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“Master Diluc.” A voice from the back of the tavern spoke, low and raspy, words slightly slurred at their ends. “Another round, please.” The request made Diluc Ragnvindr’s eyebrow twitch, fingers curling slightly tighter around the base of the glass he was cleaning. He had already prepared to close up for the night, the coat that once hung on the rack by the door now draped back over his shoulders in preparation to take his leave. The sun had long sunk under the horizon, kissing the city with vibrant hues as the sky filled with darkness. The man was a regular now, always being the last to leave nearly every night.
His dynamic with the tavern was almost like that of a committed relationship, marks of each person being etched into the other even if they weren’t present. The man left the rim of his glass on the tavern’s wooden tables, the warmth of his body on the seat--and the tavern left its distinctive scent on him, a sweet smell of grapes that hung like smog over him and the other citizens of Mondstat. Despite his annoyance, another cup is poured, the wine sliding out of the bottle and gathering into the other’s glass like silk. The man was tall and broad, his shoulders spanning as wide as Diluc’s own. The star-speckled cape that usually hung over his shoulders was now thrown haphazardly over the seat, the vest that clung tightly to his chest unbuttoned and hanging loose at his sides. His looks were nothing to scoff at, handsome blue eyes settled on an even more handsome face--catching not only the attention of the tavern, but of its bartender.
“Dainsleif.” He responds finally, back turned to the other. “The tavern is closed. It’s time for you to leave.” His voice was as stern as ever, not yielding any softness to the other even as he heard him draw closer. Dainsleif’s seat was neatly pushed into place, the unmistakable scent of wine filling his senses. Diluc’s coat was pulled gently off his shoulders, lying in the other’s arms.
“Won’t you let me stay longer?” He petitioned, leaning in slightly closer, his voice lowering to a whisper. “I have things I’d like to discuss with you, if that’s alright.” One thing that had drawn Diluc to Dainsleif in the first place was his never ending bank of knowledge, those eyes a fresh water spring of answers to his questions. So, the glass Diluc is cleaning is promptly set down, and the only noise that fills the tavern for multiple moments is the clatter of his keys as they lock the front door. No time is wasted in setting a table for just the two of them, the only thing illuminating the room being a candle that Diluc lights with a match from behind the bar.
“So, what do you have for me?” Diluc pours Dainsleif yet another glass of wine, reserving the non-alcoholic grape juice base for himself. “Is it something regarding the abyss? I thought I had driven them out of the area by now, how annoying.” A low, good-natured laugh escapes Dainsleif’s lips, a twinkle of pleasure sparking in his eyes. He had always loved to tease Diluc like this, remaining enigmatic until he received what he wanted.
“Something more interesting.” He taunts, pulling a small object from his pocket. It was grey and cold to the touch, a small purple stone sitting in a smooth metal casing that emitted an almost haunting glow, not unlike the vision that sat on his thigh. Yet, the sight of this particular gem sent heat rushing from Diluc’s face, leaving him pale. Visions were supposed to represent people’s ambitions, awarded to those who sat in high favor with the gods. These stones, however, needed no special permission to be wielded, their power draining the users life in return. They were delusions, the same tool that took his father’s life.
“Where did you find that?” Diluc says quickly, nearly biting his tongue because of how fast it left his mouth. His words were even colder now, the second fall of snow on an already powdered ground. “Give it to me.” He demanded, the commanding tone of his voice only making Dainsleif smile more.
“And what will you do if I don’t?” He questions, a hand snaking to rest against the small of Diluc’s back, thumb moving underneath the cloth of his shirt to glide against the side of his waist. Their rendezvous were always like this--starting off with nothing but a drink and ending in something that Diluc couldn’t even describe. He wished he could say he didn’t enjoy their weekly excursions, but the feeling of Dainsleif’s chilled hands against his bare skin always sent an excited shiver down his spine. He didn’t dare show this side of him to anyone else, the break in his usual sullen demeanor an embarrassment. Dainsleif brought out a piece of him that he long had assumed was gone, the warmth that ran through his body a welcome feeling.
It's not long before Diluc has Dainsleif’s face cupped in his hands, pressing their lips together impulsively. The taste of the other’s lips were laced with wine, a taste that almost made Diluc’s mouth pucker, but he continued on. He was almost overtaken with a drunken feeling, indulging in the euphoria that clouded his senses. Dainsleif had always had a way with words, knowing exactly what would stir up the emotions Diluc tried so desperately to hide away. The boughkeeper was swiftly pulled into the bartender’s lap, leaning so far into him that it nearly toppled his chair over. Fingers slip into Diluc’s hair like a tailor sewing with velvet string, slight pulls and prods making his heart skip beats. Both men’s breaths were heavy and uneven, leaving hardly any time between kisses to take in air. A hand is placed carefully under Dainsleif’s thigh, thumb caressing the fabric beneath. Diluc had never preferred long and drawn out relationships --favoring the briefness of his encounters with Dainsleif. He felt no obligation to stay once their lips parted--none to learn about his whereabouts or the intricacies of his life--they were nothing more than two people that shared the same end goal. He was able to get lost in the sweet taste of the other’s lips, and then pull away and continue life as usual.
