Perhaps Diluc had offered to show you around simply so he could have an excuse to hold your hand as he guided you through the bustling streets.

It wasn’t so bad, was it? You had only just arrived in Mondstadt, and somehow, you had already caught the eye of the city’s most elusive wine tycoon.

At first, there had been suspicion—newcomers rarely set foot in Mondstadt without some hidden purpose—but that wariness quickly gave way to curiosity, and soon after, to something resembling genuine admiration. You were kind, but not in the sickly-sweet, fawning way that the usual crowd of admirers had, the type that often left him with a pounding headache.

Perhaps the young master was experiencing his first true crush.

And that had caused quite a stir in the usually quiet city.

Diluc’s fingers closed gently around your hand, guiding it carefully so you could interlock your arm with his. "That's one of our statues dedicated to the Anemo Archon," he murmured, nodding toward the towering figure in the center of the city. His voice was far softer than you had ever heard it with anyone else, as if he feared that speaking too harshly might startle you and drive you away.