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i.
The first time was unintentional, it slipped from her lips like his name would at any given time, soft and gentle, carrying the same tenderness Amber would to everything concerning him.
Diluc had just come back from his shift at Angel’s Share, wishing for nothing more than a hot bath to cleanse the sweat and the stench of alcohol that a drunkard had accidentally poured on him. When he stepped inside, he did not expect to see Amber laying on her stomach on the red sofa, naked feet swaying in the air as she laughed from something Hillie had said by the fireplace.
The moment she noticed his presence, she smiled and asked: “How was your day, sweetheart?”
And Diluc could only stand by the door, staring at her.
It took a few seconds of silence for Amber to realize what she had said and for Diluc’s tired brain to both seize the message and interpret it word for word. Then, before he could say anything, Amber stood up from where she was lying to hastily put on her boots.
“Master Diluc, welcome back!” She exclaimed, voice tinged with a slight panic. “I-I— How was your shift? I will, um, I was just passing by! I’m going now!”
In less than a minute, Amber bowed to both Hillie and Moco, who were stifling their laughter, and chuckled bashfully at Diluc before storming out the door, heading to… somewhere, she probably didn’t think that far from the doorstep.
Diluc wasn’t sure how to feel, but he ignored the maids’ unsubtle gazes as he went upstairs to change. Inwards, he wished he and Amber didn't start their relationship in secrecy, then he thought about what Amber called him and paused in the middle of taking his clothes off.
The more Amber’s easy smile and loving voice repeated in his mind, the more the name sounded… right.
ii.
The second time was most certainly intentional; though Diluc was sure he wasn’t supposed to hear it. It happened when he was to hand in the documents Jean had requested at the Favonius Headquarters, something about the Fatui activity in Mondstadt over the years.
Diluc was passing by the library, suppressing his dissatisfaction as he noticed there weren't any guards posted at the entrance, when he heard the unmistakable voice of Amber exclaiming: “Oh, but he is!”
Followed by Lisa’s: “I don’t believe you, cutie.”
He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but Amber’s voice was brimming with excitement, he couldn't help being curious.
“My boyfriend’s a real sweetheart and every day I ask Barbatos how I’m so lucky!”
How was she able to say this stuff with ease? Diluc put a hand on top of his mouth to try and stop his lips from smiling.
“And when are you planning to tell me who your sweetheart is?” Lisa said with a voice that was clear she knew more than she let on. While Diluc has learned to be weary, Amber, of course, wasn’t used to spotting the layers Lisa would blend in her speech.
It was impressive how Amber managed to be as suspicious of Kaeya as she was now, though perhaps Kaeya sets her off on purpose.
“When he’s ok with it, I don’t want to force anything.”
Diluc could almost see Amber shrugging, even though he knew how much she’d like to be honest with her friends. Sometimes he wonders how someone can be as understanding and patient as Amber is.
“Is he the one listening behind our door right now?”
This was Diluc’s cue to do what he came here to do in the first place. He did not wait to hear the sound of boots getting closer; Diluc rushed to the stairs and, a second later, the library door opened wide.
“There’s no one here, Lisa!”
If Jean noticed the way Diluc’s cheeks were painted red from his hurried pace and a little embarrassment, she didn’t say a thing, bless Barbatos. However, Diluc would refrain from imagining what she would think of the situation, seeing that he’s well-aware of the stack of romance books in her drawer.
iii.
Third time’s the charm, they say, but Diluc had been charmed for years.
It happened during Windblume, when, without noticing, Amber and Diluc were set against each other during Floral Pursuit. To be fair, Diluc was still baffled Kaeya managed to convince him to join by repeating “You don’t want to disappoint the children!”—pointing at Bennett, who wasn't even looking at them—and “But think of the elders opinion on Mondstadt second most popular bachelor!”—it took every ounce of patience for Diluc to not spill he wasn’t a bachelor anymore.
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to participate in the event, especially when the prize was the freshly crafted claymore Wagner was flaunting.
