Shattered hearts

Nation of Freedom

Diluc woke up feeling horrible as ever. He felt so alone. But he wasn't, right? He lost Jean once before, and he had his friends. He was sort of on good terms with Kaeya, so he could rely on him. The sound of the winery door opened, and he knew it was his brother that came to visit. Diluc went out to greet him, and Kaeya seemed surprised when he saw him.

"You look like you haven't slept at all! What happened to you?" Kaeya asked, as they both sat down in two chairs by the fireplace.

Diluc couldn't do anything else but to tell him everything that had happened the other night between him and Jean. How she had told him that there was no "them" anymore, and that she didn't want anything to do with him. Kaeya seemed surprised that she would say such a thing.

"That's so.. surprising. Why would she do something like that? I thought you guys were on good terms."

"I had the same thought, either someone or something is in the way, or she was leading me along. Either way, I'm not too bothered about it, I'll get over it, just like I did a few weeks ago."

"Luc, I'm worried about your health." Kaeya said, as he looked over his sleep deprived brother. He looked so exhausted.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. If you'd like, Adelinde has made breakfast. I'll come over later and eat with you guys." Diluc said, and it seemed like Kaeya didn't want to fight back, so he did as he was told.

Diluc sat by the fireplace for a moment. The way the flames enraged in such a small space. It felt so home-like. The way he felt when his father died, and he lost his brother for a while too. How he felt traveling through Snezhnaya, and how he felt when Jean broke his heart, twice. What was left for him in this cruel place?

Weeks went by where Diluc didn't hear from Jean. He didn't speak to her, and the business he once put so much dedication into, he stopped doing for a while, and let Kaeya take over for a while, given he didn't help the knights much.

One night, he was fighting a few Abyss Order monsters as the Darknight Hero. People relied on him, but he was so sleep deprived, that on this day, he lost consciousness during the fight, his whole vision wiping out, and his body failing him completely.

He woke up in a strange home. It seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't place it. In the distance, he heard two voices he had heard before. One male and one female. He knew who they were. Jean and Kaeya. Yet, due to how much his body was hurting, he couldn't stand up, and he couldn't move at all. Was he paralysed? He couldn't be. He eventually started to hear footsteps, and then the two entered the room he was in.

"Diluc, you're awake, thank Barbatos!" Kaeya seemed relieved, running to his side immediately. Jean didn't look as happy, but she definitely looked relieved.

"Jean found you unconscious with hilichurls and abyss mages all around you. She fought them off and then called me. Are you feeling okay?" Kaeya asked, as he looked over his hurt brother.

"I feel fine, but I can't really move much." Diluc responded.

"I gave you some medicine, it could be that. This happens." Jean finally spoke, trying to avoid looking at him. It still felt awkward between them, and Kaeya seemed to notice.

"I'll go grab some painkillers, hold on, okay?" He said, before he left the room. It was just the two of them in the room now.

"I'm glad you're okay." Jean sat down beside him, as she looked at the ground.

"Me too." Diluc responded, just looking at her. He wished he could do something to make her admit why they couldn't be what they were before, but he didn't have the courage, and he was afraid he had already lost her.

For the rest of the day, Diluc slowly started to recover, now being able to move his body, and stand up right, but it still sort of hurt. That was fine, and he could recover fast.

Throughout the week, Diluc stayed at Jean's house, recovering as she helped him. Despite being in her presence, it still felt awkward, and sort of wrong. But, he didn't speak up. He just hoped it would pass, because things like these always seemed to be permanent.

At least for him it was. It always was.