Archive of Our Own ^beta

Diluc is… not quite sure how things ended up like this, to say the least.

Things have been complicated since he had returned; that much was to be expected. Taking over the winery’s operations, shifts at Angels Share, his “Darknight Hero” activities - all of these things took time and patience to acclimate to. 

None of those things had been more challenging than his relationship with Kaeya, though - something else that he was very, very much expecting, but very, very ill-prepared for.

For nearly a year, they’d exchanged clipped conversation and passed along intel, all while balanced between the knife’s edge of politeness and disdain, and then one day, somehow, he found himself pinned against a wall with Kaeya’s tongue in his mouth.

Ill-prepared might have been the understatement of the century, he’d distantly contemplated, his entire world spinning off its axis as he was kissed within an inch of his life.

To make it more perplexing, he’d enjoyed it.

Exponentially.

So much so, in fact, that the only appropriate response his kiss-addled brain had managed to piece together by the time Kaeya pulled back was to punch him in the face.

And Kaeya, being Kaeya, still came back the next night - bruised cheekbone and all. He’d perched himself on a bar stool, pushing Diluc’s buttons with no remorse, and when the night came to a close, he simply smirked, locked the door, slunk to his knees behind the bar, and Diluc’s self-restraint faltered astronomically.

It’s been two months since that night.

Two months of quickies after closing, of Kaeya pressing his boundaries, of descending into debauchery, and Diluc is doing his very best not to get swept up in it all - to no avail, of course.

Kaeya’s been out of Mondstadt for two weeks now, and as remiss as he is to admit it, Diluc feels almost excited when he sees the Cavalry Captain finally saunter into Angels Share again, a handful of other knights trailing behind him. Regardless, he trains his face into a neutral expression, doing his best to ignore the grin on Kaeya’s face when he sees him.

Fucker.

It takes no more than five minutes to pull him into the back room of the tavern.

As soon as the door closes, Kaeya is on him like a starved man. Diluc responds eagerly, licking into his mouth, hands scrambling to find purchase on his ridiculous clothes. He sucks in a sharp breath, allowing himself to be pushed back against a wall and a low noise escapes him when Kaeya palms at his cock through his pants.

"Someone missed me," Kaeya teases, and when Diluc goes to reply, the other man squeezes at his erection firmly, earning a choked grunt. He chooses to ignore Kaeya's taunt then, rolling his hips forward, eagerly grinding into the knight's touch.

"Get on with it," he breathes a moment later.

"Say please," Kaeya instructs him, and the smug look on his face irritates Diluc.

"Get on with it, please," he replies dryly, generously all things considered. A lazy hum rumbles from Kaeya before he replies.

"Mm, a bit better. We'll work on it."

Diluc rolls his eyes and Kaeya just chuckles, leaning in to capture his mouth in a messy, languid kiss. When he tugs Diluc free from the constraints of his pants a moment later, he is met with a pleased hum.

"You're already so hard," Kaeya notes, leather-clad palm dragging against the underside of Diluc's cock so deliciously he has to suppress a desperate little noise. "You really needed this, didn't you?"

Diluc can't argue that - especially not when Kaeya's slender, cool fingers wrap so snugly around his throbbing cock and squeeze in a way that feels far, far too good. He moans softly, eyes fluttering shut and he feels Kaeya lean in, hot breath tickling over his neck. A shudder rolls down his spine, cock pulsing in the other man's grip.

Kaeya tuts at him.

"Such a naughty boy, leaking all over daddy's hand," he purrs, his voice low and soft, like velvet caressing the shell of Diluc's ear. He trembles in response, one hand flying to clutch uselessly at the wall.

Gods. 

He's never said anything quite like that before. 

It does something horrible to Diluc, rocketing him dangerously close to the edge of orgasm so quickly it's embarrassing. Self-loathing weighs on him at the realization, tightening in his chest enough that it almost distracts him from how good Kaeya’s touch makes him feel. 

"Fuck," he grunts, jaw clenching tight as he tries not to crumble.

"What's wrong, 'Luc?" He asks. Diluc is about to reply when Kaeya interrupts him with a firm, long stroke, and he lets out a choked groan. "You're not going to tell me you don't like that, are you?"

"I don't," Diluc hisses, lying anyways - to himself, to Kaeya, it doesn’t matter. Kaeya hums, thumbing over the wet slit of his cock, and Diluc's head falls back against the wall with a thunk.

"It's not very nice to lie," Kaeya says with a disapproving click of his tongue and Diluc can practically hear him smirking. He wants to punch him.

"I'm not lying, you - ah," Diluc grunts as Kaeya continues stroking his cock.

"Well, you like something," he notes. "I can feel you throbbing."

"Shut up," Diluc demands, thrusting up into Kaeya's precum-slicked fist. "You talk too much."

Kaeya chuckles then and Diluc jerks when he feels the other man's mouth ghost over his jaw, pressing soft kisses to his skin.

Thankfully, he doesn't say anything else, steadily jerking Diluc off, occasionally thumbing at the sensitive underside of his cock. Each stroke sends him closer and closer, tension coiling low in his belly.

"Kaeya," he warns, approaching the point of no return, dick pulsing in Kaeya's grip. He hums, nuzzling against the junction of his neck and shoulder, offering a gentle nip.

"Already?" Kaeya asks incredulously. Diluc nods shakily, brows knitting together. "Go on, then. Come for daddy."

