(New) Playing with Fate // Diluc x Reader

Part 10 - Accidents

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong.", he curtly responded, turning his head away even more. "Are you sure...?", you asked, confused at why he wasn't looking at you. "I'm sure.", he replied, covering his face with the back of his hand. You stared at him, puzzled, and noticed that his ears.....were pink..? You moved closer, trying to get a better look. There was no doubting it. His ears were definitely pink. Why, though? He moved away and sat down at an empty table.

You sat across from him and looked at him. As he stared down at the table, you couldn't help but notice his cheeks slightly turning pink, despite his face staying expressionless. You looked down, fidgeting with your fingers. "I'm sorry..", you murmured.

"I shouldn't have done that without your permission...", you apologized, your cheeks growing warm as you remembered how you "proved" yourself to Anna. Diluc stood up, and you slowly did the same. You lowered your head, expecting him to berate you. But instead, you heard.....a small laugh? Surprised, you looked up and saw Diluc's lips forming a small smile as he gazed at you. "You don't have to apologize. In fact, I should be thanking you.", he said, his reaction taking you by surprise. You had expected him to get mad at you, or to tell you to get out. You definitely did not expect such a warm smile....and it made you weak in the knees.

"Thank me...?", you asked, confused. Letting out a small sigh, he looked down. "Anna's been coming here at least twice a week. I wasn't sure how to reject her.", he said, shaking his head. "So thank you, Y/N", he said, looking at you with more affection than you would have ever expected from him.

At the sound of Anna's name, you could feel your blood start to boil. "Jeez, that's so childish. How can someone just waltz in here and throw themselves onto you?", you fumed, clenching your fists.

"The same way you just suddenly kissed me.", Diluc replied, taking you by surprise. You felt your face turn as red as a beet. You didn't expect that. "Sorry about that...", you sheepishly murmured, looking away. "Don't be," he chuckled. You looked up at him, mesmerized by how alluring he looked when he was laughing. The bar lights twinkled his eyes as they turned into crescents while he was smiling. Your heart fluttered at the sight. His usually cold, indifferent expression was now pleasantly happy.

"It was....cute..", he murmured, barely loud enough for you to hear. He placed his hand on top of your head, caressing it. Your eyes widened and your heart started hammering in your chest. You felt blood rushing to your face, wanting to move away but at the same time wanted to just stay like this.

He moved away, crossing his arms. "You should go home. Thank you for your help, today", he said, with a firm nod. Still shaken by his sudden gesture, you blinked, coming back to your senses. "But it's not time for the bar to close yet....I can still work.", you said.

"You don't need to.", he said.

"Are you closing Angel's Share early today...?", you asked, confused.

"No, I hired a part-timer", he confirmed. As if on cue, the door swung open and a girl who looked about your age walked in. She had light brown hair that fell past her shoulders with eyes of the same color. She had bangs that covered her forehead and wore an armor-like dress. Wait a minute....you had seen her before!

"H-Hertha?", you asked, surprised. She often came by Angel's Share and was well known amongst the customers. You had known her for a while, and the two of you were on good terms.

"Hi, Y/N!", she said, waving. "You hired her? But why?", you asked, bewildered. "If it's because of how I kicked Anna out, then I'm sorr-"

"It's not because of that.", Diluc said, cutting you off. He sighed, then smiled at you. "You've already helped me more than enough, and you have my thanks. However, I can't keep working for you for free."

"But-", you started.

"Y/N, don't worry. Diluc told me about how you were working from morning. You should take a break. I'll handle things, so rest easy!", she said, going behind the bar counter.

"But-", you turned towards Diluc, but he was already following Hertha to the counter. You could feel your heart drop. Before you could say anything further, a few other customers walked in. You kept your mouth shut and plopped onto an empty chair, not wanting to make a scene.

.

.

.

You clenched your hands into fists, glaring at Hertha from across the bar. You got weird looks from the customers as they passed by, wondering why there was such a ferocious aura coming from you.

You hated it. You hated the way Hertha was so perfect at being a bartender. You hated to admit the fact that she was much better than you. Silently grumbling to yourself, you tried to find a reason to hate her but you couldn't no matter how hard you tried. You had been watching her for the past 3 hours and couldn't find a single flaw.

You sighed, watching the last customer leave. Hertha came out from behind the counter and was about to close the bar when you stood up suddenly, scaring her.

"Is something wrong, Y/N?", she asked, puzzled at your sudden action. You strode over to the counter and sat down on the bar stool, placing your hand in your head. "Do you need something...?", she asked, walking over to the counter. "Water, please.", you replied.

Hertha nodded and went behind the counter.

"Here's the wate-"

You grabbed the cup in front of you and downed it in one go. You looked up to ask Hertha for more, but the only thing you saw was her horrified expression. "Huh? What's wrong?", you asked, tipping forward. "I didn't give you the water yet...", Hertha held up the cup that was in her hand, looking pale.

"That's not water....' she said, pointing at the cup in your hand. "That was alcohol...very strong alcohol..", she said slowly, eyes wide with concern.