by: SquiggidWithShame
There's too much unrest in town to properly relax when Diluc enters the tavern for the evening. All he wants is to sit back with a nice glass of wine, but, of course, there has to be an issue here, too. There has to be a young boy rummaging behind the counter and filling up a glass of wine with a pleased smile on his face and humming a clever tune to himself.
"I believe I told you not to help yourself, young bard," Diluc says. He tries to say it with a lecturing tone, but it comes out more tired than anything.
Venti spins around, braids twirling around his face, and then smiles innocently at Diluc.
"And I believe I told you that I've been drinking much longer than you have, Master Diluc," Venti returns, tipping his glass.
Diluc frowns at the sight of Venti taking a sip of wine. How strange it is to know that this young boy is the god of their land, the one who created the very earth from which the wine grapes grow.
"If it's money that you're wanting, then I can pay you with a performance," Venti offers, placing his glass on the countertop.
Diluc shakes his head. "That's not necessary."
"Well, if it's not that, I can pay you with..." Venti smirks. "A different kind of performance."
Venti shrugs a shoulder and tilts his head to peer up at Diluc through thick eyelashes. It's such a small movement, a subtle shift in tone from innocence to suggestion, but it gets the point across. It's times like this where Diluc has to keep in mind that, no matter how he looks, Venti isn't a young boy. But this is something only Diluc and a few others have the privilege of knowing.
Clearing his throat, Diluc says, "That's certainly not necessary."
"Are you sure?" Venti says lightly, hopping off the bar stool. "I am quite experienced."
"Perhaps you are, but you still look like a child."
"Oh, curse this body," Venti says with a huff.
With a frown, Venti lifts his arms and spins in place, looking down at himself. Seeing the boy from all angles now, with a grace to his spin that only a bard or a god could achieve, Diluc has to admit that he is cute. But messing around with a child wouldn't look good for him—and messing around with a god couldn't be good for him.
"Would you rather I look older?" Venti suggests. "Like Sir Kaeya?"
Diluc eyes him. "Can you... do that?"
Venti smiles again, more mischievous now, and closes the distance between them. With a small hand, he walks his fingers up Diluc's chest and then stops when he reaches Diluc's chin.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he whispers with a glint to his eye.
That's enough of that.
Diluc brushes away Venti's hand—not too forcefully, but enough to get a point across.
"Just stay out of trouble," he says, putting more effort into making his voice stern this time.
Diluc walks away, but not before hearing a sarcastic, "Yes, sir" behind him.
That didn't sound promising, but Diluc has too many other issues to deal with right now to be concerned over a god who has too much time on his hands.
--
Diluc doesn't see Venti again until a few nights later—and he wishes he hadn't. Well, he's glad that he found Venti in order to stop the situation, but he's not happy about the situation at all.
