Second Lead Syndrome || Diluc R. x Reader

Red

Donna shuts the door behind her as she enters Y/N's infirmary room. She suddenly turns to Y/N, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

"Was that Diluc?!" She exclaims and Y/N nods. "He looked so tired. Maybe I should make him something...." She wonders out loud, muttering to herself.

Y/N deadpans at the brunette. "Um, do I get a hello?"

"Oh, right!" Donna hurries over to Y/N and places the pot of red flowers on the window ledge behind Y/N's bed. "I brought a get-better-soon gift. I suppose it's the least I can do for your help with tasting moonpies the other day and bringing me to the Dawn Winery."

Y/N puts on a smile though her mind is swirling with mixed feelings of guilt and relief. Now that Donna is standing here right before her, Y/N feels a little bad about getting so close with Diluc, but is partially relieved to finally tell Donna about the Wine-Tasting and get rid of these feelings for good. "Thanks, Donna. What flowers are they?"

"Red Dahlias. There weren't any other red flowers in stock and red is just such a beautiful colour..." Donna trails off before sighing. "Sorry, I guess I was thinking about Diluc while picking your flowers, too."

"It's fine." Y/N responds. "But speaking of Diluc, you're attending the Wine-Tasting Party this weekend, right?"

Donna nods fervently. "Of course I am! How could I not?!"

"Perfect, because I've never been before and I kind of want someone to go with me this year. If you take me, I can help set you up with Diluc." Y/N winks at Donna whose face immediately lights up with excitement.

Donna's hands fly up to her face. "You would do that?! Wait, you're still recovering. I can't possibly make you come along with me for a reason like that!" Donna hurriedly adds.

Y/N rolls her eyes. "Please, it's not like I'm going to be fighting anyone there. Plus, I don't want to be stuck in this Cathedral forever."

"Well, if you say so..." Donna hums before giggling like a schoolgirl. "Thank you so much, Y/N! To be honest, I was a little worried you and him were close and I was getting in the way..."

Y/N lets out a nervous laugh, guilt dripping from her voice. "Don't be ridiculous. We only became friends recently, anyway."

"Oh, you don't think he's a jerk anymore?" Donna says with surprise.

Y/N shrugs- well, tries to shrug from her position on the infirmary bed. "I guess there's a lot more to him than what meets the eye."

Donna smiles. "You can say that again. He's charming, and confident, and so pretty..." A dreamy look clouds over her eyes as she stares off into blank space.

Y/N surpresses a cringe as she clears her throat, pulling Donna back down to Teyvat. "Get your head out of Celestia. You've barely spoken to him a few times. We're going to make progress at that Wine-Tasting Party, okay?"

Donna nods determinedly. "I must get back to the flower shop, but I cannot thank you enough, Y/N. Come find me at the flower shop before the party and we can go together."

"Alright. It's a plan." Y/N waves as Donna leaves the infirmary room.

A frown replaces the smile on Y/N's lips as she chews on the inside of her cheeks. Don't be pathetic enough to be jealous. This was your idea, Y/N. She tells herself as she tries to ignore the heavy feeling in her chest. Y/N's eyes flicker to the Red Dahlia sitting in front of the stained glass window.

Red is a nice colour. It's just like you.

-----

Two days filled with visits from the Knights and various other people pass by. Y/N barely even recognized some of the people who visited, such as the mother whose son Y/N rescued from a group of hilichurls at one point or someone whose packages she once saved from going down a waterfall. Y/N didn't even realize she helped so many people on a regular basis until they all showed up to bring her gifts and wish her well.

Despite the many faces that have been keeping her company, the one person Y/N has been waiting to see still has not shown up. He must be really busy. The Wine-Tasting is tonight, afterall. Y/N lets out a sigh as she looks at the infirmary door longingly before shaking her head. "Gods, get a grip, Y/N." She mumbles. "Is this really how low you're stooping? Staring at the door waiting for him like some hopeless romantic."

To distract herself, Y/N turns to the pile of gifts all her visitors had left her. Y/N reaches down to pick up a small, wooden box that has been painted in glossy, black paint. Thankfully, her side no longer groans in pain when she moves around like this. Y/N opens the little box to see a small, silver necklace with a single, dainty ruby hanging from the middle. Now that Y/N thinks about it, Diluc has a similar gem on his tie.

Y/N clips on the necklace, struggling a bit without the help of a mirror. This feels expensive. I wonder how much this costs at Marjorie's shop usually. Y/N thinks as she looks down at the gem resting on her chest just below her collarbones. Some part of her feels more connected with Diluc this way, perhaps it's the colour or the fact they now have matching gems. In either case, Y/N can feel her insides twisting with uncertainty. I made the right decision to be Donna's wingwoman, right? Her mind races with thoughts of apprehension, guilt, and regret.

A rapping on the door pulls Y/N's mind back to Teyvat. Oh, is Barbara here to discharge me? Y/N wonders, eager to finally get out of the infirmary bed. "Come in."

To Y/N's surprise, a familiar stranger steps in. She wears a blue and purple leotard with dark stockings adorned in golden accents and a purple cloak over it. A large, indigo witch's hat sits on her head of two, long pigtails. Golden stars are scattered all over her hat.

"Y/N, right?" She says as she walks over.

"That's right. And you are...." Y/N hesitates, not being able to remember all the visitors she has had today.

"Astrologist Mona Megistus." She responds. "Goodness, how could you not remember me? You helped me finish all my work orders to pay off a debt, did you not?"

Y/N stares at her blankly before chuckling nervously. "D-Did I?"

Mona shakes her head. "No matter. I wasn't expecting you to remember me, anyway. The stars already told me you would forget."

"The stars?"

Mona takes a seat on the chair beside Y/N's infirmary bed and nods. "I'm an astrologer. The stars have led me to you today. I come to not only thank you for that day, but also gift you some compensation for that day you helped me out."

Y/N watches as Mona reaches into her bag and pulls out a shimmering crystal ball with a golden base. Mona places it on the bed next to Y/N.

Y/N's eyes light up with realization. "Oh, I remember you! I helped pay off your debt for that specific crystal ball!" She can barely recall their brief encounter from a year or two ago.

Mona smiles and nods. "Yes, you did. For that, I am very thankful." She states. "Which is why I'll be giving you a free reading. Of course, I don't just read people randomly. The stars have told me that you need a reading right now."

Y/N is a little skeptical of fortune-tellings or "readings" as Mona calls it. She firmly believes that a person creates their own futures and no star or planet or whatever can choose it for them.

Mona's eyes drift down to the rudy hanging from Y/N's neck. "That's new, correct?" Y/N nods in response. "Ruby; Passion, purity, and promotes spiritual well-being. You're going to need that very soon."

Y/N raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Excuse my brash language but," Mona looks at Y/N with a seriousness in her eyes. "Your life is about to be a shit-show."

-----

A/N: 

It's about to get real intense! We're entering a period of lots and lots of Diluc and Y/N moments (both good and bad 👀). Buckle up everyone this bitch is going into full throttle soon!

(sneak peaks of the next part on my tumblr https://boras-diary.tumblr.com/ )

-Bora 🌌