Work Text:
With the sun gradually dipping below the horizon, the meadow is cast in a golden hue and the crystalflies begin to emerge from their hiding places, little stars creating their own glittering constellations below the towering tree of Windrise. It’s in this backdrop that Diluc is found by Venti as he makes his way back to Mondstadt for his shift at the Angel’s Share. Or rather, not so much found as much as ambushed by a tiny, green gremlin who appears from seemingly nowhere to leap into his arms. Diluc is fortunate he isn’t carrying anything, but he still gets the wind knocked out of him as Venti clings to him like a koala.
“Hi Master Diluc,” he giggles, braids windswept and beret askew. “Happy Windblume Festival!”
It’s only through years of practise that Diluc keeps his expression perfectly neutral, a single eyebrow raised. “You seem especially energetic this evening. It doesn’t happen to be because you’re expecting free Windblume drinks off me, does it?”
“You have no faith in me!” Venti whines, unwinding one of his arms from around Diluc’s neck to poke at his nose. Diluc scrunches it involuntarily. “Even though that is part of it,” he mumbles, then continues with a cheeky grin. “But no! I have a gift for you~”
“Oh? A gift?” Sure, Diluc has been planning on giving Venti a present on the final day of the festival, but the abruptness makes it somewhat unexpected.
“Don’t sound so surprised, of course I would give my beloved something special during the festival of love!” Venti teases. He unhooks both of his arms this time, producing something from the wind and hiding it behind his back before Diluc can see. “Ah, rest assured it’s not the only thing I’m giving you and remember a simple bard like me doesn’t have many options, but! It was made with lots of love.” Diluc can't help but let his cold exterior melt at Venti's sudden shy demeanor. Adjusting his grip under Venti’s bottom, he leans forwards to press a kiss to the corner of his lips.
“If it’s from you then I’ll love it whatever.”
Venti beams, pink dusting his cheeks, and produces the present from behind him with a flourish. “Here it is! Handcrafted by yours truly with cecilias freshly picked from Starsnatch Cliff and lamp grass from the Whispering Woods.”
In Venti’s palms rests a beautiful flower crown, expertly woven together and holding a subtle glow despite the lamp grass being long pulled from the ground. Diluc expects Venti must have worked a bit of his magic on it to keep the light from dimming.
Diluc smiles at him -- a rare one that he saves for Venti only, brimming with tenderness and affection -- and dips his head under Venti’s expectant (and slightly anxious gaze). “Might you put it on for me?”
“Of course, my prince~” Venti sings. Diluc pulls a face at the name but doesn’t comment, letting Venti place the flower crown atop his head. When Venti says nothing else, Diluc looks up again and finds him gazing at him, warm fondness dancing in his eyes. An unbidden flush rises on Diluc’s face and he glances away with a cough.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
The sincerity that laces Venti’s tone is almost too much to handle. Diluc’s automatic response is to scoff, to scowl, maybe even drop him on the ground, yet he forces down his affection-provoked fight response and rests his forehead against Venti’s, eyes closed.
“Hehe, your face is almost as red as your hair!” Venti laughs as light as the breeze, kissing the tip of his nose.
“Celestia, why do I put up with you?” Diluc grumbles, still yielding when Venti brings their lips together. He could easily spend the rest of the night kissing Venti -- lost in the softness of his plush lips and the muffled whimper that escapes him when Diluc deepens the kiss. Unfortunately, Diluc does not fancy getting caught making out in the open (he has a reputation to upkeep, you know!), so he breaks away and attempts to put Venti back on the ground again. However, Venti merely whines and latches onto him tighter, refusing to release the grip that his arms and legs have around Diluc’s body.
“Venti,” Diluc deadpans.
“Diluc,” Venti imitates his tone, lips pulled into a smug grin.
“Please let go.”
“No.”
Diluc sighs. “Venti, my shift at the Angel’s Share starts soon.”
“There’s a whole walk from here to the Angel’s Share!” Venti protests with a pout. “Surely a big, strong man like you can carry his little bard boyfriend that distance~”
“And surely my little travelling bard boyfriend knows how to use his legs to walk himself.”
“Aaah, Master Diluc, you really are so mean!” Venti’s pout only grows bigger, his bottom lip jutting out in a way that makes Diluc want to kiss the silly expression off his face. “Hmm, if you put me down, in exchange you must wear the flower crown during your shift!” Now he’s giving Diluc the puppy dog eyes, all round and sparkly, and Archons Diluc can never say no to that face (if Kaeya makes fun of him, so be it).
“Fine. Now please can you let go?”
