or not,” he shrugs. “Go find the one you made the deal with in the first place. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

“I wasn’t stupid enough to do anything,” you retort.

“Then stop playing hero for whoever you care about that was,” he answers bluntly. “They’ll either figure it out themselves, —or they won’t. We’re both just bystanders in this one, so my suggestion is that you sit back and watch. You might even have some fun.”

“Maybe you get off on watching innocent people suffer, but that’s really not my cup of tea,” you reply.

“What, so we’re the evil creatures lurking in the shadows and everyone who chooses to work with us of their own free will is just a hapless little rabbit getting pounced on by some big, bad wolves?” He challenges. “Get real for a second. It takes two to tango, and your friend, family member, —whoever it is, they did this to themself. I think it’s high time you stop meddling in other people’s affairs.”

It annoys you that he’s being so sanctimonious about this, —but it’s worse that he’s right. Your father, as much as you love and care about him, is far from innocent in this matter. In fact, he may just be the one holding the most blame for it all, even above the Fatui themselves.

“Whatever,” you try to brush him off, though his words sting in spite of your attempt at indifference. “Just tell me how to fix this.”

“Sorry,” he answers, —and you know he isn’t in the slightest because of the way he snickers right after.

“Haven't got a clue.”

With that, he turns away, likely to return to his place in Mondstadt City. Your hands clench into fists at your sides, squeezing so tightly that your nails dig into the flesh of your palms.

“Even if I did though,” he calls out, never looking back your way, “it’s not like I’d tell you.”

“Thank you!” Amber says happily, taking a fresh loaf of bread from your hands with a grateful smile.

“Of course,” you answer, “it was nice seeing you!”

She’s always a treat to have around, so unabashedly kind and considerate. Despite her busy job as Mondstadt’s highly renowned Outrider, she often makes time to support the local businesses around the city, and your family’s bakery is no exception.

“You too, y/n! Let’s find some time to catch up sometime soon!”

You nod your head in confirmation, offering her the best smile you can muster up in your tired state. The sun is quickly setting behind the rolling hills of Teyvat, and you’re readying yourself to close the shop up for the night. With your father laid up in bed for the time being and your mother taking time away from the bakery to care for him, you’ve been left to handle things here alone.

It’s not a particularly difficult job, really. You’re used to the motions of it by now, having grown up around it and all, —but the responsibility weighs heavy on your shoulders since finding out about your father’s more illicit affairs. Your mother doesn’t know the extent of it, and in spite of your better judgment, you promised your father you wouldn’t be the one to tell her of the situation. He swore he’d do it when the right time presented itself, but if that doesn’t come to pass soon, you’re prepared to drop the bomb yourself; even if it means betraying his trust.

For now though, you wipe the counter down with a wet cloth, collecting crumbs and flour typical of a day’s work.

Just when it sparked your mind to flip the sign outside the door to closed, it swings open, and with it comes a familiar face. Long, fiery red hair tied back behind his head, gloves fitted over his hands, Diluc meets your gaze and strides toward you in long, deliberate steps. It’s been a while since you last saw him, —even longer since you last had any kind of meaningful conversation. Though you’d been quite close to him in your youth, the test of time had not been kind to your friendship, and after his father’s passing, he stopped coming around to the bakery altogether. It was rare to see him out and about, and you eventually stopped going to the Angel’s Share, if only out of fear you might cross his path and be left with nothing to say.

You can’t help the way you gawk a bit, taking him in. . . He doesn't look too dissimilar to the boy he once was, —just taller, more muscular, and sharper all around. Still, there’s an air about him that feels much more intimidating, and the blank expression he wears is much the opposite of the happy child you knew him to be when he was younger.

“Diluc,” you utter for the first time in Celestia knows how long.

Even his name feels foreign on your tongue.

“I haven’t seen you in a while.”

He hums in acknowledgement.

“It has been quite some time since we last spoke, hasn’t it?”

You nod, noting the contrasting feelings bubbling up inside you. On one hand, there’s a sense of comfortable familiarity with him that seeks to quell your nerves, —but on the other, you’re forced to acknowledge that he isn’t the boy you once knew him to be. He’s a man now, and you’re none too acquainted with him as he stands before you.

“What can I get you?” You smile, assuming he’d stopped by for something like old time’s sake, maybe for one of your mother’s famous bread rolls that he used to gobble down in a matter of seconds.

“Actually, I’m not here to purchase anything,” he notes, dismissing your pleasantries. “I’m here to speak with you about your father’s affiliation with the Fatui.”

Your eyes widen as your blood runs cold. Even if you were to lie, your reaction gave you away completely.

“I’m. . . Not sure I have any idea what you’re talking about,” you reply after taking a few seconds to collect yourself.

He notes the way you fail to meet his eyes when you speak now, as if you’re ashamed on your father’s behalf. Diluc doesn’t seem angry or disappointed, but you know the baggage such an accusation comes with, and you’re certain that if he really does happen to know the truth that it’s greatly impacted his opinion of you. If the roles were reversed, you can’t say you wouldn’t feel similarly.

“You don’t have to lie,” he tells you. “I’ve known for quite some time. . . About his illness, the expense of the treatment, and his collusion with the Fatui as a result of it.”

“You. . . You knew?” The question spills from your lips laced with venom, —because if he’d known all along, why hadn’t you?

It wasn’t as if your father had anything to do with Diluc as far as you were aware. Moreover, he’d been so far removed from your family for so long now that it came as a slap in the face for him to have been so informed and yet you, the child of the man at the center, had been left completely out of the loop as if your feelings and right to know were just playthings to disregard at will.

“You knew for so long and yet you never came to me?”

Diluc purses his lips for a moment, thinking before he speaks. He understands why you’re angry, understands that you’re scared, worried, and stressed beyond belief. And that’s why he’s here now, even if it’s a little late.

“I didn’t think it was my place,” he answers. “The last thing I wanted to do was cause more damage where it wouldn’t be necessary.”

“Why is it suddenly your place now then?” You question. “What changed?”

“I know that you’ve personally been in contact with a dispatched agent here in Mondstadt.”

The way your face drops is subtler now, something you could likely play off if you put on a convincing enough performance going forward. This really isn’t the way you expected this reunion with Diluc to play out, full of twisted secrets and deceit, —but in this moment, he is not your friend. He’s a complete and utter stranger, and you’ve no obligations to him above that of your own family (no matter how stupid their decisions may be.)

“You can’t prove that,” you say with a shrug, hoping you sound more nonchalant than you feel. (You don’t.)

“I can’t,” he agrees, digging one of his gloved hands into his pocket.

From it he pulls a familiar slip of parchment. You don’t need to see the writing on it to know it was the same one you’d stuffed into the hands of a Fatui agent just a week prior.

“But I think we’d both agree I have enough evidence to make a reasonable assumption about it.”

As if to emphasize his point, he places the note on the counter before you. If it had eyes, you just know it would be staring up at you mockingly right about now.

“How did you get that?” You inquire, taking it into your hands in order to tear it in two.

Diluc doesn’t even flinch when you do so.

“Does it matter?” He answers your question with one of his own.

“It does,” you nod. “Because at this point, I think you really owe me some answers. Otherwise, this conversation is over.”

He isn’t fond of your hostility, but isn’t naive enough to question why you aren’t choosing to be trusting of him right off the bat. Knowing what he does, Diluc thinks it’s only natural for you to be reacting this way, —unable to take him at his word, and beyond that, unable to see him as an ally given the circumstances.

Nodding, his voice lowers to a cautious tone, as if he’s scared someone is lingering outside the door.

“Get rid of that,” he points to the fist where the torn note resides, “and meet me at the manor for Dawn Winery. We’ll talk there.”

You stare for a bit, as if searching his face for any signs of nefarious intent.

“. . . Fine,” you agree, albeit begrudgingly so. “But you’d better not be wasting my time with this, Diluc.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

You took your anger out on that note before trudging your way to Dawn Winery. It was left in small, crumpled pieces, the message to meet you at the edge of Wolvendom unrecognizable by the time you were done with it. Once it was disposed of, you did a lot of thinking on the walk over. It wasn’t necessarily Diluc you were mad at. . . Maybe it was just the world at that point, every little thing striking all the wrong chords inside you. He was right, you suppose, that none of it was really any of his concern; at least not enough to have approached you about it before then.

It’s not like the two of you were best buddies. You couldn’t even recall the last time you’d spoken to him. But really, that only proved to make you feel worse. He’d known so much while you’d known so little, —absolutely nothing at all, in fact. Your father had chosen to leave you in the dark, and for someone like Diluc to have been sat in the light, no matter how he came to be there. . . It just wasn’t right.

Upon your arrival, you were greeted warmly by the Dawn Winery staff. You guessed Diluc must have informed them in advance that you’d be showing up, as a sweet, bubbly maid quickly showed you to a room upstairs where Diluc and a man you’d never seen before sat and stood respectively around a round wooden table. A duo of teacups was placed on either side, and Diluc’s eyes seemed to follow you across the room as the young maid quickly shut the door behind you with a soft click.

“Have a seat,” he gestured. “The tea is freshly brewed, if you’re interested.”

