(New) Playing with Fate // Diluc x Reader

Part 1 - Playing with Fate

"Ugh this sucks"

"This seriously sucks", you grumbled, brushing the dry, very much dead blades of grass off of your butt. "How much longer is it gonna take?", you sighed, squinting up at the Statue of the Seven. Turning around and gazing at Mondstadt, you wondered how the once bright, bustling city could look so ethereal. The rooftops were highlighted by the soft, blue moonlight. The only things you could hear were the melodious orchestra of crickets chirping and the soft flutter of leaves in the wind.

But while everybody was in the comfort of their warm homes on this chilly autumn night, why were you standing in front of Windrise's great statue? The reason was stupid. And it was all because of one name.

The Darknight Hero. You sighed, realizing for the tenth time that he was only a rumor. The so-called Darknight Hero was someone who helped the citizens of Mondstadt, their identity unknown. If any struggling Mondstadt citizen was caught up in an unfortunate hilichurl attack or slime ambush, the Darknight Hero would be there. But they would vanish just as quickly as they appeared, leaving the relieved citizens no opportunity to thank them.

But so what? Some random dude helps out the people of Mondstadt when they're in trouble. No big deal. They're no different from the well-respected Knights of Favonious. But there was the problem. The Darknight Hero wasn't from the Knights of Favonius. And even if they were just some random stranger, driven by goodwill, you couldn't care less. But they weren't just some random stranger. Or at least that's what you thought.

Diluc Ragnvindr. That's right. The "random stranger driven by goodwill" was the bitter, grumpy owner of Angel's Share. Or was he....? Frustrated, you plopped onto the soft, dirt ground and leaned against the statue. In reality, you had no evidence or solid proof that The Darknight Hero was Diluc. Heck, you had no proof that a "Darknight Hero" even existed. And that was precisely what made your "mission" so stupid.

The Darknight Hero himself was nothing but a rumor, spread by the idle townspeople of Mondstadt who were looking for drama. But there was the incredibly tiny possibility of the rumor being true, and the even smaller chance of the rumored stranger being Diluc. That is exactly what drove you out of your warm house into the chilly, dangerous nights of Mondstadt.

This was...the seventh-ish time you had come out, in hopes of running into him.

You had....developed feelings for the red-headed, cold bartender at Angel's Share. To some extent. Although at this point, you were sure that whatever you felt was close to an obsession. Embarrassed, you looked away, scratching the back of your head in an attempt to hide the small blush forming on your frozen cheeks.

It was weird. A few months ago, you wouldn't have paid a second glance to the man. He was just some crabby dude who owned a tavern in the city. People usually steered clear of him because of his infamous cold exterior. But one day - no, a few moments - was all it took for your now deep-rooted affection to start.

You smiled to yourself as you remembered that day two months ago, the beginning of your foolish infatuation toward Diluc. The cold of the night as his fiery blade pierced through the large hilichurls about to attack you, saving you from a terrible situation.

 But he left before you could thank him, and you weren't going to go without doing that.

A shrill yell pierced the silence, pulling you out of your pleasant thoughts.

'What the hell was that??'

You jumped up, scanning the area for the source of the high-pitched scream. "Dang, I can barely see anything in the stupid dark...", you muttered, walking towards the place you thought you heard the noise. You strained your ears to hear a call - or even a whisper - for help. But the only thing you heard was the 'crunch' of dry grass under your black boots. Shivering, you rubbed your hands together. "Did I mishea-

"AHHHHH!!!"

There it was again. There was no mistaking it this time, someone was screaming. You broke into a jog, speeding up as you headed toward the scream.

Coming to an abrupt stop, you ducked behind a large tree. Peering out from behind it, you saw them. 5 primitive and definitely unwelcomed, wandering inhabitants of Mondstadt. Hilichurls. Even in the dim moonglow, you could clearly see orange-brown stripes crudely painted on the dull white masks they wore. 'They really are ugly things', you thought, looking for the source of the shrill scream. And you saw it.

Right in the middle of the 5 brutes, was a girl. About my age. You watched, as she cowered in fear. The poor girl was staring, eyes wide, at the monsters surrounding her doing some kind of....weird ritual dance. Poor girl. Hilichurl faces really aren't a pretty thing to witness, especially up close.

"P-please...l-leave me alone", the girl stuttered, raising her hands in an attempt to show defeat. But you knew it was useless. Debating when exactly you should step in to help, you stared at the girl....and she looked back.

"Crap!", you whispered, ducking behind the tree again while cursing yourself for letting down your guard. It was only for a few seconds, but you definitely made eye contact. You could see the fear in her wide eyes. "Tch..", you muttered, kicking aside a few dead leaves. It was definitely too late to pretend you never saw anything.

Sighing, you pulled out your worn, but dependable metal bat. You knew that even if you hadn't made eye contact, there's no way you would have left her alone.

Stepping out from behind the tree, you twirled your bat. You walked towards the ugly brutes, a smile forming on your lips. You picked up a bruised apple from the ground and threw it at the nearest hilichurl.

"Hey, over here!", you yelled, charging towards the momentarily stunned monsters. 

                                                                                       -x-

Hello, this is my first time writing on Wattpad, I hope you'll enjoy my story! I am always open to feedback, so don't forget to comment and tell me what you think!  :)