Chapter Text
It was another busy day at Angel's Share, with the tavern being filled with a lot of people. A certain redhead was currently stuck with working at the bar today and he dreaded the busy hours, always having to serve up more than enough wine to kill a man, and having to stop bar fights. Although everyone knows about the incredibly intimidating and terrifying Diluc Ragnvindr and his little tolerance for people who try to push his buttons, some people (especially when they're drunk) get way too cocky about themselves around him. They normally get literally kicked out of the tavern by him after.
And it just so happens that he's busy serving his least favorite person in the bar (a slight exaggeration but he prefers if this individual doesn't get himself hurt in the process either), Kaeya Alberich, Captain and a part of the Knights of Favonious, another group of people Diluc can't tolerate to a high degree, as well as his step brother. With the blue haired folk was a person Diluc was actually well-acquainted with, as they've been visiting his bar every so often. Friskies, a halfling pup with a reputation for taking up Odd Jobs in Monstadt, essentially like a service dog. He and the pup have had small conversations together in the past, but it's not as often. With others, he wouldn't really be super responsive when they try to make small talk, but when it came to Friskies, most he did was just quietly listening to them, occasionally striking into conversation, but it doesn't always last long. They also tend to offer their service to Diluc to help him out with the busy days at the bar, and he was hoping they'd help him out for the night.
"And how may I help you two?" Diluc asked, looking at both Kaeya, and Friskies, but especially at Friskies. They weren't wearing their usual top this particular evening. Instead of a blue blouse and a cape, they wore a window cut shirt with long sleeves. The window was even wider than Kaeya's, which was a shock. But the pup seemed oblivious to Diluc's stares and glances as their attention was still on the captain beside them.
"Ah, good evening Diluc. We'll have our usual." Kaeya responded.
"Very well, do give me a minute." Diluc sighed and went over to his other counter to do some mixing for them, but would glance over at Friskies every now and again. He knew they're not one to wear anything like this very often so now he's wondering if his step brother had anything to do to influence them to wear something like that, one that showed their pecs especially. It was.... interesting to say the least.
Kaeya meanwhile noticed the redhead's glances and stares and leaned into Friskies ear, having a cheeky and playful whisper.
"Psst, Diluc's staring at you."
The pup's ears perked up at this and they plainly rolled their eyes.
"Oh please, I'm pretty sure he's just glaring at you as usual." They replied.
"Oh no no, I know exactly how he stares at me, but he's looking at YOU. He's definitely checking you out." He whispered still.
"Kaeya, why don't you ever shut the fuck up." They sighed, rolling their eyes again and chuckled, nudging his arm. They weren't always fond of his constant teases about them and Diluc always conversing, and especially since they're too scared to get too close to him. Not because he's intimidating, nor is it because they're scared of him, but they're scared that once they initiate anything that's not just casual conversation, they won't be able to feel anything for Diluc. They tend to fantasize about what it may be like to be together with him romantically, but alas, it's all they can do, for once they try to make a move, they start to feel queasy and uninterested.
"I'm not kidding, he was staring at you earlier. I bet it was the shirt" Kaeya persisted.
"Yeah aha, sure." Friskies still wasn't buying it. "And may I remind you that YOU'RE the one who made me wear this?"
"Heh, I suppose it stands you out enough to get his attention." He said proudly.
'Tch, of course.... blasted Kaeya got them to wear such a thing.....' Diluc thought to himself as he prepared their drinks. He could feel his face warming up, and it wasn't from his Pyro vision either. It was Friskies. Archons, why did they even agree to wear a shirt like that? It drove him nuts but he regained himself as he still has a job to do and came to the two with their drinks.
"Here you both are." Diluc said, setting their individual glasses down. Friskies and Kaeya took their drinks and thanked the bartender before clicking their glasses together and began drinking. Diluc stared at the two for a moment before heading to finish some drinks and deliver them as soon as possible. But then he noticed his path was blocked off and groaned.
"I have chairs for a reason." He mumbled under his breath.
"Hey, Master Diluc, mind if I help you out?" Friskies quipped.
"Oh, you sure? It's a really busy night." He said, a bit concerned.
"I'll be okay, don't worry." They reassured him.
"Alright fine.... take these drinks to the table over there, and these to the ones on the second floor. You got it?" He instructed the pup, motioning to them three trays of drinks to handle.
