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“Kaeya, can I ask you something?”
Your hands shakily gripped your drink, resting on the table in front of you. Though your head remained hanging low, your eyes shot up to your drinking partner, awaiting his answer.
“Why, of course. What seems to be troubling you? Got something to confess?” The man said with a wink. You were sure he was playing with you as always, but the fact that he was not so far off from the truth still caught you off guard.
“Well…um…”
Kaeya’s eyes widened. He leaned in toward you, setting his drink down beside him.
“Oh? Was I on the mark, perhaps?”
Damn this man , you thought. You were no longer looking at him. You couldn’t, after messing up this simple question so badly. You took a gulp and tried again.
“I…do you….do you know if Diluc is interested in men?”
Kaeya froze. As he slowly began to lean back in his chair, he uttered a long “Oooohhhhhh…” His tone seemed as though he had been hoping for you to say something else (Maybe next time, Kaeya). “I see…well that is certainly a question, all right.”
You relaxed a bit in your seat, sighing, having gotten the question out. You unclasped your drink and moved your hands to your lap. Looking up to Kaeya, you inquired further.
“I just thought you might know something. I’m asking cause, well, I like him…but I didn’t want to get my hopes up if they were misplaced.”
Kaeya let out one of his signature laughs at that. “Don’t worry about that, my friend.” He leaned in again, beckoning you closer with his finger so he wouldn’t have to speak so loud. You did as much. “Between you and me, Y/N, I’m not too sure on his exact “tastes”, you might say. But what I can say for certain is that he deeeefinitely is interested in you.” With that, he returned to his casual sitting position. You were left stunned, still leaning forward. He had such a smirk on his face, some part of you wondered if this was all a ruse. But you didn’t think Kaeya was the type of person to lie about something like this, especially not to you.
After a few moments, you regained composure and flopped back into your seat.
“He does??!” You nearly shouted. Kaeya lifted a hand to his face, rubbing it in embarrassment as some of the other bar patrons looked in the direction of your table, curious about your outburst. Though he was out of sight of your table, Diluc, who was attending the bar alongside Charles, likewise wondered what you were talking about. He knew you were drinking with Kaeya tonight, and that usually resulted in either him or Kaeya having to help you home. But you weren’t drinking alcohol tonight, so your loud remark was more unexpected.
“Wait so like, should I tell him..?” You said quietly, after realizing how loud you had been.
“Nothing will come of it if you don’t. I doubt he’ll say anything. You know how he is. Emotional vulnerability isn’t his strong suit.”
“I suppose you’re right…” You turned your head in the direction of the bar, where you knew Diluc was standing. You really, really liked him. You were sure of that. And now you had partial confirmation that those feelings were reciprocated. You imagined Kaeya teasing Diluc about you, and how he may have even come to realize Diluc had feelings for you. But now the question was, what DO you do? Confess? When?? Where??? You rushed through these questions in your mind, not having answers to any of them. But that wouldn’t matter soon enough.
“Why don’t you tell him now?”
Your head spun to Kaeya so fast you nearly sprained it.
“Now?! He’s working though.”
“He would take off entire shifts for you. Besides, you shouldn’t dwell on this any longer or else it will end up being a thorn in your side.”
You hated that he was right. Sighing again, you shut your eyes. Something inside you was lighting up with confidence, partly brought about by your trust in Kaeya.
“Ok. I’ll tell him.” You said, standing up from your seat. Your hands gripped the edge of the table, shaking again.
“Hey, Y/N. It’ll be ok. Just be honest and direct.”
“I…I will, Kaeya. Thank you, truly.”
A smile emerged on your face, signifying your gratefulness. Kaeya returned your smile with one of his own. He was a true friend.
“Well, here goes nothing.”
You let go of the table and turned away, slowly walking toward the front of the bar from the corner where you had been sitting. Kaeya watched you as you left, up until you turned the corner and exited his line of sight.
“Damn. Guess I was the fool after all. I hope they can be happy together.” Kaeya let out a small chuckle before lifting his drink and taking a long sip. He’d be getting drunk tonight, he decided.
* * * * *
As you turned the corner and walked into the front area of the bar, you could hardly look Diluc in the eyes. He immediately paused in his cleaning of glasses and looked up at you. Charles, who you had become quite chatty with over time, was the first to speak up as you approached the bar.
“Hey Y/N! How’s the evening treating you?”
You looked between Diluc and Charles frantically before returning Charles’ gaze.
“Oh! Uh, pretty good, I’d say.” You managed to say through your nerves.
“Was there something you needed?” Diluc suddenly asked in his usual stoic manner. Though, you noticed a certain softness to his tone that you hadn’t noticed before. Sucking up your confidence, you turned and looked up at him.
