Diluc and Venti had never publicly announced their relationship; not out of shame, but instead because, well, they didn't really think it was necessary. If people found out, nothing would change- they never answered questions or clarified anything people said, instead opting to laugh at the whispers when they went home. Thus, the rumours began.
When the bard performed, that was always the easiest time to catch Diluc slacking. It was obvious that he was attempting to maintain his professionalism, keep up the image he'd inherited, but every night without fail, a melody line would catch him off guard and he'd suddenly be stood stock still, transfixed by the sound of their voice. This is where the rumour initially began; innocently, suggesting merely that the bartender was harbouring a sort of secret crush.
The two were soon seen talking outside of strict business transaction, often bickering back and forth about some trivial matter. People soon caught onto the mystery of Venti's never-ending tab; Diluc wasn't known to be forgetful, and so the case grew. A new, blossoming relationship, some surmised. When asked, the tavern owner merely chuckled.
No one could ever get any answers out of Diluc, and accepted this, assuming he was being stubborn, or needlessly prideful, but it came as a shock to hear no response from Venti at all. They'd amassed a reputation through countless events of being the marketplace for town gossip, and yet when asked about the rumours, they never did so much as reply. It seemed peculiar. People began to grow suspicious.
So when Diluc walked over sometimes after a performance with a soft smile on his face, no one was really surprised. The patrons of the Angel's Share were no strangers to the notion of love, yet this instance of adoration alluded so many. Some even passed Diluc's uncharacteristic behaviour off as a mass hallucination. It just seemed... odd.
That was, until a few months later, when a drunken bard landed on Diluc's well polished counter as he was serving drinks. Passersby watched with apprehension, half expecting him to push Venti away, but to everyone's surprise, the bartender had deftly stepped around the cabinet, readjusted his sleeves, and effortlessly picked the bard up with one hand.
Seeing Diluc hold Venti so gently, smoothing out their bangs and wiping sweat from their brow... the room was almost silent, every pair of eyes watching with a curious disbelief. Just as Diluc managed to lift them over the counter bridal style to take them to the back rooms to rest, he turned and uttered a single sentence to the crowd: "As you were."
The gossip in the tavern was wild for weeks. No one could believe Diluc Ragnvindr had the capacity for such tenderness, much less to someone he claimed to hate- it was absurd. Bets were cashed in after months of waiting, and yet the two culprits turned a blind eye. They just thought the commotion was funny.
Dust settles quickly in Mond, however, and soon their unspoken relationship became the norm. Venti often perched themself on the end of the bar, chatting animatedly to Diluc, who wore a small, fond smile. Nothing had really changed, at all. Just a half-assed clarification through series of events.
The patrons of the tavern occasionally teased the stoic bartender for turning soft, and he only ever smiled, rolling his eyes. The joking never got to him. These people were practically his close friends, for how much he saw of them. There wasn't really anything to mind.
So the first surprise only came when newcomers arrived.
On an innocuous weekday night, a group of businesspeople from Fontaine dropped by the tavern, and sat at the bar for something to drink. The atmosphere was as comfortable as ever, punctuated only by drunken guffaws or the sound of winning various card games, so nothing seemed amiss-
Until Venti arrived.
The people were immediately drawn to his presence, heckling him affectionately and asking a million questions the second they walked in the door. Apparently, one of them had heard tales of a green bard from Mondstadt who sang like an angel, and begged to hear a song or two. Ever the performer, Venti happily obliged.
