jikan_rpg | [Nov Catchall] ✵ Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.

[The scarring is quite severe. There are parts of his hand he has no feeling, and others where Diluc’s touch makes his fingers twitch. How hard he must have held onto the Vision that was burning him to cause such damage.

Diluc’s statement makes his hands shake, a little draw a breath that might be inaudible under the sound of rain and wind if they weren’t so close. Kazuha remembers his friend’s face, warm but regretful, on the autumn day they departed. Kazuha had left feeling that with a connection that strong they’d surely meet again soon, that fate would draw them back together.]

Yes.

[There’s a tear beading at the corner of an eye, a familiar heaviness in his chest. He blinks and it rolls away, down his cheek.

He’s getting better each day. Slowly.]

I’ve wondered how things may have been different if I’d arrived in time, but…

[His eyes are distant as he thinks of his friend, but when he trails off the focus comes back and he turns a smile at Diluc.]

The past is not something I can change. I can only seek justice in the present.

Sometimes, life can change in an instant.

[The words don't sound quite like Diluc's, but more as if he's quoting them from somewhere - or someone - else. His own thoughts are elsewhere now too, by the side of a dirt road on a rainy afternoon. Somewhere he doesn't want to be. He pulls himself back to the present with a tiny shake.

Sometimes things simply don't work out for the best.

Diluc brushes the tear-track from Kazuha's cheek with a light swipe of his thumb, though the intimacy of such a gesture isn't lost on him. His hand lingers a moment before it drops.

Shine True.

Evil cannot go unpunished. Never settle for mediocrity. Never forget that the dawn will one day come.]

I don't think that you and I are all that different.

Edited 2021-11-04 21:57 (UTC)

Perhaps not…

[It may be why he’s able to understand and sympathize with Diluc so much. Why he worries about him because of the low value on his own life, despite them being recently acquainted.

It makes him sad to think about, since Kazuha wouldn’t wish this sort of similarity on anyone.

His cheek almost chases the hand, seeking intimacy, but he has something better in mind. He raises his free hand, settling it on the redhead’s shoulder before he slides it around it, and then he leans in and bumps his forehead against the other man’s collarbone.

It’s sort of a hug, with respectful distance.]

Edited 2021-11-04 22:31 (UTC)

[It's strange to feel like he could tell Kazuha anything. They barely know one another and yet Diluc feels so comfortable in his presence that he could so easily slip into speaking of so many things that he had never mentioned to anybody. Things that even Kaeya didn't know.

The hand on his shoulder surprises him, and then Kazuha leans in and--

Ah...

He's warm. Diluc can feel the flush creeping unbidden across the tops of his cheekbones. His fingers tighten briefly around the hand they're holding, and then he moves his arm to wrap it around the small Inazuman's waist so he can pull him in against his chest.

Damn the distance.]

Mmph.

[That’s not really a sound of protest, just mild surprise and acceptance as the samurai feels himself tugged closer. Where he’d had just a small part of his head leaned against him before, he can now lay his cheek fully against him.

The tension drains out with a heavy sigh.

The Mondstadter is warm and solid. He’s never seen him in combat, but his body feels strong, and it’s an assurance to Kazuha that he won’t break as he slumps against his chest, lingering in the embrace. His own hand lays more firmly against the larger man’s shoulders, holding him with a gentle but steady grip.]

Thank you.

[He doesn't even so much as sway backwards under Kazuha's weight, holding that arm around him and resting his cheek against the samurai's head. Kazuha feels so small like this but Diluc can sense the strength in him as well.]

Mm. [Diluc murmurs, the sound vibrating softly through his chest. Over the house the sky continues its soft, stormy grumblings though with far less intensity than before.

He moves his fingers through Kazuha's hair, from his forehead to over his ear, brushing it back but leaving it to fall back into place as he moves on. His hand comes to rest on the man's shoulder and Kazuha is all but wrapped up in his arms.]

Seemed like you needed it.

