"Thanks, Adelinde." Y/N thanks the maid who showed her the way to Diluc's room- albeit she somewhat remembers from her last investigation here.
Despite Diluc being extremely quiet, his occasional comments during their walk here were anything but innocent.
"My bedroom? Y-"
"Don't you dare." Y/N hisses, not ready for any more of his suggestive comments. I'm going to pass away at this rate. Y/N takes Diluc's arm off her shoulders and pushes him onto the queen-sized bed. He lands onto the maroon velvet duvet as Y/N shuts the door.
This place hasn't changed one bit. Y/N thinks as she looks around the room that seems identical to when she and Kaeya came in here. A dark desk stands opposite the bed with all the same stationery, and the books on the shelves seem to be lined up and organized as if nobody had touched them at all. The sole difference is now the room seems less lifeless with her and Diluc in it.
"You're going to leave, aren't you?" Diluc asks, sitting up on the bed.
Y/N lets out a sigh, standing in front of him. "I suppose I have to stay since I said I would." She responds. "I'll leave as soon as you fall asleep."
"Then I just won't fall asleep." He declares.
"We'll see about that after you get ready for bed." Y/N chuckles at the sleepy tone of his voice. She closes the curtains, letting only the slightest sliver of moonlight peek into the room and shuts the lights. She then helps him slip off his blazer and hangs it over the chair at his desk.
"Should I undress you too?" He asks, standing up from the bed.
"No, no." Y/N quickly responds, hastily pushing him back on the bed.
Y/N can hear the sounds of his movement as he sits up. "You're trying to make me tired, aren't you?" He says out loud into the dark.
"Obviously." Y/N chuckles, looking at his dark silhouette sitting on the bed, facing her. The glow of the moon peeking out of the curtains draws a beam across their faces.
Diluc suddenly grasps her wrist, pulling her towards him.
"Diluc!" Y/N exclaims in shock as her hand lands on his shoulder to catch herself from completely falling over as she stands between his legs.
He stares into Y/N's eyes, his face illuminated by the moonlight. "How can I fall asleep when you're right here?"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Y/N teases him despite the blush coating her cheeks and the sounds of her heart drumming in her ears.
"What do you want it to mean?" He shoots back before standing up, towering over her figure. Y/N can vaguely make out his half-lidded, sleepy expression from the moonlight. The hand that was once around Y/N's wrist grips the edge of her blazer.
The air between the two is electrifying, their faces barely inches away from each other. Y/N feels as if her nerves are set alight as Diluc slips off her blazer. The feeling of his hands brushing her arms sends shivers down her spine and tingles across her skin. His other hand snakes up to hold her chin up gently. His breath brushes her lips, the scent of alcohol filling her nose. She watches as his scarlet eyes flicker down towards her lips.
"W-Wait, stop." Y/N suddenly pushes against his chest, putting space between the two. "You're drunk."
I can't take advantage of him when he's like this. "I'm not going to let you do anything you'll regret when you sober up."
"Why would I regret this?" Diluc asks.
"Y-You're not in your right mind." Y/N stammers. "I shouldn't let you do anything stupid."
"Nothing about how I feel about you is stupid." He states.
Y/N stares at him wide-eyed, her head spinning and her heart pounding too loudly to think clearly. "T-Then tell me when you're sober." She says before turning on her heels towards the door. "Goodnight, Diluc. I'll tell the maids to get you medicine for your hangover." Y/N quickly shuts the door behind her.
She lets out a deep breath, running her hand over her face as she leans on the door. What the fuck is wrong with you, Y/N?! She screams at herself. How could you let things escalate so far?! I thought we agreed to let things stay stagnant?! She hangs her head with shame as she walks down the hall.
As Y/N reaches the bottom of the stairs, she realizes she forgot her blazer. Fuck, nice job, Y/N. Now you have to go back there to get it. Y/N swiftly runs back up the stairs towards Diluc's room, drowning in embarrassment.
She stops in front of his door, noting the golden light slipping out from under the door crack. Is the light on? She remarks.
