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“Master Diluc. To what do I owe the pleasure of your summon?” Kaeya said, leaning against the doorway of Angel’s Share with a smirk.
Diluc, standing behind the bar, looked up from the drink he was mixing and opened up a small smile. “Kaeya. You’re right on time,” he said.
“Hey, Kaeya!” Venti said, waving at him from where they were sitting on the counter.
Kaeya approached the bar as Diluc was finishing mixing a drink.
“I was just telling Venti. Since the Weinlesefest is approaching, I’ve been trying to come up with a seasonal drink for it, but I can’t get it quite right. So I thought with your,” Diluc paused, “ experience in tasting drinks, you could both help me refine the final product.”
“I have a feeling he’s calling us drunkards,” Kaeya said to Venti.
“If the shoe fits,” Diluc said.
Venti laughed. “As long as I’m getting free drinks, I don’t mind!”
“But right now, we’d just be testing. If we’re helping you develop a new product, it’s only fair that we get to enjoy it when it’s ready,” Kaeya said, his eye glinting as he leaned against the counter.
“And here I thought you were here to help your boyfriend, and not to take advantage,” Diluc complained, good-naturedly.
“Now, now, you know I’m only dating you to get free drinks at the bar,” Kaeya said.
“Well, it is a plus,” Venti said, looking innocent.
“You’re both terrible,” Diluc scolded them. “Besides, I’ve never given either of you free drinks.”
“Now’s a perfectly good time to change that,” Kaeya pointed out.
“And you know,” Venti said, “it is a festival dedicated to Barbatos. So I think it would be blasphemy if you don’t let me drink all I want during the festival.” They paused. "Or is it heresy?"
“Don’t play the archon card.” Diluc sighed. “Fine. The first day of the festival, you both get free drinks all night.”
Venti’s eyes widened at the thought. “Really?”
“That’s even better than I thought I could get out of you,” Kaeya said.
“Then I should—” Diluc started to say, but Venti cut him off, placing a finger on his lips.
“Nuh uh! No take backs! You promised," the bard said.
Diluc thought to argue, but after a moment, gave up. "Just know I'm not taking care of either of you if you get too drunk," he said. “I must be getting soft.”
“Yeah, because you love us,” Venti said, smiling at him.
Diluc averted his eyes and the other two shared a smile, pretending he wasn’t blushing the same color as his hair.
“Well, back to business,” Diluc said, clearing his throat. “This is how the drink has been coming along this far,” he said as he poured out two glasses half filled. “I’d like your honest opinion.”
Kaeya and Venti clinked their glasses together and drank. Kaeya sipped the drink carefully, evaluating the taste, while Venti downed the contents at once.
“Hmm, I see what you mean,” Kaeya said. “It’s a nice drink, but it’s missing… something.”
“It’s a drink for a harvest festival, it needs to taste more fruity! You need more sunsettia juice,” Venti said. “And it needs to be stronger, too!”
“If it’s stronger, people will get drunk after two glasses,” Diluc said as he mixed up a new attempt.
“If they’re lightweights.”
Diluc poured out another two glasses. Kaeya and Venti drank again.
“Hmm, much better,” Venti said. “But it could improve.”
Kaeya looked thoughtful. “Perhaps a taste of mint to give it a fresh background note?”
“Do you think that would blend well with the taste?” Venti asked.
“It would be just a note to bring out the other flavors,” Diluc said. “My father used that trick on a few of his creations, as well. I’m surprised you remember.”
“I quite liked that technique,” Kaeya said.
Diluc mixed up their next attempt and they tried it out.
“Ooh, I like it!” Venti said.
“Let me try it,” Diluc said, reaching for Kaeya’s glass. Kaeya moved it away from him.
“You could taste it on my lips,” Kaeya teased. Diluc rolled his eyes.
“Just give me your glass.”
"Your loss,” Kaeya said, handing it to him.
Diluc tried his drink with a small sip, rolling the flavors around on his tongue. His brow furrowed, and he stared at the now empty glass with a thoughtful look.
“Well?”
“It’s good but… it’s ordinary. It doesn’t feel like something new, or even very interesting.”
“You’re such a perfectionist,” Kaeya said.
“Yeah, it’s a great drink and everyone’s gonna love it if you serve it like this,” Venti agreed.
“I know, it’s just not exactly what I had in mind,” Diluc said. He tapped his fingers at the counter as he was thinking.
