Chapter Text
The smell is far more pleasant than the bitter aftertaste that now lingers in Aether's mouth, yet he couldn't be more content with it. The gentle breeze in his head feels just right, sweeping away every other coherent thought and leaving him to just listen.
For tonight he is a goblet, for Venti to pour out all of what worries him.
Whether he really understood or listened to what Venti was talking about, however, wasn't important at all. The bard didn't need or want conversation. He wanted to be heard. By someone who would listen to his rambling like a song, by someone who could never dare to look away.
He wanted to be heard just like that one night when he wished for a star from the skies. He never expected to see Traveler there, plastered on the beach, unconscious, no. That night he didn't muster the courage to close the distance between himself and the "star" he wished for either. But he was grateful to the world, for the first time in the longest time, as he looked up at the cloudless skies. Celestia was never so far away. For once, he was grateful to the stars.
As Venti goes on and on, he only stops to pour more wine into himself. He knows that Aether shouldn't drink. He poured him a glass just so he doesn't feel left out. And oh, how impossibly happy he is to see his "star" laugh and cry for him, with him...
They didn't bother with how it looked from the side. Who would? It's night out, and so high up too - hardly anybody comes up here except for the members of the church. Too bad, for Venti tried his best landscaping that one part of Cider Lake's shore - the view from the tower is now most serene. Their new little spot shares this vista with Mondstadt's most tragic location, but this was also a part of Venti's wish. Those who departed from this world deserve to be buried someplace beautiful regardless of what they did during their lifetime. Such was his idea. He never made a lot of friends among mortals. The thought of losing another friend to time broke his heart. But he cherished his people anyway, and did all he could to help them preserve memory of their loved ones.
Night falls, and windows of the quaint town begin to grow dim. Venti catches himself growing moody again and apologizes, rubbing the back of his head.
Aether shamelessly smiles at the bard. He is so close to Venti he can feel the warmth of his breath. Something so little suddenly feels so enveloping. Embracing him and nurturing, warming him up from the inside just like Crimson Quartz back in Dragonspine, but without the ominous feeling.
It could be coming from the wine. It most likely did. But Aether felt it differently, and so did Venti.
Sometimes their foreheads would touch and Venti would wobble back slowly, soft cheeks glowing with rosy delight. They didn't care for the cold mists hanging above Mondstadt tonight. Everything felt right and familiar somehow.
If anyone knew, they would get a scolding of a lifetime. Especially Venti. But how can he resist a kind soul that desires to befriend him? To understand him? He has no choice but to let Aether in on his leisure time, just once.
Venti asks him to keep this meeting a secret from the Knights and everyone else. Aether agrees, bowing his head and gently squeezing Venti's fingers. The bard returns the gesture, melting in a smile sweeter than sugar flower nectar. Perhaps, if he wishes for something more tonight, the stars will listen again?..