“Can I talk to you? In private?”
At first, Diluc remained silent. His face did not budge an inch. But then, as if he had suddenly been warped back to real life, he tensed up and answered.
“Sure. We can step outside for a moment.” Without breaking eye contact with you, he asked, “Charles, can you manage by yourself?”
“No problem. Take your time.” His tone seemed suspicious, but not in a bad way. Charles was quite observant; perhaps he could sense the tension between the two of you. Either way, it wasn’t your problem.
“Well, shall we?” Diluc was stepping out from behind the bar, motioning his hand toward the direction of the back door. He had a small smile on his face, so hidden you nearly missed it.
You simply nodded in response and stepped toward him. The two of you walked alongside each other to the back door, passing by Kaeya on your way. Looking at him as a last cry for support, he gave you a wink as he mouthed “good luck,” before taking a sip from his beer. Diluc, surprisingly, ignored him. Opening the door, he moved out of the way to let you through first. You stepped outside and took a couple steps forward before stopping in place. You waited until you heard him step outside and close the door before turning around and facing him once again. Your eyes locked with his, but neither of you said anything at first.
“So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Diluc asked.
This is it, this is it, you thought. In the moment, your mind was racing from thought to thought as you attempted to gain composure. You knew that if you ever wanted a chance to be happy with Diluc, this was it. For once, you wanted to take control of your life and make a bold decision. And you were not about to let this opportunity slip by.
“Look, Diluc. We’ve known each other for a while now, and I’m so happy that you’re in my life. You’ve been so kind and helpful to me ever since we met, I just….”
You took a gulp.
“I wanted to tell you that I like you.”
In the space between you two, standing just a couple feet apart from one another, you could feel walls breaking down all at once. Emotions seemed to fly through the air. But even still, neither of you moved. You began to wonder if Diluc had understood what you meant, or if you had misunderstood him. Just then, he took a step toward you, then another, then another, and soon he was standing closer to you than he had ever been before. Suddenly, his arms reached out and he enveloped you in a hug. His tight grip made you feel safe, his warmth soothing you in the cold night…you allowed yourself to get lost in his arms. You reached your arms around him and pulled him even tighter to you. You buried your face in his neck, and in his soft crimson hair. His smell was as sweet as dandelion wine. The happiness that overcame you was truly overwhelming. You nearly forgot he had not answered you yet, until he at last spoke up.
“I love you, Y/N. Please be mine.”
His soft voice echoed in your mind as you processed his words. Love..? You had been demure in your confession and restrained yourself by only saying “like,” but the truth was you actually loved him too. And you wanted him to know as much.
“I love you too, Diluc. I’m yours.”
Diluc’s arms released you from their grip and his hands rose to your face, resting on your cheeks. He reached to the sides of your head and pulled you in, slowly, giving you time to pull away if you wanted to. But you didn’t. As your faces grew close, he tilted his head ever slightly before his lips met yours in a gentle kiss. A kiss full of pure, unadulterated appreciation that you were in his life, and that he was in yours. A kiss that contained unspeakable love. You did not know how long it even lasted, you were so entranced. His hands crept from your face to your shoulders before pulling away from the kiss. He had a smile brighter than you had ever seen on him before.
“Well, now that we both have confessed, am I right to call you my partner?” He chuckled out.
“Of course, Diluc. I’m so happy.”
“As am I, Y/N.”
With that, the two of you fell back into a deep hug, though brief. As you separated from Diluc for one more time that night, you fell in stride alongside him as the two of you turned to the door to enter the tavern. Passing through the door together, you reached down and took his hand into yours. He hitched at the feeling, but quickly relaxed again; clearly this "dating" thing was going to be new for him.
“Well well, a success, was it?”
Kaeya’s smug voice burst the bubble of privacy that had been surrounding you both. You let out a soft laugh as Diluc sighed in annoyance.
“Pipe down, Kaeya. Unless you want me to charge you for those drinks.” Diluc said in his back-to-normal stern tone, his head facing distinctly away from Kaeya.
“Alright alright, I hear you.”
You looked at Kaeya again as he did a small fist pump in celebration for you, and your smile grew. Diluc began walking forward, pulling you with him. Interestingly, he did not head for the bar, but for the stairs to the second floor of the tavern, where he knew you two could be alone. As you approached the stairs, he shouted to Charles:
“Charles, please take care of the bar for the rest of the evening, if you would.” The trusty bartender simply gave a nod in acknowledgement.
Alongside your new boyfriend, you were in an untouchable state of joy. Ascending the stairs felt like ascending to a new life, one full of happiness and fun with your beloved. Still pulling you along, Diluc moved with purpose and care. You felt as though everything had fallen perfectly into place, and you knew there was a pleasant night in store for you.