You had no reason to deny it, so you took the warm cup into your hands and gingerly took a small drink of the fragrant liquid. It was quite flavorful, —if a little bitter in the aftertaste.

“Thanks,” you say, “but I’m not exactly here to sip tea with you.”

“I’m aware of that,” he replies, offering you the ghost of a smile.

It’s likely not the right time to be noticing such things, but he’s quite. . . Handsome. You’ve always known him to be cute, but there’s something endearing about the air of mystery that lingers over him now, though it’s just as equally annoying for the time being.

“I’ll start by introducing you to someone,” Diluc begins, glancing up at the man standing just beside the table.

He’d been so still and silent that you’d almost forgotten he was even there in the first place.

“This is Henley. He’s one of many individuals employed by myself working undercover with low-ranking Fatui agents across Teyvat.”

You let your gaze travel to his face. His features are sharp and he seems like a dignified young man, just a bit older than Diluc from the looks of it. Mousy hair falls in loose waves, barely touching the edge of his jaw on either side. Now that you’ve gotten a better look at him, he seems. . . Familiar. Your eyes squint up, and he lets out a soft tuft of breath, a smile finally cracking across his face.

“I take it you’ve noticed?” He asks.

Though his voice is much less growly than before, you’d recognize it anywhere. It’s been playing in your mind for days, spinning the same cycle out of control.

He’s the Fatui agent you spoke with not long ago, —the one who snapped at you and told you to sit back and watch your father be swallowed up by his debts.

You offer a sarcastic laugh, setting your stare on Diluc once more.

“That’s how you got the note?”

“Precisely,” he answers. “Henley’s also the reason I came to know about your father, —his illness, the deal he made with members of the Fatui, and now, the debt he’s drowning in.”

“Then maybe he can also give me some answers that my father wouldn’t,” you quip, looking up at Henley again. “How much debt has he racked up?”

When he came clean, your father sought to avoid specifics even then. In many ways, his honesty left you with more questions than answers, —which is why you solicited a Fatui agent to begin with, thinking one of them could give you the information you craved.

“I couldn’t say for certain,” Henley replies. “It wasn’t my deal, and even when agents brag, they keep the specifics to themselves.”

“Give me your best guess, then,” you request, fiddling with the handle of your teacup.

The man pauses before giving you a response.

“At present, probably a couple hundred thousand Mora,” he estimates. “But the Fatui don’t take kindly to those who borrow Mora they can’t pay back, so it could be more depending on how generous they’ve decided to be with him.”

A shaky breath passes your lips.

“I. . . I can’t afford that,” you say softly. “Even with all of my family’s savings put together, I don’t even think I’d be able to make a dent.”

Your stomach twists with anxiety. If you couldn’t manage to pay it back, there’s no telling what would happen. The family bakery would be long-gone, all the hard work leading up to such a dismal end. Worst of all, your father’s illness would be left untreated, and he’d be stuck withering away until there's nothing left.

“Lend me your ear for a bit,” Diluc chimes back in.

“What I’m about to tell you has to stay between us. If word gets out, there’s no telling what all could go wrong. Do you understand?”

Though you’re not sure you can really handle any more large-scale secrets right now, you give him an affirmative nod nonetheless. It can’t hurt to listen when you’ve already come this far.

“I understand.”

“Good,” he notes, not missing a beat. “I’ll be summing months of investigative work up as best I can, but if you have any questions, feel free to interrupt. And besides that, —the point I’m making is that working with me for a bit might just be a saving grace for you and your family.”

He’s got your full, undivided attention now, and you’re just praying he won’t misuse it.

“Henley, the map, please,” Diluc requests, holding a single gloved hand open.

The other man moves like some sort of machinery, pulling a rolled piece of paper from the inside of his coat. You catch a glimpse of the Fatui attire he wore not long ago just underneath the dark fabric. With refined precision, Diluc unravels the paper, revealing a map of Mondstadt. It’s a typical map of the nation, —nothing much out of the ordinary at first glance. But upon closer inspection, there’s a series of markings on the surface that don’t seem to pinpoint any important locations that you’re personally aware of. Now, you’re no scholar of Mondstadt’s geography, and you’re certainly no cartographer, but as many times as you’ve seen a map of your home nation over your lifetime, you’re sure you would have noticed at least one of those before.

With the map in hand, Diluc rises from his seat, tea untouched. It’s only then that you take notice of the empty board just to your left as he makes haste of pinning the parchment down to it. You follow in his footsteps without being prompted, your own cup of tea long forgotten.

“What do you see?” He asks.

“These marked points,” you mutter, reaching out to ghost the tip of your index finger over the one stationed just past the fringe of Wolvendom, “—what are they?”

“Wonderful question,” he praises. “With no added information, this map is basically useless. It pinpoints locations that, if you go to them on any regular day, hold nothing more than what you’d expect from the nature that surrounds them.”

He places the flat of his palm against the map now, gaze catching yours and holding it hostage as he continues.

“But these locations are far more than what meets the eye. They’re utilized by the Fatui at random, —likely to cut down on suspicion, and the more remote nature of these points lowers the likelihood of being spotted considerably. If not for my network of agents, I’m not sure I would have ever caught on what with how sneaky they tend to be.”

“Okay, I get why they’d choose places like that, but what exactly are they doing there?” You question.

“That’s where things get a little. . . Outlandish,” Diluc prefaces.

“These more secluded, often open areas are replicated in little pockets of a slower moving reality. They call these mimicked spaces abyssal zones, and inside, there’s an underworld of sorts where they throw Mora around like candy for some pretty. . . Barbaric entertainment.”

Your brows furrow in confusion, attempting to wrap your mind around it all. It’s a lot to take in at once, that’s for sure.

“How does that even work?” You question finally. “They just slice open reality and stuff themselves inside?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Diluc notes. “The exact details are still pretty fuzzy as far as I’m aware, but the harnessing of abyssal energy from the Void Realm allows for the creation of these temporary abyssal zones that look just like the area they’re formed in. After it’s been created, it can just as easily be hidden away, —like closing some kind of illusionary curtain over the entrance.”

“The flow of time inside an abyssal zone is completely different to the flow of time in Teyvat,” Henley pipes up. “I’ve only been inside one a single time, but I stayed for over a day. When I returned, it was like nothing had changed at all. Like Teyvat had frozen itself over.”

“By my calculations from the information my informants have provided me with, a full day in an abyssal zone is roughly equivalent to the passing of one hour in Teyvat,” Diluc adds.

“Okay, well that definitely sounds trippy and all, —but what happens inside the zones or whatever? And how does this connect to my father’s situation?” You inquire.

“I was just getting there,” Diluc pulls his palm away now, pointing to the unfamiliar markings on the map again.

“From what I know, there’s a common thread of using abyssal zones to hide a vast amount of criminal activity. Because they’re forged in collaboration with members of the Fatui, that should hardly come as a shock within itself, —but the real flesh of the issue comes down to the fights that take place there.”

“Fights? Like, physical ones?” You question for clarity’s sake.

“Yes,” Henley confirms, “but they’re likely a lot worse than what you’re imagining. I’m not sensitive to violence after being undercover with Fatui agents for so long, —but what I saw there really struck a nerve. It gets unbelievably gruesome at times.”

“There’s a system in place for it all,” Diluc adds. “Lots of wealthy individuals around Teyvat gather in these zones to place bets on fighters, and some even enter competitors of their own. The catch is that each fighter has to be backed and represented by a business or a company, —some kind of corporation that verifiably has enough Mora to pay up if their fighter loses a match.”

“There has to be an entire business involved to even enter a competitor?” You gape. “Just how much Mora are they betting on these fights?”

“I’ve heard that some have tipped over the million mark for a single match,” Diluc replies.

Your eyes flicker between him, Henley, and the map.

“Well. . . All of that is definitely really intense and all, —but I’m not seeing what it has to do with me or my father’s debt.”

Moreover, you weren’t sure why Diluc was choosing to share any of it with you of all people. It’s not as if he had enough of a grasp on your current character to really know that you’d stay silent about it all, even if you did assure him that you would prior. You’re sure someone out there would be itching for information like this, and it could likely be sold for a hard price if you played your cards right. . .

“If we enter these matches and create a winning streak, the hype around it all will rake in plenty of Mora, —probably more than either of us will even know what to do with. Beyond that, doing so will help steer the funds in a more positive direction, allowing us to take a vast source of income away from the Fatui and redirect it to people in need. People like your father who’ve found themselves in over their heads.”

That idea is good in theory, but in practice? You’re not sold under any stretch of the imagination. In fact, a part of you feels like it’s way outside the scope of your capabilities to even stomach an environment like that in the first place, nonetheless get deep enough in it to rake in large sums of currency.

“Diluc, have you even thought this through?” You ask. “I’m sure that kind of organized violence is illegal in one way or another no matter what nation you’re in, —but besides that, I’m not exactly in any position to be fighting anyone.”

“And I wouldn’t ask that of you,” he assures quickly. “When it comes to competing, I mentioned that every fighter is required to have a backing organization to support them financially. However, a competitor can’t even set foot in the abyssal zones to fight without an ‘executive director,’ —a formal representative of the company who can call for the end of any match at any point in time if they fear for the safety of their fighter or have another reason for withdrawing.”

