take my hand

to be honest, this weather is some of the worst you’ve ever seen in mondstadt. you might be able to do heavy rain, crashing thunder and mondstadt’s famous windy weather, but a snowstorm this heavy? you aren't sure.

it’ll be a learning experience, right?

diluc calls your name as you reach for the door. “it’s late, and adelinde is right. it's dangerous to head back to mondstadt in this weather,”

a branch falls with a loud crunch outside.

you wave a hand in denial, shaking your head. the thought of a night in diluc's own home makes you more flustered than you'd like to admit. you wrap your hand around the handle to the front door, and pull.

it doesn’t budge.

another pull, and a sliver of snow falls through the crack. the snow is up to the door.

you chuckle quietly, before turning back to diluc, who stands arms crossed, a small smile on his lips. to his side, adelinde tries to hold back a laugh.

“the offer still stands,”

-

after settling in, you join diluc in his walk down the carefully decorated halls of dawn winery. he says he's headed for the kitchen to cook for his staff, and you decide to help out, as an unexpected guest.

as the two of you walk, he ties up his hair in the way you see him do so often during late nights at the tavern. he's shrugged off his thick coat, and the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows. "you look like you're ready to work your shift," you comment.

he raises an eyebrow, "would you like to join me, then?"

"i'll pass; i'll leave handling drunk knights and bards and cavalry captains to you for tonight,"

"i guess you'll be happy working my shift for the next two days, then?" he jokes dryly, and lets out a small laugh at the face you pull at him.

looking back at the hall ahead, diluc starts, "i've already told adelinde, hillie and moco to take a break tonight, it's rare for me to have an opportunity to cook -" he takes his gloves off, discarding them on a nearby shelf. "- besides, i can show you that i can make more than the drinks from the tavern,"

"i can't wait," you've heard rumours about diluc being an excellent cook, but to be able to taste his cooking for yourself is something to look forward to.

you look up at him, "thank you for taking me in for the night, by the way. my room is lovely," you mean it. adelinde had shown you into a room with plush pillows and a round, warm bed, with curtains draped over it - it was the best thing you could've asked for on a cold night like tonight. guilt pricks at your skin, “sorry for having to stay over like this so suddenly,”

“i’ve told you, it’s completely fine,” he leans against the doorframe to the kitchen, relaxed. “and.. i do enjoy your company,”

“oh? what’s this? the mr. ragvindr says he enjoys my company? what an honour,” you tease, trying to ignore the heat rushing to your cheeks. you poke him on the shoulder, “you’re not too bad yourself,”

he smiles, genuinely, as he shakes his head.

a small cough draws your attention, followed by a giggle. glancing in it’s direction, you see hillie clasping a hand over her mouth, and adelinde shooting her a disapproving look (you swear you see the ghost of a smile dancing on her lips, though). moco points at something above your head.

you look up, and your heart stops.

mistletoe hangs from the door frame.

you can't control the surprised laugh that slips from your lips - but when you look back at diluc, you pause. his ears and cheeks are the colour of his hair, and his gaze is anywhere but meeting your own. he's clearly at loss for words.

does diluc usually leave mistletoe hanging around his home? you wonder. he doesn't seem like he expected this.

from the corner of your eye, you see adelinde frantically ushering hillie and moco into another room.

"that wasn't there this morning," is the only thing diluc's able to muster out, rubbing a bare hand on the back of his neck. he mumbles something about a mix up in the decorations he ordered weeks ago.

time feels like it's been slowed down; your heart beats in your throat slowly, but loudly.

the kitchen fireplace crackles a few feet away from you, and its orange glow highlights all the delicate features of diluc's face. his jawline, the curve of his nose, the blush that tinges his cheeks, the soft pink of his lips.

he looks like a prince - like the ones in the monstadt fairy tales.

he radiates warmth - at least, you think he does; it's either that or it's your own nerves getting to you. or both. you're not too sure.

you don't know why the two of you are still standing there. neither of you seem to want to move away first - it's as if you're both waiting for something.

will he…?

you push your bubbling hopes down. as much as you wished for a kiss, you doubt diluc would be a man to follow lighthearted traditions like this... right?

"may i kiss you?" the words tumble from his lips. it's like he's been waiting ages to ask.

you surprise yourself at how calm you are. "i thought you'd never ask,"

a shy smile slips onto his lips and you swear he glows in the warm light. he holds a thumb to your jaw, his touch gentle, and pulls you in.

his lips are soft on your own. you lean into him, and his hands gently envelope your waist. he smells faintly of pine, lavender and sweet fennel.

it’s perfect.

after a while, you both pull away, short of breath. he’s still blushing, but he looks the happiest you’ve ever seen him.

“this is the best gift i could’ve asked for,” he says.

“i could say the same thing,”

he laughs, and holds your hand to his lips, pressing a small kiss onto your knuckles. "for you, dawn winery is always open,"

"thank you, diluc,"

from down the hall, you hear the loud clap of a high five, followed by a stern:

diluc cannot understand your fondness for the snow. as a youth, when he had finally received his pyro vision, he found refuge on chilly days, when the bitter cold would ease the constant heat of the flames that now seemed to consume him from the inside outwards. now, he shies away from it, preferring to dampen his warmth with the heavy fabric of his familiar black attire. such actions fail to provide any proper thermoregulation, but diluc can't bring himself to change course. the coat shields his past from the world, with few seeing the scarred arms that take shelter within the sleeves.

"is it now?" diluc muses.

diluc has never been one for small talk. if it had been anyone else to comment on the weather outside, he would have replied with a simple hum of acknowledgment. when with you, however, he always wishes to hear your voice. when with you, he'll indulge. whether he's truly indulging you or himself, he isn't quite sure, but the joy that radiates off you is a reward nonetheless.

