DEAR DILUC diluc ragnvindr

sincerely, y/n.

Dear Y/n,

As I write this, I think of you.

I think about how I never told you how beautiful your eyes were, how pretty your earthy laugh was, how perfectly your lips stretched into a smile.

I never once told you how much I appreciate you.

I never told you that I find comfort in your presence, your scent, your words.

I never told you that I love you.

Sincerely, Diluc.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The young man carefully folded the paper he'd just written on, his hands shaking as he put it in the envelope.

The moon was a thin but radiant crescent. It hung high outside the winery, casting a soft light across Mondstadt.

He sat at his desk, his head in his hands. He still couldn't fathom everything
that had happened.

She just left one day, so quietly.

That was how she was. Never one to bother anyone about anything. She must've hurt, keeping everything to herself.

She must've felt lost in her own world, wandering with no one to turn to.

The girl was like a daydream, a fleeting moment in time. And although she'd been here his whole life, it felt like she had appeared and vanished with just the click of a finger.

But he was there. He was there and she never came to him.

At first a swelling anger built within him.
It kept him awake at night. Knowing that he could have done something was painful for him.

How did he not notice? He should have known when her voice shook and her eyes wavered. When she smiled, but something was missing.

He was also a little angry at her, for being so silent. But then he had stopped, because how could he be so shameless? How could he hate her for being so good?

He thought she'd be fine.
He thought she was doing well.

He regretted everything.

He thought of what she would do if she saw him like this.

She would probably laugh a little and tell him to never blame himself.

But that would be selfish.

—

The next morning, he saw a small wooden box in the corner of the room.
He'd never seen it before.

It had small flowers carved on the sides, and a bigger one right on top.

He carefully opened the box, a pile of letters greeting him.

He fidgeted as he opened the first one, carefully running his eyes over the letters.

He spent the rest of the day sitting and reading, one by one, all the letters he could find.

He smoothed the papers and tried to feel her touch through them, because he was starting to forget.

It really scared him, to forget someone he loved so much, but slowly, her scent and the curve in her smile were all vanishing painfully from his mind.

"Diluc." Someone called his name. It was cold, but familiar.

He hadn't even noticed that the door opened.

Kaeya was standing beside his desk as he stared hard at the letters. There was a brief silence.

Then, "It's her, isn't it?"

Diluc nodded, hiding his face from his brother. He didn't want to speak incase his words came out shaky.

"Let's go." Kaeya said, calmly.

Diluc knew his steadiness was a façade. Kaeya wasn't weak, but he was sensitive and this was his own way of coping. If he didn't put up this front, he would surely break.

—

The sun was nearly fully set, and the sky was a blend of grey blues and oranges.

The two climbed the hill, coming to a halt as they saw her.

"We brought you another friend," Kaeya mumbled as Diluc reached to put his lily on the soil. He would usually get scolded for this, but not today.

They sat beside her, listening to her silence.

She was lifeless.

She was peaceful.

Diluc imagined her eyes closed and a soft smile planted on her face. That smile she only showed when she was genuinely happy.

He'd stopped crying every time he visited this place. He knew this bittersweet ending was for her. It was what she'd gone through with, what her final decision was. He couldn't change the past and he couldn't bring her back alive as much as he wanted to.

However, he could change his heart. He could be kinder to people. He could fulfil her wishes.

He could live on for her.

"It's getting dark." Kaeya looked at the navy sky. The stars were uncountable.

Diluc stood up, smiling at the lilies planted across her soil. He placed his own letter beside them.

"Then we should head home, brother."

He stood up to join the cavalry captain, dusting himself off.

And as the two of them walked back in comfortable silence, for the last time, Diluc felt like he heard her voice in his head.

"Dear Diluc,

I love you."

THE END.