Diluc continues: “Executive directors are also in charge of placing bids on fighters, even those who don’t represent them or their organization. They receive all the monetary benefits of competing and placing bets, and they choose how they allocate those funds.”

“But don’t they also have to have enough Mora to sponsor their own fighter with their backing corporation in the first place?” You question. “My family’s bakery doesn’t bring in anywhere enough to manage that.”

“I wouldn’t ask that of you either,” he replies. “Putting your family’s business on the line like that, especially with your father’s situation as it is, isn’t something I’d even dream of pushing you to agree to. Instead, I’m asking that you become the executive director and official representative for Dawn Winery.”

You stare at him for a moment, blinking slowly in surprise.

“Sir,” Henley interjects, “—I don’t mean to overstep here, but are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Diluc’s expression drops into a scowl for a moment, but the answer he gives is nothing harsher than before.

“We won’t know for certain unless we try,” he concedes.

Henley’s expression seems to imply that he wants to say more, but he resigns himself to silence in the wake of Diluc’s curt response.

“I admit, there’s a lot that I don’t know, and there’s likely even more that could go wrong. I don’t have all the details about any of this, and for most of it, we’ll just have to play it by ear. I shared all of this information with you because. . . I thought you’d understand where I was coming from, I guess. But if you don’t, or if you do and still want nothing to do with any of it, —I get it, and I won’t try to convince you of anything that you’re not already sold on.”

You’re not sold. Not in the slightest. Still though. . . Perhaps the more naive side of you that grew up around Diluc and remembers all the times he’d go along with your games as children, even when they weren’t perfectly planned nor executed, feels that it’s your time to repay the favor. It’s a poor comparison, certainly, but something about him is comfortable in spite of how different he is to the young boy he used to be.

Now’s definitely not the time to be agreeing to things based on nostalgia, —but when he looks at you like that, you’re not sure how to say no.

“Hypothetically,” you begin, “say I agree to all of this and I represent Dawn Winery as an executive director. How can I do all of that and still manage to care for my family’s shop? My father is laid up in bed, and my mother is stuck taking care of him as best she can because the treatment he needs is so far out of our price range that it’ll take us weeks of business to save up enough for a single dose of proper medicine. Working at the bakery is the only sure-fire source of income we have right now, and I can’t forgo that for a little flicker of hope that I might score big with what’s basically just glorified gambling with some live action combat to go along with it.”

“Remember, time flows much faster in abyssal zones,” Diluc reminds you. “As far as I know, these events don’t begin until after sundown on specific dates. Most of the attendees are also running their own businesses: things like shops, guilds, service providers, and even those in positions of power. That gives you days’ worth of time to spare, —and I can make arrangements for you to have extra staff with no cost to you or your family.”

“And what about the time that I actually spend in the abyssal zones? A place that reveres violence to such an extent doesn’t seem like the kind of environment that would do its best to temper it out. Isn’t it dangerous just to go there in the first place?” You inquire.

“Typically not for the attendees,” Henley answers. “The fighters are definitely another story altogether, —but violence amongst members of the audience is strictly forbidden, and though I’m sure it still happens, I doubt most of them would even risk it. Violence between competitors outside matches is also prohibited, but again, I’m sure not everyone abides by that rule either.”

Honestly, you’re just surprised a scene like that would have actual rules for anything. It sounded more like a free-for-all of blood and knuckles than anything else.

“I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you,” Diluc chimes in. “As your representative fighter, I’ll be with you at all times unless I’m actively in combat, and I—”

“Wait, wait,” you interrupt, “you? You’re going to be the representative fighter?”

Somehow, you’d been expecting him to shove another operative off on you, or maybe to pull some insanely talented warrior from out of nowhere. You’re sure Diluc isn’t completely incompetent in that sense, but. . .

“Yeah,” he nods, “is there something wrong with that?”

“No, I mean, not really, I just. . . I don’t exactly wanna stand around and see you get hurt is all. . .”

Diluc looks at you like he’s shocked you even care, and you briefly wonder just how crass you’d been with him before for that to come as a surprise. You’re not the biggest fan of senseless violence one way or the other, but when your childhood friend is involved, no matter how long it’s been since you were close to him, it automatically feels a bit more personal. A lot more personal, actually.

Eventually, his look of brief bewilderment turns into a soft smile. It’s the kindest expression you’ve seen from him all evening.

“I can take care of myself,” he says, hoping it will reassure you. “Everything will be fine, and I’ll leave it in your hands to call the shots. If you ever think it’s too much and you want to call the match off on my behalf, I’ll leave that decision completely up to you.”

Ah. . . That’s a lot of responsibility that you never planned on signing up for. But Diluc locks your eyes in an ardent stare, —the kind that it’s impossible to pull away from, even when your mind itches for you to let your gaze flitter about.

“What do you say, y/n?” He presses softly. “Are you in?”

You really should turn him away. This plan is nothing short of inconceivable, and it’s dangerous for the both of you (albeit one much more so than the other.) Plus, there’s no guarantee that saying yes will even go the way you’re both desperately hoping it will from the bottom of your hearts.

Above the nagging voice in the back of your mind that tells you to just say no and walk away from this, you let out a soft sigh.

“Yeah,” you nod finally, “—I’m in.”

90 notes · View notes

lunargrapejuice · 3 months

Text

will we make it through?

diluc ragnvindr x fem!reader | 7.7k + words

warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, hurt/comfort/smut, oral (receiving), very emotional and loving sex, over stimulation, cream pie, mating press if you squint. i don't think anything else but please let me know if i missed anything!

the doors of the winery seem heavier than usual as diluc pushes them open, the parlor quiet and cold like the night outside and it makes his chest ache as much as his hands that held too tightly onto the hilt of the claymore tonight. usually the manor would blanket him with warmth the moment he stepped inside, especially when he knew you were waiting for him. finally being home, in your arms, simmered the flames of his duties that pushed him to work harder and harder and ignited a softer flame, one of love, more fierce and all consuming.

of late, that flame had been accompanied by a black smoke and uncertainty, clouding the once clear and comfortable distance between you. before it had been enough so that you ran as free as you pleased, for he would never hold you back, but close enough so he could reach out and pull you into him, watch over and protect you. bath in your light and love even when a man as shrouded in darkness and broken as him did not deserve it.

it started off manageable at first. a clench of his fist at his side when he had gone in to kiss you passionately, to convey how much he missed you, but ended up hurting you instead when his fingers tangled into your hair painfully. you yelped out in sudden pain and he pulled away so quickly, as if he had burned you, but it had only made it worse. he had swallowed down the lump in his throat when you sweetly told him it was okay and stood on your toes to kiss him softly but it was only the first of many loving intentions that did not turn out as he hoped.

a pang in his chest when the only time he saw you was when he came home from being the dark knight hero, your tired form half sat up and in an uncomfortable sleep, the light in the bedroom still on and an askew book in your lap. he took great care in tucking you in with gentle movements and felt so badly when you woke up anyways, welcoming him home and whispering ‘i missed you’s before falling back asleep even if you tried to fight it off in order to be with him for just a little longer.

his heart was torn between his selfishness to want these small moments with you and the need to protect you in any way he could, including your health and your sleeping habits. just because his own suffered at the cost of his duties should not mean that yours should too. he needed you to be well and with a reluctant heart told you not to worry about waiting up for him, that your sleep and well-being was far more important.

the distance, that smoke that hidden you from him, had only grown since that day.

reluctant and displeased in your own right, you still did as he asked and stopped waiting for him to return late in the evening, each night getting farther and farther from him, your sleep not improving at all. with the seasons changing it always made the winery grow busier, the threats to the city more eminent and with it all the moments you spent together becoming fewer and fewer. it was agony being away from you, diluc thought each time you popped into his mind, so frequently throughout the day, and yet you continued to be out of his reach, three or more paces ahead and he was falling even more behind.

and as each of you passed by the staff at different times throughout the day, the same light missing from your eyes, they began to wonder if either of you knew the other was in just as much pain.

he trudges through the heaviness of his own whirling thoughts. as if every step he took through the manor the loneliness of years past came flooding back; the coldness of the first night without a father or a brother, ice in his bones and blood on his skin. an untouched room left to collect dust and remained familiar but was not quite home when he returned years later. except this time it wasn’t burned pictures and items full of bittersweet memories that haunted him, it wasn’t secrets and death at his own hands that followed everywhere he went. it was the fog of what was becoming of your relationship that painted his fears in every room he passed.

the emptiness of life without you..

and how could it not when your rescheduled dinners together have become forgotten entirely or when every day it felt like you were no longer on the same page, off sync and so unsure of the others feelings. when he’d go in to kiss your forehead in a brief moment of passing, just for you to move at the wrong moment and instead of a sweet kiss meant to show you his affection, remind you he was thinking of you, you hit heads, hard. you try to act like it wasn’t affecting you too. having you knock quietly on his office door, unaware of the important business partners in front of him but hurrying to apologize and leave before he can excuse himself for a moment to tell you it’s okay and that he’d come find you once he was finished, so please wait for him. thinking he’d have the night off work and you try to surprise him with dinner only to find he would be unable to join you and when he did the same in return, your schedule too wouldn’t allow for it. you smiled despite it all, a silent promise that you were okay even if your eyes told a different story.

