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It had started off innocently enough.
After all, Venti was just worried! The traveler always works so hard for everyone else’s sake, and he’d rarely ever seen Lumine take any time for herself. So it was a huge weight off of his shoulders when he learned that the adeptal realms had been put into place. Of course, leave it to the adepti of Liyue to steal what small glory Venti still had, but that could be resolved by a couple hours of annoying Zhongli.
What he didn’t expect was the traveler accepting his proposal to sleep on his shoulder. So now, here he was, propped against a tree, fresh apple in one hand, and a sleeping star cuddled against his other. The sky was starting to turn from blue to a deep orange, mixed with reds and purples. It sprayed Lumine in a gorgeous hue. Pink really was a good color on her. Maybe he could convince her to wear a different dress at some point.
She was passed out. Absolutely exhausted, she’d cuddled up to him like it was natural. Like they’d been doing it for years. In the quiet rustle of leaves, he could hear the soft breaths exhale from her. The realm she created was beautiful; immaculate love put into every inch and corner of it. Certainly less drab than ol’ Rex Lapis’s adeptal abodes. The setting sun was even more beautiful, the fluffy pink clouds reminiscent of delectable pastries. But in the moment, Venti couldn’t look at anything other than her. Just her. She always had that effect on him, so who was he to resist her spell?
His heart had yet to quell. He could hear it in his ears, thumping to it’s own beat. While this was normal, he hoped she wasn’t hearing it too. He didn’t want to risk this ethereal moment never happening again. As he stared down at her sleeping form, a small grin pulled at the side of his lips. His arm had long gone numb, but he didn’t dare to move it. A small sliver of drool had begun to pool on his clothes, but he didn’t mind. It was cute. His hand was but a few inches from hers, and a temptation had started to grow. She was so warm. It was hard to think, but it always was when he was around her.
A loud snore stirred him from his thoughts. Paimon was curled beside Venti. Having joined the slumber party late, she was very insistent on stealing some of his apples and then passing out on his leg. Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t allowed to move. He imagined that Paimon was similar to a cat; loud, talkative, hungry and napped a lot. Not that he minded, but he did wish she would stop saying that he was a tone deaf bard. He was quite the good singer, thank you very much!
Lumine shifted, cuddling into his arm a little more. In fact, she essentially took hold of his entire arm, hugging it and curling into a ball. While one hand grasped the fabric, the other ended up falling to just above his wrist. A content sigh left her, and Venti gave a breathy laugh. She really was cute, though he had a feeling she didn’t know just how much.
It took a long while for Venti’s heart to settle, and longer still for his mind to accept rest. He sighed. Now, both his arm and his leg were fast asleep. So he accepted his fate, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Lumine’s head and settling his head on the back of the tree. As the haze of sleep took hold of him, he lamented about how he might not get this again.
But that was a problem for another day.
——
Maybe it was just because she had been traveling with Venti for a little bit, but he felt that Lumine was opening up more to him recently. Since they no longer needed to camp out in the wilderness, the teapot had become a primary napping spot. It was rare that Venti got to enjoy the sounds of the sea, what with Mondsadt’s attractions being mostly it’s mountains.
And the traveler had been quite generous with the napping spots! Which was wonderful, he had so many to choose from. Today, he chose to rest under the shade of a palm tree, which was also a rare commodity for him. The grass under him was quite comfortable, and the sounds of various birds chirped all around him. It was warm, but not too much so, with a comfortable breeze kissing his cheeks as it passed.
But, of course, something was missing.
“Hey Venti!”
Ah, not anymore.
Venti raised his head with a grin at the voice of Lumine. She was making her way up the ridge to him, hands behind her back, wearing the pink dress that Venti had totally legitimately bought for her. Which, he did, but he’d neglected to tell her that he got it by swindling drunk people with song. It was fine, seeing her in it was absolutely worth it. It fit her perfectly, with the sleeves wrapping around her mid arm. It reached down to her lower thigh, with little white ruffles lining the ends of it.
He lazily sat up, stretching as Lumine came to sit beside him. “My dear warrior! Whatever do I owe the pleasure of your presence?”
She hugged her knees to her chest, looking out across the water and back towards the main manor. “There was a lot of commotion at the manor, so I decided to seek you out.”
Venti chuckled. “Aw! I’m flattered. I am always willing to be your conversation buddy.”
Lumine sent him a smile that could melt the harshest of wintery hearts. Then, her gaze turned back towards the water. In this moment, he could see the bags under her eyes, and the tired expression on her face. She stifled a yawn, and chose to lean her head on her knee instead.
“You look tired, traveler.”
She softly chuckled. “Yeah, I am. It’s been a long week.”
“Where’s your little traveling companion?”
“Cooking with Xiangling,” she said with a little bit of an exasperated sigh. “The girl is all too happy to be a taste tester.”
“Is that another reason why you’re here?”
Lumined pursed her lips. “It was just… really loud there. You’re not loud. You’re calming.”
Venti’s heart bounced around like a squirrel on a sugar high. “Are you saying you find my presence enjoyable?”
Another soft smile from Lumine. “Yeah, I suppose so.”
He laid back down on the ground, giving a content sigh. “You are always welcome to nap with me, my warrior. No complaints here!”
There was some hesitation there as Lumine looked him over, and in those moments, time seemed to still. Though it was only a few seconds, it was long enough for a small amount of fear to worm its way into Venti’s subconscious. Was that too far? She’d accepted the offer before, but perhaps that was because she was so tired. But eventually, something won her over, and Lumine positioned herself on Venti’s chest. Right above his heartbeat. Her hand clutched his shirt, and she curled into his form. Venti’s arm wrapped around her shoulder, and he lamented about how nerved he was.
