Let's Go In
"Diluc." There's a pause, and then again. "Diluc." Mona sighs before shaking him. Diluc shoots awake at the touch, looking at Mona with wide eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"What's wrong?" Diluc's voice is deep, his morning voice thick with sleep. He wakes up a considerable amount once he looks at Mona, worry on his face matching hers.
Sighing, Mona sits down on Kaeya's bed on the other side of the small room. "I can't find my brother, and he's not answering my calls or texts." Diluc nods, understanding what she means. If Kaeya ever went missing Diluc would have a total freak-out. But then again this wouldn't be the first time Mona's brother had been angry and not answered Mona.
"Do you think he's ignoring you? It wouldn't be the first time, and I doubt it will be the last time." Mona's face contorts slightly, making Diluc feel bad. Sitting up, Diluc sighs, looking at Mona.
"When he ignores me he sends me to voice mail, this time it's ringing all the way through." Mona frowns, the edges of her lips turning downwards. "Will you ask around for him?"
Diluc nods before frowning himself. "I have class today." Mona nods, looking down. She's really worried. They both stare at the ground for a while, only looking up when Diluc's alarm goes off. "I have to leave now."
Mona nods again, standing up. "Ask Venti, he typically knows where his friends are." Diluc nods, standing up himself.
/////
"Anyway, we'll be working on household, garden, and 'weeds' for our first lessons. I'm going to leave you for the rest of class, you can stay or leave, it wont count towards you attendance." Tighnari walks away from his desk at the front of the room, pulling out his phone.
Some of the students start packing up, Diluc included. Mona's brother is important. Diluc walks up to where Venti is sitting, where he sits drawing. It's a portrait of that boy with the soulmarks on his hands.
When Venti looks up, he smiles a bit, though Diluc can tell that there's a little bit of worry. "Hey, Diluc." Venti says with a smile. He puts the portrait down, giving Diluc his full attention. Realizing Diluc needed something, Venti drops his smile for only a second before smiling again. "What can I do for you?"
Diluc frowns, this isn't how he wanted to interact with Venti next. Diluc was so worried that Venti would think of him differently. And what if he did? Diluc couldn't tell if this was a genuine smile or if it was the smile Venti wold use when he's playing nice.
"Have you seen Mona's sibling? Scaramouche?" Diluc feels a little bad when Venti's face falls again. "Mona told me to ask you, they're not answering her calls."
"Do you mean Wanderer?" Venti would continue, but Diluc lights up.
"Sorry, I don't know if he was out to you. He's typically super secretive about his identity." Venti nods, understanding what Diluc means. Wanderer only told his closest friends, though it got out once. People forgot about it quickly died down after the shock wore off. Wanderer was grateful for it.
"Wanderer is Kazuha and Xiao's other soulmate, I know him almost as well as I know them." Venti stands, looking Diluc in the eyes. Diuc nods, looking away, a blush starts creeping up his face. Stop it Diluc. Venti is barely a good friend, it's just a little eye contact. "You said he's not answering Mona's calls? Doesn't that happen often?"
"Yeah, they have a kinda strained relationship. But this time instead of sending her to voice mail it's ringing all the way through. Mona's worried." Diluc looks back at Venti, who starts packing up his things. "Do you think you could help me look?" Diluc asks with a little bit of worry himself. did he really want to hang around Venti after what happened?
Venti surely would look at him differently, right? He had a panic attack, and Tighnari had to snap him out of it with that wretched smell.
"Sure. Let me text Kazuha and Xiao. They might know." Diluc doesn't quite understand why Venti would text them. Wanderer usually kept to himself. As if noticing the confused look on Diluc's face, Venti continues. "Wanderer, Xiao, and Kazuha are soulmates. Wanderer has a tendency to disappear, but Zuzu and Xiao know where he is."
Diluc nods, waiting patiently while Venti pulls out his phone, typing away. After a moment Venti looks up with a frown. "They don't know where he is, it keeps ringing through for them too. But they'll keep me updated."
Diluc nods, heading for the door, leaving Venti to speed walk after him. "So, uh." Diluc knows what Venti is going to ask, and he dreads every second that Venti is trying to form his words into a cohesive sentence. "Um, what happened? The other day, I mean." Diluc frowns, looking away from the boy walking next to him.
He didn't want to tell Venti, but what choice did he have? Diluc wasn't quick-witted enough to come up with a lie on the spot, and nothing he came up with over the past week sounded right. Diluc sighs, looking over to Venti again, who has turned forwards. When Venti doesn't look at him, Diluc looks forward too, deciding that it's better if Venti doesn't look at him.
"I had a panic attack." Is all Diluc says, shame weighing his heart down. As they walk down the halls and eventually outside of the building, Diluc feels hyper-aware of the cuts on his palms from his nails. They had healed mostly, but there were still small scabs. Diluc runs his fingers over them gently.
"That makes sense." Venti pauses, and Diluc feels his world turn upside down. What if Venti thought he was weird? "I mean, it makes sense in hindsight." Venti still doesn't look at Diluc, the words hanging thick around them. "I used to have panic attacks all the time, though they've slowed down a bit."