to say it had been hard recently would be an understatement, trust him he is feeling it so strongly too. but even if it had been this way and he was getting by, barely, it doesn’t stop how much it rips his heart from his chest when he slips into bed tonight, strong hands with a slightly detectable shake to them caressing your lovely visage, moving hair from your face. he drinks you in, takes in every inch of the person he loves more than anything else in this world, tries to memorize your face like he hadn’t already a thousand times over, like he might never see you again, and with such attention it’s impossible to not see the dried tear streaks on your cheeks in the moonlight coming from the window.

who knew one's heart could feel like it was still beating and breaking outside of their chest while the hole in their ribcage bled without mercy.. diluc felt just that knowing he was the cause of your pain and your tears and he wasn’t here to do a damn thing about it. how many nights had you spent like this while you were trying so hard to be strong? his thumbs caress the soft skin of your cheeks, as if they were attempting to wipe that which had already long passed and make up for a moment he had already missed.

diluc had always thought you deserved better, so much more than him because, even if he would give you the world, surely his darkness would take you like it had others and perhaps that was exactly what-

“‘luc?” your raspy and tired voice brings him from the words that surely wouldn’t be well for his heart but your bleary eyes, slowly blinking open and immediately collecting more tears, are just as telling to what he already knows. your tone wrought with lingering pain that you suffered in alone and it’s killing him, “y‘re home?”

“i’m home,” he assures you, his own voice unsteady as he pulls you close to try to hide, to not let you see the tears pooling in his eyes because he felt them burning the moment yours started to water at the sight of him. right now, in the middle of the night when you were both so close and yet so far, he didn’t know what else to do but try to be strong too and hold you against him while wishing he could carry the pain for you both, even if it broke him.

he can feel you shaking in his arms, knows the wetness of his shirt where your face is buried in his chest is from your silent tears but before he can speak, sooth you with a voice already breaking, your words stop his every function. he swears he’s not even breathing when you weakly ask him.

“diluc.. are- are we going to be okay?”

with the breaking of his heart, his whole body flexes and he holds you so close, in a vice grip you might have found crushing had you not needed it so badly yourself. one hand cradling the back of your head, burying in your hair, the other around your middle and keeping you pressed to him so nothing could get between you. he couldn’t hold back, couldn’t let you go for even a second, like every part of his rationale told him you would slip from his grasp if he gave even an inch.

“yes. of course.” despite the tear escaping him when he speaks, he says the words tenderly, reassuringly, strongly as he believes them, feeling your hands bunch the fabric of his shirt in a tight grip in a silent reply. he could not even begin to imagine a life where you were not together, where you were not beside him until the end of his days. you had to be okay and he would do anything to see that through.

* * *

bustling life in the winery started early in the morning. even if the master bedroom remained quiet and peaceful, the rest of the manor had workers coming and going and maids floating from task to task as soon as the sun began to rise from behind the hills of mondstadt. diluc and the many tasks he had to see to were not immune to the earliest hours of the morning either, no matter how much his body and heart begged him to stay in bed with you.

this morning had been the hardest of all. how was he supposed to leave when you had cried yourself back to sleep in his arms last night and held on to him tightly even in your slumber? when he rose with the sun anyways he did his best to let you rest, with the intention of getting as much work as he could done early before coming to wake you up with breakfast, behind the closed door of your bedroom where it was only the two of you and he could take the time to have a proper discussion and tell you that he loves you.

but it seems yet again you were not aligned when not forty minutes after he settles into his study with large stacks of paper on either side of him, waiting for his immediate attention, you quietly knock on the open door frame and smile. one that makes his chest both flutter and ache.

“morning ‘luc.”

“good morning darling.”

you both say at the same time and are just as quickly flushed with heat and a kindle of hope. he stands from his desk and with long strides makes his way towards you as you stumble over what you were going to say next while diluc falls silent against the strike of the match deep within his heart, so full of conviction and the truth of the words he spoke to you last night. you were going to be okay. he had meant it with his entire being.

the shy chuckle and smile you give him only fuels his hope more; so genuine and beautiful, full of the brightness he worried he was taking from you when all he ever wanted to do was preserve it, let himself get lost in it when you pulled him in so easily and found your own comfort in his shadows. the dress you wore, one you often put on when picking grapes in the vineyard that he recalled purchasing for you, one he knows well, only served to amplify how much he misses you, how absolutely divine he finds you. he would do absolutely anything for you.

“i.. um, i know it’s busy around here but i just wanted to let you know i’ll be around the winery today if you need anything,” you say, that sweet smile still on your face. all he needed was you.. your smile falters when you hesitate to speak your next words, your gaze moving from his handsome face to the floor beneath your feet. feeling his heart pick up speed at the sight of your distress. he moves closer to you, his gloved hand ever so gently grabbing yours and it catches your attention. when your gazes meet again, he sees determination behind your sparkling eyes. “.. could we have lunch together later?”

he’s eager to answer you, wants to ask if you’ll stay in his study with him the rest of the day even if it’s a selfish request, even if it means not much work will get done when he’ll need to have you right in his lap. his grip on you tightens, his pink lips stretch into a loving smile but as the words leave him, they meddle with the sound of quick footsteps and elzer calling for the young master, unaware of the moment he was interrupting. had he known, he would have done more to delay himself even if this was rather urgent.

“master diluc, is the paperwork for the wangshu inn order ready? the shipment from liyue is -” elzer stops in his tracks, green eyes widening when he sees the two of you at the threshold of the study nearly chest to chest. diluc still holds onto your hand but both of your gazes are now on the butler. “i’m so sorry -”

“it’s okay,” you interrupt with a squeeze of your beloved's hand, trying to reassure you both that your words weren’t a lie. you smile despite the snapping of your heart strings. the universe was hell bent on keeping you apart, wasn’t it? “i was just headed out,” the words felt strained coming from your throat but you knew right now you were only interrupting and needed to let diluc get back to his work.

as you let go of dilucs hand, your eyes return to looking up at him and you see emotions that seem to mirror yours, like in the deep ruby shade of his eyes you can make out how much it hurt him to hear you say you were leaving even though you would not be far. the push and pull of the many duties he carries on his shoulders and how painful it was when you pushed yourself away so he could focus on another, though he understood why.

“i’ll come find you.” a promise that you wouldn’t be apart for long but archons it was utter misery to have you be away from him for even a moment and watching you walk away and disappear from his view before he was ready had only made it worse, had only made his chest ache.

he wonders if you are holding back the tears you had, and hadn’t, shared with him last night as you push the front doors of the manor open, trying to keep your head up when he could see the heaviness of your heart like a blanket weighing down on you. it wasn’t until he couldn’t see you anymore that he returned to behind his desk, forcing his feet to move in the opposite direction of you when they screamed to follow, and did all the work he could before he could not hold off being with you for a moment longer.

the melody of your voice coming from the open window, distant but close enough that all it would take is a minute to get to you. his hand twitching at the remembrance of holding you for such a brief time hours prior. the picture of you from this morning, in that dress, smiling and blushing at him, flashing behind his eyes with every blink. your sweet scent lingering on his clothes. the love and devotion he holds for you, the distance and tears that had torn you both apart, the need to be close to his very heart and never ever let you go- it all stopped diluc so suddenly and he knew he was at his limit.

he needed you. more than air and water, more than his strength and the fire that had always been within him. more than anything else in this world and celestia he needed you.

his footsteps are determined, not stopping for even a moment and only slowing when he nears the front doors, seeing adelinde among the few others in the fourier having finished the worst of the workload already.

“adelinde that will be enough for today. please excuse the staff for the rest of the day.”

“yes master diluc,” she doesn’t question it and is quick to let the others that hadn’t already overheard know, looking forward to any early day they rarely got.

the afternoon sun paints the fields in a lovely yellow, bringing out the shine of plump purple grapes and the brightness of the lush green leaves. among it all he easily found you and feels his heart surge at the sunlight illuminating the exposed skin of your chest and legs even at this distance.

you hadn’t asked for the dress you adorned today, hadn’t even seen it before unwrapping the gift box he gave it to you in. it wasn’t extravagant but simple, comfortable, and of a shade that had always reminded him of you. it was years ago now but he remembers from the moment he saw it he knew how beautiful you would look in it and he was right. every time you wore it he had thought so and today that felt especially rue.

you caught a glimpse of bright red in your side view, the bounce of crimson locks and the darkness of his black coat in contrast to the vibrant day, before he made it to you but just the slightest sight of him had you paying not another thought to what you had been doing mere moments ago. the butterflies in your stomach began to flutter about wildly, the invisible tether of your love, that tied your hearts as one, going taut and bringing you to his side quickly, having you reaching for him as soon as you could.

“diluc~.”