You too.

[Diluc’s heartbeat is louder than the storm. He fills his senses, touch and sound and smell, lulling the young samurai into a feeling of comfort, the dull throb in his head receding slightly.

Was part of it the tension he’d been holding since the storm began? As he relaxes, the ache of pain behind his eyes seems less. Sometimes, he must remind himself that his feelings can complicate his health.

Diluc is warmer than the kotatsu, and the haori is large enough on his frame it’s like he’s almost wearing a blanket. Slowly, the pale samurai curls closer to his host, just shy of crawling into his lap. Almost.

He’s weak to gentle fingers in his hair. He knows he probably looks far from pretty right now, disheveled from the rain and with makeshift earmuffs, but Diluc doesn’t appear to mind much. The soft brush of his fingers feels good, never forcing their way when they meet a tangle, just soft and soothing. He could doze.]

[Perhaps he had needed it. Something so simple as contact with another person could be a balm on raw nerves, overstimulated senses and painful memories. Kazuha sags in against him and he adjusts his hold to make the man more comfortable, dropping his head to press a soft kiss to the top of his hair.

Diluc doesn't have Kazuha's keen senses but he doesn't need them to know that right now he smells like the storm outside - like rain and static.

The man ends up all but curled in his lap as time passes softly and quietly in this way. Diluc knows he runs hot and people can find that warmth to be a comfort, and he moves to pull Kazuha those last few inches so he is on his lap - no doubt more comfortable for the both of them.

Kazuha had said he didn't expect to sleep so Diluc doesn't anticipate that he will drift off entirely, but if he can offer the man some respite in a situation where he would normally find none... then he is happy to do that.

And maybe, as Kazuha had said, he really had needed this too.]

Edited 2021-11-04 23:42 (UTC)

[He almost doesn't feel the kiss on top of his head, his groggy brain slow to really register it. Even when he does, his cheeks color again, smile briefly ghosting over his lips as he feels warmth pool in his chest. He's already thought about how Diluc is very gentle and kind a million times that night, but he seems to keep managing to keep floating the thought back up into his consciousness.

It did seem like fate that this was the house that answered him.

No more words are said at the moment. He fits nicely in Diluc's lap like the contours of his legs were made to cradle him, and slowly the samurai's arm drops from the redhead's shoulders to curl loosely around his waist instead, rubbing slow circles into the skin beneath his shirt. It's a much more comfortable arrangement of limbs, allowing him to lean fulling against the larger man without twisting, and keep his face comfortably pressed against his chest.

Time passes. He isn't sure how much. His breathing evens out, his body stilling in Diluc's arms. The slow rubbing of his fingers starts to slow, then stops entirely, his hands loose.]

[It's the second time in as many weeks that someone has fallen asleep on him like this, but he thinks he far prefers this instance. He holds Kazuha's small frame against him easily in a loose but warm embrace, the comfortable silence settling over the both of them and adding a subtle warmth to the room.

Time passes. Now and then the wind and rain rattles across the roof, but Diluc places his hand over the ear not pressed to his chest and Kazuha, to his surprise, seems to... fall asleep. The soft touches at his back which had been sending prickles up his spine slow and cease, and the pale Inazuman is a softly breathing weight against his chest.

Diluc keeps his movements slow and careful when he slips one arm beneath Kazuha's knees and lifts him, just barely, off his lap so that he can stand up. He cradles the man against his chest, checking to make sure he hasn't disturbed him too much before he silently carries him through the house.

His bedroom boasts a bed that is, while modest in construction, far closer to the style of Mondstadt than Nippon. The covers are already turned back and he sets Kazuha down as gently as he had picked him up. Fingers brush lightly through his pale hair again and Diluc finds himself smiling fondly.

What a strange night this has turned out to be.]

[Despite the solid muscle of a body that has been honing martial arts since a young age, the samurai is as light in Diluc’s arms as he looks. The shirt that the taller man gave him preserves his modesty, but as his limp legs sway slightly it it hikes up, showing more of the numerous scars that litter his pale skin.

