We’re Meant To Be, We Just Need To Give It Some Time -♡
EDIT!! I FORGOT TO SAY THIS IS ON MY A03 I PROMISE I DIDN'T STEAL IT YALL😭😭
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Silence. The tavern almost seemed to be frozen in time by how quiet it was. The busy crowd of people that night had just left a few hours ago, leaving Diluc alone in the tavern to close up. But he didn’t mind at all, he preferred when the tavern was empty. No requests to take, no drinks to hand out. And definitely no drunk customers to deal with. Within an hour, he’d cleaned up the tables, moving on to clean glasses behind the bar counter. He stood behind the counter wiping a glass down. Sighing softly, he turned around to place the glass on its respective shelf before hearing the soft noise of the tavern door opening. He once again sighed, raising his voice slightly towards the door. “I’m sorry but we’re closed now.”
“Oh really, even for someone as special as me?”
Diluc quickly turned around, frowning slightly. His eyes locked with bright blue ones, eyes of which could only belong to one person.
“Get out, Tartaglia. My tavern is no place for a harbinger.” Diluc hissed between his teeth, clenching his fists. Tartaglia grinned, stepping even further into the tavern. “Oh, come on, Master Diluc. Make an exception just this once. I’ve been busy all day and I’m quite tired, cut me some slack, hm?”
Not even five minutes of Tartaglia being in the tavern and Diluc was already getting a migraine. “Last time I let you stay here after closing time, I was here until sunrise . Now, leave before I force you out. I would like to get an adequate amount of sleep tonight.” Tartaglia dramatically stuck out his bottom lip, batting his eyes at Diluc. He pulled out one of the stools that stood at the bar counter, pulling it out. Sitting down, he propped his elbows onto the counter. “Now, now Master Diluc. Don’t act like you despise me now, don’t you remember what happened last week? You got so drunk and-”
“If you're going to stay here, don’t say anything that might annoy me. Which means you’d better not speak at all. Now what do you want, a drink?” Tartaglia chuckled, trailing his finger along the edge of the counter. “I thought you didn’t want me to speak?” Diluc shot him a glare, eye twitching slightly. Raising his hands in defense, Tartaglia smiled softly. “Fine, fine. if you insist. How about…some of that expensive Fire Water I heard you talking about? I’ve only ever heard about it back home, I can only imagine how good it must be. Besides, if I get drunk, I’d only want you to take care of me~.”
Diluc grabbed the bottle of Fire Water, slamming it down on the counter. “Say one more idiotic thing, and you're out.” Nodding Tartaglia leaned forward against the counter. He watched as Diluc grabbed a glass, pouring the Fire Water into it. After closing the bottle up, Diluc pushed the glass towards Tartaglia.
“Thanks a lot, Diluc.” Tartaglia whispered quietly. Diluc raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. Tartaglia stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head quickly. “I meant for the drink and for um, letting me stay in the tavern late. Hell, for even letting me in the tavern. I know you hate the Fatui and all, so thank you for not automatically kicking me out. If you don’t mind me asking, why do you hate the Fatui so much?"
Diluc stood silently as he looked away from Diluc. He blinked a few times, inhaling sharply. “I-...I guess I can tell you, you're not of any importance in my life anyways. But, if I tell you this, do you promise not to mention it to anyone. Ever.” Tartaglia nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “I promise. This is a private matter, it’d be rude to tell anyone such things."
Diluc turned around, grabbing another glass. He poured a glass of Fire Water, taking a sip from it. He cleared his throat, glancing at Tartaglia. “Excuse me, it’ll be better if I drink a little for this. You see, it has to do with my father. A long time ago he..he passed away. He died a very loyal man…he protected me and my brother from a very evil being long ago. Ursa the Drake, I assume you’ve heard of the tale. Me and my brother ran across it while in the woods one day, and at the time neither of us stood a chance to defend ourselves. Luckily my father came along just in time, and fought it off. At the cost of his own life though, Only because of that damned delusion..” Diluc took another sip of his drink, slamming the glass down. “If the Fatui never made those delusions, my father would still be alive. In the long run, your organization is the reason my father is dead. Is that enough of an explanation for you?”
Tartaglia slowly nodded, taking a long sip of his drink. He softly set his glass down before speaking. “I’m sorry. About your father. I really am. I too, know the effects of a delusion. I use one, even knowing its risks. And what the Fatui did, giving him the delusion, wasn't right. But you truly must believe me, not all of us Fatui members have malicious intentions. I would hope that even through the pointless fights I’ve put you through, I’d be a good example of the good Fatui members.”
A few moments of silence passed between the two. Diluc took another sip of his drink, abruptly stopping when he heard a soft sniff come from the man across from him. “...are you…crying?” Tartaglia shook his head, shooting Diluc a weak smile. He looked away, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “I’m so sorry..god, why am I even crying? I’m really sorry, I don’t know why I’m acting like this.”
Diluc nodded slowly, watching as the other man wiped his tears away. He sighed softly, holding his hands out across the counter. “Hey. Let me see your hands.” Tartaglia looked at him curiously before Diluc grabbed his hands roughly. “...My dad used to do this. To calm me down.” Diluc bit the inside of his cheek as he slowly rubbed his thumbs across the back of Tartaglia’s hands. Tartaglia looked up at Diluc, heat rising to his face. Diluc glanced at him, quickly looking away once he saw the blush on Tartaglia’s face. “I um…I was lying earlier.”
“Huh?” Tartaglia narrowed his eyes in confusion. Sighing out heavily, Diluc whispered under his breath. “When I said you weren’t of any importance in my life. Especially with what’s happened between us these past few months..” He looked back at Tartaglia, who was now grinning widely. “What are you grinning about?” Tartaglia shook his head slowly. “I’m just guessing this means…you're a little interested in me?”
“You could say so. But as you know-”
“Yeah, yeah. Your reputation. I know me and you being…something is impossible. And that’s alright with me.” Tartaglia shot him a smile, pulling his hands away from Diluc. “I should go. Yeah, it’s really late.” Tartaglia stood up, taking the last sip from his glass. Walking towards the door, he turned around to awkwardly wave at Diluc. “I guess I’ll see you around…?” Diluc nodded, clearing his throat.
“See you around, Tartaglia.”