He opens his mouth to complain and the most pathetic moan comes out instead, cock pulsing as he suddenly unravels, hot spurts of cum spilling over Kaeya's fingers. He sees stars for a split second, bucking up into the slick fist around him.

"Shit, 'Luc," Kaeya breathes, and even with his eyes closed Diluc can imagine the look of surprise on his face.

The bliss finally subsides a minute later, Kaeya's grip on his sensitive cock relenting. Diluc's head has stopped spinning and his eyes flutter open, hand slipping down the wall as he leans back.

"Shit," he breathes, blinking slowly.

Kaeya shoots him a shit-eating grin, snickering at the fucked out expression on his face.

"My goodness," he exclaims. "Seems as if you certainly enjoyed that."

Diluc is sated, but still annoyed. He offers up a weak glare to Kaeya. "Orgasms are generally well-liked."

Kaeya's gaze darkens. "We both know that's not what I was talking about."

He doesn't reply, letting Kaeya slip his now flaccid dick back into his pants.

"I've never seen you come so fast," he comments as he pulls up his zipper. Diluc grunts disinterestedly.

"I was pent up," he says, as if the excuse will distract Kaeya.

"You're always pent up," Kaeya reminds him matter-of-factly and Diluc watches with great interest as he brings his hand up to his mouth, cum dribbled across his fingers. He hums, tongue reaching out to lap some away, and then he peers at Diluc.

"Open up," he tells him.

"What? No."

"Come on. Be a good boy and clean up your mess," Kaeya instructs him, and the condescending way he says it makes Diluc both irritated and aroused. "Listen to daddy."

A hot flush washes over him and he opens his mouth, not to acquiesce, but to argue, and Kaeya takes the opportunity any way he can get it. Warm fingers press into the cavern of his mouth and Diluc makes a disgruntled noise.

"See? That's not so bad."

He glowers, but gives in, lapping at the fingers on his tongue, and when he does, Kaeya coos in approval. Something about it sends Diluc's head spinning, arousal churning low in his tummy again, and he hates the involuntary noise that comes out of him, sucking his own cum off of Kaeya's lithe fingers.

A moment later, those fingers withdraw, a trail of spit connecting them and Diluc's shining lips. He's a little breathless, a little out of sorts, and it takes him a second to close his mouth again, blinking at Kaeya.

"Good enough?" Diluc asks, raspy and still so undeniably aroused. Kaeya offers him a pleased look, lips quirking into a smile.

"Very good," he replies. "You're so cute when you're obedient."

"Fuck off," Diluc says, though there's no heat behind his words, gaze focused on Kaeya’s mouth. 

He chuckles before leaning in to kiss Diluc. It's only a peck, but Diluc chases his mouth after, a hand going to his shirt to pull him back in. Kaeya doesn't fight it, offering up another soft kiss to the eager redhead and humming in delight. 

“My place or yours later?” Diluc asks, pulling back just a touch.

“Oh? That wasn’t enough for you? My, isn’t someone greedy–”

Kaeya interrupts himself with a sharp hiss when Diluc reaches down to grab at his dick through his pants. “Hm. Seems like it wasn’t enough for you either.”

A breathy laugh escapes Kaeya, and he grins dangerously at Diluc.

“I’ll have to teach you some manners later,” he says.

“Good luck. I don’t take orders very well these days.”

“It’s no fun if it’s not a challenge, Master Diluc,” Kaeya exclaims and Diluc almost swears his spent dick twitches in interest at the low, threatening tone of the other man’s voice. “My place. See you in a bit.”

With one final kiss and the sharp sting of a bite to his lower lip, Kaeya smirks and takes his leave, slipping out the back door of the stock room. Diluc watches quietly as the door shuts behind him, wiping a gloved hand over his mouth.

A challenge, huh?

-

Much to his chagrin, Diluc’s in no better state when he arrives at Kaeya’s two hours later.

Honestly, maybe he’s even more pent up.

Two hours ruminating on the ease with which Kaeya unraveled him in the stockroom has left him with a single-minded focus. He tries deeply, desperately not to think about what Kaeya said, but the words roll around in his mind, taunting him.

Come for daddy.

He feels all too warm as he approaches the front door of Kaeya’s apartment, hesitating briefly.

It’s no fun if it’s not a challenge, Master Diluc.

Trying to ignore the fact that the memory of Kaeya’s threat has him half-hard already, Diluc reaches forward and knocks at the door. It takes a total of three seconds for Kaeya to fling it open, standing at the threshold with an expectant look on his face, clad in loose clothes.

“Master Diluc,” he greets politely. “Please. Come in.”

Wordlessly, he obliges, stepping into the apartment, and when the door closes, Diluc is pulling Kaeya into him. There’s a little noise of surprise that escapes him when Diluc’s mouth collides with his, but it melts into a pleasant hum a second later, a hand finding Diluc’s hip.

“Eager,” Kaeya teases, mouths parting for a split second before he’s kissing him again. 

Now he realizes how desperate he must seem, and lets out a low growl, biting Kaeya’s lower lip in frustration.

“Shut up,” he says breathlessly. He needs to not think about it - needs to not think about anything but feeling. That thought alone makes him angrier, fingers flying to tug at Kaeya’s clothes.

The second Kaeya bites back, teeth digging into the swell of his lip, Diluc is fully hard, straining against the confines of his pants. He kisses back, stumbling forward into the Cavalry Captain, who clutches onto him, trying not to trip.

"Slow down," Kaeya manages a moment later, between kisses, half-heartedly pushing against Diluc as the redhead tugs at his clothes. 