They’re similar in many ways.

Kazuha has been an insomniac for some time; it’s why he enjoys wine in the evening, to help coax him off into slumber. He’s needed no wine tonight, exhaustion doing what the wine normally would. He doesn’t rouse as he’s carried, nor much when he’s settled down, aside from a soft sound.

At the brush of a hand through his hair, his eyes crack open, the color appearing almost pink beneath heavy white lashes.]

Is this… your bed? [He looks concerned, even if he’s still half asleep.] Where’re you sleeping?

[Who knows what time it is even.]

Ssh...

[The soft hush comes out almost unbidden. A holdover from nights when he was far younger and a certain blue haired little boy was unable to sleep by himself when the weather was bad.

Diluc has many habits from his youth that he wouldn't admit to carrying for so long.

He hadn't meant to wake Kazuha up though he isn't surprised that he roused, only that he still appears to be half asleep. Perched on the edge of the bed beside him the redhead clasps his pale hand and kisses it, then smiles faintly and shakes his head.]

Don't worry about where I'm sleeping. Just get some rest.

[There was a bed roll in the next room - the room that would be Kaeya's bedroom - and he supposes he will use that. Or he may just not sleep at all.]

It's fine, Kazuha.

[In the dim light, if silhouetted, Diluc almost can be mistaken for his dear friend. Even the hush makes his heart quiver slightly, his sigh shaky. The westerner doesn't smell the same, doesn't look the same, and thus the reminder is only a glimmer in his tired thoughts.

He curls his fingers over the side of Diluc's hand, gently rubbing a circle around a knuckle after the redhead's lifts his head away.]

Stay.

[He expects nothing of Diluc, but they've both had a tiring evening. The samurai is so small he barely takes up space; he doubts he would even touch the edges even if he starfished in the middle.]

It's your bed. I'll sleep better.

[There's a soft huff exhaled through his nose but he doesn't immediately deny the request. They've been close enough this evening, so really, what's a little more?]

... All right.

[He gets up, but it's only to move to the other side of the bed. On the way he brings up both hands to the band holding his hair up and pulls it free, shaking a cascade of thick crimson curls out over his shoulders.

The tie is dropped on the bedside table, and Diluc settles in beside the samurai with no further thought on the matter. There's barely any light in here, only the sound of the rain pattering on the roof and windows.

A minute passes in this way then Diluc's hand gently touches Kazuha's, curling around it.]

Come over here?

[Is it strange to ask someone you're only just getting to know to sleep next to you? Kazuha considers this drowsily as Diluc readies himself to lie down, watching the wild mane of hair shake out from the band. He loves red... In his sleepy thoughts, the samurai wonders how it'd feel to run his hands through it.

His scent is definitely stronger with it down, of fruit and fire. Kazuha keeps his eyes closed, breathing slow as he enjoys it, only opening his eyes again when Diluc's hand brushes against his own.

The blush returns to his cheeks, but he can't resist the invite, shifting closer to Diluc until he's propped leaning slightly over him. In the dark, he can barely see his face aside from cast shadows that shift as the wind shakes tree limbs.]

Are you comfortable?

[You didn't even change at all, Diluc.]

Mm? Yes.

[He had been dressed fairly casually when Kazuha had first arrived - it was his house, after all, no need to stand on ceremony - so he's only in a loose shirt and trousers, and barefoot. Diluc has certainly slept in more uncomfortable conditions before.

As Kazuha moves in closer he watches him in the darkness, noting how strangely ethereal the pale man looks even in almost complete darkness. He moves his arm around the samurai's slim waist and draws him gently in against him once again, his hand splayed over his hip.]

Are you?

[He does seem to be feeling better.]

[Sure, Diluc may have even indicated enduring more discomforts, but Kazuha was concerned regardless. This was the other man's home and he wouldn't want him to cause himself discomfort his sake.

