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Diluc hummed quietly to himself as he walked down the halls of the large museum. He wasn't a fan of art, never really saw the appeal in it, and found it rather boring but Kaeya and his boyfriend insisted that he come to experience the 'beauty and magnificence of the wondrous world of the human mind' as Albedo had put it.
Both Kaeya and Albedo had run off somewhere, so Diluc was left wandering alone. He wasn't afraid to admit that he was lost.
With the massive size of the museum, coupled with the large groups of people, it wasn't too surprising that his immediate reaction was to find an area that was quiet and deserted, so getting lost was only natural.
Eventually, he found a nice quiet corner. Very few people were there, only two, to be exact. He didn't pay any attention to them, definitely not in the mood to deal with socializing. Instead, he focused his attention on the displays in this area.
There was art, massive paintings of a war between gods and humans. He stared at the painting, taking it all in. He couldn't quite describe the feelings that began bubbling inside him, but it felt akin to rage mixed with nostalgia. It was odd but Diluc didn't question it, simply brushing it off as experiencing the art first hand. He couldn't deny the beauty of the painting, even if it was depicting a war. To be honest, he could probably stare at the painting for hours.
It was so detailed and told a clear story that Diluc wanted to take in. He's never felt this way when seeing a painting before, and he couldn't help but briefly wonder who painted it. There was no signature, and the plaque next to the painting simply said, 'The Fall of Celestia, Painted By the God of Mora.'.
Diluc found it difficult to believe a God painted a war but this world was full of many mysteries, so who knows? He wasn't there, so perhaps the God of Mora did paint all of these paintings.
His eyes slowly drifted to the display next to the painting, and the first thing he noticed was a massive red and black sword. The blade of the sword had lines across is that almost seemed to resemble chains, and even though Diluc knew little to nothing about weapons, he knew that this sword had seen a lot of bloodshed.
It was beautiful. He felt this odd pull toward the sword, almost as if it was a part of his being. It felt like being reunited with an old friend, and it made him uncomfortable. He looked at the plaque and it read, 'Wolf's Gravestone, a claymore wielded by the Darknight Hero during the Fall of Celestia.'
Awkwardly, Diluc adjusts his ponytail and walks over to the next display. It was of another weapon, this time a polearm. It was this mix of golds, yellows, and oranges near the blade, as well as a deep purple color in the center of the blade. The pole bit of the weapon was a solid black, some gold following down but not entirely.
It was odd. Diluc felt bitter looking at this weapon. He felt upset, and the longer he stared the more upset he got. He looks at the plaque, 'The Vortex Vanquisher, a polearm wielded by the God of Mora during the Fall of Celestia.'
Diluc glances over to the display next to the polearm, fully intending to look at it but pausing when he realized just how close he had gotten to the other two people looking at these displays.
"I'm telling you, this man's handwriting is eerily similar to yours!" The woman says, crossing her arms and looking over to the man next to her. Diluc couldn't help but flinch at how loud her voice was, having gotten so accustomed to the silence of this corner that any noise louder than his own breathing caught him off guard.
It made him extremely aware that he was in a museum, and not in his little apartment staring at pictures of this stuff online.
The man seemed to take notice of Diluc almost immediately after he flinched, "My apologies, I hadn't realized someone else was here." He said, offering a sincere smile that honestly made Diluc's heart freeze. The man had long dark brown hair that was also pulled up in a ponytail, though his was lower than Diluc's but it suited him well. He even had faded orange at the bottom of his hair.
"It's... fine." He says, trying to ignore how awkward his voice was. He was never good with talking to people, even if it was just idle chatter. He always felt out of place when he spoke, and he typically let Kaeya or Albedo do all of the talking if he was ever outside the safety of his apartment or bar.
The female leaned back slightly and made eye contact with Diluc. She was wearing contacts that make it look like she had flowers in her eyes, and before he could process or notice anything else, she was shoving a piece of paper in his hands, "Read this," She said, motioning to the paper, "Then read this, and tell me if I'm wrong." She then motioned to an aged sheet of paper hanging inside the display.
"Hu Tao." The man spoke, his tone taking on that of a stern father. Hu Tao just stuck her tongue out at him before her attention went back to Diluc, staring at him expectantly. It didn't make him as uncomfortable as he thought it would, almost as if he's experienced something like this before.
He looked down at the wrinkled paper handed to him, having to use his hand to lift his bangs slightly so he could read properly. What was written on the paper was just a grocery list, with little doodles of a massive rocky dragon-looking thing. He glanced up at the flower girl—Hu Tao—and then takes a small step closer to the display, noticing how the girl gently pulled the man away to give Diluc some space.
Before reading what was displayed, he looked at the plaque, 'The Final Letter, written by the God of Mora.'. Diluc couldn't help but suddenly feel a bit nervous. He wasn't entirely sure why. His gaze then landed on the aged paper, and he was quite surprised to see that it was even readable. It must have been well preserved.
Ragnvindr, I wonder where you've gone.
Your brother came to visit me today and informed me of your passing. He told me that it was a guard from Celestia that snuck up on you, told me that the Grandmaster was able to kill them but they were unable to save you.
He told me that it was my fault. I refused to fight in this war, refused to use my power to kill again, instead choosing to hide away and paint the scenes. Normally, I'd say that death can never be avoided but he's right.
If I had just chosen to fight from the beginning then you'd still be here. I would've been there to notice your killer before they struck you down.
I feel as though I've been overcome with this unbearable rage, and I try to remember the promise I made you during the Lantern Rite to never lose myself should anything happen to you, but it's difficult.
I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I wasn't a better lover. I'm sorry for being a coward, and I'm sorry for refusing to fight.