“Mm.”

“Diluc, slow down,” he says again, with a little laugh, parting from him. A lone blue eye peers down at him and Diluc can’t stand the way his gaze flickers with amusement. 

"No," he replies.

He attempts to pry Diluc's hands from his shirt, which earns a low, disgruntled noise. Diluc leans in to kiss him again, and is interrupted when Kaeya's hand flies to his face, fingers digging into his skin as he pushes him back firmly. 

He jerks and Kaeya grips his chin tighter, eyeing him. Diluc's breath catches in his throat then, stilling.

"You," Kaeya begins sternly, gaze searing into him, "are being a brat." 

Diluc's heart thuds in his chest, eagerly taking in the sight of Kaeya's pretty blue eye, pupil blown wide, a stern, but hungry expression on his face.

Something excited runs through him. His tongue darts out to wet his lips and he watches in satisfaction at the way Kaeya's gaze follows.

"Then do something about it," Diluc breathes.

Kaeya’s eye flashes dangerously. 

"And here I had hoped," he starts, releasing his grip on Diluc's chin, "that after a week of grueling diplomatic nonsense I would be greeted with better behavior."

"Greeted? I'm not your pet, waiting patiently at the door for you to come home," Diluc practically spits, watching Kaeya untie the laces on his shirt.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Kaeya replies coolly, staring at Diluc with an unreadable expression. "After all, you're acting rather like a bitch in heat."

Diluc's brows arch high on his face, surprise morphing quickly to indignance. 

"Excuse m–?"

A hand flies to his hair, fisting roughly in his crimson waves and Diluc cuts himself off with a gasp. His eyes flutter at the sting, heart thudding in his chest.

"So temperamental," Kaeya exclaims, pulling his head back and stepping in close. "Especially for someone so desperate to be fucked."

"I'm not–"

Kaeya yanks at his hair again and this time Diluc can't stop the moan that escapes him. His hands fumble to grasp at Kaeya’s shirt. 

"Liar," Kaeya whispers hotly. 

“Kaeya–”

“All you want to do is be difficult tonight,” he interrupts, frustration lacing his voice. “Lying. Talking back. Acting like you’re in charge. Pretending you didn’t miss me.”

His heart skips a beat at the last bit. Diluc stands still, head tugged back as he tries to slow his breaths, and when the silence lasts too long, he swallows nervously.

"Pretending I didn’t miss you?" 

“What, like you didn’t?”

He did. Of course he did. 

Like hell he’s going to say it.

Diluc swallows, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “Why would I?”

Kaeya's free hand disappears between them, Diluc's gaze darting down, curious. It earns a tighter grip in his hair and he winces. 

“Oh, Master Diluc,” he offers with a chuckle, undoing Diluc’s belt and yanking it free from its loops forcefully. “You wouldn’t have dragged me into the stockroom as soon as you saw me if you hadn't missed me. You wouldn’t be here in my apartment, acting out and begging for my attention.”

Diluc swallows.

He's right, of course.

Diluc fucking hates that he’s right.

“I'm not begging,” Diluc tells him, lies to him, and somehow he manages to keep his voice even. 

Kaeya laughs, letting go of his hair finally and Diluc grunts, tilting his head back down to meet the other man’s gaze.

“But you are,” he exclaims, reaching up to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt. “Acting like a spoiled little brat because you want daddy’s attention.”

Something molten roars to life, low in Diluc’s stomach, and he feels his cock throb. He doesn’t understand why he’s reacting like this. Irritation simmers under his desire, setting him on edge. He flinches just slightly when Kaeya leans forward, pulling Diluc’s arms together behind his back, warm lips brushing over the shell of his ear.

“So desperate for daddy’s attention,” Kaeya teases in a husky whisper. “And his cock. Hm?”

His vision practically blurs with arousal then, eyes fluttering slowly as Kaeya’s filthy words sink in. He jostles him just slightly, securing Diluc’s belt around his wrists, and when he pulls back, Diluc cannot help but tilt his head up in search of Kaeya’s mouth, inhaling sharply when he turns a cheek, purposely avoiding it.

The way Kaeya chuckles makes him want to pout, like the petulant child he’s accused of being. Instead he scowls, shooting a glare at him.

“What?” Kaeya asks innocently.

“Kaeya,” Diluc replies, too close to a whine for his liking, and it sounds every bit the spoiled brat Kaeya is painting him. It makes him flush in embarrassment.

“You know. After all this, I think you deserve a punishment,” Kaeya informs him, stepping back just slightly to undo the button and zipper of his pants, leaving them hanging loosely around his hips. Without warning Kaeya gives him a push towards the couch, and he finds it difficult not to oblige, hands bound behind his back.

"Go on," Kaeya encourages with another push, and Diluc lets himself be maneuvered, legs meeting the edge of the sofa. "Move."

It's awkward, the way he’s shoved forward then, clumsily trying not to fall as he sinks his knees into the soft cushions.

"What are you–?" He's cut off the next moment when he feels his pants being tugged down, Kaeya’s fingers hooking into his underwear and taking them with. It's awkward and his brows furrow in confusion, glancing behind him to shoot a look at the Cavalry Captain. "What–?"

"Quiet," Kaeya interrupts, giving his clothes another pull until he's half-exposed, pants and underwear skewed awkwardly over the tops of his knees. It feels a little embarrassing, but before he can voice any complaint, Kaeya has settled onto the couch next to him. A hand fists in his partially undone shirt, yanking him down and to the side and he finds himself face first in the cushion on the other side of Kaeya's legs, body draped over his thighs. 