Warmth finds its way further to his skin as Diluc's hand comes to rest on his hip, the blush spreading slightly down his neck, coloring his pale skin a rosy pink. His hair, wild out of its own bind and fluffed further by the towel, hangs down like a white curtain around his face, the red stark like blood in moonlight.

He hovers over Diluc a moment, looking down at his face. Rich, young, handsome. He must gather a lot of attention in Mondstadt.]

Thunder
Darkens the sky;
This evening shower:
A dwelling where it falls not
There is, I’ve heard…

[He's feeling better if he's able to use poetry to describe his comfort. He brushes his fingers affectionately through Diluc's hair, pushing it out of his face. It's just as soft as he thought it'd be.]

[Kazuha would be right about that - Diluc does gather a lot of attention for his looks, and though some people who work for him joke that they would much rather he stays married to the winery he has no real love for the place nor for settling down with anybody else. At least--... he didn't. He wonders now what he might think if he returns to Mondstadt with his memories of this place intact. Would he be more open to pursuing a more lasting relationship with somebody?

Perhaps.

The samurai hovers over him and he feels a faint heat on his face again, smiling slightly at the fingers in his hair. With his eyes lingering on the crimson ones above his he curls his other hand loosely around the back of Kazuha's neck and rubs the tips of his first two fingers against the nape of his neck.]

If I kissed you, would you mind it?

[Diluc is not a poet. The question comes out with its own kind of raw honesty, murmured quietly as Kazuha trails off.]

["A nice evening" wouldn't have been accurate due to the pain that Kazuha has been in, though Diluc had made it as nice as it could be with the circumstances. He was immensely grateful.

It seems it may be nicer still. There wasn't much that Kazuha expected from Diluc despite the building physical affections. He's been warmed by soft kisses all evening, so the question isn't really so much a surprise, but it does make the samurai breathe out an affectionate but vaguely bashful sound.]

Not if I kissed you first.

[He's used to dominating most of these encounters, but Kazuha doesn't shift up Diluc's body out of the wish to dominate him. He's assured of what he wants in this moment, and it's to brush wavy locks of red hair behind the larger man's ear before he dips down, red eyes closing as he presses his lips against Diluc's in a soft kiss.]

[Ah...

Without something peculiarly magical driving him towards physical contact that he wouldn't normally seek, that they reached this point is as much a surprise to Diluc as well. But... something about Kazuha is enticing, and the way that the gentle comfort between them had progressed to something more intimate feels entirely natural.

The smaller man kisses him and his eyes fall shut, the grip of his hand around Kazuha's hip tightening slightly.]

... Mmn. [Diluc only lets out a quiet sound after it, and doesn't let the samurai get very far before he's pressing his fingertips lightly against the back of his neck to pull him down into another kiss.]

[Since arriving in Nippon, Kazuha has definitely had more intimate encounters than he'd usually have, but few of them have been embraced while he was totally sober and of right mind. There's no sake heating his veins or uki clouding his mind, only the warm smell of ripened fruit in summer and the spicy, homely scent of fire and forest filling his senses.

He tangles a hand fully in Diluc's hair as he's drawn back into another kiss, settling himself against the larger man so their bodies touch. The touch on his neck is firm but never forceful, and it makes a shiver run though his smaller frame. He likes the Mondstadter— all his actions seem genuine, a feeling that immediately endeared him to him.

Diluc's lips are soft; Kazuha savors the feel of them, their mouths slotting together. This too is another experience of getting to know him, and the samurai takes his time, letting his lips linger in a gentle, caste kiss before he parts his own lips slightly, inviting him to deepen it should he want to.]

[He takes that invitation readily, digging his fingers into the back of Kazuha's hair as he tips his head slightly to draw the kiss deeper. The hand curled around his hip briefly massages against it and then slides down, snagging fabric until he can slip beneath it and move his fingertips over the bared skin of his back.

