Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 25: Reunion

The door creaked open, and I carefully peeled my head inside. My heart was beating quickly already, but it began to race when I caught sight of familiar red hair.
I swung the door open fully, and froze. "Diluc?" I asked, tears threatening to fall.
Diluc was sat up in a bed, the blanket covering his legs. His hair was down, the curly red locks gathering over his shoulders. There was a clean bandage plastered over his wound. I remembered the arrow tearing through his flesh, and then surpressed the memory altogether.
He looked tired, his head turned towards the window. As soon as he heard me, he looked over to me, his eyes lighting up. His look of fatigue melted away, replaced with relief.
"Y/n, you..." he stopped, unable to find words. I stepped into the room, setting the box of pizza on a table at the side of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" I asked him, glancing at his bandage. He wore nothing to cover his chest, although I was positive his shirt was ruined anyways.
"I'm fine," he said, ignoring his obvious wound. "Are you okay? Did you get enough sleep? Are you hurt at all?"
"Thanks to you, not a scratch," I said, smiling. My smile disappeared when I remembered his condition, how close he came to death just to get me back. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" He asked, his face turning to concern. "There isn't a thing to be sorry for."
I glanced at his bandages again, and suppressed my tears. I began to tremble a little, remembering the crimson that poured onto the ground the night before. There was so much, I was sure he was going to die.
Diluc noticed my shakiness, and reached for my hand. He guided me closer, his face etched with worry. "Are you okay? Why are you shaking like that?"
"Diluc, I..." I sat down on the bed next to him, holding his hand shakily. "Do you even know how close to death you were?" A tear fell, I was unable to stop it this time. "I thought you were going to die. There was so much-"
"Blood?" He asked. Diluc brought his other hand to mine, running his fingers over mine. "But I'm okay. I'm right here."
"If I had reacted faster, if I had-"
"Nothing that happened was your fault," he said, looking up at me. "And don't you dare think otherwise."
I looked away, a tear rolling down my cheek freely. He brought his hand away from mine, wiping it away. "Please, don't cry for me," He said, straying from his stern tone.
I said nothing, my cheeks turning a little pink. He rested his hand on my face, turning me to look at him. My eyes hesitantly met his, my heart racing.
He leaned forward. For the first time, our lips met. My eyes widened in surprise, and then I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him. My cheeks were flushed, but I didn't care anymore.
We stayed like that for a moment, and he pulled away hesitantly. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, and he continued to wipe them away. "Why are you still crying?" He asked me, laughing slightly.
"Because I'm happy you're still here," I said quietly, wiping my tears away. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight, afraid to let go. "I was scared I would wake up, and you wouldn't be here. I'm scared that I'm just dreaming."
I felt him reach his hand to the back of my head, my ears twitching slightly in surprise. His fingers ran through my hair comfortingly, and he sighed in relief. "I'm glad I'm still here too, y/n."
"Diluc?" I pulled away for a moment.
He looked up to me, that small smile etched on his face. "Yes dear?"
I went red as he called me dear, and felt my stomach flutter. "Do... you want some pizza?"

I carefully guided Diluc down the steps of the cathedral, holding his hand in mine and the pizza box in my other hand. We went down step by step, and I looked across the courtyard past the Barbatos statue to see a lone bench. The same bench that we had sat on a few days prior.
Diluc's breathing was somewhat staggered as he went down the steps slowly. He wore a lose tunic that the cathedral kindly provided, and his hair was tied back once again.
"Almost down," I reassured him, taking him down another step.
"I feel slightly pathetic," he said jokingly, stepping down carefully. "Yesterday I could swing a claymore just fine," he laughed.
"It's crazy how much some things can change so quickly," I said. I remembered my vision, feeling the elemental energy that surged through it, although it was slightly muffled since it was in my pocket.
Once we were down the steps, we walked past Venti who was still performing for a crowd below the statue. He gave us a big smile, and continued to play his lyre. I was a little worried he was going to serenade us, but he left us to our pizza for the time being.