"Got it!" They said, standing up and flexing the rest of their outfit, which made Diluc just want to die. Not only did the shirt have a chest window that went across their chest, it was also crop topped, and it flexed out the slight abs that Friskies got. He's gotten quite antsy now. Seeing their body on full display like that not only made his mind go wild, but he was also worried about what the other clients would say or hell, even do to them. As Friskies went over to pick the trays, Diluc leaned over and whispered in their ear.
"If anyone touches you, tell me."
"Mm.... don't worry." They said, now having one tray on each hand, and the third one being held by their tail. He nodded and patted their head before sending them off to deliver the drinks. He now had a bit more time to spare so he took the opportunity to lean on the counter and sighed to himself. Kaeya noticed his disheveled posture and leaned over to him cheekily.
"Mayhaps you need a drink of your own, brother." He said.
"Oh please. Over my dead body." The redhead sighed. "I'll just have grape juice."
"Tsk, tsk. You should really learn to appreciate such fine wine every so often." Kaeya frowned, downing half his drink.
"By the way," He added. "I can see your eyes were dancing at the sight of Friskies' body.~ Intrigued?"
This got a grumble from the redhead, who simply looked at his annoying patron/brother with a deadpan expression.
"I can't believe you made them wear that."
"They've been feeling insecure and down in the dumps recently, so I had to help them out." Kaeya shrugged.
"And how does wearing a shirt like that help? Are you sure you're not trying to make a move on them?" Diluc asked with an eyebrow raised.
"You know my feelings for them are purely platonic. Besides, they don't feel romantic attraction for anyone. Why would I try to make them feel an emotion I know they'll never feel, hm? And to add, I just wanted them to feel good, even if it’s for one evening."
Diluc took a moment to process that. It makes sense, Friskies has explained to Diluc once before that they can't get into a romantic relationship as it stresses them out. He could relate to them in that aspect, he sees romantic relationships as a waste of time and doesn't show much interest at all. Every single person that tries to hit on him, he doesn't feel anything close to what others would feel. Perhaps that's why he likes them being around, because they can relate to what he feels about relationships. And also because they don't try to hit on him.
"Listen, I'm just worried about what sort of sicko can do to them when they wear that kind of outfit. I don't want them to get hurt." Diluc said, the concern obvious within his tone. Kaeya reached over and patted his shoulder, albeit in an awkward way as he realized that his brother didn't nudge him away this time.
"I'm sure they're okay. They can handle themselves." He reassured him. The older one sighed and stood up straight. He crossed his arm and nodded once before turning back to the other patrons that were drinking. Not long after, Friskies returned, all three trays emptied from the drinks carried, with the exception of an extra tray that had some leftover glasses and plates on it.
"Ah, you're back, and you even took the liberty of taking some of the leftovers. Thank you." Diluc nodded and took the trays from them, indirectly telling them to return to their seat, to which they have. Kaeya reached over and patted their shoulder.
"You alright?" He asked them, noting them being quiet. All they did was nod and downed the rest of their drink rather quickly.
"Whoa whoa whoa, easy there pup. I know you're excited but you gotta drink slower than that. You'll get tipsy otherwise." The captain scolded.
"Sorry sorry... I just..." They sighed.
"No one tried to touch you right?" He asked sternly.
"Nothing like that.... I just suddenly felt quite... aware of myself."
"Hey, lighten up. We're here to drink your sorrows away, not teach it how to swim." He reassured, patting their head now. They were weak to headpats so all they could do was nod. Kaeya then asked Diluc for another glass of wine, to which Diluc complied, albeit with a weirded out expression.
Some time passed and while Kaeya had already drank three glasses of wine, now In the process of finishing his fourth, Friskies still hasn't gotten their second yet. They figured they had to keep an eye on him in case he tried anything stupid. They glanced over at Diluc, who had a rather.... specific expression. They shared his expression and shook their head, now thankful they didn't drink after the first glass. Kaeya was now finished with his fourth, feeling slightly tipsy. He would've started flirting with the pup if a knight didn't whisk him away so suddenly to do a last-minute commission, which got Friskies to sweat drop.
"And there goes the captain." They said.
"Yes.... hopefully that idiot is at least sober enough to finish this commission as quickly as possible." Diluc sighed, now catering to a glass in hand. "I suppose you don't want another serving?"
