Second Lead Syndrome || Diluc R. x Reader

Moonlit Nights

"Finally!" Y/N exclaims as the Wangshu Inn comes into view.

The sun had started to set long ago and barely a sliver of golden light is left in the sky. Y/N and Diluc are both exhausted from travelling the whole day. They've officially made it halfway to Liyue.

Y/N collapses onto the front desk of the Inn, resting her head in her left hand while her other hauls the baggage previously carried by their horse.

"Two rooms, please." Diluc states, unable to hide the tiredness in his voice.

The owner, Verr Goldet, who stands behind the front desk glances into her drawer with the room keys. "There's only one room left. I hope you two don't mind."

Y/N is too tired to care. "You have a room? Great, we'll take it."

Verr hands her the keys. "First room to the left." Diluc and Y/N nod and quickly thank her before trudging up the stairs.

Y/N unlocks the door and flicks on the lights. Her eyes widen as soon as she sees the room. An empty bookshelf is set in the corner of the room with a small lounge chair next to it. The tall lamp stands in the opposite corner next to a door leading to the bathroom. To the left of that door, is the bedside table and the double bed. The double bed. 

Y/N blinks. "There's only one bed."

"I'll just sleep on the floor." Diluc states, passing Y/N in the doorway and entering the room. The wooden panels creak under his feet.

Y/N feels a bad about leaving him to sleep on the floor, but she doesn't want to complain either. She shuts the door and walks over to the opposite side of the room, opening the windows to air out the room.

The cool, night breeze blows into the room gently. Y/N gazes at the purpling night sky slowly transitioning from sunset pink to a deep indigo. She takes a deep breath before collapsing onto the bed, eyes shut. She's so tired, she could fall asleep right then and there.

She can hear Diluc walk towards the bathroom beside her. "I'm taking a bath."

Y/N opens her eyes. "Alright. I can redress your wound after."

He hums in response before the bathroom door shuts behind him.

Y/N sits up in the bed, deciding to review the case details one last time before bed. She rifles through her things before her hand lands on something. Thinking it's the file, she pulls it out only to see the dreadful lilac-coloured envelope. The wax seal of the Fatui logo seems to taunt her the longer she stares.

Truthfully, Y/N has no idea why she packed it, but part of her felt that she didn't want to leave it in her house. Perhaps it can now serve as a painful reminder to not get too close with Diluc on this trip.

The sounds of the bathroom door opening causes Y/N to quickly shove the envelope back into her bag. She turns to face Diluc who's now dressed in just his black dress shirt with the first few buttons unbuttoned, pants, and socks. His wet and slightly messy hair is no longer tied in a ponytail, framing his face perfectly.

Y/N gazes at him with slightly wide eyes. Dear Barbatos, it must be illegal to be this pretty!

"Are you going to redress my wound, or just stare?" Diluc asks, repressing a smirk.

"A-Ah, right! Sorry." Y/N stammers, blushing ever so slightly. She reaches into her bag again for some bandages and quickly redresses his cut.

She gets up from the bed. "I'm going to take a bath as well." She says before grabbing a fresh set of clothes from her bag and heading to bathroom.

Y/N quickly shuts the door and gives herself a few light slaps. Why did you stare like that?! Are you embarrassing yourself on purpose?! She berates herself and fills up the tub. She sinks into the warm water as if to hide from her embarrassment. There's no way I'm going to survive this whole trip, is there? She sighs, leaning her head back against the wall of the tub.

After Y/N finishes washing up, she gets dressed in her usual white shirt and black pants. All her clothes have a similar style to them.

The room is dark when she steps out, the moonlight pouring into the room from the window is the only source of light. Diluc is laying on his jacket and a few cushions on the floor at the foot of the bed. Y/N swiftly gets into the bed, feeling a little guilty of having the double bed all to herself.

It's better than having to share with him, right? She tells herself as she shuts her eyes.

As tired as Y/N is, she can't seem to fall asleep. She listens to the soft chirps of the crickets from outside and the rustling of leaves as time ticks by. The late summer breeze cools down the room to a nice temperature. The bed is also quite comfortable. Despite the pleasant atmosphere, Y/N still can't fall asleep. She knows a part of her thinks it would be more pleasant if she wasn't alone.

Against her better judgement, she whispers out, "Diluc? Are you awake?"

"Hm?" He responds. "What is it?"

Y/N hesitates for a moment before saying, "You don't have to sleep on the floor. It sounds uncomfortable."

"I'd rather be uncomfortable than have you be." He whispers back.

Aw, how considerate if him... Y/N thinks, but doesn't dare say. "Well, we can both be comfortable." She shifts over to one side bed causing the mattress to creak and the sheets to shuffle very audibly.

"Would you be comfortable, though?"

"I just said yes." Y/N laughs lightly.

"Well, I guess it isn't the first time we've slept with each other." He mutters.

"Slept next to each other!" Y/N hisses in embarrassment. "Don't give someone the wrong impression!"

"There's nobody here to give the wrong impression to." He replies.

Though it's a little too dark to see clearly, Y/N can hear the sounds of him getting up and a figure moving in the dim moonlight. The mattress dips beside her and then she smells the familiar scent of grapes and wine.

She can feel warmth subtly radiating from Diluc on her left. Y/N turns to her right, partially to hide her blush- though it's too dark for anyone to notice anyway.

"Y/N?" Diluc whispers. She shivers at how close his voice is.

"Yeah?"

He doesn't respond for a moment. "Nothing, nevermind."

"What? You can't just leave me hanging." Y/N chuckles softly.

"Too bad. Go to sleep." He states.

"Ugh." Y/N light heartedly groans. "You're annoying."

"Go to sleep." He says again, but Y/N can hear the smile in his voice.

She can't help but smile too. "Fine, fine. Goodnight, Tomato-head."

"Goodnight, Tomato-face."

"T-Tomato-face?!" Y/N whisper-shouts.

He chuckles. "You blush so easily, you may as well be just as red as my hair."

"Whatever." Y/N grumbles, still light heartedly. Maybe this is okay just for now. I can at least enjoy the time I have left before I go. She shuts her eyes and this time, sleep comes to her much easier.

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A/N:

13K?! I literally blinked and missed the 10K mark!

Wth thank you guys so much! 💜

-Bora 🌌