Diluc lights up. Venti can't think he's weird if he had panic attacks too. "How, how did you get them to stop?" Diluc asks sheepishly, only for Venti to frown. His own thoughts swirling around his head.
"I didn't really get them to stop per se." Diluc looks down, shame filling his senses again. When Diluc looks up, he realizes that Venti is leading them to Zhongli's tea shop. Gracefully named The Geo Dragon.
"Honestly?" Venti looks at Diluc this time, waiting for Diluc to look at him back. At first, Diluc doesn't realize it was a question until the silence gets to him and he looks at Venti.
"Honestly." Diluc nods, looking at Venti hopefully. Venti sighs, looking forward again. Their shoe's scuff the ground as they walk, the tea shop coming into view.
"I found some really good friends, went to therapy for a bit, support groups..." Venti pauses again, deciding how much information he wants to divulge to Diluc. "I started taking my meds more regularly mostly. That helped a lot."
That was not the answer he wanted to hear, but he feels shocked more than anything. "You take medication?" Venti stops walking, feeling ashamed himself.
"Yeah, it helps a lot." A frown is placed firmly on Venti's face. Diluc stands next to Venti, looking at him while his eyes are placed firmly on the ground. Diluc feels bad, he knows Venti must feel ashamed, but he can't help himself.
Diluc thinks for a moment, how could he ask his next question, what was his next question? But Venti speaks before he can think about it for long. "Wanderer comes here often, so I thought we could check here first." Diluc nods, following Venti inside.
The tea shop isn't full, but there's enough people that the sound makes Diluc uncomfortable. "Hey, Xiao?" Venti calls to his friend when they reach the counter.
Xiao turns around, there's a mix of a frown and a scowl on his face. "Have you seen Wanderer?" Venti asks, but Xiao shakes his head.
"I've been calling him but it's ringing through." Venti nods, disappointment clear in his body language. His shoulders sag, his lips turn downwards, and he shakes his head.
"I thought so." When Diluc tears his eyes away from Venti, he realizes that Xiao looks confused.
"We're looking for him because He's not answering Mona," Diluc explains, earning a nod from Xiao.
Sighing, Xiao pulls out his phone. "He hasn't been answering Kazuha either. We're worried." Diluc and Venti both nod, understanding. They're worried too.
"We'll find him," Venti promises, turning around. Xiao smiles at his friend, and Diluc notices a comfort there. Xiao believes Venti, believes that his friend will find his soulmate. It brings Diluc comfort too.
Diluc follows Venti out, but he stops at right outside the door. Venti pauses, confused on why Diluc's stopped.
"I'm sorry, for prying earlier, I mean." Diluc expects Venti to frown, but he doesn't. Venti looks up at him with a smile, returning to his happy demeanor.
"It's okay, you weren't prying. I get it." Venti waits for Diluc to move before following. But Diluc has no idea of where to go. He didn't know Wanderer that well. He's closer to Mona.
Diluc smiles though, looking at Venti, a blush creeping up his face as Venti continues to make eye contact with him. "So uh," Diluc looks away, facing towards the rest of the buildings of the akademiya. "Where should we check now?" Venti bites his lip for a second, thinking.
Diluc loses his mind for a moment. Attraction confusing him. He doesn't want to like Venti, but something about the boy makes him go crazy. He wonders if this is how Kaeya feels about his crush. Does Diluc have a crush? Does he have a crush on Venti?
If he does it would go away right? Diluc doesn't want to like anyone, not just Venti. He's terrified that he'll hurt them. The thought of his hands, his soulmark makes Diluc's heart clench. He doesn't hear Venti speak, and he stops walking.
Venti waves his hand in front of Diluc's face, bringing him back to reality. Which only confuses Diluc even more, no one has ever gotten him out of an potential panic attack until after it was too late. Though he's glad he didn't start crying in front of Venti.
"Did you hear me?" Venti asks, looking at Diluc up and down. Diluc shakes his head, offering an apology. "I said we should check with Nahida, they hang out sometimes." Diluc nods this time, waiting for Venti to lead him to the apartment Venti shares with his family.
Venti does start to lead the way, walking with a slight pep in his step, convinced that this is how they'll find Wanderer. It brings Diluc comfort.
They walk for what seems like forever, Diluc forgetting how far away the heart of Celestia was from the school. They stand outside for a moment, looking inside the window, staring inside. There's two people dressed very lavishly talking to Katheryne. When Diluc looks down he notices that Venti looks uncomfortable.
Diluc has never seen Venti look so upset. And he can't tell what he should do. Should he leave it alone? Ask what's wrong? Diluc can't tell. they stand there for what feels like half an hour, watching the three of them talk.
Sighing, Venti looks up at Diluc, trying to figure how Diluc feels, ignoring the caving feeling in his chest. Diluc is familiar with that feeling, and that look, having stared at the mirror with that same exact same one.
Though it hits Venti's features better than it did Diluc's. It's softer, less jagged, less contorted. "Are you okay?" Diluc finally decides to ask, but Venti only shakes his head. Not in an answer, but in a way to ground himself.
"Let's go in."