"I'll pass... someone needs to take care of that drunk knight when he comes back."
"Understandable." He sighs once more before carrying a small crate of items and heading to a door that leads to the backside of the bar. To his dismay, he isn't able to open the door. Friskies walked over and used their tail to open it. Diluc just gave them a look.
"I told you, didn't I? My tail is like a third limb of mine." They said with a shrug.
"Third limb, eh? That must be quite strong then." Diluc joked before heading out the backdoor. Friskies chuckled a bit and followed him out, not saying anything about that. They looked over at a large nearby shed Diluc installed for any extra items he may have on him and used their tail again to open it for him.
"How kind of you." He said, entering the shed and putting away some items. As he finished, he stood up a bit too quickly and bumped his forehead, getting a loud and very rare "FUCK" out of him. Friskies went in to see Diluc holding his forehead in pain.
"Ah shit are you okay!?" They asked, slightly panicked.
"Just.... bumped my head, that's all." He groaned.
"Ahh, damn.... if only Kaeya was here, I think he'd be willing enough to freeze a wet towel for you." They sighed in worry, moving over to him.
"No need.... it's just a bump in the head." He insisted. They moved closer to Diluc and gently took his hand away from the spot that got hit. Diluc paused at their gesture, as this was the first time Friskies got closer To him. His gloved hand was put down with their own as they inspected the head.
"A small bump..." They frowned.
"It's not much to worry about then.... it just stings." He sighed. To his surprise, Friskies leaned up and gently placed a kiss on the bump on his head. He stood there in stunned silence, trying to process what they just did to him.
They just kissed him. It may not be a lip to lip kiss but they still kissed him. His heart started to beat quicker than usual, not expecting such a gesture from someone who's considered to be quite shut off. He started to feel weak, but in a foreign way. Why did he suddenly feel embarrassed?
"Uhm.... is that any better....?" Friskies asked in embarrassment, blushing at what they just did. It was the first thing that came to mind that wasn't 'Get an ice pack' or 'Ask for help'. Their heart was rapidly beating, it was beating so fast as they realized they just.... kissed him. With no other context. No one does that, but they did. The after feeling of Diluc's skin on their lips was still lingering and they felt guilty for thinking how nice it was to kiss him like that. The man himself however, was just silent. He then looked at them and had this to say,
"I should've just bruised my lip instead.... that'd be an easier way to get through with this." He muttered. Friskies tilted their head in confusion. How the hell does one bruise a lip? Then it hit them.
*SMACK*
That was it. That was literally all there was to it. A smack across his face. They just realized he was trying to hit on them. And not only that, his cheek and lip was now stinging from how hard they did It. Diluc was taken aback at Friskies' strength. He knew they were once a volunteer for the Knights years ago, but he would've assumed they stopped training by then. It seems he was wrong.
"Shit shit shit- sorry I didn't mean to slap you!" Friskies panicked, slowly holding the cheek they just hit. "You just- I- you suddenly started hitting on me and- ugh I should've been the one that got slapped, I kissed your head and-"
Diluc quickly silenced them as he held the hand that was holding his red face, and he doesn't mean the bruise red. His face was starting to burn up for whatever reason. Friskies slightly calmed down enough to notice his blush and started blushing themselves. They didn't know how to remedy the situation now.
"It's.... fine.... you just tried to help soothe it... I just started.... flirting without thinking." He said, cringing to himself at the word "Flirting" like it was something absolutely foreign to him, which it was. He's never tried to flirt or hit on anyone before and he was shocked that he did that, moreso that he got quite the reaction from them. He's always seen Kaeya joke flirting with them, which results to mostly eye rolls, arm slap or the typical "shut the fuck up" comments, and almost rarely teasing back. But this was the first time he's seen them slap anyone, and it just so happened to be him.
Friskies wasn't able to read his expression. They could read the expression of someone quite well, maybe too well, they were even able to feel the energy of the room before they could even come inside the said-room. But Diluc was a puzzle to them. He still had his hand over theirs but he was avoiding eye contact. Slowly, they put their hand away from his face and leaned to the red mark on his cheek and gave a gentle and light kiss on his. They could feel how warm his skin was now.