“my love.”

he was just as eager to feel you, pulling you close to him with a large hand on your lower back as soon as you were within arms reach, the fingers of his other curling to caress your face tenderly. you melt against him, leaning into his touch, lashes fluttering closed, your hands holding onto his jacket tight.

yes all he had needed was you. and in your hold, he felt how much you needed him too.

“spend the rest of the day with me?” he asks, voice little more than a whisper as he leans in to place a kiss to your cheek. the warmth it left on your skin was like the nourishment you had needed so desperately and you love how it lingers when he moves to kiss your lips, delicate and reassuring.

“really? what about-”

“please.”

“i- i would love that, so much.”

your lips meet again, long and gentle, and you smile into his replying kiss, feeling that heavy weight of worry and anxiety melt away under his affections, the way he held you and kissed you softly with no intention of letting you go.

he had missed your smile against his lips, had needed it more than he thought possible and relishes in the way it lingers on his lips. it makes him feel lighter, as you always had, but in comparison his next words are serious, dripping with conviction and truth, telling you he needed you to hear his words and never forget them.

“i am unable to envision a universe in which we are not together,” he pulls you closer so you’re now chest to chest, forehead to forehead, sharing every breath, every heartbeat.

your chest tightens at the remembrance of last night. the thoughts that overtook your every worry, dug into every wound deeper and deeper until you weeped and dreamt of the terrible outcome of everything keeping you from him. a life full of still and dark numbness because truly how could the world keep spinning and moving so easily when you were without diluc.

“i cannot be without you,” he says, stopping your every thought, your every worry, kissing you again and again, whispering when he comes up for air, continuing to steal your breath. “not now. not ever.”

* * *

your feet hadn’t touched the ground since diluc lifted you into his arms bridal style, carrying you past the workers leaving for the day who didn’t disturb the soft gazes and wordless affections you shared as you disappeared past the front doors and into the now quiet manor. the heaviness of dilucs boots and the sounds of your lips now on his were the only sounds to be heard until the door to the master bedroom was flung open and you gasp at the intensity of which diluc presses you between his broad chest and the wall with a groan that made your core ignite.

the familiar wall cools your burning skin but it wouldn’t be too long now before the entire room was as warm as you and diluc were when entangled in each other. before the back of your head can be pressed against it too, with you so eager and pliant to accept everything he gives you and him so very desperate to not hold back, a large hand cradles the back of your head and keeps it from ever touching the wall as diluc kisses you deep, so full of love and desire. you can feel it with every movement of his lips on top of yours, the way his tongue swipes along your bottom lip and into your mouth, his fingers sinking into your hair, pulling you into him.

you can feel every heaving breath he takes, the weight of it on your body and the heat of it on your face. mixed with his normal scent of oak and wine it had you lightheaded, your thighs squeezing around his thin waist, your hands clinging onto his shoulders for more purchase even though he could easily hold your entire weight on his own and loved to do so. having you depend on him in any way always made his chest swell and right now, while he held you there grinding his hard clothed cock against the dampness of your panties, the fingers of his hand not in your hair squeezing the plush of your thigh, the flames of his heart threatening to devour every inch of you both, was no exception.

how long had it been since he had touched you more than in passing or late into the night? since he could remind you in this way that you are everything to him? you had been a constant on his mind even if physically he was far away. every moment without you was spent yearning, worrying, aching and now that he had you in his arms once more, nothing to interrupt you, and the universe be damned, he would not be ever letting you go again.

he groans your name against your lips at the feeling of your fingers sinking into his hair and tugging on his roots when he grinds against you particularly hard, in perfect time with you chasing after him. “i need you so badly.” his kiss is consuming, nearly teeth clashing and absolutely breath stealing and with every thrusts of his hips, he swallows your sultry moans.

he untangles his hand from your hair and grabs your other thigh, lifting you further up on his waist and easily carries you to the bed, each step confident and steady even with you distracting him, cupping his face in your palms, not wanting your lips to be apart from his for a even moment and he's sure to stay close as he crawls onto the bed. like you were the most precious of glass, he lays you in silky sheets and pillows slowly with your legs straddling his, your hands still holding onto his face, his strong arms keeping him from crushing you completely with his full weight.

you don’t realize you’ve started to cry until you taste the tears on your lips, warm and salty against the sweet taste of each other. diluc attempts to pull away, not far, but enough to check that you're okay and wipe your tears but you don’t falter in your hold on him and he cannot resist your gentle urgency. you can only deepen your kiss, tasting his tongue and lifting your hips to feel his cock that was making his pants incredibly tight.

neither of you know how long you stay like that, unable to part but when you finally pull away for air you desperately need, you’re panting and trying to tell him how much you need him too but it’s so hard to put into words right now. all you can get out is his name while you try to wipe your tears that just won't stop no matter how much you try to will them to.

“i’m here,” he assures you, bringing up one hand to wipe your wet cheeks with his thumb, watching your tears collecting on the dark of his gloves, feeling his own eyes burning. “i’m yours.”

“i’m yours,” you repeat in earnest, even if your voice is weak from your uncontrollable tears. your grip on him grows tighter as you pull him into a kiss, salty wet and desperate for him to know just how true your words were. “i’m sorry ‘luc. i’m so sorry..”

sorry we’re in this mess, that i can’t stop crying. sorry that i worried we might not make it through this, even if only for a night.

he hushes you with a gentle caress of burning fingers along your face and through your hair, the press of steady lips against your cheek. “there’s no reason to be sorry, my dear. everything is going to be alright, we will be alright.”

you nod your head, his words wrapping around your spine and seeping throughout your body, every ounce of you thrumming with the belief and the love you found in his words. “i love you.”

“i love you too,” he doesn’t miss a beat in his confession to you. he nuzzles into you, burying his face into the crook of your neck, taking in your sweet scent and the feeling of you underneath him, letting himself sink further into the mattress with nearly his whole weight enveloping you but it was more comforting than crushing and it had been exactly what you both needed. “more than i can put into words.”

your body was bursting with all kinds of heat, that from your beloved that he so naturally emitted and the burning, blazing flame within your heart that was a twin to his own. fueled by your love, by your devotion. and there was no denying the heat pooling between your legs either, the way your panties already felt so wet and the press of dilucs impressive erection against your inner thigh was not making it any better.

he felt it all too, wanting to let its fire consume him, bright and burning hot with his feelings for you, how he would do anything for you, how badly he needed you in any and every way. a familiar heat that he had felt for you since you stole his heart but even when he thought it impossible, it had only grown since that day and his inability to live without you grew with it.

his lips meet the skin on your neck, soft kisses placed along the length of your neck to below your ear and back down again, making your skin burst out in goosebumps. “can i have you?” he asks when his lips return to where they started.

“please.” you say with eagerness, your hands tugging at any part of his clothes that they can hold onto.

every move diluc makes is delicate, intentional, showing you the truth and intensity of his love. first, he removes his gloves, needing to feel all of you against his skin. vivid, hungry, scarlet eyes never leave your figure as he pulls off the leather from each hand and tosses them onto the nightstand, feeling you shudder under his touch when one hand grabs your thigh, spreading your legs further apart and the other ghosts over your collarbone, skilled fingers dipping below the strap of your dress, moving along the hem that plunges to your breasts.

“you are so soft,” he murmurs as if he hadn’t known he said it outloud, as if it had been the first time he had ever felt your skin in a way only he should touch you. the pads of fingers ghost along the tops of your breasts, barely moving below your dress to feel all of you but still hardening your nipples under the fabric.

your chest is heaving, like his touch was burning into your skin for you to remember for all time, your heart hammering in your chest every passing moment, every touch diluc gives you. your back arches to allow space for his hand snaking around your waist to your back and in his endless strength, he lifts your figure, your arms wrapping around his neck for stability. his movements are swift as pulls up the fabric of your dress, your arms leaving his embrace so he can take it off you completely.

in your needy movements you try to reach back with one arm to undo your bra but a strong grasp holds onto your wrist before you can unclasp the prongs. you feel it more than see it, the shake of his head in protest.

“let me take care of everything,” he says, deep and rumbling against your body, his breath fanning against your neck where his lips have once again found their home.

diluc guides your hand to his chest and you grip onto the fabric on his coat, wishing he was just as bare as you, especially when he unclasps all the hooks of your bra in one motion, pulling the fabric from between you and discarding it by your dress.

with a last kiss and a small lick of his tongue against your skin, his hand still splayed on your back, he guides you back down into the plush mattress, staying on his knees between your spread legs. now only a thin pair of lace panties keeps him from seeing all of you and he takes his time revealing you to him, unwrapping you like the gift you were and making you tremble with his hands and lips.

he kisses you, strong hands squeezing your waist when you moan into his lips and you might have cried in protest when he breaks away but they don’t leave you long, finding your collar bone and moving across your chest, down your arm, each finger, every knuckle and back up again only to move to the other arm, not a bit of you going unloved.

you shudder as his lips cascade down your middle, leaving a humming warmth in their wake all the way to the edge of your panties and back up to your breasts. he kisses the underside of one while grabbing the other with a gentle squeeze that has you mewling, arching for more. his breath fans against your sensitive skin, hot and heavy with parting of his lips as he envelopes your hardened nipple and presses into you, letting you feel how hard he is with a roll of his hips against yours.

every sweet suckle and lick of his tongue, attention that he gave to both of your breasts, had the pooling wetness between your legs soaking through your panties and your hips bucking to feel more of him. when diluc finally does part from your chest, he sits back on his knees, his tall frame towering over you and archons you swore you could cum just from the sight of him like this.

his muscles flex as he gets himself out of his coat and vest, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, throat bobbing, his cock painfully hard and thick in his pants, a familiar stickiness already smearing along where it rests in his boxers but it’s the last thing on his mind. there's a deep flush to his cheeks, his eyes rich with longing and love and behind it there's no hiding a lick of flames that are that of a man starved and so beyond desperate for his other half.

you’re not even sure you’re breathing watching him tug off his tie with one hand, your gazes never breaking, his other hand traveling down your leg to behind your knee and lifting it to his chest. long dark lashes flutter closed as he nuzzles his nose near your ankle before placing a kiss there and another and another, your legs already getting a light shake to them.