The feeling was elating, but Diluc still had his goal in mind, a hand slowly slipping into Dainsleif’s own and grabbing the delusion from his grasp--causing the other man to pull away with a smile. “You never fail to surprise me, Master Diluc.” At once, the red-head’s gaze pries away from the blonde, almost ashamed of the thievery.
“Was I to expect you to give it to me?” He grumbles, “You don’t seem like the most generous man in Mondstat.” Diluc pushes a strand of blonde hair behind Dainsleif’s ear, leaning forwards into the crook of his neck. His voice went quiet once more, strained with an almost tired grain. “Now, where did you get this?” The softness of Diluc’s voice seems to do more convincing for Dainsleif than anything else, rubbing small circles into Diluc’s back and fixing a suspender strap that had slipped during their intimacy.
“Would you believe me if I said I found it on the ground-?”
“Dainsleif.”
“Alright.”
Dainsleif sighs, pulling back from Diluc with a slightly pensive look in his eye. “I’ve actually had it for a while now. Not for my own use, of course.” Diluc’s gaze wavered for a moment, aware of the damage a delusion can do to one’s body, though that moment of vulnerability quickly closes when Dainsleif confirms he’s in good health. He wasn’t quite sure why worry had briefly pooled in his stomach, almost upset that he cared for the wellbeing of someone that would leave nothing but the scent of wine and pine-wood behind after a few hours. They weren’t together in any capacity, the two simply deciding to trade intimacy for information, so why show concern?
“Have you ever been tempted before?” Diluc shifts in his seat, hands moving to rest comfortably against Dainsleif’s hips. “By the delusion, I mean. I know many men who would fall upon their sword for even a temporary surge of that power.” A small kiss is pressed to Diluc’s head, an act that sends a wave of surprise though him. It was something small; something he wouldn’t have even noticed if he hadn’t felt the boughkeeper lean forward in his lap. It was the kind of act that lovers shared as they embraced in bed as the moon danced across the sky, and one that made the rate of Diluc’s heartbeat increase tenfold.
“I’m glad you’re so worried about me, Diluc.” Dainsleif coos, acting as if he hadn’t done something that flipped the other man’s world upside down. “But truly, I’m fine. I have no need for delusions.” It’s a comment that makes Diluc’s eyebrow twitch, the flush that had begun to burn on his cheeks pulling back to its usual rose. No need for delusions? What did that mean?
“Do you have a vision, then?” The bartender asks, subconsciously running his hands across Dainsleif’s hips and back to feel for any kind of smooth stone, to no avail.
“I’ll need another kiss if you want the answer to that.” Dainsleif smiles, clearly delaying the answer. For once in his life, Diluc doesn’t want to delay the inevitable. The new found warmth in his stomach and unanswered questions scared him, not able to slow the beating of his heart until he found solutions. Luckily for him, Dainsleif was feeling generous. “I don’t have one. I’m afraid I don’t lie in the archons’ favor. Still,” He leans in near Diluc’s ear. “Who’s to say that one needs a vision or a delusion to have power?”
The phrase ignites something in Diluc, a static feeling running from the tips of his fingers through the rest of his body. He had heard the phrase before, but couldn’t traverse the fuzziness of his mind to find out where. The feeling of Dainsleif’s hands now snaking beneath his shirt overtook his thoughts and caused him to shiver, cold fingertips clashing with the warm fire of his skin. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way--why he enjoyed simply being in the other’s embrace, skin against his own. It was an odd feeling, and one Diluc wasn’t quite sure he was ready to confront. Instead, he focused on the present, leaning into the other as his button up shirt was undone and lifted over his head. “Let’s go upstairs.” he murmurs quietly, a look of approval shining back at him through blue eyes.
✵
By the time morning rolls around, neither are in a state to be seen by the public eye. Angel’s Share remained closed for the day (much to the dismay of Mondstat’s many day drinkers), and Diluc found himself spending his morning staring at the man that still slept soundly beside him. His hair was tousled now, a far cry from the neat style it was in the night previous. He was able to see intricate details of the other’s skin now that it was exposed and bare: a mole on his right shoulder blade, a few freckles beneath his collarbone, and more than a few love bites left by him that decorated the boughkeeper’s neck and chest. He looked exhausted--more than Diluc had ever seen before--and the undeniable scent of his own cologne drifted off of the other. It nearly made him falter, the closeness of it all, finding the fact that he was even going through the trouble of observing the other like this annoying. It doesn’t take long for Diluc to remove himself from the bed and retrieve his clothing, draping himself in it lazily before wrapping Dainsleif carefully in all of his finest linen sheets. A few more moments are dedicated to observing the other’s face as he slept, but are then pried away to once more focus on the delusion that now sat on the top of his wardrobe. He had only seen these strapped to people that didn’t know what they were getting into, the fact that Dainsleif casually had one with him causing a lump of fear to form in his throat. Something as simple as a stone had caused his untimely death and tore his family apart, Diluc never having the courage to repair things with his brother.