"T-There.... I hope it feels better soon..." They said shyly and looked away. They curled their other hand to a fist, not knowing what to do with this situation, moreso what to do with the sudden rising feeling of.... no, it can't be. It's just a false alarm. It's always been a false alarm. Anytime they think they're finally falling in love with someone, they get shut down by their own heart by feeling nothing in the end. They can't do that to Diluc. Not to him of all people.
"Friskies...." Diluc said after a moment of silence.
"Yes...?" Friskies responded. They didn't get to finish their thought process as two fingers gently lifted their chin up to face the redhead in front of them. To face the music. Diluc slowly moved them back until his hands reached the open door and shut it closed to give them some privacy.
"You.... forgot a spot." He said. They suddenly noticed the small mark by his lips and blushed. He was blushing too, but he didn't make any advances, other than holding the pup's chin.
"Can you.... treat it?" He asked in a low but awkward tone. They gulped and slowly stood on their toes to be slightly more eye to eye with him and leaned in. They were leaning in so slowly, so carefully.... but stopped. They only closed in enough that their lips were just about to touch. Their heart and soul was telling them to go for it, to just do it, but their body stopped them from doing anything.
"I'm... sorry... I froze up.... I don't know if I can... get any closer." They whimpered an apology. They were so nervous all of a sudden. This was their first kiss in a long time and it was one where they didn't grimace at all for once. Their body just wouldn't let them... even though they wanted to. Diluc's red eyes started at Friskies' dark brown ones before inching closer, willingly this time. He never imagined himself being in such a position where he would lean in for anyone, and he never saw himself being the type of guy to want this... to need this. It just wasn't usual for him but... he wanted it.
"May I... do it instead...?" He asked, which surprised them. However, it was better than standing like an idiot and they nodded. He slowly leaned closer, but he also couldn't do it. Their lips were just barely touching at this point and even his own heart can't take it. It's not like he had to now as Friskies suddenly pushed Diluc away slightly. He shot them a confused look.
"Someone's coming." They said, turning to the door and opening it slightly to not make it any more suspicious than it already is. He then remembered that as a half pup, they have much better hearing than most so he gave them a quiet thank you before seeing the door burst open with Patton revealing himself to the two.
"Master Diluc, a bar fight just broke out!" He said frantically. Diluc groaned to himself as he heard this and ushered Patton to go back inside.
"Excuse me, Friskies." He said before leaving the shed, leaving the pup to themselves now. Friskies stood there dumbfoundedly before sighing and leaned their head at the nearest well. They then slammed their head at it, growling at themselves.
"Stupid.... stupid.... stupid.... you know what'll happen. You know this will lead to heartache..... you know exactly why you can't get into relationships or be anywhere close to being intimate with anyone..." They scolded themselves, hitting their head against the wall repeatedly, as if hammering their words down into their skull harder. They never felt any romantic or intimate attraction that wasn't just them fantasizing, even when they were younger, and only recently did they feel flutters in their heart. It was a bad sign. A sign they just need to avoid. They can't afford more hurt in others and themselves.
Their thoughts were then cut by the sound of brawling inside. Their ears perked and they rushed back inside the tavern to see what was going on.
Diluc was being held back by Patton as he had his hands on his claymore, a sight Friskies wasn't expecting. In front of them was a drunk man, seemingly almost beaten up. Despite the obvious wounds and bruises, he was still standing. It was almost impressive.... but nonetheless they still went over to Diluc.
"Master Diluc, are you okay?" They asked, frantic.
"I'm fine, but this idiot just won't back down." He groaned in frustration. The pup glanced at the man who started the fight and snarled. Just judging by his clothing, he must be a treasure hoarder from Liyue. This will be a bit hard, but they'll have to try and push through with this. They took a step forward and decided to face this grunt themselves.
"Hey!" They started. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"
The treasure hoarder looked down at Friskies and started laughing at their face in mockery. Diluc could only watch in worry as Friskies took care of this situation themselves.
"And why should I listen to you of all people?" The treasure hoarder mocked.
"Because, good sir, I will have to be violent." They threatened, and their words weren't empty either.
"You!? What the hell are you, some dumb femboy or something?" The bigger man laughed and mocked. "Get a load of this guy! Who does he think he is?"