“you are so beautiful my love,” he whispers against your skin, his hand on your leg squeezing your flesh. another kiss, chaste and sweet and full of devotion, it’s heat lingering on your ankle even after he’s pulling away and tugging at the hem of your panties, lifting them up your legs. “i could never be without you.”

“‘luc..” you feel the tears pricking at your eyes again, hear the way your voice is wrought with emotions you’ve held back, tried to deny, pent up when you couldn’t be near him like you need to. “please, i need you.”

he knew all the ways you meant it, for he felt it too and knew what lay within the heart that he swore to protect and cherish. the very one he had been apart from in so many ways for far too long and that lay in front of him now, completely his to take again and again even if he didn’t think he deserved such a wonderful thing.

with your leg easing over his shoulder, his hair tickling the inside of your thigh, he spreads your legs further apart to allow space for his broad shoulders and doesn’t give you a moment to catch your breath after seeing him between your legs looking like heaven before his tongue, hot and flat against you, licks your dripping pussy with a deep moan that rumbles the bed under his chest.

the taste of you melting on his tongue makes him drunk so quickly. in a way wine and alcohol couldn’t attempt to rival and even more potent with intoxication. your reactions to his lapping tongue only add to that state of euphoria, diluc always finding that your pleasure was his own.

any other night this could have been enough to ease the overwhelming need he felt for you. sucking your clit between his lips, hearing soft and hazy curses drifting down to his ears, your fingers tugging at his hair with every intense shake of your legs that he kept pried open with strong arms when they threatened to close around his head. not that he would ever mind suffocating in between your thighs but this gave him the perfect angle to taste you and thrust his tongue in and out of your tight hole and tonight, he isn’t sure he’ll ever get enough.

every breath you took was deep but it was never going to be enough against the man you love utterly devouring your pussy, spreading your legs wider and diving his tongue deeper into you, his nose pressed against your clit until you worried he wasn’t even breathing.

your orgasm came before you could even try to hold off for a little longer, bursting on his tongue and eagerly drank down. your body writhes in his persistent hold, your hand buried in the mane of his hair pulling him closer and farther away, his name a melody of pleasure and need for more on your lips.

diluc doesn’t pull away, the languid movements of his tongue turning soft and soothing, letting you ride out every last bit of release without over stimulating you too much, allowing him to capture every bit of your essence on his tongue and feel your small shake when he rolls his tongue over your clit, too much and somehow not enough on your electrified body.

at the release of one of your legs, your warm skin rests over his shoulder again and he sighs against your clit at the contact.

“ah..!” you can’t help the jolt of your body at the feeling of skilled and calloused fingers parting your folds, the mixer of you both wetting them perfectly enough to slip one into you with ease, knuckle deep and curling right into the perfect spot. “diluc!”

he keeps a steady rock to his finger, lewd wet noises following every pump and lick on your clit that he gave with so much fervor, rebuilding that knot behind your tummy in seconds and when he added another thick finger, there was no holding back how quickly he could have you creaming and clenching around his digits.

you cry out, sweet and shaking and feeling like you might die if you didn’t feel him inside of you, if you couldn’t look at his handsome face and show him in this way just how much you loved him, how much you missed him, too. and before you can even fully come down from your high, with diluc still kissing your pretty pussy, you’re begging for him.

“love - please.”

he pulls away from your cunt with lidded scarlet eyes, your juices sparkling against his chin and nose as he sits back on his knees. it leaves you so incredibly empty when his fingers follow but your wanton whimper was due to the way he licks his fingers clean, long soaking digits slipping past his pink lips with a groan, dark lashes fluttering closed at the taste of you.

tugging at his shirt, you plead again but you never have to with him. all you ever had to do was ask and anything he could give you would be yours. “need these clothes off you. need to feel you against me.”

any worries, any self doubts, of what your touches could perhaps do to the other, hurt you again, not be attuned like you once were, melt away in the heat of every touch you give one another with no hesitation and no question on where your heart would be from here on out.

your fingers overlap as you help each other with every button of his shirt, the buckle of his belt and ties of his pants. your hands roam his body with each article of clothing he takes off and throws to the side, mapping out the scars you know every place of and a new scratch you had never felt before on his right pectoral.

it made your heart ache that he got hurt and hadn’t told you, that you hadn’t had the chance to care for it yourself but knowing him, you’re sure he hardly called this ‘getting hurt’. it wasn’t deep, likely nothing more than the tip of a blade nicking him that was nearly healed but you can’t stand the thought of any harm coming to him. let alone during a time where you were so apart.

using one hand to prop himself up, diluc slides out of his pants and boxers, cock resting against the thin red trail of hair adorning his lower abdomen, his tip sticky against his skin. with him hovering above you, your lips replace where your fingers touched over his injured skin, gingerly kissing him, pouring your love over every heartbreaking inch of his injury.

as if he had sensed the worry swirling in your heart, he lifts your gaze back to his with a gentle pull under your chin that you easily followed but he didn’t speak any words and instead he calmed you with a loving kiss to your lips that told you it was okay. he was okay, here with you now and forever.

he follows your lips as you lay back down, now resting on his forearm to be closer to you, chest to chest, the heat of his fingers like butterfly wings down your stomach to line his cock with your aching sex, sliding his tip between your wet folds until he could feel the mix of saliva and slick on his fingers.

the thickness of his cock head was a lovely mix of pleasure and burning stretch that had you clinging to him when he was barely inside you but he could have cum from the small, squelching thrusts into your perfect pussy alone. deeper and deeper with every few roll of his hips, he groans your name between his kisses that steal every bit of your sanity and diluc feels his own slipping with it.

“fuck angel,” a rare curse falls from his lips when he’s fully sheathed inside you, so tight around him, and stilling his hips to allow you to adjust to his size. his forehead finds yours, crimson hair now completely free from its ribbon falling on the sides of your face and wafts the scent of his shampoo into the air. “you are so perfect.”

shaking your head with a breathy chuckle, you cradle his face with both your hands and instantly he melts into your touch, feeling the small rock of your hips letting him know you were ready for more. he doesn’t part from this closeness, each heated breath shared with the thrusts of his hips that start slow and deep.

you try to force them away but you can’t help the tears that well in your eyes being so full of him, being close to him again, the love you share so evident you were overwhelmed in the best of ways. but you still wanted more, wanted to be overtaken and drowning in it until it was all you knew because for so long, longer than you thought you could endure, you were without and right now, as you held him with as much need as he held you, you hardly knew how you survived up until this moment.

more of him wasn’t something you had asked for. he was yours for the taking in heart, body and soul and in every delicious roll of his lips, in and out of your sweet tightness, each one with more fever than the last, you were lost in the scent of sweet wine and smoke, the burning flames of your beloved that cradled you and protected you and the undeniable love that was sewn between you in an unbreakable bond.

diluc brings you ever closer, a large hand sliding underneath your head to cradle the back of your skull and kiss you. your lips meet, full of so much love and longing and muffled murmurs of pleasure. you feel his hair tickle your face with the pace he set, his chest following to get closer, pressing right against yours and loving the way your breasts bounce against him each time he bottoms out, hitting the perfect spot in your gummy walls. he was pressed so close you wondered if it was his own heart beat you were feeling or your own, not knowing where his body ended and yours began.

he was so deep inside you with every snap of his hips, so close in every way possible, and when you felt him picking up the pace of his thrusts, using the arm not holding the back of your head to grab onto your thigh, strong fingers sinking into your flesh with gentle power and bringing your leg to rest at the side of your chest, you couldn’t help but whimper against his kiss swollen lips.

“oh gods… ‘luc!”

your back bows off the bed, at least the best it can with diluc pressed against you but you were unable to control the way your body reacted to how well he split you open on his cock, his leaking tip always hitting your g spot, perfectly fitting inside you like you were made for each other.

but it's the way he says your name, dripping with liquid fire and the stars he would pull from the dark night to show you how much you meant to him, that sent you over the edge of euphoria and when dilucs ruby eyes flutter open to see your crystalline tears that sparkled with the light of your love, love he had always been sure he didn’t deserve but couldn’t live without all the same, his own release followed, heavy and throbbing in the tightness of you.

he stays inside of you, feeling his cum leaking from your hole and down towards your bum but thoughtfully he moves your leg to a more comfortable position at his hips and lifts a bit of his weight off of you to allow you to take deep breaths, his arm flexing as he moves but not being able to be far, both because he couldn’t bring himself to, not yet, and because your hold on him remained snug with your arms around his neck.

all you could do was hold onto him, never wanting to leave this moment, and confess your love over and over, every one returned in kind with a burning passion.

