Faded Harmony

Tender Smile

"Wine is never the solution. Besides, I thought Diluc hated it," said Lyra, as a drunk Diluc was pulled into her house by a surprisingly sober Kaeya.

"I made him."

She clicked her tongue with annoyance as she stepped aside, leaving way for Kaeya to enter and toss Diluc onto her bed. "How long until he wakes up?"

"Who can say?" said Kaeya, taking a seat on the bed and crossing his legs as he looked at Diluc. "Last time, he was out for three days. He's a lightweight."

"You're all insane," muttered Lyra, as Kaeya laughed and Diluc groaned in his sleep. "He's gonna have a killer headache when he wakes up."

"Give him some water," said Kaeya, waving away her concerns. "And maybe offer him a date. That should sober him up fine."

"Playing wingman?" Kaeya smiled in response and a comfortable silence fell between them as Lyra looked at Diluc, at how vulnerable he looked when he was asleep. She wondered if it was exhausting keeping a guard up all the time. "What's his favorite flower?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Lamp Grass," said Kaeya in a heartbeat. "They were our father's favorite too." Kaeya leaned back as Lyra took a seat on the chair. "I don't understand what you see in him."

"He's pretty nice. You and the Knights just get on his nerves too much."

"You're a Knight of Favonius too," said Kaeya, winking and leaving the house, without sparing them a backward glance. Lyra picked up a book from her bedside table, and continued from where she had left off. She was halfway through when Diluc stirred.

"Are you up?" she asked, realizing it was dawn. Sunlight began to enter through the windows.

"No," he said, throwing a hand over his eyes. Lyra got up and reached past him, pulling the curtains closed to block the direct sunlight. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down. "Sleep."

And muttering that, the wine took over and dragged him back to sleep. Lyra, whose heart rate had gone up, wondered how she would sleep like this, her head resting on his chest with his arm around her, but she had pulled an all-nighter, and exhaustion had other plans for her.

When she woke up, it was near sunset, and Lyra had a mini heart attack when she realized she hadn't reported for duty at headquarters. She looked around to see Diluc staring at her, a gentle smile on his face, and she wondered if he had decided to drop his guard around her.

"Morning," she said.

"Evening," he replied.

"How's your headache? Alright?"

"Alright. I've had worse."

"Please drink responsibly on your own premises," said Lyra, finding this situation more amusing than it should be. She sat up, letting her hair fall around her shoulders.

He gave her an exasperated smile, and she realized it was the most emotion she'd been able to coax out of him, and the realization tightened her heart, in a way she hadn't felt in years.

He pulled himself up, grabbing his coat and headed to the door. He glanced back and Lyra felt like a wife who was seeing her husband off on his way to work. "I'll see you later."

"Stay safe," she replied.

Later that evening, Lyra headed down to Cider Lake and sat down on its banks, watching the dandelion seeds dance over the lake. She didn't glance back even as she heard someone sit beside her, because the warmth told her exactly who it was.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on," she said, looking up at him to see the wind blow his hair.

"Have you been playing a charm on me all this time?" He sounded genuinely concerned and curious, and this absurdity was what had Lyra laughing, as Diluc watched with a bewildered expression.

"Of course not! I can only charm people through songs, and I don't think you've heard any of mine yet." Diluc nodded, satisfied, as he caught a dandelion seed in his hand, letting it float away from him. "How are you holding up?" asked Lyra, pulling the letter out of her pocket and turning it over in her fingers.

"Quite fine. I was simply caught off guard." He pulled off one of his gloves.

"Perhaps I should've warned you," she said. He gently coaxed the letter from her grip, the gentle brush of his fingertips against her own conveying words she wanted to hear. She watched as he started to fold the paper, confusion turning to amusement as she realized what he was turning it into. "A paper boat."

He nodded, and held out his hand to show her, the boat sitting on his palm. "I see no reason to keep something that has outlived its purpose." He stood up and she followed as he gently placed the boat in the water, letting it drift away on the lake. "Thanks for today."

"You're free to show up drunk on my doorstep anytime."

She caught the slightest of his winces and she laughed softly. He took her hand in his own, and squeezed it to show his annoyance, only causing her to laugh more and coax an exasperated smile onto his own face. Hand in hand, they walked into the city, leaving the boat drifting away behind them, dandelions floating around it.

~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: An abrupt ending, I know. I give my heartfelt gratitude to anyone who read this far. All views, comments and votes gave me life . Thank you.