"Kaeya," he begins, muffled by the couch until he awkwardly turns his head, struggling to peek behind him. 

"What is it, baby?" Kaeya asks nonchalantly, and Diluc flushes at the way the pet name makes him feel, especially like this - hands bound behind his back, face pressed into the couch, powerless against him in whatever he has planned.

"What are - what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" He says. Diluc opens his mouth to reply and freezes when he feels Kaeya smooth a hand over the swell of one exposed asscheek. "You want to act like a spoiled child, so you're going to be reprimanded like one."

"Are you going to spank me?" Diluc inquires incredulously, squirming. The answer comes immediately in the form of a sharp slap to his ass and he gasps, jerking. 

"I have to teach you a lesson somehow, don't I?" Kaeya exclaims nonchalantly. "Safeword?"

"What - I - calla lily?" Diluc stammers, dumbfounded.

"Good boy. Finally some obedience," Kaeya says, sounding pleased. 

"What the - fuck," Diluc yelps at the next slap, Kaeya’s hand landing with a loud smack. 

"Should I have you count?" He asks. Diluc can't even answer before he’s being spanked again, another little gasp escaping him, and he can't ignore the way the pain sparking across his skin makes his head swim pleasantly. 

"How many, do you think?"

Smack.

"Ten?"

Smack.

"Twenty?"

Smack.

"Answer me, Diluc."

"I don't–" Kaeya spanks him again and Diluc moans, the sting deepening. He shoves his face into the cushion below him, trying desperately not to roll his hips against Kaeya's leg. "I don't know."

Kaeya clicks his tongue, fingers softly caressing his reddened ass. The touch is so gentle it makes Diluc shiver, arching up into the sensation, and he hears Kaeya chuckle.

“Ten, I think, for starters,” he says casually. “Make sure you count each one carefully.”

“What if I miss one?” Diluc asks.

“I’ll start over each time you do,” Kaeya informs him. “Ready?”

Diluc goes tense. “Wai-ah!” 

If he thought Kaeya was being rough before, it’s nothing compared to the force behind the next slap that lands. His head goes fuzzy at the sensation, sharp and stinging and painful, and it feels so good he moans.

“What was that?” Kaeya asks.

“O-one,” Diluc gasps, fingers squeezing into tight fists as he strains against the belt around his wrists.

“Good boy. Keep going.”

Kaeya offers up another forceful smack, sending Diluc’s body jolting up, cock pressing against Kaeya’s clothed thigh, and he whimpers. The noise is so pathetic it makes him go hot with anger. “Two.”

Smack.

“Three,” he breathes.

“Good,” Kaeya praises again. 

By seven, Diluc feels dizzy in a way he can’t explain. He’s arching up into the impact, gasping out with every count and struggling not to grind against Kaeya. On eight, he can’t help himself, and he presses his pelvis down after Kaeya smacks his ass again, a stuttering moan tumbling from his lips as his cock slides against Kaeya’s pants.

“Are you humping my leg?” Kaeya asks suddenly, fingers digging into the flesh of his ass as he pauses in his punishment, and the sensation makes Diluc shudder, hips rolling forward again.

“Yes,” he admits breathlessly, the break in counting bringing him back to himself just enough that he can feel a wet spot on the cushion underneath his cheek. 

Archons.

He’s been drooling. 

It strikes a chord of shame somewhere low in him, but instead of being met with self-loathing, it simply arouses him more this time, inhibitions lowered, mind bouncing uselessly between pain and pleasure.

He’s jolted from his thoughts when he feels a stinging sensation on his scalp, his hair being tugged at and he arches uncomfortably. His eyes flutter open and he tries his best to glance to the side at Kaeya, who leans down toward him.

“Whore,” he whispers then, hot breath tickling his skin, and Diluc moans, dick pulsing and twitching, and he thrusts against Kaeya’s thigh again. It earns another spank.

“Nine,” he gasps. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Kaeya echoes curiously, and then offers up another slap. Diluc jerks, wincing at the pain.

“Ten.”

“Good. Yes, what?”

“Yes, I–” Diluc trails off, squirming when Kaeya kneads at one tender, abused ass cheek. 

“What is it, Diluc?” He asks. “Yes, what? Yes, you’re a whore?”

He humps Kaeya’s leg unabashedly then, seeking more friction. “Yes.”

“Say it,” Kaeya instructs him sternly. Diluc hesitates briefly and in that moment, Kaeya spanks him again. He chokes, shuddering as the discomfort begins to creep through the pleasant sting, trying to bring his bound hands down to cover his reddened ass. “Ten more if you don’t.”

“I’m a whore,” Diluc gasps.

“Fuck,” Kaeya mutters, and Diluc cannot deny he is affected by the husky tone of his voice. “Good boy. You want to come?”

“Please,” Diluc says, already moving his hips desperately.

“Go on.”

Kaeya shifts, pressing his thigh up against Diluc’s pelvis, and he moans, high and needy at the pressure before he starts rutting mindlessly against him. It's all so much - pleasure blossoming so strongly against the sting radiating from his abused skin - and he can't help it when his eyes roll back into his head.

He’s so close, so devastatingly close, mouth parted on a string of breathless noises, and then Kaeya moves and that delightful pressure slips just out of his grasp.

“Kaeya,” he complains, his voice broken and desperate, hips jerking uselessly. “Please.”