“we will always be okay darling,” he whispers, brushing the tip of his nose along your own before placing a sweet, long, kiss to your lips. “i swear it.”

♡♡♡♡♡

genshin impact masterlist | main masterlist

#genshin impact #diluc ragnvindr #diluc smut #diluc angst #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr angst #diluc ragnvindr smut #diluc ragnvindr x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact angst #genshin impact smut #diluc #🌙moonlight.stories

803 notes · View notes

hiraya-rawr · 2 years

Text

🩸 — bloodsucker .

synopsis !! your friend is a hungry vampire

characters !! diluc, thoma, zhongli

contains !! gn reader. preferably mature audience. bloody (ofc, it's a vampire fic). slight prey/predator themes? platonic/romantic intimacy! // crack (diluc) // angst (thoma) // horror (zhongli)

note !! yay! yay! a fic after so long! it's been a while since i've written so it may seem a bit wonky, i still hope you'll like it!

🩸 — diluc .

"Come on!"

"No."

"It can't possibly hurt that ba–"

"N. O."

"I insist that it's fine, you know?"

He swiftly turns towards you, eyes narrowed into a glare, "No. For the last time, no. What part of that do you not understand?"

You huff with a pout, crossing your arms. "You've been feeding from everyone but your own lover!"

"I've been feeding from professional bloodletters licensed by the church. That's the difference."

"They have blood, I have blood, same thing." You shrug, following him as he turns away from you again to walk across the room.

"Blood isn't the only thing to consider when feeding, darling." He tries not to groan into his palm as he sits on a leather armchair, the fireplace next to him.

"Then what? Appearances? Don't tell me you're. . ." You gasp in faux shock, "You're cheating on me with the pretty bloodletters—"

This time, Diluc really does groan into his hand, "No, I am not cheating on you with my meals. (Name), they're quite literally food to me! Inanimate snacks! Do you want me to see you that way?"

He meets your gaze as you slowly look away, biting the inside of your cheek. You don't reply.

Diluc stares, exasperated.

"Oh Barbatos. . ." He mumbles, burying his face into his hands. His lover wants to be his snack. He isn't sure how to react.

"Oh come on, 'Luc. I know you missed your last appointment because of how busy you are. Sooner or later, you'll start to get hungry, and that's sure to disrupt your darknight hero–"

"Don't call me that."

"–your vigilante activities." You offer him a small smile, crawling onto his lap as he frowns at you. He may seem disapproving, but you knew better that he's already hungry and tempted. "So think of me as your emergency food."

"You're not food to me." He states.

"I know, I know," With a hand on the back of his head, you guide him towards your neck, already cozying yourself in his arms, "I'm your lover, I'm yours. . . and I want you to know you can have all of me. It would make me happy if you could rely on me more."

Light kisses on your neck, a soft grip to keep you still, he sighs, "You could have simply admitted to being jealous of my recent bloodletter, you know?"

"Hey! You should've seen the way she looks at you like you're the meal and she's the—" Your breath hitches. His fangs sink into your skin, there's a slurping sound and you feel your nerves numbing.

You clench your jaw, gripping onto his shoulders for stability as he drinks. You try not to whimper at the sensation— of his tongue licking at the wounds, or of excess blood dripping down your shoulder onto your clothes.

"L-luc? Are you done yet?" You whine and he stops, pulling away.

"Licensed bloodletters have a pain tolerance." He says, a devilish smirk on his bloodied lips, "That, my love, is the difference."

🩸 — thoma .

Thoma is the kind of vampire that despises his entire being. He never wanted to hurt anyone, never liked how it felt to sink his teeth into flesh (no matter how addictive the taste that comes with it is). Thoma is kind. Thoma is thoughtful. Thoma feels more human than he feels monster and perhaps that's why he struggles so much because Archons forbid, he ever hurt anyone.

But Thoma is also hungry.

So when he stumbles into your adobe looking a little paler than usual, colder than usual, you find out that he hasn't been satisfied in a long time.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know why I'm here, I just— I should leave. I should really leave–" He says in a frantic daze, eyes panicked because why on earth did he allow his feet to take him to you. No matter how weak he seems to be, he'd easily pin you down to quench his thirst, "Forget this ever happened."

"Thoma, wait—" Your hand reaches out and he flinches away, more afraid of himself than of you. There's a glint in his eyes as he stares you up and down. He's hungry, it's evident.

"Y-you. . . you haven't drank yet, right?" You ask, taking careful steps closer. He nods.

You fumble with the collar of your top, pulling on the cloth to show more of your skin. His eyes widen.

"(Name), no–"

"It's fine, it's alright," You quickly reply, nervous. "You can drink from me." It sounds more like a question than an invite. You're shaking like a leaf, you're not even sure if you're doing it right. Thoma is the only vampire you know and he always kept his feedings private.

Your offer surprises him regardless, "(Name), no, I can't just– I can't do that to you–"

"But that's why you're here, right? You're hungry?"

"Yes, but- I can't! I shouldn't have! I should leave. I'm leaving—" He turns around to make his way to the door but your hand tugs him back again.

"Thoma."

He faces you again and he knows he's losing the internal battle.

"It's alright." Your grip on him relaxes and so does he. He feels both desperation and guilt as his arms slowly wrap around you, bringing his face closer to your neck. Your hand rests on the back of his head. The doorway feels warmer despite his cold skin.

He embraces you like he's scared; as if he isn't the monster in this scenario and you, a vulnerable victim-to-be.

There's no need for a warning with how gentle he rests his lips on your neck. Fangs pierce skin and flesh, the only noise are your quiet gasps and his careful slurps of a tongue.

I'm sorry, (Name), I'm sorry, I couldn't help it— were the words left unsaid but resonated by his trembling grip. There's a pained look on his face, struggling with the satisfaction of quenching his thirst versus his overriding guilt of hurting you.

Because dear archons, your blood tastes better than any of the animal blood provided by the Kamisato clan. He isn't sure how he could ever go back to pre-packed blood bags again.

Thoma is the type of vampire who would regret their guilty pleasures. He never wanted to hurt you, but honestly—

You should know better than to invite a vampire.

🩸 — zhongli .

As the Geo Archon, he made sure that beings like himself never have to worry about their next meal. Food, after all, was a basic right and every vampire must have access to their local blood bank. These blood banks provided meals in a variety of packages: from wine bottles to juice boxes.

Blood banks made life convenient for the modern vampire.

Still, as Zhongli sits with you in a cafe, you with your cup of tea and him with his red glass, he can't help but think of the past.

Centuries ago when he functioned on pure instinct rather than mortal wisdom, when he would stalk his prey in the dark and effortlessly hold them down. It's not that he misses hunting humans— no, that wasn't fun at all. If anything, that was incredibly childish of him.

What he misses was the feel and taste— of sinking fangs into flesh and drinking nectar straight from the flower. Most modern vampires would never know, or appreciate, what it's like to satisfy your urges the way they're supposed to. The way nature intended them to.

"—ngli? Zhongli?"

He snaps back into focus, eyes flickering away from the bare skin of your neck.

"Yes, dear?" He smiles and you eye him warily. There's something about the way he looks at you. Your heart thumps louder and you're not sure if it's because you're flustered by the petname.

"I asked if you're ready to go. The cafe is about to close."

He looks down on his cup. It's empty but he doesn't feel as satisfied as he should.

"Ah yes, allow me to walk you home."

Perhaps you should have turned down his offer— or perhaps you should have ignored the way his eyes would follow you. Zhongli has always been attentive, so it shouldn't be strange that he's being watchful.

The streets are dark and isolated, with most of the shops closed. You should be comforted in knowing you have someone as reliable and powerful as Zhongli walking you home, yet. . .

(But that's the problem, isn't it? Zhongli is incredibly powerful.)

As you glance at the man walking next to you, you can't help but let out a nervous laugh with the way his amber eyes meet yours. Has he been watching you all this time? There's a faint golden glow and you're reminded that you're walking with a vampire at night.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You nervously laugh, brushing the side of your hair with your fingers. This only makes him notice your exposed neck even more.

"Hm? Like what, darling?" His voice is low, like a hum as he tilts his head in question.

"Like. . . you're still hungry." You mumble, soft. He takes his time to reply, his eyes don't leave yours and you look away first, intimidated.

(But he's your friend, isn't he? Good and kind, gentleman Zhongli. He's not intimidating you, you're just delusional.)

"Hmm. . . perhaps it is because I am?"

You continue to walk, this time, nerves overcome by a slight worry for your friend, "Was your drink not enough? It's a new cafe, so maybe the quality was-"

"No, no," He cuts you off, looking down on you, "The cafe was excellent. The drink almost tasted fresh from the source." He praises with a fond smile.

