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“Why don't you?” Kaeya was glancing back and forth between you and Diluc, both of you frozen in place.
“Sorry?” you asked.
“You said you'd rather go on a date with Diluc than me, so why don't you?”
Rosaria was sitting on the stool next to him, laughing quietly to herself.
“I thought you wanted to play ‘would you rather’?” You avoided Kaeya’s question, peeking a glance at Diluc, who was still standing frozen behind the bar.
“Sure, but who said we couldn't have some fun with it, hm?” He took a sip of his drink, smiling mischievously, and you couldn't help but wonder what his motives were.
“Well, I-I'm sure he's got better things to do. I'm busy with work after all-”
“Are you free tomorrow night?” Diluc's voice cut you off, and you nearly fell out of your seat as your brain processed his words. You...free...for him? The longer you took to respond the more you could feel his eyes on you, awaiting your answer. It’s not that you weren’t interested- far from it actually. You’d spent more time in Angel’s Share than you cared to admit stealing glances at Diluc, his red hair typically tied high up on his head paired with a look of concentration or contempt, depending on if Kaeya was nearby. The mere idea of him stealing glances of his own made your brain short circuit, but you managed to restart it enough to form a response.
“Yeah, I'm free,” you tried to sound more collected than you felt, although your voice was squeakier than usual.
“Would you like to have dinner at the winery?” He sounded calm, almost too calm, and you could only nod in response, managing a small “sure” as your mind raced with all the possibilities for the following evening.
“Great. See you at 6, perhaps?” Diluc smiles, and before you can question if you're seeing things he's returned to his bartending.
You find yourself nodding like a bobblehead before catching yourself and stilling your movements. Kaeya was chuckling to himself softly, and you had half a mind to smack the grin off his face. The buzz of the tavern returns to your ears and eyes as you glance around, avoiding Kaeya's smug gaze.
“You owe me 1,000 mora,” he turned to Rosaria, who tossed a bag into his hand.
“Settle for 500,” she said coldly, although a slight smile was playing on her lips.
“Was this a bet?” You hissed at him. Kaeya shrugged, not answering, before turning to Diluc and requesting yet another Death After Noon. Hastily, you bid everyone goodnight before scurrying home, your head swimming slightly at the thought of finally going on a date with Diluc.
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The following evening you showed up to the winery 15 minutes early, not wanting to be late and come off as rude. However, now that you were standing there, staring at the tall wooden door, you wondered if maybe you had come too early. After a moment of pondering, you decided you didn’t want to wait out in the summer heat any longer. Before you even knocked twice the door opened, and you were greeted by a white-haired man not much older than Diluc himself.
“Good evening, and welcome to Dawn Winery. Master Diluc is, of course, expecting you. Please, come this way,” you followed Elzer into the main room of the manor.
The walls were decorated tastefully with art of various styles, and various trinkets from Diluc’s travels were displayed around the room. You focused your attention in front of you as Elzer guided you to the dining table, where Diluc was already seated.
“Hello,” Diluc rose from his chair, only to sit back down again as you were seated as well. There was an air of awkwardness as Elzer silently departed, leaving you to fend for yourselves. Despite your many conversations in the past, you felt the circumstances warranted something more intellectual than a bet on how many glasses of wine Venti could down in one night. There was an odd pressure that stopped you from saying anything as you focused your gaze on the food before you.
“Your staff has certainly outdone themselves,” you finally say, taking in the scents of rosemary and butter that rose from dishes of roasted boar, sauteed carrots, fresh golden bread, and many other carefully plated foods.
“They often do. However, I prepared most of what you see before you,” he said, crossing his arms and smiling ever so slightly.
Despite his bashful mannerisms, he maintained eye contact with you, as if he was trying to read your thoughts just by looking in your eyes. You broke his gaze, blushing at the rather grand gesture.
“Well it looks lovely. Shall we?” You reached forward, piling your plate with foods that looked fit for a king.
“Do you like to cook? Because you’re quite good at it,” You said, your heart melting as you took your first bite of the picture-perfect steak.
“I do, as I consider it a very important skill,” he said, pausing before he continued in a much less formal tone, “And, I, uh, have a bit of a soft spot for a good steak.”
“I might too after today. This is the best steak I’ve ever had,” you say, hoping he doesn’t think you’re trying to schmooze him.
Diluc smiled at your compliment, and you smiled back as you took a sip of your water. You had to remind yourself to eat slowly, not wanting to make a fool of yourself by shoveling food in your mouth, although Diluc would hardly mind. He seemed to be discarding his usual fine dining manners, as his elbows rested on the table, his fork not once leaving his hand.
“I apologize for the lack of wine. I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I thought maybe after dinner I could show you around the wine cellar. Perhaps you could find something you like then,” he said.