"Oh I'm sorry, but have you heard of the quote, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Or are you so brutish that your first instinct is to insult the most obvious fact you can see in front of you? And by the way, I'm not a femboy." They hissed. They're not even close to him but they can smell the booze off his breath, no wonder he didn't seem intimidated by Diluc.
"Yeah right. You're just wasting my time here. Out of the way, pretty boy." He said, moving to slap them away, but to his surprise, Friskies grabbed his arm with ease and threw him to the side. This caught everyone off guard, especially Diluc who was certain the man would send them flying, but considering how hard they slapped him earlier, it should've been expected. The said pup was standing at a stance, waiting for the fallen treasure hoarder to pick himself back up. He eventually did and tried to swing a punch, but Friskies dodged it. They turned to give a punch in return, but the man blocked it. They resorted to kicking his knee to force his body to lower down and gave another kick to the jaw.
Diluc cringed as heard the sound of bones getting cracked, not expecting Friskies to go that hard on him, but they did. A gloved hand suddenly held his shoulder and he almost swung his weapon at Kaeya, who was now back from his commission and looking a bit more sober.
"You okay?" He asked. The redhead just gave a nod before motioning to Friskies and the treasure hoarder fighting together.
"Oh my. Friskies?" He raised a brow in curiosity, but chuckled to himself. "Last thing I expected from them is to get into a fight."
"No... no no it's not like that." Diluc sighed, which led him to explain how they got into this situation. Kaeya just had a very amused expression as Diluc explained.
"Well, at the very least they're taking care of this." The captain said. "And they're holding on strong. I'm proud of them."
"And I assume this is exactly how they used to fight when they were still working for the knights?"
"Mhm."
"And they haven't had their vision at that time yet if I recall correctly.... impressive" the redhead muttered, carefully watching the pup fighting. Perhaps he can help them tune their talent for fighting just a bit more someday.
Back with the two, Friskies managed to get the man down once more. The treasure hoarder however grabbed their ankle and dragged them down to the ground, he then tried to get on top of them but they quickly kicked him off and stood back off. So far they haven't shown any signs of backing down. He tried to throw one more running punch at them but they just dodged him and instead let him topple himself over. He didn't manage to stand up this time. Friskies casually went to stand in front of the man and had no shame in stepping on his head.
"So? Learn your lesson from this 'femboy' now, or do I need to kick your skull and rearrange your brain cells?" They asked, looking down at the man. He simply gave a groan of defeat.
"That's what I thought. Maybe you should've just stopped when the bartender waved his weapon at you mate." They sighed and walked away from him to approach Diluc, who was no longer being held back by Patton, but instead had a slight look of disbelief with a very proud Kaeya by his side.
"My my, Friskies. You served that fight really well.~ And in such a sexy outfit." Kaeya said with a smirk.
"Hehe, thank you, Captain Kaeya." Friskies grinned, their tail wagging side to side proudly. They then turned to Diluc and saw his jaw dropping. They giggled a bit and held his chin and got to close his mouth.
"Close your mouth, Master Diluc, you'll catch a crystal fly otherwise." They teased. The bartender coughed and regained his composure as he went over and swiftly picked the treasure hoarder up with ease before turning to the exit, presumably to kick him out. Literally. The pup was just staring at him the whole time with a very impressed look.
"My archons that's hot...." They mumbled. Kaeya shot them an interesting look.
"That's Master Diluc alright.~" He chuckled, wrapping an arm around their waist and pulled them close before leaning to their ear and whispering. "Did the dude try anything with you?"
"No, don't worry... he did call me a femboy though." They sighed, crossing their arms.
"Not the worst he could've said... he would've said the t word."
"Oh no, I would've actually beaten the shit out of him if he did. I was just defending myself."
"Heh, you showed him though. I'm proud of you, pup." Kaeya smiled, ruffling their hair before keeping his arm around them. They smiled and nuzzled him in return for a moment. A cough was then heard behind them.
"I'm sorry for disrupting the two of you but I need to ensure Friskies is fine." Diluc said, raising an unimpressed brow at Kaeya. The said-captain then let go of Friskies and raised his hands up mid air.
"They're all yours." He teased his older brother.
"Quiet." Diluc groaned, not having a proper mood for his teases as he went over to Friskies with a rather concerned look. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry Master Diluc, I'm okay." They reassured him calmly. He suddenly held their chin and looked at them carefully.