“Shh,” Kaeya shushes him, and Diluc barely registers that his wrists have been freed from their confines until he feels the other man’s fingers gently brush over them. “You did good.”

“Then let me come. Please.”

“Gods, you’re so cute like this,” Kaeya murmurs, pointedly ignoring his pleas. “C’mon, sit up.”

Hazily, he manages to sit up, knees caught in his pants still. His mind is still a blur, his aching cock leaking between his legs, and he moans when he feels Kaeya touch him, fingers wrapping around him. 

“How do you want to come? Like this?” He asks with a gentle squeeze. “Or on my cock?”

He feels his dick throb at the thought of Kaeya pressing him into the bed and stuffing him full. It takes everything in his power not to whine when the other man’s touch relents, leaving his neglected cock twitching uselessly.

“On your cock,” Diluc answers. “Please.”

Kaeya smiles, saccharine and so very clearly delighted.

“My sweet boy, begging so prettily. Come on.”

Diluc barely registers their move from the living room to the bedroom, head spinning with every kiss Kaeya offers, mind coming back to solid ground when he collides with the mattress. He braces himself against the comforter, turning back to peer at Kaeya again, who’s already undressing.

“How do you want it?”

“This way,” Diluc breathes, leaning further into the bed and spreading his legs. He has no doubt in his mind he looks like a cheap whore, leaking cock hanging heavy between his thighs, ass undoubtedly as red as his hair. 

It must do something though, because a guttural groan rips from Kaeya, one hand gently tickling up his thigh before fingers dig into one abused cheek, spreading him wide. The pain surges through him again and Diluc makes a noise, so high and pathetic that he almost doesn’t recognize his own voice.

Gods.

He hates it.

He hates it so much - loathes it - but for some reason it only serves to fuel his arousal, dark and low in his belly, arching into Kaeya’s touch to show himself off, to entice Kaeya to take.

“Such a good boy for daddy.”

Diluc is mortified.

Mortified and disgusted and incontestably the horniest he’s ever been in his entire life.

When a slick finger presses at his hole a moment later, his mind goes blank. That same broken, blissed out noise escapes him, lilting into something that could only be described as a whine.

“Fuck,” he hears Kaeya murmur quietly as he begins stretching him.

It’s not enough, it’s too much, he can’t decide. He presses back against the intrusion, fingers clutching into the blankets below him.

“More,” he says, his mouth working faster than his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Kaeya asks, voice hitching with excitement. “Already? Need it that bad?”

“Kaeya,” Diluc complains, sounding more like himself rather than some wanton whore for the first time since he’s been bent over one knee, and Kaeya chuckles, low and warm. It simultaneously annoys and arouses him, an irritated noise rumbling in his chest as he fucks himself back on Kaeya’s finger.

“Alright, alright,” the other man says, acquiescing, and a second later, Diluc feels him sink another finger in. His eyes flutter shut and he buries his face into the mattress.

“Kae,” he whimpers, thoughts blurring, and somewhere distantly, he knows he hasn’t called Kaeya by that nickname in years. He seems to notice, a satisfied groan escaping him.

“Good boy,” he praises, and Diluc feels his neglected cock twitch and jerk helplessly beneath him. He wants more, more, more–

His breath catches, a high gasp of surprise falling from his parted lips when Kaeya wordlessly gives him that which he so desires, and he all but sobs, that third finger pressing into his lube-slicked hole and stretching him so, so wonderfully.

Heat curls across his skin, prickling pleasantly, and he can already feel his orgasm building. When Kaeya’s talented fingers push and press over his prostate, his whole body jerks, electricity flashing behind his eyes.

If he doesn’t stop, Diluc is going to–

He’s whining before he even knows why, arousal-addled brain struggling to catch up with his surroundings, and he feels his hole flutter around nothing.

“Ah-ah,” Kaeya tuts. “On my cock, you said, remember? Not on my fingers.”

Diluc groans, turning to glare desperately at Kaeya.

Of course he knew.

“Fuck me, then,” he complains, shades of that unrepentant brat Kaeya was accusing him of being. His voice is far from stern, shaky and pleading instead, and he’s sure the annoyed look on his face is something Kaeya finds more cute than intimidating. One finely-manicured brow arches as Kaeya stares back expectantly and Diluc presses his lips into a thin line. “Fuck me then, please.”

“Please, what, Diluc?”

Diluc’s heart skips a beat. Excitement thrums through him, and he shouldn’t, he shouldn’t, but–

He glances away.

"Please… daddy," he finally mutters, giving into Kaeya’s whims - into his own, no longer silent desires, to the urge to obey and be good for Kaeya, to beg and receive and be put in his place. 

It's wrong.

It’s so fucking wrong, he thinks in passing, embarrassment and shame roiling in his chest. That fact only serves to make it more delicious then when it comes tumbling out of his mouth again a moment later when Kaeya carefully but insistently presses his cock past the slick rim of Diluc’s ass.

His eyes roll back, body tensing at the intrusion, and they both let out a moan in tandem as he sinks deeper. He’s so full, so fast, and he has to resist the urge to reach between his trembling legs and stroke himself to completion immediately because it’s so good.

“Fuck,” Kaeya breathes. “You’re so tight - you gotta relax, baby.”

He curses when Kaeya bottoms out and sucks in a sharp breath, struggling to accommodate. He revels in it, the way it takes a moment to adjust, to remember how to breathe when he’s being split in two, and when Kaeya offers up a slow thrust, he chokes.

