Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 61: Melancholy

I wasn't sitting at the fountain for long after Bennet and Razor left before I heard a familiar voice calling out to me.
"Y/n! We're here to visit!" Paimon said, holding a box as she floated towards me, Aether trailing behind her. "We brought you this!"
"Oh, hey. What's this?" I said, raising an ear as she set the box in my hands.
"Open it, Paimon really wanted to make it for you," Aether said, smiling softly.
"A... gift?" I said, tilting my head before returning to the box. Opening it, I saw sugar crusted slime, dusted with powdered sugar. Laid neatly on the desert was a single Cecilia flower. "This looks so amazing... where did you get a recipe like this?"
"Oh, you know... do you like it?" Paimon asked, smiling as she looked away a little, shy.
"I can't wait to try it," I said, smiling widely. "But I have to ask... what's with the gift?"
"Well, we were talking with some of the locals and they told us about what happened a few weeks ago," Aether said, scratching the back of his head. "Paimon wanted to give you this so you would feel better."
"Hey! You wanted to give her it too!" Paimon said.
"Ah, that..." I said, closing the box. "I really appreciate the gift, but don't feel bad for me. These things happen sometimes."
"Well... first that and now this," Aether said, taking a seat beside me. "You haven't even been living in the city for long, and so much has happened."
I laughed a little bit. "It's funny that you're the one who's saying that, Honorary Knight," I began, Aether smiling a little. "But you are... kind of right. It's just so hectic."
"How exactly so?" Aether said, tilting his head.
"I lived in Springvale most of my life, I didn't even make it to the city too often," I said, clutching the box as I watched the fountain. "And then a whole bunch of stuff happened, so I had to come live here. Although it was sooner than I originally wanted to, I planned on it anyways, alchemy and all."
"So you came to work with Sucrose?" Paimon asked.
I nodded. "And then after that, things seemed to finally be going smoothly, and then that whole night happened. I'm thankful for my vision, but..." I sighed. "Never mind. After that, when things were calming down again, Osial happened."
"It's a lot," Aether said, looking to me worriedly. "You sure you're okay?"
I smiled, glancing between him and Paimon. "As long as everything I did kept Diluc alive, then it was worth it. If it means he sticks around, all of that is worth the trouble."

I settled down in a chair in the corner of my room. Barbara waved goodbye to me, smiling. "I'll come back tonight to change the bandages!"
Not a second after she was gone, a face I hadn't expected to see walked into the room. "Jean?"
"Y/n, I came to see how you were doing," she said, smiling to me. "I know last time it was about the belt, but..."
"Another blacksmith commission?" I asked, raising an ear. "Is this about the...?"
"Your eye, yes..." Jean said, standing in front of the chair with some papers. "I'll leave this here, you can fill them out whenever you wish."
"Is it for an eyepatch?" I asked, to which Jean nodded. "Ah... I'll get on that tonight."
"Of course," she said, and then she turned to leave. Before she did, she stopped, turning to me and hesitating. "Y/n, I... I'm sorry about what happened."
"About... what specifically?" I asked with a smile. So much happened, I wasn't exactly sure what she meant.
"Just... all of it, I suppose," she said, sighing. "The eye, the experience. It's quite a lot to handle for your age..."
"So much has been happening lately that I honestly should have seen something coming when I went to Liyue," I said, shrugging.
"But... no one can predict something like this," Jean said, turning to the door. She flashes me a slightly apologetic smile as she did. "Just reach out if you need anything, okay?"
"Okay, thank you," with a nod, she left the room.
I was left with a strange and empty feeling. I felt fine. I wasn't dead, Diluc was alive and well. What was there to worry about?
Nothing. There wasn't anything to worry about, so I wasn't worried. Then what is this feeling of melancholy?
Just thinking about what happened made me feel lightheaded. Why? Everything worked out in the end, didn't it? No matter how many questions I asked myself, I couldn't find an answer.
I shook my head, feeling exhausted. The walk up the stairs was even worse than going down, and my legs were sore as I picked up my crutch. I made my way to the bed, deciding that some rest was all I needed.
I glanced at the box beside my bed on the nightstand, a sugary treat hiding inside. My vision sat beside it, the energy emanating from it like a vibration. Sighing, I laid down and looked outside the window.
The sun was shining through the blinds. It was only afternoon, but I was so tired. It looks like a perfect day for a picnic...
Too bad I can't walk to Wolvndom. I already missed sitting outside Dawn Winery with Diluc, him asking me to show him my bow trick, which I still hadn't done, or play a game of chess. Sitting with him in the library near a warm hearth, hugging him close.
It seems like it's going to be a bit before I can go back to the Winery. I thought to myself. I wished again that he was beside me, but stopped as I realized that feeling sorry for myself wouldn't do anything. I closed my eyes, thinking of the next time I could go to the Winery.

