bypyre.

indie . low activity . canon divergent. diluc of genshin impact . penned by NEV.

[popsigills]

Huevember Day 1 - Red

[serosanguine]

nights are not for thinking. they remind him of the abyss, the darkness veiling his senses with memories of then. nothing clear, it's a rare day his memory is focused and crystallized; no, it's the emotion, the buzz of danger that raises his pulse to crave action. he rarely sleeps in the dark, a primal urge to stay alert and active raised to perfection all those years ago.

so when he stalks the streets of mondstadt, and sees one of his favored pastimes making his way into the bar, childe follows with a spring in his heels. it doesn't matter what they do, diluc never leaves him bored.

" hey, firecracker! what's - "

but then he sees. the stagger in his step, the red from more than just his hair, the way he hunches over an object for balance.

childe's vision starts to blur, everything feels hazy. all emotion seems to fall aside. his voice lowers.

" ...what happened? "

[bypyre]

he almost misses the familiar voice through the sound of blood rushing in his ears, almost doesn't catch sight of the familiar head of ginger hair as diluc feels his legs threaten to buckle beneath him. childe. this time, the pyro doesn't manage to stifle the curse that spills from bloodied lips. "shit--"

of all the times childe could choose to show up unannounced... of all the times diluc could have managed to be stabbed during his nightly.... excursions... of course it would happen this way. of course he'd be left with little to no wherewithal to come up with a story that doesn't implicate the winery owner in less than legal activities. damnit. damnit. so, instead of regaling the taller man with a colourful lie that would only serve to leave diluc feeling worse at the end of the day - he settles for something far less descriptive and thoughtful. "n--nothing. i'm fine."

as if planning to remove himself from childe's eyeline, diluc makes to drag himself further along the bar - seeking out the box of medical supplies he keeps stored behind the bar in case of an emergency. still, he doesn't make it far before his legs buckle and it's all the pyro can do to keep himself upright with the support of a bar stool that sways threateningly beneath the sudden impact. a hitched cry tears from diluc's throat as his eyes widen and expression twists into something far less stubborn. "it's fine. i'll be fine."

at this point, he doesn't know which of the two of them he's trying to convince.

[bypyre]

he'd hoped that it would have gotten easier by now - to exist in the same room as kaeya without the gnawing feeling of guilt growing in the pit of his stomach... and, while it has gotten somewhat less of an ordeal for the phoenix to look his brother in the eye, there's still an aftertaste in diluc's mouth - something acrid that lingers whenever he speaks and nothing but sharp bites of words find their way from between his lips. still - despite it all - diluc wants to try. he wants to fix what can be fixed between them. kaeya's only crime was trying to keep himself alive in an otherwise hostile environment. his only crime was trusting diluc.

maybe that's why he finds himself stood outside kaeya's office in the knights of favonius headquarters. maybe that's why he finds himself with a simple, wooden box tucked underneath one arm as diluc knocks on the door in front of him and vehemently ignores the stares he can feel burning into the back of his head. everyone will talk, now. everyone will have something to say about the lost knight finding his way home to them. expression falls minutely as diluc dips his head to hide his face from a rookie knight on her way past.

"kae. c'mon, i swear... if you're making me wait out here deliberately--" gravelled words halt in their tracks as teeth bury in the pyro's bottom lip briefly. softer, then. "...please? open up." // @pavocelus

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM BODY HEAT 🔥 *  assorted dialogue from the 1981 film, adjust as necessary

my god, it's hot.

i want you with me.

i got a serious question for you. what the fuck are you doing?

i have to be with you.

i've lived so much of my life with nothing.

i'm going to make it up to you tonight, but you must behave.

you and me. your body near mine, close. i'm not right when you're not with me. i get the shakes.

i wouldn't mind having breakfast.

you've had your fun.

don't test my patience for even five more minutes.

i think i've underestimated you. i don't know why it took me so long.

this is beneath even you.

i would have gladly come to the house.

i'm not looking for company.

you're not too smart, are you? i like that in a man.

how about i buy you a drink?

i would have noticed you.

me? i need tending. i need someone to take care of me. rub my tired muscles. smooth out my sheets.

i just need it for tonight.

i asked you not to talk about the heat.

you don't want to lick it?

look who's here. isn't this a coincidence?

do i remind you of hot air?

i'm not that eager.

how'd you know i drink?

you shouldn't have come. you're going to be disappointed.

you must come here a lot.

maybe you shouldn't dress like that.

i don't like my body much. it's never been right.

sometimes... i don't know. i get so sick of everything. i'm not sure i care anymore. do you know what i mean?

i'm not looking for trouble.

i mean it. i like you. but my life is complicated enough.

i think you should go now.

i don't think you want me to go.

there's nothing to be afraid of.

you're not so tough after all, are you?

i didn't want this to happen. but i didn't try hard enough to stop it... because i wanted you.

i wanted you here, like this. this is bad for me.

now nothing's going to be the same anymore.

jesus, i think you're right. you better be on the bottom.

no one must know. promise me, [name]. no one.

hey, wanna make love?

what do you take me for?

don't you like it?

i want to be in bed.

is that all you ever think about?

you've never been shy about that stuff.

please don't say it if you don't mean it.

tell me the truth, please. i'll understand. i swear to you.

from now on, when it starts coming down on you... i'll be there to protect you.

come to me.

it scares me to talk about these things.

that's what you want, isn't it?

maybe you should let me do it for you.

that's the way it is. there's nothing we can do about it.

i'm going downstairs. do you want anything?

all that matters is we're together.

no, darling. don't talk that way.

get the hell out of here and don't come back.

i don't blame you for thinking i'm bad.

you must believe one thing. i love you. i love you and need you. i want to be with you forever.

you imagined it.

i tried to make it up to you.

is there something wrong with your phone?

[f-ai-n]

Diluc version because I belatedly realized that the cape thing and the color scheme do suit him well :)

[bypyre]

vision swims as blood clings to his skin beneath the pyro's shirt, gloved hands slick with the same cloying crimson fumble at the buttons as diluc stumbles across the threshold of his tavern. can't go home, can't let anyone there know what he gets up to after dark. they'll worry too much... or they'll tell one of the knights... or... or...

hip clashes with the corner of a table and diluc stifles a curse as white hot pain splinters up his side and through the fresh gash in his gut still bleeding and staining its way through pale waistcoat that he's sure he already shrugged off a few paces back... or was that his jacket? doesn't matter. he needs to stop the bleeding. needs to get at the damned thing so he can cauterize it. still, diluc fumbles at his shirt buttons - refusing to remove his gloves even as they fill with darkening crimson as his steps become more uncoordinated and dark patches appear in his vision.

"c'mon... c'mon..." another step has diluc bumping into the bar itself as his hands start to grow cold and numb. he doesn't notice the door creak open behind him, nor does he recognise the sound of familiar boots across his floors that are now spattered with crimson slowly starting to seep into the cracks between the boards. // @serosanguine for childe hehehe