"Daddy," he moans again, thoughtless, torn between pain and pleasure, burying his face into the comforter below him. 

"That's it," Kaeya praises, voice tight. "Such a good boy."

A hot wave of satisfaction rolls over him, arching and pressing his ass back eagerly. The action elicits a pleased noise and Kaeya spanks him again. The surprise of it makes Diluc moan pathetically and squeeze around the cock stuffing him full, electricity sparking up his spine.

“Fu-uck,” he whines, clutching the blanket as Kaeya fucks into him again, deep and rough.

“Oh, ‘Luc, you look so good like this,” he exclaims breathlessly. “Taking my cock so well.”

He accentuates his last words with a squeeze to one sensitive cheek, pulling out of his slick hole only to slam back in ruthlessly, and the noise that Diluc makes sounds foreign in his own ears. Each thrust drives him deeper into that unfamiliar, blurry headspace where all he knows is Kaeya.

Kaeya. He tries to call his name, and it comes out wrong.

“Daddy,” he says, pathetic and so deeply embarrassing and utterly delightful.

He can practically feel the way Kaeya’s cock pulses inside of him as his hips stutter briefly. Fuck. Fuck.

“Gods - fuck, ‘Luc,” Kaeya groans, redoubling on his pace, relentless and rough. Diluc chokes on a noise, thoughts jumbling. All he can focus on is the delightful pressure building low in his tummy and the sound of Kaeya’s hips slapping unforgivingly against his ass.

“So fucking good for daddy,” Kaeya grunts, filthy and low, and thrusts into him with an angle that makes his head spin.

“I–” Diluc cuts himself off with a gasp, choking on air as he struggles to breathe. Kaeya does not relent. His legs shake, eyes rolling back into his head as that molten heat in his stomach knots so tight, so quick that–  

He’s going to - oh. Oh, Gods, he–

Between his trembling thighs, his cock jumps helplessly, and without warning he keens, coming, untouched. The edges of his vision blur and go dark, then the rest with it a moment later, a moan echoing from Kaeya.

His mind goes blissfully blank, lapsing into some unknown, blurry space. It seems to last forever - rolling waves of something between delight and darkness filling his brain. Somewhere far away, he realizes he’s moved, or being moved, and tries to shift, but his body feels so, so heavy.

“Diluc?” 

Distantly, he hears Kaeya’s voice, and it breaks through the weight of his mindless fog.

“‘Luc.” 

He opens his eyes and blinks, hazy and floating as he comes down, blood rushing in his ears, high in a way he’s never experienced before. Kaeya is peering down at him from one elbow, next to him.

“Are you all right?” He asks, much clearer this time.

Diluc nods, an affirmative hum vibrating from him lazily. It is then that he notices that his face is wet, and he reaches up to touch his face.

“I’m…” He trails off.

Kaeya thumbs at his cheek and Diluc’s mind slowly levels out, like a receding high tide. The look on Kaeya’s face is so concerned it almost makes Diluc worried, and his brows furrow, coming back to himself.

“Was I crying?” He asks dumbly.

“Yeah,” Kaeya tells him softly, and when he takes stock of the situation a moment later he realizes the captain is splayed out next to him, one hand rubbing slow circles into his hip. “Did I go too hard on you?”

“No, I…” 

His mind buzzes uselessly. There’s a low ache settling in his body, not just physical, but something in his chest that he can’t explain, and the urge to cry bubbles up, so sudden he almost can’t suppress it. He goes tense, eyes clenching shut tightly, and he feels something akin to panic rise in his throat.

“Diluc,” Kaeya interrupts his train of thought. “Come back to me.”

He swallows, opening his eyes again reluctantly, and nearly cringes when he feels fresh tears spill.

“Did you–?”

“When you did,” Kaeya interjects. “Squeezed me so hard I thought I was going to pass out.”

“Is that… I passed out?”

“Yeah,” Kaeya murmurs, brushing away another tear. “Just for a couple seconds. You had me worried there.”

“Oh,” Diluc says blankly. He still feels boneless, limp and heavy, but Kaeya lets out a little chuckle, tickling a hand over the curve of his waist, and the grounding touch brings him back just a little more.

“Come on. Let’s go take a shower.”

“A shower?” He parrots. 

“Mhm,” Kaeya murmurs, and Diluc watches as he reaches up to brush away another tear, fingers tangling into his hair to smooth it out. The quiet affection he sees sends that panic rearing its head again and he has to look away. “Helps bring you back down to Teyvat. And you’re a little sweaty.”

“Just a little,” Diluc agrees, mind still dragging.

He comes back to himself almost completely when the warm water washes over him, jolting slightly. Kaeya joins him quietly a moment later, sliding the curtain closed behind him and the two lapse into silence.

Diluc tilts his head forward, letting the scorching water run over him, through his sweat-dampened hair, over his tired body. Kaeya reaches past him, grabbing a bar of shampoo.

“Can I?” He inquires softly. Diluc glances up, pushing water off his face and peers over his shoulder. “Hair?”

Wordlessly, Diluc glances to the shampoo, calla lily scented, back to Kaeya’s quiet, affectionate gaze and nods. Kaeya works a lather into his hair, soap trickling down over his back, and Diluc allows himself to relax.

He tries not to think about how this feels more intimate than what they’d been doing five minutes prior.

