how we've grown || diluc x reader oneshot

how we've grown

"Diluc." You say, eyes wide. You both stand in the pouring rain, you with a pair of garden shears in your grasp, him clutching his side. "You're limping."

He tries to take a step forward, but it almost takes him down completely, so you run ahead and hoist up his shoulders. He stands and you place your hands on his face, looking into his eyes. One of them is rimmed with violet and yellow blooms of bruises. Dried, rain-battered blood streaks from his nostril to his chin.

Diluc huffs into your palm, leaning his head into your touch. "I need you."

You look down at his abdomen, where blood trickles from his torso to the rain puddle by his feet. "You need stitches."

...

Sitting in the middle of the Dawn Winery, you sweat bullets. You've been lingering there long enough to be considered vintage, by wine's standards. Every few moments, you wiped your palms on your slacks, trying to keep from dampening your resume.

"Are you the new groundskeeper?" Asks a woman, clearly between tasks. You sit up from the small letter-writing desk you had been escorted to, dressed to impress in your best slacks and floral-embroidered vest. It was the only occasion you had in a while for wearing nicer clothes, since your day job tends to soil them - pun intended. The woman, in her uniform housemaid attire, looked expectantly up from a small stack of papers at you. You swallow, nervous and unable to think, mindlessly shaking your head.
"I am not a groundskeeper here, no."

The woman pivots, setting down the documents. "Who are you, then?"

With a sudden flurry of panic underway, you whipped a piece of parchment out of your side bag. "Y/n. I'm an applicant." You say, thrusting the paper towards her. She plucks it out of your anxious grip. "My resume - for the groundskeeper position."

"I am Adelinde. Head housemaid of the Ragnvindr's prestigious Dawn Winery." She says. Her hair is the color of honey, and her voice is just as smooth, though her tone tends to sting like a bee. She's stressed, clearly, and conducting a job interview is the last thing she needs added to her plate. Her tired eyes say as much, and damn, you just feel guilty. As she immediately turns for the front doors, she motions for you to follow over her shoulder. So you try to keep up with Adelinde's long strides to your interview, one most informal in comparison to the grandeur of the manor.
Within moments, the both of you sit on a bench by the vines, the air scented like grapes, soil, and the fragrance of sweet flowers and mint sprawling intermittently between overgrown patches of earth. "Everything looks excellent to me. Groundskeeping for the Goth Hotel, education in herbology, great recommendations from your last master..." She trails off, eyes detaching from the paper to the landscape ahead. Tiered rows of plump grape bunches, lush green vines winding around sturdy wooden fixes, bright teal crystalflies peeking out between the bushes and bundles.

"The Dawn Winery is a reputable institution. A brand. Master Ragnvindr runs these grounds as both a business and a household for his two sons. He, Master Diluc and Master Kaeya each see business and courtship related guests on most days. All visitors of the Dawn Winery are guests who must be impressed, by order of the Masters. Each member of the family is a ranking member of the Knights of Favonious, a coalition of equal repute. You will be expected to make sure the outer walls and landscapes of the Winery reflect that of its public image, that being clean, welcoming, and honorary. Respectively, you will be expected to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding the affairs of the Ragnvindr family, and to uphold them. You'll also live on the grounds if you're so able, so you yourself will be a working representation of the Ragnvindr brand. Any inappropriate behavior of any kind results in immediate termination, and these are such measures we've been forced to take before."