From the other side of the room, Diluc noticed Amber waving at him, then smiling and waving with more enthusiasm to someone who was on the bench beside him, probably Collei who came for a visit. Diluc would normally tune out the interaction not to lose his focus, but he noticed a change in the way Amber shifted her gaze at him, with a sharper smile that made his heart speed akin to a prey.
Better to distract his thoughts to something else, not only because they were under the eyes of half the population of Mondstadt but, also, because he’s just as competitive as she is.
The one to sound the bell was, surprisingly, the Traveler. Soon Diluc took out his claymore as Amber raised her bow, a quiver filled with arrows equipped with grappling hooks. Although the crowd cheered at her, thinking Amber would be at advantage by popping the balloons from afar, there were many obstacles such as walls and bookshelves that made her run from side to side to have a better aim.
In this regard, Diluc chose to make use of how well he knew the building of the Favonius Headquarters. He set a path to optimize his cutting of balloons as much as possible, swinging his claymore in a circle to pop those who were at an open area before any hooks could get to them.
When the second bell rang, Diluc and Amber ran to the next chamber, both accessing how they could enhance their own plans and ignoring the cheers and unnecessary tips the crowd was yelling at them.
It was relieving—and, most of all, fun—to be in the same vicinity without fear of laying their relationship in the open. More than once, Diluc was almost hit by a stray arrow, that he suspected wasn't all that stray when, as soon as he glared back, Amber was gazing at him with an innocent smile on her lips, like she wasn’t deliberately trying to wipe out her competition. Well, Diluc couldn’t say it didn’t turn the game more interesting, and he did knock out a shelf or two to block out her view—"accidentally”, of course.
All is fair in love and war, or so they say. Diluc didn’t care much as long as Amber continued to smile after another arrow threatened to pin him against the wall, or how she murmured a string of curses when Diluc threw his claymore ahead to cut the last row of balloons in the room.
Third signal of the bell, time for the last chamber.
The door opened to a faux labyrinth made of the same shelves, tables and wooden panels as the previous rooms, the difference was the Knights of Favonius posing as monsters, with permission to shoot paint at the contestants to color them out of the competition. Although the challenge of moving stealthily favored Amber the most, Diluc tried to keep up by mapping out his path and moving as efficiently as possible.
It worked surprisingly well until he reached the stairs on the other side, crouched down behind a broken table. Diluc was about to move and climb it when he heard a “Stay still!” that didn’t fit a guard’s voice, but made him stiffen up regardless.
There was a pressure on his back, as if someone was resting their elbow just above a shoulder blade, and soon the smell of strawberries filled his nose when Amber’s long hair swayed down from where she was standing directly above him.
Her arrow— arrows, she shot two at the same time!—made a loud sound as it pierced the upstairs balloons in quick succession. Despite the feeling he was sure to lose the game, Diluc couldn’t help but be impressed by her skills.
Amber’s chest was heaving behind him, trying to catch her breath from running and shooting for the past minutes.
“Thanks for the support, sweetheart,” she whispered in his ear, hot breath making his skin crawl.
Diluc had to make an even harder effort to distract his mind as he went to receive the consolation medal, while Amber received both her prize and a tight hug from Collei to congratulate her for the win. If it meant he’d hear her voice that confident again, Diluc wouldn’t mind losing more often.
iv.
The first person to know about their relationship wasn’t Lisa nor Kaeya, though he brags he found out rather early. It was, against all odds, Charles.
To give credit where credit is due, Diluc admits he wasn’t exactly subtle to express his affections the first year when Amber was in Angel’s Share. He’d be way less annoyed these days, which was impressive Charles noticed given how none of the regular patrons did, and he thought the quick touch of fingers whenever he handed Amber a drink was sufficiently discreet.
“She stares at you like you’re the only person in the room, boss.” Charles laughed when they were finishing the cleanup for the day. “If any other girl looked at you like this, I know for a fact you would kick them out in no time.”
Charles wasn’t wrong, but Diluc still asked Amber to tone down her staring later.