With one last peck to Diluc’s lips, Venti loosens his hold enough for Diluc to put him down. As they begin heading towards the city, Venti intertwines their fingers together and chatters about the different games and events that are happening during the festival. Diluc is content just to listen, nodding along to his words and stealing glances at him now and again. Venti is enchanting in many ways, but he really shines when he talks about the things that he loves. Mondstadt, Diluc is certain, is at the top of that list. Whilst Diluc may make jabs at him for being an absentee Archon, over the past several months, he’s come to understand how deeply Venti cares for his land and his people. He sees it in the strum of Venti’s lyre as he plays nursery rhymes for the children who run up to him in the street, dropping everything to entertain them when they ask. He sees it in the cool breeze that sweeps the city on the hottest days of the year and provides relief to grateful workers and knights who spend long hours out in the blazing sun. He sees it in the crystalflies that flit around the winery each night, blessing the land with fertile soil so that the grape harvests flourish every year. He sees it in the way Venti knows every single resident of Mondstadt by name and greets them all brightly when he passes, always stopping if they want to converse.
Venti loves Mondstadt and Mondstadt loves him back. Diluc may only be a fraction of that love, but he will devote his entire being to Venti as long as he knows how much he is adored.
When they enter the city, Diluc allows Venti to keep holding his hand, much to the bard’s delight. They get several curious and bewildered stares thrown their way which confuses Diluc -- their relationship isn’t exactly a secret after all -- until he remembers that he’s still wearing Venti’s flower crown. He knows he’s going to have to bear plenty of drunken comments on it throughout the night, though it will be more than worth it for how pleased Venti is that he’s showing off his present so proudly.
Diluc hopes he can slip into the Angel’s Share without much fanfare, but that thought wilts as soon as he steps through the door and sees Kaeya sitting at the bar. The Cavalry Captain spots him immediately, eyebrows shooting up when he spots the flower crown on Diluc’s head.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here, Master Diluc?” Kaeya sing-songs, his signature smirk stretching across his lips. “A flower crown -- now I wouldn’t expect that from you of all people.”
Bristling, Diluc’s grip on Venti’s hand tightens. “Be careful what you say, Venti made it himself.”
“Oho! Well isn’t that just lovely,” Kaeya shoots a grin towards the bard in question. “You have no faith in me, I was just going to say how fetching it looks on you.”
Diluc grunts in response, unwilling to give Kaeya any more of his precious time than he has to. Instead, he drops Venti’s hand and talks over him before he can complain. “Put on a good performance tonight and I’ll give you a bottle of Applebloom cider on the house.”
“Hmm, only one? But what if my spectacular performance deserves more than that?” Venti bats his eyelashes at him.
“Don’t push your luck,” Diluc says, knowing full well that Venti has and will push his luck to its full extent and he will inevitably give in every time. As Venti skips further into the tavern with his lyre in hand, Diluc walks over to the bar, pointedly ignoring Kaeya in favour of talking to Charles and relieving him of his shift. Charles compliments the flower crown before he leaves, but unlike Kaeya he sounds like he actually means it, so he nods his head in thanks.
New drinks orders surge in quickly and Diluc is glad he has something to busy himself with so that he can ignore the knowing smirks that Kaeya sends his way. Venti’s presence never fails to attract a crowd; the number of people in the bar has almost doubled since he arrived. With it being the first day of the Windblume Festival, Venti has a collection of love songs lined up for the night. They range from upbeat, cheerful tunes about the giddy rush of first love, to cruder songs dripping in innuendos that make the audience whistle and howl (and Diluc almost crush a glass in his hands when Venti meets his eyes with a sinful gaze and purrs a line about dropping to his knees and using his mouth for something better than singing), to slow ballads about the depth of feelings for a partner you want to spend your life with. It sounds a little bittersweet coming from Venti. Diluc spots the melancholic smile on his lips when Venti looks right at him as he sings about desire for eternity together.
Next to Diluc, Kaeya snickers.
“What.” Diluc glares at the Cavalry Captain (who still insists on sitting right at the bar to annoy him -- really, why can’t he and his nun friend sit literally anywhere else?).
“Sorry,” Kaeya says, not sounding sorry at all. “You’re just so whipped for him, it’s endearing.”
“You say that and yet it still feels like you’re mocking me.”
“Ah dear brother, it’s difficult not to laugh a bit when someone as emotionally stunted as yourself is so hopelessly in love.” Kaeya drains the rest of his glass and holds it out expectantly. “Another dandelion wine, please.”
Diluc sighs and reaches down to find a bottle of wine to pour for Kaeya. “Is your commentary on my love life really necessary?” As he straightens, he feels the flower crown slip forward into his line of vision. Carefully, he readjusts it so it sits neatly back on the top of his head, before refilling Kaeya’s glass and sliding it back towards him.
“Thank you, Master Diluc~” Kaeya hums, taking a long sip. “And no, perhaps not, but I get so much enjoyment out of annoying you.”
“You are insufferable.”
Realising with frustration that Kaeya has distracted him from Venti for several minutes now, Diluc’s eyes stray back to where the bard is performing. Venti catches his gaze and beams at him, blowing him an obnoxious kiss. He’s obviously intoxicated by now, cheeks rosy as he dances atop a table, spurred on by his drunken audience’s encouragement. It’s unhygienic and definitely not safe. He really should drag Venti off the table before he falls and give him an extended lecture on basic health and safety. And yet the corners of Diluc’s lips pull upwards. Archons, when did Diluc start finding such unruliness so cute?
