Requested by @makialene
If you have a minute, could you write something with Diluc and praise? Just wholesome, letting him know you’re proud of him and he’s doing a good job
[[ Summary: Diluc works hard, is kind, tries his best, and is deserving of many good things. Some praise is one of those good things. ]]
[[ Word Count: 1'032 ]]
With a deep, exhausted sigh, Diluc walked into the Winery, hanging up his coat, taking a moment to pause, holding onto the coatrack for a brief second, if only to have that much less weight to hold him down, to have to stay upright.
A long night of his being the 'Darknight Hero' [he, admittedly, found the name somewhat cringy, but not enough that he'd do anything about it] followed a morn of getting everything set up in the Winery after the last... event that happened, making sure everything was clean and clear before the customers flooded in, an agonizing day of paperwork and trying to negotiate to get his wine transported to Liyue, and planning a meeting with Ningguang considering this... And a long, drawn-out evening, a dinner with the Winemakers' Guild, where they all did everything they could to get his sponsorship for their own agendas.
The sun had long since sunk and the moon hung high in the sky when he got home. Every bit of him ached. But, he was home, and while there was always more to be done, his body and spirit were no longer willing. He could catch up tomorrow morning after he finally got some rest [even if there was never any actual catching up. Getting the most high-priority things handled, and chipping away at everything else.]
When someone said his name, in a blissful tone, he paused, and instinctively straightened his back, turning to look at the stairwell you walked down, with a smile on your face. He couldn't help but sigh in relief- it was nice to see you, even if he wasn't sure he was much for conversation or company.
You always understood that, sometimes, he just didn't have it in him. He was a busy man... and admittedly overworked. He wasn't very good at letting others handle things for him. It was self inflicted, but also not such a simple task to figure out.
"There's my handsome man, after doing so much good. Are you feeling okay?" You asked as you walked towards him, grabbing one of this hands with both your own.
He struggled for a moment, before replying with a weak smile, "I'm just tired."
"Of course you are. Have you eaten?" You asked, and he nodded,
"I'm just tired." He explained, and without another word, you started leading him to the bedroom- He took the moment to close his eyes and just let you, not needing to worry. He knew you had every wholesome intention towards him, and this wasn't something he needed to fear.
For a moment, he just let his eyes close- he was being led. He didn't need to be wary, not in this little, quiet moment.
He was safe. A rare, but never unwelcome feeling.
Diluc could tell, just from the habit of walking around the Winery, the change of the sound that his own feet made, and the slight creek of the door, he sighed and opened his eyes. His room was dim- which was exactly how he preferred it. He only realized how close he was to overstimulation, but perhaps he was still buzzing with the day's anxiety. But it was coming to a close, it was almost over.
He walked ahead and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off his boots, tossing them off to the side- before he could get his tired hands to try and work at his clothes, you were already on it, getting off his coat, his shirt, untying the ribbon in his hair. He closed his eyes for a moment, the relief of his hair no longer tugging on his scalp was a blessing.
It wasn't haphazardly tossed about, instead was put away to be cleaned at a later time, so he didn't need to worry about the visual clutter. He watched as you walked back from doing this small, but more than meaningful task for him, and stood right in front of him. Confused, he stared at you as you cupped his cheeks.
"I love you."
He smiled, "I love you too," though it sounded a bit odd with how you squished his cheeks. He felt... silly, but he didn't really mind. Not right now, anyway.
"You work so hard, and always come back safe..."
He felt a warmth in his chest, but it was dwarfed by the confusion,
"Why are you saying this?" He asked- not suspicious, only confused and curious. "Did something happen?"
"You just deserve to be told how good of a man you are."
Admittedly, Diluc didn't feel like he was that good of a man. He wasn't a bad person, but there was always a haunting guilt taunting him, that he wasn't doing enough, that he wasn't enough,
"You've always been more than enough. You've given everything you had and then some. But even without that, I'd love you anyway."
He exhaled softly, and opened his mouth to say something back- anything, even when his brain was so frazzled, only to have a finger pressed over his lips,
"No, no more talkie. You've done enough of that today, haven't you?"
Exhaling through his nose, he smiled. He didn't need to say anything, or even nod. Even if you let him.
"Well, actually one more talkie. Do you want to cuddle?" You asked, "I'm sure you're tired."
"Would you mind?" He asked,
"Of course not."
"... Even if you were the big spoon?" He asked, a little shy. He wasn't massive, but he also wasn't small.
"Of course not."
And even if it was, maybe, a little comedic, and he took care to pull his hair over his shoulder to get as much of it out of the way as possible, resting his hands over yours as they wrapped around his torso, he exhaled softly, relaxing in the soothingly cool room. He'd pull up the blankets when he was ready to completely fade, but...
Right now, he just wanted to doze, to rest, as he could hear you whisper sweet little praises, chaste and loving.
He was human, in the end. Even he wanted to hear praise, if only it was once in a blue moon, it was...
Nice.