Though his thoughts still feel hazy, he’s settled back into his mind. There is a quiet static buzzing in the back, though, distant but somehow pleasant. He listens to the sound of water and tilts his head back to let Kaeya’s soapy fingers work at the crown of his head. 

He feels almost… content.

And that terrifies him.

“I’m sorry,” Kaeya finally sighs. 

“What for?” 

“I pushed your limits without discussing it beforehand,” he explains. 

“When have we discussed anything about…” Diluc trails off for a minute. Anything about anything, really, he realizes, lapsing into silence as he tries to figure out the best way to word it.

“Exactly,” Kaeya notes. Diluc tilts his head to peer back at him. “If we’re going to continue doing things like what we just did, we need to set ground rules.”

Diluc grunts disinterestedly, glancing away and turning back to face the stream of hot water pouring over him. Kaeya starts washing his hair again, fingers working suds into his crimson locks.

“I know neither of us are keen on talking about things,” Kaeya observes. “But I don’t want either of us to do something that could end badly.”

“As if this entire thing isn’t slated for disaster already,” Diluc mutters.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Kaeya exclaims softly a moment later, his voice so honest and tender that it feels like a knife through Diluc’s heart. He hates the way his breath hitches, betraying his surprise and tries desperately to ignore the feeling in his heart, something naive and hopeful. He swallows it down, letting himself focus instead on the way Kaeya’s fingers smooth through his hair. “All done. Rinse.”

He does as he’s told, enjoying the way the hot water stings at his scalp and washes away the bubbles of soap.

“Ground rules,” Diluc repeats. “Like what?”

“Hard limits. For both of us. A check-in system, too.”

“Check-in system?” Diluc echoes, letting water pool in his hands before he splashes it across his face, swiping away soapy remnants. 

“Yeah. Maybe based off elements,” Kaeya suggests and Diluc turns to look at him. His hair is damp, long blue lock pulled back over one shoulder, damp strands clinging to his skin. His fingers twitch with the urge to play with Kaeya’s hair and he glances up at him.

“Do… do you want me to get your hair?” He asks, uncertain, and Kaeya just gives him a soft smile.

“No. Maybe next time,” he says pleasantly, so polite it almost makes Diluc forget that he was just fucking him into the mattress ten minutes ago. “Are you done? I can wash your back if you want.”

“I’m all right. Elements?” Diluc asks, bringing him back to the topic at hand as he leans down to cut the shower off. Kaeya’s already stepped out before he turns around, wrapping a towel around himself and holding another out.

“Elements. So… pyro for go. Maybe hydro to slow down, and… cryo for stop?”

“How does that work?” 

Diluc wrings his hair dry, letting water drip down into the shower before stepping out and sliding the towel over his wet skin. He follows Kaeya out of the bathroom, watching as the other man takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Well. For instance, earlier, when I put you over my knee, I could have prompted you for an element. If you said pyro, I would have kept going, like I did, and could have gone harder. If you said hydro, I would have slowed down a little, and checked in with you again in a minute or two. Cryo would be a pause - or full stop. We can stop completely, or we can discuss things.”

Diluc flushes. He hates that this makes him embarrassed - it’s foolish, somehow, the notion of having Kaeya make sure he’s comfortable, safe even. It feels like it goes against everything he’s trying to get out of this. The idea of Kaeya caring about him, of not pressing his limits without reservation, makes him uneasy in a way he doesn’t like to think about.

"Doesn't… this defeat the point?" He asks, approaching him.

"The point of what?"

Of running.

Of lying about it all.

Of burying it.

Diluc pauses. "Of something easy."

Kaeya laughs, and lifts his arm to Diluc, reaching up and twirling a finger through a strand of damp ruby hair. His gaze flicks back to his face after a long second.

"When has anything with us ever been easy, Diluc?" He asks in a soft voice.

The crooked smile on his face is so genuine, so very Kaeya, that it makes Diluc feel sick.

“If you insist,” he manages, glancing away, desperate to look anywhere that is not at Kaeya, not at the way his eye crinkles with quiet mirth and something that looks like longing.

“I do,” he says matter-of-factly, his tone pleasant and light, as if they were in the midst of discussion of a delightful book they’d both read and not negotiating details of their torrid affair. “Might I be so bold as to offer another insistence?”

“Mm,” Diluc hums, stepping away to go scrounging for his clothes. He is very suddenly pulled back by one arm, into Kaeya’s still-damp, naked lap, thighs spread over his. Hands find Kaeya’s shoulders and he steadies himself, one foot on the floor, ready to jump back.

“Stay the night,” Kaeya says.

Diluc freezes.

Alarms blare in his head, louder than a blast of Inazuman fireworks, and he stares down at Kaeya.

“What?” He asks.

“What do you mean, ‘what’? It’s late, it’s cold, and you can grab breakfast from Good Hunter in the morning when you leave.”

“With you?” Diluc inquires, lifting a brow. The softness on Kaeya’s face morphs into something sly and sharp then, lips parting in a grin that bears his teeth.

“Oh, asking for a breakfast date, hm?” He teases.

Diluc tries to ignore the way his heart flips backwards and side to side and scowls instead. It must convey his message well enough because Kaeya laughs, running one slender hand up his thigh.

“I can wake you up with a blowjob if that’s more incentive,” he offers, still grinning. Diluc can’t hold back a snort of laughter at that, and it earns a low chuckle from the man whose lap he’s perched on. 

“Very funny,” Diluc exclaims dryly, extricating himself from Kaeya’s grip with a gentle push.