“That sounds great. Your home is truly lovely; I'd be excited to see more,” You said, taking another glance around at all the decorations that surrounded you. Even the rich red tablecloth matched the curtains that hung around the large, spotless windows.
“You think so?” he asked, his tone slightly teasing.
“I do. You must love art to have so many beautiful pieces. It’s practically a museum in here,” You remark.
“I can’t say I’m one for interior decorating myself. My father was the one who really loved art,” Diluc said, his face falling slightly. You wanted to comfort him, but you weren’t sure how. However, Diluc quickly redirected the conversation.
“Which would you say is your favorite of the pieces?” Diluc asks, following your gaze as you survey the pieces surrounding you two.
“Well, while I love the landscape of the winery; oil paintings are such a classic. But, I’d have to say the eagle flying over Starsnatch Cliff has a certain...something to it that I find unmatched by the other pieces,” You let your gaze linger on the short, careful strokes that make up the eagle’s wings. They spread out over the grassy fields and forests of Mondstadt below in a way that is oddly comforting.
“That’s my favorite as well. I adore birds,” he says, nodding in approval. There’s an almost excited lilt to his voice that you wonder if you’d imagined.
“Oh? I have to say I would have pegged you as more of a dog person,” you joke, a strange feeling of accomplishment striking you when he laughed along with you.
“Dogs are great too, but birds are a bit more my style I think,” he said as he finished off his plate of food. He has a strange look on his face that you can’t quite place, but you shake it off as he begins to stand.
“Would you care for that tour now?” He asks, extending his hand to you. You blush like a teen girl as you place your hand in his, nodding vigorously.
“Alright then,” Diluc helps you from your chair, and you’re almost disappointed when your hands disconnect as he leads you to a side door and down a flight of stairs.
When you first thought of a wine cellar, you had imagined a dingy cellar filled with mildew and stacks of barrels. Diluc’s cellar, however, was filled with warm candlelight, and the floor looked spotless. As he guided you through a row of wine barrels, you came upon a round table with the same red fabric tablecloth from the dining room. On the table sat a row of wine glasses, which made your stomach clench slightly. You hadn’t mentioned it before, but you didn’t drink, and you dreaded ruining his carefully laid out plans.
“Diluc,” You stop and turn to him, his face scrunched in confusion as he stops as well, “I, uh, well I don’t actually drink. I’m sorry, I should have said something but everything was just so nice and I didn’t want to let you down-”
“Oh, that’s perfectly fine. Actually, that works out quite nicely,” he says, “I don’t drink either.
“Oh!” You feel a rush of relief flood your mind as you relax your shoulders.
“I actually have a few different fruit juices down here that I’ve been creating, if you would like to try those instead,” He offers, and you feel as though your brain might explode at how gentlemanly he is.
“That would be amazing,” you smile, sitting down at the table as Diluc begins to pull out bottles of various juices and explain what they are to you. This was by far the most you’d ever heard him talk before, and you found his voice soothing as he explained the way his favorite grape juice was made.
“You know, you come to the tavern so often I suppose I just assumed you drank alcohol,” he says, taking a sip of the juice.
“Well, Kaeya always ends up ordering so many glasses I’m sure it would be hard to tell whose glass is whose,” You point out, and he chuckles in response.
“That’s true. I’ll have to pay closer attention to you in the future,” he says, and you could have sworn you saw him wink.
When he takes a sip from his drink this time, you see a glimmer of something you can’t quite place in his eyes, although it disappears quickly. Talking with Diluc makes you feel a warmth spread in your chest that feels equivalent to downing a whole bottle of dandelion wine.
After you resurfaced from the cellar, you saw that the moon was high in the sky, the sun long since having set while you chatted.
“I suppose I should get going,” you say, slightly disappointed that you couldn't stay longer.
“Please, allow me to find someone to walk you home. It's dangerous out there,” Diluc says, and you find it endearing that he's worried about you.
“Oh, no need. I can take care of myself,” you say, trying to sound self-assured but worried you're coming across as uncertain as you feel. You weren’t exactly a top-tier adventurer, but he didn’t need to know that.
“If you're sure, I won't force you. Just be careful,” he smiles at you, opening the front door and allowing you to step out before he follows.
“I had a really nice time,” he says.
“Me too. I wouldn't mind, maybe, doing it again sometime,” you fiddle with your hands, struggling to maintain eye contact, although you force yourself to as it allows you to see the soft expression that had befallen him.
“Let me know your work schedule and I'll make it happen,” this time when he smiles, his eyes crinkle at the sides and your heart leaps thinking that his smile is for you and you alone.
You take a step forward, but impulsively you stop, turning swiftly and kissing him on the cheek. When you pull back you see his face is alight, his cheeks the same color as his hair.
“Goodnight, Diluc,” you start to walk back towards Mondstadt, turning back just before the winery disappears from view to see Diluc, still standing where you left him, his hand lifted to his cheek.