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Diluc sat in the sand by the lake, looking at Stone Gate and the lake that shimmered as the sun set. His expression was neutral, and he wore black shorts and a short sleeved button up shirt. His scars he usually covered up were visible to the world.
He remembers limping through Stone Gate after years of being away and feeling the wind on his back as he barley made it to the Winery before collapsing on the wood floor.
The redhead sat back on his hands, his head rolling back to look up at the sky, which was orange and pink as the sun set. A falcon flew overhead the Winery and Diluc hummed. He missed his falcon when he was away. His love for birds never changed, unlike the rest of his personality.
He grabbed a blue seashell and studied it, throat feeling tight as it reminded him of when he and Kaeya would collect every seashell they found, even the broken ones. He would tease Diluc because they couldn’t find any red ones that matched him, whereas the blue ones were everywhere.
Diluc hugged his knees as he studied the outside of it, the sky slowly becoming darker and darker. The lights of the Winery turned on but he didn’t make a move to go inside. The wind blew and he shoved the seashell into his pocket. He watched as the waves attempted to reach him but fell short.
“Master Diluc! Dinner is ready!” He heard Adelinde call, but again, he made no effort to move. The wind blew harder and his eyes fell shut. Footsteps slowly approached and he could tell they were Adelinde’s.
“Master Diluc?” Her eyebrows furrowed and she knelt down in the sand next to him. He glanced at her without moving his head, and she frowned, gently running a hand through his hair.
“Diluc, what’s wrong?” She asked, dropping formalities. The knot escaped his throat and he shook his head.
“I don’t know.” His voice wobbled, and she had a look of sympathy all over her face. Not pity, it was never pity.
“I just miss the way things were.” He admitted, and she was silent, scooting closer to wrap her arms around him. He didn’t hug her back, but she heard him sniffle and felt him bury his face into her shoulder.
“Here, let’s go inside and I’ll make you a glass of grape juice and you can curl up next to me by the fire. Or, you can have some time to yourself here. It’s just getting dark, and I don’t want you to forget to come back inside. It’s up to you, honey.” She told him, and he nodded into her shoulder. She pulled back and he took her hand, letting her lead him inside.
Her hands were so small and soft as she held one of Diluc’s, which were scarred and calloused. Her whole hand only wrapped around 3 of his fingers. The man felt so small as Adelinde led him inside. She was 5’4, and Diluc was 6 foot. Her hands were clean, and now, sand flaked off her dress and her hands. Diluc’s were covered with scars and blood from all the people he murdered throughout the years.
Dinner was long forgotten, she knew better than to force him to so anything when he was upset like this. The maid sat Diluc on the couch and walked off to the kitchen to get grape juice. Diluc held out his hand to the wood in the fireplace and lit it on fire. He remembers when he was a child and he would spend hours trying to keep the fire ablaze, but just wore himself out. Crepus would scoop him up and light the fire with a match, letting Diluc sleep in his arms.
A pitiful sob finally escaped him after holding back for so long, and he doubled over, crying into his knees. Adelinde rushed back and sat next to him, and then he practically tackled her in a hug. She had changed into her night gown before coming back
She laid on her back, a bit upright against the armrest as Diluc hid his face in her collarbone and cried. Adelinde just held him. That’s all Diluc wanted. To be held. To be comforted. To be loved. To trust someone. For that person to not leave him like Father or Kaeya.
Diluc cried harder, his walls fully broken down at this point. Her night gown was getting wet, but Diluc was more important. Adelinde rested her chin on his head and rubbed his back and shoulder.
His grip on her was tight. Like if he let go, she would leave him like the others. She didn’t find it uncomfortable, no, Diluc couldn’t live with himself if he made her uncomfortable. His grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt either. God, but how many had he killed with these arms. In a chokehold, breaking a neck, using his delusion. If she knew, she would leave. Diluc cried harder at the thought of her leaving.
“Please don’t leave.” He cried over and over, begging her to stay. She held him tighter, closing her eyes. He would never tell her about his sins.
Diluc doesn’t know how long he cried into Adelinde’s night gown, calming down before crying over a new thought. At one point, she draped his favorite blanekt over them and he broke down crying again. The gesture was so simple, yet, it was such a sweet thing to do. She knew it was his favorite. It was the one he would wrap around himself when working at ungodly hours and got cold, despite his vision, the one he held when suffering from panic attacks or nightmares. She continued holding him close, letting him curl up in her arms best he could. He felt so small. Like a child. His eyes had shed as many tears as they could produce, and he finally just laid in Adelinae’s arms.
“.. ‘m sorry, mom.” He said, voice muffled by him hiding his face in her dress. “I’m sorry I acted like a child and cried for way too long.”
“Diluc, it’s not your fault you had to grow up so fast that you never learned to manage your emotions. Don’t apologize.” She told him, untangling the knots in his thick hair.
“Thank you for staying.“
“I wouldn’t leave you. I’ve always cared for you, even when you drew on the walls in chalk, even when you shouted at me when you were a teenager, and even when you left, I always loved you.” Adelinde told Diluc, and his bottom lip quivered.
“Don’t make me cry again.” He said, rubbing his eyes. She chuckled, and rubbed his back.
“Was I really that angry of a teenager?” He asked, and she nodded.
“Oh yeah, you were always mad about something when you didn’t have to put up appearances for the Knights and tried to please Master Crepus. You would shout out me to leave you be, and I never took it to heart. You were stressed, and I knew better than to scold you.” Adelinde told him and he frowned, curling up closer to her, if even possible. He didn’t realize his for granted he took her. Archons she deserved a better life. With her own kids, a husband, her own home. But Diluc couldn’t live without her.
“Okay, okay. Go to sleep now. You need it.” She told him, stopping his thoughts as she ran her hand through his hair once more. He slowly shut his eyes and relaxed in her embrace, head on her chest. His limbs were heavy, and he refused to move, even if he wanted to. Even if he had to.
“I love you, mom.” Diluc told her, and she smiled.
“I love you too, sweetheart.” Adelinde said back, kissing the crown of his head. He could heard her heartbeat in her chest, and he felt so calm for once. He wasn’t worrying about work, or Kaeya, or anything. Just falling asleep in his mother’s arms like when he was little
If only he could stay there forever.