Second Lead Syndrome || Diluc R. x Reader

Albin Counter

The orange glow of the crackling fireplace illuminates the dim living room of the L/N house. Ida sits cross-legged on the velvet chesterfield couch in the centre of the room. Steam wafts from her steaming cup of tea as she listens to her subordinates relay the information of Diluc Ragnvindr's sighting.

"Leave them be," Ida says, her eyes not straying from the dancing fire. "Their relationship is of concern to me now. He can't prevent Y/N from joining our ranks."

Lilia and Percival nod as they stand behind their boss but don't leave yet. A single question lingers in both of their minds, though neither of them dares to ask.

"What?" Ida asks when she doesn't hear the two Fatui leave the room.

"Uh," Percival nervously starts. "I hope you don't mind me asking a...personal...question, but why is someone like your sister being indoctrinated into the Fatui? She doesn't seem like she'll be a good fit..." He trails off as Ida finally turns her head to glare at him.

"I do, in fact, mind," Ida states coldly. "You're dismissed."

Ida catches her reflection in her teacup before swirling the dark liquid. Despite the victory in the courtroom yesterday and receiving praise from her mother for all she's done, a shadow of doubt nags at the back of her mind.

You got what you wanted, didn't you? You, Y/N, Mother, and Father all together again. Mother will calm down, Y/N will take her place as the token black sheep of the family, Father will always be there to provide, and you can go back to being the high-achieving eldest daughter. She tells herself. It'll be as if the four years never happened. Everything will be perfect. She sips her tea, but it tastes bitter at the back of her throat.

But was it that perfect four years ago? asks a voice Ida tries hard to ignore. As soon as she acknowledges the voice, it only becomes louder. Do you really want it to be like how it was four years ago? Or are you just being selfish and don't want to suffer alone? Why have you stayed so long if you're suffering? Why can't you bear to disappoint your mother?

Ida knows the answer to her own questions but refuses to admit them. Because admitting them means facing an ugly truth: she isn't doing this out of her own will, but her mother's.

-----

Breaking and entering into a legal office is a surprisingly easy task. Well, Y/N supposes it isn't "breaking in" so much as it's "investigating" as long as she has her Ordo Favonius badge and identification.
Thank the Archons Y/N hasn't turned in her resignation yet. Although, if she ends up joining the Fatui, she'll be forced to. However, Y/N hopes it won't come to that since- thanks to Diluc's intel on Lilia Moreau working for her sister- Y/N might be able to overturn her case if she finds evidence proving her lawyer guilty.

"So the girl who has a problem with breaking laws in Liyue has no issue breaking into her lawyer's office in Fontaine," Diluc whispers as they quietly creep into the dark office. The blue moonlight streaming in through the glass roof doesn't provide nearly enough light to see clearly.

"Shut it, Mr. Identity-theft," Y/N hisses as she flicks on her pocket-sized flashlight that she and Diluc purchased from a nearby store before coming here. "You're a bad influence." 

Y/N scans the room, sweeping the bright beam of light across it before gesturing for Diluc to enter. They leave the door open just a crack before Y/N creeps over to Ms. Moreau's desk, aiming her flashlight toward the stacks of files and documents. 

Strange. Y/N remarks. Whenever she came by for meetings, the desk was clean with nothing but the file about Y/N's case on it. Holding her flashlight between her teeth, Y/N begins to rifle through the papers carefully.