There hasn't been a single thing he's done since Kazuha arrived that hasn't been genuine. Some things have felt... bold and even strange to him, but some of that has been part of simply growing used to how things are done here and the freedom that being here has allowed him so far. Why should he not do something that he enjoys? And he does, he has found, enjoy being close to people like this.

Diluc pulls Kazuha in close to him for a moment, then shifts to tip him lightly over onto his back. He brushes a hand idly up his inner thigh, leaning on the other elbow and moving the samurai's hair off his face with his free hand.]

You should know... I won't ask any more than you're willing to give.

[A kiss is enough, if that's all there is. More than enough.]

[Diluc's touch builds fire under his skin, leaving a blazing trail that begins to kindle desire within him. Kazuha wonders if he’ll leave this house singed, if the man will burn a mark into his heart. He’s already started; he can feel the warm ache in his chest, the flames stroked by gentle kisses and wanting hands.

The samurai breathes a heavy sigh against Diluc’s mouth, so warm like the rest of him where he could get lost in the comfort of it, his frame trembling as fingers find blade scars, some dotted with the evidence of crude stitches. Even being tipped onto his back is gentle, and while Kazuha doesn’t often find himself on his back with a partner, he finds he doesn’t quite mind.

Heat and tension rush between his legs, the muscle of his leg twitching beneath Diluc’s touch, just shy of being ticklish, but not wanting to pull away.]

Then surely you can count on me to tell you when I want to stop.

[As small as he knows he is, he knows people have the assumption he might be demure and passive; he does not assume Diluc thinks this of him, but he would not let the thought cross his mind anyway. He knows what he wants, what he’s comfortable with.

He leans back in, pressing a kiss to Diluc’s jaw as he reaches for his shirt. He presses another as he undoes the first closed button he finds, then the second, giving him enough space to slip a small hand inside and smooth over his chest.]

[His fingertips find those scars and his mind notes them, but he doesn't linger on the raised lines or signs of stitches. What he's more interested in is the shivering of the muscles under his touch, the way that Kazuha tells him what he wants without needing to put it into words.

He smiles faintly at the other man's assurance and gives a nod of understanding. Never for a moment had he assumed that Kazuha would be a passive person, but he always did like to ensure the comfort of a potential partner. If this wasn't wanted, then that was a thing he would prefer to know from the outset.]

I'll keep that in mind. [Diluc tells him, and goosebumps rise on his skin the moment Kazuha's hand slips inside his shirt. There are scars on him from the shoulders down - many of them of varying age and source. Some are clearly caused by blades, some by arrows or fire. There is one that is more subtle in appearance than its effects on him were, puncturing both front and back low on his ribcage.

It looks newer than most of the others.

He moves his hand higher up the samurai's thigh, bunching fabric up close to his waist. His fingertips trail across the firm, warm expanse of skin between the small Inazuman's hips as he captures Kazuha's lips in another kiss.]

[The thunder rumbles again, the last remnants of the storm still lingering, but this time Kazuha doesn’t seem to mind as much. It still hurts— the samurai draws a deep breath — but he doesn’t tremble in Diluc’s hands anymore. At least, not from the thunder.

Kazuha's eyes close again as his lips are captured, his free hand finding Diluc's hair again. He tangles his fingers in it, bunching it up in his hand as strong fingers come to cup the back of the larger man's head. His hips subtly move to press up into the palm that is pushing the shirt further and further up his hip.

The touch against Diluc's scars is reverent; though he brushes across him, he never lingers too long. It's like a mirror of his travels— he stays only as long as he needs, and then moves onto the next. At some point, he realizes he hadn't opened enough buttons, and he breaks the kiss with a low chuckle.]

You're magnificent. Warm as a summer day.

[He places a cheekier peck against Diluc's lips as he withdraws his hand to fumble — just with the one now — to open more buttons.]

Edited 2021-11-06 20:28 (UTC)

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