He can feel Kaeya’s eyes burning into him, but when he turns back with a frown, he finds that he’s giving him a rare, genuine smile over the rim of his glass.
“Whilst I wanna keep making fun of you for being in love, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy,” Kaeya muses. “It’s nice.” Diluc splutters in disbelief.
“I-- how much have you had to drink?”
“Probably not enough to deal with your inability to receive nice words as they are.” Kaeya punctuates this with another swig of his drink. “For real though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile more than when you’re around him. Clearly he’s doing something right if he’s getting you to wear flower crowns around the bar now.”
Diluc rolls his eyes. “You speak like this is suddenly going to be a regular thing. It was just a Windblume gift.”
“Like you wouldn’t keep wearing it if Venti asked.”
Diluc decides not to grace his words with a reply, mainly because it’s probably true and he’d rather jump into a pit of angry abyss mages than admit Kaeya is right about something. Thankfully, he’s saved from Kaeya’s unusually sincere words by Venti bounding up to the bar, empty glass clutched in his hands.
“Master Diluuuuc!” He slams the glass down on the bar with slightly too much force, causing it to topple over and almost roll off until Diluc catches it. “I’ve performed mooore than enough to get my bottles of Applebloom cider now, right? Right?”
“I don’t know why you’re implying that I will give you multiple,” Diluc says flatly. However, he crouches down behind the bar and grabs a bottle of cider that he had stashed away in the corner all night to give to Venti. “But here you go, you did well.”
“Hmmm I’ll accept that for now as long as you give me kisses later,” Venti declares, uncapping the bottle and drinking straight from it. “Aaaah as much as I love dandelion wine, this cider definitely rivals it. Truly a drink of the Gods!”
Tutting, Diluc pushes Venti’s empty glass back towards him. “You really have no shame, do you? At least pour it into the glass so you can pace yourself.”
“Don’t worry, Master Diluc~ You know with my alcohol tolerance I’ll be juuust fine,” Venti hums, but accepts the glass regardless.
“That’s hardly my concern. Rather, I know if you drink it too fast, you’ll just bug me for another bottle.”
Venti sticks his tongue out at him before pouring a generous amount of cider into the glass and downing it in one go. “Hehe, you know I’ll do it anyway.”
Stuck between exasperation and endearment, Diluc reaches forwards to flick Venti’s forehead. Venti yelps and rubs at the sore spot with a dramatic pout. “Perhaps if you continue keeping your crowd of customers here then you’ll earn another bottle,” Diluc says, an amused sparkle in his eyes. Venti is just too cute.
“Yes sir!” Venti brightens again, giving Diluc a mock salute. He presses himself closer to the bar and stands on his tip-toes. Diluc immediately catches on to what he’s attempting when he fails to get anywhere close to Diluc’s face and grumbles under his breath. Whilst Diluc could appease him and lean down to make life easier for Venti, it’s more entertaining to watch Venti struggle. Or at least, it is until Venti decides to hop up onto the bar stool and then climb onto the bar to grab the front of Diluc’s shirt and pull him into a brief, sloppy kiss.
“Venti.” Diluc narrows his eyes when they break apart, trying to ignore the embarrassed burn of his ears and the combined sniggers of Kaeya and his nun friend. “Don’t climb on the bar.”
“Ehe! Sorry!” Venti giggles, jumping back down and running away before Diluc can berate him further. What a nuisance.
Diluc calls him such later on when he’s closing the bar and Venti is sprawled in one of the seats, drinking from the second bottle of Applebloom cider that Diluc gifted him.
“You say that again and again and yet you still give me alcohol and kisses and wear my silly flower crown, so you don’t really mean it,” Venti teases, sending Diluc a cheeky wink when he turns around.
“I--” Well, Diluc can’t exactly refute the intent of that statement, so he settles for addressing the latter part of it. “It’s not silly. I like the flower crown.”
Venti, who clearly didn’t expect Diluc to mention it, lets out a shy laugh, fingers tapping on the side of his cider bottle. “You really do? Even though Kaeya made fun of you and everyone thinks you’re going soft?”
Diluc ignores the last comment as he kneels down by Venti’s chair and takes his hands gently. Venti’s hands are so small and dainty, engulfed by Diluc’s own. It’s one of the many things that makes Diluc instinctively want to protect him.
“It’s pretty and you gave it to me, so I like it a lot. I don’t care about Kaeya or anyone else.” He lifts a hand to cup Venti’s cheek, running his thumb across his smooth, flushed skin. Venti leans into the touch, letting out a pleased hum in a way that, ironically, reminds Diluc of a cat. “Thank you, Venti.”
Venti turns his head to the side so he can press his lips to Diluc’s palm, eyes glossy. “I love you,” he whispers. “So so much.”
Diluc rises on his knees and frames Venti’s face with both hands, holding him like the precious little treasure he is. “I love you too,” he says, and kisses him.
“Forever and always,” Venti murmurs against his lips. Diluc thinks it sounds like a promise.