As we reached the bench, Diluc sat down and let out a sigh. "At least that's done with," he said, smiling at me.
"Nope, still got all the other steps in Mondstadt," I chuckled. "Are you sure you can go back to the Winery in that condition?"
He nodded as I set the box down and sat next to him. "I just need to get there and I'll be fine. Barbara said I just need to take it easy, change the bandage, all that."
"So you can't fight monsters for a bit?" I asked, opening the box. The smell of the pizza was enticing. "How do you expect to get there safely?"
Diluc thought for a moment, and then grabbed a piece of pizza. "I can't say I thought about that..." he took a bite, and smiled at me. "I guess you'll have to accompany me."
"Really?" I said sarcastically. "Didn't see that one coming," chuckling, I grabbed a piece of pizza and took a bite. "Of course I'll take you there, Diluc. It's the least I could do."
He was silent for a moment as he ate his food. "Thank you," he said, almost sounding apologetic. "I... hear that you got a vision? Or at least I remember something of the sort. The night is a little blurry for me."
I stayed quiet for a few moments. "Yeah, I did," I reached into my pocket with my free hand, pulling out the glass-like crystal. It glowed in my hand, the energy reverberating from it. "It's cryo," I said, eyeing the elemental symbol on the front.
It was cool to the touch, although not uncomfortably so. I ran a finger over the front of it, and carefully held it out for Diluc to see.
"May I?" He asked, his hand hovering over the vision.
I nodded. "Yeah, go for it."
He carefully set his hand on it, and picked it up. Turning it in his fingers, he studied it with curious eyes. "Visions truly are a gift, so long as their users are the same."
"Jean said that I should put an order in so I could have a holder for it," I said, unsure of what to pick. "I don't know if I should put it on a necklace, a belt, or what."
"I would say that a necklace might get in the way of your bow," he said, putting a finger to his chin. "But I'm not sure what else you should pick."
"I'll put the order in tomorrow," I said, Diluc handing the vision back to me. Putting it in my pocket, I watched the scenery. "I'll think about it until then."
We sat quietly for a few minutes until Venti finished his performance. I worried again he was going to serenade us, but was glad when he approached with his lyre put away. He waved, a big smile on his face.
"Hey y/n, Diluc!" Venti said cheerfully, Diluc waving back with less cheerfulness. "I'm sorry about what happened, I only heard this morning."
"It's alright," Diluc said, ignoring his injuries again. "Y/n is fine, that's all I could ask for."
"Don't forget about your injuries, Diluc," I said, rolling my eyes. I wished that he wouldn't think only about me, and could take the time to focus on his own health. "You were very lucky to survive, you know..."
"Speaking of, I hear someone got their very own vision," Venti said cheerfully. He sat next to me on the bench, poking my arm. "Come on, let me see it!"
"Okay," I said, rolling my eyes with a smile. I pulled it out of my pocket again. holding it out to him.
"Oh, cryo I see," Venti examined it. "So that's how you got it..." he said under his breath. I tilted my head and raised an ear, confused. Venti looked over and noticed my confusion, and raised his hand in reassurance. "Oh! It's just interesting, don't worry about it!"
"I'm very fortunate that I got it when I did," I said, thinking back to the previous night. "If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to keep Diluc stable long enough to get him help."
Diluc was silent, thinking over the night. Venti spoke up again. "So you can heal with it?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, something like that. It brought him back from the brink of death, but I don't know about healing like Barbara's."
"Well, you just have to practice!" Venti said, shrugging as well. "I told you that you'd get one, didn't I? Did I make a bet on it? I think I did, will you buy me some wine for it?" He said excitedly.
I laughed, putting the vision away. "Venti, I don't think I made any bets."
"Aw man, really?" Venti said, his tone calming down. "I'm just messing with you, I wouldn't actually make you buy me any..."
"Yes, you would," Diluc spoke up, smiling slightly. I was beginning to worry about how quiet he had been, but was relieved to see him talking again.
I looked down at the pizza box, that still had plenty left. "Say, Venti," Grabbing the box, I held it up to him. "Do you want some?"