Clear Day in Mondstat II Jean x Diluc

Chapter 9: Diluc

Stupid. Diluc was so, so stupid that it amazed him how he was still alive. 

Last night, after Jean had left in her hurry, Diluc had sat there, shocked, trying to process everything that had happened. Just thinking about it now had his body flushed with heat. 

The slide and press of their mouths, the way Jean had molded their bodies together, how she felt around his fingers. Diluc's mind brought forth a picture of Jean leaning back on the countertop, eyes glazed over. 

Somehow, Diluc had collapsed into bed, barely bothering to change into nightclothes. He woke up this morning with an insistent headache and a sour taste in his mouth, but a feeling of elation.

Diluc was in his house in Mondstadt now, wondering if he should go find Jean. His heart pounded as he thought about talking to Jean and maybe continuing where they left off.

Something in his gut clenched when he thought about how Jean had avoided his gaze. Did she think he was repulsive, or did she regret doing... what they had done?

A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. Diluc sighed and opened the door, expecting Elzer or Connor to come and call him back to the Winery. 

"Looks like you're doing about the same thing I am," Kaeya strode past Diluc and flopped onto his couch.

"I- How did you even know where my house is?" Diluc asked, staring at Kaeya while still holding the door open.

"Eh. I asked around. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to find information about you. You're not exactly inconspicuous, you know." Kaeya reclined even further. 

Diluc blinked. What Kaeya said did hold some truth, even if Diluc was inclined to believe that most of the things that came out of Kaeya's mouth were lies. As the owner of the largest Winery in a city full of drinking culture, he was pretty famous, in his own way.

"Even if I admire how far you went to get to my house, I don't appreciate how you barged in so rudely without my permission." Diluc said firmly, gesturing towards the wide-open door.

"Shut the door. Relax, Diluc. It's not like I'm going to spread your address around town." Kaeya motioned with his hand.

"What do you want? I'm not interested in idle chit-chat." Diluc crossed his arms and shut the door. The breeze blowing in was getting a little cold. 

"I wanted to talk to you about Jean." Kaeya said. 

"I think that's the definition of 'idle chit-chat'," he frowned. 

"Obviously, something happened between you two," Kaeya continued, ignoring Diluc. "And I want to figure out what. Also, I want to help you with your romantic life, because clearly, you have no idea what to do."

"I have an idea." Diluc started. "That idea is called 'Get Kaeya out of my house and deal with my personal matters by myself'," Kaeya gave a snort.

"Please. Just recognize your feelings for Jean." 

Diluc sighed. It wouldn't hurt to admit his feelings for Jean, even if their relationship would most likely stay firmly in the 'friendship' category. 

"Maybe I have feelings for Jean."