“I will have you know I’m a man of my word,” Kaeya explains, letting him clamber back to his feet and watching. That smile is still on his face and Diluc has to look away again, the eerie feeling of nostalgia warping the edges of his thoughts. 

“Fine,” he relents. “I will stay.”

Kaeya practically hops up from the bed then, going to throw back the covers. “Which side do you prefer? Still the right?”

Diluc’s heart jumps.

He remembers.

“Don’t care,” he says - lies. It’s still the right - any bed, after years, it’s still the right side - but Kaeya doesn’t need to know that. Not today, at least. Kaeya shrugs and slips off to the bathroom again, tossing his towel over the handle of the door.

“Big spoon or little spoon?” He calls, audibly rummaging through a drawer.

Diluc scoffs, still standing at the end of the bed. “We are not cuddling.”

Kaeya’s head pops out from behind the door. “Is that a hard limit?” He teases.

“Yes.”

Diluc is already struggling with the notion of sleeping next to Kaeya and the concept of drifting off, pressed together does something to his insides that he doesn’t want to think about.

“Fine, fine,” Kaeya mutters with a roll of his eye, disappearing into the bathroom again before he pops back out, tossing Diluc a brush. “Here. Otherwise it’ll be a rat’s nest in the morning.”

Awkwardly, Diluc glances down at the brush in his hands. “Thanks.”

“Do you still braid it before bed?” Kaeya inquires, holding up a hair-tie, dangling it between his fingers. “I can do that if you want.”

“How do you remember that?” Diluc asks without thinking. Something flashes across Kaeya’s face then, something that looks like guilt and affection mixed into one, and he laughs it off a second later.

“How could I not?” He says. “Braiding your hair took practice.” 

Diluc’s younger self, buried deep inside, silently begs him to jump at the opportunity, to let Kaeya do his hair before bed again, just like when they were kids, to fall asleep tangled together, to–

“No,” Diluc says, coming out more sharply than he’d intended, and he sees Kaeya frown just a bit. “Thanks… though. It’ll be fine.”

“If you say so,” Kaeya exclaims, sufficiently ending the conversation as he flicks off the bathroom light and walks back to the bedroom, taking Diluc’s towel.

“Well?” Kaeya comments expectantly, gesturing to the right side of the bed. “Come on. I won’t bite. Unless you ask nicely.”

Diluc scoffs again, putting his hesitation aside to cross around the other side and pull back the blanket. Carefully, he settles back onto the mattress for the second time that evening, slipping his legs under the covers.

“Here,” Kaeya says from beside him, already laid back, offering up the band for his hair anyway. “If you wanted to do it yourself.”

Diluc peers at the hair-tie for a moment, then takes it. “Thanks.”

“Do you need the light?” Kaeya asks, leaning over.

“No. Thanks.”

“All right. Goodnight, Diluc.”

“Goodnight.”

With that, Kaeya turns over, turns off the light at his bed-side table, and goes quiet. Diluc glances over at him, at the curve of his exposed back, then to the hair tie in his hands, peering at it in the dim room. He pauses.

Too lazy to weave his unruly hair into a braid, he sets it off to the side, sliding it onto the slightly dusty table on his side of the bed before shifting under the covers completely. It takes a moment for him to settle, turning on his side, away from Kaeya. He stares at the window, low light of the street-lamps outside barely visible.

He heaves a slow breath, willing himself to relax.

Being here, like this, feels wrong, he thinks. He should be in his own bed, not asleep in Kaeya’s, perched at the edge of the mattress, trying not to touch him like he’s scared of it.

The worry weighs on him, but his mind can’t hang onto it, can’t ruminate the way he normally does. He’s too tired, too worn down. He blinks, slow and lazy, and before he knows it, his body is calling him to slumber, eyes simply too heavy to keep open.

He doesn’t dream. He doesn’t toss and turn. He doesn’t wake up endlessly.

He just… sleeps. Quiet, and hard, and comfortable.

He does stir though, finally, at dawn.

The first dregs of sunlight are creeping through the blinds, across the bed and he realizes, blearily, that despite his arguments, he and Kaeya have still found themselves tangled together, limbs intertwined, Kaeya’s soft, warm breath tickling over his skin. 

Diluc’s heart jumps. He doesn’t say anything, stilling completely as he sucks in a slow breath. 

He should leave, he thinks distantly. Slip out of this embrace he doesn’t deserve, doesn’t need, but he can’t bring himself to move, his body warm and sleep-heavy.

He blinks languidly, eyes searching Kaeya’s face for any sign of consciousness, but he is only met with the gentle rise and fall of his chest, still fast asleep. Disarmed and lazy and selfish, he shifts closer, eyes fluttering shut again to drift off into sleep.

Just as he’s tipping over the edge of slumber once more, Kaeya speaks.

“I thought you didn’t want to cuddle,” his voice comes suddenly, husky and laden with sleep, but still lilting with amusement.

“Don’t make me leave,” Diluc retorts half-heartedly, his tongue heavy in his mouth. Kaeya hums, then lapses into silence. He shifts, pressing a kiss to the crown of Diluc’s head, soft and gentle and something he doesn’t deserve.

“Don’t leave just yet,” he murmurs against his hair, sleepy and almost loving. “Okay?”

Diluc feels sick. 

He swallows it down, throat tight and dry, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. 

“Okay,” he whispers, nodding. “Not yet.”

Here and now, just this once, allowing himself this, he lets Kaeya pull him closer and falls back asleep in his arms.