Suddenly, he sprang into motion, picking up a few bottles behind the bar and pouring out a whole new mix.
“What are you thinking?” Venti asked, picking up one of the bottles as Diluc left it on the counter.
“Now that looks interesting,” Kaeya said, smirking as Diluc poured new ingredients into his cocktail shaker with a determined look on his face.
“I have a new idea, but it might take a while to get it just right,” Diluc said, with a small but confident smirk. “I hope you’re ready to try a lot of drinks.”
“Now we’re talking!” Venti said.
About an hour and many different mixes later, Diluc poured out the latest attempt into three glasses as Kaeya and Venti watched.
“I think this is it,” he said, wiping his hands into the dishcloth on his shoulder.
“Well, let’s see!” Venti said, picking up their glass. The three of them clinked their glasses together, and Kaeya and Venti drank theirs. Diluc hesitated, waiting to see their reactions.
“Oh, I see what you meant now! This is so good!” Venti said.
“I think you’ve outdone yourself this time,” Kaeya said, smiling at Diluc. “The flavors complement each other perfectly. A true masterpiece.”
“Let’s see,” Diluc said, taking a sip of his glass. He evaluated the flavor carefully, swirling the liquid on his mouth like the experienced wine taster he was, then smiled softly. “This is it. It’s exactly what I wanted: light, sweet, and with the taste of fall.” He picked up a notebook and started writing, carefully noting the proportions he’d used of each ingredient so he could recreate it later.
When Diluc looked up, both Venti and Kaeya were staring at him.
“What?”
“You’re so beautiful,” Venti said, resting their face on their hand.
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Kaeya agreed, reaching out to tuck a strand of scarlet hair behind Diluc’s ear.
Diluc scoffed, putting away his notes and trying to look serious. “Stop it,” he said, feeling his face warm up nonetheless.
“Hehe, you’re cute,” Venti said.
Diluc gave up all hope on trying not to blush. Venti's bright green eyes held his gaze, and he could feel Kaeya staring at him too.
The door creaked open, and all three of them turned toward the source of the noise. Diluc pulled away from his datemate on instinct, putting a professional distance between them.
“Uh, I hope I’m not interrupting,” Charles, the bartender, said as he walked in.
“Don’t worry, they were on their way out,” Diluc said.
“Now, Master Diluc, kicking us out after you got what you needed from us? How ungrateful of you,” Kaeya said.
“I need to set up the tavern for the night. Besides, I happen to know you,” he glared at Kaeya, “have patrol tonight, and it wouldn’t do you good to show up smelling of liquor. And you,” he glared at Venti, “have been talking about playing tonight at the Cat’s Tail all week now. You should go get ready for the performance.”
“You're right," Kaeya said. "I wouldn't want to leave Master Jean waiting."
"And I need to see if Sucrose has something to help with my cat allergies," Venti said, scrunching up their nose. "Until later, Diluc!"
"See you later, then, Luc," Kaeya said, smirking at him and taking his leave.
They were both halfway through the door when Diluc cleared his throat.
"Kaeya, Venti, I..." he hesitated. "I am grateful you took the time to help me. I do appreciate it."
His datemates smiled.
"Don't mention it," Kaeya said, with a glint in his eye.
"Yeah, anytime! I love spending time with you," Venti chimed in.
Diluc nodded at them. Kaeya waved at him with two fingers and winked (or blinked — it was hard to tell) at him. Venti smiled as bright as the sun and waved goodbye before turning around to leave.
They closed the tavern door behind them, and Diluc felt the corners of his mouth curve upwards just a little. He started to clean up the glasses they'd used for their experimenting, and was just finishing wiping them down when he felt someone staring at him.
"What?" he asked, turning toward Charles, who was wiping one of the tables nearby.
"Oh, it's nothing, Master Diluc," he said. "It's just… you seem happy."
Diluc paused. He used to dread coming over to Angel’s Share after his father died. The place was filled with memories, and the only reason he hadn’t stopped coming was a sense of responsibility to his legacy — and the fact that no place was better to pick up rumors that might be crucial to help him fight the threats to Mondstadt.
But ever since he'd made up with Kaeya and admitted he had some feelings for Venti, whenever he came to the tavern, he always ran into one or both of them. He'd started to look forward to that more than he'd expected. His heart felt light, instead of burdened with grief.
"I suppose I am," he finally said.