"yes! first snow of the season, i think!" you tear your gaze from the darkened window, whose landscape outside glows with faint sunset-stained streetlamp hues. the flurries catch in the light, shining a brilliant white as they dance their way down to their fallen compatriots on the ground. instead of watching the disorganized promenade of the snow's descent, you instead observe your lover.

upon noticing the redirection of your glance, he quickly diverts his gaze from you. diluc's cheeks tint with pink as he avoids your glance like a schoolboy not wanting to be caught staring by his crush. the blush on his cheeks deepens as you let out a giggle at his sheepishness, but you use the opportunity to blatantly ogle him. you drink in the sight of your lover, who has now moved on to wiping down the countertop. his hidden muscles ripple as he wipes down the counter, yet your admiration for his appearance tonight is not driven by a lust-filled haze that typically clouds your brain whenever you are reminded of his strength.

instead, you take note that diluc's coat has been cast aside, with short sleeves revealing flame-scarred arms. it is a display of trust, even if he'd never admit it. it simply makes it easier to clean, he'd say if you pointed out. nothing more, nothing less. but he'd put the coat back on and cover his hands with the stiff leather gloves he wears outside. diluc is entirely at ease with you, but not with his appearance, so bringing attention to what he perceives as flaws, even if telling him how beautiful you find the healed traces of novice pyro wielding that paint his arms, would only cause him to close back up once more.

and thus, wanting to see the petals of your glaze lily of a lover, you sing the song that diluc wants to hear. too much sunshine, too much warmth, too much radiance at once will cause him to hide, scrunching up until alone in the moonlight once more. you opt to carry on your simple melodies of idle conversation in hopes that you can one day perform operas dedicated to all of him that you love (his entirety) even if he does not understand why you feel such a way.

thus, you talk of snow.

diluc finishes his cleaning of the counter and looks up at you, eyes widening at the realization that your gaze has never left him. you smile softly, easily, familiarly to him, and he finds refuge, alertness easing into a gaze of fondness.

"you're not going to come look?" you ask. the heavy implication of wanting your lover by your side is softened by your gentle tone, and diluc can only oblige, wordlessly walking over to your side.

diluc doesn't have much interest in the weather outside, but if you told him to leap off starsnatch cliff, he would without a second thought. looking at the snowflakes that quietly flutter outside is of little effort to him, and if it makes you content, he is all the more happy to do it. lost in his thoughts of you as he looks out at the frosty landscape outside, diluc fails to notice the way your gaze has shifted to his calloused fingers. you use the close proximity to him to lace your fingers through his.

startled by the physical contact, diluc jolts, and the loosening of his hand causes you to retract yours. uncertainty quickly mars your once blissful expression as you pull your hand back to your side.

"sorry, i didn't mean t-" you begin. diluc has always been the kind to patiently let you speak, always alert for your next words, but he uncharacteristically interrupts.

"no, please, i did not intend for..." in a rare occurrence, diluc's words are flustered as he loses his train of thought. crimson eyes set their sights on your hand and diluc hastily snatches it back to his side, fingers fumbling their way into the cracks between your own. his heavy palm presses against your own as he firmly clasps his fingertips against the back of your palm, forming an ironclad cage around your hand.

is a cage still a cage if you wish to be within it?

diluc lifts your conjoined hands to his face, lips brushing against the back of your palm. the gesture satiates your nerves as diluc lowers your hands, taking half a step closer to you so that your shoulders are practically touching. he clears his throat.

"my... apologies," he says, words slow as he mulls over them. the two of you have been together enough to share soft-spoken i love yous, but tonight feels more different. tonight feels more intimate, even if the three little words have yet to be uttered by each of you. there is a thick tension that diluc is unwilling to cut through, instead carefully selecting his words to cause it to fester.

"the snow is beautiful," he murmurs.

both of you know he isn't talking about the snow. he pauses, looking back out at the cobblestone streets of mondstadt that are slowly being buried under the intensifying snowfall. his lips part slightly, and the snow outside is forgotten as you await your lovers next words, wondering what thoughts are taking him so long to properly formulate.

"you do not have your coat."

diluc's words nearly make you laugh out of sheer confusion, but you remain silent. you could say the same for him, but conflict continues to ebb into his expression, so you remain quiet, letting him figure out what he wishes to say next.

"do you..." he begins, face erupting into crimson hues, the deepest blush you've ever seen on the winery owner. diluc shakes his head slightly to clear his thoughts. you wonder what he's thinking of. his touches have never roamed beyond your waist and the expanse of your face and neck as he presses kisses to the smooth skin that resides there. yet, his gaze does not divert to the lower parts of your body, instead focusing on your eyes. diluc is ever the gentleman, and you realize that is why he is struggling to formulate his next words. perhaps he will offer you his coat so that you can get home while remaining warm and-

"you cannot possibly walk home without a coat," he blurts, and you wait for his sacrifice of his favorite piece of clothing for the night.

yet, it never comes. you feel diluc's palm warm with pyro energy, threatening to erupt, but the temperature returns back to normal as he clears his throat once more. he diverts his gaze for a brief moment, glancing back at the snow before staring at you once more. crimson irises are filled with love, adoration, vulnerability, and earnestness. you trust the painting of emotion that is stored within them, willing to reveal your entire self to them if requested. diluc isn't offering you his coat, is he? flustered heat overwhelms him and inexperienced words spew forth like magma breaking past the surface, yet they take away your breath nonetheless.