Turning my attention to the platform, Diluc was still running over. I beckoned to him, my throat closing in fear. I gasped as my ears picked up a cracking noise. The platform!
The cracks ran across the whole platform, but Diluc was still on it. "Come on, run Diluc!" I called to him, my stomach clenching.
He was nearly there! "Just a little further, come on!" I yelled. Aether and Paimon watched helplessly, for if any of us went on the platform we were bound to fall.
I reached my hand out to him, at the edge of the platform. I looked down at it. It was falling apart, and fast.
Diluc wouldn't make it. Not at this pace.

And he didn't.

I watched on in horror as the pieces fell from view.
My eyes lit up with hope as he jumped, his hand reaching for mine. Maybe I could still save him! His eyes widened, his arm reaching as far as it could.
But it still wasn't enough. His fingers barely grazed mine, slipping away. I... he... missed? The feeling of hope that he would make it melted into agony as he disappeared from view.

But that's not how this is supposed to go.

It doesn't make sense.

Tears fell from my eyes as I watched him falling, hitting one piece only to fall on another, becoming more battered, bruised, and bloodied by the second. And I was unable to stop it.
"Diluc!"

I awoke suddenly, my eyes shooting open. All I could hear was the sound of my own panicked breathing as I clutched at my chest in fear. I... what just happened?
"Y/n?" Said a familiar voice. She sounded concerned. In a confused daze, I looked around until I saw her sitting at the edge of my bed.
"A-Amber?" I asked, wiping down some sweat from my forehead. I looked out the window, daylight still shining through the blinds. "What time is it...?"
"It's... 2 in the afternoon," Amber said, before looking to me again with concern. "I just got here to visit and you were moving a lot in your sleep, so I wanted to make sure you were okay... I'm sorry I woke you up."
She sounded quieter, not like her usual loud and energetic self. "I'm... I'm okay," I said, although it felt more like I was reassuring myself. "It was... it was nothing, don't worry."
Amber sighed, before smiling at me a little. "So... I heard that you got back from Liyue, that's why I'm here to visit," she said, glancing at my eye. "What... exactly happened?"
"It's a really, really long story," I said, feeling exasperated. I smiled at her in reassurance that I was okay. "I told Kaeya about it, so you might want to ask him if you want to know."
I finally caught my breath, starting to relax as I grounded myself. It was just a dream...
Amber nodded. "I understand. So, what's in that box?" She said, pointing to it.
"Aether and Paimon gave it to me," I said, smiling as I remembered the gift. "It's a desert."
"Aether and Paimon? You know them?" Amber said, surprised.
I nodded. "Diluc and I ran into them in Liyue."
"And still no sign of his sister..." Amber sighed, watching some birds outside the window. "I talked to him today. It's gotta be tough, not able to find your sibling no matter how hard you try..."
"Yeah..." I said, starting to feel that melancholy again. Just thinking of that dream I had made me feel empty. I almost wanted to cry, that's how real it felt. "Is... is Diluc still working at the tavern?"
Amber looked over to me, her chin resting in her hand. "Oh, yeah. Do you want me to ask him to come visit when he's done?"
"I would like that... thanks," I said, feeling relieved. Maybe if I saw his face, I could forget about how real the dream felt.