"Uhm," Y/N awkwardly clears her throat. "I forgot-" She suddenly freezes dead in her tracks, fear wrapping around her throat, cutting her off. Her eyes land on Diluc standing in the middle of the room, his eyes locked on a familiar piece of paper. The lilac envelope lies discarded next to her blue blazer on his bed.
Her blood runs cold. Panic and guilt weigh down on her shoulders as Y/N stands paralyzed, afraid that if she moves, everything and anything between the two will instantly fall apart.
Diluc is the first to break the silence. "Why didn't you tell me?" His voice is tight as if he could break at any moment.
Y/N can't get any words out of her mouth. What should I say? What can I say?
He looks up from the paper, his face scrunched up in anger, but his eyes aren't sharp with fury- they're hurt. "Were you even going to tell me at all?"
"I-I was." Y/N stammers. "I just didn't have the chance to." She chokes out.
"You didn't have the chance?" Diluc's eyes flicker over to the lilac envelope dated from a few months ago. "You knew about this even before we went to Liyue."
Y/N's chest tightens with guilt. "W-Well, I wasn't planning on having to tell you! How could I have known-"
I would fall for you.
"H-How could I have known things would turn out like this?"
Diluc scoffs. "And you think I knew? I wasn't planning on telling you so much about me either." He says bitterly. "
"I-I didn't force you to tell me those things!" Y/N retorts. "I've barely told anyone about this!"
"Am I just 'anyone' to you?" Diluc responds, his glare not hateful but hurt. "Is this your way of pushing me away? Don't you think setting me up with Donna or planting this envelope here is a bit harsh?"
"You knew about that?" Y/N's eyes widen in surprise.
"Do you really think I'm that foolish?" Diluc glares at her. "It's all too obvious. You set Donna up with me and then got her to tell me that you're leaving. How can an investigator like you be so naive? And why are you pushing me away?"
Y/N freezes. What?
"You were avoiding me all evening. Why?" Diluc demands. "Do you not trust me?"
"I do trust you! I do!" Y/N exclaims, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I was avoiding you because I didn't want to tell you yet." She hesitates, her eyes flickering locked on his shoes, too afraid to meet his eyes.
"Oh, but you're fine with Donna knowing? I bet Jean and Kaeya know too." Diluc states crossly.
"I-I don't know how Donna found out, and well, we're friends...." Y/N mumbles sheepishly, chewing on her lip nervously.
"Then what are we?"
A tense silence fills the room. As Diluc waits for her answer, his fists are balled up so tight that his knuckles are white. He stares at Y/N, apprehension flooding his veins.
"I-I don't know..." Y/N furrows her brows as she keeps her gaze trained on her shoes. She can feel her head becoming hot with confusion and frustration by the lack of communication. However, at the same time, she doesn't want to give him any straight answers. She's deathly afraid to finally become important enough to be the first choice, only to have her feelings hurt when she leaves.
"We're...we're something." That is all she chokes out. "You know, I don't appreciate this interrogation!" She exclaims to change the topic.
"Then, give me a clear answer!" Diluc clenches his jaw, desperation beginning to seep into his tone. "Because it seems to me that you're saying a whole lot of nothing!"
"Fine, then!" Y/N shouts, balling her fists up in irritation. "Maybe we are nothing."
Though her voice was barely above a whisper, it was earth-shatteringly loud for the both of them.
The room falls completely silent. Y/N stands frozen, shocked by the words that fell out of her own mouth so easily. T-That's not what I meant! Y/N regretfully kicks herself for her stupid mouth. "Diluc-"
Y/N lifts her head to face the red-haired man. Her heart drops as she stares at his brows furrowed and glossy eyes. Y/N's chest tightens with guilt and remorse, unable to think of anything she can say to atone for her words.
"Go." Diluc tosses the blazer and envelope to Y/N. She bites her tongue, catching her belongings and leaving the room without another word.
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A/N:
Me writing this chapter:
Also can I just say that some of y'all have the funniest comments 💀
There's this one thread about what Donna put in the moon pie she baked Diluc and just akhejdnfmelslsjd. Go find it at your own risk.
Sneak peeks at the next part is on my tumblr (link in bio)
-Bora 🌃