You chuckle, "Fresh? Is that how vampires decide if a drink is good or not?"

"Well, I suppose not. Blood banks are prepackaged after all."

You hum, nodding along as you reach your home and search for your keys in your pockets.

It's the norm for the modern vampire to drink from blood banks. Things like freshness wouldn't be a standard when they know nothing of it. After all, drinking straight from the source would be considered barbaric, uncivilized— it's animalistic and downright frightening.

In a way, vampires have been domesticated the same way wild cats turn to purring house pets.

Wait.

"Zhongli. . . " You pause, just as you've unlocked the door to your home. "why. . . do you know what fresh tastes like?"

Something flashes in his eyes. A slip up.

A polite smile on his face. A fang peeking from between his lips. His eyes narrowed—

"Hmm. . . perhaps if you invite me inside, I could tell you more about it?"

note !! i hope you guys enjoyed! consider this as my end-of-hiatus post :D it has fluff, angst, and horror in one! do tell me what you think please :>

masterlist 2 || ko-fi || commissions

taglist !! @absolut-wildflower @boundedbyfate @sadlonelybagel @eissaaaa @ladycoleigh @nejibot @milkypompon @bloodreaper08 @irethepotato @x-zho @roriver @mich-cola @mxsomn @ackrylik @nicebonescomrade @starforecasts @stygianoir @yuminako @eccedentesiast-sapphic @nebulaera @nuttytani @klutzkat @shizunxie

#genshin #diluc #zhongli #thoma #diluc x reader #zhongli x reader #thoma x reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin diluc #genshin zhongli #genshin thoma #genshin angst #genshin horror #genshin fluff #genshin imagines #genshin fanfic #diluc ragnvindr

4K notes · View notes

lemon-boy-stan · 5 months

Text

BIRTHDAYS - DILUC RAGNVINDR

Summary: Diluc's always hated birthdays, but ever since he's been with you, they've gotten better. Genre: angst, fluff, light smut, family themes. Warnings: alcohol consumption, mention of family member death, slight alcoholism, sad themes at the start (it gets better I swear), sex, pretty vanilla but still MDNI, unprotected sex, foreplay, breeding, pregnancy before marriage. A/N: I should have saved this for his birthday LMFAO but I WANT YOU ALL TO SUFFER. PS. I have several requests in my inbox and I will get to them, I promise, just have been facing a writer's block so I wrote this to get out of it!! Hope you enjoy this for now.

Diluc hated birthdays; ever since his eighteenth when his father died, but he knew you loved them. Diluc never drank, but on his birthday, he always found himself pouring glass after glass of wine, drinking the bitter liquid, staring ahead at the crackling fire.

The first birthday he spent with you, he forgot you lived with him.

He expected the house to be empty again, it's ghosts roaming the halls, maybe the faraway sounds of the maids cleaning before they go home. Diluc only ever drank grape juice, and watched with disdain whenever he saw someone drinking an alcoholic beverage.

It was late at night when you came back to the Winery, the maids greeting you at the door. "Luc!" Your loud, happy voice sang, a wave of confusion flowing over him.

"Happy Twenty-Fourth Birthday, Master Diluc!" You chirped, finding him at the long dining table, running up to him and flinging your arms around him, before smelling the wine on the table, on his lips. "Master Diluc?" You murmured softly.

He let out an angry, slurred sound. Your eyes began to brighten, and you bit your cheek to stop yourself from crying. "Master Diluc," you said softly, "what's wrong? Why are you drinking? You hate alcohol."

He grumbled wordlessly, "couldn't save him." His eyes bright and firey red, he looked close to tears. He reached for the bottle, pouring the glass for probably the nth time that night. As soon as he filled the glass, you snatched the bottle.

He was glaring at you now, and not his reflection in the window above the fireplace. Good. "Give it back," he hissed, the words slurred. "I'm not arguing, YN, give it back now." His bright, red eyes could've scared away an Abyss Mage, but not you.

You shrugged, finishing the bottle in one drink. The alcohol hit you like a freight train. You didn't drink alot, only on special occasions or when you were invited to drink with your friends, but even still, you were a lightweight.

You lost your balance and fell, crashing to the ground, body hitting the newly-cleaned floorboards of the mansion.

Diluc roared, the sound rattling the walls of the Winery as he jumped out of his chair, the legs squealing on the floor. He didn't care about the scratches.

"ADELINE!" His voice shook through the house and the maid came running to him, no longer dressed in her work clothes, "yes, Master Diluc?" He finally let the tears fall from his eyes. "Get a doctor," he breathed shakily, "now. Please."

Diluc did not drink on his twenty-fifth birthday, instead, he sat with you outside on the roof, watching the stars fly by. He brought you up through the window in the attic; "Kaeya and I used to come up here as kids." It was a very big window.

He turned to you, "do you want children?" Taking your hand, which was cold even though you were wearing his big, red coat. You smiled at him, "I want everything with you, Master Diluc." He smiled back, leaning in to kiss you.

"I didn't know you wanted children," you whispered softly into his lips, his coat making the tiles of the roof more comfortable. "I want them to look like you," he murmured, sliding his hand between your legs, "I want them to have your pretty voice." He kissed your lips, moaning and moving down to your neck.

"Oh, but Master Diluc, won't people be able to hear us?" But you arched your back nonetheless. He smirked, "it's my birthday, love." Brushing his finger against your panties softly. You moaned quietly, "mpph, oh, okay... If you insist... Nggh,"

"I'm going to give you my children," he purred softly, "and then I'm going to marry you." You moaned even louder at this, "oh, Master Diluc." And he chuckled softly, "you like that?" You nodded, "yes, Master Diluc, please." But all he did was smile, "'please' what, hmm? Be specific." Digging his finger into the fabric of your panties.

You moaned again, louder this time. "Please fuck me," you whined. He smirked, "I said be specific, dear." You clenched the coat with your hands, "please breed me, Master Diluc. I want to have your children, please." He smiled again, "good girl."

On Diluc's twenty-sixth birthday, you finally decided to tell him. It was a Friday, and you stayed at home with him the whole day rather than going out to do errands (the maids often did the errands, but you enjoyed going shopping. It was calming.), eating a delicious meal prepared by Adeline, no wine.

He was enjoying his birthday more this year. He was happy, but he was always talking about how he liked throwing parties in the Winery because it was always empty. Two people was a small amount for such a big house.

The other day you caught him at the store, looking at baby shoes. You'd thought you'd blown it already. "Aren't they so cute?" He bounded up to you. "Let's have a baby. Please." Archons, how were you supposed to hide it now??? You smiled and shook your head, "one day, Diluc."

Diluc turned to you, looking up from his meal. "Are you alright, dear?" You smiled at him, nodding. "I have... Another surprise," you said slowly, watching him. He smiled, "you've already outdone yourself with the presents, my love."

"It's... Kind of a present," you looked down at the table, smiling. You took the test from your pocket, sliding it over to him.

He spent a good five seconds staring at it before snapping his head up. Diluc never cried, but tonight there were tears falling from his red eyes. "You're pregnant?" He whispered, as if it was too good to be true. You smiled, "yes," he blinked, pulling you close to him, "Archons! You're pregnant! I'm gonna be a dad! We have to get married! I just can't believe it! How?... When?..." You giggled softly, so, so relieved that he was happy, burying your head into his neck.

"Three weeks ago," you said, "I was feeling a bit sick so I went to the doctor... They told me to take a test." Diluc cocked his head. Ever since his birthday last year you'd been trying, but no such luck. "But how..." He was in awe. You blushed, "remember that night where you got jealous of that random bard flirting with me while you were working?"

Diluc scowled, "oh. Him. But still..." You giggled, hitting him softly on the shoulder, "remember what you did to me after?" And now Diluc was blushing. "But how on earth did you hide it from me?" You grinned, "I have my ways, Master Diluc. You're not the only one who's got secrets!" Diluc kissed you firmly, "Oh, this is fabulous. Archons! I can't believe it... I really can't! ADELINE!"

The maid came running in, clearly still traumatised from last year. "Master Diluc! Is Miss YN quite alright? What's wrong?" Diluc shook his head, "no, nothing of the sort. Please send out a message to everyone! Tell them to come over immediately, we're celebrating!"

Adeline smiled, "a birthday celebration? I'm sure Miss Jean and Mr. Kaeya would love to -" but Diluc beamed, cutting her off. "No, no! Something much better! My beautiful girlfriend is pregnant! We're going to have children!" He looked so unbelievably happy.

Adeline's face lit up, "well, of course! A party surely must be in order... I'll deliver the message right away and call the other maids to help set up! Oh, congratulations, Master Diluc! This is wonderful news!"

You sighed happily, resting your head against his shoulder as Adeline ran off to send the message. Diluc gripped your hand, "I can't believe it. You have no idea how happy this makes me... We're going to have children! My... This is the best birthday ever."

GENSHIN IMPACT MASTERLIST

NAVIGATION

#genshin #genshin impact #diluc #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #diluc smut #diluc ragnvindr smut #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #diluc x you #genshin impact smut #diluc fluff #diluc angst #genshin angst #genshin fluff

337 notes · View notes