Languish (Diluc x GN!Reader)

Finale

You let Diluc off of patrol duty for another night. He'd expressed feeling overwhelmed, and you were worried he'd stress out if he had an obligation to stay up so late.

So, you spent the night by yourself. It gave you a lot of time to think. You walked rounds on the walls protecting Mondstadt, thinking about the day.

After so long, you'd finally confessed. You weren't sure if you had been ready to reveal your feelings. However, it was necessary.

To think, Diluc had loved you back for at least five months. Five months! So much wasted time... If only you had expressed your feelings sooner. Maybe Diluc wouldn't have had to suffer in silence for so long.

You stopped your trip around Mondstadt when you got close to the statue of Lord Barbatos. You sighed and hopped down from the wall, deploying your glider before you made a harsh impact. You walked over to the figure and stared up at the Archon's hands that blocked their face.

"Oh, Lord Barbatos." You sighed their name. "I may not be the most religious Mondstadtion, but I can't deny the fact that I need your help, occasionally."

A gust of wind blew through your hair. You sat on your knees, staring up at the statue, "I need... Diluc to be okay. Of course... Assuming you're a real being, I need... Archons, this is fucking stupid." You thought it silly to go to a God for help. One who may not even be real. "I just... pray that he'll be okay. I feel I'll never be able to atone for the sins I've committed, putting my only friend in such pain, for so long. I pray that you can forgive me."

You stared at the ground, balled-up fists in your lap. "Such bullshit..." You whispered, your voice cracking. You stood up and went back on your way to the wall.

...

Diluc was conflicted.

He tried to rest; He tried so hard. He wasn't even choking anymore. For once in the past couple of months, he could finally breathe. It felt so amazing. However, the things you'd said earlier kept him wide awake.

"In... love..." He whispered in the darkness of his room. He rolled onto his side. "In love... with me? Y/N? Surely not..."

He thought back to what you'd said. "I've loved you for so long now. You have no fucking idea how much you mean to me."

Your words played on loop in his head. "Diluc, I love you."

I love you. I love you. I love you.

He hadn't realized how badly he wanted those words to fall from your lips. He'd dreamt of such things many times before, but when it actually happened, he couldn't believe it.

Maybe he was too harsh on you. Some sorta mental problems kept him from believing anyone could ever love him. He felt as if he'd committed too many a sin for anyone to look at him in such a light.

But... you did?

"What can I do to convince you, Dee?" You'd asked.

"Do it again... please." He'd replied.

And again, you did. Even after the two of you had your "little" makeout session, Diluc still found it inconceivable. But... it must be true, right?

For... what would be the point in lying to such an extent?

...What were you two, now? Diluc didn't know how these things worked. It's all so confusing. He's never had someone confess to him that he had also fallen so madly in love with. The only other person who had ever been in love with him was Miss Donna, but they'd never interacted before. Plus, Miss Donna ended up finding herself a wonderful knight husband. So, she must not have loved Diluc much.