Chapter Text
Venti sighs into his cup for the thousandth time; he really wishes it was wine, right about now.
They could be anywhere; they could find themselves in Liyue Harbor, enjoying the sights and the sounds of Lantern Rite. They could be sitting somewhere at the harbor’s edge or in a small alcove hidden away under stairs and bridges, eating good food and sipping good drink, watching as the fireworks burst in various, sparkling colors. They could be slowly drifting downward on one of Liyue’s many winding rivers, relaxing together on a bamboo raft as Ganyu feeds him a homemade lunch. They could even be in Mondstadt – sitting under the shade of a large tree as she puts her hands against his chest as he moves to kiss her, grabbing her by the waist and –
But no!
Instead, they’re here! They sit at around a large, old and eroded stone table at Mt. Aocang where the food has grown cold and where he has grown tired of listening to Cloud Retainer talk – specifically talk over him and Ganyu.
And it’s not like he doesn’t get it – of course he does! He knows that marrying Ganyu means he’s going to have to eventually deal with the fact that Ganyu considers Cloud Retainer her mother and that he should absolutely respect the Adeptus as such. Which he does! Which he will!
And he also knows that it’s only natural for Lantern Rite – after Ningguang told her she could take some time off to enjoy herself – Ganyu would want to see her mother and make sure she’s doing well. But his future bird-in-law is just…
She’s terrible. There really isn’t a better way to put it.
They could be anywhere right now. But instead, he sits there, watching the love of his life grip an old, small ceramic cup of frigid tea with white knuckles, frustrated, as Cloud Retainer doubles down on the fact that “one” expects grandchildren sooner rather than later, even as Ganyu is telling her she’s not comfortable with the idea right now and she wants to wait. But Cloud Retainer, stubborn in her old age, refuses to listen. One so wishes to hear the sounds of laughter again, she says, as you once did when you rolled down those hills so long ago.
Ganyu asks her to stop.
She’s ignored.
Again.
“Cloud Retainer,” he starts out cautiously, awkwardly chuckling. “Don’t you think there’s a… better time to ask about this? Maybe after the wedding? Maybe several years after the wedding?”
“So, you too have begun to protest about starting a family with one’s daughter?” Cloud Retainer shakes her head. “I fail to see how this is not a perfect time, unless you do not intend to marry her – “
“That is not what I’m saying – “
It’s especially frustrating, because no one else is this terrible about it!
The other Adepti, thus far, have not butt in – though, Ganyu is simply not as close to Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver as she is to Cloud Retainer, and they’re also not even here right now (apparently, they went on a journey without Cloud Retainer, and honestly, he doesn’t blame them). Xiao, after having been called for what he deemed as a “ridiculous matter”, told Ganyu to call him again if she needed Venti impaled, and then left. His old friend was polite and curt, though Zhongli openly said if Venti hurt Ganyu, Zhongli would make sure to repay each pain tenfold. Venti told him he really didn’t have to worry, and Zhongli joked, saying he could only half-believe him. Madam Ping just wished them well, happy to see Ganyu happy.
Beidou, Ganyu’s pirate friend, also wished them well, and even gave them a spare bottle of some vintage she was able to steal off some treasurer hoarders as a wedding gift. And as far as he could see, Ningguang couldn’t give less of a damn that Ganyu has decided to marry – only that she hopes Venti makes her happy, and Ganyu told her he did.
(Keqing probably had the funniest reaction – assuming Ganyu got pregnant and that’s why they were marrying, and also shocked because she hadn’t realized Ganyu was seeing anyone.)
But Cloud Retainer –
She decided she was going to be an overbearing mother, and it shows.
It’s one thing when this is a private discussion between just the two of them, in a place where no one else could hear them; it’s one thing for him to imagine her in his own head, positively glowing with a dazzling smile and a round belly, singing lullabies to his baby, as Ganyu cradles the both of them in her arms…
But it’s another thing to sit there and watch her become frustrated, red, and close to tears as she tries to explain that if she ever decides to have a child, it is going to be her decision, not Cloud Retainer’s, and that she has no right being this involved in private affairs, all while her mother refuses to listen to her, telling Ganyu “one” knows best -
It’s another thing to basically try to force her to have a kid – which is what Cloud Retainer is trying to do, and ignoring them both when they’re telling her no.
Especially when Ganyu clearly wasn’t ready or willing.
Eventually, it all comes to a head; Ganyu stands up and tells Cloud Retainer that she’s sorry, but she is no longer interested in continuing a conversation where her decisions are not being respected, and that they would talk about it more when Cloud Retainer learned her boundaries. As his fiancé walks away, Cloud Retainer shouts after her, but Ganyu doesn’t respond. Venti takes this as his silent cue that he needs to go and talk to her and make sure she’s okay. His bird-in-law tries to get him to stay, but he doesn’t respond to her either. He knows where he’ll find her.
She stands, alone, at a stony peak not too far off from her mother’s abode, as she gazes out to the sea of clouds in Jueyun Karsts.
And gods, if she isn’t still beautiful even when she’s so sad.
She’s majestic, like an old, well-kept tapestry. She moves as softly as the clouds she gazes over, and she sings as sweet as the songbirds in spring. Like the Glaze Lilies of her homeland, she’ll only open up to the right song at the right time, but when she does, her beauty blinds him, and leaves him without breath.
A flower so pretty shouldn’t be left to wither, trampled under the feet of someone who claimed to care for her.
As he wraps his arms around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder, she sighs. “…. We shouldn’t have come here.”
“But you wanted to see her,” he murmurs. “She’s your mom.”
“She is, but….” She sighs again. “She’s – she’s so difficult! I care for her, I do, but when she starts… she doesn’t stop. If it’s not about my work, it’s about my love life. Now that I have one, it’ll be about my children. And when I have children…. It’ll all be about what I’m doing wrong.”
He laughs. “You’re telling me! She’s kind of terrible. Like a lot.”
“…..Mhm.” She says, biting her lips. “…. Venti, um…. You don’t think…?”
“Think what?” He tilts his head.
“That I’m getting cold feet about this?” She asks, worried. “That perhaps…. I’m just making too big a deal out of it?”
“What!” He shakes his head. “No! Definitely not!”
“Listen, Ganyu,” he says carefully, “I would love to have a kid. I would love to have one with you. And I would love to hold you every night, knowing you’re the one who gave such a precious gift to me.”
“…. But I don’t want one if you don’t want one,” he tells her. “If you don’t feel ready, we can wait! And you can keep taking your prescription and she can butt out of this, honestly. And we don’t have to come back here. Because you don’t, right?”
Ganyu laughs softly. “…. No, I think I said what I needed to say.”
“Wanna ditch then?” He says as he scoops her up into his arms.
“Yes!” She giggles as she wraps her arms around his neck, as they run away.