|𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨|

𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝙀

it was her and him.

him and her.

maybe it was his breathing, or his thoughts, but he had felt many things towards her.

lust, love, things deeper than what he was supposed to feel for someone. and at times, he seemed to also hold anger towards the man that had given her his last name. but then again, she wasn't originally from mondstadt.

and that rather fact created conflicted feelings for him.

how was he supposed to know she existed? or that she was exactly this way? he only wanted to hold her close is all. that's how it started out.

but then it went from holding close, to him kissing her, to him making her his, to her screaming his na- he seemed to come back. he came back to reality.

though truthfully, he knew it was just the two of them. alone. maybe those thoughts he's had at night could come true, right here and now. but he knew she was a wedded woman, loyal to that of her husband.

he knew that.

yet, he couldn't help but feel, or rather see, the crude images of her against him. he was rather a horrible man for thinking those things, but he felt them towards her.

and he couldn't help but listen to her as she spoke, eyes trailing everywhere- in a respectful way, however.

"I'll be leaving now, master diluc. Kaz- keadehara should be arriving by now, so goodbye." she stood up, adjusting her clothing, and opening the tavern door.

"let me walk you."

"oh no! I wouldn't want that of your time, you seem busy." she smiled sheepishly, pulling at the stray piece of her hair.

"no let me, it would be the gentlemanly thing to do, yes?" she smiled, before nodding.

"I suppose so." she waited for him to come towards her, and then off they went.

as they walked the somewhat quiet streets of monstadt, diluc marveled at her. he couldn't help but feel as though, in another life, they would seem perfect together.. but for now... for now he could think of way to take her from that man.

and when he said farewell to her, he couldn't help the anger that rose as he saw him. him kissing her, pulling her towards their bedroom, him making her laugh, blush, he just couldn't accept it anymore.

and for all the reasons, facts, conclusions he drew, she was ultimately in love with the man she came with. she wasn't exactly what he thought she was.

truthfully, he had thought she was innocent of the world's cruelty, perfect in all eyes. hell, even was purer than that of a goddess. but now...

now he faced the music.

she held a case towards that of the man that claimed her, called her names only he wanted to, read her things she'd love no matter what.

anger.

he hadn't felt it in a while. rather, be felt more frustrated with the man in front of him. smiling, laughing with her, even giving her lustful kisses. he hated how she seemed to let that man claim her perfectly imperfect mind and world.

or maybe he was delusional.

and so, when he walked away. mind full of many things, he still came close to that of her.

"I see.. just like that, y/n." he somehow seemed to push her closer to him than needed. and now...

now all he needed was to manipulate her mind. make it his, and own that mind that was different.

but first he had to break her loyalty towards that of a anemo vision user.

"continue like that, and maybe you'll get a reward."

such a cruel fantasy rather. he was rather deep into her than he had thought. and maybe that wasn't right, but he thought differently.

"loyalty. perfectly good, maybe she'll be a good girl and let me show her... a different kind of loyalty." his words hadn't made much, but he felt he had found a way.

after all, he knew her good enough to know her mind. she was smart and diligent, but also had a witted comeback if she ever needed to say. she also seemed to hold forth a bigger brain than he's ever saw, she spoke with such grace- it often amazed him on how she was so thoughtful.

but she was different.

maybe that's what intrigued him.

made him feel something. it was different, but there. he was a different man than that of two years ago. he seemed to hold a different feeling towards her.

and she had fallen prey to it.

"manipulation is key."