La Petit Mort

5

"Are you... Diluc?" Baizhu sat down across from the redhead. He was nothing like Kaeya in demeanor. Perhaps that's why the two seemed to get along. 

"Yes," Diluc opened the file in front of him. "A few years ago, my father went missing and I've been trying to find the killer." 

"Killer? Isn't he just missing? Do you think my neighbor is the one you're looking for?" 

"Can't say for certain," Diluc placed photos in front of Baizhu. "These are the missing persons in the area. Notice how they're all from places around, not this district specifically?" Diluc crossed his arms. "I think the reason he kept you alive is that you're in the area. You're in his apartment complex. That makes you dangerous. He brought you to the hospital and if you'd said you had amnesia... you might have ended up off his radar. But you called the police." 

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Baizhu could feel himself sweat. 

"Don't involve yourself with him. Don't put yourself in danger," Diluc cleaned up the table, shoving everything back in his file. 

"Wait," Baizhu grabbed one of the photos. "This is the woman..." 

"This one?" Diluc picked up the photo. "Her name is Ei." 

"She looks a lot like someone in my class." 

"Then you better hope your neighbor doesn't meet that person." 

...

"Baizhu, I heard you were in the hospital! Are you okay?" Kaveh ran up to him in the hallway. 

"Ah, yeah, just exhausted and overworked myself." 

"You need to take care of yourself more." 

"Don't listen to him. He was up until 5 am again working on a project," Alhaitham shook his head. 

"Let's put it all behind us and go to karaoke!" Kaveh ran ahead to turn around and put his hands in the air. "We can invite Tighnari, Cyno, oh, and you!" Kaveh ran up to a stranger and asked him if he wanted to go. 

"Hah?" he frowned. "Why the fuck would I want to go to karaoke with you dipshits?" 

"Hey now, Scara, that's a bit rude," Kazuha grabbed his arm, linking it with his. "Apologize." 

"Sorry," he muttered a half-assed apology. 

"Let's go, let's go!" Heizou slung his arms around both Kazuha and Scaramouche. "It'll be fun!" 

Baizhu stared a bit too long at Scaramouche, which made Xiao step in front of him. "What are you looking at?" 

"Sorry, I uhm," Baizhu struggled for words. He couldn't tell Scaramouche that he looked just like the woman he watched get killed. They'd drag him back to the hospital and tell him he was imagining things again. 

"That's not good, Baizhu," Kaveh shook his finger. "You shouldn't be looking at someone else's man with such lewd eyes," he teased. 

"That's not it!" Baizhu blushed. 

"How could you?" Heizou gasped, hiding Scaramouche's face with his hands. Kazuha and Xiao each grabbed an arm. 

"I really wasn't looking at him, I promise!" Baizhu closed his eyes tightly, insisting. 

"Heh, we're just messing with you," Heizou snickered. 

"I'm not, keep your eyes off my men," Xiao pointed at his eyes and then at Baizhu. 

"Are we going to karaoke or not?" Kaveh huffed. 

"Yes, yes, let's go get drunk and watch each other commit heinous vocal crimes," Alhaitham rolled his eyes. 

"Crimes?!" Baizhu jumped out of his skin. Crimes, sweetheart. "Oh god fucking damnit," Baizhu cursed under his breath. He was imagining him now? 

"You got paler," Kaveh noticed. "We really gotta get to karaoke!" Kaveh linked arms with Baizhu and Alhaitham and dragged them off. "Someone text Cyno and Tighnari for me!" 

"You know I'm the only one with their numbers and I'm not going to do that," Alhaitham frowned. 

"Tch, why are you always like this?" 

Alhaitham sighed, slowly counting down the hours until this hideous social event was going to end.