Some day, I believe we shall meet again. When that day comes, I hope what we had now will still be alive, and even if it isn't, just know that I will always love you, even after time comes to an end.
For now, I will mourn you. I will go out into battle and join this war. I will burn down every mortal and immortal who stands in my way, and I will bring the fall of Celestia, even if it means dying with it.
I shall be thinking of you until the very last second, my love.
May we be reunited, Morax.
Diluc blinked. Once, twice. He could feel a tear fall, and he quickly dried his eyes with his sleeve and cleared his throat, turning to face the two people that had been watching him and ignoring the embarrassment that was rising within him.
Hu Tao was still staring at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. He was thankful for that, glad she was either pretending to not notice his flurry of emotions or that she simply did not care.
The man, however, had a clear expression of worry that made Diluc's heart flutter while also simultaneously making him feel nervous. He didn't like when his emotions got the best of him, and he certainly didn't like when he made people worried, especially strangers he's just met.
Quickly handing the grocery list back to Hu Tao, he cleared his throat again before speaking, "It's similar. The R's are curved the same, as well as the G's." He said, doing his best to keep his tone neutral and void of emotion.
Hu Tao looked over at the man, "See? I told you they were similar!" She said, waving around the folded grocery list as a sign of victory. The man rolled his eyes but he didn't seem truly upset, and Diluc noticed how that worried expression faded away in favor of a small, gentle smile.
"A mere coincidence. That letter was written almost a thousand years ago. Many people have similar handwriting." He says, and Hu Tao scoffs and crosses her arms with an annoyed pout on her lips.
Diluc wasn't entirely sure what point she was trying to prove with this, and he didn't really bother to ask. He really should go and look for his brother, to be honest. Before he could leave to do just that, the man started talking again, "Are you okay?" He asked in a whisper, which Diluc was honestly grateful for.
"I'm fine, just overwhelmed by all of... this." He made a vague motion to the displays he had just been looking back, "I dunno how to explain it, to be honest. I don't usually feel anything when I see art but seeing all of those paintings of that war... I felt something shake within me like I had just relived something I've never even experienced. And that letter? I don't know why it made me cry but it did, and it felt like I was reading something personal."
Diluc wasn't entirely sure why he was being so open to someone he just met, he didn't even know his name, yet he felt this odd sense of comfort around him like he's known him for years.
"I understand how you feel." The man said, a small yet reassuring smile on his stupidly handsome face. Diluc felt like some hopeless romantic every time he made eye contact with him, "I also felt some... odd emotions looking at all of these displays. The letter is what sent me over the edge. I've never cried at a museum before, especially over reading a letter." His words were lighthearted but true, and Diluc could feel a smile tug at his lips.
"I'm Diluc." He said, holding his hand out. He ignored the voice of his brother screaming in his head, hyping him up. The man stared for a moment, and Diluc very briefly noticed how his cheeks seemed to redden slightly before he took Diluc's hand.
"Zhongli. It is a pleasure to meet you, Diluc." Zhongli said, and Diluc could feel himself falling already. He wasn't one to believe in love at first sight, definitely not one who was experienced with romance, but he knew that Zhongli already had his heart.
"Can I have your num-" Zhongli's words were cut off at the sound of someone yelling rather loudly.
"Diluc Ragnvindr! You had me worried to death!" His brother dramatically yells, and Diluc suddenly remembered that they were standing inside of a museum. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed once again as he sees his brother and his boyfriend approaching.
"Don't yell," Diluc said, his voice once again neutral and he let go of Zhongli's hand in favor of crossing his arms.
"Sorry," Kaeya said, playfully smiling. He didn't sound sincere at all, and Diluc rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his brother in favor of speaking with Zhongli, who was seemingly caught off guard. Diluc couldn't blame him, Kaeya had a habit of being dramatic in public if it meant embarrassing him.
"I don't have my phone on me right now but stop by my bar and I'll give it to you, okay?"
"Are you asking me on a date to your own bar?"
"Maybe."
"Huh... I accept. What's the name of your bar?"
"The Angel's Share. See you then, okay?"
Zhongli nods, and Diluc gives a small wave and a smile before being pulled away by Kaeya.
"I didn't know you were capable of doing that!" Kaeya whispers and Diluc smacks him on the back of his head.
"You're lucky we haven't gotten kicked out yet because of you." He scolds, choosing to change the topic.
"Did you have fun?" Albedo cuts in before Kaeya could say anything else and Diluc took a moment to think. It was odd, the emotions he felt were overwhelming and he felt too exposed and out of place. Yet, meeting Zhongli and Hu Tao seemed to make the experience much better, even if they were strangers, he couldn't help but feel as if he's known them for ages.
"Yes, I did." He said, unable to stop a small smile from forming as they made their way to the entrance of the museum.
-
"Are you going to tell him?" A woman asks, styling her blue hair to hide the horns coming out of her head.
"Not yet," Zhongli said, putting on his coat and looking in the mirror to make sure he looks good.
The woman frowns and pauses her own actions to look at Zhongli, "Morax-" She speaks, but Zhongli quickly cuts her off,
"Morax died when Celestia fell, Ganyu." He says and Ganyu's frown deepens but she says nothing else related to the topic.
"Are you heading to his bar?" She instead asks, and Zhongli nods. She resumes styling her hair and sighs, "I'm glad you guys have been reunited, Zhongli. I really am." She says, her words were sincere but Zhongli didn't miss the underlying sadness behind them. Even though it's been almost a thousand years since the war, the death of Ganyu's lover was still fresh in her mind and Zhongli could understand her pain.
"You'll find Ningguang soon, Ganyu." He says, hoping to offer some reassurance.
Ganyu merely smiles, "Go. Don't keep him waiting." She says and Zhongli whispers a quiet farewell before leaving the apartment.