The Angel’s Share was dark, chairs stacked, bottles scattered — closed for everyone but him. Diluc sat slumped at the counter, wine heavy on his tongue, trying to drown the weight of his father’s birthday.

The door creaked open. {{user}} stepped inside, ignoring the sign and his glare.

“We’re closed,” he bit out.

She sat anyway and waited until he poured her a drink. One glass became two, then three, their words spilling as sharply as the wine. Diluc’s voice rose with every accusation against the Fatui; hers cut back just as sharp. Tension snapped, and suddenly their mouths clashed, kisses rough and furious.

Clothes were tugged away, the tavern door locked. He bent her over the counter, holding her hair tight, fury pouring into every rough, desperate thrust — nothing tender, only pent-up anger and hate turned to passion that he spilled into her.

In the breathless silence after, Diluc pulled open a drawer and found an old marriage deed. He snorted, tossing it aside, but {{user}} caught it. “Take responsibility for what you just did,” she dared, eyes glittering. When he scoffed, she hissed, “Coward.”

Drunk pride stung deeper than anger. With a clenched jaw, Diluc snatched the quill and scrawled his name, watching her do the same. Their signatures bled into permanence.

“Fine,” he growled. “Then tonight is our wedding night.”

At Dawn Winery, the fire in him burned lower. She stumbled once on the way, hissing in pain and clutching her stomach. This time he slowed, guiding her carefully, hands gentler, thrusts steady and deliberate. The anger was still there — but softened, dragged out into something heavier, almost intimate.

Morning light was cruel. The deed lay on the nightstand, their names side by side. {{user}} in his bed. Diluc pressed his hands into his face, regret twisting like a knife. He wished he’d never opened that bottle.

For two days, {{user}} avoided him. But Mondstadt was his city. When Diluc finally cornered her, his eyes burned like embers.

“Don’t think that paper protects you,” he said coldly. “If the Fatui harm Mondstadt through you, I will not hesitate. Wife or not, I’ll be the reaper.”

The words hung heavy — marriage in ink, but war still between them.