The True Feelings Of The Prodigal Son

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I wish I could go someplace new. I spend all of my time in the same places." Diluc sighed.

Like most mornings, he was sitting outside of the Dawn Winery. However, today he was with a friend. The teal-haired boy beside him swung his legs as he intently listened. Venti and he had gotten to know each other better after the Dvalin incident and had become good friends. Diluc hadn't made a new friend in quite a while, so it was refreshing for him to see someone new once in a while.

After a moment, the boy with braids suggested something. "Have you ever been to Starsnatch Cliff? The view is beautiful, and there are so many Cecilias!"

"I have not ever been there. The only Cecilias that I have ever seen are the ones in my garden, and the ones you wear in your hair." He gestured towards the white flower that was nested in the other boy's hair.

"Well then, We'd better get going before the sun sets!"

Before he knew it, the shorter boy had put his hand in his, and was already headed towards the cliff. As they ran together, Diluc felt something new, something different, something that he had never felt before. He made a mental note to himself to figure out just what that feeling meant.

Then, he realized something. "Wait, we need food for the day. The trip will take a while."

"Oh... I forgot about that. I guess we can find food on the way there. And if not, I guess we'll just eat the grass!" He laughed at his joke, which made that new, different feeling grow even stronger.

They traversed Starfell Valley together, through valleys and hills, ruins and forests. By the time they were almost there, the sun had already begun to set. They went up together, hands still intertwined, as they made it to the cliff. By the time they were about halfway up, the bard had gotten distracted by a patch of beautiful white flowers.

"Diluc, look! The Cecilias! Aren't they just so pretty in the wild?" He cheered out as if the flowers were the most important thing in the world.

Diluc crouched down to get a closer look. "They are beautiful..."

Venti reached down and plucked one of the Cecilias from the ground, and tucked it behind the taller boy's ear.

"You look pretty like that!" The short boy smiled, which made whatever Diluc was feeling grow even more. He needed to figure out what this feeling was.

They followed the path together, occasionally straying away from it to collect more Cecilias to make flower crowns for their friends. Soon, they were at the top. Venti sat down in the grass and invited the other to join him.

"See? I told you it was beautiful! And especially with the sunset- Wow, I'm a genius for suggesting we go here!" Venti grinned to himself, proud of where his idea had brought the pair. Then, a thought occurred to Diluc. Maybe, just maybe, that feeling could be love. It made perfect sense now. But seriously, why did he have to fall in love with Venti, of all people? The other boy just saw him as a friend. At least he could have a close platonic relationship with him, he thought. They sat there in silence, still holding hands, for a few minutes. But then Diluc just had to ruin it.

"You look really beautiful right now." He blurted out. His cheeks heated up as he realized what he had just said. Venti smiled at him again.

"Thanks, I think so too."

"Really?"

"Yup, I do look pretty good." The bard burst out in laughter.

Diluc jokingly punched him in the shoulder. "Hey, just stop it already!"

"To be honest, you're not that bad either." He stared into the other's eyes.

"I know, I have been told so many times." The red-haired boy responded.

They sat there, exchanging jokes until the sun set. As Venti fell asleep with his head on Diluc's lap, the two shared a thought.

I wish we could stay like this forever...

(A/N this was originally posted on october 2nd of 2022 on ao3, i ran it through grammarly and manually spruced it up though.