Second Lead Syndrome || Diluc R. x Reader

Strangers

The horse neighing, shaking the reigns in his hands. The sounds of the horse's rapid trotting as it flees. The feeling of imminent danger looming over him like a cloud. The blood staining his hands and his gloves. His father's blood.

It's all too similar. It's all too reminiscent. It's all too real.

-----

The pouring rain completely drenched Diluc's clothes. His black, Knights of Favonius coat was heavy with water as the rain soaked all the way through his vest and white button-up. His snow white gloves were damp with his father's blood. The rain had diluted the deep, wine-coloured liquid into a sickeningly bright red. His hands shook as he felt the warmth slipping out of his father's body right beneath his palms.

His mind was racing yet blank, his thoughts and emotions passing by far too quickly for him to grasp anything. He felt as if he was paralyzed, devasted eyes locked onto his father. As much as Diluc wanted to do anything, absolutely anything, he couldn't. Like a mosaic depicting a sorrowful image, he was frozen in place. Time felt like it stopped for Diluc, yet time was scarce for his father. Time was slipping by far quicker than Diluc would have liked.

The first movement Diluc musteredc was to lift his hands. Turning his palms upward, his scarlet eyes met the scarlet of the blood. Far more blood than he expected.

The sound of the rain is all background noise as the world fades away. He can hear his name being called out by his brother who arrived with help. "Diluc!" The voice chants.

Two warm hands suddenly cup his cheeks, almost blazing hot against the coldness of the rain. The voice that was previously drowning in the background noise pierces through the air. The hands move down to his shoulders, giving him a good shake. "Diluc!"

Diluc's body screams at him to come back to reality. Where am I? What day is it? He desperately tries to pull himself out of his thoughts. He's aware that he has dissociated, but he can't seem to come back. Grass. The sounds of metal. The sunlight. A familiar smell. Y/N's soft scent of citrus. Y/N. "Y/N-"

"Move!" Y/N quickly pushes Diluc out of the way as the Ruin Hunter swings at them again.

Diluc groans as his back hits the ground, snapping him out of his trance. Y/N quickly gets off of him, her eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?"

Diluc blinks before nodding and getting up. "Yeah, sorry." He responds before readjusting his grip on his claymore.

Is he scared of blood? Y/N wonders before the Ruin Hunter interrupts, barrelling towards the two.

Tiny canons begin to rise behind the Ruin Hunter, lighting up before releasing small missles at the two.

Y/N quickly rolls out of the way, Diluc doing the same. The missles hit the dirt, shaking the ground around them. Diluc swings his claymore at the machine, causing it to let out a metallic groan.

Y/N quickly runs up behind Diluc. "Bend down!" She quickly shouts out, barely giving Diluc time to react before stepping on his back to boost herself up and stab her rapier directly into the front of the Ruin Hunter's "face". The lights go out as it falls to the ground.

Diluc quickly destorys the machine before it can "wake up" again, Y/N's thin rapier not being much help against this hunk of metal.

The two let out a breath of relief as the machine falls apart, defeated.

As soon as Y/N catches her breath, she turns to the red head who seems to be taking off his gloves while keeping his gaze locked on the sky above.

Y/N gently grabs his hands, examining the cut. "It seems shallow. Does it hurt?" She asks.