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It was well into the evening by the time Bennett returned from his adventure. The hustle and bustle of Mondstadt gave way to a calm and peaceful clamor, the only real loud noises coming from the early patrons of the many taverns in the city. People were winding down for the day; parents guided their children by the hands as the younglings chatted excitedly about their day, shop owners tidied up and swung their “open” signs around to “closed”. The setting sun casted a warm, orange glow on the city, creating a peaceful scene before the adventurer.
Bennett felt exhaustion seeping deep into his bones, and he wanted nothing more than to take a refreshing shower, eat a filling meal, and relax in his beloved wife’s arms. He wanted to be at the place he called home, a place he helped create with his lover over the few years they’ve been married. The hanging flower pots that she tended to every morning, the playful barks from Scout, the dog they rescued, the calming aroma of the delectable food she makes for dinner every day; those were but a small handful of the joys he has sharing his life with her.
He finally arrived at his home and saw light spilling out of the kitchen window. He peeked in and a smile spread across his face at the sight he beheld.
There she was, dressed in an apron decorated with small flowers she embroidered herself, humming a little tune as she stirred the pot containing tonight’s hot meal. Her platinum hair which was tied back into a half ponytail, bounced as she danced along with her humming. That’s when she spun around and saw Bennett smiling and waving through the window.
“Bennett!” his wife exclaimed, “what are you doing standing outside! Come inside!” She hurried out of the kitchen and promptly opened the front door to let the adventurer come in. He gladly stepped inside, inhaling the scent of cream stew and fried radish balls.
“Hello, my sunshine,” he greeted, using his usual nickname for her. He thought it fitted her perfectly as no matter what happens she always wears a bright smile on her face and brings warmth into everyone’s lives including his. “It smells amazing!” he added.
“Ah, thank you! I managed to get some fresh produce from Quinn after my performance today!” she chirped cheerfully.
“That’s right! How was your show today? I’m so sorry I missed this one, the Adventurers’ Guild had some urgent commissions pop up.” Bennett’s heart sank, as he asked for forgiveness. It was as he said, a lot of important missions came up and it was something Fischl, Cyrus, and even the traveler couldn’t handle by themselves. The task was so difficult that it had drained all the energy out of the usually enthusiastic adventurer, and his wife seemed to have sensed it.
“It’s quite already, Benny! It happens, and I’m proud that you and the others were able to handle it,” she reassured. “Come, let’s eat dinner and I can tell what happened at my show! Oh,and something funny happened at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters today!”
Bennett smiled as she took him by the hand and led him inside to the dining table. His heart swelled with love at his love’s understanding and patience. She truly was a remarkable person.
Over dinner, she talked excitedly about her day, telling the story of how Klee accidentally blasted another fish pond.
“Jean looked so drained after lecturing Klee! Even though so many years have passed by, I guess some things never changed, haha!” she laughed. Bennett simply smiled, resting his head against his hand as he listened. On a normal day, he would’ve added more to the discussion but today he just wanted to appreciate everything his wife has done for him.
“Oh, you’re done eating already? Here, I’ll clear up the table, you can go bathe-”
“No, I’ll help,” Bennett interrupted, standing up to take his and the deaconess’s empty dishes. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with her to make up for missing her concert today.“I can wash the dishes and you can dry and put them away?”
She nodded and smiled, and continued her rambling. He could listen to her all day and never get tired, he thought to himself. Eventually the chore was done, and Bennett went to wash up. He was walking up the stairwell when an idea struck him and paused.
“Hey, sunshine?”
She hummed from her spot in the living room where she was settling down to read a book in response.
“Can you...Can you wash my hair for me?” he asked, a little sheepish.
Without a hint of hesitation, she said, “Of course!”
The act of washing someone else’s hair was another way of showing love to Bennett. He promptly drew up a warm, bubbly bath and dipped in as she brought up a stool to sit behind him. As his wife ran her fingers through his wispy, light-colored hair, he let out a sigh of contentment. He enjoyed this moment of intimacy he shared with her, and closed his eyes as she massaged his head.
“Your hair is getting long,” she noted. “Did you want me to cut it soon?”
“Hm, nah. Razor and Fischl pointed it out too and said long hair would suit me. Maybe if I tied my hair in a ponytail like Master Diluc, you’d fall even more in love with me!” he half joked.
She laughed, the sound like music to his ears. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to love you more than I already do, but you with long hair does seem like an interesting sight.”
She loves him. “Then it’s decided, I’ll let my hair grow out,”
It’s night time now, and the two switched off the oil lamps and blew out the candles and crawled into bed. Bennett instinctively reached out to his wife’s figure and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Barbara,” he whispered.
“Yes?” she replied.
“Barb,”
“What is it?”
“Barbara, Barbara, Barbara,” he repeated.
She giggled looking up at him with beautiful, blue eyes. “Yes, that’s my name. Did you need something?”
“Nothing, Barbara. I just love saying your name as much as I love giving you cheesy nicknames!” At this point they were whisper-screaming as kids do when they’re trying to tell their friends a super important secret.
“Then...Bennett, Bennett, Bennett!”
“Yeah?” he responded with a glimmer in his eyes.
“I love you,” she smiled.
“I love you too,” he said whole-heartedly. “I love you so much, Barbara. Thank you for being here with me, supporting me, and being a constant source of happiness in my life.”
He pulled her in closer and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. He never felt so at peace and so loved before, it was almost as if it was a dream. But the gods have smiled down on him, and blessed him with her.
If he was certain of one thing it’d be that “home” wasn’t just a place, a building where one resided. To him “home” was wherever they were together, right in each other’s arms just like in loving moments like these.