In response, Amber pouted, of course she did. She argued it wasn’t fair to avoid looking at him when it was Diluc who couldn’t stop glaring at her for months before she gave in and confronted him, thinking it was his way of expressing his distaste, which led to the most awkward confession scene and, later, the most romantic kiss Diluc ever had.
Not that Diluc had much to compare, but how would he describe it if not romantic, because everything is romantic when it’s with the person you’re in love with.
“Fine!” Amber exclaimed, poking him on the cheek. She was sitting on his lap while Diluc finished checking the reports for the Dawn Winery production that month, which would be distracting if Amber also didn’t have reports of her own to write down. “Oh, the things I do for you, sweetheart.”
Diluc suddenly couldn’t concentrate on the numbers anymore.
Amber hummed as she reviewed her last paragraph, reading it out loud so as to see if it needed changes, then nodding along as if agreeing with her own words. It was cute and even more distracting.
“Are you done?” Amber asked him. Her eyes were round and had the color of the fireplace, warm and inviting. “Diluc?”
“Hum?” Diluc blinked, trying to remember what he was doing and why Amber was waving a hand in front of his face. He wouldn’t get any more work done for today, it seemeed. “Yeah, I’ll finish in the morning.”
“Oh?” Amber tilted her head, moving the hand back to her lap. “You never leave work for the next day.”
“It’s not everyday I have you by my side.” Diluc hoped it was enough to distract her from how much she messes with his heart.
Amber chuckled. “You’re very sweet, you know that?” How was he able to compete with that? Amber looped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss on his cheek. “If you’re done for today, does it mean we can rest early?”
“You don’t want to stay here a little longer?” Diluc wrapped an arm around her waist, ready to lift her when he rose from the chair.
“Don’t think I don’t know about you being a night owl these past few days. C’mon, let’s regulate this sleep schedule of yours, mister.”
As if on cue, Amber suppressed a yawn, and it was only by an immense willpower Diluc didn’t accompany her. He was probably more tired than he noticed.
While climbing the stairs to his room with a sleepy Amber in his arms, Diluc wondered if perhaps he should talk to Adelinde about her sharing sensitive information with Amber, but given how Amber came to sleep with him more often when Adelinde let her know how much Diluc was spending the night away… well, he should still talk to her. His side job wasn’t something he wished his lover to be involved with, no matter how capable and trustworthy she was.
v.
“So, what do you think?” Amber asked. She spinned slowly wearing a long, deep red-wine dress with white billowed sleeves. When she turned around, she looked like someone who would have attended one of the numerous parties Crepus had hosted at Dawn Winery, which was a conflicting thought when Diluc was used to seeing her covered in leaves and dirt from coming back from patrol.
“I like the blue one better.” Collei was accompanying them in search of a dress. She wrote down something about this dress, probably to draw it later. “I like the way the glitter looks like little stars.”
“Agreed!” Amber clapped her hands. “What do we think about the green one again?”
Collei flipped some pages back. “It was ‘way too plain’ and also needs adjustments on the waist to fit you better. Oh, but if you want to, maybe I can sew it…”
“No need, dear.” Amber smiled at her, taking some steps closer to pat her head akin to a child. Under her caress, Collei blushed. “You’re already making Fischl’s outfit from scratch, I couldn’t possibly take more of your time.”
“It—It’s not—“
“So, the blue one?” Amber looked at Diluc when she asked, who was just sitting on the bench counting how long they could ignore his presence.
Diluc nodded, then muffled a yawn with his closed hand. He didn’t have a clue that choosing a dress would take so long. Whenever he needed new clothes, he would send his measurements to a tailor along with a basic request of color and fabric, then the tailor would do the hard work of coming up with a reasonable piece that Diluc never really bothered with the appearance.
Now, as he exited the store with a bundle containing the three-hour-long-to-be-chosen dress, he wondered if it was just a special occasion, or if Amber usually took this much time choosing what to buy.