Kaeya Alberich. It was a name he loathed to hear spoken aloud, a terribly cocky man that spoke and walked with an air of confidence that somehow pushed every single one of Diluc’s buttons. It hurt to see him still happily living the life that he had once strived for, rising up the ranks of the Knights of Favonius until he became a captain. Still, perhaps a man like him deserved to rule such an untruthful organization. He had betrayed his family years ago, a spy from a land ruled by no god, people without need for visions or delusions. The memory makes Diluc stop for a moment, looking at the man that slept comfortably in the small bed behind him. Hadn’t he said something similar the night previous? Something nearly identical to what Kaeya had explained to him of his homeland before begging to be slain? The pieces begin to click in Diluc’s head, a sudden sense of sickness filling his stomach. White sheets are quickly thrown back and off of Dainsleif’s body, Diluc looming above him on the bed and forcing him to wake. At first, the boughkeeper is coy, tiredness clouding his senses as a hand is cupped around Diluc’s cheek. “Good morning.” He yawns, the smile Diluc had found so irresistible just hours ago now seeming deceptive.
“Tell me what you know about Khaenri'ah.” Diluc spoke artlessly, cold and tactless as he would be to a stranger. The question seemed to shock Dainsleif, eyes widened into oceans as a look of fear settled into his expression, lips parted with uncertainty.
“You’re smarter than I thought you were,” His hands moved to grab Diluc’s own, giving them a semi-comforting squeeze. “I can explain it all, I promise--I mean no harm to you, truly I don’t.” He pleads, Diluc gritting his teeth before sliding off of him. The answers were now lying in front of him like playing cards, the deceptive joker lying between the aces he needed to connect the dots.
“You have five minutes” He says curtly, throwing one of his extra shirts at Dainsleif--still bare from the previous night.
“Alright, Alright.” Dainsleif sighs, slipping the loose white shirt over his head, shamelessly sinking into its billowing sleeves to avoid the conversion. “I’m from Khaenri'ah, just as you said.” His expression hardens into one of displeasure, obviously not enjoying the topic. “I was a royal guard there when the nation was still prosperous--but have since been sentenced to wander Tevyat aimlessly for the rest of my days.” He seemed almost morose, looking at Diluc like a man who had already been beaten endlessly to the ground. “I bring you no harm, and I no longer affiliate myself with the many evils that laid within that nation. We have the same goals, despite my birthright.”
Diluc still hesitates slightly, heavy silence covering them both like a blanket as Dainsleif bit his lip, finishing his speech as his five minutes came to a close. “Please, I enjoy spending our nights together, Diluc. I’ll tell you everything I know--I just need time.” The call of his name makes his stomach churn, his heart longing to forgive the other immediately and take him back into his arms. Diluc had never asked about his hometown, so he truly had no right to be unforgiving towards him. But, could someone from the same nation as his brother truly be trustworthy? What if Dainsleif was another spy here to rip his life apart? Full trust and comfort was something that wouldn’t come easy for Diluc, but for the man in front of him, he was willing to try.
“Fine. I’ll allow you to keep visiting me.” He grumbles, sitting at the foot of the bed. “But you have to tell me everything you know of Khaenri'ah, and if I see even one suspicious thing, you’re out of my sights forever.” The barkeeper’s gaze was grim, and Dainsleif knew these terms were to be taken seriously.
“Of course, Master Diluc.” He says, a bit of a tease coming with the title. “Now, if i’m not mistaken, you have a tavern to run.” He stretches his arms in the air, quick to move off of the topic of his past. “Tonight’s conversation is sure to be one of our best, don’t you think?” He winks, sending that familiar feeling of heat coursing through Diluc’s body.
“Right.” He grumpily responds, arms crossing impatiently as Dainsleif gathers the rest of his things and heads towards the door. “Ah, and one more thing, Dainsleif.” Diluc’s boots prattle quietly across the loft’s wooden floor as he approaches the boughkeeper, a small kiss being pressed to the top of his head just as Dainsleif had done the night before. “Stay safe. I need you in one piece so I can learn more about Khaenri'ah.”
The affection seemed to knock Dainsleif off his balance a bit, wrapping his star-crested cape around his shoulders as a smile, more genuine than ever, dances across his lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”