Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 11: Eavesdropping

I stretched as I finished the fish. "No wonder you always order this Sucrose, it's pretty good."
"Can... can I have a slice of pie now?" She asked shamefully.
"Yes, you can take one," I said, laughing. "Diona, why don't you take one too? Just save a few, I'm bringing the rest to a friend."
Diona stood up in her seat excitedly. "Can I really?" She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. Her ears stood completely upright, her tail waving left and right.
"Of course, thanks for joining us," I smiled. As she reached for the pie, I noticed a shine on her back. "A vision?" I said, intrigued.
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" She said, removing a shaker that held the vision on her back and pointing to it. "A symbol of my Kätzlein bloodline!"
I raised a brow. "I don't have one," I said, pointing to my ears.
"Uh oh! Busted..." she said. "It's a long story."
"No worries, I won't press you," I said. Looking to Sucrose, I saw her munching on the pie happily. "Is it really that good?"
She nodded, quickly taking another bite. Diona grabbed a piece and took a bite, her eye immediately lighting up. "Oh! Where'd you buy this? It's so good!"
"I baked it, surprisingly," I said, crossing my arms proudly in my baking skills. "My mom taught me that wolfhook pie recipe."
"You baked it?" Diona said, her eyes lit up with delight as she ate the pie.
I looked around, noticing some time had passed. "I've got to go, I'm getting the rest of this pie to a friend. I'll see you guys around!"
Waving goodbye, I left Diona and Sucrose at good hunter. I walked down the street towards Angels Share, admiring the flowery garlands and decorations adorning the streets.
Even the air seemed to be filled with Dandelion seeds, and the streets were covered in petals. As I neared the tavern, I noticed a flower cart. Flowers... should I get one for Diluc? It was tradition to gift them to loved ones during the festival...
I decided I would buy some and gift them to him at sunset. It was the perfect time, and we were going to be enjoying the festival by then. My eyes caught sight of Angels share, and my heart beat up into my throat as I approached.
I took a deep breath, remembering the words I had told Kaeya before leading him into the lab. "Breath... it'll be fine."
I pushed the door open, and Diluc stood behind the bar as usual. His eyes widened when he caught sight of me, and he glanced at the pie.
He smiled slightly and leaned on the bar as I approached. "For me? You shouldn't have." Diluc said jokingly. My heart raced.
"Sorry some of it is gone. Sucrose got to it first," I laughed.
I set it on the counter. "What time do you want to walk around?" He asked me, pouring me a small cup of wolfhook juice.
"Whenever you want, I'm not in a rush or anything." I wasn't sure if I wanted to rush it, because I couldn't tell if I was terrified or excited.
"I have a few more things to take care of around here." He began, handing me the small cup. "Why don't we head out in an hour or so?"
I nodded, drinking the wolfhook juice. It tasted sweet and was the perfect temperature, and I was able to finish the drink quickly due to its small size.
"Sure," I said, smiling to him. I tried not to let my nervousness show.
"What happened to your hand?" Diluc said, furrowing his brows at the bandages.
"Oh! Just a blister from an experiment," I said, shrugging. "I should have worn gloves, anyways."
"How much do I owe you for the juice?" I continued, setting the empty glass on the counter.
"I'd say... half a wolfhook pie?" He smiled, gesturing to the pie I gifted him.
"I hope you enjoy it," I laughed. "I have to go do something, meet me at the fountain in an hour?"
Diluc nodded, picking up the pie and setting it aside. "I'll be there."
"I won't keep you waiting!" I smiled before pushing open the door and walking outside.
I put a hand in my chest, steadying my breathing. My heart raced, and beat so loud it echoed in my ear. I felt lost in the feeling, like I was floating...
Suddenly, I remembered. "Right! Flowers!"
What flowers though? I wondered what kind he would enjoy. I could play it safe and give him roses, but they seemed cliche. He didn't seem like a Cecilia kind of guy either, so what do I grab him?
"I'll ask Kaeya!" I thought, and I began to hastefully make my way to headquarters.

As I stood outside the door to the lab, I heard voices within. Laughter echoed as I pressed my ear against the door.
"I'm glad you came to catch up. It's been a while since you stopped by. I was beginning to worry."
"Worry? What were you worried about?"
"Kaeya, you've stopped by every day for months. When you just stopped, I wondered if I had done something."
"Y-you did? I'm sorry, I never meant it like that..."
There was a brief pause, the silence was tense. I pressed my head against the door even closer than before.
"But then, after not coming in for a few days, you showed up with a desert. And y/n had asked me about that kind of thing a couple days ago..."
"This... this is really stupid." I heard paper being rustled. "But I worked on it for a while. I can't bring it to words, but... I'd like you to read it."
The poem? I held my breath, the silence of waiting for Albedo to read it making my heart stop. What was Kaeya feeling, I wondered?
"I... I don't have any words."
"Yeah, it's stupid. I'm sorry."
"No, no. I— I like it... Kaeya."
"You do? I... here."
"Is that... a Cecilia?"

I stepped away from the door, leaving them to their moment. It worked. The bastard really did it!
I breathed a sigh of relief for him, and leaned on the wall by the door. If all this effort worked for Kaeya... then maybe it would work for me? I didn't have a poem or anything amazing to give, but... maybe I could still do it.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kaeya walked out, unaware of my presence. His cheeks were tinted red, his eyes lit up in a way I had never seen before. He had a wide smile on his face.
"...boo!" I said quietly.
"Ah! Y/n?" He jumped before noticing me. His cheeks turned redder. "H-how long have you been there?"
"Aha! Maybe I am sneaky like Sucrose is!" I said cheerfully. "Nah, I just got here. Although, judging by your face... it went well?"
"I... yeah," He said breathlessly.
"Hey I have a question, what flower should I get Diluc?"
"Flower? Oh!" Kaeya said. He seemed to drift off for a moment. "I would say any flower is a good option, maybe roses? Those are safe."
"I was just thinking about that. I wasn't sure though, I just want to get his right." I said, putting a hand to my chin. "After hearing that, I definitely can't back out now."
"Hearing what?" Kaeya said, suspicious of me. "I thought you just got here? How much did you hear?" He fired question after question at me.
"Hearing you say it went well..." I said, covering up my mistake.
"Oh, yes of course," He said nervously. "I gotta run. Any flower should do, so just pick what you think he'd like."
He ran out the doors of headquarters, and I saw him jumping in the air with joy the second he was outside. "He's ecstatic," I said. "I'm glad he's happy."
Suddenly, the door to the lab opened. "Y/n?"
"Oh, hey Albedo," I said. "How's 001 going?"
"Not much has changed yet. Why are you asking me this outside of work? You only ever talk about work... in work," He seemed suspicious of me.
"No reason," I said. "Is Kaeya waiting for you out there?"
He looked towards the door. "I suppose so," he said. "I can't keep him waiting... it'd be rude."
"Then go on," I nudged him.
He nodded before walking towards the door outside. He turned back for a moment, eyeing me suspiciously. Albedo knew that I knew something, although he didn't know what. Sighing, he pushed the door open to greet Kaeya.
"Oh yeah. They definitely kissed in there."