“It’s a very special occasion,” Amber explained to him not even a minute later. She hugged Collei after saying their goodbyes, reminding her she could always ask for help if the dress Fischl wanted turns out to be too complicated, then turned back at Diluc with a glint in her eyes. “It’s our first Windblume officially as a couple, excuse me if I want to look pretty.”
“You're always pretty,” Diluc said, absent-mindely. Amber elbowed him. “What? You can call me with a term of endearment but as soon as I give you a compliment you’re shy all of a sudden?”
“Term of endearment?” Another voice rang from Diluc’s left side, the opposite from where Amber was holding to his arm, muffling her laughter. “Guess I underestimated how intimate you were if you’re already using pet names.”
Without waiting for acknowledgement, Kaeya looped an arm around Diluc’s shoulder, pressing him down to smile at Amber from behind his back.
“Hi Kaeya.” Amber couldn’t keep the smile from shaping her vowels. “Would you mind not teasing my boyfriend?”
Hearing her say this out loud, Kaeya lets out a laugh and Diluc almost wishes to disappear inside the sack of clothes along with the dress.
“But it’s so much fun! Wouldn’t you say so, Outrider?”
“Well, it’s fun when I do it.” Amber relented. A second later, she blinked at him. “How’s our Chief Alchemist?”
The effect is immediate as Kaeya stops smiling. “What about him?”
“You see, Sucrose told me some interesting things that happened at the lab the other day, I was wondering if you knew something about—”
“I get it, I get it.” Kaeya backed off with both hands up. He quirked up a brow, the tips of his lips slightly up. “I see, the rabbit learned how to bite back at long last.”
“That’s why we have teeth, isn't it?” Amber winked. Her arm was still looped around Diluc’s when she pressed against him. “Tell Albedo and Klee I said hi.”
“Of course,” Kaeya obliged. “Don’t forget to send Adelinde my regards.”
“Will do.”
One more time, Amber waved down the street as Kaeya strolled away from them. When she turned to look at Diluc, he was staring intently at her.
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Since when do you talk to Kaeya like this?” It was Diluc’s time to be impressed by her—and he would never get enough of this feeling. He still remembered when Amber wouldn’t stand Kaeya’s antics, toning down her complaints when Diluc was around but stating them openly to the Traveler when they were paired for scout missions together.
“Since I spent a day with our little Spark Knight and learned more about him than you could ever imagine.” Amber had a smile on her face, a genuine one, like that information was something that changed her view of Kaeya completely.
“Mind to share?”
“This is something you’ll have to learn by yourself, sweetheart.” Riding on her confidence, Amber poked Diluc on the nose, her smile changing to become gentler. “One day I wish you and Kaeya would have a proper conversation.”
Diluc looked at her, the words to ask her not to use ‘sweetheart’ and ‘Kaeya’ so close to each other dying out as he realized maybe, after years of reluctance, he felt himself calm enough that this conversation could actually happen in the near future. For now, Diluc had other things to worry about, but, with the proper support, he could think work to make it happen.
“Let’s see.” He didn’t mimic her happy laughter, but he has the littlest smile as they stride down back to Dawn Winery.
After closing the door, Diluc was about to call Adelinde to iron out Amber’s dress (even though she said she’d do it herself, Diluc has seen the hidden pile of shirts she accidentally burned with an iron), when one word stood out in his mind. How easily did Amber call him sweetheart … it did have a nice ring to it.
+1
Windblume is as noisy and crowded as ever, but everything is worth it to see Amber dancing in her blue and white dress, with little sparkles twinkling like constellations on a dark blue sea. Her smile when Bennett attempts to spin her is large and bright enough to obfuscate the festival decorations, and Diluc is sure he isn’t the only one that’s transfixed by her.
She’s beautiful, Diluc can’t shake the thought out of his head, she’s always beautiful. Especially when the sunlight showers down on her, making her eyes flicker like an electric switch, dripping yellow like molten gold.