"Okay, I believe you." He said and let go. Kaeya just stood there with his own jaw dropping now at such a gesture.
"And now it's YOUR turn to keep your mouth shut, else a pebble will choke you to death." Diluc said, forcing his step brother's mouth to close before heading behind the counter to clean up for the evening.
"Oh, how rude." Kaeya scoffed before looking back at Friskies. "Seeing as you're safe, I shall take my leave. Will you follow?"
"I'll pass, I wanna help Master Diluc clean up.... as an apology for getting into a fight like that." They said. He nodded and turned to leave, waving a hand at them. They watched him walk out the door before turning to Diluc.
"Hey, I'm gonna clear out the tables, hm?" They told him. He gave a casual nod and let them go on ahead to clean the bar.
A couple minutes have passed and the place is now pretty much well cleaned up. Friskies has just finished loading the last glasses to Diluc as he went to put them all away. His eyes then darted towards the pup in front of him before going over to them.
"I must thank you again for helping me with that treasure hoarder. If it weren't for you, I feel you'd have blood to clean, and me paying for a session for your therapy...." Diluc thanked them a bit weirdly.
"It's no problem, Master Diluc. I'm glad to have helped." They smiled softly. His eyes then went to their face and noticed their disheveled appearance. He gently brushed their bangs to the side to neaten it up and paused.
"Is something wrong...?" The pup asked, ignoring the fact they're blushing now. The man in front of them furrowed his brow.
"When did he bang your head?" He suddenly asked, gently placing a thumb on a red bruise on Friskies' forehead. They paused, not saying anything.
"Was this perhaps way before your fight, Friskies?" He asked, looking down at them.
"I... hit my head on the way out of the shed. I heard noises and I got worried." They lied through their teeth, not wanting to tell him they were hitting themselves on his shed for not wanting to feel feelings for him.
"I see... and you bumped it enough times to make such a mark? I'm surprised I haven't noticed until now." He quipped.
"It was a pretty hard hit." They said, looking away nervously. To their surprise, a warm pair of lips pressed against the injury, but this time, it stayed for a bit longer than it should. As soon as it left, Diluc looked down at them again.
"Better?" He asked. They gave a small nod.
"Good," he said, slowly holding their cheek. "because I still want to show my thanks for helping me tonight. You really didn't have to."
"...Master Diluc." Friskies sighed, looking up at him. "I wanted to. I didn't mind at all."
"Yes but, such good efforts like that must be rewarded, no?" He hummed, leaning down to their level. They could feel his breath against their face, his hot and warm breath.... they bite their lip shyly as they continued to look at him.
"Mhm..." They nodded. With the same hand that was holding their face, Diluc suddenly used his thumb to pull their bottom lip away from their teeth. Friskies then started blushing at his gesture.
"You don't want a bruised lip like mine now, would you?" He said, reminding them of the slap they gave him earlier. They gulped and looked away from him.
"I'm... still willing to.... treat it." They stumbled, feeling their heart racing like crazy. The feeling was starting to rise up again, and no matter how much they tried, it just wouldn't stop. Diluc slowly pushed them over to a corner and continued to look at them.
"Then, shall we?" He asked gently, now feeling his own face turning a shade of red. Friskies looked past him and towards the front door and saw it was already locked and looked back at him.
"Right..." They said, now moving their face closer to his, with Diluc leaning in as well. The pup couldn't get any closer again, like it was on instinct, but the redhead persisted and finally placed his lips against theirs.
His lips tasted of grapes and sweets with a hint of iron... theirs tasted like the drink they had previously drank. It was awkward and stiff but it didn't last long as Diluc pulled away slowly, his face burning red. Friskies matched with his shade of red. Their lips were still slightly parted as it was already trying to adjust to the shape of his lips. He then looked over at them.
"That feels better..." He said casually. "Now, time for my proper thank you... if you let me."
Friskies gently placed their hands against the wall as they leaned back, contemplating on what they should do next.... they didn't want to stop, but they were scared as to where this may lead.... slowly, they lifted their head up to look at his face.
