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Diluc was always such a good boy in everyone’s eyes. The child got sent to the orphanage right after his father passed away, didn’t have the right to claim the man’s property because he hadn’t reached his age yet. However, people said there was a strange man who suddenly appeared and claimed that place with promised to return them to the right owner when the time came. No one could remember his face or his voice, just knew that somehow he could convince everyone that he was a person Crepus put his trust in with just a charming smile.
Poor Diluc was all shy and quiet when he first arrived at the orphanage, didn’t make a fuss when they put him in a humble room with a bed made from iron frames and a thin mattress instead of his soft fluffy one at Dawn Winery. He was obedient, always listened to the nuns, and finished all his daily chores without help. The child slowly opened up to everyone and smiled more, yet they could still hear his silent sobs at night whenever he had nightmares about the tragic day. It broke their heart to see that sweet boy suffered but all they could do was pamper him as much as they could.
Diluc slowly grew up to become a bright, handsome young man with pale skin like snow in winter and long fluffy red hair that usually let loose like a waterfall. The young man had also become a member of the famous Knight of Favonious, and even if he already had a personal chamber at that place, Diluc still came and visited the orphanage ofter that brought smiles to everyone. It was just one more year before the redhead was old enough to claim back his inheritance, Mondstadt people couldn’t wait till they could taste the famous drinks of Dawn Winery once again that was made by the master’s son.
However, people also got worried when seeing Diluc start talking to air more than he usually did. He already had that habit as a child and the nuns didn’t have the heart to break the child’s dream of having an imaginary friend, yet even when he grew up, the young man still did. Not only that, but they also noticed how the redhead slowly became too pale and weak, his hair and eyes lost their brightness, muscles through training also got thinner and disappeared through time. They should have realized sooner, not until Father Dainsleif pointed it out that people knew maybe their precious child’s FRIEND wasn’t a good spirit at all…
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Kaeya knew that child was destined to become his right when he first saw him. Chubby little cheeks, pale skin, fiery red hair, and ruby-like eyes full of life. The little bird was skipping cheerfully in his garden, yet the tanned man could see Diluc would grow into such a magnificent Phoenix in the future if Crepus didn’t exist anymore. His sunshine was perfect, yet no one aside from the servants knew what he had been through each day just to satisfy his father. The man would use a whip to hit the small child’s hand till drew blood if he had bad grades in any subject, would leave Diluc starved for a day if he failed his lessons and Kaeya could also see how the man looked at his son with dirty desires.
The man didn’t usually intervene in human’s problems, he had already had a bunch of duties to care of, yet he didn’t know his principle could easily be broken just by Diluc’s cry that night. Crepus shouldn’t drink too much, should have just left the party and gone straight to his room instead of arriving at Diluc’s. The poor child screamed when his father pushed him face down on the bed, stripped of his clothes, and bit into his shoulder that causing Diluc to let out a sob, whimpering and begging the man not to do it, that it was hurt too much.
Before the master had a chance to deflower his treasure, Kaeya’s claws had already found his throat and dug deeply into it then rip it apart. Diluc screamed loudly with his eyes closed tight as blood spilled down on his body like rain. A hand covered the child’s eyes while hugging his small trembling body, the tanned man tried to calm him down with a soothing voice like a lullaby while his wings slowly retract back to his body under the moonlight that poured in the room through the large windows.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. No one is going to hurt you anymore. The bad man had disappeared.”
“Fa-father…” The redhead let out a sob, seemed like he couldn’t hear him in this panic state.
“Hush, Luc. Go to sleep sweetheart. That man was not your father and since I can’t take you along with me right now, be good and stay at the orphanage okay? Don’t worry, I will keep this place and give it back to you when the time comes. Remember darling, when you reached eighteen, I will come and take you away.”
Sadly, maybe Diluc was too traumatic that the next time Kaeya appeared in his sight, the child just tilted his head sideways innocently. The man didn’t mind, he could play this ‘imaginary friend’ game while waiting for his beloved to grow into such a tasty fruit, then he would enjoy biting and savoring it till the last piece. He wasn’t a good person, to have Diluc by his side forever, he would have to turn him into one of his kinds, yet Kaeya wasn’t worried, his Phoenix would look just good in any form. Especially when he imagined those red orbs shone with black scleras and pupils turned into cat-like, dark wings burst out from his back would be a gorgeous sight to witness. And when Diluc reached eighteen, he started to absorb Diluc’s live energy slowly, quietly while those fools didn’t realize how their precious child was getting weaker day by day.
“I’m so tired Kaeya…”
“I know Firefly… You will be fine. It will get better soon, I promised.”
That was what he said when patting Diluc’s fluffy hair as the young man lay in bed, too tired to even move his limbs while trying to breathe normally. It hurt his heart to see the redhead suffering, especially right on his birthday but this had to be done before he could be reborn. Red ruby eyes closed shut in pain, didn’t notice how Kaeya’s mouth corner lifted when the door burst open, followed by a bunch of people wearing Father and Nun outfits. They then restraint Diluc’s limbs on four corners of the bed even if the male was too weak to move then Dainsleif, who acted as an exorcist, started chanting words from the Holy Bible, the redhead began squirming and screaming from pain. Kaeya didn’t act right away to rescue his love, just quietly whispering into the poor thing’s ear many words that messed up his thought about this world.
“My poor Firefly, must have hurt too much right? Do you see how they have been treating you? You have already so weak and vulnerable but no one wants to take care of you, they only bring pain.” Kaeya gently kissed Diluc’s sweaty forehead as his scleras slowly turned dark and star-like blue pupils also got into vertical shape.“Me. Only me who love you the most, dear Diluc. And now, I come to take you away, give you a new life you deserve instead of being a lowly human. God can’t help you, I do.”
Kaeya laughed madly when everyone in the room gasped in horror at seeing his true form, the feathery wingspan was enormous almost covered the whole ceiling. His voice sounds like a snake’s hissing when talking to them, mouth full of sharp teeth while calling them fools and yet just like a sedative that put his lover into a delirious state. The ropes that restrained Diluc limbs were burnt into ashes without damaging his skin as the young man weakly lifted his hands to embrace the tanned cheeks of the Demon King.
“You’re beautiful, Starlight…”
Kaeya held his hand which had gone limp to kiss it while eyes filled with adoration when seeing the redhead’s last breath disappear. He leaned down to give the other a deep kiss then waited until his beloved’s tongue had a reaction and started to dance with his own, feeling the body under him become warm and muscular again with dark feather wings formed behind his back. The Demon King enjoyed the sight of human bodies falling down as their souls were absorbed by Diluc and when those red orbs opened to look at him again, the man gave them a loving smile, welcomed him into his embrace as he whisper.
“You’re gorgeous, Firefly.”
----- The end -----