Diluc takes a deep breath, holding the box he’s been carrying for some time tighter in his grasp. Although he worries he icing will melt with so much heat from the air and his own fingers, he can’t interrupt their dance, not when the children—though Bennett, Fischl, Collei and Razor can’t be considered children anymore after their growth spurt—asked ‘Miss Amber’ so politely.
No, Diluc isn’t disappointed they didn’t ask him to join their dance. In fact, it’s better they didn’t. Diluc wouldn’t know where to place his feet after years without properly practicing his ballroom steps, though it probably wouldn’t matter when faced with how Bennett trips over his feet more often than not. Both Fischl and Razor end up catching him from time to time, equal parts worried and amused. Then, there’s Amber and Collei doing something with their hands that looks less like a dance and more like a handshake…
“Having fun?” Kaeya says by his side like he has always been there, hands behind his back as if to flaunt his impeccable uniform.
In a way, Diluc already expected his presence here. He agrees, shaking his head.
After a second of silence, Diluc eyes him from the side, noticing how Kaeya makes an effort to keep looking ahead instead of at him.
“Yes. And you?” It sounds colder than he intended to. Diluc forces his shoulders to relax and clears his throat. “How have you been?” He asks in a softer voice.
This time, Kaeya turns to him with apparent surprise. “Never thought you’d be asking this to me, brother.” Judging by the smile on Kaeya’s face, Diluc guesses he must be making a face. “I’m fine,” Kaeya continues.
“I was wondering if—“
The way Kaeya looks at him is so intense Diluc almost loses his courage. He takes a deep breath, looking to the side before he starts the sentence again. When his eyes look up, Diluc sees Amber smiling at him, soon turning to spin Fischl around.
The first step is always the hardest one.
“If you’re available this Saturday night,” Diluc says in a rush, the words coming one on top of the other, “you could come by for dinner.” While it didn’t have the best enunciation, the invitation is finally out in the open.
Diluc lays down his walls for quiet seconds and hopes for the best.
“This Saturday…” Kaeya stretches an hm-ing sound, which makes Diluc almost regret asking. “I’m, how did you say, available.”
With the way Kaeya smiles, Diluc can almost hear quotation marks in his voice, but ignores it in favor of the relief that washes over him.
“What time?”
“Is eight alright?”
“It’s perfect,” Kaeya says, and Diluc lets himself smile for the first time since he stepped on the main plaza.
“I will see you soon then.”
The conversation would be over by now, but Kaeya probably had other things in mind as he took Diluc's wrist, the one that had been holding on to the little box.
“This will melt if you stay here too long.” With a flick of his own wrist, Kaeya sends a wave of Cryo energy that envelops the package in a mimic of a small, portable refrigerator. It wouldn’t hold on forever, but it was enough to last until Diluc sits down somewhere cooler.
“Thank you,” Diluc manages to say, but Kaeya is quick to wave him off.
“Don’t mention it.” Then, after a small moment, “I’m happy for you.”
Before Diluc could respond, Kaeya already merged back in the crowd, going back to his duties as Cavalry Captain to oversee the festival. More than relief, Diluc allowed the smallest of hopes to mend his relationship with his brother as well.
His distraction was such that he doesn’t realize when Amber stands in front of him, with a thin layer of sweat covering her skin due to the exertion of dancing nonstop with the teens.
“So, how did it go?” She asks him, head tilted and the gentlest smile on her face. The lights frame her like a halo, and, for a moment, Diluc isn’t sure she’s real.
It is only after Amber touches the side of his arm that Diluc comes back to Mondstadt. “I have something for you,” he says instead of answering, for this isn’t a subject he’d like to tackle on this particular day. They, him and Kaeya, have time, and some things are better to be taken slowly and with care.
“You didn’t have to!” Amber exclaims. “I know it was you who placed the earrings on my desk yesterday, you always give me so much…”
“Do you like them?” Diluc interrupts.
Amber places her left hand on the small blue gemstones hanging from her ear. “I do.”
“Then I’m happy to give you much more.”