"Promise me... you won't hurt me?" They asked. He was rather surprised by such a question, but he assumed it's because they're not used to him being quite... gentle. As gentle as a Diluc can be. He held their face in his hands and nodded once. With that confirmation, they leaned in towards each other and began to kiss once again, but this time, with no barriers or boundaries keeping them apart. The first kiss was stiff and awkward, the second one, not so much, but it was starting to fill up with a feeling both of them never felt. Friskies slowly inched closer, trying to fight off the urge to keep their distance from him. This was what they wanted. A genuine kiss without feeling disgusted. Diluc on the other hand gently wrapped an arm around their waist and pulled them closer to his body. With this, they raised their hands up to hold his shoulders and continued the kiss.
It was a bit longer than the first, but it still ended as quickly as it began. They looked at each other with an expression they couldn't explain.... it felt similar to desire.... but it was softer.... more muted. They both leaned back in for another kiss, as if it's the only logical thing to do, or perhaps the only thing to do right now as Diluc's hand reached to lock the backdoor in case anyone was gonna interrupt their moment. What kind of moment, that's something he doesn't know, and he's sure even Friskies doesn't know the answer either, but they both responded to their needs to kiss right then and there as if telepathically.
With both being rest assured no one will disrupt them, Diluc slowly pushed Friskies further into the wall as the kiss became a bit more heated. His hands that were strictly holding their face, slid down and to hold their waist, their bare and open waist. Friskies felt the texture of his gloves on their body and it almost made them weak as thoughts of his own bare hands touching their skin raced their minds, but they shut it down quickly. Slowly they snuck their arms around his neck and allowed it to rest there as the kiss kept going. They don't know why neither of them has stopped or if they want to stop at all, but they don't. Not yet.
They pulled away to get some air in, but just went right back into it. It was almost like they both had a desire they never felt before and they both wanted to feed into it before it disappeared. Friskies could feel Diluc's tongue suddenly poking their lip, indirectly asking them if they'd like to do this. Nervously, they slipped their tongue out in return and the two tongues started to poke around with each other, clearly not knowing what to do. It became slightly awkward and they had to pull away again to not make it worse. They looked at each other, taking inhales and exhales as Diluc kept his forehead against theirs. He noticed Friskies' breathing was more frantic than his so he gently held their cheek against and caressed it.
"Easy.... easy...." He gently cooed. "Was I too hasty?"
"No.... Not at all...." They said, continuing to catch their breath. "I just.... didn't expect it. I didn't think the kiss was gonna be so..."
"...yeah." He mumbled in an awkward tone. This was his first kiss and he wasn't sure how to feel about it, or the fact that he willingly gave that up to thank someone. But to him.... it just felt right. His hand continued to linger on their cheek until they were breathing slowly and carefully. He took his hand away and sighed.
"I assume you're okay now?" He asked.
"Mhm... thank you Master Diluc." They said, looking away shyly. He stared down at the pup with a curious expression. The way they kissed felt... a little too foreign for someone who claims they have never been in a relationship before.
"Have you.... had your first kiss already?" Was the first thing he asked. It was a dumb one but he doesn't think someone with no experience should be that naturally good. The pup looked away bashfully and almost.... ashamed?
"Yeah.... but that's all I'll tell you." They said blankly. He nodded, noting to himself that this may be a more sensitive topic and will reserve it for when they get closer. Are they even close? The most they've ever done together was just taking care of the bar, but even those days were more silent than not. His personal relationship with them was still unclear to him, but he could tell it was more than just being well-acquainted with each other. He stood up straight and fixed himself and his posture.
"We should head off now." Diluc said, now collecting himself. Friskies nodded and hugged themselves a bit, realizing now how exposed they are to him. It was embarrassing... but Diluc didn't seem to mind or care about it at all. He simply unlocked the backdoor and led the two of them outside.
"I'll see you tomorrow....?" Friskies said.
"Very well... I'll see you tomorrow." Diluc nodded. They leaned close for a moment, but then stopped and went the other direction, waving him goodbye.
"Night, Master Diluc!"
"Good night, Friskies."
...
Friskies could feel their heart thumping so loudly... that kiss... it felt too good and intoxicating. It felt amazing. HE felt amazing... their mind kept reversing back to when they kissed for the first time and it made them hot and bothered... a feeling they haven't felt before. They were feeling so much for that man and they only kissed, how much more will any other shenanigans make them feel? Will it even happen again at all? They held their hands to their chest as tears welled up.
"I.... I can't believe I'm falling in love..."