Though, he preferred this to a nap.
Venti rested his hand on his chest, a little bit above Lumine’s hand, and resigned himself to watching the leaves above him rustle with the wind of the sea. He definitely was not trying to think about how he could also hear her pounding heartbeat, or the way she shivered when he lightly traced circles on her skin, or the way she nuzzled closer to him in response to that. Or the fact that he could feel her soft breaths on his neck, or the hum she thought he couldn’t hear when he turned his head to rest his cheek on her forehead.
Definitely not.
How long had it been since he felt such a connection like this? Hundreds of years, at the least. Sure, Venti was a bard, and knew plenty about the tales of love and woe. But after his long nap, and his exploits as the nameless bard, connections were hard to come by. Or at least, a connection that lasted. So to have a moment of solace, amidst the sounds of wind and sea, where talking was not a requirement… Well, Venti had some ideas for some new pieces.
Based on Lumine’s heartbeat rivaling Venti’s in speed, she was just as nervous as him. She wasn’t closing her eyes, and he knew because he could feel her lashes against his neck each time she blinked. Whatever was going on in her head was slowly coming out in her touch. He felt a small tap against the bottom of his thumb, and when Venti didn’t react, it started to become a gentle caress. He could feel the tentativeness in her touch, the way she slowly explored the outside of his hand in small bursts. Her index finger moved to his, tracing along the side and the top of it, before moving from that to middle, to ring, to pinkie.
“Having fun?” he quietly purred.
“Mhm,” was all she replied. Though, she started to pull away at the acknowledgement, and Venti’s hand went to hers instead. He did the same things she did, eliciting another shiver from her and a quiet hum. It wasn’t long before his fingers dove under hers, intertwining them with a quick squeeze. The little squeak she gave made him chuckle. He raised their hands up so he could get a good look at them.
“There. See? A perfect fit.”
The huff she gave only made Venti laugh more. Despite their position, he was sure her cheeks were flushed. But as they laid their hands back down on his chest, she squeezed back. “You’re ridiculous,” she murmured.
“You know I am still a bard, Arhcon or not.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Awh. Not fair~? How rude of me. Does that mean I’ve got an unfair advantage?”
“Yes, because the God who has been practicing love songs for hundreds of years absolutely has no advantage over a starcrossed traveler who gets different world cultures mixed up from being in so many.”
Venti clicked his tongue. “You wound me, my star! Had I known my advantage was unfair, I would be playing a bit more according to your standards!”
At this, Lumine rose from his chest, the space against his neck becoming unreasonably cold. He grinned up at the traveler, squeezing her hand once more. Her brow was furrowed, and her hair was falling loosely over her shoulders. Golden eyes always so attentive, currently trying to figure out Venti’s masterplan. Always so adorable without ever meaning to be.
“Whatever is on your mind, traveler? Such an expression is rare with you.”
Lumine hesitated again before speaking. “How do I even the score?”
Venti hummed, pondering. “Well, how about I give you permission to say anything you want to me. Anything that you’ve wanted to tell me. Whatever you say, it’ll be worth at least 100 of my babblings.”
He watched her golden eyes widen for a moment, and then cast away from his. A small blush grew on her cheeks, the rosy tint spreading to her ears. Venti’s breath hitched just at that. No wonder she always complained about men coming onto her. Beautiful and precious all at the same time.
“I-I…” she took a deep breath. “I’m not as good with my words… I-I’m not like you.”
Venti tilted his head with another soft hum. “An action, then. I’ll take that as an even score.”
Her cheeks got redder, but at the very least, she didn’t pull away. She didn’t leave. It took her a couple of moments to work up whatever courage was in her soul, but she took a deep breath. “Close your eyes.”
Venti obeyed, a small smile on his face. Her grip was almost hurting his hand, but he didn’t mind. He felt her shift, with hair brushing against his cheeks, and some quickened breaths against his lips. And then, there was the pressure of her lips on his. He dared his eyes to flutter open a little, his breath catching. But she pulled away just as fast, her eyes half lidded like his, and uneven breaths fanning his cheeks.
“…You opened your eyes,” she whispered.
His fingers from his available hand rose up and traced up her jawline, causing her eyes to flutter for a second. “Apologies,” he purred. “I’m afraid I didn’t uphold my end of the bargain. Might I trouble you to do it again?”
She gave a small laugh, rolling her eyes, but leaned down to close the distance between them once more. This time, Venti’s hands tangled into her hair, holding her closer. His other hand tore itself away from hers, cupping the side of her face and her neck. One kiss became two, and then two quickly turned to four. They were slow, tasting as sweet as honey, with the beautiful scent of windwheel asters, the sea and just her surrounding him. This was what Venti— Barbatos— adored; the intimate dance that they shared that no one else would be able to fully understand. They’d not understand the addicting feeling of her fingers running through his hair, making his hat fall somewhere behind him. Or that the small sounds she made were the equivalent of symphonies. The way that she moved on top of him, and them exchanging unspoken love letters through swollen lips and waltzing tongues.
When they finally parted, there was a long, warm silence between them. Lumine pressed her forehead against his, and he couldn’t help but breathlessly giggle. “See?” he whispered. “A perfect fit.”
Lumine snickered, pressing a kiss to his nose. “You’re silly.”
“I wouldn’t be Venti without it!”
She rolled her eyes, moving herself off him and back to his side. Their hands found each other much quicker this time, like they’d always known they fit. They quietly murmured to each other, laughs and giggles shared between only them and the trees. On her adventures, no matter how many times the teapot’s layout was changed, that palm tree stayed resilient, though there was a little bit more privacy there now.
But, at least the naps were still divine.