Her eyes lit up like small flames. “I swear, you—”
“Can you accompany me, sweetheart?” Diluc says before he gets sidetracked with their bantering. He is quick to start walking, both because this word, this pet name, doesn’t sound as natural on his mouth as it does when Amber is the one saying it, and also because he is, admittedly, hesitant to see her reaction.
With a delay of five seconds—Diluc counted them—, he hears Amber’s footsteps tapping behind him. Occasionally, her voice would greet one or other person, but they keep walking further away from the crowd in the direction of the plaza in front of the Favonius Cathedral, where Diluc knows there aren’t many people at his hour. The common time for lovers to confess their feelings is near the sunset, and it’s early enough there’s only the two of them, the Statue of Barbatos and the midday Sun.
“Diluc,” Amber calls him, cessing her steps. “If you’re going to confess, I think it’s a bit late for that.”
“What do you mean?” Diluc turns to her, his heart clenching like a fist inside of him.
“I mean you know I love you and I know you love me back.”
Again, how many times will Amber be able to pull this off so easily, to make him aware of his heartbeat pulsing fire in his veins every time she says the most beautiful things as if it were effortless to do?
Diluc tries not to think about how this is the first time they say ‘I love you’ to each other, he cannot let his whole plan derail before he manages to say everything he planned… even though it seems it will be much more difficult than he’d anticipated.
“I wanted to thank you.”
Finally, this time, Amber looks at him with surprise on her face.
Indeed it is less romantic than it would be at nighttime, perhaps surrounded by grapevines and the light of oil lamps as Diluc initially intended, but Venti had babbled on his ear for weeks about how Windblume had this centuries-long tradition of tying lovers together as they shared their love to the winds until, well, here they are.
“Amber,” Diluc starts. His gaze follows how the Sun shapes her silhouette, makes her dress glitter as if she herself were part of the sky. It’s breathtaking. “Archons, I’m so lucky to have you by my side I don’t even know what to say.”
There goes his hard-crafted speech. Diluc would mourn if Amber didn’t look like she was about to cry.
“You always say I gift you too much, but… I was hoping you would accept one more.” Diluc slowly reveals the small package, offering it to her. “It’s something I, uh, I made myself, like when you sewed me a new glove to hold Dawn and when you rummage through my coats to fix holes I never noticed existed.”
“Your side job asks too much of your heavy coats, you know,” Amber lets out a weak laugh. There are already tears in her eyes even before she takes the little box with trembling hands. “A cake?”
She looks at him with round eyes, a pair that contain all the glitter and all the gold. Diluc can’t help but cup her face and trace the curve of her right eye with his thumb.
Gently, these hands are always gentle with her.
“You like strawberries, don’t you?” Diluc whispers, taking a step closer to her. “You like them sweet, and you always call me—”
“Sweetheart. ”
“Yes.”
Amber closes her eyes, a single tear running from the edge of her eye and falling right at the tip of Diluc’s thumb. When she opens them again, it’s like Diluc can see the depths of her feeling, the love she declared out loud before it starts spilling wordlessly.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, pressing her face against his palm. “I think this is my favorite gift.”
“You are my most precious gift,” Diluc says back, bending forward to press a kiss on her forehead.
They stay like this, watching the Sun slowly descend, softening its rays while letting an orange glow shine down on them. Diluc counts their breaths, because heartbeats are too fast to keep track of, and finds himself smiling when Amber takes her other hand around his waist to tighten their hug.
“Oh, it’s going to melt!” Amber shouts after a minute, lifting the box with both hands to inspect the state of the cake.
Diluc looks down at her and opens a smile. “I wouldn’t mind baking you another if we stay here a little longer.”
“But I don’t want the first sweet my sweetheart made me to go to waste.” Amber gets on her toes, pressing a hand on Diluc’s chest to reach his lips with a kiss. Her smile carries all the warmth the Sun had left with them. “Let’s share?”
And Diluc, cheeks burning as if he had been kissed for the first time, says yes.